CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 . PROBLEM STATEMENT AND MOTIVATION

Nowadays, Internet of Things technology is growing fast, most

objects become “smart” object even clothes, shoes and other wearable
outfit. Peoples attached sensor and microcontroller on these outfit to allow
them to collect data from surrounding and communicate to internet, this is
also why we call them “smart”. Most of the leading technology companies
have already launched smart wearable gadgets; Google Glass and Apple
Watch are the most popular examples of it. Talking about wearable and
portable gadget, energy efficiency is always a challenge. Wearable gadget
are usually expected to be reachable by others devices at most of the time,
to satisfy this requirement, gadget consumes electrical energy even though
it is not in use for its main function.

Other than that, wearable devices have to be light and small, this
limits its battery size. So, most of the wearable smart devices need to be
recharged quite frequently. Even the latest generation Apple Watch, its
battery only has 18 hours life time according to Apple’s tests. Furthermore,
there are devices like a pacemaker which is implanted in human body for
medical purpose. These devices are implanted through surgery, so it is not
possible to replace or recharge it frequently. Thus, a battery that can
recharge by itself will definitely benefit to the user as it can prevent surgery
to take out the device’s battery. All the cases above encounter the energy
source problem, it will be better if there exists a solution to make battery
last longer or even no need to be recharged. Hence, harvesting renewable
energy is one of the possible solution.

1
 The world is going through environmental difficulties because of
technological growth occurring in our daily life. Already today are
generated e-waste contaminants, as batteries and other technologies that we
can observe at the present time. The use of batteries is an environmental
hazard and addition the batteries have a limited lifetime and they must be
replaced every certain period . A possible solution to these problems is the
use “Energy Harvesting” method, since this method is used to take any
type of energy produced in the environment that is clean, free and
renewable. Usually wasted and converted into electrical energy for using in
applications that require low power .

The collected energy can be obtained from different sources, such as

heat, movement, vibration and mechanical energy. Of the many energies
that we can get in our environment, the presented research proposes the use
of energy harvesting based on the collection of energy from mechanical
sources of vibration, since it is a convenient option because it does not
depend on the level of sunlight or other variables. For the collection of
energy piezoelectric transducers are used, which are responsible for the
conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy.

A piece of research carried out in recent years, where it has been

explored and prototypes developed from mechanical energy was a
piezoelectric floor tile. The main idea of this project was to take advantage
of pedestrian paths of high traffic of people, since the energy can be
transformed constantly from mechanical to electrical energy.

2
1.2. BACKGROUND

1.2.1.AMBIENT ENERGY HARVESTING

Ambient energy harvesting is one of the method to reduce and solve

the energy issues. It contains several methods to harvest and recycle
ambient waste energy. Energy is everywhere, these energy can be heat,
radio frequency waves, vibration and so on. They are waste energy which
we can recycle and convert into electrical energy, we store it into energy
storage and use whenever we need. Harvesting ambient energy on human
body is one of the field of harvesting ambient energy, this field grow fast
due to it.

1.3.OBJECTIVES
There are two main objectives to be considered. They are as
mentioned below,

 Build an energy harvester (using piezoelectric generator) and store

the energy generated from body movement in battery.

 Integrate the energy harvester and detect the obstacle for blind
system, then evaluate the energy efficiency of entire system.

This project is aimed to build a circuit that can harvest energy from
human body, then use it to charge a battery, and make the battery lasts as
long as possible. In order to make the battery last longer, we need to make
the circuit harvest more energy.

First and foremost, we need to achieve is to build a piezoelectric

generator which exactly generate energy. Then, we need to construct a
circuit that can maximize the energy which is generated by piezoelectric
generator and minimize the energy waste. Last but not least, we do
experiment to collect data of how much energy generated.

3
 Last but not least, energy efficiency of the system and energy
harvester have to be integrated. For part 1, energy harvester should harvest
as much energy as possible and part 2 should consume the least energy

1.4.PROPOSED APPROACH/STUDY

To build an efficient footstep energy harvester, multiple piezoelectric

material will be connected parallel to increase current output. Full wave
bridge rectifier is needed to convert AC to DC current because
piezoelectric material generate AC current but battery only consume DC
current. For each piezoelectric material, a bridge rectifier is a must to
prevent current back flow to other piezoelectric material.

Fig. 1.1 Energy Harvester circuit

4
 Therefore, piezoelectric material with 4 full wave bridge rectifier.
Lastly, the whole parallel circuit will be connected to a 100uF capacitor,
this capacitor do its role to protect battery. Piezoelectric material can
generate high voltage which can harm battery, in the case of this project, the
piezoelectric material used can generate up to 9V however the battery only
can afford maximum 4.2V. Capacitor will first charged up to the voltage of
battery then discharged electrical energy to battery. The completed circuit
design is showed in Fig..In the proposed system, shoes are provided with
the ultrasonic sensors to measure the distance between obstacle and
him/her. The speaker provides the voice alert according to the presence of
obstacle and the moisture. Energy is harvested during the walking process
by piezoelectric effect in shoes. The rechargeable battery is charged with
the generated piezoelectricity.

1.5.ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT

To improve efficiency of the system, energy harvester has to harvest

more energy. Piezoelectric circuit connection will be experimented to
achieve higher current output. It will be experimented with connecting
series and parallel.

On the other hand, detect the obstacle for blind system has to be low
power consumption. The system’s program will be written with power
sleep mode the decrease power consumption. Arduino and Bluetooth
module should sleep while they are idle.

Finally, power consumption to detect the obstacle for blind system

and current output of energy harvester will be measured and calculated to
understand the efficiency.

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1.6.LIMITATION

 Need external power to recharge.

 Without power in battery after full discharge, it’s very dangerous to

have hope on it.

 It can’t inform person the distance between obstacle and him/her.

1.7.APPLICATION

Due to the intrinsic characteristics of piezoelectric materials, there is

a wide range of application such as sensors, actuators, crystal oscillator,
ultrasonic application , piezo-motor etc,. Sensors and actuators have great
importance in instrumentation and automotive sectors. Crystal oscillator is
used in almost all microprocessor based systems. Before 2010 demand of
piezoelectric devices was high but material productions are not significant.
Now piezo electronics is experiencing the fastest growth. Here main
application is to implement piezoelectricity in shoes and stick of
visually impaired persons.

1.8.IMPORTANCE AND ADVANTAGES

Piezoelectricity is going to create more energy for the world than any
other renewable resource. It takes pressure upon crystals and creates
energy. No other resource can be fully sustained simply putting crystals
within our own structures.

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 This energy source will be fundamental to the world one day going
completely green and supplying our energy by our own movements.

 No external power is required to recharge the battery.

 Distance between obstacles and person is measured and intimated to

have better safeness and fearlessness.

