Integrated Smart Gate and Radar Flowmeter Deployment in Guankang Irrigation District

Current Situation Analysis

Gates regulate water levels, control discharge, allocate water, and manage flood control in irrigation districts. Traditional operations face several challenges:

Manual and Basic Operations
Small branch canals rely on manual operation, while main canals use basic AC power switches lacking position feedback and remote interfaces.
Lack of Standardization
Standardized technical specifications for integrated measuring and control gates are limited, causing poor device compatibility and low water allocation efficiency.
Equipment Risks
Complex bed conditions (silt, debris) often lead to bent screw rods or hoist damage during blind operation.

This solution integrates sensing, auto-control, communication, and software systems to streamline gate operation, enable precise water delivery, and achieve unmanned site management.

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Construction Standards

Water Resources Standards


  • SL 27—2014 Specification for Construction of Sluices
  • SL 75—2014 Technical Code for Maintenance and Management of Sluices
  • SL 214—2015 Guidelines for Safety Evaluation of Water Sluices
  • SL 226—1998 Standard for Scraping Hydraulic Metallic Structures
  • SL 240—1999 Rating Standards for Equipment Management
  • SL/T 381—2021 Specification for Manufacture, Installation and Acceptance of Hoists
  • SL/T 426—2021 Technical Specifications for Water Flow Measuring Equipment
  • SL/T 478—2021 General Principles for Data Structures & Identifiers
  • SL/T 701—2021 General Principles for Water Information Classification & Coding
  • SL/T 812.1—2021 Transmission Protocols for Water Monitoring Data

National Standards


  • GB 50179-2015 Code for Open Channel Water Measurement
  • GB 50395-2007 Code for Design of Video Surveillance System Engineering
  • GB/T 22239-2019 Cybersecurity Level Protection Requirements

Construction Goals

The integrated monitoring and control gate system design encompasses multiple aspects. It includes not only the construction of the gates at the field end but also the uploading of gate information, flow meter measurement data, and video image information to the platform via network layer and BeiDou communication. The platform collects, analyzes, and processes irrigation area data, facilitating comprehensive management of multiple points and water dispatching, truly achieving intelligent water allocation in the irrigation area.

The biggest change brought about by the information technology construction of the integrated monitoring and control gate system is “unmanned operation.” The system can automatically collect measurement data from external sensor devices and intelligently control the gate opening based on built-in control logic to achieve automatic control of water level and flow. The system can wirelessly transmit local status, sensor measurement data, and gate status video data to a remote server. Combined with the company’s supporting mobile APP and WEB platform, it enables real-time monitoring of the gate control system, achieving unmanned operation.

System Architecture

The integrated measurement and control gate system refers to a hardware and software system that highly integrates measurement and control functions, utilizing various advanced technologies to achieve real-time monitoring and precise control of gate-related parameters. This system features remote control, video monitoring, anomaly alarms, voice broadcasting, and multiple automatic control modes, avoiding water waste in traditional irrigation and providing strong technical support for the modernization of agriculture. It mainly consists of five parts: the integrated measurement and control gate, water measurement facilities, video monitoring, communication network, and software platform.

System Architecture

The integrated measurement and control gate system refers to a hardware and software system that highly integrates measurement and control functions, utilizing various advanced technologies to achieve real-time monitoring and precise control of gate-related parameters. This system features remote control, video monitoring, anomaly alarms, voice broadcasting, and multiple automatic control modes, avoiding water waste in traditional irrigation and providing strong technical support for the modernization of agriculture. It mainly consists of five parts: the integrated measurement and control gate, water measurement facilities, video monitoring, communication network, and software platform.

Integrated Gate Unit
High-strength aluminum body, motor drive, power system, and smart controller.
Measurement Facilities
Supports multiple flow metering methods tailored to canal conditions.
Video Surveillance
Real-time visual monitoring with capture and playback capability.
Communication Network
Wired (Ethernet, Fiber) and Wireless (4G/5G, Beidou, LoRa).
Software Platform
Web portal and mobile app for control, monitoring, and analytics.

