Battery free IoT System for Home Automation

2022 ELE Engineering Design Project (XF10)

---

Faculty Lab Coordinator

Xavier Fernando

Topic Category

Signal Processing / Communication

Preamble

Home automation has been there for a while. However, most such systems rely on user input to control heating, lighting, home appliances etc. The novelty of this project is to design an Internet of Things (IoT) system that will automatically implement smart home functionalities. In addition, we want these IoT sensors to generate/harvest the energy needed for their functionality so that the user does not have to worry about changing their batteries periodically to ensure their correct operation. Battery management is not only a tedious and expensive process, but also will cause environmental pollution.

Objective

To design an energy harvesting (battery free) IoT system to implement smart home functionalities.

Partial Specifications

1. There should be wireless light sensors that harvest their own energy from light.
2. There should be wireless temperature sensors that harvest their own energy from heat.
3. A Zigbee or LoRa wireless network
4. The brain could typically be a Raspberry Pi.
5. The system shall automatically control lighting, heating/cooling and open/close garage door when an authenticated vehicle arrives. 

Suggested Approach

The Raspberry Pi is well-suited to be the processor. It can be an always-on device. Notably, it’s simple to create a do-it-yourself (DIY) Raspberry Pi media server for 24/7 cloud storage. With the rise of smart home devices, the Raspberry Pi saw several Raspberry Pi projects in the smart home space. There are tons of Raspberry Pi smart home projects which are possible, including an automatic smart watering system, security system array, and texting doorbell. Among the easiest DIY Raspberry Pi projects is a Raspberry Pi smart home hub. Check out the best Raspberry Pi smart home software options available, and get started using home automation with the Raspberry Pi! See https://www.electromaker.io/blog/article/9-best-raspberry-pi-smart-home-software-options

Group Responsibilities

The group is responsible for the successful completion, integration and testing of the overall project.

Student A Responsibilities

Authentication and garage door operation.

Student B Responsibilities

Sensors and wireless network

Student C Responsibilities

Energy harvesting functionality of the sensors

Student D Responsibilities

Integration and system software.

Course Co-requisites

To ALL EDP Students

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, in the event University is not open for in-class/in-lab activities during the Winter term, your EDP topic specifications, requirements, implementations, and assessment methods will be adjusted by your FLCs at their discretion.