Wi-Fi Crowdness & Help Button System

1. High-Level Overview

Project Title: Wi-Fi Crowdness & Help Button System

What It Does

This project consists of two devices communicating over Wi-Fi:

1. Help Button Device:

   • Counts people passing by using a sensor.
   • Provides a help button for customers to request assistance.
   • Lights up an LED once the help request is acknowledged by the Monitor Device.

2. Monitor Device:

   • Aggregates data from multiple Help Button Devices.
   • Displays the crowdness level on a stepper-motor gauge.
   • Provides a screen interface for more detailed data and insights.

General Sketch (Highlighting Physical Features)

Help Button Device:

• Wi-Fi MCU
• People-Counting Sensor (ToF/PIR)
• Button (Request Help)
• LED (Help Confirmation)

Monitor Device (Console):

• Wi-Fi MCU
• Screen (UI + Data from Help Devices)
• Stepper-Motor Gauge (Crowdness Level)
• Optional Button for staff interactions

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2. Help Button Device

Detailed Sketch

How It Works

• People-Counting Sensor:
  • Uses a Time-of-Flight sensor (e.g., ST VL53L1X) or a simple PIR motion sensor to detect and count passersby in real time.
• Help Button:
  • When pressed, it sends a "HELP_REQUEST" message over Wi-Fi to the Monitor Device.
• LED:
  • Lights up once the Monitor Device acknowledges the request (confirmation message: “Help is on the way”).
• Wi-Fi MCU:
  • Aggregates data from the sensor and the button, and sends it periodically or on events to the Monitor Device.

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3. Monitor Device

Detailed Sketch

How It Works

• Wi-Fi MCU:
  • Connects to the local network and receives data from multiple Help Button Devices.
  • Aggregates:
    • People Counts to gauge aisle/store section busyness.
    • Help Requests to see customer needs.
• Screen:
  • Displays a user interface with detailed stats (e.g., people counts, help requests, aisle name).
• Stepper Motor Gauge:
  • Reflects the overall crowdness level (0–100 scale).
  • Higher values indicate increased foot traffic, helping allocate more staff.
• Optional Button:
  • Allows staff to confirm requests or navigate menu items.

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4. Communication & System Diagram

Communication Workflow (Figure A)

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5. Hardware Choices & Part Numbers

Help Button Device

Component	Description
Wi-Fi MCU	ESP32-WROOM-32 or ESP8266-based modules
Sensor	ST VL53L1X (Time-of-Flight, accurate short-to-mid range) or PIR motion sensor
Button	Generic tactile push-button
LED	5 mm LED with a current-limiting resistor
Power Supply	Lithium-ion battery + AMS1117-3.3 voltage regulator

Monitor Device

Component	Description
Wi-Fi MCU	ESP32-WROOM-32 or ESP8266-based modules
Screen	7.0" TFT LCD with ILI9488 or RA8875 controller (800x480 or 1024x600 resolution)
Stepper Motor	28BYJ-48 stepper motor with ULN2003 driver or NEMA17 with A4988 driver
Power Supply	USB power adapter or lithium-ion battery pack

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6. Installation and Usage

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/HWSW_Project_I.git