Abstract

Fuzzy logic provides a methodology to represent, manipulate, and implement heuristic knowledge to control a system. In this work, the development of a fuzzy irrigation control system based on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to control greenhouse fertigation was presented. Factors involved in crop nutrition were discussed first. Further, the description of the fuzzy control system was presented, followed by the analysis and design of the fuzzy controller, and its implementation, a FPGA-integrated circuit. The FPGA system is not only flexible (it can be easily reconfigured and reused for different designs), but it also provides rapid prototyping and offers the capability to perform multiple operations at the same time, producing positive economic returns. The design, compilation, and simulation of the system were developed in Active-hardware description language (HDL) using the hardware description language, very high-speed integrated circuit hardware description language (VHDL). Results from simulation and experiments showed the simplicity of the design, the viability of its implementation, and the low cost that the use of a fuzzy logic controller and FPGA system represents.

Key words: Fuzzy logic controller, irrigation system, field programmable gate array (FPGA).