Vibration Sensor

ABSTRACT
Presented here is a sensitive alarm using a vibration sensor for a simple
surveillance system for protecting doors and windows. It beeps and lights a white LED when
it detects even a slight vibration. It is compact, battery-operated and can be enclosed in a
small box. When the movement or vibration stops, the sensor’s contacts return back to their
original positions, away from each other. The closed contacts during vibration trigger the
circuit connected to it. The vibration sensor has a small spring mechanism that makes the
contacts touch each other when vibration occurs above a certain threshold level. Two pins
coming out of the sensor are insulated by a resistance of more than 10- mega –ohm. During
vibration the spring inside the sensor vibrates and makes a momentary short-circuit between
the two terminals. The sensor’s maximum working voltage is 12v DC works even at three
volts.

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Presented here is a sensitive alarm using a vibration sensor for application as a

simple surveillance system for protecting doors and windows. It can also be used as a luggage or
locker protector. The circuit beeps and lights a white LED when it detects even a slight vibration.
It is compact, battery-operated and can be enclosed in a small box. It can be used in different
ways to sense mechanical vibrations to activate alarms and other surveillance systems in a variety
of vibration-detection projects. The vibration sensor has two electrical contacts that do not touch
each other in idle condition. When any movement or vibration occurs, the sensor’s contacts close
and touch each other. When the movement or vibration stops, the sensor’s contacts return back to
their original positions, away from each other. The closed contacts during vibration trigger the
circuit connected to it. The author’s prototype is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig 1

The vibration sensor has a small spring mechanism that makes the
contacts touch each other when vibration occurs above a certain threshold level. Two pins
coming out of the sensor are insulated by a resistance of more than 10-mega-ohm. During
vibration the spring inside the sensor vibrates and makes a momentary short-circuit between
the two terminals.

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Terminals of the vibration sensor have no polarity but one pin is thick. It
is connected to Vcc through a resistor and the thin pin is connected to the circuit to be
triggered. The sensor’s maximum working voltage is 12V DC but it works even at three
volts. When using it in a circuit, it consumes less than 5mA current and offers around 10-
mega-ohm contact resistance in open state and less than 5-ohm in contact state. It is highly
reliable and its response time is less than 2ms. It works more than 500,000 times without
breakdown.

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CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Vibrations developed in industrial machines are vital indicators of their

health. If a monitoring system records the vibration history, changing levels of vibration over
time would warn a plant engineer of the need for maintenance to prevent breakdown or
serious damage. Expediting repairs by the early detection of faults would lead to considerable
cost–benefits since it prevents major equipment damage, minimizes interruption to the
production or supply system, and increases safety. Hence, a measurement system
(instrumentation) for vibration analysis is of fundamental importance to industries operating
heavy electromechanical equipment. Sensing elements for such instruments comprise
displacement and velocity transducers, and accelerometers. Accelerometers are, perhaps, the
most widespread, and are conventionally based on capacitive or piezoelectric principles. A
piezoelectric accelerometer is an electromechanical device that produces an electrical output
proportional to an applied vibratory acceleration. Piezoelectric transducers, however, are
limited in application due to the problem of electrical isolation. They are thus not attractive
for use in applications at high electric potential. Conductors connecting conventional sensors
are susceptible to electromagnetic fields. Variations in line-voltage and ground loop problems
can cause havoc with electrical measuring equipment. Lightning is another source of
electrical noise that adversely effects these conventional measurements. Selection and
installation of the sensor are important factors in diagnosing equipment vibration. Motion
sensors provide data on displacement, velocity and acceleration, and their correct selection
depends on the signal magnitudes and frequencies of interest.

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CHAPTER 3

BLOCK DIAGRAM AND DESCRIPTION

3.1 BLOCK DIAGRAM

Fig 2 Block diagram

3.2 DESCRIPTION

Presented here is a sensitive vibration alarm for use as a simple

surveillance system for protecting doors and windows. It can also be used as a luggage or
locker protector. It beeps and lights a white LED when it detects even a slight vibration. It is
compact, battery-operated and can be enclosed in a small box. It can be used in different
ways to sense mechanical vibrations to activate alarms and other surveillance systems in a
variety of vibration-detection projects.

The vibration sensor has two electrical contacts that do not touch
each other in idle condition. When any movement or vibration occurs, the sensor’s contacts
close and touch each other. When the movement or vibration stops, the sensor’s contacts
return back to their original positions, away from each other. The closed contacts during
vibration trigger the circuit connected to it.

