Ideas to detect car traffic in a driveway?

[drock1985]

Hi,

I have a friend who owns a couple of greenhouses as a business. If no one is around in the greenhouse, he usually likes to sit inside until he sees someone down near them from his window, but he doesn't always hear/see people go in. He was asking me if there was any way I could think of to alert him to a car that would enter/exit his driveway. Mind you, he doesn't want to spend too much money on it and would rather do it himself since he has a farm and would have most of the tools on hand if needed.

After doing some research, the only things I can think of that would reliably work would be either a induction-loop system similar to what traffic systems use to detect car rims (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_loop) but this would require running power to the source of the box/loop and don't really want to do that if possible. (http://hackaday.com/2014/04/04/building-an-inductive-loop-vehicle-detector/)

So I was wondering if anyone was already doing such a project or was maybe looking into it? If not, I will probably recommend him the Open Hardware/Source induction loop and see what he thinks. It would be a fun project to do anyways :).

[Yveaux]

@drock1985 How about using a PIR to detect motion? Will detect anything, not just cars, but can be run of a battery and costs are very low.

[drock1985]

@Yveaux

Would a PIR work fine in all weather types? I thought that a PIR sensor outside would be next to useless in bright sun days.

[BulldogLowell]

break beam

[Yveaux]

@drock1985 PIR sensors are sensitive to infrared light, and will detect relative changes in temperature. Keep it out of direct sunlight and it will probably do just fine.

Maybe a radar module could also be used: https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/3568/microwave-radar-module-as-pir-replacement/3

[sundberg84]

Depending on how wide the entrance is, but I use a laserbeam and reflector as a counter in my store.
Something like this (pretty much +1 as @BulldogLowell said).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX_-MPOJNXY

[drock1985]

Hi @sundberg84 @Yveaux

The width I have to cover is roughly 1.5 cars wide from what I can remember. I didn't take any exact measurements yet. The Radar and laserbeam ideas sound like good ideas to me. And the fact you use it as a counter sundberg gives me another idea to count customers.

I'll look into both and probably order some parts for both. I have read the thread about the radar module and that sounds good if the 30 second timer could be somehow removed from the system (maybe adding a POT?).

Another thing I need to figure out yet how to do is add a siren to the system for outside. I can use MySensors and direct node to node for inside if need be; but still a nice audible speaker for outside as well.

Thanks again!

[drock1985]

Ok, I think i'm going to go with the HB100 Radar modules (run on 3.3/5V, so perfect) and run direct node to gateway communications for alerts by adding a piezzo buzzer to a all in one gateway (maybe, if not another node) using the 2.0 beta branch.

Now my last thing to solve is power since this will be outside. I remember seeing somewhere online (not on this forum) there is a module that you can connect a 3.7v Li-Ion battery pack to that has a charger and 5v booster on board the same chip with USB to charge it with. Does anyone know if I can connect a solar panel to this and charge it? @Yveaux @sundberg84

[mfalkvidd]

@drock1985 http://www.instructables.com/id/SOLAR-POWERED-ARDUINO-WEATHER-STATION/?ALLSTEPS has pretty good instructions and a component list that you should be able to use.

[drock1985]

@mfalkvidd

Thanks. That explains it all pretty perfectly.