AUTOMATED TOLL PLAZA USING RFID AND GSM

AUTOMATED TOLL PLAZA USING RFID AND GSM

ABSTRACT

The aim of this research paper is to illustrate the convenience and versatility of an automatic toll plaza system using RFID technology and its advantages over toll plazas using other techniques. With the number of vehicles increasing every year, the time and fuel wasted on waiting at the toll plazas is ever increasing. Automatic toll plazas can eliminate this wastage of time, fuel and enhance the vehicle security by providing a host of other features such as sending a text message to the registered mobile number of the owner, displaying the information about the vehicle on the display in addition to automatic opening and closing of the barricade. The toll is deducted from the vehicle owner’s prepaid account. A 125 KHz RFID reader is used for detecting the passive tags by the reader module. The motor for the barricade, on-site LCD display and GSM modules have been interfaced with the microcontroller (ATMega328). This system will cut down time and fuel wastage at the manually controlled toll plazas, provide a layer of security because the SMS sent and will ensure a smoother travel experience for the travelers.

Key words:-  ATMega328, GSM, LCD, RFID, Toll Plaza

INTRODUCTION

The project mainly focuses on the Automation of the Toll Plazas for smoother movement of the traffic to in turn benefit the people by saving their time and money. Suppose the manual toll collection system is very efficient, then Time taken by 1 vehicle at the plaza = 60 sec (approx.) Time taken by 1 vehicle/year = 60 X 365 = 21900 sec = 6 hours Suppose 10000 vehicles are passing through a toll plaza 60000 fuel hours get wasted per year and thus equivalent amount of fuel. By making the toll plaza fully automatic using the RFID technology, the cars can pass through the plaza at around 55 mph i.e. 86 kmph. The time and fuel wastage can be drastically brought under control by this. We here, are interfacing the RFID receiver to the microcontroller. The receiver is Active and the RFID tags are passive. The receiver will be fixed at the toll plaza constantly trying to search for the tag. As soon as the tag comes in the range of the receiver, the unique code from the tag is identified by the receiver and transmitted serially to the microcontroller.

The controller then matches the unique code to the Central Database and checks if the owner of the tag is in good standing with respect to the balance in his account. Stipulated price of the toll will be deducted from his account. Hence a complete cashless operation is made possible. Then an SMS will be sent to the owner using the GSM module about how much money has been debited from his account OR if there is insufficient balance. Moreover, the owner will be sent the information regarding the location of the toll plaza from where the vehicle has passed. In this way he will get a warning to maintain sufficient balance in his account and also be able to track his vehicle in case of theft. Also as he passes the portal he will be able to see his details on site on the LCD on site. Accordingly, if the toll is paid properly the gate will automatically open for him.

LITERATURE SURVEY

In [1], the automation of toll plaza has been done based on image processing. ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) system has been employed which uses a camera to capture the number plate of the vehicle and deducts the toll by matching it with the owner database. In [2], the system is based on infrared sensors. In this, the user has to get the IR transmitter from the main toll office. The transmitter will be charged by the store office and the data of the user will be stored in the microcontroller. When the car arrives at the toll plaza the user will have to mount the transmitter on the car and press a button to turn it on. It must be in the line of sight of the receiver. The receiver will confirm the data from the transmitter with the database and the amount of toll will get deducted. It uses a stepper motor for gate control. In [3] also the system is based on the RFID technology. The controller used is PIC 18F4550 and has been connected with the system using USB. The RFID receiver senses the tag coming in its range and the amount gets deducted from the account of the owner after all the related information is checked from the database. The IR senses the vehicle motion for controlling the opening and closing of the gate. A stepper motor is used to control the gate. The rest of the references mentioned below have also employed the RFID technology and the working is quite similar to [3] except the database creation methods. The authors have put the GSM interfacing in their future scopes which we have implemented in our project.

System Design And Implementation

Figure 1: Block Diagram of the system

 

Figure 2: Circuit Diagram

The major components of the gate control system are as follows:

• ATMega328PU microcontroller
• EM-18 (RFID reader module)
• SIM900 (GSM module)
• DC Motor with driver(L293D)
• LCD display
• Power supply unit

1. ATmega328-PU μC:

Features: 28 Pin I/O RESET Pin NO. 1 (ACTIVE LOW) Crystal Pins at 9-10 PIN Software Declarable Serial Ports We have selected this controller because it has programmable UARTs required for both RFID and GSM modules.

