DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A GSM/SMS

BASED FIRE ALARM SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

A fire alarm system is used primarily to evacuate the premises in the event or occurrence of

a fire condition and then secondarily to report the fire to the proper authorities, in this paper

basically a low cost fire detection and control system based on smoke and heat detection is

proposed. The use of wireless automation in almost all the field of power, gas, agriculture and

security systems has over the years provided novel solutions to remote operations, in the

paper the implementation of a SMS based communication system is incorporated to a smoke

detection system in the case of a fire. The implemented design is cheap and effective. The

SMS sending feature included in the design increases the reliability of the system. The design

has been developed since the social and economic cost of natural disasters which has

increased in recent years due to population growth, change in land use patterns, migration and

unplanned urbanization, environmental degradation and global climate change. Fire

considered being natural or manmade, thus the management shall provide safety of the

building occupant and properties. The system has come to light through the way of

inspiration to develop a compact system, based on the fundamental ideas of safety, security

and control.

1
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1: Fire Tetrahedron ……………………………………………………………5

Figure 2.2: Basic Conventional Fire Alarm System ……………………………………6

Figure 2.3: A Manual Pull Station Cover ……………………………………………….7

Figure 2.4: Class A Fire………………………………………………………………….8

Figure 2.5: Class B Fire …………………………………………………………………8

Figure 2.6: Class C Fire …………………………………………………………………8

Figure 2.7: Class D Fire ………………………………………………………….............8

Figure 2.8: Types Of Fire Extinguishers ………………………………………………..10

Figure 2.9: GSM Network Structure ……………………………………………………15

Figure 3.9: LDR CIRCUIT ……………………………………………………………...22

Figure 3.1: System Block Diagram ………………………………..................................17

Figure 3.2: Regulated Power Supply ………………………….………………………..17

Figure 3.3: Bridge Rectifier Circuit …………………………………………………….19

Figure 3.4: Capacitor Filtering ………….……………………………………………….21

Figure 3.5: Block Diagram Of LM317T ………………………………………………...23

Figure 3.6: Battery Backup ………………………………………………………………24

2
Figure 3.7: LED Schematic Symbol And I-V Characteristics Curves Showing The Different

Colours Available …………………………………………………………………………25

Figure 3.8: LED Series Resistor Circuit ………………………………………………….26

Figure 3.10: PIC 16F84A PIN Configuration …………………………………………….27

Figure 3.11: PIC 16F84A Block Diagram…………………………………………………28

Figure 3.12: SIM900 GSM/GPRS Module ………………………………………………..29

Figure 3.13: MQ5 Circuitry ………………………………………………….....................31

Figure 3.14: shows the typical sensitivity characteristics of the MQ-5 for several gases. In

their: Temp: 20℃, Humidity: 65%, O2concentration:21%, RL=20Kω, Ro: sensor resistance

at 1000ppm of H2 in the clean air. Rs: sensor resistance at various concentrations of gases.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….32

Figure 3.15: shows the typical dependence of the MQ-5 on temperature and humidity. Ro:

sensor resistance at 1000ppm of H2 in air at 33% RH and 20degree. Rs: sensor resistance at

different temperatures and humidity ……………………………………………………33

Figure 3.16: Complete Circuit Diagram For Fire Alarm System With SMS

Notification………………………………………………………………………………34

LIST OF PLATES

PLATE 4.1 Inside View Of Packaging Housing Design Components………………..39

PLATE 4.2 Aerial View Of Complete Design………………………………………..40

PLATE 4.3 Complete System Powered ON …………………………………………..41

3
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER PAGE ………………………………………………………………………….I

DECLARATION ………………………………………………………………………..II

CERTIFICATION ………………………………………………………………………III

DEDICATION ………………………………………………………………………….IV

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT …………………………………………................................V

ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………. ……VI

LIST OF FIGURES ……………………………………………………………………...VII

LIST OF PLATES………………………………………………………………………..VIII

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Background Information Of The Study………………….…………………………….1

1.1 Statement Of Problem………………………….............................................................2

1.2 Objective …………………………………………........................................................3

1.3 Scope Of The Study……………………………………………………………………3

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction To Fire And Fire Alarm Systems …………………..................................4

