Proximity Safety Bike Light

Figure 1: Proximity Safety Bike Light

In the wake of his struggle to enjoy a safe bike ride, Emilio Curiel has developed a proximity safety bike light. This is his very first DIY project which he made after winning an Intel Edison along with a transportation and safety kit. The idea clicked him when he realized that often cars and big vehicles tend to ignore bikes on road especially because they can’t be seen clearly at night. In order to resolve this issue, he decided to build an LED light system similar to those found in cars but with a twisted mechanism.

In this DIY project, two LED bars were fitted at the front and rear so as to make the bike look more visible at night. The system could judge the distance between the vehicles on the road and would blink accordingly thereby reducing any chance for an accident. Although Emilio combined his Intel Edison with a breakout board, one can also use an Arduino in place of the board.

The materials that were required to develop this project are mentioned below:

Intel Edison with Arduino Breakout Board/Arduino
Ultrasonic Sensor HC SR04
7 LEDs
2*200 resistors
Power Bank
Cable USB-Micro USB
Jumpers
Cases for the electronics

First he configured the Intel Edison as per the required procedure which can be learnt through the online tutorials. Then he used the breadboard to load up the code in the Edsion. This code will read the values of the ultrasonic sensor and then calculate the proximity between the bike and other vehicles thereby causing the LED to blink. It is advisable to load the code before proceeding as it will help in connecting the Edison easily with the computer.

After this he put the Edison in a safe case and made necessary hole for the USB cable to pass through. In order to prepare a case for the LED units he put 6 holes for the bulbs. Besides, he used foam paper and put 2 holes on it to let the trigger and echo pass through them. Then he bent the LEDs in L-shape and welded their common catodes and anodes. Later he connected the resistor and placed the LED lights safely in the case. For the front, a straw was used to insert the LED units into it through a wire. As far as the sensor is concerned, the surplus amount of foam paper can be removed.

The next step is to connect the board with the sensor and LEDs by joining the right wires. The Trig and Echo of sensor are joined to Pin 9 and 8 of the board while the back and front light are connected to Pin 12 and 4 respectively. After this, it is important to place the sensor and lights at the correct position so that the whole setup works correctly. When the parts are mounted on the bike, a power bank is connected to the micro USB port and then after 5 seconds, the program runs successfully as indicated by the blinking of the lights.

To know about the working of this proximity safety bike light, you can watch this video posted by Emilio.