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The vibration sensor has a small spring mechanism that makes the
contacts touch each other when vibration occurs above a certain threshold level. Two pins
coming out of the sensor are insulated by a resistance of more than 10-mega-ohm. During
vibration the spring inside the sensor vibrates and makes a momentary short-circuit between
the two terminals. Terminals of the vibration sensor have no polarity but one pin is thick. It is
connected to Vcc through a resistor and the thin pin is connected to the circuit to be triggered.
The sensor’s maximum working voltage is 12V DC but it works even at three volts. When
using it in a circuit, it consumes less than 5mA current and offers around 10-mega-ohm
contact resistance in open state and less than 5-ohm in contact state. It is highly reliable and
its response time is less than 2ms. It works more than 500,000 times without breakdown.

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CHAPTER 4

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM AND EXPLANATION

4.1 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

Fig 3 Circuit Diagram

4.2 CIRCUIT EXPLANATION

The circuit is simple. NE7555 timer is configured in constable mode to

activate the buzzer and the white LED for around two minutes when the sensor detects
vibration. The vibration sensor is directly connected between trigger pin 2 and ground pin 1
of IC1. NE7555 is the CMOS version of NE555 timer and works off three volts. The sensor
is biased by resistor R1, which also keeps trigger pin 2 of IC1 in high state during standby.
When the sensor senses a small vibration, its contacts close and takes pin 2 of timer to ground
level. This triggers the timer and its output goes high for around two minutes based on the
values of timing components R2 and C1. When output of the timer turns high, transistor T1
conducts to drive the 0.5W white LED and the buzzer. The circuit is powered by a 4.5-volt
rechargeable battery pack generally used in cordless phones. It can be charged using a mobile
phone charger if a suitable socket is provided. LED2 indicates charging of the battery.

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4.3 PCB DESIGN

Fig 4 PCB

4.4 EXPLANATION

A printed circuit board (PCB) mechanically supports and electrically

connects electronic components or electrical components using conductive tracks, pads and
other features etched from one or more sheet layers of copper laminated onto and/or between
sheet layers of a non-conductive substrate. Components are generally soldered onto the PCB
to both electrically connect and mechanically fasten them to it. Printed circuit boards are used
in all but the simplest electronic products. They are also used in some electrical products,
such as passive switch boxes.

Alternatives to PCBs include wire wrap and point-to-point construction,

both once popular but now rarely used. PCBs require additional design effort to lay out the
circuit, but manufacturing and assembly can be automated. Specialized CAD software is
available to do much of the work of layout. Mass-producing circuits with PCBs is cheaper
and faster than with other wiring methods, as components are mounted and wired in one
operation. Large numbers of PCBs can be fabricated at the same time, and the layout only has
to be done once. PCBs can also be made manually in small quantities, with reduced benefits.

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PCBs can be single-sided (one copper layer), double-sided (two copper layers on both sides
of one substrate layer), or multi-layer (outer and inner layers of copper, alternating with
layers of substrate). Multi-layer PCBs allow for much higher component density, because
circuit traces on the inner layers would otherwise take up surface space between components.
The rise in popularity of multilayer PCBs with more than two, and especially with more than
four, copper planes was concurrent with the adoption of surface mount technology. However,
multilayer PCBs make repair, analysis, and field modification of circuits much more difficult
and usually impractical.

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CHAPTER 5

HARDWARE AND SOFTEWARE DETAILS

5.1 Components list

 Resistor
 Electrolytic Capacitor
 Ceramic Capacitor
 Vibration Detector
 Piezo Buzzer
 LED

5.1.1 RESISTOR

A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical component that

implements electrical resistance as a circuit element. In electronic circuits, resistors are used
to reduce current flow, adjust signal levels, to divide voltages, bias active elements, and
terminate transmission lines, among other uses. High-power resistors that can dissipate
many watts of electrical power as heat may be used as part of motor controls, in power
distribution systems, or as test loads for generators. Fixed resistors have resistances that only
change slightly with temperature, time or operating voltage. Variable resistors can be used to
adjust circuit elements (such as a volume control or a lamp dimmer), or as sensing devices for
heat, light, humidity, force, or chemical activity.

Resistors are common elements of electrical networks and electronic

circuits and are ubiquitous in electronic equipment. Practical resistors as discrete components
can be composed of various compounds and forms. Resistors are also implemented within
integrated circuits.

