IR gesture detector

gistfile1.ino

//code based on Ricardo Uvina's instrucables project, found here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-IR-proximity-sensor-with-Arduino/?ALLSTEPS
//P-Comp mid-term
//Craig Pickard and Minju Vivan Kim
//IR swipe detector
//11 October 2014

int IRpin = A0;               // IR photodiode on analog pin A0
int IRemitter = 2;            // IR emitter LED on digital pin 2
int thresholdLEDpin = 12;     // red LED on digital pin 12.
int ambientIR;                // variable to store the IR coming from the ambient
int obstacleIR;               // variable to store the IR coming from the object
int value[10];                // variable to store the IR values
int distance;                 // variable that will tell if there is an obstacle or not
boolean swiped = false;       //boolean variable to establish whether or not swipe has been detected
int sensorThreshold = 5;      //set threshold value to detect presence of user's hand
int sensorState;              //the IR detectors current state (HIGH or LOW)
int previousSensorState = 0;  //the IR detectors previous state (HIGH or LOW)


void setup(){
  Serial.begin(9600);         // initializing Serial monitor
  pinMode(IRemitter,OUTPUT);  // IR emitter LED on digital pin 2
  digitalWrite(IRemitter,LOW);// setup IR LED as off
  pinMode(12, OUTPUT);        // LED on pin 12 set as output
  digitalWrite(12, LOW);      // set red LED initially LOW

}

void loop(){
  distance = readIR(5);       // calling the function that will read the distance and passing the "accuracy" to it
  int sensorValue = abs(distance); //creates positive values to evaluate

    //Serial.println(sensorValue);
  if (sensorValue > sensorThreshold) { //if the reading of the IR detector is above the threshold value, the user's hand is present
    sensorState = 1;
  } 
  else {
    sensorState = 0;
  }

  if (sensorState != previousSensorState){  //if state change is detected, set swipe variable to true
    swiped = true;
  } 
  else {
    swiped = false;
  }

  if (swiped == true){  //if the user has swiped, perform the following actions:
    digitalWrite(13,HIGH);
    Serial.print("swipe detected!");
    Serial.print("  ");
    Serial.print("Sensor Reading: ");
    Serial.print(sensorValue);
    Serial.print("  ");
    Serial.print("Threshold: ");
    Serial.println(sensorThreshold);

    delay(500);
  } 
  else {
    digitalWrite(13,LOW);
  }
  //Serial.println(sensorValue);
  //Serial.println(analogRead(IRpin));  // uncomment to activate the buzzer function
  Serial.println(analogRead(IRpin));
}

int readIR(int times){
  for(int x=0;x<times;x++){     
    digitalWrite(IRemitter,LOW);           // turning the IR LEDs off to gauge ambient IR light from environment
    delay(1);                              // minimum delay necessary to read values
    ambientIR = analogRead(IRpin);         // storing IR coming from the ambient
    digitalWrite(IRemitter,HIGH);          // turning the IR LEDs on to read the IR coming from the obstacle
    delay(1);                              // minimum delay necessary to read values
    obstacleIR = analogRead(IRpin);        // storing IR coming from the obstacle
    value[x] = ambientIR-obstacleIR;       // calculating changes in IR values and storing it for future average
  }

  for(int x=0;x<times;x++){        // calculating the average based on the "accuracy"
    distance+=value[x];
  }
  return(distance/times);            // return the final value
}