Radar

Demo Video

In this project, we will create a radar that can detect an object within a 4 cm radius on a given angle interval using the gizDuino LIN.

WHAT IS A RADAR AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

A radar stands for radio detection and ranging. It operates on either UHF or ultra high frequency, or microwave part of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum. It is an instrument used to detect the position and movement of an object on a particular space. Its applications include tracking storm systems, forming precise maps, and detecting not just air traffic but also in aircraft and marine navigation.

Materials:

Download the latest version of Arduino IDE from https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software. Also, download the processing software version 2 from https://processing.org/download/The software is free and runs like the Arduino IDE.

Breadboard:

CONNECTIONS:

Upload the following codes to the Arduino IDE:

// Includes the Servo library
#include <Servo.h>
#include <NewPing.h>
int pos = 15;
// Defines Tirg and Echo pins of the Ultrasonic Sensor
const int trigPin = 10;
const int echoPin = 11;
// Variables for the duration and the distance
long duration;
int distance;
NewPing sonar(trigPin, echoPin, 400); // NewPing setup of pins and maximum distance.
Servo myServo; // Creates a servo object for controlling the servo motor
void setup() {
pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT); // Sets the trigPin as an Output
pinMode(echoPin, INPUT); // Sets the echoPin as an Input
Serial.begin(9600);
myServo.attach(12); // Defines on which pin is the servo motor attached
}
void loop()
{
for ( pos = 15; pos <= 165; pos += 1)
{ // goes from 0 degrees to 180 degrees
// in steps of 1 degree
myServo.write(pos); // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
delay(30); // waits 15ms for the servo to reach the position
distance = sonar.ping_cm();// Calls a function for calculating the distance measured by the Ultrasonic sensor for each degree
Serial.print(pos); // Sends the current degree into the Serial Port
Serial.print(","); // Sends addition character right next to the previous value needed later in the Processing IDE for indexing
Serial.print(distance); // Sends the distance value into the Serial Port
Serial.print("."); // Sends addition character right next to the previous value needed later in the Processing IDE for indexing
}
for ( pos = 165; pos >= 15; pos -= 1)
{ // goes from 180 degrees to 0 degrees
myServo.write(pos); // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
delay(30); // waits 15ms for the servo to reach the position
distance = sonar.ping_cm();// Calls a function for calculating the distance measured by the Ultrasonic sensor for each degree
Serial.print(pos); // Sends the current degree into the Serial Port
Serial.print(","); // Sends addition character right next to the previous value needed later in the Processing IDE for indexing
Serial.print(distance); // Sends the distance value into the Serial Port
Serial.print("."); // Sends addition character right next to the previous value needed later in the Processing IDE for indexing
}
delay(1000);
}
// Function for calculating the distance measured by the Ultrasonic sensor
int calculateDistance(){
digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
delayMicroseconds(2);
// Sets the trigPin on HIGH state for 10 micro seconds
digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(10);
digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH); // Reads the echoPin, returns the sound wave travel time in microseconds
distance= duration*0.034/2;
return distance;
}
view rawRadar.ino hosted with ? by GitHub

Upload the following codes to the Processing IDE:

import processing.serial.*; // imports library for serial communication
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent; // imports library for reading the data from the serial port
import java.io.IOException;
Serial myPort; // defines Object Serial
// defubes variables
String angle="";
String distance="";
String data="";
String noObject;
float pixsDistance;
int iAngle, iDistance;
int index1=0;
int index2=0;
PFont orcFont;
void setup() {
size (1920, 1080);
smooth();
myPort = new Serial(this,"COM4", 9600); // starts the serial communication
myPort.bufferUntil('.'); // reads the data from the serial port up to the character '.'. So actually it reads this: angle,distance.
orcFont = loadFont("OCRAExtended-30.vlw");
}
void draw() {
fill(98,245,31);
textFont(orcFont);
// simulating motion blur and slow fade of the moving line
noStroke();
fill(0,4);
rect(0, 0, width, 1010);
fill(98,245,31); // green color
// calls the functions for drawing the radar
drawRadar();
drawLine();
drawObject();
drawText();
}
void serialEvent (Serial myPort) { // starts reading data from the Serial Port
// reads the data from the Serial Port up to the character '.' and puts it into the String variable "data".
data = myPort.readStringUntil('.');
data = data.substring(0,data.length()-1);
index1 = data.indexOf(","); // find the character ',' and puts it into the variable "index1"
angle= data.substring(0, index1); // read the data from position "0" to position of the variable index1 or thats the value of the angle the Arduino Board sent into the Serial Port
distance= data.substring(index1+1, data.length());
// read the data from position "index1" to the end of the data pr thats the value of the distance
// converts the String variables into Integer
iAngle = int(angle);
iDistance = int(distance);
}
void drawRadar() {
pushMatrix();
translate(960,1000); // moves the starting coordinats to new location
noFill();
strokeWeight(2);
stroke(98,245,31);
// draws the arc lines
arc(0,0,1800,1800,PI,TWO_PI);
arc(0,0,1400,1400,PI,TWO_PI);
arc(0,0,1000,1000,PI,TWO_PI);
arc(0,0,600,600,PI,TWO_PI);
// draws the angle lines
line(-960,0,960,0);
line(0,0,-960*cos(radians(30)),-960*sin(radians(30)));
line(0,0,-960*cos(radians(60)),-960*sin(radians(60)));
line(0,0,-960*cos(radians(90)),-960*sin(radians(90)));
line(0,0,-960*cos(radians(120)),-960*sin(radians(120)));
line(0,0,-960*cos(radians(150)),-960*sin(radians(150)));
line(-960*cos(radians(30)),0,960,0);
popMatrix();
}
void drawObject() {
pushMatrix();
translate(960,1000); // moves the starting coordinats to new location
strokeWeight(9);
stroke(255,10,10); // red color
pixsDistance = iDistance*22.5; // covers the distance from the sensor from cm to pixels
// limiting the range to 40 cms
if(iDistance<40){
// draws the object according to the angle and the distance
line(pixsDistance*cos(radians(iAngle)),-pixsDistance*sin(radians(iAngle)),950*cos(radians(iAngle)),-950*sin(radians(iAngle)));
}
popMatrix();
}
view rawRadar_Processing.pde hosted with ? by GitHub

Version of the codes that will fit into any resolution of the screen:

/*Radar Project
*
* Updated version. Fits any screen resolution!
* Just change the values in the size() function,
* with your screen resolution.
*
* by Dejan Nedelkovski,
* www.HowToMechatronics.com
*
*/
import processing.serial.*; // imports library for serial communication
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent; // imports library for reading the data from the serial port
import java.io.IOException;
Serial myPort; // defines Object Serial
// defubes variables
String angle="";
String distance="";
String data="";
String noObject;
float pixsDistance;
int iAngle, iDistance;
int index1=0;
int index2=0;
PFont orcFont;
void setup() {
size (1920, 1080); // ***CHANGE THIS TO YOUR SCREEN RESOLUTION***
smooth();
myPort = new Serial(this,"COM4", 9600); // starts the serial communication
myPort.bufferUntil('.'); // reads the data from the serial port up to the character '.'. So actually it reads this: angle,distance.
orcFont = loadFont("OCRAExtended-30.vlw");
}
void draw() {
fill(98,245,31);
textFont(orcFont);
// simulating motion blur and slow fade of the moving line
noStroke();
fill(0,4);
rect(0, 0, width, height-height*0.065);
fill(98,245,31); // green color
// calls the functions for drawing the radar
drawRadar();
drawLine();
drawObject();
drawText();
}
void serialEvent (Serial myPort) { // starts reading data from the Serial Port
// reads the data from the Serial Port up to the character '.' and puts it into the String variable "data".
data = myPort.readStringUntil('.');
data = data.substring(0,data.length()-1);
index1 = data.indexOf(","); // find the character ',' and puts it into the variable "index1"
angle= data.substring(0, index1); // read the data from position "0" to position of the variable index1 or thats the value of the angle the Arduino Board sent into the Serial Port
distance= data.substring(index1+1, data.length()); // read the data from position "index1" to the end of the data pr thats the value of the distance
// converts the String variables into Integer
iAngle = int(angle);
iDistance = int(distance);
}
void drawRadar() {
pushMatrix();
translate(width/2,height-height*0.074); // moves the starting coordinats to new location
noFill();
strokeWeight(2);
stroke(98,245,31);
// draws the arc lines
arc(0,0,(width-width*0.0625),(width-width*0.0625),PI,TWO_PI);
arc(0,0,(width-width*0.27),(width-width*0.27),PI,TWO_PI);
arc(0,0,(width-width*0.479),(width-width*0.479),PI,TWO_PI);
arc(0,0,(width-width*0.687),(width-width*0.687),PI,TWO_PI);
// draws the angle lines
line(-width/2,0,width/2,0);
line(0,0,(-width/2)*cos(radians(30)),(-width/2)*sin(radians(30)));
line(0,0,(-width/2)*cos(radians(60)),(-width/2)*sin(radians(60)));
line(0,0,(-width/2)*cos(radians(90)),(-width/2)*sin(radians(90)));
line(0,0,(-width/2)*cos(radians(120)),(-width/2)*sin(radians(120)));
line(0,0,(-width/2)*cos(radians(150)),(-width/2)*sin(radians(150)));
line((-width/2)*cos(radians(30)),0,width/2,0);
popMatrix();
}
void drawObject() {
pushMatrix();
translate(width/2,height-height*0.074); // moves the starting coordinats to new location
strokeWeight(9);
stroke(255,10,10); // red color
pixsDistance = iDistance*((height-height*0.1666)*0.025); // covers the distance from the sensor from cm to pixels
// limiting the range to 40 cms
if(iDistance<40){
// draws the object according to the angle and the distance
line(pixsDistance*cos(radians(iAngle)),-pixsDistance*sin(radians(iAngle)),(width-width*0.505)*cos(radians(iAngle)),-(width-width*0.505)*sin(radians(iAngle)));
}
popMatrix();
}
void drawLine() {
pushMatrix();
strokeWeight(9);
stroke(30,250,60);
translate(width/2,height-height*0.074); // moves the starting coordinats to new location
line(0,0,(height-height*0.12)*cos(radians(iAngle)),-(height-height*0.12)*sin(radians(iAngle))); // drawsthe line according to the angle
popMatrix();
}
void drawText() { // draws the texts on the screen
pushMatrix();
if(iDistance>40) {
noObject = "Out of Range";
}
else {
noObject = "In Range";
}
fill(0,0,0);
noStroke();
rect(0, height-height*0.0648, width, height);
fill(98,245,31);
textSize(25);
text("10cm",width-width*0.3854,height-height*0.0833);
text("20cm",width-width*0.281,height-height*0.0833);
text("30cm",width-width*0.177,height-height*0.0833);
text("40cm",width-width*0.0729,height-height*0.0833);
textSize(40);
text("Object: " + noObject, width-width*0.875, height-height*0.0277);
text("Angle: " + iAngle +" °", width-width*0.48, height-height*0.0277);
text("Distance: ", width-width*0.26, height-height*0.0277);
if(iDistance<40) {
text(" " + iDistance +" cm", width-width*0.225, height-height*0.0277);
}
textSize(25);
fill(98,245,60);
translate((width-width*0.4994)+width/2*cos(radians(30)),(height-height*0.0907)-width/2*sin(radians(30)));
rotate(-radians(-60));
text("30°",0,0);
resetMatrix();
translate((width-width*0.503)+width/2*cos(radians(60)),(height-height*0.0888)-width/2*sin(radians(60)));
rotate(-radians(-30));
text("60°",0,0);
resetMatrix();
translate((width-width*0.507)+width/2*cos(radians(90)),(height-height*0.0833)-width/2*sin(radians(90)));
rotate(radians(0));
text("90°",0,0);
resetMatrix();
translate(width-width*0.513+width/2*cos(radians(120)),(height-height*0.07129)-width/2*sin(radians(120)));
rotate(radians(-30));
text("120°",0,0);
resetMatrix();
translate((width-width*0.5104)+width/2*cos(radians(150)),(height-height*0.0574)-width/2*sin(radians(150)));
rotate(radians(-60));
text("150°",0,0);
popMatrix();
}
view rawRadar_Processing2.pde hosted with ? by GitHub

Documented by: Joel Jambalos

For more details about the projects, see the following reference:

For Radar:

Nedelkovski, D. (n.d.). Arduino Radar Project. Retrieved from https://howtomechatronics.com/projects/arduino-radar-project/Rouse, M. (n.d.).

Definition of Radar. Retrieved August 6, 2018, from https://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/radar