Building a Patlite Alert System Triggered by SoraCam Motion Detection

Disclosure based on the operational standards for "Representations that are difficult for general consumers to identify as representations of business operators": This article was written by an employee of SORACOM INC. as of the date of writing. However, this is a personal post and does not represent the official statements or views of SORACOM INC.

What I want to achieve

I will set up a Patlite to light up when someone moves within the Soracam's field of view.
This configuration was created for use in a demo at a SORACOM exhibition booth.
In this project, the Patlite will light up orange when a person is detected. Furthermore, if a person wearing a blue T-shirt (commonly known as a "Cele-T") appears in the footage, the Patlite will light up red.
Since it would be problematic if it stayed lit throughout the exhibition, I will make it so that the Patlite turns off when a button device is pressed.

This demo was also featured in articles by ASCII!

Please check out these articles as well.
https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/292/4292665/
https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/278/4278992/img.html

What you need

• SORACOM account

• Soracam

• SORACOM Air (SIM card)

• LTE router

• Patlite (HTTP compatible)

  The one used this time is the LR5-LAN

• Switching hub

• LAN cable

• PC for configuration

• SORACOM LTE-M Button for Enterprise

Steps

Wiring Connections

Connect as follows.

LTE Router Configuration

Configure the LTE router (UD-LT2) following the steps here.
https://users.soracom.io/ja-jp/guides/devices/ud-lt2/setup/

Change the LAN side IP address.

From the network settings, select LAN, enter 192.168.10.100/24 into IP1, and click Update (this sets the IP address of the UD-LT2's LAN port to 192.168.10.100).

Since the IP address has changed, access http://192.168.10.100/ and log back into the UD-LT2 configuration screen.

Set up port forwarding (DNAT setting) to transfer commands sent to the UD-LT2 to the Patlite.

1. On the UD-LT2 configuration screen, click [Transfer Settings] -> [NAT] -> [Add].
   

2. Configure as follows and save.

Item	Value
NAT Setting	DNAT
Protocol	TCP
Initial Address Type	interface
Interface	4G
Initial Port	50080
Mapping Address	192.168.10.1
Mapping Port	80

Patlite Configuration

1. Access the Patlite configuration screen: http://192.168.10.1/

   

2. Change the language.

   

3. Set a password.

   

4. Configuration complete.

   

5. Log in using the password you just set.

   

6. Set to DHCP.

   Under Network Settings -> IP Address Setting Method, select "Obtain automatically" and click Set.

   

7. In Command Reception Settings, confirm that HTTP Command Reception is set to "Enabled" and make a note of the MAC address in the top right.

   

8. Return once more to the UD-LT2 configuration screen (http://192.168.10.100).

   Configure a DHCP reservation so that 192.168.10.1 is always assigned to the Patlite via DHCP.

   Ir-5lan
   Enter the following settings in the "Fixed IP" entry under "DHCP Settings".

   Item	Value
   IP Address	192.168.10.1
   MAC Address	MAC address of the Patlite

   

Soracam Configuration

Click here if you're new to Soracam (from purchase to setup)!

SORACOM Account Creation, etc.

https://users.soracom.io/ja-jp/guides/getting-started/create-account/

Set the coverage type to JP.

From Soracam Purchase to Setup

https://sora-cam.com/setup/

In fact, recently you don't necessarily have to use the app for Soracam setup.

Installing Soracam

There is a lot of expertise regarding installation accumulated here.
https://weathernews.jp/s/topics/202403/180215/

First and foremost, let's verify that the camera is working correctly.

1. "SORACOM Cloud Camera Service" -> "Device Management"

   

2. In the device list, confirm that the camera you just registered is online.

   

3. Furthermore, clicking on the camera name will display the camera's feed.

   

Please note that watching this screen continuously will consume your monthly 72-hour free quota for video exports.

SORACOM Flux Configuration

Configuration Overview

We will create a flow like this. I will explain the detailed configuration settings below.

1. Motion Detection Webhook

Event Source: API/Manual Execution
Output Channel: API Channel
Set the Webhook URL to be called as an action when the Soracam detects motion.
(The configuration for Soracam's motion detection will be described later.)