2.1 Classes Of Fire…………………………………………………………………………7

4
2.2 Types Of Fire Extinguishers……………………………………………………………9

2.3 Review Of Related Works……………………………………………………………..10

2.4 Introduction To GSM Network………………………………………………………...13

2.4.1 Messaging Over GSM Network……………………………………………………...14

CHAPTER 3

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE

3.0 Methodology………………………………………………………………………….16

3.1 Hardware Design Analyses…………………………………………………………...16

3.1.1 Power Supply……………….....................................................................................17

3.1.2 Transformer ……………………………………………………...............................18

3.1.3 Bridge Rectifier……………………………………..................................................18

3.1.4 Filtering Capacitors……………………………………………...............................19

3.1.5 LM317T Voltage Regulator………………………………………………………..22

3.1.6 Battery Backup……………………………………………………………………...24

3.2 LED Indicators………………………………………………………………………...24

3.3 The Microcontroller Unit………………………………………………………………27

3.4 Interfacing The SIM 900 GSM Modem With Microcontroller………………………..28

3.5 Smoke Detector Module (The MQ5 Gas Sensor)………………………………………30

3.6 Selection Of Materials …………………………………………………………….35

3.7 Construction Procedure ……………………………………………………………….35

3.7.1 Printed Circuit Board (PCB)…………………………………………………………..36

CHAPTER 4

4.0 Results And Discussion………………………………………………………………..41

5
4.1 Presentation Of Results …………………………………………………………...42

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMENDATIONS

5.1 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….41

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………….42

6
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE STUDY

Today, humanity can be classified as living in a “machine society” where technological

tools are predominantly at different levels, interfacing in the day–to-day activity of man.

These livelihood activities constitute and deliver economic, social and political benefits and

potential risks to the survivability of nations –especially developing nations like ours.

Due to the fast development in telecommunication technologies, it is believed that

wireless communication is a good practice for remote sensing and automation in industrial

and residential locations. Nigeria, like any developing country, is witnessing an era of rapid

economic and social development. This development brings with it, new technologies, new

materials, power sources and telecommunication equipment. Modern industries are springing

up housing volatile materials and highly sophisticated equipment that increase the menace of

fire. Concern for safety of lives and properties calls for an efficient and dependable fire

protection system. This has enhanced the application of new technologies in the fire field.

Sensors are able to consider certain dynamic and static variables such as humidity, the type of

fuel, slope of the land, the direction and the speed of the wind, smoke , to mention a few.

The reports of most of the panel of enquiries on fire accidents in Nigeria, oral interview of

some fire experts and personal experience confirmed the fact that electrical fault is a major

source of fire accident. Hence, realization that a fire protection system capable of

7
automatically switching off electrical power supply to the affected area in addition to the

traditional role of raising an alarm and triggering a sprinkler or other automatic fire lighting

system is going to be more efficient than the existing systems which leaves that important

role unaddressed. Now a day’s automatic fire detection and control is becoming very

essential to reduce the fire in the building and industry. Automatic fire alarm system provides

real-time surveillance, monitoring and automatic alarm. A key aspect of fire protection is to

identify a developing fire emergency in a timely manner, and to alert the building's occupants

and fire emergency organizations. This is the role of fire detection and alarm systems.

Generally fire detectors are designed to respond at an early stage to one more of the four

major characteristics of combustion, heat, smoke, flame or gas. No single type of detector is

suitable for all types of premises or fires. Heat detectors respond to the temperature rise

associated with a fire and smoke detector respond to the smoke or gas generated due to fire.

Thus, proposed in this paper is the design and implementation of a fire alarm system with

SMS notification, this idea is economically efficient as well because the system proposed is

intelligent and reduces human intervention and labour extensively and execution can be

gotten at a very low cost providing extensive environmental, property and life safety.

1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The Nigerian environment is considered to be hazards prone brought about by man-made

and natural disasters due to its geographic circumstance which is exposed to catastrophic,

floods droughts and fires. Based on the reports; devastations of these natural hazards and

disasters including fires have increased in recent years. Our lifestyle of negligence and

adapting to emerging technological solutions puts us at the risk of loss to fire and related

occurrences as seen in markets, homes and other public places. The risk of fire occurrence is

high especially during the dry season, Christmas and New Year celebration due to

firecrackers. In the case where house fires are prevalent, it has effect to derail the economic

8
growth, destroy social and physical capital including infrastructures, which resort to

reallocation of ongoing programs to finance relief operations to fatalities and inhabitants and

reconstruction efforts which diverts funds to social services. Fires are considered natural and

manmade hazards. In fire prevention and fire suppression; it requires the adoption of uniform

fire safety standards, the incorporation of fire safety, construction and provision of protective

and safety devices in buildings and structures.

1.2 OBJECTIVE

The basic objective of this system is to utilize the available and cheap method of the

remote and automation process of the GSM network and sensing system to collect real-time

status of the environment and make measurements to prompt a remote response in case of a

fire incident.

1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this project is to design and construct fire alarm system interfaced with a

microcontroller unit and GSM module with the wireless communication features over SMS.

Within the scope of this project, the prototype model is equipped with a dedicated SIM

(Subscriber Identification Module). Minimal power consumption can be achieved for the

operations. The limitation of this project is that the system would not be able to perform

communication get the real status of the location when there is no network coverage.

9
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 INTRODUCTION TO FIRE AND FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS

Fire is a self-sustaining, chemical chain reaction with varying degrees of light and heat.

Temperature and smoke sensing alert system is motivated to sense the temperature and

smoke and send the alert in an intelligent fashion in case of emergency situation due to fire

blow. In every country in the world the fire alarming system is considered to be essential for

lots of physical structures including industries, shopping malls and private houses.

Fire is made up of four components:

•Fuel

•Oxygen

•Heat

•Chemical Chain Reaction

By removing one of these four components the fire will go out. Fire extinguishers are

designed to do just that.

