In-tank raw milk monitoring system and method

An in-tank raw milk monitoring method using an in-tank raw milk monitoring system that includes a 12V transformer to create a direct current source for different units, a Long Range (LoRa) terminal, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) and a LoRa antenna to provide wireless long distance data exchange, a liquid level sensor to measure the amount of liquid coming into a sample container, a pressure sensor to measure the liquid pressure in a tank, a peristaltic pump to provide liquid flows, a manual valve for solution filling and draining, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitor for on-screen monitoring and management, a pH sensor for pH determination of milk, an LTE modem for mobile network connectivity, a first microcomputer for data processing and management, a second microcomputer for data acquisition and sensor management, a LoRa Gateway to collect wireless and long-distance sensor data, a voltage regulator to supply different voltage values to components, a temperature sensor to measure tank temperature, a relay board and a relay driver board to manage valves and pumps, a solenoid valve to connect the sample container to the tank, a solution box for sample and solution discharge, a Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART) card for communication between the first microcomputer and the relay driver card, a float to measure the full and empty status of solution containers, an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to provide uninterrupted power to the system, and a sensor circuit to perform sensor data calculation and adjustment operations, characterized in that the method includes process steps of:

• connecting to a cloud and exchanging data by the first microcomputer with a mobile network provided by the LTE modem and the LoRa antenna, sending work orders to the second microcomputer or requesting measurement or status data from the second microcomputer based on data received from the cloud, requesting relay status data by the second microcomputer from the relay driver board via a serial communication protocol provided by the UART card, or issuing relay on/off orders, executing the relay on/off orders to open and close the peristaltic pump and valves by the relay driver board, measuring the pressure and temperature of the tank continuously by the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor and parametrically defining a sampling period for each tank, receiving data on the fullness of the sample container, temperature data of liquid in the tank and the sample container, a pH value of the liquid in the sample container, pressure data of the tank, calibration data of the pH sensor, float status data (full/empty data of liquid containers) by the second microcomputer, receiving the temperature and pH data of a solution in the sample container and the temperature data of the liquid in the tank by the sensor circuit, calculating other sensor data by the second microcomputer through a conversion method, and sending such sensor data to the first microcomputer address in a Long Range (LoRa) network formed by the LoRa terminal and the LoRa antenna, receiving and analyzing data by the first microcomputer from the LoRa terminal to its own address in the LoRa network provided by the LoRa Gateway and the LoRa antenna,
• as a part of the pressure measurement process, reporting the pressure in the tank by the pressure sensor to the second microcomputer, then transferring information to the first microcomputer, processing the information and sending the information to the cloud, then checking whether a drain container is full or not, p1 as a part of calculating the amount of liquid in the tank, calculating the amount of liquid in the tank with a calibrated pressure sensor when the tank is full and empty, converting the liquid pressure into liquid level and then into volume information by the second microcomputer and reporting this information to the first microcomputer, then processing the information and sending it to the cloud, if there is no liquid in the tank, putting the system into standby mode until the situation changes,
• as a part of the drain container process, informing the second microcomputer by the float when the drain container is full or empty, and then transferring information to the first microcomputer, processing the information and sending it to the cloud by the first microcomputer, sending full information to the cloud if the drain container is full, putting the system in standby mode until the drain container is empty, starting manual draining process by opening a manual valve of the drain container, since the draining process starts with the actuation of the peristaltic pump, putting the system into standby mode until the process is finished, when the drain container is empty, stopping the peristaltic pump and draining the drain container based on the empty information from a drain float and closing the manual valve,
• as a part of the solution container process, checking that solution containers are full together with the drain container, informing the second microcomputer that the containers are empty by floats in the solution containers, then transferring the information to the first microcomputer, processing the information and sending it to the cloud by the first microcomputer, if the solution containers are empty, putting the system into standby mode until the containers are filled, starting solution container filling with the opening of the manual valve, since the filling process starts with the actuation of the peristaltic pump, putting the system into standby mode until the process is finished, when the solution container is full, completing the filling process with the full information from a filling float and closing the manual valve, if the solution containers are not empty, starting the pressure measurement in the tank,
• as a part of the tank standby process, keeping the system in standby mode and a sample valve in the closed position when the tank is empty, continuously measuring the pressure and temperature of the tank and waiting for the start of a process that will change the system state,
• as a part of the tank cleaning process, checking the tank temperature with the temperature sensor if the tank pressure value is not in the empty state pressure range of the tank, starting the tank cleaning process if the tank pressure value is in the cleaning state pressure range of the tank and the tank temperature is in the higher tank cleaning range, checking the amount of liquid in the sample container, if there is liquid in the sample container, transferring the liquid to the drain container by the peristaltic pump, if there is no liquid in the sample container or if the liquid has been drained, taking the tank cleaning solution from the tank to the sample container by the peristaltic pump, after the sample container is cleaned, transferring the cleaning solution to the drain container by the peristaltic pump, after the tank cleaning is finished, allowing the system to stand until the next measurement time,
• as a part of the tank filling process, measuring if the tank pressure goes beyond the full value range, the tank temperature is within the measurement value range and liquid can be drawn from the tank, checking the calibration values of the sensors, starting the calibration process if there is a deterioration in the calibration, and if there is no deterioration, proceeding with the sampling process from the tank,
• as a part of the calibration process, transferring the solution at pH 7.0 from a pH 7.0 solution container to the sample container by the peristaltic pump, performing calibration for pH 7.0 after the sensors make a stable reading, then transferring the calibration solution to the drain container with the peristaltic pump, transferring the cleaning solution from a cleaning container to the sample container by the peristaltic pump, then transferring the cleaning solution in the cleaned sample container to the drain container by the peristaltic pump, transferring the pH solution from a pH 4.0 solution container to the sample container by the peristaltic pump after cleaning, performing pH 4.0 calibration after the sensors have stable readings, then transferring the calibration solution to the drain container by the peristaltic pump, transferring the cleaning solution from the cleaning container to the sample container by the peristaltic pump, transferring the cleaning solution in the cleaned sample container to the drain container by the peristaltic pump, then proceeding to the sampling process from the tank,
• as a part of the sample measurement process, opening a sample valve connecting the tank to the measurement system only during the sampling process and always closing it in other cases, taking samples from the tank to the sample container by the peristaltic pump, closing the sample valve and taking sample measurements, taking the first measurement 2 to 3 minutes after the liquid level rises, then making the periodic measurements, transferring the measured pH and temperature data from the second microcomputer to the first microcomputer via the LoRa network, processing the data received from the LoRa network and sending it to the cloud via the mobile network by the first microcomputer, after the measurement process is over, allowing the system to stand until the next measurement time, and
• as a part of the tank draining process, starting the drainage of the tank with the opening of a tank drain valve, informing the second microcomputer by a tank drain float that flow has occurred and putting the system into drain mode, then transferring information to the first microcomputer, processing the information and sending it to the cloud by the first microcomputer, removing the system from the drain mode when the information that the flow has stopped is received from the drain float and sending this information to the cloud.