UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND INFORMATION ENGINEERING

PROJECT NO. 16

CUSTOMER VOLUME MONITORING SYSTEM

By

KAVOI STEPHEN MUTINDA

F17/2466/2008

SUPERVISOR: DR. GEORGE N. KAMUCHA

EXAMINER: DR. VASANT M. DHARMADHIKARY

A final year project report submitted to the University of Nairobi senate in partial fulfillment of

the requirements for the award of Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronic

Engineering.

Date of Submission: 28th

April, 2014

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CERTIFICATION

This final year project has been submitted for examination in the Department of Electrical and

Information Engineering, University of Nairobi, with my approval as the Supervisor.

Project Supervisor: Dr. George N. Kamucha

Signature:

Date:

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DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY

NAME OF STUDENT: Kavoi Stephen Mutinda

REGISTRATION NUMBER: F17/2466/2008

COLLEGE: Architecture and Engineering

FACULTY/SCHOOL/INSTITUTE: Engineering

DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Information Engineering

COURSE NAME: Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering

TITLE OF WORK: CUSTOMER VOLUME MONITORING SYSTEM

1) I understand what plagiarism is and I am aware of the university policy in this regard.

2) I declare that this final year project report is my original work and has not been submitted

elsewhere for examination, award of a degree or publication. Where other people’s work

or my own work has been used, this has properly been acknowledged and referenced in

accordance with the University of Nairobi’s requirements.

3) I have not sought or used the services of any professional agencies to produce this work.

4) I have not allowed, and shall not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of

passing it off as his/her own work.

5) I understand that any false claim in respect of this work shall result in disciplinary action,

in accordance with University anti-plagiarism policy.

Signature:

Date:

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I thank the Almighty God for bringing me this far, keeping me healthy and

enabling me put in the great effort required to successfully complete this Customer Volume

Monitoring System design and implementation.

My heartfelt gratitude goes to my Project Supervisor, Dr. George N. Kamucha, for his great

encouragement, guidance and support that enabled me ensure this project was a great success.

The numerous research assignments given always kept me on track and helped me gain an

accurate and deep understanding of the CVMS. As a result, I was able to come up with the

required hardware and software system specifications which resulted in successful system

design, implementation, testing and debugging until the system was working appropriately. The

great efforts put in by the Projects’ Coordinator, Prof. Elijah Mwangi, to facilitate the projects’

submission and selection exercise can also not go unnoticed. His thorough briefing on the final

year projects enabled me make a good choice of project based on my personal interests, strengths

and availability of information resources, hardware and software components.

In addition, I am greatly indebted to all my other lecturers, technicians and classmates. The

knowledge acquired through my interaction with you will go a long way in enabling me advance

well professionally and improve the quality of life of all the people I will serve. The studying

environment provided by all departmental staff and students was also conducive and for that I

am greatly thankful.

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DEDICATION

To my loving mum, Mrs. Mary Kavoi, Ms. Mindy Winik, Esme Spanier, and Pradeep Kapadia

for your unfailing support and encouragement throughout my undergraduate studies. Even

amidst difficult circumstances in my life, you always had great faith in my ability to overcome

all obstacles on my way and this gave me great hope and strength to move on. May the Almighty

God bless you abundantly.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CERTIFICATION ....................................................................................................................................... i

DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY ....................................................................................................... ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ......................................................................................................................... iii

DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................................... iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ v

LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................. vii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................................. viii

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................... x

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 11

1.1 Project Definition ............................................................................................................................ 11

1.2 Project Overview ............................................................................................................................ 11

1.3 Objectives ....................................................................................................................................... 11

1.3.1 Overall Objective ..................................................................................................................... 11

1.3.1 Specific Objectives .................................................................................................................... 2

1.4 Project Justification ........................................................................................................................... 2

1.4.1 Advantages of CVMS ................................................................................................................ 2

1.4.2 Applications of CVMS ............................................................................................................... 3

1.5 Project Scope .................................................................................................................................... 3

1.6 Project Organization ......................................................................................................................... 3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................... 5

2.1 Classification of Customer Counting Systems .................................................................................. 5

2.1.1 Manual Counting systems .......................................................................................................... 5

2.1.2 Automatic Counting systems...................................................................................................... 5

2.2 Block Diagram Description ............................................................................................................. 10

2.3 Hardware and Software Components .............................................................................................. 10

2.3.1 Microcontroller ........................................................................................................................ 10

2.3.2 Real Time Clock (RTC) Module .............................................................................................. 17

CHAPTER 3: DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ............................................................................... 24

3.1 Project Description .......................................................................................................................... 24

3.2 System Algorithm ........................................................................................................................... 24

3.3 System Flowchart ............................................................................................................................ 26

3.4 Hardware Design ............................................................................................................................ 27

3.4.1 CVMS Hardware Connection .................................................................................................. 27

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3.4.2 CVMS SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM........................................................................................... 28

3.4.3 CVMS PCB Fabrication ........................................................................................................... 28

3.7 Software Design .............................................................................................................................. 32

3.7.1 CVMS Counter ........................................................................................................................ 32

3.7.2 CVMS Database and GUI ........................................................................................................ 32

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................... 33

4.1 CVMS Results ................................................................................................................................ 33

4.1.1 Real-time and Hourly Customer Display ................................................................................. 33

4.1.2 Daily Customer Count Display ................................................................................................ 33

4.1.3 Monthly Customer Display ...................................................................................................... 34

4.2 Customer Data Analysis .................................................................................................................. 34

4.3 Discussion ....................................................................................................................................... 35

4.3.1 System Performance................................................................................................................. 35

4.3.2 Challenges Faced ..................................................................................................................... 35

CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION ............................................................... 37

5.1 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 37

5.2 Recommendations ........................................................................................................................... 37

BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................................... 38

APPENDICES .......................................................................................................................................... 39

APPENDIX A: CVMS PROGRAM ......................................................................................................... 39

APPENDIX B: CVMS DATABASE AND GUI PROGRAM .................................................................. 43

APPENDIX C: PROJECT TIMELINE ..................................................................................................... 62

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Light Dependent Resistor ................................................................................................ 6

Figure 2: CVMS Block Diagram .................................................................................................. 10

Figure 3: Pin Configuration for ATMEGA328 ............................................................................ 12

Figure 4: Arduino Uno Board Components .................................................................................. 14

Figure 5: Arduino Uno Board ....................................................................................................... 14

Figure 6: DS1307 RTC Module for Arduino ................................................................................ 17

Figure 7: Pin Diagram of NE555 .................................................................................................. 19

Figure 8: NE555 Timer IC Block Diagram .................................................................................. 20

Figure 9: Frequency modulated transmitter circuit ....................................................................... 21

Figure 10: TSOP4838 IR Receiver ............................................................................................... 22

Figure 11: Block Diagram of TSOP4838 ..................................................................................... 22

Figure 12: TSOP4838 Application Circuit ................................................................................... 23

Figure 13: CVMS Flowchart ........................................................................................................ 26

Figure 14: CVMS Hardware Connection ..................................................................................... 27

Figure 15: CVMS Counter Circuit ................................................................................................ 27

Figure 16: CVMS Schematic Diagram ......................................................................................... 28

Figure 17: CVMS PCB Design ..................................................................................................... 29

Figure 18: CVMS Graphical User Interface ................................................................................. 32

Figure 19: Real-time and Hourly Customer Display .................................................................... 33

Figure 20: Real-time and Daily Customer Display....................................................................... 34

Figure 21: Customer Data Bar Graph ........................................................................................... 35

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CVMS – Customer Volume Monitoring System

GPRS – General Packet Radio Services

CCTV – Closed Circuit Television

CPU – Central Processing Unit

IR – Infrared

LCD – Liquid Crystal Display

IP – Internet Protocol

PC – Personal Computer

MTBF – Mean time between failures

TOF – Time-of-flight

GUI – Graphical User Interface

ISP – In System Programmable

RAM – Random Access Memory

ROM – Read Only Memory

EEPROM –Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory

ADC – Analogue to Digital Converter

USB – Universal Serial Bus

ICSP – In-Circuit Serial Programming

LED – Light Emitting Diode

MIPS – Million Instructions Per Second

IC – Integrated Circuit

RTC – Real Time Clock

IDE – Integrated Development Environment

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CMOS – Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor

SRAM – Static Random Access Memory

TTL – Transistor-Transistor Logic

BCD – Binary Coded Decimal

BJT – Bipolar Junction Transistor

FET – Field Effect Transistor

PCM – Pulse Code Modulation

PWM – Pulse Width Modulation

EMI – Electromagnetic Interference

AGC – Automatic Gain Control

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ABSTRACT

As businesses continue to strive each day to adequately meet different customers’ tastes and

preferences, maximize profits realized, and remain competitive in the market, there is an ever

increasing demand for data pertaining to the number of customers entering and leaving the

premises at any one time. The number of customers in the premises at any particular time is

crucial as it provides data that serves as an essential indicator of the level of business

performance and customer satisfaction. This acts as the basis for various planning and marketing

activities by the management. Counting the customers visiting the premises also helps to

maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of employees, floor area and sales potential of a

business. The Customer Volume Monitoring System (CVMS) design and implementation has

therefore been successfully undertaken to meet these needs. CVMS is an accurate, affordable and

reliable microcontroller system to quantify the number of customers in a business premises at

any one time and track periodic volumes in hours, days and months. The system counts the

customers entering or leaving the premises at any one time through a single passage serving both

as an entry and exit point. If a customer enters, the microcontroller counter is incremented by

one. When the customer leaves, the counter is decremented by one. The counter data is then send

to the computer, via the serial port, for storage and display in a Microsoft Visual C#.net database

system with a user-friendly graphical user interface. Consequently, CVMS is able to display the

number of customers in the premises in real time and also to store the number of customers that

visited the premises at a particular hour, day or month for future retrieval when required.

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project Definition

The Customer Volume Monitoring System comprehensively covers the design and

implementation of a microcontroller system to quantify the number of customers in a business

premises at any one time and track periodic customer volumes in hours, days and months. The

number of customers in the premises at any particular time provides very important data that

serves as an essential indicator of the level of business performance and customer satisfaction.

