Suggestion - independent sensor for detecting when curtain bot stops moving
I am not sure how the curtain bots calibration actually works. I guess it could count the revolutions of the motor / roller, or simply run a timer (or both). I know the bots should also switch off when they hit a hard stop (even though mine often do not).
However, I think it would be good to have some kind of "independent" sensor that detects how far the bot has moved and when it has stopped. Something like a second un-powered roller which could cross check its revolutions with the main roller, or even a motion sensing camera like the ones you get in a mouse. The mouse camera option would probably be simpler, cheaper and more robust to implement as it would all be solid-state.
In fact, in some cases this would mean no "calibration" would be necessary, as the curtain would just move until the sensor detected that the bot was no longer moving when it hits the end stop.
Comments
Hello Darren,
Thank you for your suggestion. The SwitchBot Curtain calculate its movement by the roller in the middle. When it spins, it will tell how many rounds has it turned.
Adding a separate sensor to detect how long the machine has travelled would be a good idea actually. We will note down your suggestion and report it to the dev team.
If you have any other suggestions or feedback about the SwitchBot devices, please do not hesitate to contact support@wondertechlabs.com.
SwitchBot Team
Hello SwitchBot Team, I discover the Curtain Rod. Works well. For the solar panel, an improvement would be access to the battery percentage to create a scene that would close the curtain during the day if the percentage is deemed too low. In this way, sunlight is captured more directly, for a longer period of time. The battery is recharged more efficiently than when the curtain is simply open, and the sensor is less well lit by the sun. Is this possible? Thank you
Emmanuel
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