Heat Sensor for Service Dogs

Project Proposal

By

Juran Kirihara, Ariele Galang, and Saul Rocilez

ECE 445: Senior Design Laboratory

Fall 2016

Katherine O’Kane

September 9, 2016

Table of Contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... . pg.1

1.1. Statement of Purpose .................................................................................................. pg.1

1.2. Objectives .................................................................................................................... pg.2

2. Design ................................................................................................................................. pg.2

2.1. Block Diagram ............................................................................................................. pg.2

2.2. Block Description ......................................................................................................... pg.3

3. Requirements and Verification ......................................................................................... pg.5

4. Tolerance Analysis ............................................................................................................. pg.8

5. Cost and Schedule ............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.pg.9

5.1. Cost Analysis ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.pg.9

5.2. Schedule ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.pg.10

pg. 1

1. Introduction

1.1 Statement of Purpose

Many service dogs, such as rescue and police dogs, are often times required to wait

in the car while the owners do tasks where they cannot bring the dogs with them. This

can be dangerous as the dogs can overheat and die, even with a window cracked open.

In the past 5 years alone, 46 police dogs have died from heatstroke while inside squad

cars. With the help of Maureen McMichael, a professor and veterinarian at the

university, and university K9 police officers Doug Beckman and Troy Chew, we will

attempt to prevent heatstroke related canine deaths by providing a more reliable and

affordable safety system relative to those already on the market.

Currently there is a competitor with a product called ACE K9 which serves police

dogs to prevent canine heatstrokes while inside the car. Some features of this product

include a cooling fan, AC control, door hydraulics, window control and a simple UI unit

that is controlled by the central control unit. There are two issues with this product, the

first being the cost. The total cost of the product is over $1000 for the control system

alone and another $300 for the communication device. The other issue is the reliability

of the system as the ACE K9 has failed in the past, causing canine death according to a

news article [1].

To improve upon these issues, our approach will include a collar unit which will be

used for a more accurate reading of the dogs' condition. The collar will measure and

keep track of the dogs' temperature and heart rate which we hope will address the

issues of reliability and cost. In addition to the collar unit, we will also keep track of the

temperature of the car itself. The inclusion of such readings address these issues in two

ways. First, more information about the dogs' health will be inputted into the micro-

controller, which in turn can more accurately assess the dogs' needs and activate such

actions as lowering the window or setting the alarm. Secondly, this improves the

reliability of our safety system as the system will receive information of both the dog

and the car and will have more information to act accordingly as needed. We will also

cut back on unneeded features offered by current products and optimize select

effective ones to focus on safety and reliability and also reduce overall cost of the

product.

pg. 2

1.2 Objectives

Goals and Objectives Reduce cost of overall system

Create a safe and reliable system

React real time to conditions inside the vehicle

React to user input and give feedback to user

Functions and Features Collar that senses temperature and heart beat of the dog

User interface is the primary control to change temperature and control of

car functions, but the secondary control would be fail-safes activated by the

control system

Display current temperature level in the car

Visual and auditory warnings when temperature reaches dangerous levels

2. Design

2.1 Block Diagram

pg. 3

2.2 Block Description Sensor Unit The sensor unit will come in the form of a collar or harness, a motion sensor, and a car interior probing. Regardless of how its cased, the former will have to perform two essential tasks, those being: give an acceptable temperature and heart rate reading from the dog. The motion sensor must communicate to the rest of the system of the presence of the dog in the vehicle. As for the car temperature sensor, it must be able to function between 0-160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dog Sensors o Noninvasive o Accurate within 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit o Placement will not lead to major discomfort, such as chaffing o Communicates with micro controller

Motion Sensor o Function within car width (3-5 feet) o Manual and/or automatic on/off (car is in motion and no dog) o Detection allows safety system to operate, suppresses it otherwise

Car Temperature Sensor o Fully functional within desired range o Accurate within 1-2 degree Fahrenheit o Relay when a “trip” level is reached

Control Unit The control unit includes the micro-controller, door hydraulics, and the cooling unit. The unit as a whole acts as the central piece of the system where it can control the environment. The micro-controller must orchestrate every part of the system; therefore, the inputs would be all sensors as well as the power source. The output leads to the units that will control the environment, the communication unit, and the user interface. The hydraulic unit must be configured as a fail safe, so in case the micro-controller fails the hydraulic must activate to allow the dog to escape if necessary. Cooling unit must be able to regulate temperatures below 106 degrees Fahrenheit using the AC unit and the fan attached to the window. Similar to the sensor unit, the control unit must have an operating temperature between 0-160 degrees Fahrenheit.

