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ECE 445


Spring 2014


Project Proposal










Thermoelectric Rehabilitation Cooler
















Brian Dickinson, Ethan Coxsey, Jimmy Su


TA: Igor Fedorov





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Table of Contents


[1] INTRODUCTION
1.1 Statement of Purpose 3
1.2 Objectives 3
1.2.1 Goals and Function 3
1.2.2 Features 3
1.2.3 Benefits 3


[2] DESIGN
2.1 Block Diagrams 4
2.2 Block Descriptions 4


[3] REQUIREMENTS AND VERIFICATION
3.1 Requirements and Verification 6
3.2 Tolerance Analysis 7


[4] COST AND SCHEDULE
4.1 Cost Analysis 8
4.1.1 Labor 8
4.1.2 Parts 8
4.1.3 Grand Total 9
4.2 Schedule 9



















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[1] INTRODUCTION

1.1 Statement of Purpose

A vital part of recovery from an injury is the use of cooling therapy. To aid in this, there
are specially made braces that pump cold water around the injured area to maintain an even cold
to the entire injury site. Existing medical applications chill the water using ice. Our project will
improve upon this by using a thermoelectric cooler. This allows for better control over treatment
than what already exists.

1.2 Objectives
1.2.1 Goals and Functions:

The goal of this project is to build a self-contained unit that integrates a Peltier
cooling device with an existing brace to provide cooling to an injury. This will allow the
user to apply different temperatures to the injury for self-chosen lengths of time,
controlled through a simple user interface and a PIC microcontroller. At the same time,
the system will utilize sensors both to monitor skin temperature and to ensure proper
cooling, thereby preventing tissue damage. The current into the Peltier devices will be
physically controlled by a pulse width modulated Buck converter of our own design, and
they will be mathematically regulated by a control system. The device should weigh less
than 20 pounds and should fit into a backpack. Further, the device should be less
expensive than existing products which are approximately $200.

1.2.2 Features:
Timer dials for durations from 5 minutes to 7 hours 55 minutes, in 5 minutes
increments
Temperature dials for preset temperatures of cold (1-3 C), room (24-26 C), and hot
(76-82 C)
Simple set up with existing braces and wraps

1.2.3 Benefits:
No need to replace ice and water in the reservoir
Ability to program the device and leave it, allowing the user to sleep while still
following the cooling regiment
Sensors prevent tissue damage
Lower cost and higher functionality than existing devices









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[2] DESIGN

2.1 Block Diagrams
Red indicates power line; blue indicates data line.



2.2 Block Descriptions
2.2.1 Power Supply

The power supply will contain three parts. The first is a PWM Buck converter.
This will be used to control the current into the Peltier devices. It will receive a signal
from the microcontroller to adjust the duty cycles of the FETs. The second component
will be a second converter to provide power for the PIC Microcontroller. The final
component will be a supply to control the voltage to the pump. There will be some
circuitry so that the microcontroller will be able to turn the pump on and off. The power
supply will be designed within regulations (e.g. isolation, grounding, etc.)

2.2.2 Peltier Devices

The Peltier Device block will contain the Peltier devices which will be used to
regulate the temperature. They will be controlled by the current being driven through
them (which will be regulated by the sensors). We will be using two CUI CP85438 wired
in series to provide the heating and cooling of the water. These will provide a maximum
of 116 W of energy pumped out.



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2.2.3 Water Pump

The water pump is a simple and small pump that will run off of a low voltage
supply. It will circulate a closed supply of water, pumping at a rate of approximately 2-4
liters per minute. It will be capable of adjustable flow rate, but we will likely keep it at a
constant rate, thus being independent of the control system.

2.2.4 Sensors

Thermocouples will be implemented within the circulation system to maintain a
set temperature of the water. They will serve as feedback signals into the control system
to maintain the temperature at the reference value. Note that there will be redundant
sensors in place to ensure accuracy.

2.2.5 Microcontroller

We will be using an Arduino Uno microcontroller to implement the closed-loop
feedback control system for temperature regulation. Feedback will be determined from
the thermocouples, and adjustments will be made to the power supply, thus indirectly
adjusting temperature changes in the Peltier devices.