This acts as the basis for various planning and marketing activities by the management. Counting

the customers visiting the premises also helps to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of

employees, floor area and sales potential of a business.

1.2 Project Overview

Customer Volume Monitoring System is an inexpensive, user-friendly and reliable system that

accurately counts the number of customers in a business premises at any one time and monitors

periodic customer volumes in hours, days and months. Two infrared receiver-transmitter pairs

are installed at a single passage which serves both as an entrance and exit. The ATMEGA328

microcontroller continuously monitors the infrared receivers. When a customer enters or leaves

the premises, the infrared rays falling on receivers 1 and 2 are obstructed. This obstruction is

sensed by the microcontroller. The infrared receiver signal is then processed by the central

processing unit (CPU) of the microcontroller. If infrared rays from transmitter 1 to receiver 1 and

transmitter 2 to receiver 2 are blocked respectively, then the microcontroller counter is

incremented by 1. On the contrary, when infrared rays from transmitter 2 to receiver 2 and

transmitter 1 to receiver 1 are blocked respectively, then the microcontroller counter is

decremented by 1. Computations within the microcontroller are then carried out to obtain the real

time number of customers within the business premises. The total number of customers in the

premises is then transmitted, via the Arduino Uno USB cable, to a personal computer for display

and storage in the customer database.

Microsoft Visual C#.net programming language has been used to develop the customer

information database as well as a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying the

customer data in real time or upon querying the system for data stored in the past. Consequently,

through the system, one is able to obtain a display of the current number of customers in the

premises at any particular moment. Moreover, upon being queried, the system is able to display

the information on the number of customers who visited the premises in a particular hour, day or

month.

1.3 Objectives

1.3.1 Overall Objective

To design and implement a microcontroller system to quantify the number of customers in a

business premises at any one time and track periodic volumes in hours, days and months.

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1.3.1 Specific Objectives

To design and implement a microcontroller based customer counter using Arduino Uno,

NE555 timers, infrared transmitters and receivers, among other system components.

To design and implement a Customer database and Graphical User Interface in Microsoft

Visual C#.net.

To interface the CVMS counter system with the database system for storage and display

of customer data.

1.4 Project Justification

The successful design and implementation of the CVMS will greatly improve business

management operations and increase customer satisfaction through fast service delivery.

1.4.1 Advantages of CVMS

CVMS achieves accurate counting of customers entering or exiting the business

premises through a single passage.

The system monitors customers entering or leaving the business premises without

their knowledge. This is because infrared rays are invisible to the eyes.

The system is not affected by any external sources of infrared light. This has been

possible through modulating the infrared light from the transmitters to be at 38 KHz,

which is the only frequency of infrared light that the TSOP4838 receivers have been

configured to detect.

The CVMS is simple to install and operate/use.

The system has high sensitivity.

CVMS is reliable and inexpensive. The system can count customers over a long

period of time without failure. It is also cheap because the hardware and software

components required in the system design/implementation are readily available in the

market.

The system eases congestion within the business premises. Increased customer traffic

within the business can be reduced through increase in the number of employees

offering services.

Assists in optimizing staffing in business premises which leads to improved service

delivery for their customers. With CVMS, it is easy to analyze the customer flow in a

more detailed way and to find how to make staffing more efficient. The result is

increased service delivery and sales figures.

Helps a business to evaluate the effect of commercial campaigns, customer events

and the visual merchandising in the premises.

Using the customer statistics enables the business management to know what hours

most customers visit the premises which makes it easy for management to do its staff

planning in a cost efficient way.

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1.4.2 Applications of CVMS

The system can be customized for use in many areas where monitoring and controlling of

visitors is important. Some of these areas include:-

In education institutions to count number of students and staff in the library or lecture

halls.

In seminar/conference halls to monitor the number of people in attendance.

In places of worship to enable religious ministers ascertain the actual size of their

congregation at any one moment so as to address and serve them better.

In stadia, entertainment joints, museums, etc to ensure only the required capacity of

attendants is accommodated.

In banks, supermarkets, shopping malls and manufacturing industries to count the number

of customers present and hence ease congestion through faster service delivery.

In airports, railway stations and bus stations to count the number of passengers boarding or

alighting from aircrafts, trains or vehicles.

In non-profit organizations as evidence when making applications for finance.

1.5 Project Scope This project covers CVMS hardware and software design and implementation. The hardware

system involved the design and construction of a properly working microcontroller customer

counter. On the other hand, the software system entailed design and implementation of Microsoft

Visual C#.net database with a user-friendly graphical user interface through which real time

customer count or queried customer data is accessed.

1.6 Project Organization

This project comprises five chapters, namely:

Chapter 1: Introduction

This gives the project definition, project overview, objectives, project justification and scope.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

The chapter gives types of customer counting systems, detailed description of hardware and

software components required in the CVMS design and implementation.

Chapter 3: Design and Implementation

This gives a comprehensive description of the technical aspects of the CVMS design and

implementation; project description, system algorithm, system flow chart, hardware and

software design.

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Chapter 4: Results, Analysis and Discussion

This chapter gives the CVMS results, customer data analysis and discussion of the system

performance and challenges faced.

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations

The chapter gives the conclusion and recommendations after completion of the final year

project. It covers assessment of whether project objectives and scope were achieved, a

highlight of areas for future development, bibliography and appendices.

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Classification of Customer Counting Systems Customer counting systems are classified into two major categories:-

2.1.1 Manual Counting systems

In these systems, the number of customers entering or leaving a business premises at any one

time can be obtained through use of any of the following ways:-

Counting the number of business access permits or tickets yet to be collected back from

customers who received them when entering the premises.

Use of customer registration books to monitor customer inflows and outflows.

Engaging the business staff at ground level to observe and tally the number of customers

in the premises

Hiring human auditors to stand and tally the number of customers entering or leaving the

premises. The counting process can be done physically or by use of a tally counter or

clicker-counter. The tally counter is a hand-held device operated by the press of a button

whenever a customer enters or leaves the business. The operator would then have to turn

a knob to reset the counter. Upon resetting, most counters display "0000".

Evidently, human-based customer counting comes at a great expense.

2.1.2 Automatic Counting systems

These systems use customer counters. A customer counter is a device used to measure the

number and direction of customers traversing a certain passage per unit time. The resolution of

the measurement is entirely dependent on the sophistication of the technology employed. The

device is often used at the entrance of a building so that the total number of customers can be

recorded. Modern customer counting systems use many different technologies, each with its own

advantages and disadvantages. These technologies include:-

(i) Infrared Transmitter – Receiver System

This counting system uses single or dual beam infrared transmitter-receiver pairs placed across

the customer passage. When a customer enters or leaves the premises, light from the infrared

transmitters is blocked. The infrared receivers are then programmed sense that as a high (5V) or

low (0V) data signal. The data signal captured by the receivers is then fed to a microcontroller

counter which interprets it as a customer entry or exit. When a customer enters the premises, the

counter is incremented by 1 and when he/she leaves, the counter is decremented by 1. The

counter is then linked to a display system e.g. personal computer or LCD unit. The data can also

be sent via wireless links and GPRS. Accuracy of this system depends highly on the width of the

passage monitored and the volume of customer traffic. Horizontal beam counters usually require

a transmitter and a receiver mounted opposite the unit with a typical range up to 6 metres (20 ft),

although range finding beam counters which do not require a transmitter usually have a shorter

range of around 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in).Vertical beams are somewhat more accurate than

horizontal ones, with accuracies of over 90% possible if the beams are very carefully placed.

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Advantages

High accuracy is achieved for carefully placed infrared transmitter – receiver pairs.

Infrared rays are not visible to human eyes thus enabling customers to be counted without

their knowledge.

Infrared light from transmitters to receivers can be frequency modulated so that the

customer counter is not affected by any other sources of IR light.

Infrared transmitters/receivers are inexpensive.

Counting of customers entering or exiting the business premises at the same passage can

be achieved by use of dual beam IR sensors.

The IR transmitter – receiver systems are simple to install and operate.

Disadvantages

High potential to become blocked by people standing in the entrance or by merchandise

or displays

Cannot count customers standing side by side. However, many of the other counting

systems have the same disadvantage.

Accuracy can be affected by very high traffic of customers.

(ii) Light Dependent Resistor Systems

A Light Dependent Resistor (LDR), photoresistor, photoconductor or cadmium sulfide (CdS)

cell is a resistor whose resistance decreases with increasing incident light intensity. A

photoresistor is made of a high resistance semiconductor. If light falling on the device is of high

enough frequency, photons absorbed by the semiconductor give bound electrons enough energy

to jump into the conduction band. The resulting free electron and its hole partner conduct

electricity, thereby lowering resistance.

A photoelectric device can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. An intrinsic semiconductor has its own charge carriers and is not an efficient semiconductor, e.g. silicon. In intrinsic devices the only

available charge carriers are electrons in the valence band, and hence the photon must have

enough energy to excite the electron across the entire bandgap. Extrinsic devices have dopants

(impurities) added whose ground state energy is closer to the conduction band; since the

electrons do not have as far to jump, lower energy photons (i.e. longer wavelengths and lower

frequencies) are sufficient to trigger the device. If a sample of silicon has some of its atoms

replaced by phosphorus atoms (impurities), there will be extra electrons available for conduction.

Figure 1: Light Dependent Resistor

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Light Dependent Resistors may be used in place of the IR transmitter – receiver system but

are nowadays not commonly used as they are easily triggered by sunlight or any other sources

of light.

(iii) Computer Vision Systems

Computer Vision Systems typically use either a CCTV camera or IP camera to feed a signal into

a computer or embedded device. Some computer vision systems have been embedded directly

into standard IP network cameras. This allows for distributed, cost efficient and highly scalable

systems where all image processing is done on the camera using the standard built-in CPU. This

also dramatically reduces bandwidth requirements as only the counting data has to be sent over

the Ethernet.

Accuracy varies between systems and installations as background information needs to be

digitally removed from the scene in order to recognize, track and count customers. This means

that CCTV based counters can be vulnerable to light level changes and shadows, which can lead

to inaccurate counting. However, robust and adaptive algorithms have lately been developed that

can compensate for this behaviour and excellent counting accuracy can today be obtained for

both outdoor and indoor counting using computer vision systems.