The electrical function of a resistor is specified by its resistance: common

commercial resistors are manufactured over a range of more than nine orders of magnitude.
The nominal value of the resistance falls within the manufacturing tolerance, indicated on the
component.

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Fig 5 Resistor

5.1.2 ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR

Electrolytic Capacitors are polarized electrolytic

capacitors whose anode electrode (+) is made of a pure aluminium foil with
an etched surface. The aluminium forms a very thin insulating layer of aluminium
oxide by anodization that acts as the dielectric of the capacitor. A non-solid electrolyte covers
the rough surface of the oxide layer, serving in principle as the second electrode (cathode) (-)
of the capacitor. A second aluminium foil called “cathode foil” contacts the electrolyte and
serves as the electrical connection to the negative terminal of the capacitor.
Aluminium electrolytic capacitors are divided into three subfamilies by the type of
electrolyte:

 non-solid (liquid, wet) aluminium electrolytic capacitors,

 solid manganese dioxide aluminium electrolytic capacitors, and
 Solid polymer aluminium electrolytic capacitors.

Aluminium electrolytic capacitors with non-solid electrolyte are the most inexpensive type
and also those with widest range of sizes, capacitance and voltage values. They are made
with capacitance values from 0.1 µF up to 2,700,000 µF (2.7 F), and rated voltages values
from 4 V up to 630 V.[2] The liquid electrolyte provides oxygen for re-forming or self-healing
of the dielectric oxide layer. However, it can evaporate through a temperature-dependent
drying-out process, which causes electrical parameters to drift, limiting the service life time
of the capacitors.

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Fig: 5 Electrolytic Capacitor

5.1.3 NE 7555 Timer

The 555 timer IC is an integrated circuit (chip) used in a variety of timer, pulse
generation, and oscillator applications. The 555 can be used to provide time delays, as
an oscillator, and as a flip-flop element. Derivatives provide two (556) or four (558) timing
circuits in one package.

Introduced in 1972 by Signetics, the 555 is still in widespread use due to its low
price, ease of use, and stability. It is now made by many companies in the original bipolar and
in low-power CMOS. As of 2003, it was estimated that 1 billion units were manufactured
every year. The 555 is the most popular integrated circuit ever manufactured.

Fig 6 NE555 TIMER

5.1.4 CERAMIC CAPACITOR

A ceramic capacitor is a fixed-value capacitor in which ceramic material acts

as the dielectric. It is constructed of two or more alternating layers of ceramic and
a metal layer acting as the electrodes. The composition of the ceramic material defines the
electrical behaviour and therefore applications. Ceramic capacitors are divided into two
application classes:

 Class 1 ceramic capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit
applications.
 Class 2 ceramic capacitors offer high volumetric efficiency for buffer, by-pass, and
coupling applications.

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Ceramic capacitors, especially multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), are the most
produced and used capacitors in electronic equipment that incorporate approximately one
trillion (1012) pieces per year.

Ceramic capacitors of special shapes and styles are used as capacitors

for RFI/EMI suppression, as feed-through capacitors and in larger dimensions as power
capacitors for transmitters.

Fig 7 Ceramic Capacitor

5.1.5 VIBRATION DETECTOR

Vibration sensor---whose internal structure is like a metal ball that is fixed

in a special spring as pole, around it is the other pole. When the vibration gets to an extent,
the two poles are connected so as to judge the shock occurs. Vibration sensor outputs digital
signal.

Specification

 Electrical specification
 Operation voltage: 5V
 Input device
 Tech parameters
 Wide vibration detection range
 Without direction limitation
 60,000,000 times of vibration insurance. (Special gold plating on the surface of the
connection foot)
 Size

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 Sensor size: 9.0mm*9.15mm

 Board size: 20mm*20mm

Connection method

 Pin description: GND, VCC, signal input and NC(empty).

 Digital input

Fig 8 Vibration detector

5.1.6 Piezo Buzzer

A buzzer is a mechanical, electromechanical, magnetic, electromagnetic,

electro-acoustic or piezoelectric audio signalling device. A piezo electric buzzer can be
driven by an oscillating electronic circuit or other audio signal source. A click, beep or ring
can indicate that a button has been pressed. There are several different kinds of buzzers. At
Future Electronics we stock many of the most common types categorized by Type, Sound
Level, Frequency, Rated Voltage, Dimension and Packaging Type. The parametric filters on
our website can help refine your search results depending on the required specifications. The
most common sizes for Sound Level are 80 dB, 85 dB, 90 dB and 95 dB. We also carry
buzzers with Sound Level up to 105 dB. There are several types available including Electro-
Acoustic, Electromagnetic, and Electro mechanic, Magnetic and Piezo, among others.

