MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

ON
IR BASED AUTOMATIC WASHBASIN/MIRROR
LAMP CONTROLLER WITH LDR SWITCHING
MECHANISM

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

Submitted By

SAHIL SINGH SHIVANSH MALHOTRA VISHAL SHARMA

(06215602816) (06615602816) (08015602816)

Under the guidance of

Mr. Sanjay Sharma, Assistant professor, Department of ECE

Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering

Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta Institute of Technology & Management
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
Dwarka, Delhi-110078.
Nov, 2019.
 CERTIFICATE

I/We hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the project report entitled IR
based automatic washbasin/mirror lamp controller with LDR Switching mechanism
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Bachelor of Technology in
Electronics & Communication Engineering and submitted to the Electronics &
Communication Engineering Department of Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta Institute of
Technology & Management , New Delhi is an authentic record of our own work carried out
during a period from Jan, 2020 to May, 2019 under the guidance of Mr. Sanjay Sharma,
Assistant professor in Electronics & Communication Engineering Department.
The matter presented in this project has not been submitted by us for the award of any other
degree elsewhere.

SAHIL SINGH SHIVANSH MALHOTRA VISHAL SHARMA

(06215602816) (06615602816) (08015602816)

This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidates is correct to the best of our
knowledge.

Mr. Sanjay Sharma,

Assistant professor, ECE Deptt.

Mr. DevrajGautam Prof. (Dr.) Rajiv Sharma

Project Coordinator, ECE Deptt. H.O.D.ECE Deptt.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I/We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following people, without whose
help and guidance this report would not have been completed.
I/We acknowledge the counsel and support of our project guide of Mr. Sanjay Sharma,
Assistant professor, Electronics and Communication Engineering Department, with
respect and gratitude, whose expertise, guidance, support, encouragement, and enthusiasm
has made this report possible. Their feedback vastly improved the quality of this report and
provided an enthralling experience. I/We are indeed proud and fortunate to be supervised by
him.
We are thankful to Prof. (Dr.) Rajiv Sharma, H.O.D of Electronics and Communication
Engineering Department, Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta Institute of Technology &
Management, New Delhi for his constant encouragement, valuable suggestions and moral
support and blessings.
I/We are immensely thankful to our esteemed, Prof. (Dr.) Sanjay Kumar, Director
Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta Institute of Technology & Management, New Delhi for his never
ending motivation and support.
Although it is not possible to name individually, we cannot forget our well-wishers at Dr.
Akhilesh Das Gupta Institute of Technology & Management, New Delhi and outsiders for
their persistent support and cooperation which was needed during this work.
I/We shall ever remain indebted to Mr. Devraj Gautam, Project Coordinator ECE
department and faculty and staff members of Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta Institute of
Technology & Management, New Delhi.
Finally, yet importantly, I/We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to God, our beloved
parents for their blessings, our friends/classmates for their help and wishes for the successful
completion of this project.

SAHIL SINGH SHIVANSH MALHOTRA VISHAL SHARMA

(06615602816) (06615602816) (08015602816)
 ABSTRACT

In restaurants, auditoria and even homes, many a times we forget to switch off the wash basin
mirror lamp after use. The circuit given here automatically switches on the wash basin mirror
lamp whenever you stand in front of it and switch off the same after you move out, thereby
saving energy.
It involves the use of IR sensor for detecting the presence of a person in front of the wash
basin to automatically switch on and off the water pump while the LDR sensor or light
dependent resistor measures the intensity of the light in the surrounding and adjusts the
intensity of the bulb in front of the mirror to dynamically adjust its brightness ,in which the
lamp intensity is lowered in highly luminous environment like in the day time and glow at
highest brightness at the time when luminous intensity in environment in very low like at the
night. When there is no one present in front of the wash basin the lamp and water pump
automatically switch off to conserve energy and lower the wastage of water.

Automatic faucets are common in public washrooms, particularly in airports and hotels,
where they are supposed to reduce water consumption and reduce the transmission
of disease-causing microbes. They can also be found in some kitchens and in the washrooms
of some private residences. Other uses include providing drinking water to pets or livestock,
whereby the presence of an animal allows water to flow into a watering trough or dish.
Automatic faucets have the advantage of shutting off automatically after hand washing,
thereby reducing water waste. When installed in a home, sensor faucets alleviate the need for
parents to ensure that children have turned off the faucet. Their automatic shutoff mechanism
also greatly reduces the risk of sink overflow due to a faucet being left on either inadvertently
or deliberately.
Because of their assistive qualities, automatic faucets are often found at assisted
living establishments. Automatic faucets are water saving devices, helping save 70% of the
water that would otherwise be unused and conserve as much as 3-5% of the water used by a
standard household. Other benefits of automatic faucets are found in inhibiting the spread of
germs which are known to thrive on faucet handles, as well as help prevent or mitigate
scalding incidents caused by hot water.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Certificate ii
Acknowledgement iii
Abstract iv
Table of Contents v
List of Figures vi
List of Tables vii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW 8-13

1.1. Introduction 8
1.2. Basic of Project 9
1.3. Literature Overview 11
1.4. Motivation 13

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ADOPTED 14-20

2.1 Principle of IR Sensor 14
2.2 Distinguishing Between Black and White Colors 16
2.3 Working of LDR 18
2.4 Application of LDR in street light 19

CHAPTER 3: DESIGNING AND RESULT ANALYSIS 21-38

3.1 Components Required 21
3.1.1 Arduino Uno 21
3.1.2 Comparator 26
3.1.3 IR Transmitter and Receiver 28
3.1.4 Relay with driver 32
3.1.5 LDR sensor 33
3.2 Circuit Diagram & Connections 36
3.3 Working of the circuit 37
3.4 Software used 38

CHAPTER 4: MERITS, DEMERITS AND APPLICATIONS 39-42

4.1 Merits 39
4.2 Demerits 41
4.3 Applications 42

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE

5.1 Conclusion 43
5.2 Future Scope 43

REFERENCES 44
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No. Title of Figure Page No.

Automatic Tap
1 9
Connection to water outlet
2 10
Automatic street light working
3 10
Equation of comparator
4 14
Working of IR Sensor
5 15
Detection of obstacle
6 17
Directivity
7 17
LDR (Light Dependent resistor)
8 18
Working Principle of LDR
9 19
LDR in street lamp
10 20
Arduino Uno pin diagram
11 22
Formula for comparator
12 26
Lm399 Voltage comparator
13 27
Lm399 Pin Diagram
14 28
IR transmitter and receiver module
15 30
IR transmitter (LED)
16 31
IR receiver (Photo Diode)
17 31
Relay driver module
18 32
LDR characterstics
19 34
LDR sensor module
20 35
Circuit diagram
21 36
LDR based intensity controller
22 36
Merits of sensor taps
23 40
 LIST OF TABLES

TABLE No. Title of TABLE Page No.

