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BE IN YOUR ‘SPEED’ LIMITS, OR PARENTS WILL GET SMS

The system developed by PES college students can also send alerts for brake failure and poor engine maintenance before stopping the vehicle automatically

A group of city-based automobile engineering students have developed a fool-proof system – for the time-being only for two-wheelers – which can automatically alert the traffic control room when a rider over-speeds or rides rashly.

The system also has the capability to automatically switch off a poorly maintained engine – for instance, when the engine is over-heating and the motorist fails to realise it – and even when it senses a complete or partial brake failure.

The system developed by the five students, from final year Diploma in Automobiles at PES Polytechnic College, Hanumanthanagar – Akshay Avadhany, Amitesh, Girish J, Dileep Kumar and Suhas S Gowda – is presently developed only to send alerts (in cash of rash driving) to parents or owners of the vehicles; but can be upgraded to issue the alerts directly to the traffic control room to automatically book the violators.

To detect rash riding or over-speeding, a gyro sensor is placed on a two-wheeler. When the vehicle bends more than 110 degrees or less than 70 degrees angle, the gyro sensor issues an alert to the micro-controller unit, which in turn sends an alert to the parents of the rider or vehicle owner. Besides, the ignition also switches off automatically after a couple of minutes.

The angle also determines the speed at which the bike is moving allowing the rider to tilt the bike while speeding.

The gyro sensor is a device that senses the angular velocity, which is the change in rotational angle per unit of time. Angular velocity is generally expressed in degrees.

For detecting, poor engine functions, a temperature sensor is placed near the engine. At times, when the engine gets over-heated due to mechanical problems, the temperature sensor sends a signal to the microcontroller unit, which in turn alerts the rider through a buzzer and the bike automatically comes to a halt.

Similarly, poor braking system can also be detected using an infrared (IR) sensor. The output of the micro-controller unit is connected to the alarm and the interactive voice response system (IVRS). When the brake pressure is on the lower side, a danger signal is emitted and the control system immediately stops the engine to automatically prevent the rider from meeting with an accident. The brake pressure transducer is placed on the brake kit assembly. A transducer is a device that converts variations in pressure (in this case) or brightness, into an electrical signal. All the three sensor-based systems are part of an intelligent monitoring system, wherein devices on the vehicle detects what is wrong and issue alerts.

The students were inspired by real-life situations, which made them realise that most accidents occurred brake failure, poor maintenance or rash and negligent motoring.

Akshay Avadhany, one of the team members, said, “My father was crossing a road and a bike came and hit him because the rider either couldn’t control the speed or, may be, his brakes failed. What do we do at such times? There should be a solution to all these problems on the road.”

Another team member, Girish, was himself a victim of a road accident. “When I was walking one day, there was this boy who came the wrong way on a one-way street and was doing a wheelie. He came and hit me and I sustained injuries. Who can even stop them and educate them about road rules? No one. Therefore, there should be a system which automatically disallows traffic violations,” he says.

“These are all cost effective methods which anyone can take up. The automobile manufacturers can actually think of incorporating these as it is another add-on for safety and benefit of the riders,” says, Akshay.