 No battery drain problem.

 It can work even in the absence of battery, by using piezoelectricity.

1.9.REPORT ORGANIZATION
The report is organized as below. Chapter 1 above had described the
motivation and project background of this project. In Chapter 2 is some
literature review of related project, good and bad of the related work were
study to improve the project. Chapter 3 contains the system design of
project, details of the system flow, implementation and material used is
written there. Chapter 4 is about the design specification, we discuss about
the requirement and methodology of the system design. chapter 5 conclude
the project.

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 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 REVIEW OF PREVIOUS WORK
Here, we analyzed the existing methodologies and technologies to
have an energy harvesting process from human footsteps, below is the
report of what we analyzed.

2.1.1 VIBRATION ENERGY

There are various kind of methods in harvesting vibration energy

from human body, for example, electromagnetic, electrostatic and
piezoelectric generator.

Works presented by Jo, S.E. & Kim, M.S. and Kim, Y.J. (2012)
proposed an energy harvester that harvests energy from human movement
by using magnetic spring. S.E. Jo et al use a coil and a magnet to create an
electromagnetic transducer. Electromagnetic transducer generate electricity
through the relative motion (z) of the coil and magnet (emf). The
relationship between them is stated below.
dz
Emf= K
dt

Types of human body motion energy harvesting method were studied.

The 3 methods are electromagnetic, electrostatic and piezoelectric. By
comparing the result of the study, piezoelectric method harvest the highest
amount of energy. Although the harvested energy has to be transfer
through wire, but it does not matter because the ideal product will be
placed under shoe sole. Therefore, piezoelectric harvesting method is
chosen in this project. With piezoelectric energy harvester, battery life time
will be extended.

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 Method Energy storage density (𝑚𝐽/𝑐𝑚3)

Electromagnetic 24.8

Electrostatic 4

Piezoelectric 35.4
Table 2.1 Energy storage density comparison (Livingston, J.J &
Hemalatha, M, 2014)

Refer to research paper of J. John Livingston and M.Hemalatha

(2014, pp. 945-948), Table II.1 shows that piezoelectric method has highest
energy storage density. This is the reason why piezoelectric method is
chosen in this project. In addition, piezoelectric generator is affordable and
it gives good efficiency. Weakness of piezoelectric generator is it cannot
transfer energy wirelessly.

2.1.2 PIEZOELECTRIC HARVESTING IN AIRPORT TERMINALS

At some busy place full with people walking around, for example,
airport terminal. There are a lot of motion energy that we can capture
through piezoelectric technology. In order to harvest those walking energy,
piezoelectric devices is installed underneath the floor of terminal. Different
from the shoe sole project, this project install hundred or even thousands of
piezoelectric sensor, everyday there will have thousands of foot print step
on the sensor. The electrical energy from piezoelectric devices will be sent
back to the power grid through inverters, then, it need convert the DC
power into AC power which can support the lighting systems. The
harvested energy is planned to support the power of lighting systems of
airports.

9
 Fig. 2.1 Energy Floor (Anon., 2016)

2.2 NOVEL PAPERS / IDEAS:

1) Kiran Boby, Aleena Paul K, Anumol.C.V, Josnie Ann Thomas,

Nimisha K.K Dept of EEE, MACE, Kothamangalam., International
Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT) Volume 3,
Issue 10, April 2014. ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified

The piezoelectric material converts the pressure applied to it into

electrical energy. The source of pressure can be either from the weight of
the moving vehicles or from the weight of the people walking over it. The
output of the piezoelectric material is not a steady one. So a bridge circuit
is used to convert this variable voltage into a linear one. Again an AC
ripple filter is used to filter out any further fluctuations in the output.

The output dc voltage is then stored in a rechargeable battery. As the

power output from a single piezo-film was extremely low, combination of
few Piezo films was ISSN: 2277.investigated. Two possible connections
were tested - parallel and series connections.

10
 The parallel connection did not show significant increase in the
voltage output. With series connection, additional piezo-film results in
increased of voltage output but not in linear proportion. So here a
combination of both parallel and series connection is employed for
producing 40V voltage output with high current density. From battery
provisions are provided to connect dc load. An inverter is connected to
battery to provide provision to connect AC load. The voltage produced
across the tile can be seen in a LCD. For this purpose microcontroller
PIC16F873A is used. The microcontroller uses a crystal oscillator for its
operation. The output of the microcontroller is then given to the LCD
which then displays the voltage levels.

A piezo tile capable of generating 40V has been devised.

Comparison between various piezo electric material shows that PZT is
superior in characteristics. Also, by comparison it was found that series-
parallel combination connection is more suiTable. The weight applied on
the tile and corresponding voltage generated is studied and they are found
to have linear relation. It is especially suited for implementation in
crowded areas. This can be used in street lighting without use of long
power lines. It can also be used as charging ports, lighting of pavement side
buildings.

2) Mohan Sitaramaiah B, Naganaik M, IOSR Journal of Electronics

and Communication Engineering (IOSR-JECE) e-ISSN: 2278-2834,p-
ISSN: 2278-8735. PP 11-15 . (UG student of E&TC Department
Rajarshi Shahu College of Engineering, Pune, Maharashtra, India) 4
(Faculty of E&TC Deaprtment Rajarshi Shahu College of
Engineering, Pune, Maharashtra, India)

Sylvain Cardin, Daniel Thalmann and Frederic Vexo used

stereoscopic architecture to develop new obstacle sensing abilities. First

11
they determine from which direction the obstacles are coming from. There
are vibrators on left and right shoulder of user. With these vibrators he can
detect the position of the obstacle. Then user in this system will be able to
position himself. Osama Bader AL-Barrm, JeenVinouth proposed that
detects the obstacles in the path of the blind using ultrasonic sensors. It
consists of these sensors to scan three different directions, a
microcontroller, buzzer and DC vibration motor. The buzzer and vibration
motor is activated when any obstacle is detected. In addition, the stick is
equipped with GPS and SMS message system.

B.Mohan Sitaramaiah, M.Naganaik this system has ability of

overcoming the drawbacks with the existed technologies like guide cane
and talking signs that they are only giving a support while they are
walking, but not avoiding the accidents due to some vehicles and man
holes. The existed systems are also failed in information sending in case of
emergencies. This system enhances blind system assistance with ultrasonic
sensors. The system consists of two ultrasonic sensors modules, voice
playback module, and a vibration motor. The ultrasonic sensors will
monitor the objects in front of them. The sensor placed in front direction to
the system will detects if any obstacles are present in front of the blind
person path. Another sensor placed in back direction of the system will
measure the distance from the objects to the blind person.

