This instructable helps you to build a simplified tracking system and was inspired by beacon technology. The prototype made for this instructable consist of the following:

Arduino Uno
Base shield
Two Ultrasonic rangers
LCD screen (we used a Ywrobot)
Wires
Arduino code (found in step 5)

In this case, the Ultrasonic rangers are functioning as/mimicking beacons, and the LCD screen as the screen of your mobile phone.

The prototype notifies you when movement is detected, and if detected, whether the movement was to the right, to the left or unknown. The latter was added in case the person (or object) passing by just passes one ‘beacon’ because he could either stopped moving in the middle, walked another direction where there was no beacon or walked back without passing another beacon except for the one he already passed.

So how to build this?

Step 1: Get Your Components Ready

P.S. If you do not own a LCD screen, you can also use the serial monitor in Arduino. Change lcd.write () to Serial.print ().

Step 2: Attach Base Shield

Step 3: Connect LCD Screen

Use the four male-to-female wires to connect your LCD screen to your Arduino+Base shield;

connect GND to GND (purple in the picture)
VCC to 5V (blue in the picture)
SDA to A5 (yellow in the picture)
SCL to A6 (white in the picture)

Step 4: Connect Ultrasonic Rangers

Use the Shield cables to attach the two Ultrasonic Rangers to the D6- and D7 ports of the Base shield.

Step 5: Download and Upload Code

Code can be found below.

Simplified_Tracking_with_URs.ino
Download

Step 6: Test It!

An Arduino storage box was used to keep the simplified beacons on place.

The LCD-screen will start by showing ‘movement unknown’. Depending on which Ultrasonic ranger you placed where, when a person or object passes the two beacons, the LCD-screen will either notify you whether there was movement to the left or to the right. If you did not adapt the code, the prototype will need 2 [sec] to go through the loop again.

Good luck!

T.Q. Mallon and C.Shao