Microcontroller Based Ultrasonic Stick For Visually Impaired
Microcontroller Based Ultrasonic Stick For Visually Impaired
PRASANTH V (2016105059)
THEYANESHWARAN J (2016105075)
DIVAKAR M (2016105525)
in summer internship project
of
BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
in
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING
i
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING GUINDY
MAY 2018
INTERNSHIP CERTIFICATE
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The final outcome of this project required a lot of guidance and assistance from
many people and we are extremely privileged to have got this all along the
completion of this project. All that we have done is only due to such supervision
and assistance and we would not forget to thank them.
We respect and thank our Dean Dr. T.V.Geetha for providing us with this Summer
Internship opportunity as it was a great learning experience for all of us.
We owe our deep gratitude to our project guide and coordinator Dr.N.Ramadass,
who took keen interest on our project work and guided us all along, till the
completion of our project work by providing all the necessary information for
developing a good system and without the Grace of God we would not have
completed this project successfully.
Caleb Rubin S P
Prasanth V
Theyaneshwaran J
Divakar M.
iii
ABSTRACT
independently. There are millions of visually impaired or blind people in this world
who are always in need of helping hands. In this technology controlled world,
where people strive to live independently, this project proposes an ultrasonic stick
for visually impaired people to help them gain personal independence. Since this is
economical and not bulky, one can make use of it easily. This project helps
visually challenged people to navigate with ease using advance technology. The
NodeMCU, application software that would give the blind people’s location, RF
Transmitter, RF Receiver along with light and water sensing which are controlled
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2
LIST OF FIGURES 5
1. OVERVIEW
1.1 Introduction 6
1.2 Objective of This Project 6
1.3 Literature Survey 7
2. ULTRASONIC SENSOR
2.1 Introduction 8
2.2 Ultrasonic Sensor Pin Configuration 9
3. MOISTURE SENSOR
3.1 Introduction 12
3.2 Moisture Sensor Pin Configuration 13
3.3 Moisture Sensor Pin Features 13
3.4 Hardware and Software Required 13
2
3.5 Moisture Sensor Working 14
3.6 Moisture Sensor Circuit Connection 15
4. STICK FINDER USING RF COMMUNICATION
4.1 Introduction 16
4.1.1 RF Module 17
4.1.2 RF Module Specifications 17
4.2 RF Transmitter 18
4.2.1 RF Transmitter Pin Description 18
4.2.2 RF Transmitter Features 18
4.3 RF Receiver 19
4.3.1 RF Receiver Pin Description 19
4.3.2 RF Receiver Features 19
4.4 Circuit Configuration 20
5. ANDROID STUDIO
5.1 Introduction 21
5.2 Creating App using Android Studio. 21
6 ARDUINO
6.1 Introduction 25
6.2 Arduino Nano 26
6.3 Arduino Nano Specifications 26
6.4 Arduino Nano Interfacing 27
7 NODEMCU
7.1 Introduction 28
7.2 NodeMCU Specifications 29
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8 WEB HOSTING
8.1 Introduction 30
8.2 Website Viewing 30
8.3 000 Webhost 31
8.4 Steps required to create a Domain 31
8.5 Accessing Database through Public Url 32
8.6 Accessing Location through Android Studio 33
9.1 Introduction 34
9.2 Working of Google Geolocation 34
9.3 Getting API key 35
10.1 Result 36
10.2 Conclusion 37
REFERENCES 37
4
LIST OF FIGURES
5
CHAPTER 1
OVERVIEW
1.1 INTRODUCTION
6
1.3 LITERATURE SURVEY
1. S.Gangwar (2011) designed a smart stick for blind which can give early
warning of an obstacle using Infrared (IR) sensors. After identifying the
obstacles, the stick alerts the visually impaired people using vibration
signals. However the smart stick focused only for obstacle detection
but it is not assisting for emergency purposes needed by the blind.
And also the IR sensors are not really efficient enough because it can
detect only the nearest obstacle in short distance.
2. S.Chew (2012) proposed the smart white cane, called Blind spot that
combines GPS technology, social networking and ultrasonic sensors to
help visually impaired people to navigate public spaces. The GPS detects
the location of the obstacle and alerts the blind to avoid them hitting the
obstacle using ultra-sonic sensors. But GPS did not show the efficiency
in tracing the location of the obstacles since ultra-sonic tells the
distance of the obstacle.
All the studies show that, there are many techniques of making a smart stick for
blind people. However, the study conclusion shows that, using the ultrasonic
sensors would be an efficient solution to detect the obstacles with maximum
range of 7 meters and 45 degree coverage.