2. EM-18 (RFID reader module):

Features: Operating Distance – 10cm Operating Voltage – 5V Operating Frequency – 125 KHz Current Consumption - <50 mA This is the stationary Active RFID receiver module situated at the toll plaza. It continuously keeps monitoring for the RFID tags. As soon as the tag comes in the range of the receiver, the buzzer on the module gives an indicative beep and sends the data serially to the microcontroller.

3. SIM900 (GSM module):

Features:

• Quad-Band GSM/GPRS 850/ 900/ 1800/ 1900 MHz
• Built in RS232 Level Converter MAX3232)
• Configurable baud rate
• SMA connector with GSM L Type Antenna.
• Built in SIM Card holder.
• Built in Network Status LED
• Inbuilt Powerful TCP/IP protocol stack for internet data transfer over GPRS.
• Normal operation temperature: -20 °C to +55 °C
• Input Voltage: 5V-12V DC

4. DC Motor with driver(L293D):

L293D contains two inbuilt H-bridge driver circuits. In its common mode of operation, two DC motors can be driven simultaneously, both in forward and reverse direction. The L293D is a Dual Full Bridge driver that can drive up to 1 Amp per bridge with supply voltage up to 24V

Two H bridges of L293D can be connected in parallel to increase its current capacity to 2 Amp. Motor drivers act as current amplifiers since they take a low-current control signal and provide a higher-current signal Input logic 00 or 11 will stop the corresponding motor. Logic 01 and 10 will rotate it in clockwise and anticlockwise directions, respectively. Technical Specification: Power Supply: Over FRC connector 5V DC External Power 9V to 24V DC Temperature Range: 0°C to +70 °C

5. LCD display:

20X4 lines display 5X7 dot matrix display 4 bit data interface

6. Power supply unit:

Specifications: 12 V, 2A

FLOW CHART

 

ADVANTAGES

• RFID system does not need Line Of Sight (LOS) unlike bar-codes or image processing based system. Thus it can be installed inside the car from where it is not visible, which saves tampering with the process in case of theft.
• As in [1], the cars need to be at a specified position for the system to scan the number plate which is not required in RFID based system. Also, the number plates can easily be exchanged which has no way to get detected.
• High speed passage of car is possible (55 mph or 86 kmph).
• Wastage of fuel is substantially reduced.
• Traffic jams are avoided to a great extent.
• Security is an added advantage - The location of a stolen car can be notified to the concerned owner through the GSM module.
• The owner will also be informed about the amount deducted and the remaining balance which will help him to maintain a sufficient balance in his account.

CONCLUSION

We can reduce the prevalent problem of skipping the payment of toll at toll plazas because of automatic deduction and enhance the security of the vehicle due to GSM interfacing. The long queues at the toll plaza and need for human intervention is reduced greatly. This system will ensure a smoother and safer journey for the passengers.

FUTURE SCOPE

In addition to the current work, image processing can be combined with the RFID system to make the system more reliable and secure. By combining the positives of the two we can eliminate any possible discrepancies in the system. Internet banking as well as SMS banking can be used for recharging the account of the user to make it convenient.

REFERENCES

www.silicontechnolabs.in

[1] Priyanka Chhoriya, “Image Processing Based Automatic Toll Booth in Indian Conditions” http://www.ijetae.com/files/Volume3Issue 4/IJETA E_0413_71.pdf

[2] Shilpa Mahajan, “Microcontroller Based Automatic Toll Collection System” http://www.ripublication.com/irph/ijict_spl/09_ijict v3n8spl.pdf

[3] Aung Myint Win, “RFID Based Automated Toll Plaza System” http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper- 0614/ijsrp-p3009.pdf

[4] Khadijah Kamarulazizi “ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM USING PASSIVE RFID” TECHNOLOGY http://www.jatit.org/volumes/researc h- papers/Vol22No2/1Vol22No2.pdf

[5] Sachin Bhosale, “AUTOMATED TOLLPLAZA SYSTEM USING RFID” http://ijsetr.org/wp content/uploads/2013/07/IJSETR-VOL-2-ISSUE-2- 455-460.pdf

[6] Vinay Kumar Bachu, “RFID Based Toll Plaza” http://www.ijert.org/view.php?id=5567&title=rfid-based-toll-plaza

[7] Simple toll plaza system using low frequency RFID interfaced with 8051 microcontroller (AT89C51) http://www.engineersgarage.com/microcontroller/805 1projects/simple-toll-plaza-rfid-interface-at89c51- circuit