1 Pin Description 27
 CHAPTER 1:

INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Energy conservation is the effort made to reduce the consumption of energy by using less of an
energy service. This can be achieved either by using energy more efficiently (using less energy
for a constant service) or by reducing the amount of service used (for example, by driving less).
Energy conservation is a part of the concept of Eco-sufficiency. Energy conservation reduces the
need for energy services and can result in increased environmental quality, national
security, personal financial security and higher savings. It is at the top of the sustainable energy
hierarchy. It also lowers energy costs by preventing future resource depletion. Energy can be
conserved by reducing wastage and losses, improving efficiency through technological upgrades
and improved operation and maintenance. On a global level energy use can also be reduced by
the stabilization of population growth.

The basis of our project is power saving or power conservation, by automation of the process of
turning of lights or tap of water which is essential for power saving. Usually most of the taps in
public areas are turned on and sometimes people forget to turn them off which leads to wastage
of most important resource available to us i.e. water and same is the case with lights and fans.
We can save these resources by using our time in searching and turning off the appliances which
are not in use anymore, for example extra lights in our homes or in public areas, or the street
lights which remain on during the day or changing the intensity of the street lights continuously
and as per the light available in the surroundings or depending upon the requirement of the
society.

Home Energy Saver is a set of on–line resources developed by the U.S. Department of Energy at
the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory intended to help consumers and professional energy
analysts, analyze, reduce, and manage home energy use. The Home Energy Saver energy
assessment tool allows consumers to conduct a do-it-yourself home energy audit and provides
specific recommendations to help lower household energy consumption and utility costs. By
entering a zip code, users get estimates for typical and efficient homes in their area. The
estimates break down energy consumption by "end use". End users reported by Home Energy
Saver include: heating, cooling, water heating, major appliances, small appliances, and lighting.

8
1.2 BASICS OF PROJECT

Washbasin is the place where the hands are being washed by the people. Nowadays most of the
work that is done through the manual method is being automated. This project has 2 parts first
is the automatic turning on and off the bulb and tap system which is uses a IR sensor (Infrared
Sensor) and comparator and tap system or wash basin.
The second part of the project is the automatic controlling of the bulb used over the wash basin
and is used to automatically adjust the intensity of the light bulb whenever the light in the
surrounding is less or more and in turn it saves power. This system can help in automatic
control of the washbasin tap without any difficulty. People can rely on this system with great
ease and without any difficulty.

Fig.1 Automatic tap

Make your washbasin tap work automatically when you put your hands just below the water tap
outlet. This infrared-based automatic washbasin tap controller system detects any interruption of
the IR rays by your hands or utensil and water automatically starts flowing out of the tap.
As soon as IR sensor detect any object is preventing the IR rays from reaching the receiver it
calculates the values as null and gives the signal that someone or something is in front of the tap
and turns on the water and when we remove our hand or object from the tap the receiver receives
the IR signal again and breaks the water flow and saves time and water.

This system will make use of infrared rays where the distraction will be detected and the water
will be let out of the tap with great ease and also turn on the bulb as required. When people
just hold their hands below the water tap outlet there will be infrared rays that will be detected.
There will be distraction that will be caused when the hands are being held below the tap
outlet. When the hands are being detected there will be a signal that will be sent by this system
and the water will be flowed through the tap without any difficulty.

9
 Fig.2 Connection to automatic water outlet

The second part of the project is automatically controlling the intensity of the light bulb used
over the tap according to the light in the surrounding i.e. when the light in the environment is
less the intensity of the bulb is high and when the light in the environment is more then the
intensity of the bulb is less or even off.

Fig.3 Automatic street light working

10
1.2 LITERATURE OVERVIEW

Public street lighting was first developed in the 1500s, and accelerated following the invention of
lanterns with glass windows, which greatly improved the quantity of light. In 1588 the Parisian
Parlement decreed that a torch be installed and lit at each intersection, and in 1594 the police
changed this to lanterns. Still, in the mid-1600s it was a common practice for travelers to hire a
lantern-bearer if they had to move at night through the dark, winding streets. King Louis
XIV authorized sweeping reforms in Paris in 1667, which included the installation and
maintenance of lights on streets and at intersections, as well as stiff penalties for vandalizing or
stealing the fixtures. Paris had more than 2,700 street lights by the end of the 17th century, and
twice as many by 1730. Under this system, streets were lit with lanterns suspended 20 yards
(18 m) apart on a cord over the middle of the street at a height of 20 feet (6.1 m) as an English
visitor enthused in 1698, 'The streets are lit all winter and even during the full moon!.In London,
public street lighting was implemented around the end of the 17th century; a diarist wrote in
1712 that ‘All the way, quite through Hyde Park to the Queen’s Palace at Kensington, lanterns
were placed for illuminating the roads on dark nights.
A much-improved oil lantern, called a réverbère, was introduced in 1745 and improved in
subsequent years. The light shed from these réverbères was considerably brighter, enough that
some people complained of glare. These lamps were attached to the top of lampposts by 1817,
there were 4694 lamps on the Paris streets. During the French Revolution (1789–1799), the
revolutionaries found that the lampposts were a convenient place to hang aristocrats and other
opponents.
First electric streetlight used arc lamps, namely “Yablochkov candle”. It was first used in 1878
in Paris. By 1881, some 4000 were in use, replacing gas lanterns on the poles. After the
spreading of the arc lamps in the United States, by 1890 there were more than 130,000 arc lamps
installed as streetlights. Most of them were installed on the tops of so-called “moonlight towers”
- tall, metal constructions that illuminated more city blocks at once. Arc lights had two major
flaws: they made strong, harsh light and they did not last long. So in time they were replaced
with incandescent lamps that were cheaper, brighter and lasted longer, while arc lamps remained
useful on industrial sites.
Today, street lighting commonly uses high-intensity discharge lamps. Low-pressure sodium
lamps became commonplace after World War II for their low power consumption and long life.
Late in the 20th century HPS high pressure sodium lamps were preferred, taking further the same
virtues. Such lamps provide the greatest amount of photopic illumination for the least
consumption of electricity. However, white light sources have been shown to double driver

11
peripheral vision and improve driver brake reaction time by at least 25% to enable pedestrians to
better detect pavement trip hazard and to facilitate visual appraisals of other people associated
with interpersonal judgements. Studies comparing metal halide and high-pressure sodium lamps
have shown that at equal photopic light levels, a street scene illuminated at night by a metal
halide lighting system was reliably seen as brighter and safer than the same scene illuminated by
a high pressure sodium system.
In 2007, the Civil Twilight Collective created a variant of the conventional LED streetlight,
namely the Lunar-resonant streetlight. These lights increase or decrease the intensity of the
streetlight according to the lunar light. This streetlight design thus reduces energy consumption
as well as light pollution. In North America, the city of Mississauga (Canada) was one of the first
and biggest LED conversion projects with over 46,000 lights converted to LED technology
between 2012 and 2014. It is also one of the first cities in North America to use Smart
City technology to control the lights. DimOnOff, a company based in Quebec City, was chosen
as a Smart City partner for this project.

