Smart Blinds

For my Individual Project for the ME 608 class offered at the University of Kansas, I decided to develop a smart blind system that is able to be retrofitted to a set of corded blinds using an Arduino UNO board as the brains. The body components were 3D printed to comply with the 4H robotics requirements for the Douglas County Fair. The system has various actions it can do based on inputs from an IR remote. These aforementioned actions are fully opening the blinds, fully closing the binds, and automated function that opens and closes the blinds based on the light levels.

The supplies needed for this project go as follows:

• (1) Arduino UNO
• (1) Breadboard Power/GND Rail
• (1) IR Receiver
• (1) IR Remote
• (1) High Torque Servo Motor
• (1) I2C 16X2 LCD Display
• (1) Thermistor
• (1) Photoresistor
• (1) AA Battery to barrel plug pack
• (4) AA Batteries

1. Fully Open or Close based on input from the IR remote. After servo is done moving the LCD screen should read out the temperature from the thermistor attached to the window plane.
2. Go into an automated mode based on input from the IR remote. The light levels that the photoresistor will be reading from being attached to the window plane along with the temperature from the thermistor in the same position will be displayed on the LCD display.

The Final Code for the project can be found in the attached .ino file

This project requires the majority of the chassis parts to be 3D printed. The STL file for each part is attached below. I decided to print the parts in PLA.

The assembly of the system after the parts were printed went as follows:

1. Once all the parts are finished printing, fit the two base plate parts together and glue together using CA glue.
2. Repeat Step 1 with the out bore arm parts
3. Take the Arduino mount plate and glue it into its place on the main base plate
4. Press a 22mm OD Bearing into the hole on the out bore arm
5. If not using wires with proper connector attached, then solder wires to components at this time
6. Press LCD display into cover
7. Hot Glue IR Receiver into hole on cover
8. Hot Glue Power/GND rail on to side of cover
9. Secure Servo into mount
10. CA glue servo mount into motor arm
11. Secure Arduino UNO into its mount
12. Wire up the System according to the wiring diagram provided, making sure to have extended runs of wires for the thermistor and photoresistor to be able to reach the window plane.
13. Make sure to route all wires going back to the Arduino through its cover
14. Then install Arduino cover onto mount
15. Once all wired place out bore arm into base plate and CA glue together
16. Glue down IR cover to out bore arm into position shown in model pictures
17. Install Pull wheel and pull wheel drive
18. Place Motor arm into out bore arm and glue down arm to out bore arm and servo adapter to pull wheel drive
19. Secure System to wall next to corded blind
20. Secure Thermistor and photoresistor inside cover and secure cover to window pane
21. Loop and tie blind cords to pull wheel after system has started and servo has stopped moving and blinds are fully closed

These videos show the system in action.