Mailbox Mod Kit

Posted on by lxs4631

Team Name

Mail Thieves

Timeline

Fall 2022 – Spring 2023

Students

  • Luke Sweeney
  • Erick Acevedo
  • Andrew Dosch
  • Khanh Le
  • Sakchi Shrestha

Sponsor

Shawn Geiser

Abstract

Mailbox Mod Kit allows people to have a secure way to protect their mailbox with a low-cost product. It allows the user to check the contents of their mailbox at the click of a button regardless of the weather conditions. Additionally, the product will take pictures or a short recording of the mailbox’s interior, allowing customers to save the records for future proof in the case of filing a claim.

Background

The amount of IoT connected devices in the home has grown rapidly, but most people in private residences are still using the same style of mailbox adopted in 1915. Improvements can be made in the way our mail is delivered. Using the technology that is available today, we can connect the mailbox to its owner and improve the experience of mail being delivered, while potentially preventing theft.

One simple problem of the current mailbox is that a person is unaware of the mailbox’s contents until the moment they walk towards it and check for mail. This can easily be fixed with a detection system for when the door is opened. Residents can receive an alert through an online system or through their phone when their mailbox is opened. Using an embedded camera and motion sensor, the user can see the timestamps of when mail is placed into the mailbox, as well as a view of the mail itself. This could also aid preventing theft; the camera may catch a glimpse of a potential mail thief. The presence of the camera (and other parts of the system) may be enough deterrent to prevent crimes of opportunity.

Project Requirements

  1. The user should receive a notification through the integrated app whenever a “mailbox event” occurs. This would either be when mail is placed into the mailbox or when mail is taken out of the mailbox.
  2. The user should be able to view a video of the last mailbox event to occur. This video would be taken using an embedded camera that is placed inside of the mailbox which is then sent to the cloud for the user to view.
  3. The user should be able to view the past week of deliveries through a delivery history tab in the app.
  4. The user should be able to tell what type of mail was delivered, either packages or envelopes, through the app notification without having to view the video feed. The mod kit will differentiate the two using object recognition software, and this information will be included in the delivery notification.
  5. The user should be able to manually reset the state of the mailbox in the application in the event that it does not change to accurately reflect the mailbox contents automatically.
  6. The software required for operation within the mailbox mod kit will be preloaded onto the MicroSD card provided with the kit. The user can manage the assembled mailbox from one central app. A web interface is also accessible using a web browser.
  7. The mobile app shall be able to run with all the features on older and newer versions of android and iOS.
  8. Users shall get real-time alerts when they receive new mails with “Peek Now” option to view a video snippet or to access live camera.
  9. Hardware components will be delivered as a “bag of parts” to be installed by the user onto their personal mailbox. The mod kit will include a Pi Cam camera, a door magnetic contact sensor, LED light, battery pack, solar panels, and reflectors.
  10. It would inform users about the incoming mails but also should keep track of outgoing mails, with the help of weight sensors.

System Overview

The mailbox mod kit is a system that uses a camera inside of a mailbox in order to notify the user when mail arrives. Users of the mailbox mod kit will be able to track both incoming and outgoing mail. The mailbox mod kit allows the user to keep track of their mail without having to go outside to check whether mail has arrived or outgoing mail has been picked up. It functions using an app connected to the device that notifies them when the mailbox is opened through a notification and a viewable recording of the mailbox contents.

The intended audience of the mailbox mod kit would be anyone who possesses a mailbox and wants the convenience of being able to check their mail from the comfort of their home, as well as the ability to be notified right away when mail is delivered or picked up. While individual housing circumstances may dictate whether the mailbox mod kit is a useful product (i.e., those who have brick-encased mailboxes may find it difficult or even impossible to install), it is not aimed at a particular customer demographic.

Results

The prototype worked as expected. The contact sensor detected the door motion and triggered the device to take picture whenever the mail was delivered or picked up. Also, the mobile application and web interface sent the notification of the mails to the user’s phone or in web interface whenever there was change in status of the mail. The ‘Check Now’ button also gave an updated image inside the mailbox. After the mail is delivered in the mailbox, customer is also notified with an audible sound, “You have a mail.”​

Demo Video

Future Work

  1. Integrate a more effective solar panel and battery bank for more reliable power.​
  2. Integrate a better lighting system to improve the inner view of the mailbox.​
  3. Create a native mobile app with push notifications.​
  4. Integrate the mod kit with cloud applications so you can monitor your mailbox from anywhere​.

Project Files

Project Charter (link)

System Requirements Specification (link)

Architectural Design Specification (link)

Detailed Design Specification (link)

Poster (link)

References

Khan, T. (2020, September 15). A solar-powered IOT connected physical mailbox interfaced with smart devices. MDPI. Retrieved April 8, 2023, from https://www.mdpi.com/2624-831X/1/1/8 ​

USPS. U.S. Postal Inspection Service Pandemic Response to Mail Fraud and Mail Theft, 2011​

Kaewsrisuphawong, J. (n.d.). Development of a smart box prototype for mail and parcel posts using …Jaranin. Retrieved April 9, 2023, from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9972195 ​

Mohammad Hasan. Number of connected iot devices growing 18% to 14.4 billion globally, 5 2022​

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