Case Study: Sprinkler (fire prevention without damage)
Water damage from sprinklers is often as severe as fire damage, but the Automist sold by Plumis provides for a fine water mist that both controls and extinguishes fire whilst minimising water damage. The system works for a domestic water supply via, for example, the kitchen sink. Please follow this link for articles from Plumis: Automist Demonstration Articles.
The EM developed the first successful prototypes for this product.
The Plumis Automist System Development
Challenge: the project for Plumis (Automist) required:
- AC motor control via PID control loop
- Solid state component motor control
- Embedded electronics
- A complex state diagram to control a system with many modes of operation, all implemented via embedded firmware.
All this was achieved in a short time frame.
Method: this product required:
- Meticulous development of state diagram to define modes of operation and events that needed to cause state (mode) change, i.e., an algorithm. This element was safety connected for obvious reasons.
- Design and development of electronics that implemented embedded realisation of the algorithm and controlled an AC pump via a control system.
- Extensive testing of the above.
Results: All the challenges were met. The resulting prototypes were tested for numerous operations, proving the system.
Skills: The main skills employed by the Electronics Machine in the Automist design were:
- Miniaturisation of PCB and PCBA electronics to allow installation in the very limited space available.
- Optimisation of a heatsink to allow sufficient dissipation of heat yet the minimum possible size to fit into the space available.
- There was the potential for electric motor transients to cause noise inducing transient noise – EMC issues. The design was optimised and EMC issues avoided.
Journey: Innovative products and designs start in all sorts of different places, but university spin-offs are a common and good one. From the numerous successful products the EM has seen evolve, the single most important starting point is a professional team. The very nature of universities fits hand in glove with this.
Plumis was a London university spin off and showed all the promise at the beginning that it eventually delivered through its company and the Automist product. It is essential that a team with technical credibility, financial backing, and industrial experience is formed as soon as is possible. Plumis did that and benefited accordingly.
Fast iterating prototypes led to a specification satisfying design. A thorough success.
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