10
 FIG 2.1FIRE TETRAHEDRON [1]

A fire alarm system is used primarily to evacuate the premises in the event of occurrence

of a fire condition and then secondarily to report the fire to the proper authorities. The fire

alarm system recognizes four different states or conditions: normal, alarm, trouble and

supervisory. Simplistically speaking, a basic system consists of a fire alarm control panel

(FACP) to which are connected initiating (input) devices, notification (output) appliances,

and a source of operating power, and a source of standby power in the event the operating

power should fail. As seen in Figure 2.2 below. The function of a fire alarm control panel is

basically threefold: [1]

1) Accept an alarm or supervisory input from an initiating device.

2) Provide an alarm output to the notification appliance(s).

3) Monitor the integrity of the panel itself and also the wiring to the above devices.

11
 FIG 2.2 BASIC CONVENTIONAL FIRE ALARM SYSTEM [1]

Fire alarm systems have changed dramatically over the past few years, primarily due to the

advent of the low priced microprocessor. Basically there are two different approaches used

for the fire alarm control panel, conventional and addressable.

The minimum basic components of a conventional system are:

1. A locked fire alarm control panel listed for the purpose by a Nationally Recognized

Testing Laboratory, (NRTL) as recognized by OSHA. The standard governing fire

alarm control panels is ANSI/UL Standard 864, currently entering its ninth edition.

OSHA currently recognizes Underwriters Laboratories, Factory Mutual Approvals

and ETL-Semko as certified to test equipment per this standard.

2. A primary operating power supply (120 VAC).

3. A secondary or standby power supply. This is most often a rechargeable storage

battery, although generators are permitted subject to certain conditions.

4. At least one initiating device circuit to which is wired at least one manual station,

automatic heat or smoke detectors, water-flow switch activated by a sprinkler system,

12
 etc. These devices are located in one area, or zone, so an alarm condition in this zone

can direct fire-fighting personnel to the source of the alarm. Typically, a zone usually

consists of a floor of a small building, or wing of a larger building, etc. with area

limitations defined in the National Fire Alarm Code (NFPA 72).

5. At least one (output) notification appliance circuit to which is wired at least one horn,

bell, and strobe, if required.

FIG 2.3 A MANUAL PULL STATION COVER [2]

2.1 CLASSES OF FIRE

There is a universal system to describe different types of fires. This system incorporates the

use of letters, colours and symbols to help users select an extinguisher suitable for the type of

material involved in the fire. [2]

1. Class A: Ordinary combustibles, such as wood, cloth, paper, rubber, many plastics,

and other common materials that burn easily.

13
 FIG 2.4 CLASS A FIRE [2]

2. Class B: Flammable liquids. Includes gasoline, oil, grease, tar, oil-based paint,

lacquer, and flammable gas.

FIG 2.5 CLASS B FIRE [2]

3. Class C: Electrical equipment, such as wiring, fuse boxes, circuit breakers, machinery

and appliances.

FIG 2.6 CLASS C FIRE [2]

4. Class D: Combustible metals. Includes magnesium, aluminium, lithium, and other

combustible metals or metal dust.

14
 FIG 2.7 CLASS D FIRE [2]

2.2 TYPES OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

Labelling on the fire extinguisher identifies which class of fire it is appropriate for; Class

A, B, C, D or K and instructions on how to use it.

 Dry Chemical: Dry Chemical is the most widely used type of fire extinguisher and

is also recognized as a multi-purpose ABC fire extinguisher. The agent works by

interrupting the chemical chain reaction. Also, on a class A fire it creates a barrier

between the fuel and the oxygen.

 Carbon Dioxide: Works by separating oxygen and heat. Usually ineffective

against class A fires.

 Water/Foam: Works by cooling the fire and coating the fuel. Foam extinguishers

create a foam barrier preventing the fuel from coming in contact with oxygen, can

cause shock hazard on class C fires, can cause liquids in class B fires to spread

and effective on class A fires.

 Dry Powder: Works by separating fuel from oxygen and/or removing heat.

Effectiveness is based on the type of class D fire it is designed to extinguish.

Ineffective on class A, B, C fires (metal fires) only.

 Wet Chemical: Works by forming a soapy foam blanket over the burning material

and cooling it below its ignition temperature. Designed for restaurant type

kitchens.