pg. 4

Micro-controller o Must be low cost o Able to take in all of the sensor unit as inputs

o Able to do simple switches o Turn on other units (ex. Hydraulic, cooling, and displays)

Door Hydraulics

o Must activate in case micro-controller fails

o Activate when temperature of the dog hits 106 degrees Fahrenheit o Not interfere with normal operation of car door (can manually open)

Cooling Unit o Must regulate temperature under 106 degrees Fahrenheit o Fan must turn on and windows rolled down when the car

temperature reaches 90 degrees Fahrenheit and deactivate when AC is on

o AC unit turns on when the Fan is on and the temperature hits 100 degrees

Power Supply

The power supply will provide power to all components of the system such as the

sensor, control, and user interface unit. The main source of power will come from

the squad car battery, meaning a buck converter will be needed to step down the

voltage to the required value for each of the components. In case of car battery

failure, we will utilize solar panels and an external lithium ion battery to ensure the

system is powered at all times and will still function as needed. More specifically, the

external battery will be used as a failsafe to power only the micro-controller to

ensure the control unit at the very least will always be powered and will be able to

operate as needed even if the car battery or solar panels cannot be used. The collar

unit will also be powered by rechargeable batteries that will power the sensors and

can be easily replaced by the user.

pg. 5

Communication Unit

The communication unit will utilize a radio attached to the output of the micro-

controller. When the temperature of the car reaches a dangerous level, the micro-

controller will signal the radio to emit a pure tone to the police radio already utilized

by policemen, alerting the user that the car is too hot and the dog needs to be taken

out.

User Interface Unit

The user interface unit is comprised of an LCD screen and button control. This unit

will allow the policeman to interact with the micro-controller by outputting the

temperature level of the car and dog onto the screen and allowing the user to

activate functions such as the AC unit or fan if they deem necessary.

LCD Screen

o Takes micro-controller as input

o Able to display temperature information accurately from sensors

Button Control

o Basic switches used to implement a couple functions if needed

o Allows user interaction with micro-controller by using the switch

outputs as inputs into micro-controller

3. Requirements and Verification We will need a PCB, temperature, and an heart beat sensors for the sensors in the collar. As for

the system we will need a microcontroller, temperature, motion sensors, door hydraulics, fan,

buttons, LCD display, and a radio. The power supply for the collar will be a portable battery and

the system will use the car battery. Operating temperatures for the below parts must satisfy 0-

160 degrees F.

pg. 6

Parts Needed Requirements

Transmitter and Receiver Required to be to send data 4 meters away

with 95% accuracy

Receiver must be able to constantly receive

data from the transmitter

Temperature sensor It requires only one port pin communication. It can be powered from data line, with a power supply of 5V, with 1 ºF accuracy from 0ºF to 160ºF.

Heartbeat Sensor Compact size, enough to fit on a collar and

noninvasive with accuracy of 95%.

Must have contact with dogs skin

Microcontroller The Arduino UNO must be able to take in car temperature, motion sensor, UI buttons, and has built wireless communication. It also has to send current temperature reading to the LCD display and communicate to the owner.

Motion Sensor A sensor that is low cost and have a detection range of 4 meters. Data output to the microcontroller.

LCD Display Display the data received from the microcontroller. The Display area consists of 4 characters

Buttons Mechanical buttons that provides correct output to microcontroller

Radio Transmits alert to the owner through police band channels if the dog is in danger

Door Hydraulics Must operate independent of microcontroller if the microcontroller fails.

Batteries LI-Ion batteries supplying 5V to microcontroller and all other sensors. Collar batteries 2 AA batteries with which would last 3 days without replacement.

Parts Needed Verification

pg. 7

Transmitter and Receiver Send signals through transmitter and verify if the receiver on the microcontroller sees the signal.

Temperature sensor Connect data output to analog pin in Arduino. Connect VDD output to 5V and GND to ground. Call function several times, with at least a 10 seconds interval between each measure. Verify the displayed temperature corresponds with the expected one.

Heartbeat Sensor Test different locations on different subjects and verify the correct heartbeat is shown

Microcontroller Test each sensor input data ins with a 5V power source. Connect the 5V signal to each sensor input and visually inspect on the terminal if the port detects the signal

Motion Sensor Test between 1 to 4 meters at intervals of 1 meter. Connect output to voltmeter to verify sensor functionality

LCD Display Test all digital pins to see if they are working Test numbers (sent from microcontroller) sent to the display and inspect if correct. (numbers 0-9 for each LCD display character)

Buttons Test with a simple LED circuit to see if there is an output signal going through.

