Date of Award

Spring 2021

Document Type

Thesis - SCU Access Only

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2021.

Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Advisor

Andrew Wolfe

Abstract

Air conditioning and heating units make up a large portion of the power consumed by a household, yet few have attempted to use the blinds as a means to regulate the temperature of the room. In this paper, we developed and tested a predictive system using sensors and general weather trends in the day to control blind controllers. This system attempts to maintain a target temperature so that the need for heating and cooling will be reduced, thereby decreasing the power used by AC and heating units. As a result of our experiments, we can conclude that it is beneficial to have the motorized blinds system while direct sunlight is interacting with that specific window. However, more research is needed to understand the extent of these benefits as well as if there is any benefit to the system when the window is not in direct sunlight. Consequently, to better understand the true abilities of a motorized blind system we need a more adequate, robust testing environment that accounts for the variations in the temperature throughout the year. Through more testing, we can understand to what extent the predictionary motorized blinds system limits temperature variation and how room position in relation to the sun's path can affect the effectiveness of the blinds system. Lastly, we can use this information to understand the economics of the system and the potential cost benefits to users of the system.

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