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CHAPTER 2
ULTRASONIC SENSOR
2.1 Introduction
The ultrasonic sensor works on the principle of SONAR and
When this ultrasound hits the object, it reflects as echo which is sensed by
the receiver. By measuring the time required for the echo to reach to the
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2.2 Ultrasonic Sensor Pin Configuration:
Pin
Pin Name Description
Number
The Vcc pin powers the sensor, typically
1 Vcc
with +5V
Trigger pin is an Input pin. This pin has to
2 Trigger be kept high for 10us to initialize
measurement by sending US wave.
Echo pin is an Output pin. This pin goes
high for a period of time which will be
3 Echo
equal to the time taken for the US wave to
return back to the sensor.
This pin is connected to the Ground of the
4 Ground
system
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2.3 Ultrasonic Sensor Pin Features:
1. Operating voltage : +5V
2. Theoretical Measuring Distance : 2cm to 450cm
3. Practical Measuring Distance : 2cm to 80cm
4. Accuracy : 3mm
5. Measuring angle covered : <15°
6. Operating Current : <15mA
7. Operating Frequency : 40Hz
ultrasonic module HCSR04, we have to give trigger pulse, so that it will generate
kHz, it makes echo pin high. Echo pin remains high until it does not get the echo
sound back. So the width of echo pin will be the time for sound to travel to the
object and return back. Once we get the time we can calculate distance, as we
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2.5 HC-SR04 Procedure:
Then the HC-SR04 automatically sends Eight 40 kHz sound wave and wait for
rising edge output at Echo pin. When the rising edge capture occurs at Echo pin,
start the Timer and wait for falling edge on Echo pin. As soon as the falling edge is
captured at the Echo pin, read the count of the Timer. This time count is the time
required by the sensor to detect an object and return back from an object.
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CHAPTER 3
MOISTURE SENSOR
3.1 Introduction:
typical Soil Moisture Sensor consists of two components. A two legged Lead,
that goes into the soil or anywhere else where water content has to be measured.
This has two header pins which connect to an Amplifier/ A-D circuit which is
in turn connected to the Arduino. The Amplifier has a Vin, Gnd, Analog and
Digital Data Pins. This means that you can get the values in both Analog and
Digital forms.
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3.5 Moisture Sensor Working:
The soil moisture sensor consists of two probes which are used to
measure the volumetric content of water. The two probes allow the current to
pass through the soil and then it gets the resistance value to measure the
moisture value. When there is more water, the soil will conduct more electricity
which means that there will be less resistance. Therefore, the moisture level will
be higher. Dry soil conducts electricity poorly, so when there will be less water,
then the soil will conduct less electricity which means that there will be more
resistance. Therefore, the moisture level will be lower. This sensor can be
connected in two modes; Analog mode and digital mode. The Module contains
a potentiometer which will set the threshold value and then this threshold value
will be compared by the LM393 comparator. The output LED will light up and
Connect the digital output of the sensor to the digital pin of the Arduino.
When the sensor value will be greater than the threshold value, then the
digital pin will give us 5V and the LED on the sensor will light up and when
the sensor.
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3.6 Moisture Sensor Circuit Connection:
The connections for connecting the soil moisture sensor FC-28 to the Arduino in
digital mode are as follows:
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CHAPTER 4
4.1 Introduction
information over a distance without help of wires, cables or any other forms of
transmitted through the air without requiring any cable or wires or other electronic
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4.1.1 RF Module
The 433MHz wireless module is one of the cheap and easy to use
modules for all wireless projects. These modules can be used only in pairs and only
simplex communication is possible. Meaning the transmitter can only transmit
information and the receiver can only receive it. The module could cover a
minimum of 3 meters and with proper antenna a power supplies it can reach upto
100 meters.
The module itself cannot work on its own as it required some kind of
encoding before being transmitter and decoding after being received; so it has to be
used with an encoder or decoder IC or with any microcontroller on both ends. The
simplest way to use it is with the HT12E Encoder IC and HT12D Decoder IC. The
module uses ASK (Amplitude shift keying) and hence it’s easy to interface with
microcontrollers as well.
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4.2 RF Transmitter
The Vcc pin has a wide range input voltage from 3V to 12V. The
during transmission. The center pin is the data pin to with the signal to be
transmitted is sent. This signal is then modulated using the ASK (Amplitude Shift
Keying) and then sent on air at a frequency of 433MHz. The speed at which it can
operating current of this module is less than 5.5mA. The pins Dout and Linear out
is shorted together to receive the 433Mhz signal from air. This signal is then
demodulated to get the data and is sent out through the data pin.
