Housing/Mechanical
Our housing unit was constructed with african mahogany wood that contains two levels with a total of 4 areas to hold the plants. The housing behind the first level and under the second level houses the water tank and the electrical components.
A total of 4 water tubes would stem from the water tank, each utilizing a pump that regulates the amount of water for each path. The pump would be based on a timing based system that is customizable based on the amount of water a specific plant would require.
Within the water tank will be a CQRobot Ocean sensor to monitor the water level. The non-contact liquid level sensor realizes non-contact detection of the liquid level in a closed container. It adopts advanced signal processing technology and a high-speed signal processing chip, breaking through the influence of container wall thickness. This system would be connected to the Arduino board then transmit the information via bluetooth to the app to notify a user whenever the water tank level is low.
With the water tank housing, we implemented a drawer that can easily move horizontally in and out of the housing. The water tank can also be fully removed for when the user needs to refill it with water.
The electrical housing utilizes a door hinge that can be opened and closed manually. There is a stopper inside the housing ensuring secured movement.
