Smart Vehicle Parking System

This project demonstrates a smart vehicle parking system that integrates an Arduino Uno, IR sensors, a Servo motor, a 20x4 LCD with I2C, and a NodeMCU for parking slot monitoring and real-time display through the Blynk IoT app.

Components Used

• Arduino Uno – For controlling the sensors and motor.
• NodeMCU – For communicating parking status to the Blynk app.
• Servo Motor – Used to open and close the gate.
• IR Sensors – For detecting car presence in parking slots.
  • IR sensors for entrance/exit and 6 car slots.
• 20x4 LCD with I2C – Displays the current parking availability.
• Blynk IoT App – Real-time monitoring of parking slots.

Key Features

• Automated Gate: Controlled by a servo motor that opens/closes based on parking slot availability.
• Slot Detection: IR sensors detect car presence in 6 slots, updating the display and app in real-time.
• LCD Display: Shows available slots and status of each parking slot.
• Blynk Integration: Displays parking status via the Blynk IoT app using a NodeMCU.

Installation and Setup

Arduino Uno Setup

• Connect the IR sensors to pins 2, 4-10 on the Arduino.
• Connect the servo motor to pin 3.
• Set up the 20x4 LCD using I2C with address 0x27.
• Install the necessary libraries:
  • Servo.h for controlling the servo motor.
  • Wire.h and LiquidCrystal_I2C.h for the LCD display.

#include <Servo.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <LiquidCrystal_I2C.h>

// LCD setup with I2C address
LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x27, 20, 4);
Servo myservo;

#define ir_enter 2
#define ir_back  4
#define ir_car1 5
#define ir_car2 6
#define ir_car3 7
#define ir_car4 8
#define ir_car5 9
#define ir_car6 10

NodeMCU Setup

• Install the BlynkEdgent.h library for Blynk integration.
• Define virtual pins for the slots using the following mappings:
  • V0 to V5 for slot statuses S1 to S6.
• Set up serial communication between Arduino and NodeMCU to receive slot statuses.

#define LED_V0 V0
#define LED_V1 V1
#define LED_V2 V2
#define LED_V3 V3
#define LED_V4 V4
#define LED_V5 V5

Blynk Setup

• Create a Blynk project and use the following credentials:
  • Template ID: TMPL3sx7MxDYJ
  • Template Name: MyNodeMCU
  • Auth Token: [Your Blynk Auth Token]
• Set up virtual pins in the Blynk app to reflect the parking status:
  • V0 to V5 for each slot (S1 to S6).

Serial Communication

• The Arduino sends a string of 6 digits to the NodeMCU, with each digit representing the status of a parking slot:
  • 1 = Slot is filled.
  • 0 = Slot is empty.
• The NodeMCU receives this data and updates the Blynk app in real-time to display the parking status.

How It Works

Slot Monitoring

• The IR sensors detect cars in each of the 6 parking slots.
• This data is displayed on the 20x4 LCD and sent to the NodeMCU via serial communication.

Gate Control

• When a car approaches the gate (detected by the ir_enter sensor), the system checks for available parking slots.
• If a slot is available, the servo motor opens the gate to allow the car to enter.
• When a car leaves (detected by the ir_back sensor), the gate opens again, and the available slots are updated.

Blynk App

• The NodeMCU updates the Blynk app in real-time with the status of each parking slot, making it accessible remotely.

Code Overview

Arduino Code

• Handles inputs from the IR sensors to detect car presence.
• Controls the servo motor for gate operation.
• Displays available parking slots on the LCD.
• Sends parking slot data (via serial communication) to the NodeMCU for updating the Blynk app.

NodeMCU Code

• Receives slot statuses from the Arduino over serial communication.
• Updates the virtual pins in the Blynk app to reflect the status of parking slots.

Future Enhancements

• RFID Integration: Implement an RFID system for user identification when entering/exiting the parking area.
• Advanced Parking Allocation: Develop a more advanced algorithm to optimize parking slot allocation.
• System Expansion: Increase the number of parking slots and scale the system for larger parking facilities.