Smart Rain-sensitive Casement Window with Manual Switch Override

Abstract

Rainfall, though beneficial can also be hurtful. When rain falls and windows are open, inlet of rain into houses or buildings can lead to the damage of properties ranging from electronics to furniture and even trigger electric shock. Besides the man-hour lost and loss of concentration in a large establishment in an attempt to shut windows when it is about to rain, hard-earned money is also affected if damage to properties occur. The need for comfort and convenience has prompted researchers to seek smart technological solutions to overcome the demanding traditional way of closing casement windows. This project, a smart rain-sensitive casement window conforms with the evolving quest to make life easy for man. It uses a resistive rain sensor to detect rain and triggers or activates a geared motor via an Arduino mini pro microcontroller to shut an open window. It also incorporates a manual pushbutton switch to manually close the window, without having to pull the window to a close. This process is achieved within a few milliseconds. Testing the device over a period of 3-days, showed it to be highly sensitive even to the smallest droplet of rain.