Smart Cone — IoT Cone Knockover Detection

Problem

Construction work zones have no way to detect when safety cones are knocked over or hit. Breaches go unnoticed, putting workers at risk and leaving zero documentation for incidents. Navigation apps like Waze only learn about closures when a driver manually reports it.

Solution

An ESP32-powered traffic cone that detects impact/knockover in real-time, sends push notifications, updates a live fleet dashboard, and auto-generates navigation system hazard feeds (Waze CIFS).

Demo Flow

1. Power on ESP32 → auto-generates Cone ID from MAC address
2. Connect to "Smart-Cone-xxxx" WiFi → enter hotspot credentials
3. Dashboard auto-discovers cone → "New Cone Detected" toast → click "Place Now"
4. Knock cone over → buzzer pulses, LED + matrix flash red
5. Phone buzzes with Ntfy push notification
6. Dashboard map marker goes red, event log updates in real-time
7. Stand cone back up → recovery event, everything returns to green
8. Walk near cone → PIR triggers intrusion alert, matrix flashes blue/white

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Architecture

ESP32 + MPU6050 + Buzzer + RGB LED + WS2812B Matrix + PIR
    │
    ├──► WiFi (WiFiManager captive portal)
    │
    └──► MQTT over TLS (HiveMQ Cloud)
            │
            ├──► smartcones/{id}/event     → impact, knockover, recovery, intrusion
            ├──► smartcones/{id}/status    → online/offline/reset (LWT)
            ├──► smartcones/{id}/telemetry → RSSI, uptime, heap, tilt, firmware version
            └──► smartcones/{id}/command   → reset, identify, ota
                    │
                    ├──► Ntfy.sh ──► Phone push notification
                    │
                    ├──► Dashboard API ──► Event persistence (KV, 7-day TTL)
                    │
                    └──► Cloudflare Workers Dashboard
                            ├── Fleet Map (Leaflet.js)
                            ├── Stats Bar (cones, online, alerts)
                            ├── Event Log (persisted, with dates)
                            ├── Cone Detail Panel + Health + OTA
                            ├── Auto-discovery (toast notifications)
                            ├── Connection health indicator
                            ├── Setup Instructions overlay
                            ├── Cone Simulator (non-persistent)
                            ├── Public Hazard Map (/hazards.html)
                            ├── CIFS Feed Viewer (/cifs-viewer.html)
                            ├── CIFS XML (/api/feed/cifs.xml)
                            └── CIFS JSON (/api/feed/cifs.json)

---

Features

Firmware (ESP32)

• Auto-calibration — captures resting orientation at boot using 3-axis dot product, works in any mounting angle
• Impact detection — acceleration spike > 3g triggers alert
• Disturbed detection — 5°+ deviation from resting, yellow LED, single beep, amber matrix pulse
• Knockover detection — 15°+ deviation from resting (any direction), emergency buzzer pulse (500ms on/off)
• Recovery detection — publishes recovery event with knockdown duration
• Intrusion detection — HC-SR501 PIR sensor (only in UPRIGHT state), triple beep + blue/white matrix animation
• WiFiManager — captive portal for WiFi + Cone ID setup (no hardcoded credentials)
• Auto-generated Cone ID — from ESP32 MAC address (e.g. cone-74ed), user can override
• WiFi reset button — hold 3s anytime or during boot to clear credentials and reopen portal
• MQTT over TLS — publishes events, status (with LWT), and telemetry to HiveMQ Cloud
• Non-blocking network — FreeRTOS dual-core: sensor/buzzer on core 1, MQTT/HTTP on core 0
• Direct event persistence — ESP32 POSTs events to dashboard API (no browser dependency)
• Ntfy push notifications — HTTP POST to ntfy.sh on impact/knockover/intrusion
• Health telemetry — WiFi RSSI, uptime, free heap, tilt, firmware version every 30s
• MQTT commands — reset, identify (flash LED), OTA firmware update
• HTTP OTA updates — triggered from dashboard, LED signals progress (cyan/purple/green/red)
• RGB LED status — blue = initializing/offline, green = connected, red = alert, yellow = WiFi reset
• WS2812B LED matrix — off when idle, red flash on knockover, blue/white chase on intrusion
• Buzzer patterns — 500ms pulse on knockover, triple beep on intrusion, 2s on impact

Dashboard (Cloudflare Workers + Hono)