15
  Clean Agent: Works by interrupting the chemical chain reaction.

FIG 2.8 TYPES OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS [2]

2.3 REVIEW OF RELATED WORKS

The paper presented in [3] discusses that fire, being an important process that affects

ecological systems across the globe has both positive and negative effects. However soil

erosion, atmospheric pollution and hazard to life and property are majorly the negative

effects. Fire accident creates serious health and safety hazard in developing countries, which

also resulted into catastrophic situation. This huge loss is inestimably enormous; hence this

paper proposes the development of a GSM -based fire detector system. A cost effective

system that detects fire or smoke and sends alert information to a mobile phone for quick and

immediate action thereby, avoiding unnecessary and costly industrial and domestic

16
breakdown. The fire alert design was built around techniques for digitalizing analogue

signals obtained from transducers used to monitor temperature of the room and the light

intensity of the room. The room temperature to be monitored, being analogue, is measured

through the use of a thermistor, while the light intensity of the room is detected using Light

Dependent Resistor (LDR). The LDR's resistance increases with reduced light intensity

causing the voltage input into the inverting input of the comparator used to be higher than the

reference voltage set at the non-inverting input of the comparator which makes the

comparator to output a LOW. The thermistor resistance decrease with increase in temperature

and this would cause a decrease in the voltage input to the non-inverting input of the

comparator thereby causing the voltage reference set at the inverting input to be greater. In

this state the comparator outputs a LOW, to indicate high temperature (i.e. fire). The two

LOW outputs were ORed and coupled to the astable stage of the circuitry.

The system developed in [4] has come to light through the way of inspiration to develop a

compact system, based on the fundamental ideas of safety, security and control. Once this

system is installed to operation specifying temperature and smoke threshold, in case of any

emergency situation due to increasing temperature and/or smoke at place surpassing the

threshold, the system immediately sends automatic alert-notifications to the users, concerned

with the situations. The user gets total control over the system through mobile SMS, even

from the distant location, that to change the threshold, turn on/off the feature of sending ‘alert

notification’ and also to reset the system after the emergency situation is overcome. Before

executing any command (through SMS) from the user, the system asks for the preset

password to verify an authorized user. The security issues have been considered with utter

attention in this system to ensure its applicability in industries and business organizations,

where security is an important concern. Hence, the fundamental ideas of safety, security and

control have been entirely ensured through the system, which have definitely worked as the

17
gear moving factor to look for a new dimension of an ‘Intelligent Fire Alert System’.

Multiple temperature and smoke sensors are incorporated in the system to cover a wide range

of area, which are connected to Atmega32 microcontroller interfaced with a GSM module.

The alert notification can be sent to multiple users and the corresponding mobile numbers can

be set/reset by the user in the server mobile through the user interface of the program,

running on the computer.

In [5], the design has been developed since the social and economic cost of natural

disasters which has increased in recent years due to population growth, change in land use

patterns, migration and unplanned urbanization, environmental degradation and global

climate change. Catastrophic disasters include fires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tropical

cyclones, floods, and droughts. Fire considered being natural or manmade, thus the

management shall provide safety of the building occupant. The design consists of five major

circuits to compensate the system operation. It includes Detection and Initiating Devices

(DEADS), Notification Devices (NODES), Central Station Monitor (CSM), Annunciation

Devices (ANODES) and the Suppression Circuitry. The DEADS is composed of a smoke

detector and smoke ionization sensors which transmit initiated signal to CSM. The NODES

are active devices like smoke alarms, and speakers attached to every room designed to give

alarms to the room occupants. The Central Station Monitor designed with Arduino Uno as the

Microcontroller served as the brain of the system interfaced with PHP & MySQL. The

ANODES works once fire cannot be suppressed by the system itself, thereby when the fire

department and other incident team needs to be contacted. The suppressor composed of

robotic-arm connected to the water supply, fire hydrants, and sprinkler heads. The

methodologies described in this paper heavily rely on integration of web science to an

embedded system. Compared with traditional or conventional fire alarm system, this design

18
reduces energy consumption, reduction of maintenance and service operation costs, improved

security services, and increase the satisfaction of building occupants.

In this paper, [6] Security in travel is primary concern for everyone. Today fire accident

are most often occurring in trains. A remedy to reduce the death loss occurring due to fire

accidents in trains is presented. Fire on a running train is more catastrophic than on a

stationary one, since fanning by winds helps spread the fire to other coaches. When these

accidents are occurring in remote areas or during night times the loss or damage being caused

is at higher rates. The damage is heavier due to improper reach of service at right time due to

improper communication. This time delay is causing heavier damage. Thus, eliminating the

time between when an accident occurs and when first responders are dispatched to the scene

decreases the damage. This projects help in notifying the passengers and emergency services.

The project consists of a microcontroller which is interfaced with the GPS module, GSM

modem and fire sensors. Once the sensors attached in the compartments of train senses the

smoke detection, it assumes a fire accident. The controller assumes it as an emergency and

starts the buzzer, LCD display and GSM modem in the engine sending the latitude and

longitude information to the specified mobile number and emergency services, by fetching

the information from the GPS.

2.4 INTRODUCTION TO GSM NETWORK

GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) has been the backbone of the

phenomenal success of mobile communication in the previous decade. Now at the dawn of

true broadband services, GSM continues to evolve to meet new demands. GSM is an open,

non-proprietary system with international roaming capability. GSM was originally known as

Group Special Mobile but nowadays it is commonly referred as Global System for Mobile

Communication. It is a set of standards developed by the European Telecommunications

19
Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe technologies used for second generation digital

communications, commonly referred as 2G technologies. It was developed as a replacement

to the first generation analog communications. It originally described a digital circuit

switched network optimized for full duplex voice communications. [7]

2.4.1 Messaging Over GSM Network

GSM is the world’s most popular standard for mobile telephony systems. GSM is used

by over 3 billion people all over the world. GSM also pioneered the low cost implementation

of the Short Message Service (SMS) which allows parties to exchange delay tolerant short

text messages. The popularity and coverage of cellular networks allows the use of SMS

service.

