AUTONOMOUS CONTROL TECHNIQUES FOR HOME AUTOMATION

Murtaza Ahmed Kazi Department of Mechatronics

ShaheedZulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and TechnologyKarachi, Pakistan

kazimurtaza@gmail.comCell: 92-333-2188664

Sarmad HameedDepartment of Mechatronics

ShaheedZulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and TechnologyKarachi, Pakistan

Sarmad1987@gmail.comCell: 92-323-2552625

Abstract

In the current work, we have effectively applied the emerging trends in the field of electronic automation and smart control

techniques. These techniques provided a great deal in control area network (CAN) and personal area network. This paper

illustrates a physical implementation of the concept of home automation using various control techniques and method

incorporated in a single system. The proposed system incorporates the automation & control of various transducers and actuators

by using simultaneous control techniques like IP based network, GSM control, voice recognition and image processing. The

system incorporates duplex communication between the user and programmable controller. The user authentication is performed

before any command acquisition which authenticates the user to take control of the given task. The system can be used for many

purpose like security and surveillance etc. The system is designed with an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) providing

the user to control much accurately and effortlessly.

Keyword: Wireless control, Bluetooth, Programmable Controller, Duplex communication.

I. INTRODUCTION

In modern era, the technology is constantly enhancing providing new demands for automation market and more complex

issues for engineer and automation enthusiasts. The methods used for home automation usually consist of one or two control

techniques which proposes a relatively simple model for home automation system (HAS). In our current work we propose a

complex electrical / electronic controlled automation system which gives us real time control over appliances and equipment.

As the technology is progressing, home automation systems are currently in more demand as devices are integrated with each

other and can work as an automated control network. The automated control network not only controls our environment but

brings efficiency and comfort for various tricky jobs like security management, instrumentation management and many other

control areas. These comforts can be implemented by voice recognition by which a user can control by means of his vocal voice

or by providing pattern recognition by means of image processing for automated control by recoding an ideal scenario as a preset

or controlling all such controls over TCP/IP or GSM network. Providing a sophisticated home / industrial control environment is

nowadays a primary need of every control environment. We can say the proposed smart home automation system can be a

perfect environment for an expert system, it can manage the home/controlling environment in a convenient way it could prove to

be quite efficient to perform goals like managing temperature of the environment while conserving energy, by using the preset

temperature reading, present data or conserving energy by using motion sensor. The system is designed to be of adaptive nature

and can easily adapt the present environment by collecting the data from the intelligent sensor network designed to provide real

time feedback. The system is designed to be of flexible and accommodative algorithm and can be incorporated with any existing

system.

The mentioned system can be called as a near perfect environment for an expert system, as it can manage home in a

convenient way, proving quite efficient in performing several of our daily tasks like conserving the electricity, or managing the

home temperature environment or automatic control by various sensors. The mentioned system can also be programmed to be of

custom settings or preferences which can be used for automatic actuation of temperature, time, light, motion etc. The system is

mainly incorporated with four top technologies providing a very sophisticated control over appliances and devices. The

technologies included in this project are Bluetooth, GSM, biometric scanning and voice recognition. The combination of these

four methods not only adds complexity in the system for the engineer but also carries the user to a very comfort zone. The

system can also be said as a merger or both wired and wireless medium, providing in-house and remote access to the home.

The wireless communication medium, Bluetooth and GSM communication are being interfaced with android operating system

which is based on Linux operating system designed mainly for touch screen mobile phone devices and tablet computers. It is

an open source code and accommodating licensing enables the engineering enthusiast / programmers to develop more control

programs on it. Android devices are known as smart devices, and with time only will get smarter, with new features which are

not available on any other platform. Android powers hundreds of millions of mobile phone devices in many countries around the

globe. It is the biggest installed operating system base of any mobile platform and increasing rapidly every day. Millions of user

power up their Android devices for the first time and start looking for applications, games, and other digital content available on

its platform.

The user interface of Android is focused on direct operation using touch inputs that slackly match to real-world actions, like

swiping, and tapping to control on-screen objects. The response to user touch input is planned to be instantaneous which

provides a flowing touch interface. The wired medium, Voice recognition and biometric scanner are being interfaced with an

embedded system which can work only when the user is physically present and authenticated. In this paper, the proposed

automation method is of the home and industrial automation which is analyzed in small premises.

II. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

The Project is multiple control method based home automation (HAS) design architecture, which propose both wired and

wireless control for automation. The wireless control are separated and are controlled by an android mobile’s GUI, it not only

provide remote function for a larger coverage but also in-house security and authentication system. For system, the wireless

controls are performed at the GUI on android operating system (OS) based mobile phone is designed with cellular phone remote

control as well as physical control. The system configuration is shown in Fig # 1.