Intelligent street lighting refers to public street lighting that adapts to movement by pedestrians,
cyclists and cars. Intelligent street lighting, also referred to as adaptive street lighting, dims when
no activity is detected, but brightens when movement is detected. This type of lighting is
different from traditional, stationary illumination, or dimmable street lighting that dims at pre-
determined times.
Street lights can be made intelligent by placing cameras or other sensors on them, which enables
them to detect movement (e.g. Sensity's Light Sensory Network, GE's "Currents", Tvilight's
CitySense).Additional technology enables the street lights to communicate with one another.
Different companies have different variations to this technology. When a passer-by is detected
by a camera or sensor, it will communicate this to neighboring street lights, which will brighten
so that people are always surrounded by a safe circle of light.The SmartLighting technology of
the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences does this as well, and has been installed in Bernburg-
Strenzfeld in Germany. Street lights illuminate at a longer distance ahead of the pedestrian than
behind the pedestrian in the SmartLighting concept. Some companies also offer software with
which the street lights can be monitored and managed wirelessly. Clients, or other companies,
can access the software from a computer, or even a tablet. From this software, they can gather
data, pre-set levels of brightness and dimming time; receive warning signals when a light
defects.

12
1.4 MOTIVATION
Home automation is a modern technology that modifies your home to perform different sets of
tasks automatically. Today, automation technology is gaining more recognition among people
not just for home modification but in industrial and business sectors too. Home automation
technology is constantly improving its flexibility by incorporating modernized features to satisfy
the increasing demands of people.
Automation has created a bigger hype in the electronics. The major reason for this hype is
automation provides greater advantages like accuracy, energy conservation, reliability and more
over the automated systems do not require any human attention. Any one of the requirements
stated above demands for the design of an automated device. The energy conversation is very
important in the current scenario and should be done to a maximum extent where ever it is
possible.
Moreover in current world scenario most of the processes are automated and the industry is more
efforts in making more things automated. Moreover there are many reasons that we need this
automation of wash basin and the bulb as it as some advantages like:

• Automate work: This system can help in automating the work of the human beings
with great ease and without any difficulty.
• Efficient: This system will be simple and easy to use by the people with great ease.
• Reliable: This system will be reliable to use

Also there are many areas that automation has advantages over the manual process. Sometimes
many people may forget to turn off the tap or the lights of washroom or in kitchen which in
turn leads to power wastage and since the earth is already losing the fossil fuels it is important
to conserve the energy wherever it is possible.
Third reason behind automation is that in some places there may be a loose connection in the
switch of the lighting of the room and wet hands will make the situation worse as water is
conductor and make lead to person getting shocked which is not feasible as everyone has some
possibility of getting shocked by the switch.
Last but not least many people touching the tap or the light switch may lead to serious
infection and as we know there are many virus on human hands which may transfer from the
infected person to healthy person via switch board or the water tap, so automation helps to
reduce the chances of the infection which can be spread from common areas like switch board
or tap or in the kitchen.

13
 CHAPTER 2
METHODOLOGY ADOPTED

An infrared sensor is an electronic device that emits in order to sense some aspects of the
surroundings. An IR sensor can measure the heat of an object as well as detects the motion.
These types of sensors measure only infrared radiation, rather than emitting it that is called
a passive IR sensor. Usually, in the infrared spectrum, all the objects radiate some form of
thermal radiation. These types of radiations are invisible to our eyes that can be detected by an
infrared sensor. The emitter is simply an IR LED (Light Emitting Diode) and the detector is
simply an IR photodiode that is sensitive to IR light of the same wavelength as that emitted by
the IR LED. When IR light falls on the photodiode, the resistances and the output voltages will
change in proportion to the magnitude of the IR light received. An infrared sensor circuit is one
of the basic and popular sensor modules in an electronic device. This sensor is analogous to
human’s visionary senses, which can be used to detect obstacles and it is one of the common
applications in real-time.

In electronics, a comparator is a device that compares two voltages or currents and outputs a
digital signal indicating which is larger. It has two analog input terminals and one binary digital
output . The output is ideally

Fig4. Equation of comparator

A comparator consists of a specialized high-gain differential amplifier. They are commonly used
in devices that measure and digitize analog signals, such as analog-to-digital converters (ADCs),
as well as relaxation oscillators.

Infrared sensors can be passive or active. Passive infrared sensors are basically Infrared
detectors. Passive infrared sensors do not use any infrared source and detects energy emitted by
obstacles in the field of view. They are of two types: quantum and thermal. Thermal infrared
sensors use infrared energy as the source of heat and are independent of wavelength.
Thermocouples, pyroelectric detectors and bolometers are the common types of thermal infrared
detectors.

14
Quantum type infrared detectors offer higher detection performance and are faster than thermal
type infrared detectors. The photosensitivity of quantum type detectors is wavelength dependent.
Quantum type detectors are further classified into two types: intrinsic and extrinsic types.
Intrinsic type quantum detectors are photoconductive cells and photovoltaic cells.
Active infrared sensors consist of two elements: infrared source and infrared detector. Infrared
sources include an LED or infrared laser diode. Infrared detectors include photodiodes or
phototransistors. The energy emitted by the infrared source is reflected by an object and falls on
the infrared detector.

2.1 Principle of IR (Infrared Sensor)

Fig.5 Working of IR sensor

The principle of an IR sensor working as an Object Detection Sensor can be explained using the
following figure. An IR sensor consists of an IR LED and an IR Photodiode; together they are
called as Photo – Coupler or Opto – Coupler. When the IR transmitter emits radiation, it reaches
the object and some of the radiation reflects back to the IR receiver. Based on the intensity of the
reception by the IR receiver, the output of the sensor is defined.
When the light emitted by the IR LED is incident on the photodiode after hitting an object, the
resistance of the photodiode falls down from a huge value. One of the input of the op – amp is at
threshold value set by the potentiometer. The other input to the op-amp is from the photodiode’s
series resistor. When the incident radiation is more on the photodiode, the voltage drop across

15
the series resistor will be high. In the IC, both the threshold voltage and the voltage across the
series resistor are compared. If the voltage across the resistor series to photodiode is greater than
that of the threshold voltage, the output of the IC Op – Amp is high. As the output of the IC is
connected to an LED, it lightens up. The threshold voltage can be adjusted by adjusting the
potentiometer depending on the environmental conditions.
The positioning of the IR LED and the IR Receiver is an important factor. When the IR LED is
held directly in front of the IR receiver, this setup is called Direct Incidence. In this case, almost
the entire radiation from the IR LED will fall on the IR receiver. Hence there is a line of sight
communication between the infrared transmitter and the receiver. If an object falls in this line, it
obstructs the radiation from reaching the receiver either by reflecting the radiation or absorbing
the radiation.

