Wireless Sensor and Actuator Network-based Power Management System susing Raspberry Pi and Image Processing for Smart Classroom

Abstract

The use of energy is one of the most important resource in a developing country, however due to excessive use of electricity, reserves are running low which leads to power shortage. Since most of colleges and universities still utilize the conventional power control for devices and classroom equipment, which manually turning an equipment on or off, not all the time that the equipment inside the classroom is powered off when not in use. This study proposes a Wireless Sensor and Actuator Network-based Power Management System that adds a functionality to each equipment inside the classroom to automatically turn itself off when the room is unoccupied. To detect room occupants, the system uses motion sensors and camera that uses image processing for human detection on Raspberry Pi. After testing the system, it shows that the system automatically turns off all equipment all the time when there are no occupants inside the classroom. The developed prototype of the system has a power rating of 5.5W, and if implemented in a classroom with an operating hour of 13.5 hours, the system will be a viable solution in decreasing power consumption of a classroom that is usually left idle for 3.908 minutes.