According to the analysis of real data taken from a real GSM network in India, SMS

delivery success rate is found to be 94.3%. Of these successfully delivered messages, 73.3

arrived to their destination within 10 seconds. About 5% of them required more than 1 hour

to reach the destination.

Using SMS for AMR will certainly increase the flow of messages tremendously. GSM

uses several cryptographic algorithms for security. The development of UMTS introduces an

optional Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), which uses a longer authentication

key to give greater security, as well as mutually authenticating the network and the user. [7]

20
FIG 2.9 GSM NETWORK STRUCTURE [7]

21
 CHAPTER THREE

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE

3.0 METHODOLOGY

The method used in the execution of this project comprises the combination of serial

communication protocols, signal processing, programming logics with embedded system. In

other to establish the aim of the project these methods were combined from the design stage

to the construction and performance results of the system. Using carefully selected materials

and software implementation to drive the complete system as seen in the final construction.

This chapter entails the design procedure of the system detailing the theoretical analysis,

choice of components and values and construction and packaging materials. Indicating

calculations, schematics and drawings

3.1 HARDWARE DESIGN ANALYSIS

The circuit is divided into 5 segments: the regulated power, communication unit,

microcontroller unit, display and smoke detector unit. The block diagram for the system is

presented in the figure below, showing the basic units of the system circuitry.

22
 FIG. 3.1 SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM

3.1.1 POWER SUPPLY

The power supply for the fire alarm unit is designed to suit the specification of the component

units of the system. A power transformer rectification and regulation method is applied to

derive the appropriate voltage levels of the unit as seen in the circuit below.

FIG. 3.2 REGULATED POWER SUPPLY

23
 3.1.2 THE TRANSFORMER

This design primarily derives its power from the AC mains supply of 220V, however it is

not reasonable to power an electronic circuitry with an AC of this magnitude, and so the need

of a step down transformer with output of 18V.

A transformer is very efficient at converting AC voltages and currents from one value to

another. In practice efficiencies of 98% may be achieved, the losses being due to heating

effects of the transformer core, winding loss and leakage flux.

The power requirement of the circuit to be power is 1.44W. Therefore, the power supply unit

is design to give that power output. Transformer type: two 240/18V, 500Ma

3.1.3 BRIDGE RECTIFIER

The 2W005G bridge rectifier has a diffused junction with a low forward voltage drop of

1V and a high current capability of 50A and an Average Rectified Output Current of 2A.[8]

The output of rectifier voltage is given as

V ip =√ 2× V rms × k−( 4 × V D )−−−−−−−−−−−−3.1

V ip = Peak inverse voltage

V rms = Root Mean Square for Voltage

k= Rectification Efficiency

V D = Voltage drop across each diode

Knowing that: V rms =220 V

V D=0.7 V

24
k =0.05

¿ √ 2× 220× 0.05−(4 ×0.7)

∴ V ip =12.76V

FIG. 3.3 BRIGDE RECTIFIER CIRCUIT

3.1.4 FILTERING CAPACITORS

The filtering capacitor C1, C2 in this circuit is used to smooth the ripple of the rectifier

output. When selecting a capacitor the important parameters are; the capacitance, working

voltage and percentage ripple. The value of the capacitive value of the capacitor C1, C2 is

derived as:

The working voltage is always given as

V wv ≥ 2V P−−−−−−−−3.2

Where Vp = peak voltage given as

V P=√ 2× V rms −−−−−−−−3.3

V P=√ 2× 18

VP = 25.46V

25
 ∴ V wv =2 ×25.46

¿ 50.92V

The capacitance value can be obtained from the current formula of the capacitor given as;

dq
ic= −−−−−−−−−3.4
dt

q = charge in coulomb

q=CV

dv
I C =C −−−−−−−3.5
dt

1
but f r =
dt

f r = frequency ripple

i c =C f r d v

i1
C= −−−−−−−3.6
f r dV

∴ f r is twice for full wave rectifier .

R.M.S value of ripple voltage is given as

V r =γ V L −−−−−−−−−−−3.7
rrms ( DC )

Where γ =ripple factor

V l =D .C voltage of the load.

( DC)

The voltage chosen for this project is 12V.

26
 ∴ V r =0.482 ×12
rms

= 5.784V

So the capacitor value can also be determined by the given equation below

i dc
C= −−−−−−−−−−−3.8
4 √ 3 fγ V ip

f =50Hz

γ =0.482

V ip =14.16 V

i dc =1 A

Equation 3.8 becomes

1
C=
4 √ 3 ×50 ×0.482 ×14.16

C=423 μf

It can be deduced that the least capacitor value needed is 423µf, to get a high value of

voltage; we require a large value of capacitance in the circuit. Thus, a capacitor with a value

1000µf was chosen. Which is more than twice the value of the needed capacitor value. This is

used to provide safety in the circuit. Therefore C1 is rated 1000µf.