2.2 Distinguishing Between Black and White Colors

It is universal that black color absorbs the entire radiation incident on it and white color reflects
the entire radiation incident on it. Based on this principle, the second positioning of the sensor
couple can be made. The IR LED and the photodiode are placed side by side. When the IR
transmitter emits infrared radiation, since there is no direct line of contact between the
transmitter and receiver, the emitted radiation must reflect back to the photodiode after hitting
any object. The surface of the object can be divided into two types: reflective surface and non-
reflective surface. If the surface of the object is reflective in nature i.e. it is white or other light
color, most of the radiation incident on it will get reflected back and reaches the photodiode.
Depending on the intensity of the radiation reflected back, current flows in the photodiode.

If the surface of the object is non-reflective in nature i.e. it is black or other dark color, it absorbs
almost all the radiation incident on it. As there is no reflected radiation, there is no radiation
incident on the photodiode and the resistance of the photodiode remains higher allowing no
current to flow. This situation is similar to there being no object at all.

The pictorial representation of the above scenarios is shown below.

16
 Fig.6 Detection of obstacle

The positioning and enclosing of the IR transmitter and Receiver is very important. Both the
transmitter and the receiver must be placed at a certain angle, so that the detection of an object
happens properly. This angle is the directivity of the sensor which is +/- 45 degrees.

The directivity is shown below:

Fig.7 Directivity

In order to avoid reflections from surrounding objects other than the object, both the IR
transmitter and the IR receiver must be enclosed properly. Generally the enclosure is made of
plastic and is painted with black color.

17
2.3 Working of LDR

The controlling of lights and home appliances is generally operated and maintained manually on
several occasions. But the process of appliances controlling may cause wastage of power due to
the carelessness of human beings or unusual circumstances. To overcome this problem we can
use the light-dependent resistor circuit for controlling the loads based on the intensity of light.
An LDR or a photoresistor is a device that is made up of high resistance semiconductor material.
This article gives an overview of what is LDR, light-dependent resistor circuit and it’s working.

Fig.8 LDR (Light Depedent Resistor)

The working principle of an LDR is photoconductivity, that is nothing but an optical

phenomenon. When the light is absorbed by the material then the conductivity of the material
reduces. When the light falls on the LDR, then the electrons in the valence band of the material
are eager to the conduction band. But, the photons in the incident light must have energy superior
than the bandgap of the material to make the electrons jump from one band to another band
(valance to conduction). Hence, when light having ample energy, more electrons are excited to
the conduction band which grades in a large number of charge carriers. When the effect of this
process and the flow of the current starts flowing more, the resistance of the device decreases. In
the morning time, this sensor has a low resistance around 100Ω. Thus, the power supply flows
through the LDR & ground through the variable resistor and resistor as shown in the above light
sensor circuit. This is due to the resistance offered by the light-dependent resistor in the daytime
or when the light falls on the LDR, then it is less compared to the resistance of the remaining part
of the sensor circuit. We are alert of the principle of current, that the flow of current always
flows in the path of low resistance.

18
 Fig.9 Working Principle of LDR

Therefore, the relay coil does not get sufficient supplies to get strengthened. Hence, the light is
switched off in the daylight. In the same way, during the night time, the resistance of the LDR
increases to a high value (20M Ω). Thus, due to the high resistance of the resistor, the flow of
current is low or almost zero. Now, the flow of current through the low-resistance lane such that
it increases the base voltage of the Darlington pair to reach more than 1.4v. As the Darlington
pair transistor is triggered, the relay coil acquires enough supply to get energized, and hence, the
light switches in the night time.

2.4 Application of LDR in street lights

Street lights are designed to switch on automatically when it is dark and switch off when there is
light so as to save energy. How do street lights sense the darkness and daylight? A common
device used is called a light dependent resistor (LDR). It is a resistor with resistance that changes
according to the amount of light falling on it. When the LDR is in the dark, its resistance is very
large, typically in the M range. When it is under bright light, its resistance is in the k range.
A circuit that makes use of this change in resistance at different light conditions is able to switch
the lights on and off automatically during night and day time respectively. The LDR for street
lights must be positioned in such a way that other light sources will not shine on the LDR. A
time delay in the switching circuit is also necessary so that short periods of darkness (e.g. when a
bird flies over the LDR during the day) or short periods of brightness (e.g. when the headlights
of a car shine on the LDR during the night) will not switch the lights on or off.

19
 Fig.10 LDR in street lamp

A Light Dependent Resistor (LDR), or a photo resistor, is a variable resistance whose resistance
changes over an extremely wide range with light intensity. Its resistance can be as high as 10^6
Megohms in total darkness, which drops to as low as 5 K in sunlight.
This makes LDR as an ideal and also economical device to detect changes in light intensity. It is
used in electronic switching circuit for this purpose. So lights can be turned on when light
intensity goes down, and off when day breaks. The LDR is the light sensor,it's resistance changes
with light intensity. The LDR & resistor form a voltage divider the LDR being the top, one end
connected to the +Ve of PSU, the other end going to the ground through a resistor, the center
point goes to a comparator -v input the +v input is connected to the center point of a preset.

This is put in series with a resistor say 47K ohms and a fixed voltage like 5V is applied to both.
The voltage across LDR falls during day time and this can be sensed in a comparator circuit
whose output is binary in nature (Low means light and High means Dark). This binary signal can
be used to drive a lamp through a relay at night time.
The comparator compares LDR voltage with apreset voltage which can be adjusted by designer
so that even in teh evening when there is some light, the comparator output is high, relay is
energized and lamp is turned on.

20
 CHAPTER 3

DESIGNING AND RESULT ANALYSIS

3.1 Components Required

Following are the components required for this project, i.e

1. Arduino UNO
2. Comparator
3. IR transmitter and receiver
4. Relay with driver
5. LDR sensor
6. Lamp
7. Water Pump
8. Connecting Wires
9. Breadboard/PCB

3.1.1 Arduino Uno

It is a microcontroller board developed by Arduino.cc and based on Atmega328.
Arduino Uno is a very valuable addition in the electronics that consists of USB interface, 14
digital I/O pins, 6 analog pins, and Atmega328 microcontroller. It also supports serial
communication using Tx and Rx pins.
It is an open-source platform, means the boards and software are readily available and anyone
can modify and optimize the boards for better functionality.
The software used for Arduino devices is called IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
which is free to use and required some basic skills to learn it. It can be programmed using C and
C++ language.

The Arduino Uno R3 board includes the following specifications.