Advantages

High accuracy(sometimes over 95% in correct conditions)

Directional counting information is acquired

Flexible in customization

Highly scalable when embedded in IP cameras

Integration with other systems

Networkable to cover wide entrances

Possible to anonymize images to avoid people recognition.

Disadvantages

Higher cost than IR transmitter – receiver systems

Lower lifetime and higher power consumption than thermal systems

Some systems require PCs that are not fully embedded

Accuracy can be affected by shadow, floor background and differing light levels.

(iv) Thermal Imaging Systems

These systems use array sensors which detect heat sources, rather than using cameras as in

computer vision systems. The systems are typically implemented using embedded technology

and are mounted overhead for high accuracy. Since thermal imaging systems detect the heat

emitted by people, they can be susceptible to external weather conditions that reduce the amount

of heat emitted from a person walking in from an outdoor environment.

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Advantages

Provide directional counting information

Not affected by differing light levels

Can count in complete darkness

Non-intrusive, usually ceiling mounted

Identifiable images of people are not taken

Very long lifetime; Mean time between failures (MTBF) >25 years

Highly scalable, fully embedded IP systems

Networkable to cover wide entrances

High accuracy (upto 92% under suitable conditions)

Disadvantages

Higher cost than IR transmitter – receiver systems

More complex implementation than IR transmitter – receiver systems

Lower field of view than video systems

Cannot be used with ceiling heights below 2.2m

Susceptible to external weather conditions

Hard to know exactly how large an area or “spot” the sensor is “seeing” and measuring

Takes considerable training to get the most from a thermal imager, which can be quite

costly

(v) Synthetic Intelligence Systems

A Synthetic Intelligence System employs multiple IR transceivers to create a count zone at ankle

height. The artificial intelligence counters function in a similar way to the human brain, in other

words, each event is evaluated in terms of features to determine the correct outcome i.e. count

per direction. As a customer passes the count zone a pattern is generated. The onboard processor

extracts the features of the pattern and based on what it has been taught makes a decision

regarding the event by brute force calculation.

Advantages

High accuracy ( 96% or higher)

Directional customer counting information

Discriminates between human and non-human objects

Sensors can count in outdoor environments

Can count in all lighting conditions including in complete darkness

Disadvantages

Larger, more obtrusive design than other types of sensing technology.

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High potential to become blocked by people standing in an entrance or by merchandise or

displays.

Cannot accurately count high volume or uninterrupted traffic of customers.

(vi) 3D Camera Technology

Various technologies exist for acquiring a 3D image of the scene;

Two video cameras in order to reproduce the human 3D vision (stereo-vision)

The quality is based on image processing and 3D camera technology.

Time-of-flight (TOF) sensors use pulsed or modulated emitted IR light to acquire the 3D image of the scene

Structured light sensors acquire the 3D image of the scene using projected light pattern

The active technologies (those emitting light) have some difficulties in outdoor environments

with direct or indirect sunlight, but the raw 3D point cloud is generally more robust for further processing such as counting applications.

Advantages

Even under difficult conditions it achieves a counting accuracy of 98%.

Can count in all lighting conditions including in complete darkness. Unfavourable, variable

lighting or the casting of shadows does not affect the counting.

Disadvantages

The active technologies (those emitting light) have some difficulties in outdoor

environments with direct or indirect sunlight.

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2.2 Block Diagram Description

The basic block diagram of the Customer Volume Monitoring System is as shown below.

Figure 2: CVMS Block Diagram

2.3 Hardware and Software Components

Arduino Uno, Breadboard, Two 5mm size Infrared LED transmitters, Two NE555 Timer ICs,

Two TSOP4838 Infrared receivers, DS1307 Real Time Clock (RTC) Module for Arduino,

Resistors (two 1.8 KΩ, two 18 KΩ, two 220 Ω, two 100 Ω), Ceramic capacitors (two 0.001 µF,

two 0.01 µF, two 0.1 µF), Connecting Wires (2 metres), Personal Computer (PC) running

Microsoft Visual Studio 2010

2.3.1 Microcontroller

A microcontroller can be defined as a single-chip computer that is specifically manufactured for

embedded computer control applications. These devices are very low-cost and can be used very

easily in digital control applications. Most microcontrollers have the built-in circuits necessary

for computer control applications. For example, a microcontroller may have Analogue/Digital

converters so that the external signals can be sampled. They also have parallel input – output

ports so that digital data can be read or output from the microcontroller. Some devices have

built-in Digital/Analogue converters and the output of the converter can be used to drive the

plant through an actuator (e.g. an amplifier). Microcontrollers may also have built-in timer and

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interrupt logic. Using the timer or the interrupt facilities, we can program the microcontroller to

implement the control algorithm accurately.

A microcontroller can be compared to a small stand-alone computer. It is a very powerful device,

which is capable of executing a series of pre-programmed tasks and interacting with other

hardware devices. Nowadays, microcontrollers are so cheap and easily available that it is

common to use them instead of simple logic circuits like counters for the sole purpose of gaining

some design flexibility and saving some space. Most recent microcontrollers are 'In System

Programmable', meaning that you can modify the program being executed, without removing the

microcontroller from its place.

Microcontrollers have traditionally been programmed using the assembly language of the target

device. As a result, the assembly languages of the microcontrollers manufactured by different

firms are totally different and the user has to learn a new language before being able program a

new type of device. Nowadays, microcontrollers can be programmed using high-level languages

such as BASIC, PASCAL or C.

Advantages of High-level languages over Assembly Language

It is easier to develop programs using a high-level language.

Program maintenance is much easier if the program is developed using a high-level

language.

Testing a program developed in a high-level language is much easier.

High-level languages are more user-friendly and less prone to making errors.

It is easier to document a program developed using a high-level language.

Disadvantages of High-level languages over Assembly Language

The length of the code in memory is usually larger when high-level languages are used.

The programs developed using the assembly language usually run faster than those

developed using high-level languages.

Microcontrollers are different from microprocessors, which are integrated circuits having only

the CPU inside them (i.e. only the processing power) e.g. the Intel’s Pentium 1, 2, 3, 4, core 2

duo, core i3, core i5, core i7 and core i9. It does not have random access memory (RAM), read

only memory (ROM) and other peripherals on the chip. They have to be added externally for

purposes of functionality. On the contrary, microcontrollers have the CPU, RAM, ROM and

other peripherals all embedded on a single chip.

Choice of Microcontroller

The factors are considered when choosing the microcontroller to use include:-

a) It should be able to meet the computing needs of the task at hand efficiently and cost

effectively. Here we look at factors like Speed, Packaging, Power consumption, amount

of RAM and ROM on chip, the number of Input/Output pins and the timer on chip, how

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easy it is to upgrade to higher-performance or lower power-consumption versions and the

cost per unit.

b) Availability of software development tools such as compilers, assemblers, and debuggers

c) Wide availability and reliable sources of the microcontroller

Based on the above factors I selected ATMEGA328P.

ATMEGA328P

The features of ATMEGA328P include:-

It has three 8-bit bidirectional I/O ports with internal pull-up resistors, 32KB of Flash Memory,

1KB EEPROM, 2KB of RAM, 2 instruction words/vector, 8-channel 10-bit successive

approximation ADC, Programmable Serial USART, 23 Programmable I/O Lines and Operating

Voltage 1.8 - 5.5V

PB0/ICP1/CLKO/PCINT014

PB1/OC1A/PCINT115

PB3/MOSI/OC2A/PCINT317

PB2/SS/OC1B/PCINT216

PD6/AIN0/OC0A/PCINT2212

PD5/T1/OC0B/PCINT2111

PD4/T0/XCK/PCINT206

PD3/INT1/OC2B/PCINT195

PD2/INT0/PCINT184

PD1/TXD/PCINT173

PD0/RXD/PCINT162

PB4/MISO/PCINT418

PB5/SCK/PCINT519

PB7/TOSC2/XTAL2/PCINT710

PB6/TOSC1/XTAL1/PCINT69

PC6/RESET/PCINT141

PC5/ADC5/SCL/PCINT1328

PC4/ADC4/SDA/PCINT1227

PC3/ADC3/PCINT1126

PC2/ADC2/PCINT1025

PC1/ADC1/PCINT924

PC0/ADC0/PCINT823

AVCC20

AREF21

PD7/AIN1/PCINT2313

U1

ATMEGA328P

Figure 3: Pin Configuration for ATMEGA328

The Arduino

Arduino is a tool for making computers that can sense and control more of the physical world. It

is an open-source physical computing platform based on a simple microcontroller board, and a

development environment for writing software for the board. Arduino can be used to develop

interactive objects, taking inputs from a variety of switches or sensors, and controlling a variety

of lights, motors, and other physical outputs. Arduino projects can be stand-alone, or they can be

communicating with software running on your computer (e.g. Flash, Processing, and MaxMSP.)

The boards can be assembled by hand or purchased preassembled. The open-source IDE can be

downloaded for free.

The open-source Arduino environment allows one to write code and load it onto the Arduino

board's memory. The development environment is written in Java and based on Processing,

AVR-GCC, and other open source software. The Arduino programming language is an

implementation of wiring, a similar physical computing platform, which is based on the

Processing multimedia programming environment. The Arduino software is published as open

source tools, available for extension by experienced programmers. The language can be

13

expanded through C++ libraries, and people wanting to understand the technical details can

make the leap from Arduino to the AVR C programming language on which it is based.

Similarly, AVR-C code can be added directly into the Arduino programs if one so wishes.

The Arduino is based on Atmel's ATMEGA family of microcontrollers namely ATMEGA 48,

ATMEGA 88, ATMEGA 168 or ATMEGA 328. They are low-power CMOS 8-bit

microcontrollers based on the AVR enhanced RISC architecture. By executing powerful

instructions in a single clock cycle, the ATMEGA48PA/88PA/168PA/328P achieves throughputs

approaching 1 MIPS per MHz allowing the system designed to optimize power consumption

versus processing speed. The ATmega48PA, ATmega88PA, ATmega168PA and ATmega328P

differ only in memory sizes, boot loader support, and interrupt vector sizes.