F. van der Heijden, P.P.L. Regtien this paper describes the system
architecture for a navigation tool for visually impaired persons. The major
parts are: a multi-sensory system comprising stereo vision, acoustic range
finding and movement sensors, a mapper, a warning system and a tactile
human-machine interface. There are three main sensors in this project
stereovision, optical flow and sonar.

12
3) Johnny Nelson S, “Implementation of an Energy Harvesting System
by Piezoelectric Elements Exploiting the Human Footsteps” Johnny
Nelson Savina Quispe School of Electronic and Communications
Engineering, Universidad Católica San Pablo Arequipa, Perú,
Published in: 2017 IEEE URUCON.

The fundamental idea of this research work is to present an approach

to energy harvesting, which basically uses piezoelectric technology and is
implemented in a shoe. It takes advantage of the energy that the user waste
when walks and thus is able to convert it into electric energy and can be
use in an electronic device that requires low power.

Piezoelectric materials can convert mechanical stress into electricity,

and electricity into mechanical vibrations. Quartz crystal is composed of
silicon and oxygen atoms. Where quartz is composed of silicon atoms that
have a positive charge and oxygen atoms have a negative charge .
Normally, when the crystal is not under any external type of stress, that is
to say under pressure, the charges are uniformly dispersed in the molecules
through the crystal, but when the quartz is stretched or tight, the order of
the atoms changes slightly, this change makes the negative charges to
accumulate on one side and positive charges to accumulate on the opposite
side. This potential difference is used to produce current between more
pressure on the crystal more intense will be the current electrical.

Different tests were done, to obtain different results as explained

below. Walking and running were tested, it was tested with the right foot
and left foot while walking and with different weights of two people of 60
Kg and 75 Kg walking. The walking test was done with a speed of 4.5
Km/h, with a distance of 1.52 Km and with an estimated time of 20
minutes.

13
4) Ziad O, Abu-Faraj M, Ph.D., “Design and Development of a
Prototype Rehabilitative Shoes and Spectacles for the Blind”. 5th
International Conference on Bio Medical Engineering and Informatics
(BMEI 2012).

Assistive technology has not yet reached an acceptable level of

success in addressing the needs of blind individuals to comfortably,
gracefully, and independently. Accordingly, this paper addresses a
prototype, smart rehabilitative shoes and spectacles, designed and
developed to facilitate safe navigation and mobility of blind individuals
The corresponding tactile outputs are provided by three miniature-sized
vibrating motors embedded within the collar of the shoe. The spectacles are
instrumented with a pair of ultrasonic transducers mounted centrally above
the bridge, and with a buzzer at one of the temples. They are used to detect
obstacles at head level.

The developed shoes and spectacles are controlled via a battery-

operated, microcontroller-based belt pack unit. The developed system has
been subjected to several validation tests. Results obtained from the
validation tests are to allow final fine-tuning of the system before putting it
into real-world rehabilitative application. The developed system is regarded
as a step-forward towards the advancements in Electronic Travel Aids, and
should contribute to the betterment of the life of individuals with vision
loss.

The decades that followed the Second World War witnessed a surge
in the development of biomedical instrumentation, among which were
mobility and navigation aids for the blind that benefited most from radar
and sonar technologies. Such a surge coincided with the widespread use of
the transistor that made Electronic Travel Aids possible. In 1982, Brabyn
presented a comprehensive review of early developments in mobility and

14
orientation aids for the blind . Beginning with the long cane as the most
popular mobility aid, Brabyn then listed a number of Electronic Mobility
Aids that were invented since the early 1960’s, some of which are: the Kay
Sonic Torch , the Russel Path Sounder , the Binaural Sonic Aid , the
Mowat Sensor , the Nottingham Obstacle Detector , the Laser Cane , the
AFB Microprocessor assisted Ultrasonic Range Device , and the Talking
Signs. In 1990, Borenstein reported on a computerized ETA forthe blind
and visually impaired, under the name NavBelt, that was under
development at the University of Michigan, Michigan, USA . This device
allows a blind individual to maneuver in a quick and safe manner around
obstacles and through unfamiliar terrains. The device was further enhanced
using mobile robotics technology to become a prototype of a modern ETA.
It uses stereophonic imaging techniques to process the signals acquired
from ultrasonic sensors, and feed back the extracted information to the user
via stereophonic headphones.

15
 CHAPTER 3

ARDUINO SOFTWARE

3.1.ARDUINO IDE

The Arduino integrated development environment (IDE) is a cross-

platform application that is written in the programming language Java. It
originated from the IDE for the languages Processing and Wiring. It includes
a code editor with features such as text cutting and pasting, searching and
replacing text, automatic indenting, brace matching, and syntax highlighting,
and provides simple one-click mechanisms to compile and upload programs
to an Arduino board. It also contains a message area, a text console, a toolbar
with buttons for common functions and a hierarchy of operation menus. The
source code for the IDE is released under the GNU General Public License,
version 2.

The Arduino IDE supports the languages C and C++ using special
rules of code structuring. The Arduino IDE supplies a software library from
the Wiring project, which provides many common input and output
procedures. User-written code only requires two basic functions, for starting
the sketch and the main program loop, that are compiled and linked with a
program stub main() into an executable cyclic executive program with the
GNU tool chain, also included with the IDE distribution. The Arduino IDE
employs the program argued to convert the executable code into a text file in
hexadecimal encoding that is loaded into the Arduino board by a loader
program in the board's firmware.

16
3.2. SOFTWARE LIBRARY

The open-source nature of the Arduino project has facilitated the

publication of many free software libraries that other developers use to
augment their projects. In our project we use to add TMRpcm library
additionally to arduino library to use SDcard module in our smart stick.

3.3.PROGRAMMING

3.3.1.CODES FOR SHOE

const int trigPin = 10;

const int echoPin = 9;

const int trigPin1 = 6;

const int echoPin1 = 5;

const int m = 13;

const int m1 = 12;

long duration,duration1;

int distance,distance1,safetyDistance,safetyDistance1,k=0;

void setup()

pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT);

pinMode(echoPin, INPUT);

pinMode(trigPin1, OUTPUT);

pinMode(echoPin1, INPUT);

pinMode(m, OUTPUT);

17
pinMode(m1, OUTPUT);

Serial.begin(9600);

void loop()

digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);

delayMicroseconds(2);

digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);

delayMicroseconds(10);

digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);

duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH);

distance= duration*0.034/2;

safetyDistance = distance;

delay(10);

Serial.print("Distance: ");

Serial.println(distance);

digitalWrite(trigPin1, LOW);

delayMicroseconds(2);

digitalWrite(trigPin1, HIGH);

delayMicroseconds(10);