• It is an ATmega328P based Microcontroller

21
• The Operating Voltage of the Arduino is 5V
• The recommended input voltage ranges from 7V to 12V
• The i/p voltage (limit) is 6V to 20V
• Digital input and output pins-14
• Digital input & output pins (PWM)-6
• Analogi/p pins are 6
• DC Current for each I/O Pin is 20 mA
• DC Current used for 3.3V Pin is 50 mA
• Flash Memory -32 KB, and 0.5 KB memory is used by the boot loader
• SRAM is 2 KB
• EEPROM is 1 KB
• The speed of the CLK is 16 MHz
• In Built LED
• Length and width of the Arduino are 68.6 mm X 53.4 mm
• The weight of the Arduino board is 25 g

Pin description
The Arduino Uno pin diagram is shown below.

Fig.11-Arduino Uno pin diagram

22
It comprises 14-digit I/O pins. From these pins, 6-pins can be utilized like PWM outputs. This
board includes 14 digital input/output pins, Analog inputs-6, a USB connection, quartz crystal-
16 MHz, a power jack, a USB connection, resonator-16Mhz, a power jack, an ICSP header an
RST button.

Power Supply
The power supply of the Arduino can be done with the help of an exterior power supply
otherwise USB connection. The exterior power supply (6 to 20 volts) mainly includes a battery
or an AC to DC adapter. The connection of an adapter can be done by plugging a center-positive
plug (2.1mm) into the power jack on the board. The battery terminals can be placed in the pins
of Vin as well as GND. The power pins of an Arduino board include the following.

Vin
The input voltage or Vin to the Arduino while it is using an exterior power supply opposite to
volts from the connection of USB or else RPS (regulated power supply). By using this pin, one
can supply the voltage.

5Volts
The RPS can be used to give the power supply to the microcontroller as well as components
which are used on the Arduino board. This can approach from the input voltage through a
regulator.

3.3Volts
A 3.3 supply voltage can be generated with the onboard regulator, and the highest draw current
will be 50 mA.

GND
GND (ground) pins

Memory

23
The memory of an ATmega328 microcontroller includes 32 KB and 0.5 KB memory is utilized
for the Boot loader), and also it includes SRAM-2 KB as well as EEPROM-1KB.

Input and Output

We know that an arguing Uno R3 includes 14-digital pins which can be used as an input
otherwise output by using the functions like pin Mode (), digital Read(), and digital Write().
These pins can operate with 5V, and every digital pin can give or receive 20mA, & includes a
20k to 50k ohm pull up resistor. The maximum current on any pin is 40mA which cannot
surpass for avoiding the microcontroller from the damage. Additionally, some of the pins of an
Arduino include specific functions.

Serial Pins
The serial pins of an Arduino board are TX (1) and RX (0) pins and these pins can be used to
transfer the TTL serial data. The connection of these pins can be done with the equivalent pins of
the ATmega8 U2 USB to TTL chip.

External Interrupt Pins

The external interrupt pins of the board are 2 & 3, and these pins can be arranged to activate an
interrupt on a rising otherwise falling edge, a low-value otherwise a modify in value

PWM Pins
The PWM pins of an Arduino are 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, & 11, and gives an output of an 8-bit PWM with
the function analogWrite ().

SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) Pins

The SPI pins are 10, 11, 12, 13 namely SS, MOSI, MISO, SCK, and these will maintain the SPI
communication with the help of the SPI library.

LED Pin

24
An arguing board is inbuilt with a LED using digital pin-13. Whenever the digital pin is high, the
LED will glow otherwise it will not glow.

TWI (2-Wire Interface) Pins

The TWI pins are SDA or A4, & SCL or A5, which can support the communication of TWI with
the help of Wire library.

AREF (Analog Reference) Pin

An analog reference pin is the reference voltage to the inputs of an analogi/ps using the function
like analogReference().

Reset (RST) Pin

This pin brings a low line for resetting the microcontroller, and it is very useful for using an RST
button toward shields which can block the one over the Arduino R3 board.

Communication
The communication protocols of an Arduino Uno include SPI, I2C, and UART serial
communication.

UART
An Arduino Uno uses the two functions like the transmitter digital pin1 and the receiver digital
pin0. These pins are mainly used in UART TTL serial communication.

I2C
An Arduino UNO board employs SDA pin otherwise A4 pin & A5 pin otherwise SCL pin is
used for I2C communication with wire library. In this, both the SCL and SDA are CLK signal
and data signal.

SPI Pins
The SPI communication includes MOSI, MISO, and SCK.

25
MOSI (Pin11)
This is the master out slave in the pin, used to transmit the data to the devices

MISO (Pin12)
This pin is a serial CLK, and the CLK pulse will synchronize the transmission of which is
produced by the master.

SCK (Pin13)
The CLK pulse synchronizes data transmission that is generated by the master. Equivalent pins
with the SPI library is employed for the communication of SPI. ICSP (in-circuit serial
programming) headers can be utilized for programming ATmega microcontroller directly with
the boot loader.

3.1.2 Comparator
A comparator is an electronic circuit, which compares the two inputs that are applied to it and
produces an output. The output value of the comparator indicates which of the inputs is greater
or lesser. Please note that comparator falls under non-linear applications of ICs.
It is used to compares two voltages (or currents) and outputs a digital signal indicating which is
larger. It has two analog input terminals V+, and V-, and one binary digital output Vo. It is
commonly used in devices that measure and digitize analog signals, such as analog-to-digital
converters (ADCs).

Fig.12 Formula for Comparator

LM339 is a voltage comparator IC from LMx39x series and is manufactured by many industries.
The devices consist of four independent voltage comparators that are designed to operate from a
single power supply. Also operation from dual supplies is possible, as long as the difference
between the two supplies is 2 V to 36 V.

26
 Fig.13 Lm339 Voltage Comparator

Pin Number Name Description

1 1OUT Output pin of the comparator 1
2 2OUT Output pin of the comparator 2
3 VCC Power supply
4 2IN- Negative input pin of the comparator 2
5 2IN+ Positive input pin of the comparator 2
6 1IN- Negative input pin of the comparator 1
7 1IN+ Positive input pin of the comparator 1
8 3IN- Negative input pin of the comparator 3
9 3IN+ Positive input pin of the comparator 3
10 4IN- Negative input pin of the comparator 4
11 4IN+ Positive input pin of the comparator 4
12 GND Ground
13 OUT4 Output pin of the comparator 4
14 OUT3 Output pin of the comparator 3
Table.1 PIN Description

27
 Fig.14 Lm339 Pin Diagram

3.1.3 IR transmitter and receiver

IR detectors are little microchips with a photocell that are tuned to listen to infrared light. They
are almost always used for remote control detection - every TV and DVD player has one of these
in the front to listen for the IR signal from the clicker. Inside the remote control is a matching IR
LED, which emits IR pulses to tell the TV to turn on, off or change channels. IR light is not
visible to the human eye, which means it takes a little more work to test a setup.
IR transmitters and receivers are present in many different devices, though they are most
commonly found in consumer electronics. The way this technology works is that one component
flashes an infrared light in a particular pattern, which another component can pick up and
translate into an instruction. These transmitters and receivers are found in remote controls and all
different types of devices, such as televisions and dvd players. Peripheral devices that include
this technology can also allow a computer to control various other consumer electronics. Since
infrared remotes are limited to line of sight operation, some products can be used to extend the
signals over a hardwired line transmissions.
Most common consumer electronic remote controls use infrared light. They typically generate
infrared using light emitting diodes (LEDs), and the main component of a receiver unit is usually
a photodiode. A remote control flashes a pattern of invisible light, which is picked up and then
turned into an instruction by the receiver module. The parts necessary to construct transmitter

28
and receivers are typically inexpensive, but these systems are limited to line of sight operation.