Advantages of Arduino

It comprises the Programmer, Voltage Regulators and Serial to USB converter

The open-source IDE can be downloaded for free.

It is reasonably cheap

Arduino Uno

The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. It has 14 digital

input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analogue inputs, a 16 MHz

ceramic resonator, 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 an AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started. The Arduino Uno

differs from all preceding boards in that it does not use the FTDI USB-to-serial driver chip.

Instead, it features the Atmega16U2 (Atmega8U2 up to version R2) programmed as a USB-to-

serial converter. Arduino Uno uses ATmega328 Microcontroller, Operating Voltage 5V, Input

Voltage (recommended) 7-12V, Input Voltage (limits) 6-20V, Digital I/O Pins 14 (of which 6

provide PWM output), Analog Input Pins 6, DC Current per I/O Pin 40 mA, DC Current for

3.3V Pin 50 mA, Flash Memory 32 KB (ATMega328) of which 0.5 KB used by bootloader,

SRAM 2 KB (ATMega328), EEPROM 1 KB (ATMega328), Clock Speed 16 MHz

14

The diagrams below illustrate the physical appearance of the Arduino Uno and components it

consists of:

Figure 4: Arduino Uno Board Components

Figure 5: Arduino Uno Board

15

Specifications of Arduino Uno

(i) Power Supply

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. The board can operate on an external supply of 6 to

20V. If supplied with less than 7V, however, the 5V pin may supply less than 5V and the board

may be unstable. If using more than 12V, the voltage regulator may overheat and damage the

board. The recommended range is 7 to 12V.

The power pins are as follows:

VIN: The input voltage to the Arduino board when it is using an external power source (as opposed to 5V 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.

3.3V: A 3.3V supply generated by the on-board regulator. Maximum current draw is 50 mA.

GND: Ground pins.

(ii) Memory

The Atmega328 has 32 KB of flash memory for storing code (of which 0.5 KB is used for the

bootloader). It also has 2 KB of SRAM and 1 KB of EEPROM (which can be read and written

with the EEPROM library).

(iii)Input and Output

Each of the 14 digital pins on the Arduino Uno can be used as an input or output, using

pinMode(), digitalWrite(), and digitalRead() functions. They operate at 5V. Each pin can provide

or receive a maximum of 40 mA and has an internal pull-up resistor (disconnected by default) of

20-50 KΩ. In addition, some pins have specialized functions:

Serial; 0 (RX) and 1 (TX): Used to receive (RX) and transmit (TX) TTL serial data. These pins are connected to the corresponding pins of the ATmega8U2 USB-to-TTL

Serial chip.

External Interrupts; 2 and 3: These pins can be configured to trigger an interrupt on a

low value, a rising or falling edge, or a change in value. The attachInterrupt() function is

used to achieve this.

PWM; 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11: Provide 8-bit PWM output with the analogWrite() function.

SPI; 10 (SS), 11 (MOSI), 12 (MISO), 13 (SCK): These pins support SPI communication, which, although provided by the underlying hardware, is not currently

included in the Arduino language.

16

LED; 13: There is a built-in LED connected to digital pin 13. When the pin is HIGH

value, the LED is on, when the pin is LOW, it is off.

The Arduino Uno has 6 analogue inputs, each of which provides 10 bits of resolution (i.e. 1024 different values). By default they measure from ground (0V) to 5V, though is it

possible to change the upper end of their range using the AREF pin and the

analogReference() function.

I2C; 4 (SDA) and 5 (SCL): Support I2C (TWI) communication using the Wire library.

AREF: Reference voltage for the analog inputs. Used with analogReference() function.

Reset: Bring this line LOW to reset the microcontroller. Typically used to add a reset

button to shields which block the one on the board.

(iv) Communication

The Arduino Uno has a number of facilities for communicating with a computer, another

Arduino, or other microcontrollers. The ATmega328 provides UART TTL (5V) serial

communication, which is available on digital pins 0 (RX) and 1 (TX). An ATmega8U2 on the

board channels this serial communication over USB and appears as a virtual COM port to

software on the computer. The '8U2 firmware uses the standard USB COM drivers, and no

external driver is needed. However, on Windows, an *.inf file is required.

The Arduino software includes a serial monitor which allows simple textual data to be sent to

and from the Arduino board. The RX and TX LEDs on the board will flash when data is being

transmitted via the USB-to-serial chip and USB connection to the computer (but not for serial

communication on pins 0 and 1). A Software Serial library allows for serial communication on

any of the Arduino Uno's digital pins. The ATmega328 also supports I2C (TWI) and SPI

communication. The Arduino software includes a Wire library to simplify use of the I2C bus.

(v) Programming

The Arduino Uno can be programmed with the Arduino software. The ATmega328 on the

Arduino Uno comes pre-burned with a boot-loader that allows you to upload new code to it

without the use of an external hardware programmer. It communicates using the original

STK500 protocol. You can also bypass the boot-loader and program the microcontroller through

the ICSP (In-Circuit Serial Programming) header. The ATmega8U2 firmware source code is

available. The ATmega8U2 is loaded with a DFU boot-loader, which can be activated by

connecting the solder jumper on the back of the board (near the map of Italy) and then resetting

the 8U2. You can then use Atmel's FLIP software (Windows) or the DFU programmer (Mac OS

X and Linux) to load a new firmware. Or you can use the ISP header with an external programmer (overwriting the DFU boot-loader).

(vi) Automatic Software Reset

Rather than requiring a physical press of the reset button before an upload, the Arduino Uno is

designed in a way that allows it to be reset by software running on a connected computer. One of

the hardware flow control lines (DTR) of the ATmega8U2 is connected to the reset line of the

ATmega328 via a 100 nF capacitor. When this line is asserted (taken low), the reset line drops

long enough to reset the chip. The Arduino software uses this capability to allow you to upload

code by simply pressing the upload button in the Arduino environment. This means that the boot-

17

loader can have a shorter timeout, as the lowering of DTR can be well-coordinated with the start

of the upload.

This setup has other implications. When the Arduino Uno is connected to either a computer

running Mac OS X or Linux, it resets each time a connection is made to it from software (via

USB). For the following half-second or so, the boot-loader is running on the Arduino Uno. While

it is programmed to ignore malformed data (i.e. anything besides an upload of new code), it will

intercept the first few bytes of data sent to the board after a connection is opened. If a sketch

running on the board receives one-time configuration or other data when it first starts, make sure

that the software with which it communicates waits a second after opening the connection and

before sending this data. The Arduino Uno contains a trace that can be cut to disable the auto-

reset. The pads on either side of the trace can be soldered together to re-enable it. It's labeled

"RESET-EN". You may also be able to disable the auto-reset by connecting 110Ω resistor from

5V to the reset line.

(vii) USB Overcurrent Protection

The Arduino Uno has a resettable polyfuse that protects your computer's USB ports from shorts

and overcurrent. Although most computers provide their own internal protection, the fuse

provides an extra layer of protection. If more than 500 mA is applied to the USB port, the fuse

will automatically break the connection until the short or overload is removed.

(viii) Physical Characteristics

The maximum length and width of the Arduino Uno PCB are 2.7 and 2.1 inches respectively,

with the USB connector and power jack extending beyond the former dimension. Three screw

holes allow the board to be attached to a surface or case. Note that the distance between digital

pins 7 and 8 is 160 mil (0.16"), not an even multiple of the 100 mil spacing of the other pins.

Applications of Microcontrollers

Microcontrollers are used in the following areas: Robotics, Aerospace, Automobiles (climate

control, diagnostics, engine control), Automotive applications, Environmental control

(greenhouse, factory), Appliances (television, stereos, microwave oven, and refrigerators) and

Instrumentation.

2.3.2 Real Time Clock (RTC) Module

Figure 6: DS1307 RTC Module for Arduino

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Features of RTC Module

Memory storage: 24C32 32K I2C EEPROM, LIR2032 rechargeable lithium battery and

rechargeable circuit, reading and writing function, using time: about 1 year (when fully

charged), provides clock signal for microcontroller, cascade other I2C devices, full BCD clock

calendar chip of 56byte non-volatile RAM, address and data transmission via serial cable with

dual-line dual-direction, the chip can provide different time information (i.e. second, minute,

hour etc), AM/PM mark (for working 24-hour or 12-hour), built-in power sensor circuit in the

chip (with brownout detection and battery switch function), Under battery backup mode, power

consumption is below 500µA and accurate calendar upto year 2100.

2.3.3 Customer Detection System

The customer detection system comprises two major parts, namely;

(i) Infrared Transmitter Circuit

(ii) Infrared Receiver Circuit

(i) Infrared Transmitter Circuit

Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than that of visible

light, but shorter than that of microwaves. The name infrared means “below red” (from the Latin

word infra which means below), red being the color of visible light with the longest wavelength.

Infrared radiation has wavelengths of between about 750 nm and 1 mm, spanning five orders of

magnitude. A longer wavelength means it has a lower frequency than red, hence “below”.

Objects generally emit infrared radiation across a spectrum of wavelengths, but only a specific

region of the spectrum is of interest because sensors are usually designed only to collect

radiation within a specific bandwidth.

Infrared radiation is used in e.g. IrDA devices and remote controls which use infrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to emit infrared radiation which is focused by a plastic lens into a narrow

beam. The receiver uses a silicon photodiode to convert the infrared radiation to an electric

current. It responds only to the rapidly pulsing signal created by the transmitter, and filters out

slowly changing infrared radiation from ambient light. IR light does not penetrate walls and so

does not interfere with other devices in adjoining rooms.

The infrared transmitter circuit diagram has two NE555 timer ICs configured to function as basic astable multivibrators or free running oscillators. The astable multivibrators generate square

waves whose period is determined by the circuits external to the NE555 ICs. The astable

multivibrators do not require any external trigger to change the state of the output hence the

name free running oscillator. The time during which the output is either high or low is

determined by the two resistors and a capacitor which are externally connected to the

NE555 timers. The IR transmitter circuit is used to generate the modulated 38 KHz IR signal.

Then you point it over the TSOP4838 sensor and its output will go low (0V) when it senses the

IR signal of 38 kHz and high (5V) when the IR signal is blocked from reaching it by a customer

entering or leaving the premises. As a result, the system is able to greatly conserve power.

