3RD INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON TECHNOLOGY - ENGINEERING & SCIENCE - Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia (2017-02-09)

A Prototype Of Child Distance Indicator Based On Rssi Of Two Xbees

The proposed prototype system grants a decent start for any other upcoming projects that focuses on child safety devices. In fact, The RF components such as those used enables the addition of wide range of features in addition to the fact of being wireless-based communication devices. This project designated for the exiting efforts of child monitoring and safety in general at places such as playgrounds or parks that have a clear line of sight. Keywords: Child Monitor, XBee, ZigBee, Distance, Arduino. I. INTRODUCTION Being separated from your loved ones whilst out is everyone’s nightmare. Incidents such as those could happen easily especially with those who needs a constant attention. This concern is strengthened by a statistical study that showed “797,500 children (younger than 18) were reported missing in a one-year period of time studied resulting in an average of 2,185 children being reported missing each day.” [1] Parents, regardless of their attentiveness, could easily lose sight of their loved ones and therefore it is necessary to enhance and improvise tracking techniques. Therefore, parents or guardians requires a way or a tool of some sort to provide them the reassurance of knowing their whereabouts, or when they have wandered too far, and quickly are notified. In other words, a device should enable the individuals to retain their independence, whilst providing reassurance that their loved ones are safe. II. METHODOLOGY Fig.1 Block Diagram The diagram shown above (Fig. 1) consists of 2 main blocks; one block, the parent/Guardian’s side, combines the RF module, a microcontroller and the distance indication with the ability for debugging of received data, the other block on the other hand (the child’s side) has both the RF module and the microcontroller. The system functions as illustrated in the flowchart. Fig.2 System Functional Flowchart The system, consisting of both sides, will begin by initializing all the necessary parameters and settings followed by an attempt to connect each other (XBees) using the preconfigured Personal Area Network ID and their addresses. Once the connection is made, the child’s side transmits a data containing the signal strength to the parent’s side; the parent’s side on the other hand, extracts the signal strength value and convert it to an interpretable value. The interpretable value (Fig. 3) then goes under conditional routine, which will decide whether it calls for initiating an indication (wandering beyond the desired distance), or ignoring it (within a safe distance). The system is run in continuous manner to ensure it is up to date with the signal strength from the child’s side.
Shahad Al-Youif, Fadzilawati zainuddin, Nurhasliza Hashim