Design and Implementation of an Automated Drying Line System (ADLS) Felix Larbi Aryeh Computer Sci. and Eng. Department University of Mines and Technology Tarkwa, Ghana flaryeh@umat.edu.gh Emmanuel Kweku Eshun Information and Comm. Tech Unit University of Mines and Technology Tarkwa, Ghana ek.eshun@umat.edu.gh Michael Kwasi Antwi Computer Sci. and Eng. Department University of Mines and Technology Tarkwa, Ghana michaelantwi42@gmail.com Abstract—Traditional clothes drying lines are unable to protect clothes from rainfall, theft, strong winds, dust, stains, birds dropping and insects. This makes life unbearable. This paper seeks to design a system that will not only help dry clothes but also offer protection of clothes from rainfall, theft, strong winds, dust and stains. The designed system has a tube that directs sun rays from outside into a box-like container within the room which contains the hung clothes. The tube with its converging lens direct sun rays onto a reflecting plane which in turn direct the rays into the box uniformly with the help of a diverging lens. The interior surfaces of the box are coated black to retain heat. The system has a humidity sensor to measure the dryness of clothes and notify the user via an LED blink and the sound of a buzzer. The system has a fan that can be turned on to expedite the drying process of clothes within the system. It goes off automatically when clothes are dried thereby conserving energy. The system receives instructions from Arduino Uno. All codes were written with Arduino IDE. Keywords— Serial Arduino, Arduino Nano, Arduino Uno, Arduino 101, LED. I. INTRODUCTION Automation is now common place in recent years mainly because of it ubiquitous nature. It cuts across almost all spheres of life, be it education, industry, health and agriculture. In fact, contemporary life is unconceivable devoid of highly proficient computer systems. The development of automated system is on the ascendency and this can be traced back to origination of the microprocessor chip in the 1960s. Automation in recent years is not only restricted to information provided or performing of actions, however, it also comprises analyzing information and selecting the right actions. Automation as a word emanates from two Greek words, namely, “Auto” which means self and “Matos” which means moving. Thus, it is the mechanism for devices that moves on their own. Automation, therefore, can be defined as, “A set of technologies that results in the operation of machines and systems without significant human intervention and achieves performance superior to manual operation” [8]. Existing traditional drying lines are not able to protect clothes against rainfall, dust, strong wing, theft and others. This causes a lot of problems for individuals. In most organisations and educational institutions, for instance, people lose concentration either at work or class when the weather becomes cloudy whiles their clothes are on the drying lines. Some people resort to neighbours just to save their clothes from the touch of rainfall. Others have also suffered injuries in their quest to rush down the stairs to pick their clothes from the drying lines. Those who forget their clothes on the drying lines sometimes find them either stolen or stained with bird’s droppings. There have also been instances where people pick their clothes from the drying lines with dangerous insects hidden in them. Thus, if there exists a smarter drying line that can solve the aforementioned problems, life will be made more comfortable. This paper seeks to build a drying line system that is capable of protecting clothes from rainfall, theft, strong wind and dust. The already existing systems reviewed so far can protect clothes from rainfall. However, when it comes to protection from dust, strong winds and thefts, these systems do not provide the optimum solution. Hence, the motivation to embark on this paper. The system shall have two main components. Videlicet a tube that shall convey sun rays into the system and a box-like structure that shall keep the clothes. A. Types of Automation There are two branches of automation. These are: 1) Feedback Control: It is a constant process that includes recording dimensions with sensors and also calculating adjustments through a controller to an output device. This helps to keep the measured variable within a fixed range. (e.g. water heater). It could be a closed loop or opened looped. 2) Sequence Control: It executes diverse actions based on different system states. It may be either a fixed sequence or a logical one. (e.g. elevator) [1]. The types of automation include: ▪ Fixed automation; ▪ Programmable automation; and ▪ Flexible automation B. Importance of Automation The benefits of automation as stated by [1] are: ▪ It decreases the amount of labor; ▪ Conserves energy through efficiency gains; ▪ Reduces the number of materials needed; ▪ Improves accuracy, quality, precision and predictability; and ▪ Ensures safety by removing humans from unsafe or dangerous conditions. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5164236 International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security (IJCSIS), Vol. 19, No. 7, July 2021 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5164236 46 https://sites.google.com/site/ijcsis/ ISSN 1947-5500