27
 FIG. 3.4 CAPACITOR FILTERING

3.1.5 LM317T VOLTAGE REGULATOR

The choice of voltage regulator depends on the load current of the circuit. The voltage

regulator must have a capacity to carry a current twice the load current. The LM317T, a

monolithic integrated circuit is an adjustable 3-terminal positive-voltage regulator designed to

supply more than 1.5 A of load current with an output voltage adjustable over a 1.2 V to 37 V

range. It employs internal current limiting, thermal shutdown, and safe area compensation.

[9]

28
 FIG. 3.5 BLOCK DIAGRAM OF LM317T [9]

Since the LM317T is an adjustable regulator, the choice of output voltage is determined

by the resistance which is a potential divider across the terminal 1, where we have R2 to be

2.2KΩ and R17 to be 1KΩ, as a 4V output is needed to power the microcontroller, GSM

module and the microcontroller. This is calculated as follows:

The LM 317T has electrical characteristics as gotten from the datasheet [9].

VI-VO = 5 V, IO = 0.5 A, 0°C ≤ TJ ≤ +125°C, IMAX = 1.5 A, PDMAX = 20 W

IADJ (Adjustable Pin Current) = 46µA

I∆ADJ (Adjustable Pin Current Change) = 2.0A

VREF (Reference Voltage) = 1.25V

IL (MIN) (Minimum Load Current to Maintain Regulation) = 3.5A

IO (MAX) (Maximum Output Current) = 2.2A

The expression below is used to derive the desired output voltage of 4V.

29
 R2
(
V out =V REF 1+ )
R 17
−−−−−−−−−−−3.9

2.2 K
(
V out =1.25 1+
1K )
∴ V out =4 V

C1 is not needed for stability; however, it does improve transient response. Since IADJ is

controlled to less than 100μA, the error associated with this term is negligible.

3.1.6 BATTERY BACKUP

For the case of power outage, the system is incorporated with a 9V battery backup so as to

keep the unit at a round the clock operational status. Across the bridge rectifier a diffused

junction single phase, half wave diode is connected for capacitive load, derate current by

20%. The diode is called a free willing diode as it prevents a back flow of voltage into the

circuit from the Backup battery.

FIG. 3.6 BATTERY BACKUP

3.2 LED INDICATORS

30
 A “Light Emitting Diode” or LED as it is more commonly called, is basically a

specialised type of PN junction diode, made from a very thin layer of fairly heavily doped

semiconductor material. When the diode is forward biased, electrons from the

semiconductors conduction band recombine with holes from the valence band releasing

sufficient energy to produce photons which emit a monochromatic (single colour) of light.

[10] Three LED’S are visible in the design as indicators, the blue LED indicates the power on

of the system and blinks continuously at an interval of 2Seconds, the other green LED

indicates the system is connected to the GSM module and network available and the red LED

turns ON when the MQ5 smoke detector module detects smoke and sends and SMS.

FIG. 3.7 LED SCHEMATIC SYMBOL AND I-V CHARACTERISTICS CURVES

SHOWING THE DIFFERENT COLOURS AVAILABLE [10]

31
FIG. 3.8 LED SERIES RESISTOR CIRCUIT

32
 FIG. 3.9 LED

V S −V F
R S= −−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−3.10
IF

V S−V F
I F= −−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−3.11
RS

R S=R 7 , R 8 , R 9=1 kὨ

5−2
I F= =3 mA
1000

The current flowing through the LED derived to 3mA for a 1kὨ series resistor

3.3 THE MICROCONTROLLER UNIT

The microcontroller is the heart of the project; it controls all the activities of the entire

system. The criteria for choosing the microcontroller are:-

 Meet the computation needs of task at hand efficiently and cost effectively.

 Availability of software development tools such as compiler, assemblers and

debuggers and widely availability and reliable source of the microcontroller.

For these reason the PIC16F876A microcontroller is chosen. It is further discussed below.

33
 FIG. 3.10 PIC 16F84A PIN CONFIGURATION [11]

The PIC16F876A microcontroller offers the following features which makes it very

beneficial to this design, namely, high computational performance at an economical price –

with the addition of high endurance, Enhanced Flash program memory. In addition to these

features, the PIC16F876A introduces design enhancements that make these microcontrollers

a logical choice for many high-performance, power sensitive applications. [11]

34
 FIG. 3.11 PIC 16F84A BLOCK DIAGRAM [11]

3.4 INTERFACING THE SIM 900 GSM MODEM WITH

MICROCONTROLLER

Modems are devices that let computers transmit information over ordinary telephone

lines. Modem is an acronym for "modulator/demodulator." Modems translate a stream of

information into a series of tones (modulation) at one end of the telephone line, and translate

the tones back into the serial stream at the other end of the connection (demodulation). Most

modems are bidirectional, so a data transfer can take place in both directions simultaneously.