19

NE555 Timer IC

The NE555 monolithic timing circuit is a highly stable controller capable of producing accurate

and highly stable time delays or oscillation. The timer basically operates in one of the two

modes: either as a monostable (one-shot) multivibrator or as an astable (free-running)

multivibrator. With a monostable operation, the time delay is controlled by one external resistor

and one capacitor. With an astable operation, the frequency and duty cycle are accurately

controlled by two external resistors and one capacitor. The circuit may be triggered and reset on

falling waveforms, and the output structure can source or sink up to 200 mA.

Features of NE555 Timer

Turn-off time less than 2 microseconds

Maximum operating frequency greater than 500 kHz

Timing from microseconds to hours

Operates in both astable and monostable modes

High output current drive capability. Output Can Sink or Source upto 200 mA

Adjustable duty cycle

TTL-Compatible.

Temperature stability of 0.005% per °C

Applications of NE555 Timer

Precision timing

Pulse generation

Sequential timing

Time delay generation

Pulse width modulation

The figure below shows the pin diagram of the NE555 timer IC.

Figure 7: Pin Diagram of NE555

20

NE555 Timer IC Block Diagram

Figure 8: NE555 Timer IC Block Diagram

Purpose of NE555 Timer in CVMS

As earlier mentioned, the CVMS uses infrared rays emitted by infrared LED transmitters to detect

customers entering and leaving a business premises. These rays can be detected by the TSOP4838

infrared sensors only if they are modulated at 38 kHz. Therefore, a driving circuit comprising NE555

timer configured as an astable multivibrator is needed to feed the infrared LEDs with the required

modulated square wave of frequency 38 kHz.

Astable Multivibrator Circuit

The 38 kHz square wave signal required by the infrared LEDs can be generated using an astable

multivibrator circuit. An astable multivibrator, also called free running multivibrator, generates a square

wave of known period. It does not have any permanent stable state but has two quasi-stable states. The

circuit changes state continuously from one quasi-state to the other after a predetermined length of time

and no external trigger pulse is needed. This length of time is determined by the circuit time constants and

parameters. This circuit can be implemented in a variety of ways. It can be realized by a pair of

regeneratively coupled active devices (BJTs and FETs), negative resistance devices (UJTs, tunnel diodes,

etc) and operational amplifiers. Upon research, I found out that 555 timer would be a suitable choice

because of its compactness, reliability and frequency stability. In this project, NE555 timers have

therefore been used to produced frequency modulated IR light to the TSOP4838 receivers.

21

Each of the two LED transmitter circuits is connected as shown below with the astable multivibrator

modulating the infrared light from the transmitter to be at 38 KHz, the frequency of infrared light detected

by the TSOP4838 infrared receiver used.

R1= 1.8KΩ, R= 18KΩ, C1= 0.001µF, C2= 0.01µF

Figure 9: Frequency modulated transmitter circuit

The 38KHz frequency of infrared light from LED transmitter, f, is obtained by varying R1, R2

and C1. Generally, the following equation is used to calculate f whenever values of R1, R2 and

C1 are chosen by the oscillator designer. From my transmitter circuit design, the frequency of

infrared light from LED transmitter is given as:

f = [1.44/(R1+2R2)*C1]

= [1.44/(1.8KΩ+36KΩ)* 0.001µF]

= 38 KHz

TSOP4838 Infrared Receiver

This is a miniaturized receiver for infrared remote control systems. A PIN diode and a

preamplifier are assembled on a lead frame with the epoxy package acting as an IR filter. The

demodulated output signal can be directly connected to a digital input. The TSOP4838 is a

legacy product for all common IR remote control data formats. This receiver offers high, fixed

gain – detection threshold does not change with changes in ambient light and optical noise in

environment. The IR LED transmitter emits modulated 38 KHz IR signal which is detected by the

TSOP4838 infrared receiver. The output goes high when there is an interruption and it returns back to low

after the time period determined by the capacitor and resistor in the circuit, typically around 1 second.

22

Figure 10: TSOP4838 IR Receiver

Features of TSOP4838 IR Receiver

Photo detector and preamplifier in one package

Internal filter for PCM frequency

Improved shielding against Electromagnetic Interference(EMI)

Improved immunity against ambient light

Insensitive to supply voltage ripple and noise

Fast reaction time – works with continuous 38 kHz signal (Operating/Carrier frequency)

Supply Voltage Range: 2.5V to 5.5V

Low Supply Current consumption (950µA)

Opto Case Style: Through Hole

Operating Temperature Range: -25°C to +85°C

Package Dimensions (mm): 6.9 H x 5.6 W x 6.0 L

Package Pinning: 1= OUT, 2= GND, 3= Vs

Diode Type: Amplified Photodiode

Mounting: Leaded (Lead Length: 23.55mm)

Application: Remote control

AGC: Legacy, for long burst remote control (AGC2)

Block Diagram of TSOP4838

1= OUT, 2= GND, 3= Vs

Figure 11: Block Diagram of TSOP4838

23

The IR receiver (detector) has a band pass filter to reject spurious signals like fluorescent lights

and Automatic Gain Control (AGC) to help in reception of weak signals. AGC is used to control

the dynamic range of radio receivers. Some long range sensors adjust their detection threshold

depending on the amount of ambient light and optical noise present in the environment. With

noise, the gain of the amplifier is reduced to avoid false detections. When exposed to lower light

levels, the adjustable gain makes the receiver too sensitive. It will detect reflected or stray light.

TSOP4838 eliminates this problem by having a fixed gain. During sensor development, the

power applied to the emitter is adjusted for the maximum brightness level expected in the

sensor’s operating environment. The sensitivity of the infrared receiver can be optimally adjusted

by changing the size of the aperture and the use of attenuation filters. The TSOP4838 sensor will

have the same response regardless of the ambient light.

Some long range sensors require the infrared beam to be interrupted for up to 5 ms before

detecting an object. However, with the TSOP4838, response time is much faster; requiring the

signal to be interrupted for only 300 μs before responding. For the shortest response time a

continuous 38 kHz signal should be used. For the longest distance, the TSAL6200 infrared LED

transmitter should be driven with a higher current using a 38 kHz burst pattern.

TSOP4838 Application Circuit

Figure 12: TSOP4838 Application Circuit

Each of the two TSOP4838 infrared receivers used in the customer detection system is connected

as illustrated in the above circuit. The external components R1 and C1 are optional to improve

the robustness against electrical overstress (typical values are R1= 100Ω, C1= 0.1 µF). R1 and

C1 are used as an input filter to keep noise on the power supply from causing false triggers in the

TSOP4838 receiver. The receiver output only has weak pull up resistor (33 KΩ), so an external

resistor R1 is used to augment this.

The TSOP4838 infrared receivers are designed to suppress spurious output pulses due to noise or

disturbance signals. The devices can distinguish data signals from noise due to differences in

frequency, burst length, and envelope duty cycle. The data signal should be close to the device’s

band-pass center frequency (i.e. 38 kHz). When a data signal is applied to TSOP4838 infrared

receiver in the presence of a disturbance, the sensitivity of the receiver is automatically reduced

by the AGC to ensure that no spurious pulses are present at the receiver’s output.

24

CHAPTER 3: DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

3.1 Project Description

After comprehensive research on various technologies employed in both manual and automatic

customer counting systems, the Infrared Transmitter – Receiver System was selected for

customer detection due to its numerous advantages. Consequently, a low-cost microcontroller-

based customer counter was designed and implemented for use in order to know the number of

customers in a business at any one time and track periodic customer volumes in hours, days and

months. The components required in the system were all inexpensive and readily available in the

market.

Two infrared transmitter – receiver pairs were installed at a single passage serving as customer

entry/exit point. The Customer Volume Monitoring System (CVMS) consists of 5 major

sections:

(i) Customer Detection Section

The main purpose of this system is to detect customers who are entering or exiting the business

premises. Two Infrared LED transmitters, two NE555 timers, two TSOP4838 infrared receivers

(proximity sensors), among other circuit components were used.

(ii) Customer Data Processing Section

This uses the Central Processing Unit of the ATmega328 microcontroller.

(iii) Customer Database System

This was developed using Microsoft Visual C#.net installed in a PC.

(iv) Customer Display System

This was achieved through development of a user-friendly graphical user interface using

Microsoft Visual C#.net installed in a PC.

(v) Time Monitoring System

This utilizes the DS1307 RTC Module for Arduino in monitoring the time at which the customer

counter data is to be send to the serial port of the PC for reading, storage and display in the

C#.net database system.

3.2 System Algorithm

Step 1: Start the Customer Volume Monitoring System operation.

Step 2: A beam of infrared light signal is continuously transmitted from the infrared LED

transmitters to the infrared TSOP4838 receivers.

Step 3: The customer motion and the counter value are both initialized to zero. Motion can either

be 0 for waiting state, 1 for move in state or 2 for move out state. On the other hand, the counter

25

can only take a value greater than or equal to zero as dictated by the number of customers within

the premises at any one moment.

Step 4: When the CVMS receives an interrupt from sensor 1 followed by an interrupt from

sensor 2, this is interpreted by the microcontroller as an entry and then the counter is

incremented by 1. The CVMS database is then updated and current number of customers in the

premises is displayed on the C#.net graphical user interface.

Step 5: When the CVMS receives an interrupt from sensor 2 followed by an interrupt from

sensor 1, this is interpreted by the microcontroller as an exit and then the counter is decremented

by 1. The CVMS database is then updated and current number of customers in the premises is

displayed on the C#.net graphical user interface.

Step 6: The Customer Volume Monitoring System operation continues every time the

interruption of the infrared light occurs.

Step7: When 24 minutes (representing the 24 hours in a day) elapse, the microcontroller carries

out computation to get the total customers for that day and this is displayed on the GUI and also

saved in the database for future use.

Step 8: When 720 minutes (representing the total hours in a month of 30 days) elapse, the

microcontroller carries out computation to get the total customers for that month and this is

displayed on the GUI and also saved in the database for future use.

