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Forum Using a traffic light to help parking the car in the garage
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Related

Using a traffic light to help parking the car in the garage

ajn
ajn over 11 years ago

Years ago, my father picked up a real/working traffic light.  I'd like to hang this in my garage and use it as a guide for my wife as she parks the car (Green=proceed, Yellow=slow down, Red=stop).  What should I be looking at for proximity sensors?  and how best to wire everything up?

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  • gadget.iom
    gadget.iom over 11 years ago +1
    Take a look at ultrasonic range finders. Modules such as this should suffice: HC-SR04 - MULTICOMP - ULTRASONIC DISTANCE SENSOR | CPC They can be interfaced with code such as this: Arduino Playground -…
  • mcb1
    mcb1 over 11 years ago in reply to gadget.iom +1
    If the red light has blown you may end up with a dented car. You could always check if the lamp is okay and flash all the remaining lamps at the same time to show an error. Obviously you'd need some…
  • ajn
    ajn over 11 years ago +1
    A big thank you to everyone who replied. I've got some great ideas to work with. Next step (for me) will be to order some parts and see what I can put together. I'll post an update when I've got something…
  • gadget.iom
    0 gadget.iom over 11 years ago

    Take a look at ultrasonic range finders. Modules such as this should suffice: HC-SR04 - MULTICOMP - ULTRASONIC DISTANCE SENSOR | CPC

     

    They can be interfaced with code such as this: Arduino Playground - UltrasonicSensor

     

    The traffic light arrangement could be interfaced using this: http://playground.arduino.cc/uploads/Main/relays.pdf ,and the digitalWrite command.

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  • gadget.iom
    0 gadget.iom over 11 years ago

    I'm not sure where your light was sourced from, in the UK older systems used 12v capsule lamps with local transformers in the head.

    You could localise the relay control and switch 12v instead of mains voltage.

     

    Also worth considering is the operation where a lamp has failed. If the red light has blown you may end up with a dented car.

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  • ajn
    0 ajn over 11 years ago in reply to gadget.iom

    It's a US traffic light that, currently, uses fairly low wattage 110V lamps.  I built up a circuit many many years ago with a couple of 555's and (I think opto-isolated) SCR's just to have each of the lights flash in sequence (RED ... yellow ... green).  Now, with a garage, I'm trying to make it more useful.

     

    And, yes, the failed lamp scenario could be a problem.

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  • gadget.iom
    0 gadget.iom over 11 years ago in reply to ajn

    You could look into drop-in LED replacements for those lamps. What kind are they?

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  • mcb1
    0 mcb1 over 11 years ago in reply to gadget.iom

    If the red light has blown you may end up with a dented car.

    You could always check if the lamp is okay and flash all the remaining lamps at the same time to show an error.

    Obviously you'd need some form of microcontroller.

     

    Many of the automotive computer modules do something similar and throw an error.

     

     

    Mark

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  • gadget.iom
    0 gadget.iom over 11 years ago in reply to mcb1

    Good Idea! could something like the ACS712 be used?

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  • Problemchild
    0 Problemchild over 11 years ago in reply to mcb1

    Good point although many have LED arrays in now.(At least  here in the UK)

    One way of dealing with that is to light all 3 colours and then as they go past certain proximities switch off the Green and Orange until only the Red is still on and you need to stop

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  • Problemchild
    0 Problemchild over 11 years ago

    You can do this mechanically with a dangly thing positioned so that it touches the windscreen when it's time to stop.

    Not as good as good as an electronics project though image

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  • Problemchild
    0 Problemchild over 11 years ago in reply to Problemchild

    Interesting addition would be  an horizontal LED array telling you if you were to far left or right  when you were parking so you always had room to open the driver's door!

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  • clem57
    0 clem57 over 11 years ago in reply to Problemchild

    My Dad put a block on one wheel marking correct spot to stop!

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