MUMBAI, India, Oct. 5 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641115352 A) filed by Sri Eshwar College Of Engineering on September 24, 2026, for Retrofit Smart Notification And Identification Display System For Shared Automatic Washing Machines Using Vibration And Ac Current Sensing..
Inventors include P. Ganeshan; Sivanandham. S; Rithika. P; and Samraj. S.
The application for the patent was published on October 02, 2026, under issue no. 40/2026.
Abstract: Retrofit Smart Notification and Identification Display System for Shared Automatic Washing Machines Using Vibration and AC Current Sensing. Shared automatic washing machines in hostel facilities present a persistent problem — students who start a wash cycle have no way of knowing when it is complete, causing finished clothes to block the machine for extended periods. The next waiting student has no means to identify or contact the previous user, leading to conflicts and inefficient use of shared resources. Existing solutions such as app-based smart laundry platforms and IoT-enabled machines require either complete machine replacement costing lakhs of rupees or mandatory mobile application installation, making them inaccessible for ordinary government college hostels.This paper presents a retrofit smart notification and identification display system that can be mounted on any existing automatic washing machine without any modification to the machine itself. The system employs two non-invasive sensors — an MPU6050 three-axis accelerometer mounted on the machine body to detect vibration during wash cycles, and an SCT- 013 split-core AC current sensor clipped on the external power cable to monitor electrical supply. Together, these sensors enable reliable detection of wash cycle completion while distinguishing genuine completion from power interruptions, thereby eliminating false notifications.User registration is performed by scanning a printed QR code affixed near the machine, which opens a lightweight web form on the user's own smartphone. The student enters their name and mobile phone number and submits the form. No mobile application download is required. Upon wash cycle completion — confirmed when vibration remains below a calibrated threshold for three continuous minutes while power supply is confirmed active — an SMS notification is automatically dispatched to the registered number via an SMS gateway API.A 16x2 LCD display module mounted near the machine shows machine status contextually. During the active wash cycle the display shows only that the machine is busy, keeping the user's identity private. Upon wash completion the display reveals the registered user's name and phone number, enabling the next waiting student to directly contact the owner and request collection of finished laundry. Escalating reminder SMS messages are sent at fifteen and thirty minutes if clothes remain uncollected.The complete system is implemented on an ESP32 microcontroller with integrated Wi-Fi connectivity and costs under Rs. 2,000 in hardware. It requires no machine replacement, no application installation, no payment integration, and is compatible with any brand or model of automatic washing machine currently installed in hostel premises.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
