Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
37 Smart Stair Gate
 Alexander Chin
Brandon Lau
Zeyad Irsheid
 Zicheng Ma design_document1.pdf
design_document2.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
photo1.jpg
photo2.jpg
presentation1.pptx
proposal1.pdf
video1.mp4
Team Members:

Alex Chin (ahchin2@illinois.edu)

Brandon Lau (blau21@illinois.edu)

Zeyad Irsheid (irsheid2@illinois.edu)


Problem

Many families live in houses in which they have small children. In these cases, the stairs could be dangerous for young children such as babies who are still learning to walk and can’t fully support themselves yet. Parents take precautions to prevent their young children from going near the stairs however sometimes mistakes happen and they may forget to watch their children or put up something preventing them from accessing the stairs.


Solution

Our solution is to build a small smart gate that can be placed at the top of the stairs. The gate will have cameras attached and motion sensors that can determine if something approaches it. The initial state of the gate is that it is closed, and depending on the size of an object approaching, it may open. For example, if a baby approaches the gate then it will detect a small size and remain closed to prevent the child from falling down the stairs. However, if an adult approaches the gate then it will open so they can pass. The gate will have a latch that will signal the microcontroller when it is closed. The microcontroller will signal a device such as a phone so that parents can confirm the gate is closed when they are not around.

A smart child gate is necessary to provide peace of mind for the parents. Our world is growing and technology is advancing meaning people are busier than ever before. Sometimes, both parents in a family work and so they do not have time to be constantly watching over their young children. In addition, with so many things on your mind, it is not impossible for parents to forget whether or not they closed the gate before they left the house, went downstairs, etc. To remove this problem, the smart gate allows the parents to check on the state of the gate regardless of where they are and to close it from afar, giving them more control over their child’s safety.


Project Components

Microcontroller: Microcontroller connected to the sensors as well as the camera. Receives a signal confirming whether the gate is open or closed. Allows manual access of the motors with a device such as a phone.

Motion Sensors: Motion sensors that can detect when a figure moves close to the gate.

Measurement Sensor: Measurement sensor that can detect the size of the object which will determine if it is a baby or an adult that is approaching the gate. These will be used in hand with the motion sensors to ultimately determine if the gate should open or remain closed.

Video Feed: Whenever a figure approaches the gate regardless of size, a notification will pop up on the phone to view the camera feed. Using the same app, you can manually command the gate to open or close. This is useful in cases where you may have a small pet that is allowed to roam the house but the gate mistakes it for a child and locks itself.

Mini-motors: Small motor present that can quickly close/open the gate depending on the conditions evaluated by the motion and video sensors.



Success Criteria

A smart gate that is capable of opening/closing itself depending on conditions determined by motion and measurement sensors. The gate will be able to accurately determine the difference between a child and an adult approaching. The camera attached to the gate will provide a live feed to a device. Using the same device the user can confirm whether the gate is open or closed. In addition, they can manually command the gate to open or close with the push of a button.

Interactive Proximity Donor Wall Illumination

Sungmin Jang, Anita Jung, Zheng Liu

Interactive Proximity Donor Wall Illumination

Featured Project

Team Members:

Anita Jung (anitaj2)

Sungmin Jang (sjang27)

Zheng Liu (zliu93)

Link to the idea: https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/ece445/pace/view-topic.asp?id=27710

Problem:

The Donor Wall on the southwest side of first floor in ECEB is to celebrate and appreciate everyone who helped and donated for ECEB.

However, because of poor lighting and color contrast between the copper and the wall behind, donor names are not noticed as much as they should, especially after sunset.

Solution Overview:

Here is the image of the Donor Wall:

http://buildingcampaign.ece.illinois.edu/files/2014/10/touched-up-Donor-wall-by-kurt-bielema.jpg

We are going to design and implement a dynamic and interactive illuminating system for the Donor Wall by installing LEDs on the background. LEDs can be placed behind the names to softly illuminate each name. LEDs can also fill in the transparent gaps in the “circuit board” to allow for interaction and dynamic animation.

And our project’s system would contain 2 basic modes:

Default mode: When there is nobody near the Donor Wall, the names are softly illuminated from the back of each name block.

Moving mode: When sensors detect any stimulation such as a person walking nearby, the LEDs are controlled to animate “current” or “pulses” flowing through the “circuit board” into name boards.

Depending on the progress of our project, we have some additional modes:

Pressing mode: When someone is physically pressing on a name block, detected by pressure sensors, the LEDs are controlled to

animate scattering of outgoing light, just as if a wave or light is emitted from that name block.

Solution Components:

Sensor Subsystem:

IR sensors (PIR modules or IR LEDs with phototransistor) or ultrasonic sensors to detect presence and proximity of people in front of the Donor Wall.

Pressure sensors to detect if someone is pressing on a block.

Lighting Subsystem:

A lot of LEDs is needed to be installed on the PCBs to be our lighting subsystem. These are hidden as much as possible so that people focus on the names instead of the LEDs.

Controlling Subsystem:

The main part of the system is the controlling unit. We plan to use a microprocessor to process the signal from those sensors and send signal to LEDs. And because the system has different modes, switching between them correctly is also important for the project.

Power Subsystem:

AC (Wall outlet; 120V, 60Hz) to DC (acceptable DC voltage and current applicable for our circuit design) power adapter or possible AC-DC converter circuit

Criterion for success:

Whole system should work correctly in each mode and switch between different modes correctly. The names should be highlighted in a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing way. Our project is acceptable for senior design because it contains both hardware and software parts dealing with signal processing, power, control, and circuit design with sensors.

Project Videos