Project 17 (Advance): Ultrasonic Alarm System (Version 2), with Sonar Display

After creating my ultrasonic alarm system, I wanted to map nearby objects onto a screen, similar to radars. To do this, I need another software called Processing. Processing is a programming language which is used to create images, animations and a bunch of other stuff. In my case, I wanted to create a radar screen. Luckily, the programming language and syntax is exactly identical to the arduino IDE. All I had to do is figure out how to draw basic shapes and the rest is just math and coding.

The features in this project is exactly the same as my previous alarm system(version 1). I replaced my LCD screen with a sonar display produced from Processing. The arduino board will be sending data onto my computer serially, which is then picked up by Processing. The arduino will be sending the servo's angle position and the ultrasonic sensor's reading. The sonar screen is produced by using basic trigonometry.

On the sonar screen, the top right hand corner will display the status of the system. On the bottom right hand corner, the distance between the sensor and the object in front of it is displayed and is being constantly updated in real time. The little red dots are the detected objects.

"Normal" indicates that everything is running normally and nothing is within the danger limits.
Also, a green light indicates that the sensor/servo motor is operating as expected.




 "Caution" indicates that either the servo motor or the ultrasonic sensor is not working properly. If someone manages to trespass into the safety limits and attempted to disable the sensor, the caution light will be turned on. In addition, the speaker will produce a loud buzz every second, until the ultrasonic sensor is enabled.

"Danger" indicates that an object is detected within safety limits. The alarm will then be triggered and the sonar screen will no longer update itself. A hard reset will be required to restart the sonar display.

This is my most proudest invention yet and over time, I will add more features. The speaker is not very punishing so I want to add something else that will PUNISH anyone where dares to enter the safety limits. What I have in mind is a sentry bb gun, which will shoot the intruder. The next step is to add motion tracking. Unfortunately, none of this will be accomplished(yet). I'm missing lots of materials and if you were to check my current balance (project 15: Digital Piggy Bank), my wallet is practically empty.