18
digitalWrite(trigPin1, LOW);

duration1 = pulseIn(echoPin1, HIGH);

distance1= duration1*0.034/2;

safetyDistance1 = distance1;

delay(10);

if (safetyDistance1 <= 70)

digitalWrite(m, HIGH);

digitalWrite(m1, HIGH);

k=1;

else if (safetyDistance <= 70)

digitalWrite(m, HIGH);

digitalWrite(m1, HIGH);

k=1;

else

digitalWrite(m, LOW);

19
k=0;

digitalWrite(m1, LOW);

Serial.print("Distance1: ");

Serial.println(distance1);

Serial.print("k: ");

Serial.println(k);

if(Serial.available()>0)

Serial.write(k);

3.3.2.CODES FOR STICK

#include "SD.h"

#define SD_ChipSelectPin 10

#include "TMRpcm.h"

#include "SPI.h"

TMRpcm tmrpcm;

int m =7;

int sensor_pin =8;

20
int f;

void setup()

pinMode(m, OUTPUT);

pinMode(sensor_pin, INPUT);

tmrpcm.speakerPin=9;

Serial.begin(9600);

if(!SD.begin(SD_ChipSelectPin))

Serial.println("SD fail");

return;

void loop()

if(Serial.available()>0)

f=Serial.read();

Serial.println(f);

int i=digitalRead(sensor_pin);

21
if(i== HIGH)

digitalWrite(m, LOW);

else

tmrpcm.setVolume(5.5);

tmrpcm.play("test.wav");

digitalWrite(m, HIGH);

delay(10);

if(f==1)

tmrpcm.setVolume(5.5);

tmrpcm.play("test1.wav");

digitalWrite(m, HIGH);

delay(10);

22
3.4.FLOWCHART FOR CODES

Flow chart for the above codes for both shoe and stick are shown
below.

3.4.1.FLOWCHART FOR SHOES

Fig. 3.1 flow chart for operation of codes for shoe

23
3.4.2. FLOWCHART FOR STICK

Fig. 3.2 flow chart for operation of codes for stick

24
3.5.UPLOADING PPROCEDURE

1. Connect your Arduino using the USB cable. The square end of the
USB cable connects to your Arduino and the flat end connects to a
USB port on your computer.
2. Choose Tools→Board→Arduino Uno to find your board in
the Arduino menu.
3. Choose the correct serial port for your board.
4. Click the Upload button.

25
 CHAPTER 4

HARDWARE DISCRIPTION

4.1.BLOCK DIAGRAM AND WORKING OF HARDWARE SETUP

Block diagram explaining the working of both shoe and stick are
attached below.

4.1.1 BLOCK DIAGRAM AND WORKING OF SHOES

Fig.4.1 Block diagram of shoe

In our project we used ultrasonic sensors to detect the presence of

object towards which the visually impaired person is approaching. it is done
by triggering sound waves towards the object and wait for some time to
reach the sensor. Such time difference is calculated and such period is
directly proportional to the distance between the object and sensor.

26
 This principle is used to measure the distance between the person and
obstacle. It is then used to alert the person by vibration in the shoe. In
addition to that, signal is sent to the stick through the HC05 Bluetooth
module to intimate the person through voice alert. In shoes in addition to the
ARDUINO UNO R3 board, power generating unit is fixed to assist the 9v
rechargeable battery to have long discharging period.

4.1.1.1.POWER GENERATING UNIT

Power generating unit consist of piezoelectric transducer, bridge

rectifiers, capacitor filters, current amplifiers and voltage regulators etc.
power is generated by applying sudden varying force over the piezoelectric
transducer. It is done by human footsteps while walking.

While walking, human weight is applied to the centre of piezoelectric

transducer which is placed in the bottom of the footwear, so that it can
convert human force into more potential difference. The generated power has
a characteristics of 0v to 45v for an average 70 kg person while coupling 6
piezoelectric transducer in 2 series sets are connected as 3 parallel sets.
Even though the generated potential is more than our needs, generated
current is very low, which is in the range of 0 micro amps to 70 micro amps.

In our project, our load is a 9v rechargeable battery which is to be

charged simultaneously while walking. To recharge the battery we need to
provide at least 1.1 times of output voltage of the battery and minimum of 10
% of output current of the battery. But we have more potential as 40v and
very low current of 70 micro amps. We need to stabilize the voltage up to
9.9v and the current should be amplified to be more than 25mA which 10%
of 250mAh. But by determining the load size given to the battery is
determining the required current from output of the power generating unit.
So we need to determine the load to battery.

27
 So that we can determine the real current requirement of the
ARDUINO system. By measuring the load current of ARDUINO system, it
is observed to be 120mAh. So 10% of 120mAh is 12mAh.A power converter
circuit should be constructed. So that the voltage above the 9.9v could be
directly converted into current. Power converter circuit consist of 1z9.1
zener diode to convert the voltage above the 9.1v to current. Which is
connected across the output terminal of the power generating unit.

Hence a regulated 9.1v with the load current of more than 10% of
120mAh is obtained to recharge the 9v battery. Hence the person’s footstep
is used to harvest the energy to recharge the battery. Which is then applied as
a source to ARDUINO UNO R3 board along with sensors and vibrating
motors. In one shoe we used 12 piezoelectric transducer. As piezo sensors
power generating varies with different steps, get

Minimum voltage=0.3 V per step

Maximum voltage=1.6 V per step

I took an average of 70 Kg weight pressure from single person.

Considering the steps of a 70 Kg weighted single person, the average

calculation is:

It takes 2000 steps to increase 1 V charge in battery. So, to increase 9

V in battery total steps needed (9 × 2000) = 18000 steps

I took an average of 2 steps in 1 second. For 18000 steps time needed

=18000/(60 × 2) = 150 (minutes approximately.)

During 150 minutes walking battery can be charged up to 12 %. So we

can use the shoe for extra 15 to 20 minutes.

28
4.1.2. BLOCK DIAGRAM AND WORKING OF STICK

Fig.4.2 Block diagram of stick

In stick for blind, we placed ARDUINO UNO R3 board to provide
voice alert and to sense the presence of any slippery liquids or for any
cavities in the path. It is done by using SDcard module, audio amplifier,
moisture sensor, vibrating motor, HC05 Bluetooth module etc.Here moisture
sensor senses the presence of any liquid obstacles in the path. It is placed in
the stick because ultrasonic sensors can’t detect the presence of liquids
because liquid takes the level of the ground surface. So it must be placed in
the stick. Stick is connected to shoe with HC05 modules. This is why,
because, while detecting the obstacle the voice alert must be provided, for
that voice must be stored in the SDcard and then it is played using speaker,
as the voltage level is very less it can’t operate the speaker as well, so it must
be given signal after the amplification of voice signal. The stick is provided
with the probe to recharge from the power generating unit while it is in rest
condition.

