Abstract

Vehicle theft is a threat to security. The increasing risk of stealing a vehicle is incredibly rising. An automobile tracking system is an essential tool for monitoring the vehicle. This project

“DESIGN       OF       A         CAR   TRACKING SYSTEM       using   GPS/GSM MODULE and MICROCONTROLLER” mainly illustrates the development and implementation of an automobile tracking system. The tracking system uses GPS and GSM technology for providing the data of the movement of the vehicle in a real-time. The main three parts of the complete automobile tracking system are a GPS receiver, a microcontroller, and a GSM module. This project covers both hardware and software development parts.

Hardware development includes all the necessary wirings with other related physical components like Arduino UNO, SIM808, LCD, power connection etc. and software development covers all the essential coding for microcontroller and GSM message command using Arduino C language.

The tracking device provides the opportunity to remotely access the real-time data of the vehicle’s position with latitude and longitude at any point on the earth regardless of the weather. Besides, it delivers the Google map link to determine the location of the automobile. The development of such a tracker reduces the risk of robbing, which provides vehicle’s position data at every interval of time. Hence, it provides security over the burglary of our car.

The anti-theft device is more reliable, cost-efficient, and easy-to-use. It provides security over any unauthorized use of the vehicle. The implementation of the tracking device was a success and motivated us to learn and experience into automation engineering.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Overview

Today, we live in a world of precision. We expend great amounts of intellectual and monetary currency on ever-smaller units of measurement. The ultimate achievement of mankind urge to know locations, at extraordinarily high levels of precision, manifests itself in today’s Global Positioning System (GPS). The uses and implications of the GPS system are yet to be fully realized, and new applications are being found at an ever-increasing rate.

One of the most important applications of GPS is ‘real-time’ or ‘near real-time’ tracking, depending on how often the data is refreshed. GPS provides continuous positioning and timing information, with high accuracy (in the range of meters) anywhere in the world under any weather conditions [1].

Generally, tracking is the observing of persons or objects on the move and supplying a timely ordered sequence of respective location data to a model e.g. capable to serve for depicting the motion on a display capability.

Tracking system is generally defined as a system capable of rendering virtual space to a human observer while tracking the observer’s body coordinates.

One of the efficient ways to display location is by utilizing Google Maps API, which is one of the cleverest bits of Google technology that helps utilizing the power of Google Maps. Google Maps provides a highly responsive, intuitive mapping interface with embedded, detailed street and aerial imagery data.

1.2 Background and context of study

The GPS-GSM based vehicle tracking system is one that makes use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine the precise location of a vehicle to which it is attached. The vehicle tracking system is a total security and fleet management solution. It is the technology used to determine the location of a vehicle using different methods like GPS and other navigation systems operating via satellite and ground based stations.

Modern vehicle tracking systems use GPS technology to monitor and locate our vehicle anywhere on earth. The vehicle tracking system is fitted inside the vehicle that provides effective real time location. This system is an essential device for tracking a vehicle at any time the owner wants to monitor it and today it is extremely popular among people having expensive cars, used as theft prevention and recovery of the stolen car [2].

1.3 Problem statement

Tracking small children, monitoring elderly relatives, offering additional layers of security, precious properties and stolen vehicle searching, as well as other enormous applications bring to light the significance usage of tracking nowadays.

As GPS system provides continuous positioning and timing information, with acceptable level of accuracy anywhere in the world under any weather conditions, these make it convenient to use as a base of tracking system for this project.

GPS positioning works by using the GPS satellite signals to determine the location of the receiver. By tracking the exact location of the GPS receiver and sending this information to some authority, the tracked location can be determined easily. The problem is how to design and implement a tracking system that utilizes GPS service to get the location and GSM network to send this location to the observer. This system should include a device attached to the tracked object and a tracking center to monitor the object’s location. In the tracking device a proper way of interfacing between the GPS receiver and the GSM modem should be introduced.

With the rapidly increase in number of vehicles in Cameroon, there is an increase need of tracking your vehicle or fleet of vehicles due to the following reasons:

• Increase in carjacking incidences that are unresolved by the police
• Increase in unrecovered stolen motor vehicles
• To know exactly where all your vehicles are and of what use they are being used for. It will tell you what time your driver started, how long is being spent on breaks or whether the vehicle is being used to pursue non-work related activities.
• Can be used to settle false claim or complaints against the company that may arise hence prove indubitably where the vehicle was at the time of the alleged and thus demonstrate that the claim is bogus.

Vehicle Security is a primary concern for all vehicle owners. Owners as well as researchers are always looking for new and upgraded vehicle security systems. For the modernization of technology, it is now possible to track and closely monitor vehicle in real time as well as to check the history of vehicles movements. One has to be thankful to Vehicle Tracking System that has helped enormously to maintain the security of the vehicle by tracking its activities at regular time interval.

The system uses Global Positioning System, to find information about the location of the vehicle that is to be monitored and then send the latitude and longitude to the monitoring center through satellite. At the monitoring center different software is used to display the vehicle on the Google map. This is how our system tracks automobiles in real time.

The tracking hardware is installed inside the vehicle in such a manner that it is not visible from outside the vehicle. Hence, it works as a secret unit which continuously sends the coordinates to the monitoring center or the owner of the vehicle.

1.4 Objectives of the study

1.4.1 General Objective

The objectives of the whole project are to build a GPS and GSM based vehicle tracking system with selective hardware and software and apply it in everyday life for supervising the automobile.

1.4.2 Specific Objective.

1. Utilizing the GPS system to determine the position of the tracked object (vehicle).
2. Establishing an interface between the microcontroller in Arduino Uno and the GPS receiver.
3. Applying the GPS receiver output to the microcontroller and developing an algorithm to process these GPS data.
4. Establishing an interface between the Arduino Uno and a GSM modem so that the Arduino sends the object’s location as SMS via the GSM modem.
5. Moreover, the system should have the ability to immobilize the car upon request of owner and to detect and report speed.

1.5 Proposed methodology

• This system consists of a GPS mobile tracking device.
• The device utilizes GPS system to determine a precise location of a vehicle, person, or other asset which is attached to.
• This location is transmitted as an SMS message to a mobile phone connected to the GSM network.
• Finally the object location is displayed graphically by utilizing Google Maps API.

1.6 Scope of the study

The scope of this project is to study and construct a location tracker for an automobile that uses the adopted GPS and GSM technology. The design of the device allows extending the knowledge on GPS and GSM technology including SIM interface. It provides a range of information on vehicle position, speed direction and date in real time using GPS receiver. The microcontroller is another significant part to study, which shows how the instruction is executed with the codes.