Real-Time Occupancy Monitoring System for University Library

This project is designed to monitor the occupancy of a library across different floors and zones using Raspberry Pi Pico W units with ultrasonic sensors and an Arduino board. The data collected by the Pico units is sent to a central Arduino, which then posts the information to a local web server. The server runs on Node.js and stores occupancy data in MongoDB.

This project is made for the course "Project with Embedded Systems 2DT304".

Project Demo Video

Contributers

Seif-Alamir Yousef & Ludvig Svensson

Academic Report

In this Academic Report you will detailed information about the project.

System Components

• Raspberry Pi Pico W: Each Pico W has 2 ultrasonic sensors to measure entries and exits from a specific zone. Picos are also Bluetooth-enabled to communicate with the Arduino.
  • Zone 1: First floor
  • Zone 2: Ground floor
  • Zone 3: Second and Third floors
• Arduino: Collects data from each Pico W via Bluetooth, then sends this data to the local web server via HTTP POST requests.
• Web Server: A Node.js Express app that uses MongoDB for data storage. It displays the occupancy data through a web interface.

Hardware Setup

1. Connect 2 ultrasonic sensors to each Raspberry Pi Pico W.
2. Power your micro
3. Ensure all devices are within Bluetooth range of each other.

Software Setup

Web Server

1. Prerequisites: Node.js, MongoDB installed on the host machine.
2. Clone the repository and navigate to the project directory.
3. Copy .env.example to .env and update the following variables:
   • MONGODB_URI: Your MongoDB connection URI.
   • PORT: The port number for the web server.
   • API_KEY: A custom API key for secure communication between the Arduino and the server.
4. Install dependencies with npm install.
5. Run the server using npm run devStart.

Arduino and Raspberry Pi Pico W Code

The code for both the Arduino and Raspberry Pi Pico W units is available in a separate repository. You can find it here. Follow the instructions in that repository to upload the code to your devices.

Configuring Arduino

Ensure the Arduino is programmed with the IP address of the device running the web server and the matching API_KEY for successful POST requests to the server. Also, make sure the Arduino and the server are on the same network.

Running the System

After completing the setup, the system will monitor the occupancy of the library across the specified zones. The web server provides a real-time interface for viewing occupancy data.