In order to extend the range of a typical infrared remote control beyond line of sight, it is
possible to combine an IR transmitter and receiver with another component. A hardwired
extender unit uses a transmitter and receiver that are connected by a physical wire. This wire can
be routed around or through a wall, with the transmitter located in one room and the receiver in
another. When a signal is sent to the receiver from a remote control, it travels across the wire and
is then turned back into infrared light by the transmitter at the other end.
Radio frequency IR extenders perform this same function without any physical wires. These
systems involve two components, one of which contains an IR receiver and an RF transmitter.
The paired unit contains an RF receiver and IR transmitter. When an infrared remote is used on
the IR receiver, the device translates the signal and broadcasts it over RF. The paired unit then
receives that signal, decodes it and transmits an IR signal.
IR transmitter and receiver devices can also be used with some computers. These peripherals are
typically designed to connect via universal serial bus (USB) and can be used to control various
types of consumer electronics. Software can allow the devices to learn commands directly from
other remote controls.

Advantages of Infrared sensor:

• It provides secured communication due to line of sight or point-to-point mode of
communication.
• The battery used in infrared devices last for long duration due to lower power
consumption.
• Infrared motion sensors detect motion in daytime and nighttime reliably.
• The sensor does not require any contact with the product to be sensed. The infrared
devices are more appropriate for targets which are close than 10 mm.
• Infrared devices can measure distance to soft objects which may not be easily detected by
ultrasound.
• They are physically smaller in size and are more affordable.
• It has response time faster than thermocouple.
• It provides good stability over time.
• No corrosion or oxidation can affect the accuracy of infrared sensor.
• It delivers high repeatability.

29
Disadvantages of Infrared sensor:

• Infrared frequencies are affected by hard objects (e.g. walls, doors) , smoke, dust, fog,
sunlight etc. Hence it does not work through walls or doors.
• Infrared waves at high power can damage eyes.
• In monitor & control application, it can control only one device at one time. Moreover it
is difficult to control things which are not in LOS (Line of Sight). It requires line of sight
between transmitter and receiver to communicate.
• It supports shorter range and hence it performance degrades with longer distances.
• It supports lower data rate transmission compare to wired transmission.

Fig.15 IR transmitter and receiver module

Infrared sensors can be passive or active. Passive infrared sensors are basically Infrared
detectors. Passive infrared sensors do not use any infrared source and detects energy emitted by
obstacles in the field of view. They are of two types: quantum and thermal. Thermal infrared
sensors use infrared energy as the source of heat and are independent of wavelength.
Thermocouples, pyroelectric detectors and bolometers are the common types of thermal infrared
detectors.

IR Transmitter: An IR transmitter contains an LED that emits infrared light. Thus the name.
The receiver contains either a photodiode or a phototransistor (usually the latter). This
component passes more or less current depending on the amount of IR light falling on it.

The LED is switched on and off in a coded sequence. A microprocessor or a special IC

connected to the phototransistor decodes the sequence to recover the original data.

30
It's not normally as simple-minded as LED on = 1, LED off = 0. Most systems modulate the
LED at a higher "carrier" frequency. The carrier is switched off. This makes the signal easier to
distinguish from slower-changing background sources.

Still it's not like carrier on = 1, carrier off = 0.

Fig.16 IR Transmitter (LED)

IR Receiver: It is basically a photo diode which receives the light emitted by the receiver and
use to give the output whether there is a obstacle between the transmitter and receiver as the
output is 1 then there is not object present but if the output is less than 1 then there may a object
or obstacle present between the transmitter and receiver.

Fig.17 IR Receiver (Photo Diode)

31
3.1.4 Relay with driver
Relays are switches that open and close circuits electromechanically or electronically. Relays
control one electrical circuit by opening and closing contacts in another circuit. As relay
diagrams show, when a relay contact is normally open (NO), there is an open contact when the
relay is not energized. When a relay contact is Normally Closed (NC), there is a closed contact
when the relay is not energized. In either case, applying electrical current to the contacts will
change their state. Relays are generally used to switch smaller currents in a control circuit and do
not usually control power consuming devices except for small motors and Solenoids that draw
low amps. Nonetheless, relays can "control" larger voltages and amperes by having an
amplifying effect because a small voltage applied to a relays coil can result in a large voltage
being switched by the contacts. Protective relays can prevent equipment damage by detecting
electrical abnormalities, including overcurrent, undercurrent, overloads and reverse currents. In
addition, relays are also widely used to switch starting coils, heating elements, pilot lights and
audible alarms.

A Relay driver IC is an electro-magnetic switch that will be used whenever we want to use a low
voltage circuit to switch a light bulb ON and OFF which is connected to 220V mains supply. The
required current to run the relay coil is more than can be supplied by various integrated circuits
like Op-Amp, etc. Relays have unique properties and are replaced with solid state switches that
are strong than solid-state devices. High current capacities, capability to stand ESD and drive
circuit isolation are the unique properties of Relays. There are various ways to drive relays.

Some of the Relay Driver ICs are as below.

