Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
46 Ambient Light Detection and Auto Dimming Smart Switch
 Christine Chung
Michael Chen
Spencer Robieson
 Sarath Saroj design_document3.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
photo1.jpeg
photo2.jpeg
presentation1.pptx
proposal1.pdf
video
Team Members:
- Christine Chung (jooyunc2)
- Michael Chen (myc3)
- Spencer Robieson (slr6)

# Problem

Most light switches are binary switches and do not have brightness control. There are dimmer switches that allow the user to control brightness, but they do not automatically adjust if the ambient light changes. Users may need to adjust the light if they are in the same room for a long period of time.

# Solution

We plan to create a smart switch that can be connected to any existing light switch (including no neutral connections) and intelligently control lights. Sensors on the switch will be able to detect the ambient light and adjust the brightness of the lights to maintain a constant room brightness.

# Solution Components

## Ambient Light Detection
Using sensors connected to the switch, the intensity of the ambient light/ sunlight will be detected. As sunlight decreases, the switch will use this measurement to maintain a constant brightness in the room without needing to adjust the switch.
Part: TSL2561 luminosity sensor

## Desired Light Level Control
The user will be able to use a dimmer to adjust the desired brightness of the room. Based on the setting of the dimmer and the existing ambient light, the microcontroller will adjust the lights to match the desired brightness level. This will also include an override switch to allow for absolute control of the lights, like with a normal dimmer switch.

## Ultrasonic Sensor
One limitation of the ambient light sensing is that the reading would be affected dramatically if an object, like someone's hand, is covering the sensor. This would cause the light to increase brightness unnecessarily. To avoid this, we will include an ultrasonic sensor to check if there are any obstructions to the luminosity sensor. If so, the light will maintain it’s previous brightness setting until the obstruction is cleared and the switch can resume its normal operation.
Part: HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Distance Sensor

## No Neutral Harvesting Circuit
When wiring up a basic switch, there are two wires connected to the circuit with the hot wire connected through the switch and the neutral wire connected to the light fixture. With smart switches, it works exactly like a normal light switch except that the smart switch itself also needs power to operate. The hot wire goes through the switch and is controlled by the switch itself, but the neutral wire (typically in the switch junction box) must also go to the switch so it has power. In the case of older homes that do not have this infrastructure, upgrading to smart switches without reconstructing the wire connections would not be as viable. We want to design a smart switch that does not require the neutral wire connection to the switch. By modeling a AC thyristor/SCR circuit at the switch, we can control the power delivered to the load without the need for an external connection with the hot and neutral.



# Criterion For Success
- Work with any existing light fixture & switch (no neutral wire required)
- Maintain constant light level for the room at desired brightness
- Prevent unintended fluctuation caused by sensor obstructions
- Have an override switch that allows for absolute control of the lights


# Existing Solutions

Lutron Caseta Wireless Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch:
This smart wireless light dimmer switch exists on the market to automatically adjust the light based on the seasons and also allow wireless remote control. This switch does not require a neutral wire and it can connect to many bulbs at once. However, we are differentiating from this product by including ambient lighting control.

BenQ e-Reading Desk Lamp:
This desk lamp has adaptive lighting based on ambient light but has a few limitations and differences from our idea. Firstly, our idea would increase efficiency for room lighting rather than personal desk lighting, in order to save energy. Secondly, the lamp on the market is over $200 so our solution will be much more affordable. Lastly, the lamp is designed to light a desk for studying but our project will allow users to set the desired brightness for our smart switch to target.

Interactive Proximity Donor Wall Illumination

Sungmin Jang, Anita Jung, Zheng Liu

Interactive Proximity Donor Wall Illumination

Featured Project

Team Members:

Anita Jung (anitaj2)

Sungmin Jang (sjang27)

Zheng Liu (zliu93)

Link to the idea: https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/ece445/pace/view-topic.asp?id=27710

Problem:

The Donor Wall on the southwest side of first floor in ECEB is to celebrate and appreciate everyone who helped and donated for ECEB.

However, because of poor lighting and color contrast between the copper and the wall behind, donor names are not noticed as much as they should, especially after sunset.

Solution Overview:

Here is the image of the Donor Wall:

http://buildingcampaign.ece.illinois.edu/files/2014/10/touched-up-Donor-wall-by-kurt-bielema.jpg

We are going to design and implement a dynamic and interactive illuminating system for the Donor Wall by installing LEDs on the background. LEDs can be placed behind the names to softly illuminate each name. LEDs can also fill in the transparent gaps in the “circuit board” to allow for interaction and dynamic animation.

And our project’s system would contain 2 basic modes:

Default mode: When there is nobody near the Donor Wall, the names are softly illuminated from the back of each name block.

Moving mode: When sensors detect any stimulation such as a person walking nearby, the LEDs are controlled to animate “current” or “pulses” flowing through the “circuit board” into name boards.

Depending on the progress of our project, we have some additional modes:

Pressing mode: When someone is physically pressing on a name block, detected by pressure sensors, the LEDs are controlled to

animate scattering of outgoing light, just as if a wave or light is emitted from that name block.

Solution Components:

Sensor Subsystem:

IR sensors (PIR modules or IR LEDs with phototransistor) or ultrasonic sensors to detect presence and proximity of people in front of the Donor Wall.

Pressure sensors to detect if someone is pressing on a block.

Lighting Subsystem:

A lot of LEDs is needed to be installed on the PCBs to be our lighting subsystem. These are hidden as much as possible so that people focus on the names instead of the LEDs.

Controlling Subsystem:

The main part of the system is the controlling unit. We plan to use a microprocessor to process the signal from those sensors and send signal to LEDs. And because the system has different modes, switching between them correctly is also important for the project.

Power Subsystem:

AC (Wall outlet; 120V, 60Hz) to DC (acceptable DC voltage and current applicable for our circuit design) power adapter or possible AC-DC converter circuit

Criterion for success:

Whole system should work correctly in each mode and switch between different modes correctly. The names should be highlighted in a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing way. Our project is acceptable for senior design because it contains both hardware and software parts dealing with signal processing, power, control, and circuit design with sensors.

Project Videos