Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter explains the methodology of the process behind the fulfillment of the

objectives that were previously stated, including the activities done or techniques used.

The course of development is presented to show how the project is done through

systematic procedures.

Project design

Richey, Klein and Nelson (2005) stated that “the field of instructional technology

has traditionally involved a unique blend of theory and practice”. This blend is most

obvious in developmental research, those studies that involve the production of

knowledge with the ultimate aim of improving the processes of instructional design,

development and evaluation.

Developmental research, as opposed to simple instructional development has been

defined as “the systematic study of designing, developing and evaluating instructional

programs, processes and products that must meet the criteria of internal consistency and

effectiveness” (Seels & Richey, 1994, p. 127). In its simplest form, developmental

research can either be the study of the process and impact of specific instructional design

and development efforts; or a situation in which someone is performing instructional

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design, development, or evaluation activities and studying the process at the same time;

or the study of the instructional design, development and evaluation process as a whole or

of particular process components.

Project Development

Start

Conceptualization

Design

Fabrication

Operation & Testing

Evaluation

Figure 8. Project Development Flowchart

Conceptualization

This research project was conceptualized by observing the personal safety of an

individual especially women. Also as read, watched and heard from everyday news, there

are ample amount of rape incidents involving mostly women of different ages. There are
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victims who might have been saved if immediate response of authorities was given.

Because of this, the researchers came up with an idea of creating a personal security

device using Bluetooth technology connected to an Android based application.

Design

The block diagram of the device is presented in Figure 8. It shows the input, the

process and the output of the Personal Security Device. It consists of a Power Supply

Block to provide DC power to the device and its peripherals; a User Block which is

composed of an emergency button and the android application; a Microcontroller Block

which includes the Arduino Nano and HC-06 Bluetooth Wireless Serial Transceiver

Module.
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POWER SUPPLY BLOCK

CHARGER INPUT
(USB/PTH) LiPo
CHARGER/
BOOSTER
Li-ion BATTERY

USER BLOCK MICROCONTROLLER BLOCK

EMERGENCY ARDUINO HC-06

BUTTON NANO BLUETOOTH
MODULE
ANDROID DEVICE
APPLICATION

Figure 9. Personal Safety Gadget Block Diagram

Computation for rated battery power

Current consumption:
HC-06 Module = 40mA
Tact Switch = 40mA
RGB LED = 20mA
Arduino Nano = 19mA
Li-ion Battery = 3.7V/1000mAh
Booster/Charger = 5V/1A
Load = 19+40+40+20 = 119mA
Run time in hrs= 1000mAh/119mA = 8.40 hrs
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The Power Supply Block consists of a 5V electrical source.

The User Block monitors when there is an urgent need for help when the emergency

button is triggered and an android application that sends notification to the authorities and

emergency contacts, enables the camera to record and save video and turn on the GPS.

The User Block sends these data to the Microcontroller Block.

The Microcontroller Block serves as the main control of the mobile device. It receives

and interprets data from the peripherals in the user block, specifically from the

emergency button. The Arduino Nano will communicate between the button and the

Bluetooth Module. The HC- 06 Bluetooth Module will connect the security device to the

smartphone. The Arduino Nano will be powered by Li- Ion battery.

Fabrication and Construction Procedure

The following are the step-by-step procedure conducted during the fabrication of

the project prototype.

Device fabrication

1. Casing Fabrication

1.1 Design a durable, weather proof, and well-protected casing that

can hold electronics parts.

1.2 Enclosure planning and component measurement.

1.3 Design the structure of the casing and then print.

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Figure 10. Enclosure Design of Personal Safety Gadget using Bluetooth Technology and

Android-Based Application

2. LiPo Charger/Booster

2.1 Design a schematic diagram for a rechargeable Li-ion battery circuit with

regulated power of 5V/1A. Since the charger/booster is a module, it will be

connected directly to the li-ion battery and the microcontroller.

Source: www.sparkfun.com
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Figure 11. Schematic Diagram of a Lithium Ion Battery Circuit

3. Battery Voltage Indicator Circuit

3.1 Design or research a schematic diagram of a voltage indicator for 3.7V

Li-ion Battery

3.2 Simulate the schematic

3.3 Prepare the necessary components and materials needed.

3.4 Test the design on the breadboard

3.5 Make a PCB layout based on the schematic diagram

3.6 Solder the components

3.7 Test or check the circuit

3.8 Calibrate the voltage indicator circuit using DC supply

Source: www.electroschematics.com

Figure 12. Schematic Diagram of a Voltage Indicator

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4. HC-06 Bluetooth Module

4.1. Design a schematic diagram that will be able to relay information

through Bluetooth from the microcontroller to the phone and vice versa.

Since HC-06 is a module it will just be connected directly to the

microcontroller. This module will be powered by the Arduino Nano.

Source: www.sparkfun.com
Figure 13. HC-06 Bluetooth Module Schematic Diagram

5. Parts Placement Guide

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5.1 Design the position and location of the HC-06 Bluetooth Module,

Arduino Nano, the Li- Ion battery and Charger booster.

5.2 Prepare components and tools to be used.

5.3 Place the peripherals in the fabricated casing according to the designed

positions.