29
4.2. HARDWARES USED
4.2.1 ARDUINO UNO
4.2.1.1 Overview

The ARDUINO UNO is a microcontroller board based on the

ATmega328 (datasheet). It has 14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can
be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a
USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It
contains everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply connect it
to a computer with a USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or
battery to get started.

The Uno differs from all preceding boards in that it does not use the
FTDI USB-to-serial driver chip. Instead, it features the Atmega8U2
programmed as a USB-to-serial converter.

Fig. 4.3 ARDUINO UNO Board

The ARDUINO UNO can be powered via the USB connection or
with an external power supply. The power source is selected automatically.

External (non-USB) power can come either from an AC-to-DC

adapter (wall-wart) or battery. The adapter can be connected by plugging a
2.1mm center-positive plug into the board's power jack. Leads from a battery
can be inserted in the Gnd and VIN pin headers of the POWER connector.

30
 The board can operate on an external supply of 6 to 20 volts. If
supplied with less than 7V, however, the 5V pin may supply less than five
volts and the board may be unstable. If using more than 12V, the voltage
regulator may overheat and damage the board. The recommended range is s7
to 12 volts.

4.2.1.2.WORKING PRINCIPLE

The ARDUINO UNO Uno board is a microcontroller based on the

ATmega328. It has 14 digital input/output pins in which 6 can be used as
PWM outputs, a 16 MHz ceramic resonator, an ICSP header, a USB
connection, 6 analog inputs, a power jack and a reset button. This contains
all the required support needed for microcontroller.

The power pins are as follows:

 VIN The input voltage to the ARDUINO UNO board when it's using
an external power source (as opposed to 5 volts from the USB
connection or other regulated power source). You can supply voltage
through this pin, or, if supplying voltage via the power jack, access it
through this pin.
 5V the regulated power supply used to power the microcontroller and
other components on the board. This can come either from VIN via an
on-board regulator, or be supplied by USB or another regulated 5V
supply.
 3V3 A 3.3 volt supply generated by the on-board regulator. Maximum
current draw is 50 mA.
 GND. Ground pins.
The Atmega328 has 32 KB of flash memory for storing code (of which
0,5 KB is used for the boot loader); It has also 2 KB of SRAM and 1 KB of
EEPROM (which can be read and written with the EEPROM library).

31
4.2.1.3.FEATURES OF ARDUINO

 It is an easy USB interface. This allows interface with USB as this is

like a serial device.
 The chip on the board plugs straight into your USB port and supports
on your computer as a virtual serial port. The benefit of this setup is
that serial communication is an extremely easy protocol which is time-
tested and USB makes connection with modern computers and makes
it comfortable.
 It is easy-to-find the microcontroller brain which is the ATmega328
chip. It has more number of hardware features like timers, external
and internal interrupts, PWM pins and multiple sleep modes.
 It is an open source design and there is an advantage of being open
source is that it has a large community of people using and
troubleshooting it. This makes it easy to help in debugging projects.
 It is a 16 MHz clock which is fast enough for most applications and
does not speeds up the microcontroller.
 It is very convenient to manage power inside it and it had a feature of
built-in voltage regulation. This can also be powered directly off a
USB port without any external power. You can connect an external
power source of up to 12v and this regulates it to both 5v and 3.3v.
 13 digital pins and 6 analog pins. This sort of pins allows you to
connect hardware to your ARDUINO UNO board externally. These
pins are used as a key for extending the computing capability of the
ARDUINO UNO into the real world. Simply plug your electronic
devices and sensors into the sockets that correspond to each of these
pins and you are good to go.

32
  This has an ICSP connector for bypassing the USB port and
interfacing the ARDUINO UNO directly as a serial device. This port
is necessary to re-boot load your chip if it corrupts and can no longer
used to your computer.
 It has a 32 KB of flash memory for storing your code.
 An on-board LED is attached to digital pin 13 to make fast the
debugging of code and to make the debug process easy.
 Finally, it has a button to reset the program on the chip.

4.2.1.4 ADVANTAGES OF THE ARDUINO UNO

 It is very simple to use for the beginners.

 It is available with a lower price in the market.
 The software of the ARDUINO UNO is suitable for all types of
operations like Linux, windows, etc.

4.2.1.5 REAL-TIME APPLICATIONS OF ARDUINO UNO BOARD

 ARDUINO UNO Based Home Automation System

 ARDUINO UNO based Auto Intensity Control of Street Lights
 Obstacle avoidance robot operated with the Arduino
 Under Cable Fault Rejection Using ARDUINO UNO Board

4.2.2 PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCER

The Piezoelectric transducer is an electroacoustic transducer use for
conversion of pressure or mechanical stress into an alternating electrical
force. It is used for measuring the physical quantity like force, pressure,
stress, etc., which is directly not possible to measure.

33
 Fig. 4.4 Piezoelectric sensor

4.2.2.1 DESCRIPTION
The piezo transducer converts the physical quantity into an electrical
voltage which is easily measured by analogue and digital meter.The
piezoelectric transducer uses the piezoelectric material which has a special
property, i.e. the material induces voltage when the pressure or stress applied
to it. The material which shows such property is known as the electro-
resistive element.The word piezoelectric means the electricity produces by
the pressure. The Quartz is the examples of the natural piezoelectric crystals,
whereas the Rochelle salts, ammonium dehydration, phosphate, lithium
sulphate, dipotassium tartrate are the examples of the man made crystals.
The ceramic material is also used for piezoelectric transducer.

The ceramic material does not have the piezoelectric property. The
property is developed on it by special polarizing treatment. The ceramic
material has several advantages. It is available in different shapes and sizes.
The material has the capability of working at low voltages, and also it can
operate at the temperature more than 3000ºC

34
Piezoelectric Effect

The EMF develops because of the displacement of the charges. The

effect is changeable, i.e. if the varying potential applies to a piezoelectric
transducer, it will change the dimension of the material or deform it. This
effect is known as the piezoelectric effect.

The pressure is applied to the crystals with the help of the force
summing devices for examples the stress is applied through mechanical
pressure gauges and pressure sensors, etc. The deformation induces the EMF
which determines the value of applied pressure.

4.2.2.2 WORKING PRINCIPLE

A piezoelectric crystal is shown in the figure below.

The polarity of the charge depends on the direction of the applies

forces. piezo-transducer-equation-1

Where, d – charge sensitivity of the crystals

F – applied force in Newton

35
 The force changes the thickness of the crystals. transducer-equation-2

Where A – area of crystals in meter square

t – the thickness of crystals in meter

E – Young’s modulus N/m2

The young modulus is, transducer-equation-3

where ω – width of crystals in meter

l – the length of crystals in meter

On substituting the value of force in the equation of charge, we get

transducer-equation-4

The output voltage is obtained because of the electrode charges.

transducer-equation-5

36
The g is the voltage sensitivity of the crystals. transducer-equation-8

Where E0 – electric field strength, V/m

The voltage sensitivity of the crystals is expressed by the ratio of the

electric field intensity and pressure.When the mechanical deformation occurs
in the crystals, it generates charges. And this charge develops the voltages
across the electrodes.

