This document presents a wild fire monitoring system designed by Mahlalela John S. The system uses wireless sensors to detect fires and transmit information to a host computer. It has four operating modes depending on the received signals: normal, fire detected, power saving, and low battery. The system aims to use electronics to solve real-life problems, design a monitoring GUI and outdoor fire detection system, and transmit warning signals from the field to the host PC. It faces challenges in sensor design, power consumption minimization, and establishing communication between microcontrollers and the PC.

1. Title : Wild Fire Monitoring System
Presented by : Mahlalela John S.
ID No : 133745
Supervisor : Prof P.C Egau

2.  Abstract
 System Overview
 System Operations
 System Modules
 Challenges
 Conclusion and
Recommendations
 Questions and Answers

3.  This presentation will outline the overall design
and implementation of WFMS prototype.
 Challenges faced during the system development
 The finished prototype detects fire, monitor
battery conditions of the sensing modules and
send warning signals to the host PC. The design of
WFMS is based on the following objectives.

4. Project Objectives
 To use the knowledge of electronics to solve a
real life problem
 To design a PC based Monitoring Windows
Application (GUI).
 To design an outdoor fire detecting system.
 To transmit warning signals from field to the
Monitoring PC.

5.  WFMS is designed to use wireless sensors to
detect and transmit information to the host
computer.
 Display current status of remote sensors on
the forest map.
 WFMS have four operation modes as follows.

6. The four basic operating conditions depend on
the received signal.
1. Normal operation mode
2. Fire Detected mode
3. Power Saving Mode
4. Low Battery mode.

7. MAX232 IC
MCU
RF Module
Rx
Sensor1
Sensor3
Sensor2
Host PC
Siren

8. 1. Monitoring Interface
 GUI developed using VB.
 Application features include:
Creating Log files
Sensor location display
Editing and saving log reports.
Clearing of existing alarms
Display of current room temperature.
Indicating received signal strength
Screen Shot of Application

9.  Serial communication Module
This is the interface between RF
module (Receiver ) and the host
computer. It includes
1. Microcontroller (PIC18f2550)
2. MAX232 to interface PIC and PC
3. RF receiver module
4. Relay to switch on/off Siren

10. SCREEN
SHOTS

11. The response time of the entire system depends mostly
on the sensor response.
Temperature Sensor response time is one minute
Smoke sensor - as soon as the concentration of smoke
increases above 1 V. Output of the sensor depends on
air cleanliness nominal value was 0.62 V clean air.
Battery monitor – as soon as power supply voltage falls
below 2.7 V.

12. WORKING SENSOR

13. Sensor calibration
Temperature of steam , Vo = 3.78V
Melting Ice Vo = 1.2V
Change in temp = 0.0258V/ 0C
The average change in sensor output in a normal day
was noted to be 0.05 V corresponds to 2 0C per
minute. Observed on a period of approximately 4 883
minutes = 81 hrs.

14. 1.9
1.95
2
2.05
2.1
2.15
2.2
2.25
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
SensorOutput(Volts)
Time (Minutes)
Temperature Sensor output Vs Time
Temperature

15. WFMS detects the presence of fire using two concepts:
 Smoke
 Rate of temperature change ?
Gas Sensor (TGS 2600)

16.  The circuit uses a transistor
as a switch to detect if Vcc
goes below 2.7 V and reports
to the microcontroller which
generate a battery low signal
and send it to the transmitter.
 Immediately when Vcc goes
below 2.7 V the transistor
starts conducting thus output
voltage Vo = Vcc

17.  Designing the outdoor fire detection system was not
easy
1. Number of sensing module
2. Power consumption was not easy to minimize since
each sensor had own power dissipation which must
be satisfied.
 Scarcity of RF Modules.

18.  Software on the PIC microcontrollers both on Sensor and
receiver side was developed on C using PIC18 C
compiler.
 The monitoring application software was developed
using Visual basic.
 Most Challenging work
1. Establishing proper communication between PIC and
PC
2. Sensor design and noise elimination at receiver end.

19.  Although WFMS is a monitoring system
designed for commercial forest
monitoring, This system can be used for
residential fire monitoring , instead of
connecting to a computer ,it can be connected
to a fire suppressing system .
 Overall the objectives set at the beginning
were fulfilled and the design of the system
seems possible to implement even on large
scale forest fire management.

20.  More work is recommended on the sensor design to
improve its efficiency.
 PIC to PC interface can be converted to USB since
most computers now have USB ports rather than
Serial port.
 See more recommended work on project report.

22. Questions

23. THE END