Arduino Controlled Elevator Display Panel

[janjakob]

Hello guys. Im a noob to Arduino but I'm going to build an Ardunino Elevator Display for the resturant I work at. Because our food elevator dosen't have an elevator display, so we can't see where the food is.


So what my idea is.

I'm going to place an arduino inside the elevator with an BMP180 GY68 pressure/altitude sensor (The elvator travels 7 meters from the kitchen to the resturent).

In the kitchen and the resturant I'm going to place an Arduino with an 1602 LCD Display Module to display where the elevator is (So if the altitude is close enouth to the altitude in theresturant the display will show 'Elevator is in the resturant' and if the altitude is close enouth to the altitude of the kitchen the display will show 'Elevator is in the kitchen'.

To communicate bewtween the 3 arduinos I'm going to use 3 ESP8266 wifi module, one with the sensor in the elvator and one to each of the ardunios in the kitchen and the resturant.

Then I will setup the ESP8266 in the elevator as an access point and let the 2 other arduinos connect to this access point and then communite that way.

So I have some questions about my idea:

1) will the BMP180 GY68 be able to detect the 7m change?? (Is says it has an 0.25m resolution, so does that mean that it can detect 0.25m changes?)

2) When I setup the ESP8266 as an access point will it be able to communicate to the 2 other arduinos? (It just have to send the altitude like ever 1 second or something like that)

3) Can the arduinos connect to an internet through an metal elevator?

4) Will this idea work??

Thanks in advanced

[alesam]

Sounds over complicated and not too reliable. I'd razer install arduino with ultrasonic distance sensor on the top or/and bottom of elevator shaft.

[janjakob]

alesam thx for anserwing, ye i was thinking it was getting a bit over complicated too. I'm not allowed to put anyting in the elevator shaft, only to put like a sensor inside the elvator.

[dougp]

In the kitchen and the resturant I'm going to place an Arduino with an 1602 LCD Display Module to display where the elevator is (So if the altitude is close enouth to the altitude in theresturant the display will show 'Elevator is in the resturant' and if the altitude is close enouth to the altitude of the kitchen the display will show 'Elevator is in the kitchen'.

Just thinking out loud.  Is there access to the elevator shaft?  You could paint a stripe of white paint at each location offset by the distance between two photodetectors mounted on the elevator.  Whichever detector sees its stripe then you know approximately where it is.

Additionally, the indicators could be simplified to just light an LED (or something bigger and brighter if needed) in the enclosure, one for each location.  Make them different colors.

.02

[Paul_KD7HB]

My concern with using a barometric sensor in your environment is that the air pressure is varying continuously because of fans, air conditioning, doors opening/closing, people going in/out of doors, etc.

Paul

[MorganS]

I understand the wish to minimise the modifications to the elevator equipment. You don't want to void the warranty there. Or, more correctly, your insurance company doesn't want you to.

There must be an "equipment room" where the actual driving motor sits. I bet there's somewhere there you can add a sensor. Maybe a Sharp optical distance sensor tracking the cable across the winding drum. Maybe a magnetic sensor of some sort on a shaft. Maybe a current sensor on the motor that can tell what direction it's moving.

[dave-in-nj]

there should be access to the top of the elevator.
as was mentioned,  you could paint on the walls.
that would be my first choice.

See if monitoring the pressure in the elevation is acceptable.  
I would say, make a unit, add an SD card and run it for a week.
As was noted pressure changes due to fans, winds, doors being opened and closed.

[MorganS]

Put the stationary pressure sensor next to or inside the elevator shaft. By comparing the two pressures all of those effects can be minimised or eliminated.