AN EFFICIENT MONITORING OF SUBSTATIONS IN POWER TRANSMISSSION LINES USING ZIGBEE IN EMBEDDED SYSTEM

AN EFFICIENT MONITORING OF SUBSTATIONS IN POWER TRANSMISSSION LINES USING ZIGBEE IN EMBEDDED SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

This project proposes an innovative design to develop a system based on microcontroller that is used for monitoring power of a distribution transformer in a substation and to protect the system from the rise in above mentioned parameter. Protection to the distribution transformer from the main station is done with the aid of the ZIGBEE Communication. Moreover the system displays the same on a LCD at the main station that will lead to avoid the damage in substation. The design generally consists of two units, one in the substation unit, called as transmitter unit, and another in the Main station called as controlling and receiver unit. The transmitter in the substation is where the power is monitored continuously by PIC microcontroller. A ZIGBEE is used for transmitting the signals that are obtained. The controlling unit in the main station receives the transmitted signals by means of ZIGBEE receiver and displays in LCD and LED and reacts in accordance to the received signal.

Keywords: PIC microcontroller, LCD, LED, ZIGBEE, Main-Substation.

INTRODUCTION

Electricity is a necessary and useful form of energy. It plays an ever growing role in our modern industrialized society. Maintenance of a transformer is one of the biggest problems in the Electricity Board (EB). The transformer may burn out due to the over load and short circuit in their winding. Power starts from the transmission grid at distribution substations where the voltage is stepped-down and carried by smaller distribution lines to supply commercial, residential, and industrial users.

Electric power systems can be divided into two stations, namely, Main station and Substation. Power to the substation is monitored using PIC Microcontroller and transmitted through ZIGBEE, then the main station receives the signal and compare with the reference voltage. Because of the microcontroller operation in the main station, if the increase in power rises higher than the desirable power, then that increased range is viewed by LCD and indicated using LED and BUZZER. And further damage can be avoided by shutting down the substation.

WORKING PRINCIPLE

The substation contains ZIGBEE transmitter and PIC microcontroller. The main station consists of PIC microcontroller, ZIGBEE receiver and LCD display. The power in the substation is continuously acquired by the PIC Microcontroller and transmits through the ZIGBEE transmitter to the main station. The ZIGBEE receiver in the main station receives the signal and compares it to the reference voltage. If the received signal is below the reference voltage it does not shows any variation or if it is above the reference voltage then that increased range is viewed by LCD and indicated using LED and further damage can be avoided by shutting down the substation using relay from the main station.

HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

 

Figure.1 Block diagram

A. PIC MICROCONTROLLER: The controller PIC 16f877A is used in this project. It is 8-bit CMOS microcontroller with flash program it is RISC PROCESSOR with performance, fully static design it has 5 ports. Port A, Port B, Port C, Port D and Port E with 33 I/O lines. The Controller has 8kx14 words of flash memory, 368x8 bytes for data memory and 256x8 EPROM data memory. It is programmable code protection. The user code will be stored in the flash memory. The 5V supply is given to VDD and VSS of the controller. Microcontroller is used for monitoring power of a distribution transformer in a substation and to protect the system from the rise in that parameter.

B. ZIGBEE: ZIGBEE is based on an IEEE 802.15.4 personal area network. The technology defined by the ZIGBEE specification is intended to be simpler and less expensive than other WPANs, such as Bluetooth. ZIGBEE is targeted at Radio Frequency (RF) applications that require a low data rate, long battery life, and secure networking. ZIGBEE has a defined rate of 250 kbps. In substation unit the power is continuously monitored and it is transmitted through ZIGBEE transmitter and the transmitted signal is received by ZIGBEE receiver.

 

Figure.2 Zigbee module

C. TRANSMITTER SECTION: Each of the two transmitters is a CMOS inverter powered by + 10V internally generated supply. The input is TTL and CMOS compatible with a logic threshold of about 26% of Vcc. The input if an unused transmitter section can be left unconnected: an internal 400KW pull up resistor connected between the transistor input and Vcc will pull the input high forming the unused transistor output low. The open circuit output voltage swing is guaranteed to meet the RS232 specification + 5v output swing under the worst of both transmitters driving the 3KW. The slow rate at output is limited to less than 30V/ms and the powered done output impedance will be a minimum of 300ohm with +2V applied to the output with Vcc =0V.The outputs are short circuit protected and can be short circuited to ground indefinitely.