26

3.3 System Flowchart

Figure 13: CVMS Flowchart

27

3.4 Hardware Design

3.4.1 CVMS Hardware Connection

The figures below shows an interconnection of the various hardware components required for the

Customer Volume Monitoring System.

Figure 14: CVMS Hardware Connection

Figure 15: CVMS Counter Circuit

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3.4.2 CVMS SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

The following is the schematic diagram of CVMS as designed using Proteus 7 Professional:

Figure 16: CVMS Schematic Diagram

3.4.3 CVMS PCB Fabrication

PCB Fabrication Overview

A printed circuit board (PCB) refers to the board used for physically supporting and wiring

surface-mounted and through-hole mounted components in many electronic circuits. Presently,

there are different software available in the market for making of the PCB design/layout e.g.

Express PCB, Proteus, Eagle, etc.

29

The following diagram shows the CVMS printed circuit board (PCB) design done using Express

PCB.

Figure 17: CVMS PCB Design

Materials Required in PCB Fabrication

a) Copper clad board

b) Ferric chloride

c) Glossy paper

d) Iron box

e) Three trays

f) Thinner

g) Marker

h) Immersion heater

FCB Fabrication and holes’ drilling

The following was the procedure followed:

i) An ordinary laser jet printer was used for obtaining a print out of the PCB artwork in a

glossy paper. During printing, toner from the laser jet printer was transferred onto the

glossy paper.

31

ii) The copper clad board and printed glossy paper were both cut to fit the PCB artwork.

iii) The surface of the copper clad board was then cleaned using steel wool.

iv) The artwork was then placed facing the copper surface. A warm iron box was afterwards

placed on top of the glossy paper in order to stick it to the copper clad board.

v) The artwork was then firmly ironed onto the copper clad. A heat resistant material was

used to hold the copper clad board and the artwork in place. Then, sufficient pressure was

applied on the iron box so that the toner in the glossy paper was transferred properly from

the paper onto the copper clad board. A lot of care was taken so as not to skid the artwork

while ironing. The principle of operation was that the hot ironing transferred the toner in

glossy paper onto the copper clad thus making the circuit layout on the copper clad board.

After 3 – 4 minutes of ironing, it was possible to see the circuit layout begin to be visible

on the ironing face as veins of a leaf. At that juncture, it was clear that the artwork had

been successfully transferred onto the copper clad board. Caution was taken not to burn

hands with the now hot copper clad board.

vi) The copper clad board was then let to cool for about 5 minutes to prevent the board from

sudden contraction when placed in cold water. Afterwards, the copper clad board was

placed in a tray of cold water for about 5 minutes in order to remove the paper from the

board. Sodium hydrogen carbonate was used to make the process faster. After the paper

was loosened by the water, it was slowly removed by hand. The unnecessary paper from

the copper clad between pad and in between drill holes was also carefully removed. The

missing pads were joined using a marker. Now the circuit only had circuit layout. This

was the mask which resisted Ferric Chloride from etching the copper tracks in the PCB

design.

vii) Water was then boiled using the immersion heater. Then, the hot water was put in the

second tray which was bigger than all the rest. This second tray was just about half full of

the hot water. Ferric Chloride solution was then put in the last tray and the copper clad

board was immersed therein. The tray with the copper clad board was then immersed in

the bigger tray with hot water. The two trays were then slightly shaken to speed up the

etching process. In about 10-15 minutes the copper clad board was completely etched and

the copper tracks were clearly visible on the board. The board was then rinsed in cold

water.

viii) A drill with an appropriate bit size was then used for drilling holes for each of the PCB

components. Proper alignment of holes was done so that inserting ICs into the PCB would be

easy. Afterwards, the print mask was removed from the PCB using thinner.

Soldering

The components’ legs were cleaned with steel wool before soldering as oxide layer on

them would have resulted in cold solder.

32

All the circuit components were then soldered into their respective areas as per the PCB

design.

The continuity test, using multimeter in diode mode, was used to make sure the adjacent

pins of ICs were not shorted while soldering.

The flux between pins was then cleaned.

3.7 Software Design

3.7.1 CVMS Counter

The program for counting the number of customers entering or exiting the business at any one

time was written using the Arduino 1.5.2 software. It was then uploaded into the ATMEGA328P

microcontroller. The code was then tested and debugged until it was error-free and running as

expected.

3.7.2 CVMS Database and GUI

The code for the CVMS database and GUI was written in Microsoft Visual Studio C#.net. The

figure below shows the system graphical user interface developed.

Figure 18: CVMS Graphical User Interface

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CHAPTER 4: RESULTS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 CVMS Results

4.1.1 Real-time and Hourly Customer Display

After successful system design and implementation, the Customer Volume Monitoring System

was found to accurately count and display the actual number of customers within a business

premises in real-time as well as track periodic changes in customer volumes in hours. For the

sake of project presentation and results generation, a minute was taken to represent an hour. As a

result, the CVMS counter was slightly modified to give the number of customers within the

premises at any one time and track periodic changes in customer volumes as minutes elapsed.

However, in the physical deployment of the system, an hour would be after 60 minutes have

elapsed. The table below shows the results obtained.

Figure 19: Real-time and Hourly Customer Display

4.1.2 Daily Customer Count Display

Following successful system design and implementation, the Customer Volume Monitoring

System was found to accurately count and display the actual number of customers who visited

the business premises as days elapsed. For the sake of project presentation and results generation,

a day was taken to represent 24 minutes. As a result, the CVMS counter was slightly modified to

give the number of customers who had visited the premises at every period of 24 minutes.

However, in the physical deployment of the system, a day would mean 24 hours will have

elapsed. The results obtained were as follows:

34

Figure 20: Real-time and Daily Customer Display

4.1.3 Monthly Customer Display

The program for detection and display of the number of customers who visited the business

premises at the end of every month (30 days period) was successfully written and debugged. Due

to limited time at my disposal, it was not possible to wait for the system to count customers

entering and leaving the premises for a period of 720 minutes or 12 hours (since 24 minutes

would represent a day). Nevertheless, it is expected that the system would have worked perfectly

and efficiently to give the monthly count of customers visiting the premises.

4.2 Customer Data Analysis

Below is a table showing a sample customer data and analysis through a bar chart. The customer

data for all the hours in a day, days in a week and months in a year is analyzed in a similar

manner.

35

Hours Current Customers

0600 hrs 10

0700 hrs 25

0800 hrs 5

0900 hrs 49

1000 hrs 64

1100 hrs 30

1200 hrs 18

Table 1: Customer Data

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Current Customers

0600 hrs

0700 hrs

0800 hrs

0900 hrs

1000 hrs

1100 hrs

1200 hrs

Figure 21: Customer Data Bar Graph

4.3 Discussion

4.3.1 System Performance

4.3.2 Challenges Faced

The successful design and implementation of the Customer Volume Monitoring System (CVMS)

has not been without challenges. The main challenges encountered were:-

Limited time within which to design and implement a properly working CVMS Counter,

Database and Graphical User Interface.

36

Delay in delivery of the hardware components required for the project. Due to time

constraints and commitment to deliver a properly working CVMS, I was forced to look

for means of personally purchasing the required components.

Thankfully, I was able to overcome the aforementioned challenges and the project design and

implementation was a great success.

37

CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

5.1 Conclusion

Customer Volume Monitoring System was successfully designed and implemented using

Arduino Uno R3, DS1307 Real Time Clock module, TSAL6200 infrared LED transmitters,

NE555 timers, TSOP4838 infrared receivers, Microsoft Visual C#.net software among other

system components. This type of design is well suited for implementation in all business

premises and other places where the number of persons in a building at any time is required. The

system can also be employed to ease congestion in places where the space is limited. Based on

this system design and implementation, CVMS can also be queried to ascertain the number of

customers who visited the premises at a particular hour, day or month. This assists the business

management in doing periodical assessment of the level of business performance and customer

satisfaction as evidenced by the sales data or frequent customer visits to the premises.

5.2 Recommendations

Customer counting is not just limited to the capture and storage of the number of customers

entering and leaving a business but has a wide range of applications that provide information to

management on the volume and flow of people throughout a location. The Customer Volume

Monitoring System can thus be further be developed so that;

It can generate system reports which can be printed out by the business management staff

so as to make analysis of the customer data collected easier.

Sending of the customer data to a remote location using mobile or internet is possible.

The CVMS can also be interfaced with a GSM modem to send the customer counter data

through SMS.

CVMS can easily be integrated with a business’ Point of Sale (POS) system or workforce

management system. Through using this integration, a business can achieve important

key values such as the number of transactions per the number of customers and hence put

the customer statistics in relation to a business’ turnover, as well as increase the

efficiency in staff planning.

38

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] J. Blum, Exploring Arduino: Tools and Techniques for Engineering Wizardry, John Wiley &

Sons, 2013

[2] Massimo Banzi, Getting Started with Arduino, Second Edition, O’Reilly Media Inc., 2011

[3] B. Evans, Beginning Arduino Programming, 1st Edition, Apress, 2011

[4] M. Margolis, Arduino Cookbook, O’Reilly

[5] http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/csharp(Accessed on 28/11/2013 – 5/01/2014)

[6] http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/ (Accessed on 19/11/2013 – 20/11/2013)

[7] www.vishay.com (Accessed on 12/12/2013)

[8] http://www.ladyada.net/learn/arduino/ (Accessed on 17/11/2013)

[9] www.datasheets4u.com (Accessed on 05/01/2014)

[10] www.datasheetcatalog.com (Accessed on 13/01/2014)

39

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: CVMS PROGRAM

//PROJECT NO.16: CUSTOMER VOLUME MONITORING SYSTEM

//STUDENT: KAVOI STEPHEN MUTINDA F17/2466/2008

//SUPERVISOR: DR.GEORGE N. KAMUCHA

//EXAMINER: DR. VASANT M. DHARMADHIKARY

#include <Wire.h>

#include "RTClib.h"

RTC_Millis rtc;

int pin_out = 0; // Interrupt 0 is on DIGITAL PIN 2!

int pin_in = 1;

volatile int motion = 0; // 0 = waiting state, 1 = motion in, and 2 = motion out.

int counter = 0;

int previous_counter = 0;

int current_hour = 0;

int previous_hour = 0;

void setup()