The Piezoelectric crystal is direction sensitive. The polarity of the

voltage depends on the direction of the force which is either tensile or
compressive. The magnitude and the polarity of the charges depend on the
magnitude and the direction of the applied force.

Modes of Operation of Piezo-Electric Crystal

The Piezoelectric crystals are used in many modes likes, thickness

shear, face shear, thickness expansion, Transverse expansion, etc. The figure
of the fear shear is shown in the figure below. face-shear

37
Properties of Piezo Electric-Crystal

The following are the properties of the Piezoelectric Crystals.

 The piezoelectric material has high stability.

 It is available in various shapes and sizes.
 The piezoelectric material has output insensitive to temperature and
humidity.

Uses of Piezoelectric Crystal

The following are the uses of the Piezoelectric transducers.

 The piezoelectric material has high stability and hence it is used for
stabilizing the electronic oscillator.
 The ultrasonic generators use the piezoelectric material. This
generator is used in SONAR for underwater detection and in
industrials apparatus for cleaning.

38
  It is used in microphones and speakers for converting the electric
signal into sound.
 The piezoelectric material is used in electric lighter.
 The transducer has low output, and hence external circuit is associated
with it.

4.2.2.3 ADVANTAGES

 The piezoelectric transducer is available in desired shape.

 It has rugged construction.
 It is small in size.
 It has good frequency response.
 It has negligible phase shift.
4.2.2.4 DISADVANTAGES

 The piezoelectric transducer is used for dynamic measurement only.

 It has high temperature sensitivity.
 Some crystals are water soluble and get dissolve in high humid
environment.

4.2.2.5 APPLICATIONS

 The piezoelectric transducer is used in spark ignition engines.

 It can be used in electronic watches.
 It is used in accelerometer.
 It is used in record player.

39
4.2.3 ULTRASONIC SENSOR MODULE
Ultrasonic Sensor Module is devices that use electrical–mechanical
energy transformation to measure distance from the sensor to the target
object. Ultrasonic waves are longitudinal mechanical waves which travel as a
sequence of compressions and rarefactions along the direction of wave
propagation through the medium. Apart from distance measurement, they are
also used in ultrasonic material testing (to detect cracks, air bubbles, and
other flaws in the products), Object detection, position detection, ultrasonic
mouse, etc.
These sensors are categorized in two types according to their working
phenomenon – piezoelectric sensors and electrostatic sensors. Here we are
discussing the ultrasonic sensor using the piezoelectric principle.
Piezoelectric ultrasonic sensors use a piezoelectric material to generate the
ultrasonic waves.

Fig. 4.6 Ultrasonic Sensor

An ultrasonic sensor consists of a transmitter and receiver which

are available as separate units or embedded together as single unit. The
above image shows the ultrasonic transmitter and receiver.

40
 Fig. 4.7 Working of Ultrasonic Sensor

Ultrasonic sensors for outdoors use are sealed to protect them from
dew, rain and dust. Piezoelectric ceramics are attached to the top inside of
the metal case. The entrance of the case is covered with resin.

Fig. 4.8 Construction of Enclosed Type Ultrasonic Sensor

For use in industrial robots, accuracy as precise as mm and acute
radiation are required. By flexure vibration of the conventional vibrator, no
practical characteristics can be obtained in frequencies higher than 70 kHz
and, therefore, vertical thickness vibration mode of piezoelectric ceramics is
utilized for detection in high frequency.

41
 In this case, the matching of acoustic impedances of the piezoelectric
ceramics and air becomes important. Acoustic impedance of piezoelectric
ceramics is 2.6× 0.7kg/m2s, while that of air is 4.3×0.2kg/m2s. This
difference of 5 powers causes large loss on the vibration radiating surface of
the piezoelectric ceramics. Matching the acoustic impedances with air is
performed by bonding a special material to the piezoelectric ceramics as an
acoustic matching layer. This construction enables the ultrasonic sensor to
work in frequencies of up to several hundred kHz.

Fig. 4.9 Construction of High Frequency Ultrasonic Sensors

4.2.4 Diode
The function of a diode is to limit the direction of current flow,
current will only pass through diode when the direction is correct, or else it
will be blocked. Diode used in this project is IN4002.

Bachelor of Information Technology (Hons) Computer Engineering

Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (Perak Campus),
UTAR, For this project, diode is used to build a full wave bridge rectifier,
which has a function to convert AC into DC, the output voltage will also be
higher and steady.

42
 Fig. 4.10 Diode

Once you graduate from the simple, passive components that are
resistors, capacitors, and inductors, it’s time to step on up to the wonderful
world of semiconductors. One of the most widely used semiconductor
components is the diode.

4.2.5 Capacitor

A capacitor is a passive two-terminal electronic component that

stores electrical energy in an electric field. The effect of a capacitor is known
as capacitance.

Fig. 4.11 Capacitor

4.2.5.1 DESCRIPTION

Capacitor can store electrical energy. In this circuit, capacitor acts as

temporary energy storage and voltage filter to smooth the spike voltage of
piezoelectric sensor. It filters and controls the voltage output to load to
prevent spike voltage destroy battery or devices. Capacitor here does not
need to have large capacity, we use 100 μF capacitor to build the circuit.
While some capacitance exists between any two electrical conductors in

43
proximity in a circuit, a capacitor is a component designed to add
capacitance to a circuit. The capacitor was originally known as
a condenser or compensator. The physical form and construction of practical
capacitors vary widely and many capacitor types are in common use. Most
capacitors contain at least two electrical conductors often in the form of
metallic plates or surfaces separated by a dielectric medium. A conductor
may be a foil, thin film, sintered bead of metal, or an electrolyte. The no
conducting dielectric acts to increase the capacitor's charge capacity.
Materials commonly used as dielectrics include glass, ceramic, plastic
film, paper, mica, and oxide layers. Capacitors are widely used as parts
of electrical circuits in many common electrical devices. Unlike a resistor, an
ideal capacitor does not dissipate energy.

Capacitance is defined as the ratio of the electric charge on each

conductor to the potential difference between them. The unit of capacitance
in the International System of Units (SI) is the farad (F), defined as
one coulomb per volt (1 C/V). Capacitance values of typical capacitors for
use in general electronics range from about 1 picofarad (pF) (10−12 F) to
about 1 millifarad (mF) (10−3 F).

