Secure Ferry

Abstract: In this paper we are proposing and designing a safety mechanism for passenger boats. Every year, boat accidents take place all over the globe; most of the accidents occur due to overloading of passengers during peak hours. This project aims to reduce boat accidents to a great extent. Here the boat is fitted with a balancing system so that in case of an overload due to which the boat may become disoriented, the boat will be able to regain it‟s balance and continue it‟s journey. In addition to the balancing system, an alert system is fitted on the boat so that in the case the boat balance goes out of hand and the boat topples over, the closest rescue team is called on the scene. The balancing circuit chiefly consists of an accelerometer which progressively measures the angle at which the boat is aligned. The accelerometer is in turn connected to a microcontroller chip, which is programmed to accordingly initiate strategies for proper boat orientation. The alert system primarily consists of a GSM module which is connected to the microcontroller chip. It also consists of a GPS module to track the location of the boat continuously. The major hardware components used are PIC 16F877A, accelerometer, GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) module, GPS (Global Positioning System) and LCD(Liquid Crystal Display). This technique helps to provide a safe journey over water and curtail boat disasters caused due to imbalance of boats.

Keywords: Balance system, overloading, PIC, GSM, GPS module.