• Fleet Map — Leaflet.js with colored markers (green/red/orange/yellow/blue/gray)
• Auto-discovery — toast notification when unknown cone comes online
• Setup Instructions — modal overlay with portal link and 2.4GHz warning (opens directly, no manual form)
• Cone Simulator — non-persistent grey/dashed square markers, in-memory only, removed on stop
• Stats Bar — Total Cones (clickable fleet list), Online, Alerts Today, Last Incident
• Event Log — persisted to KV (7-day TTL), date + time columns, mobile card layout
• Detail Panel — state, coordinates, health telemetry, firmware version, event history
• OTA Updates — "Update Firmware" button in detail panel, sends MQTT OTA command
• Identify — flash LED on specific cone from dashboard
• Remove/Reset — removes from dashboard + sends MQTT reset to device
• Reset sync — hardware WiFi reset publishes status, dashboard auto-removes cone
• Connection health — shows "waiting for data", "connected", "no data for Xs"
• Nav cards — card-style links to Public Hazard Map and CIFS Feed Viewer
• Mobile-first — responsive design with touch-friendly cards, 2x2 stats grid
• Public Hazard Map — read-only map at /hazards.html for drivers/public
• CIFS feeds — Waze-compatible XML + JSON at /api/feed/cifs.xml and .json
• Version display — footer shows dashboard version, /api/version endpoint

CI/CD

• Dashboard deploy — GitHub Actions on version tag push (v*.*.*)
• Firmware build — GitHub Actions compiles on firmware/** changes, creates GitHub Release
• Version bump — pnpm rc / pnpm rc:minor / pnpm rc:major with RC support
• OTA pipeline — firmware binary uploaded to GitHub Releases, dashboard API updated

---

Hardware

Bill of Materials

#	Component	Est. Price (MYR)	GPIO	Notes
1	ESP32 dev board (CH340, USB-C)	RM 15	—	Main controller
2	MPU6050 module (GY-521)	RM 10	SDA=21, SCL=22	Accelerometer/gyro
3	Active buzzer module (5V)	RM 3	GPIO 13	Alert sounds
4	KY-016 RGB LED	RM 3	R=16, G=17, B=5	Status indicator
5	HC-SR501 PIR sensor	RM 3	GPIO 27	Intrusion detection
6	WS2812B 4x4 LED matrix	RM 10-16	GPIO 14	Visual alerts
7	Green push button module	RM 2	GPIO 26	WiFi reset
8	Breadboard (400 holes, x2)	RM 10	—	Joined, center rails removed
9	Jumper wires (M-M + M-F)	RM 8	—	Various colors
10	USB-C data cable	RM 3	—	Flash + power
11	Traffic cone (30")	RM 25	—	Enclosure
	Total	~RM 80-95

Pin Map

GPIO	Function	Component
5	LED Blue	KY-016
13	Buzzer	Active buzzer
14	NeoPixel Data	WS2812B 4x4 matrix
16	LED Red	KY-016
17	LED Green	KY-016
21	SDA (I2C)	MPU6050
22	SCL (I2C)	MPU6050
26	WiFi Reset Button	Push button module
27	PIR Motion	HC-SR501

Power

• ESP32 powered via USB-C (laptop for flashing, power bank for field use)
• All components powered from ESP32's VIN (5V) and 3V3 pins
• Two 400-hole breadboards joined (center rails removed), ESP32 straddles both

---

Project Structure

syuk/
├── firmware/
│   └── smart_cone/
│       ├── smart_cone.ino     # State machine, sensor loop, LED matrix, PIR, button
│       ├── config.h           # Pin defs, thresholds, MQTT topics, firmware version
│       ├── connectivity.h     # WiFiManager, MQTT, Ntfy, OTA, FreeRTOS network task
│       └── secrets.h          # Generated from .env — NEVER commit
├── dashboard/
│   ├── src/
│   │   └── index.ts           # Hono API — cones, events, hazards, CIFS, firmware version
│   ├── public/
│   │   ├── index.html         # Main dashboard
│   │   ├── app.js             # MQTT, map, fleet list, detail panel, simulator, auto-discovery
│   │   ├── style.css          # Dark theme + mobile-first responsive
│   │   ├── hazards.html       # Public hazard map (read-only)
│   │   └── cifs-viewer.html   # CIFS feed viewer with Waze integration docs
│   ├── wrangler.toml          # Cloudflare Workers config + KV binding
│   └── package.json           # Hono, wrangler deps, rc scripts
├── scripts/
│   ├── gen_secrets.sh         # Generates secrets.h from .env
│   └── bump-version.mjs       # Version bump with RC support
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       ├── deploy-dashboard.yml   # Deploy on version tag push
│       └── build-firmware.yml     # Compile firmware + GitHub Release
├── CLAUDE.md                  # Project instructions for Claude Code
├── AGENTS.md                  # bd (beads) issue tracking workflow
└── .env                       # MQTT + Ntfy + CF credentials (gitignored)

---

MQTT Topics

Topic	Direction	Payload	Description
smartcones/{id}/event	ESP32 → Cloud	{"cone_id","event","accel_g","tilt_deg","uptime_s","duration_s"}	Impact, disturbed, knockover, recovery (with duration), intrusion
smartcones/{id}/status	ESP32 → Cloud	{"cone_id","status":"online|offline|reset"}	Online, offline (LWT), reset (before WiFi clear)
smartcones/{id}/telemetry	ESP32 → Cloud	{"cone_id","rssi","uptime_s","free_heap","tilt_deg","firmware"}	Health data every 30s
smartcones/{id}/command	Cloud → ESP32	{"action":"reset|identify|ota","url":"..."}	Remote reset, LED identify, OTA update