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4.4 Circuit Configuration
ANDROID STUDIO
5.1 Introduction
from Google that provides developers with tools needed to build applications
developers to create apps for Android OS. It includes the required libraries to
Interfaces (APIs) and sample projects with source code, so you can have
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Step 2: Open a New Project
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Step 4: Access Location from Database
1. Get the location from database when the database receives latitude and
longitude.
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Step 6: Build and run app.
1. In Android Studio, click the Run menu option (or the play button
icon) to run app.
5. Click ok.
Android Studio will invoke Gradle to build app, and the display the
results on the device or on the emulator. It could take a couple of
minutes before the app opens.
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CHAPTER 6
ARDUINO
6.1 Introduction
The Arduino platform has become quite popular with people just
starting out with electronics, and for good reason. Additionally, the Arduino
2. An Arduino-compatible microcontroller
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6.2 Arduino Nano
Microcontroller : ATmega328P
Architecture : AVR
EEPROM : 1 KB
1. Once arduino IDE is installed on the computer, connect the board with
computer using USB cable.
2. Now open the arduino IDE and choose the correct board by selecting
Tools>Boards>Arduino/Nano,
4. Once the code is loaded into your IDE, click on the ‘upload’ button given on
the top bar.
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CHAPTER 7
NODEMCU
7.1 Introduction
runs on the ESP8266 Wi-Fi SoC from Espressif Systems, and hardware which is based
on the ESP-12 module. The term "NodeMCU" by default refers to the firmware rather
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7.2 NodeMCU Specifications
1. Wi-Fi Module – ESP-12E module similar to ESP-12 module but with 6
extra GPIOs.
2. USB – micro USB port for power, programming and debugging
3. Headers – 2x 2.54mm 15-pin header with access to GPIOs, SPI, UART,
ADC, and power pins
4. Power – 5V via micro USB port
5. Dimensions – 49 x 24.5 x 13mm
6. Memory: 128kb
7. Storage: 4Mb
8. Type: Single Board Microcontroller
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CHAPTER 8
WEB HOSTING
8.1 Introduction
make their website available and accessible to the whole world via World Wide
Web. It is a kind of internet hosting service whereby a web hosting company grants
its users space on ‘servers’ and provides internet connectivity. Thus, through the
use of webhost services, web pages consisting of contents, data, images etc. can be
users is to have a domain for your website. The moment any internet user types
your domain or website address, the computer would automatically detect it and
would connect to your server. Consequently, the web pages would be delivered to
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8.3 000 Webhost
to host your own website and create a domain. 000Webhost, provides you
with Free Website hosting. It is one of the oldest; free web hosting providers in the
industry. Featured with distinctive features, this web host provides its users with an
opportunity to initiate something amazing via accessing web pages online. It’s
great for the start-up holders. It still continues to be a good source for bringing
6. Click phpMyAdmin.
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9. To find whether database is created or not,
i. Enter $mysql host = ‘local host’
ii. User = id5878428-testing.
iii. Password = testing.
iv. Data base name =id5878428-testing
10.Now create web2.php such that it gets Latitude and Longitude from our
database
1. Login to 000webhost.com
2. Change json_url=http://blindstick.000webhostapp.com/api/web3.php
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CHAPTER 9
9.1 Introduction
Yes it’s possible to get the location with just our tiny little ESP8266
board. We don’t need anything other than ESP board not even GPS module to get our
live co-ordinates. Yes but we do require one screen to display the co-ordinates. So how is
As you know google takes the input of our nearby WiFi routers and in
response gives us the coordinates. For that, google provides API and in that API
we need to provide some inputs like details of nearby wifi routers, detail of nearby
cell towers etc. Before using that API you need to get your API key working.
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9.3 Getting API key
1. Go to http://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/geolocation/get-
api key
7. When WiFi is connected, it gets our nearby WiFi, routers, cell towers Mac
Address using NodeMCU.
8. When the URL is requested, it gives the latitude and longitude of our
location.
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CHAPTER 10
RESULT &CONCLUSION
10.1 Results
sensor, water sensing using moisture sensor, stick finder using RF transmitter and
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10.2 Conclusion
The goal of the ultrasonic walking stick for visually impaired is to reduce
the difficulty faced by the visually impaired while maintaining its affordable price.
Blind person’s location can be tracked whenever needed which will ensure
additional safety.
REFERENCES
[5] https://circuitdigest.com/electronic-circuits/rf-transmitter-and
[6] http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Create-An-Android-App-With-
[7] https://howtomechatronics.com/tutorials/arduino/ultrasonic-sensor-hc- sr
[8] http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Soil-Moisture-Sensor/
[9] https://electronicsforu.com/electronics-projects/gps-geolocation-using-
esp8266-projects
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