AN-000227

SmartSonic Presence Detection

User Guide

Chirp Microsystems
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INTRODUCTION
This example project shows how to build and run an ultrasonic presence detection application using the Chirp
SonicLib sensor API.
This is a companion document to AN-000214 Presence Detection, and AN-000226 CH201 Ultrasonic Presence
Detection Reference Design User Guide. Application note AN-000214 focuses on the test results of the embedded
static target rejection algorithm and the presence detection algorithm used in the CH201 presence detection
evaluation module. Application note AN-000226 is a user guide for the CH201 ultrasonic presence detection
reference design module. The Presence Detection example is a simple C application that demonstrates the use of
motion detection to determine the presence of people and objects. The application uses the Chirp SonicLib API
functions to initialize, configure, and operate one or more ultrasonic sensors. It uses special sensor firmware along
with API functions which specifically support presence detection.
The application discovers what sensors are connected to the board, programs and configures them, and then triggers
and displays ultrasonic measurement results through a serial connection. Each measurement result includes both a
range to the detected object and a confidence level, based on the presence detection algorithm.
In this example, the application is built using Atmel Studio 7 for the Chirp SmartSonic evaluation board, which
features an Atmel SAMG55 microcontroller. The SmartSonic board uses a sensor daughterboard that supports up to
four ultrasonic sensors. The Presence Detection application can detect and run with either a single sensor or multiple
sensors connected to the board, however the most common configuration is to use a single sensor.
The source/application/smartsonic-presence-example/main.c file is the main file in the application. It contains
extensive comments explaining how the SonicLib interfaces are used. The source/application/smartsonic-
presence-example/app_config.h file contains the setting for the application’s overall timing.

1.1 REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

• SmartSonic evaluation board
• Chirp sensor daughter board
• One Micro-USB cable
• Internet connection (if downloading and installing files)

1.2 REQUIRED SOFTWARE PACKAGES

• package-smartsonic-presence-example-vX_X_X.zip (actual file name will include version number),
includes:
o Presence Detection application source files
o Chirp SonicLib sensor API and driver files. The Presence Detection application requires SonicLib
v2.0.5 or later.
o Sensor firmware image files
o Board support package files for Chirp SmartSonic board
o Atmel Studio 7 project files to build the application
• Atmel Studio 7 integrated development environment – download from Microchip.com
• Terminal emulator of your choice (for example PuTTY or TeraTerm)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Required Equipment .................................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Required Software Packages ........................................................................................................................ 2
Installation / Preparation ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Building the Presence Detection Application ........................................................................................................ 6
Programming the SmartSonic Board ..................................................................................................................... 7
Running the Presence Detection Application ........................................................................................................ 9
Changing the Presence Detection Application Settings ...................................................................................... 13
6.1 MEASUREMENT_INTERVAL_MS................................................................................................................. 13
Reference Documents ......................................................................................................................................... 14
Revision History ................................................................................................................................................... 15

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. SmartSonic with CH201 Daughter Board ........................................................................................................ 4
Figure 2. Device Programming Screen ........................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 3. Device Signature and Target Voltage.............................................................................................................. 8
Figure 4. Programming Hex File ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 5. Successful Programming ................................................................................................................................. 9
Figure 6. Typical Output During Initialization - 2 Sensors............................................................................................ 11
Figure 7. Typical Output During Operation - 2 Sensors ............................................................................................... 12

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INSTALLATION / PREPARATION
• Download and install Atmel Studio 7 IDE.
• Download and install (unzip) the SmartSonic_Presence application to a project directory of your choice.
• Install terminal emulator.
• Connect the Chirp sensor daughterboard to the SmartSonic board. Be careful to align the white arrows.
• Optional: Using flat flex cables, attach additional off-board sensor(s) to the connectors on the
daughterboard. If an offboard sensor is connected to the Sensor 0 connector (J6), you must set the switch
on the side of the daughterboard to use the off-board sensor as Sensor 0 instead of the sensor on the
daughterboard.
• Connect the SmartSonic board to a Windows PC with the USB cable. Configure the jumpers on the board
as shown in the following photo with J1 in EDBG USB mode (short 3-4)

Figure 1. SmartSonic with CH201 Daughter Board

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• Open Windows Device Manager, open the Ports (COM & LPT) list, and identify the COM port number
assigned to the SmartSonic board. There will be one port associated with the SmartSonic board
called“EDBG”. (A second COM port will also be assigned but is not used in this application).
o The EDBG port is used to connect to the on-board debugger and for programming the board, as
well as to display output from the program when it runs.

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BUILDING THE PRESENCE DETECTION APPLICATION

• Open Atmel Studio 7
• Open the Presence Detection project:
o Open File menu
o Select File > Open > Project/Solution…
o Select the atmelstudio/smartsonic-presence-example/smartsonic-presence-example.atsln file
in the project directory.
o Click Open. The program should locate the project files and display the name of the project.
• The Presence Detection project files are organized in three top-level sub-directories under source:
o algo– contains src and inc sub-directories with the motion detection algorithm code and
definitions
o application – contains src and inc directories with the Presence Detection application
 The application/smartsonic-presence-example/main.c file contains the entry point for
the application along with various routines that demonstrate how to read and manage
the Chirp sensor(s). See the comments in that file for detailed information about the
operation of the application.
 The application/smartsonic-presence-example/inc/app_config.h file specifies the
overall measurement interval. The default is 100 ms (10 Hz sample rate).
o board – contains support files for the Chirp SmartSonic board.
 The main board support package routines, as defined in
drivers/chirpmicro/inc/chirp_bsp.h, are in the board/HAL/src/chbsp_chirp_samg55.c
file.
 The board/config/chirp_board_config.h file is required by SonicLib. This file contains
definitions for the number of possible devices and I2C buses on the board and is used for
static allocation of arrays.
o drivers/chirpmicro – contains the SonicLib API and driver files, sensor firmware modules, and
other distribution files from Chirp.
 The drivers/chirpmicro/inc directory contains header files that must be included when
building applications with SonicLib. In particular, the drivers/chirpmicro/inc/soniclib.h
file contains the key definitions for the SonicLib API.
• Build the project:
o Select Build > Build Solution
The project should build successfully. The default build configuration is “Debug” so the build
output files will be placed in the Debug sub-directory.

