Block Diagram
Block Diagram Picture
The team constructed a Block Diagram that provides an ample overview of how we want our project to function.
Figure 1: Block Diagram of our Flower Pot
Overview of Each Section
Microcontroller
Figure 2: The PIC18LF26K40
This is the most important part of our project, the Microcontroller. The Microcontroller that we have decided to work with is the PIC18LF26K40. We chose it mainly for its small amount of pins which helps with keeping our project simple and easy to manage. It also contains 2 MSSP ports. This is advantageous for us as it will allow us to run both SPI and I2C.
Temperature Sensor
Figure 3: The Temperature Sensor
The temperature sensor is one of the subsystems we decided to work with. We plan on utilizing the temperature sensor to detect where the highest temperature in the surrounding area is. This information will then be utilized by the microcontroller and will send this data to the motor. THe motor will then rotate the flower pot to face the direction of the highest tmeperature.
Motor Driver
Figure 4: The Motor Driver/Actuator
The motor driver is what will rotate the flower pot to face the sun. This device is meant to be placed on a windowsill or outside area and will rotate the pot to face the sun. The motor driver will determine where the sun is located based on where it detects the highest temperatures point near it.
Humidity Sensor
Figure 5: Humidity Sensor
The humidity sensor will be our main way of communicating with the ESP32 Wifi module. The humidity sensor will be constanly tracking the humidity of the soil in the flower pot. If the sensor detects that the humidity is too low, it will send an alert to your phone notfiying you that the plant requires water.