Drawing your curtain now and then manually at times is very cumbersome. How many times do you draw your curtain to let in air and light? How many times do you have to draw your curtain for you to enter your house? How many times do you draw your curtain to clean your house with a lot of ease? In this digital world, automating the process eliminates the wastage of time on such kind of activities. The curtain drawer system can be automated in such a way it automatically draws the curtain to let in air and light when necessary. It can also restore the curtain to its position when necessary. This is the technology to incorporate in a newly erected home. If you are a technology enthusiast, this technology is good for you. Here, we are going to dwell on how this technology works and its implementation in details.
Automated curtain drawer system
The entire curtain drawer system consists of sensors, motors, pulley system and a microcontroller. Sensors used in this system are motion sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors and light sensors. The pulley system is connected to the motor and it is responsible for adjusting the position of the curtain. The motor provides the needed torque. When the microcontroller receives signals from the sensors, it sends signals to the motor to draw the curtain or restore it to its new position. The microcontroller has central processing unit. Its microprocessor stores program for running the entire system. It can be reconfigured when necessary to meet the needs of the user. The microcontroller is the backbone and brain of the entire system. It coordinates the functions of sensors, pulley system and motors with sole purpose of adjusting the position of the curtain. It acts as an intermediary and a bridge connecting all these devices together for a common agenda.
When a person approaches the curtain, the motion sensors detect this movement and send signal to the microcontroller. When the microcontroller receives this signal, it retrieves data from its memory on how to respond and instantly sends instructions to the motor. The instructions in this case are signals turning on the motor. The motor turns on providing torque to the pulley system. The person’s intention is to enter the house without being obstructed by the curtain. Therefore, the motor, with the help of pulley system, draws the curtain clearing the way for easy passage. After he or she has passed, the microcontroller reverses the process. The motion sensor detects no one approaching the curtain, therefore no signal is sent to the microcontroller. Microcontroller sends signals to the motor to reverse the direction of its motion. Motion reversal enables the pulley system to bring back the curtain to its normal position. The microcontroller has a timer that monitors the motion of the curtain, ensuring it is fully drawn. This eliminates overstretching of the curtain lines. The same process applies to changes in the temperature, humidity and lighting condition of the house. When for instance the temperature of the house rises suddenly, the microcontroller responds by turning on the motor upon receiving signals from the temperature sensors. The motor draws the curtain to allow for aeration. When the temperature drops to favourable level, the curtain is brought back to its normal position. When you are mopping the house, the water sensors detect the presence of water and draws the curtain to prevent it from getting soaked.
The advantages of using this system are as follows:
1. It is more convenient. The system draws the curtain by itself eliminating inconveniences that occur when drawing curtain manually.
2. Automation of the whole process makes work easier for the house occupants especially when they are cleaning the house because they do not have to fold curtains to prevent them from getting wet.
3. The system ensures that the whole house is sufficiently illuminated by natural light. It draws the curtain when the house is a bit dark.
4. The system ensures that the house is aerated especially when the window is open by drawing curtains to let in air.
The disadvantages of using this system are:
1. The system is expensive to install compared to the normal curtain drawer system. Therefore, its installation requires a lot of money.
2. The system is unreliable when there is power black-out, specifically when there is no back up power supply to maintain its operation.
3. The system needs constant maintenance to ensure that it properly functions.
The automated curtain drawer system is the new technology to eliminate the tiresome manual way of drawing curtains. It is implemented mostly in smart homes where technology runs everything. Technology is growing really fast. To keep up with its pace, we need to start-off by embracing such kind of inventions. Installing this system in your house requires a back-up power supply to keep the system running when there is power failure.
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