D. RECIEVER SECTION: The two receivers fully conform to RS232 specifications. They’re input impedance is between 3KW either with or without 5V power applied and their switching threshold is within the +3V of RS232 specification. To ensure compatibility with either RS232 IIP or TTl\CMOS input. The MAX232 receivers have VIL of 0.8V and VIH of 2.4V the receivers have 0.5V of hysteresis to improve noise rejection. The TTL\CMOS compatible output of receiver will be low whenever the RS232 input is greater than 2.4V. The receiver output will be high when input is floating or driven between +0.8V and –30V.

E. CIRCUIT DIAGRAM EXPLANATION: Figure.3 shows the circuit diagram. The reference voltage is fixed in the c program coding. A potentiometer is connected to the reference pin-2 in U2 PIC Microcontroller. The signal is transmitted from U2 controller TX pin-25 via ZIGBEE transmitter. The transmitted signal is received by ZIGBEE receiver and fed to U1 controller RX pin-26. The port C and port D is connected to LCD Display. The LED and Buzzer is connected to port B Pin 33 and 34.

 

Figure.3 Circuit diagram

 

Figure.4 Final Hardware Arrangements

SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

A. MPLAB: MPLAB IDE is an integrated development environment that provides development engineers with the flexibility to develop and debug firmware for various Microchip devices. MPLAB IDE is a Windows-based Integrated Development Environment for the Microchip Technology Incorporated PIC microcontroller (MCU) and PIC digital signal controller (DSC) families. In the MPLAB IDE, you can:

·       Create source code using the built-in editor.

·       Assemble, compile and link source code using various language tools.

B. CCS C COMPILER: It offers the most optimized Microchip PIC MCU and dsPIC DSC C Compilers for Windows and Linux, and a powerful integrated development environment. Our compilers support the PIC10, PIC12, PIC14, PIC16, PIC18 microcontrollers and now support Microchip PIC24/dsPIC chips. The CCS C Compiler includes generous libraries of useful routines and ready-to-run example programs for hardware peripherals. This compiler is used to compile the embedded c language program.

C. MPLAB SIMULATOR: PROTEUS is a discrete-event simulator for the running the hex code program. It’s used to debug the software before going to hardware.

D. PCB DESIGN: PAD 2 PAD is used to prepare the PCB schematic. Tracks are made in insulating base. PCB's are used to route electrical signal through copper. The performance of an electronic circuit depends up on the layout and design of PCB.

E. PCB PREPARATION: Layout is printed on a butter paper. It is screen printed on copper clad, etched by using ferric chloride solution, drilled using PCB driller, cut the unwanted materials and soldered the components.

 

Figure.5 PCB Design For PIC Microcontroller

CONCLUSION

This design based on PIC microcontroller is used to monitor and control the power in the distribution transformer continuously throughout its operation. If the microcontroller recognizes any increase in the level of desired value, then the unit has been made shut down in order to prevent it from further damages and also indicates the values throughout the process in LED and Buzzer and displays the value in LCD. Hence the distribution is made more secure, reliable and efficient by means of the proposed system.

REFERENCES

[1] Embedded C Programming and the Microchip PIC” by Barnett & Cox O’cull,Thomson, 2006.

[2] Design with PIC Microcontroller by John Bheat Man, Prentice Hall, 1997.

[3] PC-Based Instrumentation Concepts and Practice by N.Mathivanan, PHI Learning, 2007.

[4]The 8051 Microcontroller and Embedded Systems using Assembly and C by Muhammad Ali Mazidi, Pearson, 2009.

[5] P.Daponte, M. Di Penta and G.Mercurio, A Distributed Measurement System for Power Quality Monitoring, IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 19, Issue. 2, pp: 456-463, 2004.

[6] G. Pudlo, S. Tenbohlen, M. Linders and G. Krost, "Integration of Power Transformer Monitoring and Overload Calculation into the Power

System Control Surface", IEEE/PES Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exhibition, Vol. 1, pp: 470-474 Asia Pacific, 2002.

[7] Sen Ouyang and Jianhua Wang, "A new morphology method for enhancing power quality monitoring system", International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems Vol.29, No.2, pp.121-128, February 2007.

[8] www.chipcon.com

[9] www.zigbeealliance.com

[10] www.microchip.com

[11] www.soselectronic.com

[12]www.silicontechnolabs.in