Input JSON

{
    "eventType": "event_detected",
    "deviceId": "Camera Device ID",
    "deviceName": "Camera Name",
    "alarmType": "motion_detected"
}

2. Create Patlite lighting command

Input Channel: API Channel

Detailed settings for the republish action

Category	Item	Setting Value	Remarks
CONDITION	Execution condition	payload.deviceId=="Camera Device ID"	Process only notifications from a specific camera
CONFIG	Transform data	✅️
CONFIG	Content Type	application/json	Output in JSON format
CONFIG	Content	{ "command":"011990" }	Patlite control command (lights up yellow and green)
OUTPUT	Send output to another channel	Enabled	Output destination channel
OUTPUT	Destination channel	Output Channel	Output destination channel

Configuration screen (example)

Output Channel: Output Channel

3. Issue Downlink API command

Input Channel: Output Channel

Detailed settings for the SORACOM API action

Category	Item	Setting Value	Remarks
CONDITION	Execution condition	None	Process all events
CONFIG	URL:path	/v1/sims/SIM ID/downlink/http	SIM HTTP Downlink SIM ID is the SIM ID of the SIM inserted into the router connected to the Patlite sendDownlinkHttp
CONFIG	URL:method	POST	HTTP Method
CONFIG	body	{ "method": "GET", "path": "/api/control?alert=${payload.command}", "port": 50080,
"skipVerify": true,
"ssl": false }	Patlite control API call
OUTPUT	Destination channel	Output	Output destination channel

Configuration screen (example)

Output Channel: Output

4. Image extraction (Save to Harvest Files)

Input Channel: Output

Detailed settings for the action

Category	Item	Setting Value	Remarks
CONDITION	Execution condition	event.payload.deviceId != null	Process only when device ID exists
CONFIG	URL:path	/v1/sora_cam/devices/${event.payload.deviceId}/images/exports	Soracam image export API exportSoraCamDeviceRecordedImage
CONFIG	URL:method	POST	HTTP Method
CONFIG	body	{"time": ${now()}, "imageFilters": [], "harvestFiles": {"pathPrefix": "Directory name for image export (saving)"}}	Image export settings
OUTPUT	Destination channel	None	No output

Configuration screen (example)

5. Data from button device (unified endpoint)

Perform the initial setup of the button by following Register SORACOM LTE-M Button for Enterprise in the User Console.
https://users.soracom.io/ja-jp/guides/soracom-lte-m-button-series/lte-m-button-enterprise/register/

Event Source: IoT Device
Enable it and select the group to which the button device belongs.

Output Channel: IoT Device Channel

6. Create Patlite off command

Input Channel: IoT Device Channel

Detailed settings for the republish action

Category	Item	Setting Value	Remarks
CONDITION	Execution condition	payload.deviceId=="Camera ID"	Process only notifications from a specific camera
CONFIG	Transform data	✅️
CONFIG	Content Type	application/json	Output in JSON format
CONFIG	Content	{ "command":"000990" }	Patlite control command (lights up yellow and green)
OUTPUT	Send output to another channel	Enabled	Output destination channel
OUTPUT	Destination channel	Output Channel	Output destination channel

Configuration screen (example)

Output Channel: Output Channel
(Merged with the output of action 2.)

7. Image extraction complete

Select "SORACOM Harvest Files" as the event source.
Enable it and specify the directory name where the exported images are saved.

Output Channel: Harvest Files Event Channel

8. Image analysis using Generative AI (Multimodal foundation model)

Input Channel: Harvest Files Event Channel

Detailed settings for the action

Category	Item	Setting Value	Remarks
CONDITION	Execution condition	None	Process all events
CONFIG	AI Model	azure-openai (gpt-4o)	AI service (AI model) to be used
CONFIG	Prompt	Analyze the image and check if there is a person wearing an emerald green T-shirt in the image. The output should be in JSON. If there is a person wearing an emerald green T-shirt, return {"result":true} If there is no person wearing an emerald green T-shirt, return {"result":false}.
Instructions for the AI
CONFIG	Format AI response as JSON	✅️
CONFIG	Provide image to AI	${payload.presignedUrls.get}	URL of the image to analyze
OUTPUT	Destination channel	Output AI	Output destination channel

Configuration screen (example)

