10-07-2012, 02:27 PM
Anti-nap device
Anti-nap.doc (Size: 54 KB / Downloads: 31)
Introduction
At some point in a college student’s life at school, they may inadvertently fall asleep in class. This is the motivation of our project design; we want to create a device that can help students stay awake without disturbing their surroundings. As someone falls asleep, the grip and the force applied on whatever they may be holding gradually decreases. For the benefit of the student, we will ideally use a pen and a pocket-sized device as the alarm system. The pen detects the user’s grip to determine the alertness state and wirelessly turn on the pocket-sized vibration device to wake the student if necessary.
Objectives
The main goal of our project is to create a pair of devices that will ultimately detect when a person falls asleep and wake the user up through vibrations. These devices will communicate wirelessly through use of an RF transmitter and receiver. The first device will utilize force sensors and be responsible for sensing and detection. The other device will receive and process the data, and activate the inbuilt vibrator motor. Ideally, this system should be easy to use, and the sensitivity settings can be adjusted so that it does not constantly trigger the motor. For our project, the motor on the vibrator will start once it has detected that the force has fallen to a certain level, but more advanced alerts and options may be programmed for marketing.
Goals
• Keeping the user awake during times of fatigue.
Functions
• Doubles as writing tool.
• Serve to keep the user focused and alert.
• Promotes productivity.
Benefits
• People who must persevere through meetings, classes, or other activities may find the device useful, especially when they are tired.
• The device will be able to help avoid wasting time passed out.
• The device acts like a portable alarm that shakes if the user falls asleep.
Verification
Testing procedures
Firstly, the major components must be tested individually:
Sensors: The force sensors can be tested by using an oscilloscope and voltmeter. It is important to run several trials to determine the average range of readings to ensure an adequate response. We also must make sure that the sensitivity is not too high, which will give us volatile and inaccurate results. We will have multiple people apply a force to the sensor and take the average to determine the range. We will also calibrate the sensor and make graphs of force versus output voltage to determine the sensitivity of the device.
RF Modules: The most important thing to test is that the modules can accurately transmit and receive data. In addition, we also need to verify the operational range of the device. This can be accomplished by attaching the transmitter to a wave generator and the receiver to an oscilloscope. The next step would be to test the range by moving the devices.