35
 A GSM modem could also be a standard GSM mobile phone with the appropriate cable

and software driver to connect to a serial port on your computer. Phones such as the Nokia

7110 with a DLR-3 cable, or various Ericsson phones, are often used for this purpose. [12]

FIG. 3.12 SIM900 GSM/GPRS Module [12]

The SIM900 is a complete Quad-band GSM/GPRS solution in a SMT module which can

be embedded in several applications, it delivers GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900MHz

performance for voice, SMS, Data, and with low power consumption.

 SIM900 is designed with a very powerful single-chip processor

 Quad - band GSM/GPRS module with a size of 24mmx24mmx3mm

 SMT type suit for customer application

 An embedded Powerful TCP/IP protocol stack

The GSM modem is configured via COM PORTS of a computer using the RS232 cable.

The GSM modem understands a set of instructions called the AT (Attention) commands. This

is used to send queries and receive response from the GSM modem. The table below

describes the basic AT commands. [12]

36
TABLE 3.1 AT COMMAND AND RESPONSE

QUERY AT COMMAND RESPONSE

The mobile equipment returns list of

parameters and values ranges set with the

TEST COMMAND AT+<X>=?
corresponding write command.

READ COMMAND AT+<X>? The command returns the currently set value of

the parameters

WRITE COMMAND AT+<X>=<…> This command sets the user defined parameter

values

The execution command reads non-variable

parameters affected by internal processes in the

EXECUTION AT+<X>
GSM modem
COMMAND

3.5 SMOKE DETECTOR MODULE (THE MQ5 GAS SENSOR)

The smoke detector used in this design is the MQ5 gas sensor, they are used in gas leakage

detecting equipments in family and industry, are suitable for detecting of LPG, natural gas ,

town gas, avoid the noise of alcohol and cooking fumes and cigarette smoke. It features a

High sensitivity to LPG, natural gas, town gas, small sensitivity to alcohol, smoke, fast

response, stable and long life with a simple drive circuit. The figure below shows the

circuitry components of the MQ5 sensor.

37
 FIG. 3.13 MQ5 CIRCUITRY [13]

Structure and configuration of MQ-5 gas, sensor composed by micro AL2O3 ceramic tube,

Tin Dioxide (SnO2) sensitive layer, measuring electrode and heater are fixed into a crust

made by plastic and stainless steel net. The heater provides necessary work conditions for

work of sensitive components. The enveloped MQ-5 have 6 pin, 4 of them are used to fetch

signals, and other 2 are used for providing heating current. [13]

38
FIG. 3.14 shows the typical sensitivity characteristics of the MQ-5 for several gases. In

their: Temp: 20℃, Humidity: 65%, O2concentration:21%, RL=20Kω, Ro: sensor

resistance at 1000ppm of H2 in the clean air. Rs: sensor resistance at various

concentrations of gases. [13]

39
FIG. 3.15 shows the typical dependence of the MQ-5 on temperature and humidity. Ro:

sensor resistance at 1000ppm of H2 in air at 33% RH and 20degree. Rs: sensor

resistance at different temperatures and humidity. [13]

40
FIG. 3.16 COMPLETE CIRCUIT DIAGRAM FOR FIRE ALARM SYSTEM WITH

SMS NOTIFICATION

41
3.6 SELECTION OF MATERIALS

In the construction of this project the materials used were carefully selected to suit every

part of the design as well as perform at the required operational standards. Below are a few

criteria for choosing the components:

 Electrical characteristics

 Power consumption

 Portability

 Durability

 Current

 Heat dissipation etc.

When selecting a capacitor the important parameters are; the capacitance, working voltage

and percentage ripple. The criteria for choosing the microcontroller are:-

 Meet the computation needs of task at hand efficiently and cost effectively.

 Availability of software development tools such as compiler, assemblers and

debuggers and widely availability and reliable source of the microcontroller.

 Memory space and speed

3.7 CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE

Before the construction of the system, it was first designed, and then the circuit was

designed and simulated using the Proteus 8 circuit design and simulation software, this was

done to see the behaviour of the system in real time situations when fully completed. On

performing the desired aim the construction process began.

42
 3.7.1 PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB)

PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is used to mechanically support and electrically connect

electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper

sheets laminated onto a non-conductive board. Components are connected through the

conductive material below a non-conductive board, the common conductive material used in

packaged PCBs are usually copper, since copper is cheap and common.

Why use customized PCB’s instead of ready-made project board?

First, because the board will be more compact because design as well is made to be

compact. Second, it's more convenient to use, since one can decide where to put space on the

board. And last, the board will be stronger unlike those ready-made project boards which are

full of holes everywhere, making ready-made boards weaker. [14]

In making the PCB, the design is printed on a photo paper then the design is transferred

to the copper side of the board using heat transfer method, the ink from the paper is

transferred to the board. The ink serves as the protective layer to cover the copper part that

shouldn't be etched. Then after transferring the ink to the PCB board, the PCB board is

dipped in an etching solution (Ferric Chloride) for 15 minutes. After etching, the PCB board

is rinsed with water to remove the etching solution. After rinsing the remaining ink is

removed with a brush, to uncover the unetched copper part. After removing the ink, holes

were drilled for the components to be soldered on the board.