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Fig 9 Piezo Buzzer

5.7 LED

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a two-lead semiconductor light source. It is

a p–n junction diode that emits light when activated. When a suitable voltage is applied to the
leads, electrons are able to recombine with electron holes within the device, releasing energy
in the form of photons. This effect is called electroluminescence, and the colour of the light
(corresponding to the energy of the photon) is determined by the energy band gap of the
semiconductor. LEDs are typically small (less than 1 mm2) and integrated optical
components may be used to shape the radiation pattern.

Appearing as practical electronic components in 1962, the earliest LEDs

emitted low-intensity infrared light. Infrared LEDs are still frequently used as transmitting
elements in remote-control circuits, such as those in remote controls for a wide variety of
consumer electronics. The first visible-light LEDs were also of low intensity and limited to
red. Modern LEDs are available across the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths, with
very high brightness.

Early LEDs were often used as indicator lamps for electronic devices,
replacing small incandescent bulbs. They were soon packaged into numeric readouts in the
form of seven-segment displays and were commonly seen in digital clocks. Recent
developments have produced LEDs suitable for environmental and task lighting. LEDs have

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led to new displays and sensors, while their high switching rates are useful in advanced
communications technology.

Fig 10 LED

5.2 Software Details

Proteus incorporates many functions derived from several other

languages: C, BASIC, Assembly, Clipper/dBase; it is especially versatile in dealing with
strings, having hundreds of dedicated functions; this makes it one of the richest languages for
text manipulation.

Proteus owes its name to a Greek god of the sea (Proteus), who took care of
Neptune's crowd and gave responses; he was renowned for being able to transform himself,
assuming different shapes. Transforming data from one form to another is the main usage of
this language.

Proteus was initially created as a multiplatform system utility, to manipulate text

and binary files and to create CGI scripts. The language was later focused on Windows, by
adding hundreds of specialized functions for: network and serial communication, database
interrogation, system service creation, console applications, keyboard
emulation, ISAPI scripting .Most of these additional functions are only available in the
Windows flavour of the interpreter, even though a Linux version is still available.

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Proteus was designed to be practical (easy to use, efficient, complete), readable and
consistent.

Its strongest points are:

 powerful string manipulation;

 comprehensibility of Proteus scripts;
 availability of advanced data structures: arrays, queues (single or double), stacks, bit
maps, sets, AVL trees.

The language can be extended by adding user functions written in Proteus or DLLs created in
C/C++.

Language Features

At first sight, Proteus may appear similar to Basic because of its straight syntax, but
similarities are limited to the surface:

 Proteus has a fully functional, procedural approach;

 variables are un typed, do not need to be declared, can be local or public and can be
passed by value or by reference;
 all the typical control structures are available (if-then-else; for-next; while-loop; repeat-
until; switch-case);
 new functions can be defined and used as native functions.

Data types supported by Proteus are only three: integer numbers, floating point numbers and
strings. Access to advanced data structures (files, arrays, queues, stacks, AVL trees, sets and
so on) takes place by using handles, i.e. integer numbers returned by item creation functions.

Type declaration is unnecessary: variable type is determined by the function applied –

Proteus converts on the fly every variable when needed and holds previous data renderings,
to avoid performance degradation caused by repeated conversions.

There is no need to add parenthesis in expressions to determine the evaluation order, because
the language is fully functional (there are no operators).

Proteus includes hundreds of functions for:

 accessing file system;

 sorting data;

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 manipulating dates and strings;

 interacting with the user (console functions)
 Calculating logical and mathematical expressions.

Proteus supports associative arrays (called sets) and AVL trees, which are very useful and
powerful to quickly sort and lookup values.

Two types of regular expressions are supported:

 extended (Unix like);

 basic

Both types of expressions can be used to parse and compare data.

The functional approach and the extensive library of built-in functions allow to write very
short but powerful scripts; to keep them comprehensible, medium-length keywords were
adopted.

The user, besides writing new high-level functions in Proteus, can add new functions in
C/C++ by following the guidelines and using the templates available in the software
development kit; the new functions can be invoked exactly the same way as the predefined
ones, passing expressions by value or variables by reference.