4.2.5.2 WORKING

A capacitor consists of two conductors separated by a non-conductive

region. The non-conductive region can either be a vacuum or an electrical
insulator material known as a dielectric. Examples of dielectric media are
glass, air, paper, plastic, ceramic, and even a semiconductor depletion
region chemically identical to the conductors. From Coulomb's law a charge
on one conductor will exert a force on the charge carriers within the other
conductor, attracting opposite polarity charge and repelling like polarity
charges, thus an opposite polarity charge will be induced on the surface of

44
the other conductor. The conductors thus hold equal and opposite charges on
their facing surfaces, and the dielectric develops an electric field. An ideal
capacitor is characterized by a constant capacitance C, in farads in
the SI system of units, defined as the ratio of the positive or negative
charge Q on each conductor to the voltage V between them. A capacitance of
one farad (F) means that one coulomb of charge on each conductor causes a
voltage of one volt across the device. Because the conductors (or plates) are
close together, the opposite charges on the conductors attract one another
due to their electric fields, allowing the capacitor to store more charge for a
given voltage than when the conductors are separated, yielding a larger
capacitance.

In practical devices, charge build-up sometimes affects the capacitor

mechanically, causing its capacitance to vary. In this case, capacitance is
defined in terms of incremental changes.

4.2.6 RECHARGEABLE 9V BATTERY

Fig. 4.12 Battery 250mAh

Rechargeable 9V battery acts as main energy storage, which is also
load in the circuit. This battery has capacity of 250 mAh and outputs 9 V of
voltage. There are 2 pin wires for positive and negative pole, connect method
of the battery is exactly same as normal battery.

45
4.2.7 BLUETOOTH MODULE HC05

4.2.7.1 INTRODUCTION

Fig. 4.13 Bluetooth hc05 module

HC‐05 module is an easy to use Bluetooth SPP (Serial Port

Protocol) module, designed for transparent wireless serial connection setup.
The HC-05 Bluetooth Module can be used in a Master or Slave
configuration, making it a great solution for wireless communication.

This serial port Bluetooth module is fully qualified Bluetooth

V2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) 3Mbps Modulation with complete
2.4GHz radio transceiver and baseband. It uses CSR Blue core 04‐External
single chip Bluetooth system with CMOS technology and with AFH
(Adaptive Frequency Hopping Feature).

4.2.7.2 WORKING PRINCIPLE

The Bluetooth module HC-05 is a MASTER/SLAVE module. By

default the factory setting is SLAVE. The Role of the module (Master or
Slave) can be configured only by AT COMMANDS. The slave modules
cannot initiate a connection to another Bluetooth device, but can accept
connections .Master module can initiate a connection to other devices. The
user can use it simply for a serial port replacement to establish connection
between MCU and GPS, PC to your embedded project, etc.

46
4.2.7.3 HARDWARE FEATURES

 Typical ‐80dBm sensitivity.

 Up to +4dBm RF transmit power.

 Low Power 1.8V Operation, 3.3 to 5 V I/O.

 PIO control.

 UART interface with programmable baud rate.

 With integrated antenna.

 With edge connector

4.2.7.4.SOFTWARE FEATURES

 Slave default Baud rate: 9600, Data bits:8, Stop bit:1,Parity:No parity.

 PIO9 and PIO8 can be connected to red and blue led separately. When
master and slave are paired, red and blue led blinks 1time/2s in
interval, while disconnected only blue led blinks 2times/s.
Auto‐connect to the last device on power as default.

 Permit pairing device to connect as default.

 Auto‐pairing PINCODE:”1234” as default.

 Auto‐reconnect in 30 min when disconnected as a result of beyond the

Range of connection

47
4.2.8 MOISTURE SENSOR

The Moisture sensor is used to measure the water content(moisture)

of soil. when the soil is having water shortage, the module output is at high
level, else the output is at low level. This sensor reminds the user to water
their plants and also monitors the moisture content of soil. It has been widely
used in agriculture, land irrigation and botanical gardening.

Fig. 4.14 Moisture sensor

4.2.8.1 WORKING

Soil moisture sensors measure the water content in soil. A soil

moisture probe is made up of multiple soil moisture sensors. One common
type of soil moisture sensors in commercial use is a Frequency domain
sensor such as a capacitance sensor. Another sensor, the neutron moisture
gauge, utilize the moderator properties of water for neutrons.Soil moisture
content may be determined via its effect on dielectric constant by measuring
the capacitance between two electrodes implanted in the soil. Where soil
moisture is predominantly in the form of free water (e.g., in sandy soils), the
dielectric constant is directly proportional to the moisture content.

48
 The probe is normally given a frequency excitation to permit
measurement of the dielectric constant.The readout from the probe is not
linear with water content and is influenced by soil type and soil temperature.
Therefore, careful calibration is required and long-term stability of the
calibration is questionable.

 In This sensor We are using 2 Probes to be dipped into the Soil

 As per Moisture We will get Analog Output variations from 0.60volts
- 5volts
 Input Voltage 5V DC
The Soil Moisture Sensor uses capacitance to measure dielectric
permittivity of the surrounding medium. In soil, dielectric permittivity is a
function of the water content. The sensor creates a voltage proportional to
the dielectric permittivity, and therefore the water content of the soil. The
sensor averages the water content over the entire length of the sensor. There
is a 2 cm zone of influence with respect to the flat surface of the sensor, but
it has little or no sensitivity at the extreme edges.

The Soil Moisture Sensor is used to measure the loss of moisture over
time due to evaporation and plant uptake, evaluate optimum soil moisture
contents for various species of plants, monitor soil moisture content to
control irrigation in greenhouses and enhance bottle biology experiment.

4.2.8.2 FEATURES

 Sensitivity adjustable.
 Has fixed bolt hole, convenient installation.
 Threshold level can be configured.
 Module triple output mode, digital output is simple, analog output
more accurate, serial output with exact readings.

49
4.2.8.3 APPLICATIONS

 Agriculture
 Landscape irrigation

4.2.9 SD CARD MODULE

An SD Card Module or a Micro SD Card Adapter is a simple board

which facilitates connection between a Micro SD card and a Microcontroller
like Arduino. The following is the image of a typical SD Card Module.

Fig. 4.15 SD card module

Since ARDUINO UNO operates at 5V and the Micro SD Card

operates at 3.3V, a typical Micro SD Card Adapter or an SD Card Module
basically consists of two important components. They are the 3.3V Voltage
Regulator IC and a 5V to 3.3V Level Converter IC for the communication
pins.The module ( Micro-SD Card Adapter) is a Micro SD card reader
module, and the SPI interface via the file system driver, microcontroller
system to complete the Micro-SD card read and write files. ARDUINO UNO
users can directly use the ARDUINO UNO IDE comes with an SD card to
complete the library card initialization and read-write. A total of six pins
(GND, VCC, MISO, MOSI, SCK, CS), GND to ground, VCC is the power
supply, MISO, MOSI, SCK is the SPI bus, CS is the chip select signal pin.