Radio Send 5 different tone frequencies through

radio and verify that the police band channel

picks up signal.

Door Hydraulics Use doors with various weight to check if door will open. Test when microcontroller turns off, the door hydraulics are activated.

Batteries Attach high impedance load to battery and test how long battery lasts.

pg. 8

4. Tolerance Analysis

The most crucial component to our design is the Collar Unit. What differentiates our

solution, from those offered by current products on the market, is the usage as inputs of the

car's temperature along with the temperature and heart rate of the dog. This is meant to

increase the reliability of our safety systems, thus if the collar is unable to provide satisfactory

readings or none at all, then all dependent actions become useless.

The normal temperature and heart rate of a dog is 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit and 60-140

beats per minute (large breeds), respectively. A temperature of 103 is considered abnormal and

one above 106 places a dog in risk of a heatstroke. Another symptom that accompanies a

heatstroke is a rapid heart beat, out of the normal range for the dog’s size.

How we obtain these measurements comes down to a decision of the most accurate,

comfortable, and convenient option between a collar or harness. One crucial requirement,

regarding how we take the temperature of the dog is that it must be noninvasive. The standard

method used by veterinarians is a rectal reading. This is not feasible in our situation. Common

alternatives are auricular (ear) and axillary (armpit) readings. A heart rate can be obtained from

the dog’s neck, chest near elbow joint, and inner side of thigh. Consulting with Maureen will

give us the pro and cons for accuracy of our choice, given her medical expertise, and officers

Beckman and Chew will weigh in on the practicality of it since they are aware of the dog’s

mobility needs and comforts.

Regardless of our choice, Maureen has allowed to test our methods of measurement

with the dogs at the College of Veterinarian Medicine here on campus. Additionally, we can

then obtain feedback from the police officers regarding any possible hindrances on the dogs

every day activities.

pg. 9

5. Cost and Schedule

5.1 Cost Analysis

Name Hourly Rate Hours

Invested Total°

Juran Kirihara $30.00 150 $11,250 Ariele Galang $30.00 150 $11,250 Saul Rocilez $30.00 150 $11,250 Total $90.00 450 $33,750

°Total = Hourly Rate*Hours Invested*2.5

Item Part Number

Quantity Unit Cost

High Accuracy I2C Temperature Sensor Breakout Board

MCP9808 2 $9.90

Pyroelectric Infrared PIR Motion Sensor Detector Module

05070468 1 $2.99

Arduino UNO Rev3

1 $24.95

Finger Detect Heartbeat Sensor

02792070 1 $3.60

Digi International XB24-AWI-001

888-XB24-AWI-001 XB24-AWI-001

1 $19.00

Assembled Standard LCD 16x2 + extras - White on Blue

PRODUCT ID: 1447 1 $10.95

Lithium Ion Battery - 3.7v 2000mAh

PRODUCT ID: 2011 2 $25.00

Tactile Switch Buttons (12mm square, 6mm tall) x 10 pack

PRODUCT ID: 1119 1 $2.50

SM-3-4, 5/32” Single Acting, Spring Return, Sub-Miniature Cylinders

Part Number:SM-3-4 1 $15.08

Total $113.97

pg. 10

Section Total Labor $33,750 Parts $113.97

Grand Total $33,863.97

5.2 Schedule

Week Task Responsibility 9/19 Determine size of the collar unit

Finalize collar design Juran Ariele Saul

9/26 Locate equipment used for lab setup Work on design review Order all necessary parts

Juran Ariele Saul

10/3 Design PCB for collar Design circuit for microcontroller IO Design hydraulics

Juran Ariele Saul

10/10 Design all other components Assemble PCB for collar Assemble circuit on breadboard for sensors Assemble hydraulics

Juran Ariele Saul

10/17 Run tests and revise

First revision of design is started

Juran Ariele Saul

10/24 Revise device Work on mock demonstrations

Juran Ariele Saul

10/31 First revision of design completed Work on mock demonstrations

Juran Ariele Saul

11/7 Run tests for final product

Fix remaining issues

Juran Ariele Saul

11/14 Prepare presentation Prepare demonstration Prepare final paper

Juran Ariele Saul

pg. 11

11/28 Finalize demonstration Finalize presentation Work on final paper

Juran Ariele Saul

12/5 Lab checkout and finalize paper

Juran Ariele Saul

References [1] Delong, K. (2015, August 13). Brown County Sheriff’s K-9 “Wix” dies after air conditioning in squad car malfunctioned. Retrieved September 12, 2016, from http://fox6now.com/2015/08/13/brown-county-sheriffs-k9-wix-dies-after-air-conditioning-in-squad-car-malfunctioned/