Creating a Room Lighting Device for Homes

[lyrklaunavan]

Hi friends,
I need your help about a subject in my mind for a few months.
This will be a project for a course. I want to make a device which controls the lights in the room. I do not know if anybody made this before or not. Also this thing will be useful for homes. You do not need to turn on the lights when entering a room everytime. I am thinking also this can be embedded into the ceiling next to the lamp so need to dig into sidewalls for switch installation and cable.

This device will do the following jobs:

1- When a person enters the room, it will turn the lights on. (If it is dark of course, a LDR may hep I do not know??)
2- When the people stays (it doesn't matter how many minutes he will stay in the room. It can be 2 minutes till 8 hours(when sleeping for example), it will turn the lights on and when the person leaves the room it will turn off afterwards) (Not like usual PIR sensors which has a adjustable delay) This thing need to detect if the person is sleeping or doing something. If sleeping it will turn the lights off. If he is doing something, for example watching TV, it will stay open.
3- I want to install this in behalf of usual switches. So this setup must not be big. (mostly 3"*3") dimension.

I found a sensor with a computer board in the following address.

http://www.zilog.com/docs/PB0223.pdf


I need your advices on how it can be done. Thanks for the support...

 

[gunslingor]

Yes, this has been done many times before. Many many companies produce products such as these. In fact, I just walked into a room of one of our clients recently and was surprise to see the lights go on. A few examples:

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/01/3...ges-light-levels-automatically-to-save-power/

http://www.google.com/products?hl=e...a=X&oi=product_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title

How it can be done, simple!:
parts
1. sensor-could be a motion sensor (often using IR), a light sensor (to dime the light based on ambient light from windows for higher efficiency lighting), proximity sensor or any other sensor depending on your application.
2. light- thermal bulb, flourecence, LED, ETC.
3. circuit-could be hardwired, timer circuit, MCU, PLC, DCS, etc, etc,etc,

What else you need to know?

 

[oswaler]

I am excited to hear about your project idea for a room lighting device for homes. It sounds like a useful and innovative idea that could potentially benefit many people.

Regarding your first question about whether anyone has made a similar device before, I can say that there are already many similar products on the market, such as motion-activated lights and smart home lighting systems. However, each product has its own unique features and design, so there is always room for improvement and innovation.

In terms of the technical aspects, using an LDR (light-dependent resistor) to detect darkness and turn on the lights is a common approach and can be effective. However, it may also be useful to consider using other sensors, such as infrared or ultrasonic, to detect the presence of a person in the room. This can help ensure that the lights are only turned on when someone is actually in the room, rather than when there is simply low light.

Your idea for the device to differentiate between sleeping and other activities is also interesting. This could potentially be achieved by using a combination of sensors and programming the device to recognize different patterns of movement and inactivity. It may also be helpful to include a manual override option for times when the device may not accurately detect the person's activity.

In terms of size and installation, using a compact sensor and computer board, as you have suggested, can help keep the device small and easy to install. However, it will also be important to consider the power source and wiring for the device, as it will need to be connected to the room's electrical system.

Overall, I think your project idea has great potential and I look forward to seeing how you develop it further. I would recommend conducting further research on similar products and technologies, as well as consulting with experts in the field, to help refine your design and ensure its effectiveness and safety. Good luck with your project!