Connections and wiring of the various circuits was carried out by a careful soldering of the

components terminals on the PCB. Where a short circuit is likely to occur, insulated copper

wires (jumpers) were used to connect the terminals before soldering. Also, components that

are likely to be affected by heat during soldering were mounted on sockets. After the

43
components are soldered to the PCB, a digital multimeter was used to carry out connectivity

and continuity test on the components to ensure proper connections. Other component parts

of the system were as well connected and the system so packaged. The system was then

powered to test the working of the system to see it meets the design aims and objectives.

44
 CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

After the whole design constructed, it was put to test to see if it performs the design

specifics of smoke detection and SMS communication to predefined phone numbers. In this

prototype model, a dedicated SIM is provided for the Modem with predefined emergency

phone numbers stored. The complete system on a PCB is housed in a PVC making the unit

compact.

4.1 PERFORMANCE TEST

When the system was plugged to a power supply. The LED indicator display indicated

system power up, and MODEM connected, to test the sensitivity of the system, fire was set

up and the system on sensing smoke automatically sends SMS to the number saved on the

SIM. The message was delivered within a minute, this time is enough for a response and

action to be taken before the spread of the fire and damage to lives and properties.

4.2 PRESENTATION OF RESULTS

Shown in the plates below are the presentation and packaging of the finished fire alarm

system with SMS notification system.

45
PLATE 4.1 INSIDE VIEW OF PACKAGING HOUSING DESIGN COMPONENTS

46
PLATE 4.2 AERIAL VIEW OF COMPLETE DESIGN

PLATE 4.3 COMPLETE SYSTEM POWERED ON

47
 CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMENDATIONS

5.1 CONCLUSION

In this paper as proposed an automatic fire alarm system with SMS notification has been

designed and implemented, it can be deduced from the design and test results that the project

has met its objectives. This project has therefore as proposed provided a novel solution to the

inadequacies of traditional fire alarm systems. The sensor applied in this design provides

sensing for gas leakages with fast response and high sensitivity. In the case of power failure

the system is designed to run on a round the clock basis as it is presented with an automated

power backup system. The drawback of the system from test implies the dependence of the

system on the GSM network for SMS communication, for areas or times with no network

coverage the system may not be able to communicate and these areas for future development.

As the system takes care of few of the drawbacks of the existing system, there is scope for

further improvement and expansion of this work. The system can be expanded with further

security measures, the system can be developed to automatically turn OFF power supply to

48
the premises to prevent further spread of fire as well as to trigger a fire extinguishing system

to put out the fire. It is recommended to develop a system in which temperature monitoring

and controlling is performed.

REFERENCES

1. The ABC’s of Fire Alarm Systems - Section I, By Anthony J. Shalna, 2009, Principal

IMSA Representative to the Automatic Fire Alarm Association.

2. Fire Service Features of Buildings and Fire Protection Systems Occupational Safety and

Health Administration (OSHA) U.S. Department of Labor.

3. Development of A GSM - Based Fire Detector System: Oke A.O, Falohun A.S and

Adetunji A.B. Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering 2015 Vol I WCE 2015,

July 1 - 3, 2015, London, U.K.

4. An Intelligent Fire Alert System using Wireless Mobile Communication: Mahdi Nasrullah

Al-Ameen, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Texas at

Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA

5. Design and in Prototype Implementation of Fire Detection and Intelligent Alarm System:

Daniel D. Dasig, Jr, Proceedings of the Intl. Conf. on Advances in Computing, Control and

Networking - ACCN 2015. Institute of Research Engineers and Doctors, USA. ISBN: 978-1-

63248-038-5 doi: 10.15224/ 978-1-63248-038-5-105

49
6. Fire Detection and Notification System in Trains: Kuncham Viswa Teja, Suresh Angadi,

Dept. of ECE, K L University, Vaddeswaram, A.P, India: International Journal of Innovative

Research in Science, Engineering and Technology. Vol. 2, Issue 4, April 2013

7. GSM Modems, http://www.nowsms.com/doc/configuring-smsc-connections/gsm-modems

8. 2W005G 2.0A Glass Passivated Bridge Rectifier, Diodes Incorporated.

www.fairchildsemi.com

9. LM317 3-Terminal Positive Adjustable Regulator, Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation

www.fairchildsemi.com

10. Amber LED Datasheet. www.datasheetcatalog.com

11. PIC16F876A Data Sheet, Microchip Technology Inc. www.datasheetcatalog.com

www.datasheetcatalog.com

12. SIM 900 GSM module application notes GSM/GPRS Modems Working Operations.

www.ehow.com

13. MQ5 Gas Sensor Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation www.fairchildsemi.com

14. PCB Printed circuit Processes & Instructions, Comprehensive Datak Instructions for

Printed Circuit Prototyping.

50