• High side toggle switch driver
• Low side toggle switch driver

Fig. 18 Relay module

32
3.1.5 LDR Sensor
A photo resistor (acronymed LDR for Light Decreasing Resistance, or light-dependent resistor,
or photo-conductive cell) is a passive component that decreases resistance with respect to
receiving luminosity (light) on the component's sensitive surface. The resistance of a photo
resistor decreases with increase in incident light intensity; in other words, it
exhibits photoconductivity. A photo resistor can be applied in light-sensitive detector circuits and
light-activated and dark-activated switching circuits acting as a resistance semiconductor. In the
dark, a photo resistor can have a resistance as high as several mega ohms (MΩ), while in the
light, a photo resistor can have a resistance as low as a few hundred ohms. If incident light on a
photo resistor exceeds a certain frequency, photons absorbed by the semiconductor give
bound electrons enough energy to jump into the conduction band. The resulting free electrons
(and their hole partners) conduct electricity, thereby lowering resistance. The resistance range
and sensitivity of a photo resistor can substantially differ among dissimilar devices. Moreover,
unique photo resistors may react substantially differently to photons within certain wavelength
bands.
A photoelectric device can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. An intrinsic semiconductor has its
own charge carriers and is not an efficient semiconductor, for example, silicon. In intrinsic
devices, the only available electrons are in the valence band, and hence the photon must have
enough energy to excite the electron across the entire band gap. Extrinsic devices have
impurities, also called dopants, are added whose ground state energy is closer to the conduction
band; since the electrons do not have as far to jump, lower energy photons (that is, longer
wavelengths and lower frequencies) are sufficient to trigger the device. If a sample of silicon has
some of its atoms replaced by phosphorus atoms (impurities), there will be extra electrons
available for conduction. This is an example of an extrinsic semiconductor.
So how exactly does a photoresistor (i.e. a light dependent resistor or LDR) work? Photoresistors
work based off of the principle of photoconductivity. Photoconductivity is an optical
phenomenon in which the material’s conductivity is increased when light is absorbed by the
material.When light falls i.e. when the photons fall on the device, the electrons in the valence
band of the semiconductor material are excited to the conduction band. These photons in the
incident light should have energy greater than the bandgap of the semiconductor material to
make the electrons jump from the valence band to the conduction band. Hence when light having
enough energy strikes on the device, more and more electrons are excited to the conduction band
which results in a large number of charge carriers. The result of this process is more and more
current starts flowing through the device when the circuit is closed and hence it is said that the
resistance of the device has been decreased.

33
Characterstics of LDR:
Photoresistor LDR’s are light-dependent devices whose resistance is decreased when light falls
on them and that is increased in the dark. When a light dependent resistor is kept in dark, its
resistance is very high. This resistance is called as dark resistance. It can be as high as 1012 Ω
and if the device is allowed to absorb light its resistance will be decreased drastically. If a
constant voltage is applied to it and the intensity of light is increased the current starts increasing.
The figure below shows the resistance vs. illumination curve for a particular LDR.

Fig.19 LDR characterstics

Specifications of LDR Module (Lm393):

• Operating Voltage: 3.3V to 5V DC
• Operating Current: 15ma
• Output Digital - 0V to 5V, Adjustable trigger level from preset
• Output Analog - 0V to 5V based on light falling on the LDR
• LEDs indicating output and power
• PCB Size: 3.2cm x 1.4cm

Pin details
• VCC = 3.3V to 5V DC
• GND = Ground
• DO = Digital Output
• AO = Analog Output

34
Features:
• Photosensitive resistor module most sensitive to environmental light intensity is generally
used to detect the ambient brightness and light intensity.
• Module light conditions or light intensity reach the set threshold, DO port output high,
when the external ambient light intensity exceeds a set threshold, the module D0 output
low
• Digital output D0 directly connected to the MCU, and detect high or low TTL, thereby
detecting ambient light intensity changes;
• Digital output module DO can directly drive the relay module, which can be composed
of a photoelectric switch
• Analog output module AO and AD modules can be connected through the AD converter,
you can get a more accurate light intensity value

Fig.20 LDR Sensor Module

35
3.2 Circuit Diagram & Connections

Circuit Diagram for the project:

Fig.21 Circuit Diagram

Fig.22 LDR based intensity controller

36
The system senses the presence and automatically switches ON the wash basin water pump and
switches OFF the pump if presence is not felt. In addition to these the system automatically ON
the mirror lamp during the persons presence.
The system makes use of a comparator. The output from IR sensor is fed to comparator and
according to it comparator switches ON/ OFF water pump and mirror light.
This block diagram doesn’t include the intensity controller which is shown below, where LDR is
used to control the intensity of the lamp which can be turned OFF or ON by the IR sensor.
An integrated unit of intelligent water-saving box and washbowl features that the used domestic
water such as bath water and cloth washing water is filtered and then collected in the water-
saving box. The collected water is then pumped automatically into water tank for toilet. It has the
automatic switching-over function between running water and secondary water. When the
secondary water is consumed, it can begin to use running water. Its advantages include little
occupied ground area and space (only using the space under wash basin), convenient application,
intelligent switching and saving water

3.3 Working of the Circuit

The working of this project is very simple and in fact if you are familiar with LDR and
comparator, then you might have already understood the working.
When the light falls on the Light Dependent Resistor, the comparator compares the voltages at
the non-inverting pin and the inverting pin of the op-amp. If the voltage at the non-inverting pin
is greater than the voltage at the inverting pin, its output will be LOW and if the voltage at non-
inverting pin is less than the voltage at the inverting pin, the output of the comparator will be
HIGH.
In my case, under normal room light conditions, the output of the Op-Amp is LOW and hence,
the Light Bulb stays OFF. When I apply some light on the LDR (with the help of a small torch),
the output of the Op-Amp becomes HIGH and the Light Bulb turns ON.

The circuit works as :

1. IR sensor detects the presence of a person or a object and turns ON the lamp and water
supply.
2. To turn ON or OFF the pump and the lamp relay is used which is switch and just
connects the circuit when lamp and pump needs to be turned ON and disconnects the
circuit when not required.
3. LDR segment of the circuit now comes into action and finds out how much light is

37
 required around the lamp by analyzing the light present in the surroundings.
4. LDR gives the reading to comparator which processes the value and adjust the brightness
or intensity of the lamp.
5. Last step of the working is when the IR sensor reads 1 on the receiver and gives the result
that there is no one in front of the wash basin and turns OFF water pump and lamp.

3.4 Softwares Used

ArduinoIDE :

The Arduino integrated development environment is a cross-platform application

(for Windows, macOS, Linux) that is written in the programming language Java. It is used to
write and upload programs to Arduino compatible boards, but also, with the help of 3rd party
cores, other vendor development board. The Arduino IDE supports the
languages C and C++ using special rules of code structuring

38
 CHAPTER 4
MERITS, DEMERITS AND APPLICATIONS

4.1 MERITS

• Water conservation: Finding ways to save water is very important. Electronic taps are usually
designed with a low flow rate, an aerator in the spout and system or materials that prevent
leakage. For instance, while traditional basin taps pour between 10 and 15 litres per minute,
Giampieri sensor taps would not use more than 6 litres and their solenoid valve is closed by
default (and placed before the hose, which in this case supports up to 15 bar). Bear in mind that a
dripping tap can waste between 300 ml and 1 litre per hour.

• Energy saving in the long term: Each sensor tap requires 6, 9 or 12 volts, depending on the
brand. This expense is unavoidable, whether hardwired or battery operated. Nonetheless, e-taps
can make a difference during activation. Selecting the preferred flow and temperature every time
a traditional faucet is activated wastes energy, among other things. In this regard, automatic
basin taps with a constant temperature (cold, warm or premixed) are a great choice for
commercial washrooms. Likewise, thermostatic faucets would be more energy efficient in
showers than mixer lever ones.

