Table of Contents
Chapter 1.....................................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
1.1 Background..................................................................................................................................2
1.2 Problem Statement............................................................................................................................4
1.3 Aims and Objectives..........................................................................................................................4
1.4 Significance of the project.................................................................................................................5
1.5 Scope of the Study.............................................................................................................................5
Reference....................................................................................................................................................6
1
Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1 Background
The electric fan is one of the most common electrical devices found in almost every home. They
are particularly used in homes to control room temperature. Since the invention of the first
electric fan in 1882 by Philip Diehl, they have gone through many changes and improvements
[1]. Over the years, they have become an integral part of our home environment, providing us
comfort by cooling our bodies in hot and humid climates. The ceiling fan has a motor that
converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. As hot air rises, the blades of the fan slice this
air and push it down. This continuous process causes air to circulate in the entire room. The
continuous circulation mixes hot and cold air in the room and in effect reduces the temperature to
an average value [2]. Fans come in different forms such as ceiling fans, table fans, wall-mounted
and pedestal fans with special applications [3].
Although fans have become such a vital part of our lives, they have their attendant issues.
Almost all available ceiling fans today are manually regulated using voltage regulators or control
knobs [4]. In a room where there is more than one fan, as is often the case for large places like
classrooms, offices, and living rooms, among others, each fan comes with its regulator, which is
placed on the walls of the room. This creates an appearance that is not very attractive. With the
existing method, one needs to move to the regulator and manually adjust the fan speed. This is
particularly disadvantageous to the physically challenged and other people with mobility
challenges. There is also a growing concern for the automation of ceiling fans as it not only saves
electricity by going off when they are not required but also ensures comfort by offering remote
and intelligent control [5].
With the gradual advancement of technology, automation has become part of human life. In this
regard, modern technologies have brought several innovations that automatically implement a
particular task. Among these discoveries, the microcontroller plays a vital role in the smart
system of the electronic world. A microcontroller is a control system on a single chip that makes
possible the automation of the designed system and control process and produces precise results
[6,7]. Among all places occupied by a human being, a home is the most important and needs to
be maintained at the proper temperature. Nowadays, keeping living and working places at a
conducive temperature is not only crucial to be healthy and productive, but also maintaining the
room at an average temperature helps to prevent spoiling of foods, medicine, and other goods in
the room. Commonly, people use a manually controlled system, a Fan system, to regulate the
temperature in their living environment. However, this manually operated system has notable
limitations. The drawback is that if the user forgets to switch on or adjust the fan when the
temperature becomes abnormal, children, disabled persons, and perishable items could be
affected. The other problem with the mechanical fan system is that, sometimes even if the fan is
still working, it is difficult to maintain the room temperature. Furthermore, if not appropriately
managed, it may result in unnecessary expense and power usage. In general, its operations
always require the user to turn it on and off regardless of the room temperature condition.
2
Therefore, to address these drawbacks, the Automatic Room Temperature Control System is
proposed. An automatic room temperature control system is a self-automated temperature control
system [8] that can control the speed of the fan depending on the current room temperature.
According to the value of the ambient temperature, the microcontroller compares the sensor
temperature reading with a set value. Then the microcontroller decides in accordance
1.2 Problem Statement
As a Student of Ho Technical University, I have observed that many lectures are held at the V
Block, and when lectures are finished, most students normally forget to switch off the fans and
lights.
Fans that are operated manually waste a lot of energy, mostly because they are frequently left
running even when no one is in the room, which not only adds to wasteful energy use but also
raises electricity costs, which impacts the environment and campus budgets. Many people may
not be aware that fans do not cool the air; rather, they circulate it. Is there a way of introducing a
new control system into the old system to help minimize these very important issues?
1.3 Aims and Objectives
Aim
To reduce energy waste and lower electricity costs associated with manual fan control by
promoting the adoption of automated fan control systems or timers. This initiative seeks to
minimize unnecessary energy consumption when rooms are unoccupied, thereby decreasing
financial burdens and contributing to a smaller carbon footprint, ultimately fostering sustainable
practices in energy usage.
Objectives
1. To design an automatic fan control system without compromising the performance of the
existing system
2. Implementing Arduino programming as part of the design.
3. Using a relay module and a motion sensor that will intelligently activate the fan based on
the presence of individuals in the room. This feature not only improves air circulation
when needed but also conserves energy by turning off the fan when the room is
unoccupied.
3
1.4 Significance of the project
Automating the fan on/off control is essential for saving energy and maximizing the use of
electrical equipment.
This device can detect the presence of a person in a room using sensors. If the room is vacant,
the fan will automatically turn off to save energy. When a person enters, the fan turns on to
provide comfort.
This not only helps to minimize electricity rates for households and businesses, but it also lessens
the demand for power generation. This, in turn, helps to reduce pollution and promotes
environmental sustainability.
1.5 Scope of the Study
1. Designing and developing the automatic fan control system
2. Integrating the Arduino board, relay module, and motion sensor
3. Writing the program code for the Arduino board
4. Testing and debugging the system
4
Reference
[1] History of the Electric Fan, Sharon Debartolo Carmack. [Online]. Available at
https://www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/cooling-trends/ Accessed: November 17th 2021
[2] Nc, Lenin & Sanjeevikumar, P. & Bhaskar Ranjana, Mahajan & Mitolo, Massimo & Hossain,
Eklas. (2021). Ceiling Fan Drives – Past, Present and Future. IEEE Access.
10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3052899
[3] F. P. Bleier, Fan Handbook: Selection, Application, and Design. New York, NY, USA:
McGraw-Hill, 1997
[4] Nwankwo N. P., Alumona T., Onwuzulike D.A., Nwankwo V, “Design and Implementation
of Microcontroller Based Automatic Fan Speed Regulator (Using Temperature Sensor)”.
International Journal of Engineering Research and Management (IJERM) ISSN: 2349- 2058,
Volume-01, Issue-05, August 2014.
[5] Ektesabi, Mehran & Asghari Gorji, Saman & Moradi, Amir & Yammen, Suchart &
Vennapusa, Mahesh. (2018). IoT-Based Home Appliance System (Smart Fan). 37-46.
10.5121/csit.2018.81604