Output Channel: Output AI

9. Create Patlite lighting command

Input Channel: Output AI

Detailed settings for the republish action

Category	Item	Setting Value	Remarks
CONDITION	Execution condition	payload.output.result == true	If the AI judgment result is true
CONFIG	Transform data	✅️
CONFIG	Content Type	application/json	Output in JSON format
CONFIG	Content	{ "command":"011990" }	Patlite control command (lights up yellow and green)
OUTPUT	Send output to another channel	Enabled	Output destination channel
OUTPUT	Destination channel	Output Channel 2	Output destination channel

Configuration screen (example)

Output Channel: Output Channel 2

10. Create Patlite lighting command

Input Channel: Output AI

Detailed settings for the republish action

Category	Item	Setting Value	Remarks
CONDITION	Execution condition	payload.output.result == false	If the AI judgment result is false
CONFIG	Transform data	✅️
CONFIG	Content Type	application/json	Output in JSON format
CONFIG	Content	{ "command":"000000" }	Patlite control command (all lights off)
OUTPUT	Send output to another channel	Enabled	Output destination channel
OUTPUT	Destination channel	Output Channel 2	Output destination channel

Configuration screen (example)

Output Channel: Output Channel 2

11. Issue Patlite lighting/off command

Input Channel: Output Channel 2

Detailed settings for the SORACOM API action

Category	Item	Setting Value	Remarks
CONDITION	Execution condition	None	Process all events
CONFIG	path	/v1/sims/SIM ID/downlink/http	SIM HTTP Downlink SIM ID is the SIM ID of the SIM inserted into the router connected to the Patlite sendDownlinkHttp
CONFIG	method	POST	HTTP Method
CONFIG	body	{ "method": "GET", "path": "/api/control?alert=${payload.command}", "port": 50080, "skipVerify": true, "ssl": false }	Patlite control API call
OUTPUT	Destination channel	Output	Output destination channel

Configuration screen (example)

Setting up Soracam Notifications

Configure Soracam to send a payload to the SORACOM Flux Webhook endpoint when motion is detected.

1. Obtain the SORACOM Flux Webhook URL

First, obtain the Webhook URL from the "1. Motion Detection Webhook" action created in Flux.

1. In the SORACOM Flux management screen, select the relevant action.
2. Copy the Webhook URL displayed on the detail screen for "API Channel".

2. Configure Soracam Notifications

Next, in the SORACOM User Console, set the Webhook URL obtained above as the notification destination for motion detection.

1. Log in to the SORACOM User Console and go to [Menu] > [SORACOM Cloud Camera Service] > [Notification Settings].
   • If the "Regarding the use of Soracam Notification Option" screen appears, review the content and click [Understand and use].
2. Click [Set up notifications] in the [Device Motion Detection/Sound Detection Notifications] section.
   

3. Motion Detection Notification Settings

3. Add a notification destination.

   1. Select the [Webhook] tab and click [+Add Webhook notification destination].
      
   2. Configure as follows and click [Save].
      • Webhook URL: Paste the URL copied in step 1.
      • HTTP method: POST
      • HTTP header: Leave as default.
        

4. Select the target cameras for notification.

   1. Return to the notification settings screen and click [Set target devices for notification].
   2. Select the camera to perform motion detection from the list and turn on the toggle for notification.

5. Customize the payload to be sent.

   1. Enable the toggle in [Notification Message Settings] > [Motion Detection/Sound Detection Settings] on the notification settings screen.
   2. Click [Set message content] and select the [Webhook] tab.
   3. Select the notification destination added earlier and click [Edit Webhook message].
      
   4. Set the following content in the request body.

{
 "eventType":"{{ event_type }}",
 "deviceId":"{{ device_id }}",
 "deviceName":"{{ device_name }}",
 "alarmType":"{{ alarm_type }}"
}

Configuration screen (example)

When motion detection occurs, a JSON payload like the following will be sent to SORACOM Flux:

{
    "eventType": "event_detected",
    "deviceId": "Camera Device ID",
    "deviceName": "Camera Name",
    "alarmType": "motion_detected"
}

This payload received by SORACOM Flux will trigger the Patlite control process.

Appendix

About Patlite Control

The Patlite (LR5-LAN) can be controlled using HTTP commands. The main commands are explained below.