Figure 1: Block diagram of home automation system

A mobile phone with an android based operating system is proposed to control the home automation (HAS) design

architecture’s devices and actuators wirelessly by means of Bluetooth which gives easy access for communication within an

indoor proximity of 100 meters, for outdoor proximity we are using GSM module for remote controlling. The modules are

further connected with programmable controller via serial communication (RS232). The programmable controller performs the

actuation on signal received from Bluetooth communication channel by making the its desired task. The controller is

programmed to record the sound of the surrounding. The controller is programmed to have duplex communication with the

actuators thus getting feedback if any error occurs in the operation. The errors in the system are continuously monitored so that

the efficiency of the system can be increased with minimum error/ loss rate.

III. HARD WARE DESIGN

This section mainly discuss about the hardware implemented in the project. The project works when the Android application

on mobile phone sends the character to Bluetooth and GSM module which forwards the character to Ardunio microcontroller.

The Arduino microcontroller receives that character as a numerical value and then matching the condition send pulse on the

desired port. The Pulse will continue to transmit until the button on android application is in contact. The key components of this

project are Arduino microcontroller, Bluetooth module, GSM module, biometric scanner and a microphone.

Arduino microcontroller is being used in the project, which is an open-source single-board microcontroller it is successor of

the open-source Wiring platform and is conceived to perform the process of utilizing electronics in other fields of engineering

projects more reachable. The hardware of Aurdino consists of a simple open hardware design an Atmel AVR processor and on-

board input/output support. The software mainly consists of a standard program language compiler and the boot loader that runs

on the board. The connections for duplex communication channel of programmable controller are displayed in figure#2.

Figure #2: Circuit Connections for communication

Bluetooth module is the most reasonable and convenient way to go wireless within a limited range. This module allows us to

extend our serial interface by means of wireless communication, so any program running on our hand held device feels like it is

controlling a local serial port. The four pins are Tx, RX, GND and +5V. The input Supply voltage should be 3.3V - 6 V.

GSM module is the most reasonable and convenient way to go wireless within a limited range. This module allows us to

extend our serial interface by means of wireless communication, so any program running on our hand held device feels like it is

controlling a local serial port. The four pins are Tx, RX, GND and +5V. The input Supply voltage should be 3.3V - 6 V.

IV. SOFT WARE DESIGN

The software design for the project mainly confers about the main function of the system designed for programmable

microcontroller. The Arduino microcontroller is an open-source single-board microcontroller which is programmed in C or C+

+.Fig 4 illustrates the process of activating various controls in the system. The command detection function is performed by the

microcontroller. The Android application on mobile phone sends the character to Bluetooth module which forwards the character

to Ardunio microcontroller. The Arduino microcontroller receives that character as a numerical value and then matching the

condition send pulse on the desired port. The Pulse will continue to transmit until the button on android application is in contact.

The activating actuators are designed by continuous pulse on sent via android phone buttons. Any input switch is released; it will

interrupt the main function loop of the microcontroller. Then, the microcontroller will deactivate the relay and stop the ongoing

task. The proposed system decision command flow is further listed in fig#3.

Android GUI is designed by a user-friendly interface. The four directions indicated the desired control for the MSV that is

connected to the system. User can simply click on the direction button to toggle the various control. Control board “Connect to

BT‟ button is performed to establish connection to main control board by Bluetooth. Phone “Connect to BT‟ button performs to

establish connection between Android GUI and Bluetooth module. When the connection is established, Android GUI acts as the

control panel between main board and phone. All the data received from main board will be forwarded to the phone. Also, the

data sent from phone will be forwarded to main board.

The application is designed in low API level so that the devices with higher version are compatible with it. Fig 4 illustrates the

Android GUI tested on smart phone with Version 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The interface is simple to use, user can simply

touch on the icon to perform HAS’s task after connected to the Android GUI.

V. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the home automation system is a low cost system which is designed to withstand any terrain and surrounding,

providing tactical and surveillance and better comfort. Moreover, implementation of wireless Bluetooth & GSM connection in

control board allows the system install in more simple way. Furthermore, flexible types of connections are designed as backup

connections to the system. The connected GUI is synchronized to the control board. They indicate the real-time switches status.

The system is designed in user-friendly interface. The easy to use interface on Android GUI provides simple control. For future

work, the android GUI will be implemented with pattern recognition voice control. The android GUI will be implemented as a

remote Bluetooth microphone to the Window GUI. All the future work is expected without spend extra cost, even one cent from

the current system.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Foremost of all, the exceptional gratitude and credit go to our teachers for providing the important information and the

essential guidance as well as support in finishing this paper. The supervision and support are actually help in the succession and

efficiency of this project. Additionally, the immense deals appreciation goes to the involvement from every team members for

the precious share, opinion and resources provided in finishing the paper. The teamwork is much undeniably respected.

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