Distance Measuring Device
This basic electronic systems uses 3 main components in a LCD 16x2 display, an Ultrasonic ranging detector and an Arduino UNO. Out of these three, the most important is the Arduino. The Arduino is also referred to as a microcontroller and is responsible for the processing of many inputs as well as the controlling of various outputs. So basically, it’s a mini computer that is compatible in simple systems like the one displayed in this report. The ultrasonic sensor consists of a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter send out singles in wave form which bounce of object and return back to the sensor. This is where the receiver picks up the signal and calculates the distance by measuring the time interval and the intensity of the wave. As the distance increases the intensity of the reflected signal waves isn’t as strong, thus there is a limit to which the sensor can detect the distance. The LCD display is controlled by the Arduino. All the necessary pinouts for the LCD display are hooked up to the Arduino. Even the power to the LCD comes from the 9v power supply that powers the Arduino. The software used to code the system has instructions that tell the Arduino to send certain forms of digital signals to the LCD display to actually display a valid distance. This is how the entire system works simultaneously, first, the ultrasonic sensor finds the distance via the transmitter and receiver. This is sent out as a signal which the Arduino reads and processes via the software code. After the processing process, the Arduino sends a digital signal to the LCD display that portrays the distance of the object that was detected by the ultrasonic sensor. The software code is also responsible for this transfer.
This simple microcontroller project was a great learning experience for me as it introduced me to a new emerging sector of the tech industry that is both compatible and useful. A microcontroller is a self-contained system with peripherals, memory and a processor that can be used as an embedded system. The project helped me explore each aspect. With the help of the datasheets I was able to understand the purpose and usage of each pin. This also led me to learn a little bit more about the Arduino software and how to create a code that performs a given function. In this case we needed to send a digital signal to the LCD display so it can display the distance. But in order for this to happen, a signal from the ultra-sonic system has to be received indicating the distance. The entire systems relied on the software thus it helped me understand how each input moves throughout the system. Besides a decent understanding I there were issues in my systems that influenced the outcome of the project. At first, the LCD screen was dimming, to fix that I used different resisters to adjust the brightness. Second was that there were issues uploading the code as the port wasn’t detected, however after a couple tries I was able to upload the code. Everything was working but the display wasn’t showing an actual number. A possibility for this happening was that the sensor got heated up and wasn’t able to detect the distance. After a couple more tests even the display began to stop radiating any light. I tried multiple times but the system was just not responding. I tried rewiring the entire system but it was still unsuccessful. This led me to the conclusion that maybe I ‘fried’ the sensor as well as LCD display. If this system was to work properly, then a future usage of the product would be an alert system for blind people. By using more power sensors along with a buzzer this important need can be made possible. By having multiple sensors and buzzers facing all direction and programming the buzzers to give out different frequency sound depending on the distance of the object, blind people can navigate through unfamiliar environments. This would basically be another sense that the blind people can use for their advantage.
This simple microcontroller project was a great learning experience for me as it introduced me to a new emerging sector of the tech industry that is both compatible and useful. A microcontroller is a self-contained system with peripherals, memory and a processor that can be used as an embedded system. The project helped me explore each aspect. With the help of the datasheets I was able to understand the purpose and usage of each pin. This also led me to learn a little bit more about the Arduino software and how to create a code that performs a given function. In this case we needed to send a digital signal to the LCD display so it can display the distance. But in order for this to happen, a signal from the ultra-sonic system has to be received indicating the distance. The entire systems relied on the software thus it helped me understand how each input moves throughout the system. Besides a decent understanding I there were issues in my systems that influenced the outcome of the project. At first, the LCD screen was dimming, to fix that I used different resisters to adjust the brightness. Second was that there were issues uploading the code as the port wasn’t detected, however after a couple tries I was able to upload the code. Everything was working but the display wasn’t showing an actual number. A possibility for this happening was that the sensor got heated up and wasn’t able to detect the distance. After a couple more tests even the display began to stop radiating any light. I tried multiple times but the system was just not responding. I tried rewiring the entire system but it was still unsuccessful. This led me to the conclusion that maybe I ‘fried’ the sensor as well as LCD display. If this system was to work properly, then a future usage of the product would be an alert system for blind people. By using more power sensors along with a buzzer this important need can be made possible. By having multiple sensors and buzzers facing all direction and programming the buzzers to give out different frequency sound depending on the distance of the object, blind people can navigate through unfamiliar environments. This would basically be another sense that the blind people can use for their advantage.