This week, I completed the integration between the iPhone application and the Raspberry Pi using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as well as polishing the APP interface. The system is now structured with the iPhone acting as a BLE central that scans for and connects to the Raspberry Pi, which operates as a BLE peripheral. Once connected, the app sends JSON-based commands such as movement, stop, mode, and location, which are received and processed by the Pi.
On the Raspberry Pi side, I implemented a BLE server that advertises services, handles incoming commands, and translates them into motor control signals. The system successfully maps directional commands from the app to two stepper motors controlling the umbrella’s vertical and horizontal movement through GPIO pins. Testing confirmed that commands from the app correctly trigger motor actions, establishing a functional end-to-end control pipeline.
At this stage, both only manual is integrated at the software level and reflected in the app, although motor behavior is currently driven directly by movement commands. Overall, the system now supports reliable wireless control of the umbrella, and future work will focus on the automation mode and refining mode-based behavior and specific calculations of the motor movement degree.