Serial.begin(9600);

//Attach the interrupt to the input pin and monitor for ANY Change

attachInterrupt(pin_out, Interrupt_out_Routine, RISING );

attachInterrupt(pin_in, Interrupt_in_Routine, RISING );

// following line sets the RTC to the date & time this sketch was compiled

rtc.begin(DateTime(__DATE__, __TIME__));

DateTime now = rtc.now();

40

previous_hour = (now.minute());

delay(3000);

void loop()

DateTime now = rtc.now();

current_hour = (now.minute());

if ( current_hour != previous_hour)

Serial.println(previous_hour);

delay(2000);

Serial.println(counter);

previous_hour = current_hour;

// Serial.print(" ");

// Serial.println(data[1]);

// Serial.print(" ");

// Serial.println(counter_out);

// delay(3000);

else

;// Serial.println("same hour");

if (previous_counter != counter)

Serial.println("112233");

41

delay(1000);

Serial.println(counter);

previous_counter = counter;

delay(1000);

else

;

void Interrupt_in_Routine()

if(motion != 0)

motion = 0;

else

motion = 1;

(counter)++;

void Interrupt_out_Routine()

if(motion != 0)

motion = 0;

42

else

motion = 2;

if(counter <= 0)

counter = 0;

else

(counter)--;

43

APPENDIX B: CVMS DATABASE AND GUI PROGRAM

//PROJECT NO.16: CUSTOMER VOLUME MONITORING SYSTEM (CVMS)

//STUDENT: KAVOI STEPHEN MUTINDA F17/2466/2008

//SUPERVISOR: DR.GEORGE N. KAMUCHA

//EXAMINER: DR. VASANT M. DHARMADHIKARY

using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.ComponentModel;

using System.Data;

using System.Drawing;

using System.Linq;

using System.Text;

using System.Windows.Forms;

using System.Data.SqlClient;

using System.IO.Ports;

using System.Threading;

namespace connection

public partial class Form1 : Form

// Global variables

delegate void SetTextCallback(string text);

string x = "x";

SerialPort mySerialPort;

static string indata;

int Incoming_data = 0; //0 = waiting for new data, 1 = first data and 2 = second data.

static string hour;

static string Number_of_people;

int index = 1;

int index_days = 1;

int index_months = 1;

int index_years = 1;

int inc_hours = 0;

int inc_days = 0;

int inc_months = 0;

int inc_years = 0;

int max_row_hours = 0;

int max_row_days = 0;

int max_row_months = 0;

int max_row_years = 0;

int day_sum = 0;

int month_sum = 0;

int year_sum = 0;

string[] array_days = "Monday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday",

"Friday", "Saturday", "Sunday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday",

44

"Saturday", "Sunday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday",

"Sunday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday", "Sunday",

"Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday", "Sunday" ;

string[] array_months = "January", "January", "February", "March", "April", "May",

"June", "July", "August", "September", "October", "November", "December", "January",

"February", "March", "April", "May", "June", "July", "August", "September", "October",

"November", "December" ;

string[] array_years = "2014", "2014", "2015", "2016", "2017", "2018", "2019", "2020",

"2021", "2022", "2023" ;

SqlConnection cn = new SqlConnection(@"Data

Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename= Data

Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=M:\Kavoi\Kamnehpets\Kavoi

Project\CVMS\connection\connection\Database1.mdf;Integrated Security=True;User

Instance=True");

SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand();

SqlDataReader dr;

public Form1()

InitializeComponent();

private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)

cmd.Connection = cn;

loadlist();

NavigateRecords();

SetText("EMPTY");

table_index();

private void loadlist()//clears the list boxes and loads new data from the database(table

info).

listBox1.Items.Clear();

listBox2.Items.Clear();

listBox3.Items.Clear();

cn.Open();

if (radioButtonHours.Checked)

cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

// cmd.CommandText = "select * from tbldays";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

while (dr.Read())

listBox1.Items.Add(dr[0].ToString());

listBox2.Items.Add(dr[1].ToString());// + ".00 HOURS");

listBox3.Items.Add(dr[2].ToString());

45

else if (radioButtonDays.Checked)

//cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tbldays";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

while (dr.Read())

listBox1.Items.Add(dr[0].ToString());

listBox2.Items.Add(dr[1].ToString());

listBox3.Items.Add(dr[2].ToString());

else if (radioButtonMonths.Checked)

//cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tblmonths";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

while (dr.Read())

listBox1.Items.Add(dr[0].ToString());

listBox2.Items.Add(dr[1].ToString());

listBox3.Items.Add(dr[2].ToString());

else if (radioButtonYears.Checked)

//cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tblyears";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

while (dr.Read())

listBox1.Items.Add(dr[0].ToString());

listBox2.Items.Add(dr[1].ToString());

listBox3.Items.Add(dr[2].ToString());

cn.Close();

46

private void number_of_rows()

cn.Open();

if (radioButtonHours.Checked)

cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

//cmd.CommandText = "select * from tbldays";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

max_row_hours = 0;

while (dr.Read())

max_row_hours++;

// MessageBox.Show(max_row_hours.ToString(), "number of rows");

else if (radioButtonDays.Checked)

//cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tbldays";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

max_row_days = 0;

while (dr.Read())

max_row_days++;

// MessageBox.Show(max_row_days.ToString(), "number of rows");

else if (radioButtonMonths.Checked)

//cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tblmonths";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

max_row_months = 0;

while (dr.Read())

max_row_months++;

47

// MessageBox.Show(max_row_days.ToString(), "number of rows");

else if (radioButtonYears.Checked)

//cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tblyears";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

max_row_years = 0;

while (dr.Read())

max_row_years++;

// MessageBox.Show(max_row_days.ToString(), "number of rows");

cn.Close();

private void NavigateRecords()

cn.Open();

if (radioButtonHours.Checked)

cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

//cmd.CommandText = "select * from tbldays";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

int rec = 0;

while (dr.Read())

if (rec == inc_hours)

textBox1.Text = (dr[0].ToString());

textBox2.Text = (dr[1].ToString());// + ".00 HOURS");

textBox3.Text = (dr[2].ToString());

rec++;

else if (radioButtonDays.Checked)

//cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tbldays";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

int rec = 0;

while (dr.Read())

if (rec == inc_days)

48

textBox1.Text = (dr[0].ToString());

textBox2.Text = (dr[1].ToString());

textBox3.Text = (dr[2].ToString());

rec++;

else if (radioButtonMonths.Checked)

//cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tblmonths";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

int rec = 0;

while (dr.Read())

if (rec == inc_months)

textBox1.Text = (dr[0].ToString());

textBox2.Text = (dr[1].ToString());

textBox3.Text = (dr[2].ToString());

rec++;

else if (radioButtonYears.Checked)

//cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tblyears";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

int rec = 0;

while (dr.Read())

if (rec == inc_years)

textBox1.Text = (dr[0].ToString());

textBox2.Text = (dr[1].ToString());

textBox3.Text = (dr[2].ToString());

rec++;

cn.Close();

private void listBox3_SelectedValueChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)

ListBox l= sender as ListBox;

if (l.SelectedIndex != -1)

49

listBox1.SelectedIndex = l.SelectedIndex;

listBox2.SelectedIndex = l.SelectedIndex;

listBox3.SelectedIndex = l.SelectedIndex;

textBox1.Text = listBox1.SelectedItem.ToString();

textBox2.Text = listBox2.SelectedItem.ToString();

textBox3.Text = listBox3.SelectedItem.ToString();

private void btndelete_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

if (textBox1.Text != "" & textBox2.Text != "")

cn.Open();

if (radioButtonHours.Checked)

cmd.CommandText = "delete from info where ID= '" + textBox1.Text + "' and

HOUR= '" + textBox2.Text + "' and PEOPLE= '" + textBox3.Text + "'";

//cmd.CommandText = "delete from tbldays where ID= '" + textBox1.Text + "' and

DAY= '" + textBox2.Text + "' and PEOPLE= '" + textBox3.Text + "'";

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

cn.Close();

// MessageBox.Show("RECORD DELETED");

loadlist();

textBox1.Text = "";

textBox2.Text = "";

textBox3.Text = "";

else if (radioButtonDays.Checked)

// cmd.CommandText = "delete from info where ID= '" + textBox1.Text + "' and

HOUR= '" + textBox2.Text + "' and PEOPLE= '" + textBox3.Text + "'";

cmd.CommandText = "delete from tbldays where ID= '" + textBox1.Text + "' and

DAY= '" + textBox2.Text + "' and PEOPLE= '" + textBox3.Text + "'";

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

cn.Close();

// MessageBox.Show("RECORD DELETED");

loadlist();

textBox1.Text = "";

textBox2.Text = "";

textBox3.Text = "";

else if (radioButtonMonths.Checked)

// cmd.CommandText = "delete from info where ID= '" + textBox1.Text + "' and

HOUR= '" + textBox2.Text + "' and PEOPLE= '" + textBox3.Text + "'";

cmd.CommandText = "delete from tblmonths where ID= '" + textBox1.Text + "' and

MONTH= '" + textBox2.Text + "' and PEOPLE= '" + textBox3.Text + "'";

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

50

cn.Close();

// MessageBox.Show("RECORD DELETED");

loadlist();

textBox1.Text = "";

textBox2.Text = "";

textBox3.Text = "";

else if (radioButtonYears.Checked)

// cmd.CommandText = "delete from info where ID= '" + textBox1.Text + "' and

HOUR= '" + textBox2.Text + "' and PEOPLE= '" + textBox3.Text + "'";

cmd.CommandText = "delete from tblyears where ID= '" + textBox1.Text + "' and

YEAR= '" + textBox2.Text + "' and PEOPLE= '" + textBox3.Text + "'";

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

cn.Close();

// MessageBox.Show("RECORD DELETED");

loadlist();

textBox1.Text = "";

textBox2.Text = "";

textBox3.Text = "";

NavigateRecords();

private void btnopenserialport_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

mySerialPort = new SerialPort("COM44");

mySerialPort.BaudRate = 9600;

mySerialPort.Parity = Parity.None;

mySerialPort.StopBits = StopBits.One;

mySerialPort.DataBits = 8;

mySerialPort.Handshake = Handshake.None;

mySerialPort.DataReceived += new

SerialDataReceivedEventHandler(DataReceivedHandler);

mySerialPort.Open();

if (mySerialPort.IsOpen)

btnopenserialport.Enabled = false;

btncloseserialport.Enabled = true;

private void SetText(string text)

// InvokeRequired required compares the thread ID of the

// calling thread to the thread ID of the creating thread.