Solution Highlights

Remote & Precise Control: Absolute encoders and limits ensure high position accuracy. Gate opening and flow control can be executed remotely via app or web platform.
Integrated Video & Telemetry: Low-power outdoor video capture linked with telemetry data.
Robust Hardware Construction: Aluminum alloy gate body with honeycomb reinforcing, EPDM weather-resistant seals (30-year lifespan), and anti-corrosive drive components.
Low Power Consumption: Optimized power usage with configurable sleep modes; supports solar, grid, or dual-source power.
Flexible Operating Modes: Built-in automatic control modes (e.g., target upstream level, target flow rate).

Key Deliverables

Integrated Gate Unit

Functional Capabilities


ARM Architecture Core: Controls drive motors, sensor data ingestion, and data transmission under extreme field temperatures and weather conditions.
Local Operation: Controls drive motors, sensor data ingestion, and data transmission under extreme field temperatures and weather conditions.
Multiple Auto-Control Modes: Supports upstream water level control, downstream level control, flow-meter-based regulation, and velocity-meter-based regulation.

Structure & Components


Includes gate body, smart controller (HJ-DCK series), AC/DC power supply system, sensor cluster, and drive assembly.

Flow Measurement Facilities

ParametersTechnology / SensorKey Specifications
Section Average VelocityTransit-time ultrasonic flow box8–32 measurement layers; Velocity range: ±0.01 to ±5 m/s; Velocity accuracy: ±2.5%; Water level range: 0–15 m (Accuracy: ±2 mm); IP68.
Hydraulic Structure MethodUpstream & downstream radar level metersRadar frequency: 80 GHz; Range: 40 m; Accuracy: ±2 mm; Beam angle: 8°; Power supply: 7–32 VDC.
Downstream Flume/WeirParshall flume / Triangular / Rectangular weir + Radar level sensorRadar frequency: 60 GHz; Range: 2.5 m; Accuracy: ±2 mm; Beam angle: 6°; Ultra-low power consumption.
Surface Velocity MethodNon-contact Radar Flowmeter (Velocity + Water Level)24 GHz velocity radar (0.03–20 m/s, ±2% FS) + 80 GHz water level radar (40 m range, ±3 mm accuracy); Built-in hydraulic algorithm model.
Doppler FlowmeterSubmerged contact Doppler sensorVelocity range: +0.01 to ±5 m/s (Accuracy: ±0.5% FS); Water level range: 0–10 m (Accuracy: ±1% FS); Min. water depth: 2.5 cm; IP68.

Video Surveillance

Features low-power, wide-voltage PTZ cameras optimized for off-grid outdoor operations.

Smart Functions: Deep learning AI tracking, face capture, 24/7 continuous recording, and scheduled snapshot modes.
Power Efficiency: Max operating power 16 W; sleep mode power down to 2.6 W.
Key Specifications: 1080P @ 30fps output, H.265 compression, 20x optical zoom, 150m IR illumination, IP66 rating, TVS 4000V surge protection.

Networking & Communications

Uses a C/S gateway architecture to handle data reception, protocol parsing, and storage across multi-source networks (4G/5G, Beidou Satellite, SMS, TCP/UDP).

Software Platform

WEB Platform: Dashboard maps showing equipment layout, real-time telemetry display, gate mode configuration, remote calibration, video monitoring, event logging, and custom threshold alerts.
Mobile APP: Short-range Bluetooth setup and full remote control, data monitoring, and alarm management.

Gate Types

Dual-Hoist Aluminum Alloy Gate

Designed for small/medium branch canals without requiring concrete gate houses.

Drive Mechanism: High-power DC planetary gear motor with dual-wire ropes and self-locking worm-gearbox.
Gate Leaf: Marine-grade aluminum alloy frame with a honeycomb composite core panel.
Seals: Double-sided P-type and flat fluoro-rubber / EPDM seals (leakage rate < 0.25 L/min/m).

Screw-Rod Aluminum Alloy Gate

Drive Mechanism: DC motor mated to a 304 stainless steel screw rod hoist.
Position Tracking: Absolute encoder (4096×4096 resolution, position control accuracy ≤ 0.2 mm) with power-off memory.
Protection Features: Overcurrent, dual limit switches, top mechanical limit, emergency shutdown.

Micro Gate

Key Features: Compact structure combining control, metering, and power. Low friction, low energy demand, powered by small solar panels (50–200 W) and batteries (50–200 Ah).
Dimensional Range: Gate leaf sizes from 200×200 mm up to 1000×1000 mm.

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