IOT based Car Parking System

With the rapid increase in urban populations, the number of cars in developed and developing countries is also becoming higher. In congested and densely populated urban areas, the unavailability of car parking spaces is becoming severe. To tackle this problem car parking plazas and parking areas are being developed. However, the manual management of these car parking spaces is quite tedious and inefficient. We have developed IOT based Car Parking System as a part of the solution to this problem.

₹ 9,400

Project Code: 5185

Project Introduction

Proper management and operation of a large car parking is quite a hectic and tedious job. In order to implement an effective and efficient car parking system, some degree of automation must be employed. In order to increase the operational efficiency of a car parking area, an IoT car parking system using the Arduino project is proposed.

The IOT based Car Parking System project consists of 6 infrared sensors. Four of the IR sensors are installed on the four car-parking slots. Two sensors are installed on the entry and exit gates respectively. Two motors are installed on the entrance and exit gates in order to control the opening and closing of these gates. This project also includes an LCD screen that displays the status of parking slots. A remote server-based IOT platform is also integrated into the project for the purpose of remote monitoring and efficient control.

Description of the IOT based Car Parking System Project

The hardware of this project contains six IR sensors. Four out of six sensors are installed on the parking slots and are used to detect the presence of a car in these slots. Two IR sensors are installed on the entrance and exit gates. When a car enters through the entrance gate, the IR sensor detects the car and runs the motor in order to open the gate. When the car is through, the gate is closed automatically. When a car leaves the parking area passing through the exit gate, the IR sensor detects the car and automatically opens the gate.

The circuit also includes an LCD display which is used to monitor the status of car parking slots. All the sensors, motors, and peripherals are interfaced with an Arduino controller board. The Arduino receives the sensor data and sends commands to the LCD and motors. An ESP8288 WiFi module is also interfaced with the Arduino controller in order to send the sensor data to the remote server. An IOT platform is hosted on the remote server which gathers all the sensor values coming from the Arduino via the WiFi module. By means of this IOT platform, the system can be monitored from anywhere in the world using a graphical user interface.

Block diagram of the IOT based Car Parking System project

Block diagram description

IOT based Car Parking System block diagram consists of the following sub-blocks and devices:

• IR Sensors for Parking slots: Four IR sensors monitor the parking slots.
• IR Sensors for gate: Two IR sensors are placed at the entry gate, and exit gate.
• DC Motors: Two DC motors are used for the opening and closing of entry and exit gates.
• LCD Display: An LCD display is used to show the status of parking slots.
• The Arduino controller interacts with all the input devices, output devices, and external peripherals. All the data storage and processing are performed by the Arduino controller.
• The ESP8266 WiFi module is interfaced with the Arduino controller in order to send the sensor data to the remote IOT platform using the IOT communication protocols. The remote IOT server receives and logs all the sensor data coming from the Arduino controller and presents it in a graphical format. Using the IOT GUI, the sensor data can be monitored remotely.

Applications, advantages, and enhancements of IOT based Car Parking System

• The project is built from easily available and reasonably priced components. Therefore, the cost is reasonable and maintenance is easy.
• More IR sensors can be installed in the system in order to cater to larger parking spaces.
• Limit switches can be installed on the doors in order to ensure the safe operation and longevity of DC motors.
• A manual emergency stop feature can be integrated into the system in order to open all the doors in case of an emergency or system failure.
• The software of the system can be upgraded in order to allow for the fully automatic, semi-automatic, and fully manual operation of the parking system.

Sofware specifications:

• Arduino IDE software is used to develop the embedded C language code for IOT based Car Parking System.
• EAGLE PCB Layout software is used to design the PCB layout of the project.
• Any IOT platform or IOT website that can display the values of the sensor in Graphical format.