// If these threads are different, it returns true.

if (this.txtCustomers.InvokeRequired)

51

SetTextCallback d = new SetTextCallback(SetText);

this.Invoke(d, new object[] text );

else

this.txtCustomers.Text = text;

public void DataReceivedHandler(object sender, SerialDataReceivedEventArgs e)

SerialPort sp = (SerialPort)sender;

indata = sp.ReadLine();

if (int.Parse(indata) == 112233)

Incoming_data = 3;

//MessageBox.Show("equal");

else

if (Incoming_data == 0)

Incoming_data = 1;

fill_buffer();

else if (Incoming_data == 1)

Incoming_data = 2;

fill_buffer();

else if (Incoming_data == 3)

SetText(indata.ToString() + "");

Incoming_data = 0;

else ;

//fill_buffer();

private void btncloseserialport_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

if (mySerialPort.IsOpen)

mySerialPort.Close();

btnopenserialport.Enabled = true;

btncloseserialport.Enabled = false;

52

private void Form1_FormClosing(object sender, FormClosingEventArgs e)

if (mySerialPort.IsOpen) mySerialPort.Close();

public void fill_buffer()

if (Incoming_data == 1)

hour = indata;

else if (Incoming_data == 2)

Number_of_people = indata;

Incoming_data = 0;

// update = 0;

write_data();

public void write_data()

//updating the hourly table

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "insert into info (ID,HOUR,PEOPLE) values ('" + index + "','" +

(hour + ".00 HOURS") + "','" + Number_of_people + "')";

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

cmd.Clone();

//MessageBox.Show("record inserted");

cn.Close();

int day_end = int.Parse(hour);

//cheking if the day has come to an end

if (day_end == 23)//should be 24

//accessing the hourly table to sum up the the day's count.

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

day_sum = 0;

while (dr.Read())

day_sum += int.Parse(dr[2].ToString());

cn.Close();

//MessageBox.Show(day_sum.ToString(), "sum for the day");

//updating the daily table.

// int month_end = index_days;// int.Parse(hour);//came from a line indicated below.

cn.Open();

53

cmd.CommandText = "insert into tbldays (ID,DAY,PEOPLE) values ('" +

index_days + "','" + array_days[index_days] + "','" + day_sum + "')";

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

cmd.Clone();

// MessageBox.Show("record inserted in table days");

cn.Close();

int month_end = index_days;// int.Parse(hour);//original place before moving it up.

//cheking if the month has come to an end

if (month_end == 30)//should be 30

//accessing the daily table to sum up the the month's count.

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tbldays";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

month_sum = 0;

while (dr.Read())

month_sum += int.Parse(dr[2].ToString());

cn.Close();

//updating the monthly table.

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "insert into tblmonths (ID,MONTH,PEOPLE) values ('"

+ index_months + "','" + array_months[index_months] + "','" + month_sum + "')";

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

cmd.Clone();

// MessageBox.Show("record inserted in table days");

cn.Close();

int year_end = index_months;// int.Parse(hour);

//cheking if the year has come to an end

if (year_end == 12)

//accessing the monthly table to sum up the the year's count.

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tblmonths";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

year_sum = 0;

while (dr.Read())

year_sum += int.Parse(dr[2].ToString());

cn.Close();

//updating the yearly table.

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "insert into tblyears (ID,YEAR,PEOPLE) values ('"

+ index_years + "','" + array_years[index_years] + "','" + year_sum + "')";

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

54

cmd.Clone();

// MessageBox.Show("record inserted in table days");

cn.Close();

//accessing the monthly table in preparation for clearing it up.

int max_row_month = 0;

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tblmonths";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

max_row_month = 0;

while (dr.Read())

max_row_month++;

cn.Close();

//deleting all the data from the monthly table.

cn.Open();

while (max_row_month >= 1)

cmd.CommandText = "delete from tblmonths where ID= '" +

max_row_month + "'";

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

max_row_month--;

cn.Close();

index_months = 0;

index_months++;

//accessing the daily table in preparation for clearing it up.

int max_row_day = 0;

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tbldays";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

max_row_day = 0;

while (dr.Read())

max_row_day++;

cn.Close();

//deleting all the data from the daily table.

cn.Open();

while (max_row_day >= 1)

55

cmd.CommandText = "delete from tbldays where ID= '" + max_row_day +

"'";

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

max_row_day--;

cn.Close();

index_days = 0;

index_days++;

//accessing the hourly table in preparation for clearing it up.

int max_row_hour = 0;

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

max_row_hour = 0;

while (dr.Read())

max_row_hour++;

cn.Close();

//deleting all the data from the hourly table.

cn.Open();

while (max_row_hour >= 0)

cmd.CommandText = "delete from info where ID= '" + max_row_hour + "'";

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

max_row_hour--;

cn.Close();

index = 0;

// MessageBox.Show("table info cleared");

index++;

private void btnnext_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

number_of_rows();

if (radioButtonHours.Checked)

if (inc_hours != max_row_hours - 1)

56

inc_hours++;

NavigateRecords();

else

MessageBox.Show("No More Rows");

else if (radioButtonDays.Checked)

if (inc_days != max_row_days - 1)

inc_days++;

NavigateRecords();

else

MessageBox.Show("No More Rows");

else if (radioButtonMonths.Checked)

if (inc_months != max_row_months - 1)

inc_months++;

NavigateRecords();

else

MessageBox.Show("No More Rows");

else if (radioButtonYears.Checked)

if (inc_years != max_row_years - 1)

inc_years++;

NavigateRecords();

else

MessageBox.Show("No More Rows");

private void btnprevious_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

number_of_rows();

if (radioButtonHours.Checked)

57

if (inc_hours > 0)

inc_hours--;

NavigateRecords();

else

MessageBox.Show("First Record");

else if (radioButtonDays.Checked)

if (inc_days > 0)

inc_days--;

NavigateRecords();

else

MessageBox.Show("First Record");

else if (radioButtonMonths.Checked)

if (inc_months > 0)

inc_months--;

NavigateRecords();

else

MessageBox.Show("First Record");

else if (radioButtonYears.Checked)

if (inc_years > 0)

inc_years--;

NavigateRecords();

else

MessageBox.Show("First Record");

private void btnfirst_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

58

number_of_rows();

if (radioButtonHours.Checked)

if (inc_hours != 0)

inc_hours = 0;

NavigateRecords();

else if (radioButtonDays.Checked)

if (inc_days != 0)

inc_days = 0;

NavigateRecords();

else if (radioButtonMonths.Checked)

if (inc_months != 0)

inc_months = 0;

NavigateRecords();

else if (radioButtonYears.Checked)

if (inc_years != 0)

inc_years = 0;

NavigateRecords();

private void btnlast_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

number_of_rows();

if (radioButtonHours.Checked)

if (inc_hours != max_row_hours - 1)

inc_hours = max_row_hours - 1;

NavigateRecords();

else if (radioButtonDays.Checked)

if (inc_days != max_row_days - 1)

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inc_days = max_row_days - 1;

NavigateRecords();

else if (radioButtonMonths.Checked)

if (inc_months != max_row_months - 1)

inc_months = max_row_months - 1;

NavigateRecords();

else if (radioButtonYears.Checked)

if (inc_years != max_row_years - 1)

inc_years = max_row_years - 1;

NavigateRecords();

private void radioButtonHours_CheckedChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)

label2.Text = "TIME (HOURS)";

label5.Text = "TIME (HOURS)";

inc_hours = 0;

number_of_rows();

NavigateRecords();

loadlist();

private void radioButtonDays_CheckedChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)

label2.Text = "DAY";

label5.Text = "DAY";

inc_days = 0;

number_of_rows();

NavigateRecords();

loadlist();

private void radioButtonMonths_CheckedChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)

label2.Text = "MONTH";

label5.Text = "MONTH";

inc_months = 0;

number_of_rows();

NavigateRecords();

loadlist();

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private void radioButtonYears_CheckedChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)

label2.Text = "YEAR";

label5.Text = "YEAR";

inc_years = 0;

number_of_rows();

NavigateRecords();

loadlist();

private void table_index()

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "select * from info";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

max_row_hours = 0;

while (dr.Read())

max_row_hours++;

index = max_row_hours + 1;

cn.Close();

cn.Close();

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tbldays";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

max_row_days = 0;

while (dr.Read())

max_row_days++;

index_days = max_row_days + 1;

cn.Close();

cn.Close();

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tblmonths";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

max_row_months = 0;

while (dr.Read())

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max_row_months++;

index_months = max_row_months + 1;

cn.Close();

cn.Close();

cn.Open();

cmd.CommandText = "select * from tblyears";

dr = cmd.ExecuteReader();

if (dr.HasRows)

max_row_years = 0;

while (dr.Read())

max_row_years++;

index_years = max_row_years + 1;

cn.Close();

cn.Close();

private void listBox1_SelectedIndexChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)

private void listBox2_SelectedIndexChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)

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APPENDIX C: PROJECT TIMELINE

Owing to the time that I got my final year project, Customer Volume Monitoring System, and the

comprehensive nature of it, the following is an estimate of the time schedule within which the

project was successfully designed and implemented. The project was implemented in the

following phases;

TIME DURATION TASKS CARRIED OUT

14th

November, 2013 – 13th

January, 2014: Intensive Research and Brainstorming phase

14th

January, 2014 – 31st January, 2014: Introduction and Literature Review

1st February, 2014 – 15

th March, 2014: Hardware/Software System Design and

Implementation

16th

March, 2014 – 28th

March, 2014: Hardware/Software System Testing and

Debugging

28th

March, 2014 – 4th

April, 2014: Fine tuning of the Project Documentation,

PCB Design and Fabrication

9th

April, 2014 – 11th

April, 2014: Project Presentation and Demonstration