CycleOps Blog #1 - Design Overview

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Design Overview for CycleOps IoT Project

IDEA: When riding a bicycle, it is pretty hard to insure its security in the same way we do our cars. Bicycles are much lighter, and easier stolen, and often are not locked properly. This project aims to provide a solution to this problem. I want to provide a locking mechanism which will aid a U-Bolt lock in not only preventing a bike isn't stolen, but neither are the wheels. This along side an accelerometer to measure movement once the bicycle is locked in order to trip a security system. This security system and lock will be a part of the Internet of Things through an app which lets you remotely monitor your bike (as well as remember where you locked it up for those with the forgetful mind).

CONCEPT 1: THE LOCK

The first concept for this project is the lock which secures the tires to the frame of the bicycle preventing theft. The lock will look very similar to the following:

However, the lock I want to implement (and prototype) will be an electronic version of this which will be triggered to lock/unlock through the app that I am going to develop. Yet, we all know that the internet and wireless signals are not the most reliable things in the world, so I will have a manual override option in cases where it is needed (this solution: an old school key as seen in above).

CONCEPT 2: THE SECURITY SYSTEM

Once the bicycle enters the locked state, the STM32 Nucleo and Sensor Expansion Board will be monitoring its movements. If the bicycle is moved it will trigger the STM32 to blast an alarm sound through an attached speaker, as well as flash an LED. I want to also implement a way for this to send a notification to your phone that your bike was attempted to be stolen, allowing for a higher chance of retrieval. I also want to implement a panic mode into the security system which will alert an Emergency Contact that you are in danger or hurt and can be triggered through a button push.

CONCEPT 3: THE APP

The final concept that is involved in my design is the app that ties it all together and makes this IoT. To do this I plan on using the Ionic framework, a useful framework which allows you to build native apps using Angular2 and cordova. This app will have a pin on a map with the location of the bicycle, as well as a button/toggle which allows the user to lock/unlock it and arm/disarm the security system. The app will also be linked to the panic mode button and place the call to the provided Emergency Contact. Since there will only be the one prototype using this I will not have to worry about unique identifiers so that only the proper bicycle is paired with, but it will be something I explore so that this may be able to go live in the future!