5.4 Fasten the parts to the designated location in the casing.

Figure 14. Components Placement of Personal Safety Gadget using Bluetooth

Technology and Android-Based Application

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Figure 15. Wiring Diagram of Personal Safety Gadget using Bluetooth Technology and

Android-Based Application
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Project Development
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Figure 16. Flowchart of the Design

Software Development
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1. Arduino Program Development

1.1 Develop a program using the Arduino IDE to be able to communicate from the

microcontroller and the smartphone using HC-06 Bluetooth Module. This

program is able to send alert to the smartphone whenever the emergency button

is pressed.

1.2 Develop a program using the Arduino Nano to interpret the voltage level and

indicate the battery level using the RGB Led.

2. Android Studio Program Development

2.1. Develop a program using the Android Studio to send SMS and record video

whenever there is an emergency alert from the device.

2.2 Develop a program that will record the GPS location of the device and will be

included to the predetermined message.

2.3 Develop a program that will start a video and save it.

Calibration

1. Li-Ion 3.7V/1000mAh battery

1.1 Connect a Voltmeter to each output terminal of the battery with a

common ground.

1.2 Check when the output voltage is 3.7V.

2. SparkFun 5V/1A LiPo Charger booster

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2.1 Connect the output connectors of the battery to a port on the

circuit board.

2.2 Toggle the on-board battery switch to ON.

2.3 Connect a Voltmeter to output pins of the circuit board.

2.4 Check when the output voltage is 5V.

2.5 Connect an Ammeter to output pins of the circuit board.

2.6 Check when the output voltage is 1A.

2.7 A Boost LED will turn red if there is a voltage present in the

output pins.

2.8 Supply a 5V/500mA to the charger input.

2.9 A Charge LED will turn to blue when the charging IC is

attempting to charge the battery. It will turn off when the battery is

fully charged.

Operation and Device Testing Procedure

This part of the chapter discusses the operation of the system and the testing

procedure which was considered by the researchers to assess the condition of the project.

Device Testing

After the development of the device, the project will be operated repeatedly to

ensure its functionality. Below are the tests to be done for the following modules.

1. Emergency Button
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1.1 Press button once. After n seconds, the Arduino, via Bluetooth, will connect

to the Android application.

1.2 When button is pressed twice within the n-second mark, the Arduino will

cancel the code making it a false trigger.

2. Arduino Nano

2.1 Open Arduino IDE and upload the Blink.ino program.

2.2 Check if the mounted LED blinks once every one second.

2.3 If the device executes the program then it is working.

2.4 Make a program for the Bluetooth module to transmit data to Android

application.

2.5 If the program works and the modules execute their functions then the

Microcontroller is OK.

3. Android Software

3.1 At the user interface, enter the details needed.

3.2 When the button is pressed after the n-second mark, the Arduino Nano will

send data via Bluetooth to the Android application.

3.3 The Android application will then utilize its code and make the smartphone

record videos, send continuous messages and turn on GPS location.

4. HC-06 Bluetooth Module

4.1 Press the emergency button.

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4.2 After pressing, check if there is a vibration feedback in the smartphone.

4.3 If Android application has received data from Arduino Nano, then Bluetooth

device is working properly.

Full System Testing

After testing the modules, the entire project will be tested under this process. The

system will run through a series of system tests to ensure that the project performs all its

functions and is error-free. Full system testing will be conducted to evaluate acceptability

of the system.

1. Upload the program from the computer to the Arduino board.

2. Install the application to the Android device.

3. Turn on the mobile device.

4. Press the emergency button.

5. After pressing the button, measure the response time of the emergency alert in the

form of vibration feedback.

6. If the button is pressed again within 10 seconds, check if the emergency alert is

cancelled.

7. After 10 seconds without any interference, check if the camera is recording and if

a series of SMS is being sent.

8. After 10 minutes of recording, check if the video is automatically saved to the

gallery.
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9. After the message is received, check if the GPS coordinates in the SMS is

accurate.

10. Measure the time it takes for the battery in the device to drain.

11. Charge the device.

12. Measure the time it takes for the device to be fully charged.

13. Repeat the process.

Vibration Feedback Vibration Feedback Not

Trial Number
Sensed Sensed
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Table 1. Testing of emergency alerts in form of a vibration feedback

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Emergency Alerts Emergency Alerts Not

Trial Number
Cancelled Cancelled
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Table 2. Testing of the cancellation of emergency alerts

Trial Number SMS Sent SMS Not Sent

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Table 3. Testing if the message is sent

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Trial Number Voice/ Audio Recorded Voice/ Audio Not Recorded

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Table 4. Testing of the video/audio recording

Time for the Battery to Time for the Battery to Full-

Trial Number
Drain Charge
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Table 5. Testing of the time it takes for the battery to drain and fully charge
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Trial Number Precision of 10-15m Precision > 10-15m

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Table 6. Testing of the precision of the GPS

Evaluation Procedure

The device will be evaluated on eight categories namely functionality,

workability, aesthetics, economy, durability, salability, and safety. The device will be

subjected to evaluation to different members of the society within Negros Occidental.

Discussion about the details of the prototype will be done to each. Evaluation sheets

(Appendix C) will be distributed to 60 respondents, 40% of which are engineers, 30% are

students, and 30% are end users (paralytic/disabled person). A scoring system will be

employed where each criteria is rated one (1) to five (5) with one being the lowest and

five as the highest.

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The results will then be collated, computed and statistically treated. The mean for

each criterion is to be computed and from it the grand mean will be solved to check the

overall acceptability of the project. Recommendations gathered after evaluation will then

be analyzed and summarized and are to be used for future developments of the project.