50
 4.2.9.1 WORKING PRINCIPLE OF SD CARD MODULE

The microcontroller systems may have to back up the data which they
have read during their operation or the data which they need to access during
their running time. Most of the microcontrollers have built-in EEPROM
memory but they come in comparatively small sizes. In order to use the
microcontroller in applications like file accessing, media player etc. an
external memory card is necessary.

The SD memory card comes in large storage capacities ranging from 1

GB to 8 GB and they are compatible with the SPI bus of the microcontroller.
The large storage capacity and simplicity in interfacing results in wide usage
of SD memory card by the microcontrollers. The files in an SD memory card
are stored using FAT32 or FAT16 and one should use the code or FAT file-
system library to access the files from an SD card.

The easy prototyping platform ARDUINO UNO provides a library for

accessing the SD memory cards. This particular project explains how to
interface a SD card using an ARDUINO UNO board and perform some
read and write operations on it.

4.2.10 VIBRATING MOTOR

Fig.4.16 Vibrating Motor

51
 In this project, we will show how to build a vibration motor circuit. A
vibration motor is a motor which vibrates when given sufficient power. It is
a motor that literally shakes. It is very good for vibrating objects. It can be
used in a number of devices for very practical purposes. For example, one of
the most common items that vibrate are cell phones that vibrate when called
when placed in vibration mode. A cell phone is such an example of an
electronic device that contains a vibration motor. Another example can be a
rumble pack of a game controller that shakes, imitating the actions of a
game. One controller where a rumble pack could be added as an accessory is
nintendo 64, which came with rumble packs so that the controller would
vibrate to imitate gaming actions.

A third example could be a toy such as a furby that vibrates when you
a user does actions such as rub it or squeeze it, etc.So vibration motor
circuits have very useful and practical applications that can serve a myriad of
uses.To make a vibration motor vibrate is very simple. All we have to do is
add the needed voltage to the 2 terminals.

A vibration motor has 2 terminals, usually a red wire and a blue wire.
The polarity does not matter for motors. For our vibration motor, we will be
using a vibration motor by Precision Micro drives. This motor has an
operating voltage range of 2.5-3.8V to be powered.

52
4.2.11. 2W10 BRIDGE RECTIFIER

Bridge rectifier is used to convert the generating ac power to dc

power. Its features is as shown below

Fig. 4.17 2w10 bridge rectifier

4.2.11.1 FEATURES

 This series is UL listed under the Recognized Component Index, file

number E142814
 The plastic material used carries Underwriters Laboratory
flammability recognition 94V-0
 Ideal for printed circuit board mounting
 High temperature soldering guaranteed 265 C /10 seconds at 5 lbs
(2.3kg) tension
 High surge current capability.

4.3 REQUIREMENTS
4.3.1 ARDUINO UNO 5V 16MHz

Microcontroller ATmega329
RAW pin power supply 5 - 12V
VCC pin power supply 5V
Operating voltage 5V
Clock speed 16MHz

Table 4.1 Requirement of ARDUINO UNO

53
4.3.2 BLUETOOTH 5V MODULE

Module HC05
Operating voltage 5V
Current consumption 30-40 Ma
Communication protocol UART
Baud rate 34800bps

Table 4.2 Requirement of Bluetooth Module

4.3.3 BATTERY

Voltage 9V

Table 4.3 Requirement of Battery

54
 CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

The project is successfully tested which is the best economical,

affordable energy solution to common people. This can be used for many
applications in city areas where want more power. The final prototype
design does fulfill the objective of generating electricity from piezoelectric
disk. Due to the low cost design of the piezoelectric system it is a practical
product which could increase the operating period of most common
products. The data collected is capable of extending the operational
lifespan per charge of portable electronic devices.

Although the theory developed in this report justifies the use of

switching techniques in efficiently converting that energy to a usable form,
there are obviously some practical limitations to the systems presented.
Measurements of source current into the primary and load current
transferred from the secondary reveal that very little current gain truly
occurs. In addition, based on the results gathered in this investigation, the
final prototype design does fulfill the objective of generating electricity
from piezoelectric disk. Due to the low cost design of the piezoelectric
system it is a practical product which could increase the operating period of
most common products. The data collected is capable of extending the
operational lifespan per charge of portable electronic devices.
We conclude that, by this approach we can harvest useful energy
from walking. Also, it is observed that there is not much difference
between the right foot and the left foot since almost the same power is
generated. We also can conclude that the greater the weight of the person,
the more the pressure generated in the piezoelectric sensors and then the
power is greater. We finally conclude that the results obtained by these
piezoelectric sensors depend a lot on the weight of a person, the speed and

55
the number of sensors that is placed in the insole. However, no matter how
heavy the coin might be it always will have two sides. Similarly, even
piezoelectricity has some threats and weaknesses. By applying this power
generation technique in smart shoes for blinds we can assist the battery to
work for some considerable period of time.

5.1.FUTURE SCOPE

The solution to the extravagant problem of power shortage is “THE

PIEZOELECTRIC TILE”, which not only increase the electricity
production but also provides one with an instant personalized power
generating source. With an efficiency of 70%, the piezoelectric tile is
independent of the weather forecast for the day. Unlike the air, water and
land pollution caused by solar, hydro and biomass generation respectively,
piezoelectric tile does not lead to any kind of pollution neither does it cause
any harm to the surroundings.

With all its apparatus lying under the ground, the piezoelectric tile
instead of removing people from an area, asks more populace to join in.
Like the benefits provided to the environment weren’t enough, the tile also
improves the bio-electric functions of the body and normalizes the
electrical nature of the red blood cells, Henceforth improving circulation in
the body. Hence piezoelectricity can be used as a competent source of
energy without fettering our environment or our health. Prospective
application of piezoelectricity in many fields such as ,

 Railway station
 Shopping malls
 Football fields
 Densely populated public spots
 Roadways
56
 I hope this research helps and inspires the upcoming generation in
each and every way possible to follow the dream of a sustainable
environment, as it lies upon us, the responsibilities of the future.

“The future is in our hands”

Or should we say
“The future is beneath our feet.”

57
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[2] Brabyn J.A , “New developments in mobility and orientation aids for
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[3] Colenbrander A, “Visual standards: aspects and ranges of vision loss,”

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[4] Foulke E, “The perceptual basis for mobility”, AFB Research Bulletin,
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[5] Grassi M, “Conectando algunos piezoeléctricos y una batería, a nuestro

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[6] Kay L , “Ultrasonic spectacles for the blind.” In: Sensory Devices for
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[8] Orozco E.S , “Diseño de un colector de energía piezoeléctrico (energy

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