A microcontroller-based automatic solar tracking drying system designed to improve drying efficiency for agricultural products by dynamically aligning the drying platform toward maximum sunlight.
The system uses dual LDR sensors placed in the front and back to detect light intensity. A threshold-based comparison algorithm determines the direction of maximum illumination, and the drying platform moves accordingly using a differential drive mechanism.
This project resulted in a published patent in sustainable agricultural technology.
- Automatic solar tracking
- Dual LDR light sensing
- Threshold-based decision logic
- Differential drive motion
- Two rear motor drive system
- Front castor wheel stabilization
- Microcontroller-based control
- Energy-efficient agricultural drying
- Patent published system
Sensor Layer
Two LDR sensors placed at front and back measure sunlight intensity.
Processing Layer
Microcontroller compares sensor values and computes difference.
Control Layer
Motor driver controls two rear motors.
Mechanical Layer
Front castor wheel enables smooth directional movement.
The system reads two LDR values:
Front LDR
Back LDR
The microcontroller computes:
difference = front − back
If:
|difference| < threshold → Stop
difference > threshold → Move forward
difference < −threshold → Move backward
The drying platform moves toward the direction with maximum sunlight.
Front: Castor wheel (free rotation)
Rear: Two DC motors (differential drive)
This allows the platform to move forward/backward to align with sunlight.
Microcontroller
LDR Sensor (Front)
LDR Sensor (Back)
Motor Driver Module
Two DC Motors
Castor Wheel
Drying Platform
Power Supply
Solar agricultural drying
Food dehydration systems
Solar-based crop preservation
Low-cost agritech drying systems
Published Patent
Automatic Solar Tracking Drying System for Agricultural Products
Noel Varghese George
Embedded Systems | Hardware | Agritech | VLSI (Learning)
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/noel-varghese-george-a44333328
GitHub: https://github.com/Noel01042006