Design and Development for a Vehicle Tracking System

Abstract

In recent years, the drastic increase in the number of vehicle thefts brings about at an alarming rate around the world. However, existing vehicle tracking devices have certain limitations including the lack of ability to determine if the vehicle is on the right route. To address this problem, this study focused on the design and development of a vehicle tracking prototype with route detection, emergency button, and STATUS command to monitor the current location of the vehicle. Arduino Mega 2560, SIM900 Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) module, and NEO-6M Global Positioning System (GPS) module were used to develop the prototype. The GPS module, push buttons, and SMS command served as an input. The Arduino Mega 2560 was programmed using an algorithm to determine if the device deviated from its route, detect if the emergency button was pressed, and if STATUS command was received. The system sends a SMS if the vehicle deviated from its path, emergency button is pressed, and a STATUS command from the operator is received. Results showed that after several trials the prototype was successful in performing its functional objectives. The prototype was only limited to the use of a prototyping grade GPS module. The GPS used a built-in antenna and took time to connect to satellites. It is recommended to use an industrial grade GPS module and connect an external antenna to improve signal strength.