Basic format of HTTP commands

GET /api/control?alert=XXXXXX

Command structure

Commands consist of a 6-digit number, where each digit has the following meaning:

Digit Position	Meaning	Value
1st digit	Red LED	0: Off, 1: On, 2: Flashing (Slow), 3: Flashing (Medium), 4: Flashing (Fast), 5: Single flash, 6: Double flash, 7: Triple flash, 9: No change
2nd digit	Yellow LED	0: Off, 1: On, 2: Flashing (Slow), 3: Flashing (Medium), 4: Flashing (Fast), 5: Single flash, 6: Double flash, 7: Triple flash, 9: No change
3rd digit	Green LED	0: Off, 1: On, 2: Flashing (Slow), 3: Flashing (Medium), 4: Flashing (Fast), 5: Single flash, 6: Double flash, 7: Triple flash, 9: No change
4th digit	Blue LED	0: Off, 1: On, 2: Flashing (Slow), 3: Flashing (Medium), 4: Flashing (Fast), 5: Single flash, 6: Double flash, 7: Triple flash, 9: No change
5th digit	White LED	0: Off, 1: On, 2: Flashing (Slow), 3: Flashing (Medium), 4: Flashing (Fast), 5: Single flash, 6: Double flash, 7: Triple flash, 9: No change
6th digit	Buzzer	0: Stop, 1–9: Patterns 1–9

Signal light pattern details

The flashing patterns for each LED operate as follows:

Pattern	Operation	Timing
0	Off	Always OFF
1	On	Always ON
2	Flashing (Slow)	Repeats ON 500ms → OFF 500ms
3	Flashing (Medium)	Repeats ON 250ms → OFF 250ms
4	Flashing (Fast)	Repeats ON 125ms → OFF 125ms
5	Single flash	Repeats ON 50ms → OFF 450ms
6	Double flash	Repeats ON 50ms → OFF 50ms → ON 50ms → OFF 350ms
7	Triple flash	Repeats ON 50ms → OFF 50ms → ON 50ms → OFF 50ms → ON 50ms → OFF 250ms

Examples of use

Examples of commands used in this article:

• 011990: Lights up yellow and green (when a person is detected)
• 100990: Lights up red (when a blue T-shirt is detected)
• 000000: All lights off

Other control command examples

# Basic lighting and turning off
GET /api/control?alert=100000  # Red on
GET /api/control?alert=010000  # Yellow on
GET /api/control?alert=001000  # Green on

# Flashing patterns (Slow)
GET /api/control?alert=200000  # Red flashing (Slow)
GET /api/control?alert=020000  # Yellow flashing (Slow)
GET /api/control?alert=002000  # Green flashing (Slow)

# Flashing patterns (Medium/Fast)
GET /api/control?alert=300000  # Red flashing (Medium)
GET /api/control?alert=400000  # Red flashing (Fast)

# Flash patterns
GET /api/control?alert=500000  # Red single flash
GET /api/control?alert=600000  # Red double flash
GET /api/control?alert=700000  # Red triple flash

# Combinations of multiple colors
GET /api/control?alert=120000  # Red on + Yellow flashing (Slow)
GET /api/control?alert=234000  # Red flashing (Slow) + Yellow flashing (Medium) + Green flashing (Fast)
GET /api/control?alert=567000  # Red single flash + Yellow double flash + Green triple flash

# Patterns with buzzer
GET /api/control?alert=001001  # Green on + Buzzer pattern 1
GET /api/control?alert=222225  # All colors flashing (Slow) + Buzzer pattern 5
GET /api/control?alert=567009  # Multiple flash patterns + Buzzer pattern 9

# All colors simultaneously
GET /api/control?alert=111110  # All colors on
GET /api/control?alert=222220  # All colors flashing (Slow)
GET /api/control?alert=444440  # All colors flashing (Fast)
GET /api/control?alert=777770  # All colors triple flash

About buzzer patterns

Specific patterns cannot be specified via parameters; the pattern configured by the DIP switches on the unit will be used.

Pattern	Description
0	Stop (Silent)
1	Sounding
9	No change

Notes

• The command must always be specified with 6 digits.

For detailed specifications, please refer to the official Patlite catalog.