Design of a Tuned Proportional–Integral–Derivative Water Level Controller for First-Order Automated Irrigation System in Rice Field

Some problems of Filipino farmers in Nueva Ecija are irrigation systems and labor shortage. Most of them are unable to work due to old age while others chose to stop because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, irrigation systems have been an issue due to the lack of resources such as continuous water supply and control. Fortunately, there is a progression of smart farming in the country which could assist in optimizing farming processes. This study presents a systematic literature survey on rice farming technologies and challenges. This study also aims to help address these problems by creating a rice irrigation system that introduces a water level control system. The system was comprised of a mobile application, Arduino ESP32 module, and a tank with water level sensors. The mobile application was used to set the desired water level while the proportional– integral–derivative (PID) controller adjusted the water level automatically. When current water level is lower than the setpoint, the valves to the tank will open. Tank specifications were used to come up with a transfer function for the system. The proposed design was simulated in MATLAB Simulink and PID parameters were tuned to enhance system performance. The tuned control system obtained an output response with less overshoot and faster settling time.

I. Introduction

In the Philippines, agriculture is one of the most important sectors. It is crucial to humans and the economy while being the foundation of national food security. Smart farming helps current farmers optimize farming systems by incorporating information technologies. Knowing this and the situation of the Philippines, smart farming may pave the way to increase rice crop production which would lead to develop the country’s agricultural sector.