Proteus is an interpreted language: programs are loaded into memory, pre-compiled and run;
since the number of built-in functions is large, execution speed is usually very good and often
comparable to that of compiled programs.

One of the most interesting features of Proteus is the possibility of running scripts
as services or ISAPI scripts.

Running a Proteus script as a service, started as soon as the operating system has finished
loading, gives many advantages:

 no user needs to log in to start the script;

 A service can be run with different privileges so that it cannot be stopped by a user.

This is very useful to protect critical processes in industrial environments (data collection,
device monitoring), or to avoid that the operator inadvertently closes a utility (keyboard
emulation).

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The ISAPI version of Proteus can be used to create scripts run through Internet Information
Services and is equipped with specific functions to cooperate with the web server.

For intellectual property protection Proteus provides:

 script encryption;
 digital signature of the scripts, by using the development key (which is unique);
 The option to enable or disable the execution of a script (or part of it) by using the key of
the customer.

Proteus is appreciated because it is relatively easy to write short, powerful and

comprehensible scripts; the large number of built-in functions, together with the examples in
the manual, keeps low the learning curve.

The development environment includes a source code editor with syntax highlighting and a
context-sensitive guide. Proteus does not need to be installed: the interpreter is a single
executable (below 400 Kb) that does not require additional DLLs to be run on recent
Windows systems.

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CHAPTER 6

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

6.1 ADVANTAGES

 Simple to install
 Good response at high frequencies
 Stand high temperature
 small size

6.2 DISADVANTAGES

 Sensitive to high frequencies noise

 Require external power
 Require electronic integration for velocity and displacement

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CHAPTER 7

APPLICATION AND FUTURE SCOPE

7.1 APPLICATION

 It can be used as a luggage or locker protector.

 It is a sensitive vibration alarm for use as a simple surveillance system for protecting
doors and windows.

7.2 Future Scope

Sensors have made serious inroads into automotive, medical, industrial, and
aerospace applications. But you ain't seen nothing' yet. Rising concerns for safety,
convenience, entertainment, and efficiency factors, coupled with worldwide government
mandates, will see sensor usage swell to unprecedented levels. Add to that the predicted
explosion in wireless and consumer applications, and one can see why sensor manufacturers
anticipate quickly developing huge markets and applications through the end of this decade.
Most of these sensors will be of the micro electromechanical-system (MEMS) and micro
system-technology (MST) type, with nano sensors showing great promise.

Mention automotive systems, and sensor manufacturers can easily see a host of
sensing possibilities for measuring not only pressure, but also inertia, position, proximity,
temperature, flow rate, force, strain, torque, vibration, and tilt. And the sensing technologies
used to measure these parameters are just as varied. "Sensing needs for automobiles are
growing by leaps and bounds." He cited several growth areas for chassis controls, vehicle
positioning/location, object detection, vision enhancement, auto environment heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning, as well as engine and transmission controls. Vehicle
stability enhancement was just one of the many examples he cited.

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CONCLUSION
This system can shorten the alarm time greatly and locate the accident spot
accurately. It will save the rescuers from wasting their time in search. Due to the
problems of electrical isolation and electromagnetic interference, and the need for non-
contact measurement, conventional piezoelectric instrumentation was shown not to be
well suited to the application such as electromechanical equipment. A fibre-optic
solution was thus sought. their simplicity, while phase-modulated systems offer high
measurement sensitivity. Hence, this paper reviews several techniques of vibration
sensing using optical fibre technology and assesses their potential for use on
electromechanical equipment. In the review part, firstly an overview of sensor based on
In-Fibre Bragg Gratings technology is presented, and its potential for the measurement of
strain and vibration is assessed. Secondly, vibration sensing using intensity-based
measurement is presented. At the end of this paper the dual-wavelength signal-
processing techniques are also briefly reviewed. Hence, the interferometric
implementation was assessed in conjunction with an absolute processing scheme for the
measurement of vibration. It was observed from the review that the phase-detection
ambiguity of single-wavelength interferometers can be overcome using dual-wavelength
interferometers.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
 The circuit of smart vibration sensor is tested by Prof. T.K. Hareendran and Prof. S.C.
Dwivedi
 The circuit idea get from the electronics for you web site
 www.EFYMAG.com
 www.electronicsminiproject.com
 www.electronicsforu .com

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