Turn on one by one the LEDs of a Neopixel rgb LEDs strip for each detection at the same distance from an Ultrasonic Distance Sensor (HC-SR04)

Question

For this project I seek to create a counter of water glasses we drank throughout the day. I use for this an Arduino UNO card, a Piezo buzzer and a Neopixel rgb LEDs strip (5 LEDs for this test).

Aside from the last 2 LEDs that only light up to indicate to the user that his presence is considered by the product, I would like that when the HC-SR04 first detects our glass of water between 0 and 5cm (cheers!), the first LED lights up and stays on. When the first LED is on and the HC-SR04 detects a second time our water glass is between 0 and 5cm, then the second LED lights up and stays on as well. And so on. For each glass detected between 0 and 5cm, a slight sound sounds through the piezo buzzer.

By using the Adafruit Neopixel library (download here), I manage to make everything work as I see fit. However, I still have trouble programming if the LED n is on then the n+1 LED lights up at the next detection between 0 and 5cm, without all the LEDs lighting at the same time in a single detection.

I recently tried to use a boolean to identify when the LED n is true (ON/HIGH), but unsuccessfully. I leave you my code as is by thanking you for any help you can bring me.

See my layout and my code below:

#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>

const int trigPin = 9;
const int echoPin = 10;
const int buzzer = 11;

#define dinPin 4
#define numLEDs 5

Adafruit_NeoPixel strip = Adafruit_NeoPixel(numLEDs, dinPin, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);

long duration;
int distance;

int blue;
int green;
int off;

boolean lightLED = false;


void setup() {
  strip.begin();
  strip.setBrightness(80);
  strip.show();

  pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(echoPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(buzzer, OUTPUT);
  Serial.begin(9600);
}


void loop() {
  digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
  delayMicroseconds(2);

  digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);
  delayMicroseconds(10);
  digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);

  duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH);

  distance = duration * 0.034 / 2;

  uint32_t blue = strip.Color(0, 100, 255);
  uint32_t green = strip.Color(0, 255, 20);
  uint32_t off = strip.Color(0, 0, 0);

  ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
  // LED 1 + Buzzer
  ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

  if (distance <= 5) {

    if (! lightLED) {
      strip.setPixelColor(0, blue);
      strip.show();
      delay(0);
    }

    else {
      lightLED = false;
    }

    digitalWrite(buzzer, HIGH);
    tone(buzzer, 400, 100);
    delay(75);
    tone(buzzer, 600, 100);
    delay(75);
    tone(buzzer, 800, 100);
    delay(75);
    noTone(buzzer);

  }

  else {
    digitalWrite(buzzer, LOW);
  }

  ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
  // LED 2
  ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

  if (lightLED && distance <= 5) {

    lightLED = true;

    if (! lightLED) {
      strip.setPixelColor(1, blue);
      strip.show();
      delay(0);
    }
  }

  ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
  // DETECT USER PRESENCE
  ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

  if (distance >= 6 && distance <= 20) {
    strip.setPixelColor(3, green);
    strip.setPixelColor(4, green);
    strip.show();
    delay(0);
  }

  else {
    strip.setPixelColor(3, off);
    strip.setPixelColor(4, off);
    strip.show();
    delay(0);
  }

  // Voir la distance dans le moniteur
  Serial.print("Distance: ");
  Serial.println(distance);
}

Sorry for the code that is a bit rough, I am a beginner but I hope not to have lost you in my explanations (I lose myself in my code…).

Thanks,

Thibaut