• Hygienic: The sensor taps are the best options for hospitals because the taps of washbasins that
are present in every washroom of the hospitals are used by many patients and very obviously
they contain a lot of germs. The Automatic Sensor Taps are beneficial for such places because
using such taps do not require touching the tap and the in-built automatic sensor can flow water
as soon as the hand is placed under the nozzle. But in case of the traditional taps that is hand-
operated a lot of disease gets spread as it is used by many people and the germs spread from
person to person. These are not just best for hospitals but also for household purposes. Using a
tap without touching its body is much more hygienic than touching the body and using it
because you do not touch the germs that are waiting for you in the body of the taps.

• Stylish Looks: There are many Sensor Taps Manufacturers who provide the best sensor taps.
These sensors taps give a luxury look to the interior of kitchen and washrooms. These taps are
available in various types and designs and each and every design give a stylish look. These not
only add a luxury look but also are also the best option for washroom use in public places.

39
Some other advantages :

• Wastes less water: Water conservation of up to 70%.

• Easy to use, easier to install.
• Affordable (Entry-level sensor taps costs no more than 30% of normal taps).
• Hygienic Solution.
• Save money on water bills and energy consumption.
• Advance infrared sensor technology.
• Solid-brass outer shell construction.
• Versatile and solid-built designs.
• Increased throughput or productivity.
• Improved quality or increased predictability of quality.
• Improved robustness (consistency), of processes or product.
• Increased consistency of output.
• Installation in operations reduces cycle time.
• Replaces human operators in tasks that involve hard physical or monotonous work
• Performs tasks that are beyond human capabilities of size, weight, speed, endurance, etc.
• Reduces operation time and work handling time significantly.

Fig.23 Merits of sensor taps

40
4.2 DEMERITS
Price range is wide and, as always, you usually get what you pay for, but sensor taps probably
imply more initial investment than traditional taps, plus a remote control is necessary to change
the default settings. Nonetheless, touchless tapware saves costs in the long run, especially for
commercial washrooms, and just one remote control can adjust an infinite number of compatible
automatic taps.

If there is a water cut, one cannot use the faucets. If there is a power cut, mains operated sensor
taps will not work either. Nevertheless, let's count how many times a year businesses face power
cuts or what the chances are that users go into a commercial washroom during a blackout, let
alone reaching the basin.

Hands free taps work with an infrared sensor. This widget may have problems with reflective
surfaces and extremely bright colours. Installers must read carefully the mounting instructions
that the manufacturer provides in order to avoid mirrors or polished chrome finishes opposite the
tap sensor, as well as another built-in sensor right in front of it. Despite following the guidelines,
beware that sensored taps can make activation mistakes from time to time.

When acquiring automatic taps for houses, it looks reasonable to know that some domestic
animals could activate them unintentionally, mainly in the kitchen. Imagine that a cat walks on
the basin countertop where a sensor tap is accommodated… It will definitely result in a feline
fright, but also in endless water waste. E-taps include a default limit opening time of
approximately 1 or 2 minutes to avoid vandalism, mistakes or situations like this one.

While touch free taps avoid cross-contamination, some reports suggest that certain materials
(like rubber in the solenoid valve diaphragm) and designs in the internal circuit could
favour bacteria proliferation. Therefore, when performing the regular maintenance and cleaning,
we encourage to flush often and disinfect the sensor tap components.

Due to the simpler design of smart taps, they work with fewer replaceable parts when comparing
with traditional faucets. Should faults occur, replacing the whole unit seems more likely. Now
though, sensor taps normally have an extensive guarantee period.

41
4.3 APPLICATIONS
Sustainability principles are lowering energy costs, creating environments less prone to the
spread of infection, and reducing the carbon footprint of health facilities.
Hospitals are discovering that sustainable design practices not only reduce energy costs but
lower infection rates, according to the study. Technologies – such as motion sensors for lights,
taps, and doorways – reduce the transmission of infections as well as lowering the millions of
pounds spent annually on energy.

The high cost of energy and operations, coupled with increasing environmental consciousness,
has elevated the importance of green design for healthcare facilities. Green technology
investment has become cost-effective and pays for itself within a few years.

Installing sensor taps will reduce hospital infection rates and manage the prevalence of multi-
drug resistant organisms is another critical trend in healthcare facility design. Wireless
communications, RFID tracking, anti-microbial surfaces, negative pressure isolation roosingle-
patientient rooms, and emergency department entrance alternatives are used to reduce infections,
which claim many lives every year.

42
 CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE

3.1 CONCLUSION
This project is based on a basic idea of power saving and cost effective but better quality requires
more cost but these automatic taps which uses sensor not only saves water but also saves
electricity. Moreover there is another feature of this project i.e. it saves electricity as it
automatically changes the intensity and turns ON and OFF as per the requirement sensed through
the sensor of the surroundings. Also it saves the chances of infection as the tap is touched by
many hands which may lead to a infection, also sometimes we turn OFF the light by wet hands
which can be dangerous as one may get electric shock by touching the switch with wet hands.

Among the advantages there are some disadvantages also which has a solution making this
project a success. Some of the disadvantages are installation of this project in a industry may not
be cost effective. Also it may require maintenance by a professional to identify the problem and
solve it. A lot of care is required while installing and using the sensor as they may get damaged
and may not work as they should leading to problems to a common person.

3.2 FUTURE SCOPE

In sanitary facilities with touch free taps, one does not have to get dirty again reusing the same
lever or handle and there will not be cross-contamination between users through the tap. Despite
that, some suppliers have disposable spouts for sensor taps, designed for healthcare environments
that aim at ensuring hygiene.
With improvements in design, technology and elements like aerators, tapware is getting quieter,
which is welcome by everyone, but overall by users with certain mental conditions. The
Giampieri sensor taps are lower than 25 dB(A) or 20 dB(A) when there is water pressure under 5
or 3 bars respectively; as silent as a library conversation.
Unlike other types of taps, solenoid valves of sensor taps are protected by plastic, therefore there
is no chance of corrosion.

43
 REFERENCES
[1] Derci Felix da Silva and Daniel Acosta-Avalos (Department of Electronics) May 2006
DOI 10.3390/s6050514 “Light Dependent Resistance as a sensor in Spectroscopy setup
using pulsed light”.
[2]Seong-Soo Kim and Christina Young and Boris Mizaikoff (Analytical and Bioanalytical
Chemistry) Feburary 2008 DOI DOI: 10.1007/s00216-007-1673-5 “Miniaturized mid-
infrared Sensor Technologies”.
[3] https://www.intelligenthanddryers.com/blog/benefits-sensor-taps-problems
[4] https://www.sunrom.com/p/light-sensing-module-ldr
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared_sensor
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LDR
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparator
[8] https://www.electronicshub.org/infrared_sensor
[9]https://www.youtube.com

44