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PROGRAMMING THE SMARTSONIC BOARD

• Setup SmartSonic board Jumper J1 as in Figure 1. If only one cable is used (connected to the EDBG port),
pins 3 & 4 should be shorted.
• Connect the SmartSonic board to a Windows PC with EDBG USB cable.
• In Atmel Studio 7 select Tools > Device Programming.
• The Device Programming screen will appear:

Figure 2. Device Programming Screen

• Verify that the tool is EDBG, device is ATSAMG55J19, and interface is SWD.
• Select Apply.
o Note: Atmel Studio 7 may require you to update the EDBG debug interface firmware on the
SmartSonic board before continuing. Follow the on-screen instructions to update the EDBG
firmware.
• The Device Programming screen will prompt to set the programming clock frequency. Leave the clock
frequency unchanged (use the default).
• Select Read near the Device signature field. The device signature bytes should be read and should not
generate any error messages. The Device programming menu should look as follows:

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Figure 3. Device Signature and Target Voltage

• Select Memories on the Device Programming menu.

• The Device Programming menu will prompt for the name of the file to program:

Figure 4. Programming Hex File

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• From the Device Programming screen scroll to the project’s Debug directory and select the smartsonic-
presence-example.hex file.
o Note: Alternately, you may use the smartsonic-presence-example.elf file, which contains
symbolic debug information. (Both files are generated when you build the application. If you are
simply running the Presence Detection application, and do not need to use the Atmel Studio 7
debugging features, it does not matter which file you use.)
• Select Program. Your SmartSonic board is successfully programmed when the Device Programming screen
displays the “OK” messages shown below on the bottom left:

Figure 5. Successful Programming

RUNNING THE PRESENCE DETECTION APPLICATION

• Start the terminal emulator program and open/configure the COM port assigned to the SmartSonic board
“EDBG”:
o 1000000 baud
o 8 bits data, no parity, 1 stop bit
o New-line sequence = Line Feed only (no carriage return)
 PuTTY: Open Terminal configuration. Select “Implicit CR in every LF”.
 TeraTerm: Open Setup > Terminal. Under “New-line” set “Receive” to “LF”.

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• Reset the SmartSonic board using the board’s reset button (next to the Programming EDBG connector).
• Status messages from the application will appear on the terminal output, followed by summary data from
the sensor initialization (device frequency, etc.) and configuration (maximum range, etc.).
• Measurement data from each sensor device will then be output in a continuous loop. During each
measurement cycle, a line of output is generated for each sensor. Each line of output includes:
o Internal timestamp value
o Sensor number
o Boolean indicator of whether object presence was detected (0 = no presence, 1 = presence)
o Range measurement, expressed in millimeters
o Confidence level (expressed as a percentage). In the presence algorithm the detection of motion
is based on a criterion passing a threshold. The confidence is derived from the following criterion
value (the criterion value is defined in the algorithm and is not settable in the end application):
 If the criterion < threshold, confidence is 0 (or very low)
 If the criterion ≥ 10 x threshold, confidence is maximum (100%)
 In between the confidence is linearized.
• If more than one sensor is used, an additional line of output is generated during each measurement cycle,
with a merged result based on combined data from all sensors.

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• Because the Presence Detection algorithm detects changes in the ultrasound environment, it is normal for
the first few measurement cycles to report no presence detected. Figure 6 shows the typical application
output during initialization, including the first measurement results.

Figure 6. Typical Output During Initialization - 2 Sensors

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After a baseline set of measurements has been made, the presence of objects can be detected. Figure 7 shows
typical application output during operation, with two sensors. The “Merged” output lines indicate the overall
Presence Detection result, based on data from both sensors.

Figure 7. Typical Output During Operation - 2 Sensors

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CHANGING THE PRESENCE DETECTION APPLICATION SETTINGS

The app_config.h header file contains symbolic definitions for parameters that affect the application execution.
You may change the following definition to adjust the application’s timing.

6.1 MEASUREMENT_INTERVAL_MS
Specifies how often a new measurement cycle will be initiated, in milliseconds. Default = 100 ms (10Hz sample rate).
This value is used in main() as a parameter to the chbsp_periodic_timer_init() function. Once set, the timer will
generate an interrupt every MEASUREMENT_INTERVAL_MS milliseconds, which will cause the
periodic_timer_callback() routine in main.c to execute. That routine then triggers a new measurement cycle by
calling ch_group_trigger().

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REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
• AN-000214 – Presence Detection
• AN-000226 – CH201 Ultrasonic Presence Detection Reference Design User Guide

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REVISION HISTORY
REVISION DATE REVISION DESCRIPTION

7/08/2020 1.0 Initial version.

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