IoT Based Automatic Vehicle Accident Detection and Rescue System

This guide will help you develop an IoT-based system for automatically detecting vehicle accidents and sending alerts with GPS coordinates for timely rescue operations. The system uses sensors to detect sudden changes in vehicle dynamics and communicates with emergency services through a cloud service.

Components Required

• Arduino (Uno or similar)
• Accelerometer (e.g., ADXL345 or MPU6050)
• GPS module (e.g., Neo-6M)
• GSM module (e.g., SIM900 or SIM800)
• Power supply (e.g., 12V battery)
• Connecting wires and breadboard
• Cloud service account (for alerts and data storage)

Setting Up the Hardware

Follow these steps to set up the hardware:

1. Connect the Accelerometer

   Attach the accelerometer to the Arduino to measure sudden changes in vehicle acceleration and detect possible accidents.

2. Connect the GPS Module

   Integrate the GPS module to provide the vehicle’s location coordinates during an accident. Connect it to the Arduino for location data.

3. Set Up the GSM Module

   Connect the GSM module to send SMS alerts to emergency contacts with the accident details and GPS coordinates.

4. Power the System

   Ensure all components are properly powered using a 12V battery or another suitable power supply.

Programming the Arduino

Write code for the Arduino to detect sudden changes in vehicle dynamics and send alerts in case of an accident. Below is a basic outline of the code:

                #include <Wire.h>
                #include <Adafruit_Sensor.h>
                #include <Adafruit_ADXL345_U.h>
                #include <SoftwareSerial.h>
                #include <TinyGPS++.h>

                // Accelerometer
                Adafruit_ADXL345_Unified accel = Adafruit_ADXL345_Unified();

                // GPS and GSM
                SoftwareSerial gpsSerial(4, 3);
                SoftwareSerial gsmSerial(7, 8);
                TinyGPSPlus gps;

                const float ACCEL_THRESHOLD = 15.0;  // Threshold for accident detection

                void setup() {
                Serial.begin(9600);
                gpsSerial.begin(9600);
                gsmSerial.begin(9600);

                if (!accel.begin()) {
                    Serial.println("Failed to initialize accelerometer");
                    while (1);
                }
                
                // Initialize GSM module
                gsmSerial.println("AT");  // Test GSM module
                delay(1000);
                gsmSerial.println("AT+CMGF=1");  // Set SMS to text mode
                delay(1000);
                }

                void loop() {
                sensors_event_t event;
                accel.getEvent(&event);
                
                float accelMagnitude = sqrt(pow(event.acceleration.x, 2) + pow(event.acceleration.y, 2) + pow(event.acceleration.z, 2));

                if (accelMagnitude > ACCEL_THRESHOLD) {
                    sendAlert();
                }
                
                while (gpsSerial.available() > 0) {
                    gps.encode(gpsSerial.read());
                    if (gps.location.isUpdated()) {
                    Serial.print("Latitude= "); Serial.print(gps.location.lat(), 6);
                    Serial.print(" Longitude= "); Serial.println(gps.location.lng(), 6);
                    }
                }
                
                delay(1000);
                }

                void sendAlert() {
                String message = "Accident detected! Location: ";

                if (gps.location.isValid()) {
                    message += "Lat: " + String(gps.location.lat(), 6);
                    message += ", Lon: " + String(gps.location.lng(), 6);
                } else {
                    message += "GPS location not available";
                }

                gsmSerial.print("AT+CMGS=\"+1234567890\"\r");  // Replace with emergency contact number
                delay(1000);
                gsmSerial.print(message);
                delay(100);
                gsmSerial.write(26);  // Ctrl+Z to send the SMS
                }
            

This code reads acceleration data to detect possible accidents and sends an SMS with the GPS coordinates if an accident is detected.

Setting Up the Cloud Service

Configure your cloud service to receive and display alerts from the IoT system. Here’s a basic overview:

1. Create an Account

   Sign up for a cloud service that supports HTTP requests and alert notifications (e.g., Firebase, ThingSpeak).

2. Set Up Data Fields

   Create fields to store accident alerts and GPS coordinates. Set up alert notifications and integrate with emergency services as needed.

3. Integrate with IoT Device

   Use the provided API key and endpoint in your Arduino code to send data to the cloud service.