---

API Endpoints

Method	Path	Description
GET	/api/config	MQTT broker credentials for dashboard
GET	/api/cones	List all cone locations from KV
POST	/api/cones	Create/update cone location
DELETE	/api/cones/:id	Remove a cone
GET	/api/events	List recent events (newest first, limit 50)
POST	/api/events	Persist an event (called by ESP32 directly)
GET	/api/hazards	JSON hazard zones from cone positions
GET	/api/feed/cifs.xml	Waze-compatible CIFS XML feed
GET	/api/feed/cifs.json	CIFS data in JSON format
GET	/api/version	Dashboard version
GET	/api/firmware/version	Latest firmware version + download URL
POST	/api/firmware/version	Update firmware version (called by GitHub Actions)

---

Detection Logic

Event	Trigger	KY-016 LED	Matrix	Buzzer
Impact	Acceleration > 3g	Red	—	2s continuous
Disturbed	5°+ deviation from resting	Yellow	Amber pulse	Single beep
Knockover	15°+ deviation from resting	Red	Red flash (500ms)	500ms pulse
Recovery	Within 3° of resting	Green	Off	—
Intrusion	PIR motion (UPRIGHT only)	—	Blue/white chase (3s)	3 quick beeps

---

Deployment

Firmware

# Generate secrets from .env
bash scripts/gen_secrets.sh

# Compile
arduino-cli compile --fqbn esp32:esp32:esp32 firmware/smart_cone/

# Flash via USB (first time only — then use OTA)
arduino-cli upload --fqbn esp32:esp32:esp32 --port /dev/ttyUSB0 firmware/smart_cone/

# Monitor serial
stty -F /dev/ttyUSB0 115200 raw -echo && cat /dev/ttyUSB0

Dashboard

cd dashboard

# Local dev
echo "MQTT_BROKER_WSS=wss://xxx.hivemq.cloud:8884/mqtt" > .dev.vars
echo "MQTT_USER=xxx" >> .dev.vars
echo "MQTT_PASSWORD=xxx" >> .dev.vars
npx wrangler dev

# Release (bumps version, tags, pushes — triggers GitHub Actions deploy)
pnpm rc            # patch: v1.0.1-rc.1
pnpm rc:minor      # minor: v1.1.0-rc.1
pnpm rc:major      # major: v2.0.0-rc.1

WiFi Setup (per cone)

1. Power on ESP32 → LED blue, creates "Smart-Cone-xxxx" WiFi AP
2. Connect phone to the AP → setup portal opens
3. Enter WiFi credentials (phone hotspot: turn off first, enter creds, turn back on)
4. Set Cone ID (auto-generated, or customize)
5. ESP32 connects → LED green → dashboard auto-discovers

WiFi Reset

• Anytime: Hold green button for 3 seconds → LED yellow → clears credentials → reboots into portal
• During boot: Hold button while powering on → instant reset

OTA Firmware Update

1. Push firmware changes to master → GitHub Actions compiles + creates release
2. Dashboard detail panel shows "Update Firmware" button
3. Click → sends MQTT OTA command → ESP32 downloads + flashes
4. LED signals: purple = downloading, green blink = success, red blink = failed

---

Credentials

File	Contains	Committed?
.env	MQTT, Ntfy, CF credentials	No (gitignored)
secrets.h	Generated from .env	No (gitignored)
.dev.vars	Dashboard local dev MQTT creds	No (gitignored)
GitHub Secrets	CF_ACCOUNT_ID, CF_TOKEN, MQTT_BROKER, MQTT_USER, MQTT_PASSWORD, NTFY_TOPIC	N/A
Wrangler Secrets	MQTT_BROKER_WSS, MQTT_USER, MQTT_PASSWORD	N/A (Cloudflare)

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Libraries

Firmware (Arduino)

• Adafruit MPU6050, Adafruit Unified Sensor
• Adafruit NeoPixel (WS2812B matrix)
• WiFiManager
• PubSubClient (MQTT)
• ArduinoJson
• HTTPUpdate (OTA)
• Preferences, FreeRTOS (ESP32 built-in)

Dashboard

• Hono (Cloudflare Workers framework)
• Leaflet.js (maps)
• MQTT.js (WebSocket MQTT client)
• Font Awesome 6 (icons)

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Issue Tracking

Uses bd (beads) for task management. See AGENTS.md for workflow.

bd ready          # Find available work
bd show <id>      # View issue details
bd update <id> --claim  # Claim work
bd close <id>     # Complete work

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References

• ESP32 + MPU6050 Wiring Guide — Random Nerd Tutorials
• ESP32 Pinout Reference — Random Nerd Tutorials
• Waze CIFS Road Closure Specification
• HiveMQ Cloud — Free MQTT Broker
• Ntfy.sh — Push Notifications
• Hono — Cloudflare Workers Framework
• Leaflet.js — Interactive Maps

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© Smart Cone 2026. All Rights Reserved.