Automatic Street Lights Control with Microcontroller

Automatic control of street lights is designed to turn on and off street lights automatically. This project checks the amount of light. If the light is 80 percent available, it automatically turns off street lights. But, if the amount of light is less than 80 percent, this project will automatically turn on street lights. One can also adjust it according to their requirements.

A light sensor detects the intensity of light. The PIC16F877A microcontroller interfaces with the light sensor to sense the amount of light available. After analyzing the amount of light, the PIC16F877A microcontroller generates a control signal. The control signal turns on the transistor, which energizes the relay coil and turns on the street light. Only one lamp is used in this project for demonstration purposes, but you can use as many street lights as you want to control through this automatic street light control system.

Introduction

Automatic Street Lights Control with a Microcontroller is an innovative application of embedded systems technology aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and promoting sustainability in urban environments. This intelligent system utilizes a microcontroller, a compact and programmable integrated circuit, to autonomously manage the operation of street lights based on ambient light levels. The heart of the system lies in the utilization of a Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) to sense variations in natural light, allowing the microcontroller to dynamically control the illumination of street lights. This not only contributes to energy conservation by ensuring lights are active only when necessary but also offers the potential for significant cost savings and a reduced environmental footprint. This technological solution aligns with the growing emphasis on smart city initiatives, showcasing the application of embedded systems for more efficient and sustainable urban infrastructure.

Circuit Diagram Automatic Control of Street Light

The following are the main components of the automatic control of street lights:

Light sensor

The light sensor senses the amount of light. There are many light sensors available in the market, but the Light dependent resistor (LDR) is used as a light sensor because it is cheap in price, easily available in the market, and can be easily interfaced with a microcontroller to sense the intensity of light. The LDR has the property to change its resistance according to the intensity of light. If the light is high, the LDR will have low resistance, and if the light is low, the LDR will have high resistance. So, the microcontroller can easily read this resistance in the form of voltage, which can be back-converted into a proportional value of light using a formula available in the datasheet. I recommend you to look at the datasheet of the LDR.

Relay interfacing with microcontroller

As mentioned above, a microcontroller analyzes the intensity of light and generates a control signal, which in turn turns on or off the street light. We use an NPN transistor as a switch, and we use a resistor at the base of the transistor as a current-limiting resistor. We use a diode to avoid back EMF voltage, which can produce sparking across the relay.

The circuit diagram below illustrates the automatic control of street lights.

circuit diagram of automatic control of street lights
circuit diagram of automatic control of streetlights

To check the working of this project and to understand the code, watch the following video:

Code

The code for this project is written in the MIKROC compiler and 8Mhz crystal is used in this project. If you do not know how to use MikroC for Pic, you can refer to these tutorials:

//*************** microcontrollerslab.com ******************
//************** microcontrollerslabhub@gmail.com ***********

// Global variable to store light intensity
int light;

// Function to read LDR (Light Dependent Resistor)
void read_ldr()
{
    unsigned int adc_value = 0;
    
    // Read analog value from ADC channel 0
    adc_value = ADC_Read(0);
    
    // Calculate light intensity as a percentage
    light = 100 - adc_value / 10.24;
    
    // Switch off the light when light intensity is 80 percent or more
    if (light >= 80)
    {
        PORTB.F1 = 0;
    }
    else
    {
        PORTB.F1 = 1;
    }
}

// Main function
void main()
{
    // Set PORTB as output
    TRISB = 0X00;
    
    // Initialize PORTB to 0
    PORTB = 0X00;
    
    // Initialize ADC
    Adc_Init();

    // Infinite loop
    while (1)
    {
        // Read LDR and control light accordingly
        read_ldr();
    }
}

How Does Code Work?

This code is an implementation of an Automatic Street Lights Control system using a pic microcontroller. The program employs a global variable, ‘light,’ to store the calculated light intensity based on readings from a Light Dependent Resistor (LDR). The read_ldr() function is responsible for reading the analog value from ADC channel 0, converting it to a percentage to determine the light intensity, and subsequently controlling the street light. Specifically, if the light intensity surpasses 80 percent, the program switches off the street light by setting the corresponding bit (F1) in the PORTB register to 0; otherwise, it sets the bit to 1, keeping the light on. This conditional control ensures that the street lights operate efficiently, responding to the ambient light conditions.

In the main function, the code initializes the microcontroller by setting PORTB as an output for controlling the street lights, initializing PORTB to 0, and initializing the ADC module. The program then enters an infinite loop where it continuously reads the LDR values and adjusts the street lights accordingly. This implementation provides a basic yet functional example of an energy-efficient street lighting system that utilizes a microcontroller to intelligently respond to variations in ambient light levels.

Applications

This project has many applications. For example, you may be too lazy to manually turn on or off your street lights, and you may forget to do so daily. With this project, you can easily save electricity and, in turn, save money. In countries where load shedding is a big issue due to a shortfall in electricity and limited resources for its generation, this project can help to a certain extent. By automatically controlling street lights, we can save a maximum amount of energy, which is beneficial for your nation and also for you. It will reduce your electricity bill and, in turn, save you money.

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81 thoughts on “Automatic Street Lights Control with Microcontroller”

  6. The code is not working .. its giving error in line “light = 100 – adc_value/10.24;”

    these are the errors ..

    6 402 ; expected, but ‘–’ found street light.c
    6 424 ‘}’ expected ‘;’ found street light.c
    11 371 Specifier needed street light.c
    11 396 Invalid declarator expected'(‘ or identifier street light.c
    14 371 Specifier needed street light.c
    14 396 Invalid declarator expected'(‘ or identifier street light.c
    16 393 ” Identifier redefined street light.c
    16 300 Syntax Error: ‘(‘ expected, but ‘{‘ found street light.c
    25 1503 Result is not defined in function: ” street light.c
    0 102 Finished (with errors): 04 Jun 2015, 20:08:57 street light.mcppi

    Reply

  7. The issue is resolved .. thnx

    one more thing to ask, it might look stupid but what is that component attached with resistor R3 .. i m not talking abt LDR the upper one ..

    thnx in advance ….

    Reply

  10. actually i want it to work with the IR sensors so as to conserve more energy so please provide help for this
    1. how to connect IR sensor with this module.
    2. n wat will b the changes in code.

    Reply

  20. Can you please answer me a of a district in which LDR is used for save power.. It’s need because of my school project.. Some may question it.. please be fast to me..

    Reply

    • hi… Present I’m trying to get output in Proteus but it’s not coming… N may I know which part is troubling you?

      Reply

  34. can you send me , the circuit diagram of “automatic street light based on vehicle moment” and its source code , im using microprocessor 8051…..!!!!

    Reply

  43. Can u plz send me the brief description of the working principle of the circuit ???????? and why 8Mhz crystal oscillator is used here?????????? plzz help me…its urgent

    Reply

  44. Sir the above ckt which you’ve given for ldr, doesn’t contain lcd for displaying output. so what if we want to put lcd there?? should we need right a program for lcd interfacing too???.
    please suggest. it would be better if you give a program for this.

    Reply

  45. Will you please send me the code for ” auto intensity control of street lights using Atmega8 micro controller and which simulator I have to use?

    Reply

  59. Aslam o Alikum,Brother it is showing an error that ADC_Read is undeclared identifier , compiler i am using is mikroc for pic . Please bro is there any solution

    Reply

  60. is this code working in keil_v5?
    is the code complete ?
    pls send me the complete code of this project
    its very urgent please…thanks in advance

    Reply

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