2.2.6 User Interface

The user interface will allow the user to control both the temperature of the water
(in Celsius) and the duration of the pumping. The interface will consist of a collection of
LEDs, each with a label. The user will navigate through the LEDs using two buttons, one
to advance the current selection and another to choose the next category. There will be
two categories, one for temperature and one for duration. Within the temperature
category, there will be lights for preset temperatures (listed in both Celsius and
Fahrenheit) and buttons to cycle through them. The selected LED in each category will
be green while that category is selected and red when it is not. Within the duration
category, there will be controls for the subcategories of hours, the tens digit of the
minutes, and the ones digit of the minutes (either 0 or 5 minutes). Finally, there will be a
ready light. Only when this light is illuminated is the user able to start the program. This
will prevent the user from accidentally starting the system before checking the settings.











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[3] REQUIREMENTS AND VERIFICATION

3.1 Requirements and Verification




Requirements Verifications
1. Power Supply
The Peltier supply must produce a
variable voltage between 2 - 16 volts
depending on the current requirement
(1.7A - 8.5A). Output must be
adjustable to suit Peltier devices'
behavior
The pump supply will maintain a steady
operating voltage of 12 volts while
under a small load from our water pump
and must be able to run continuously
for over 24 hours. Error allowed is 15%
The second supply must maintain 5 volt
power signal within 10% and should
not require any large power draw.

The Peltier devices will be ran through
a series of tests, one where it draws max
power for a short time (App. 5
minutes), and then the lower power
stages for extended periods afterwards,
eventually leading to a full hour at a
low power setting.
The Second supply will simply be
tested with the microcontroller to verify
it will maintain standard logic voltages.
2. Peltier Devices
Must be able to pump approximately
100 Watts of heat from the water in
order to ensure adequate cooling
Must be able to maintain a steady state
temperature of 1 C for extended
periods of time
The wrap will be secured around the
body and temperature measurements
will be taken to ensure a steady water
temperature of 1 C.
The devices will be run at low
temperatures for an extended period of
time to ensure durability
3. Water Pump
Must circulate approximately 1 liter of
water through the cooling reservoir and
must be able to run for over 24 hours
The pump will be left on with both
warm water and cold water for over 24
hours. Power measurements and
inspection for potential failure points
will be assessed
4. Sensors
Thermocouple pairs must measure the
water temperature in both the entry
coupling and the exit coupling within
an accuracy of .2 C and maintain a
difference of only .3 C of their
redundant pair
Precise measurements will be taken
with known accurate devices
throughout the cooling and reheating
phases of operation and then compared
to recorded results
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3.2 Tolerance Analysis

Our project has a large focus on removing heat quickly and safely, while still remaining
effective at performing the necessary treatments. This exposes small areas where tolerances of
our design come into question.
First, we have to keep the water cooled without it getting cold enough to damage skin
tissue. This calls into question the accuracy of our sensors, since it will be simple enough to turn
on or off the power supply of our TECs. The sensors must be reading within accurate ranges so
that the unit will know if the temperature may or may not be too cold or too warm. Redundancy
will help minimize this along with proper calibrations of our sensors to our controller. The
sensors need to be within a variation of only 0.1 C so that there is an agreeable measurement to
rely on.
The temperature sensors also come into effect when we want to change our power supply
to a lower power setting so as to minimize power loss and improve efficiency and comfort for
the user, if the sensors are faulty the unit could potentially pull too much heat from the unit too
quickly and cause freezing.
Another area of focus is our housing and tubing itself, the materials chosen must be able
to withstand multiple cycles of heating and cooling without becoming brittle or risk of failure.
This effect will be crucially analyzed when dealing with our mounts and seals of our TECs and
heat sinks into the actual housing itself so that no leaks are present at warm or cold temperatures.
The power supplies also need to be able to account for the standard 10% variations of AC
wall voltages so that the control and necessary power systems dont become compromised under
operations. The main Peltier supply should be able to account for this by varying the duty cycle
to adjust our voltages for what our load requires.







5. Microcontroller
Must be able to handle analog and
digital signals as well as store memory
for set program times and regiments
The controller will be loaded with basic
practice programs that when given
simple inputs and constraints expected
outputs are maintained and meet
expectations
Will also be tested for failures by
inputting non-allowed or extra inputs
6. User Interface
Must be friendly, simple and easy to
follow therefore buttons, switches and
indicators must be easy to find and
operate without mistake.
Someone with no knowledge of how
the interface works should be able to
easily figure it out very simply using
labeled inputs and indicators.
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[4] COST AND SCHEDULE

4.1 Cost Analysis
4.1.1 Labor

Name
$ /
Hour
Total
Hours
Invested Subtotal (Total/Person)*2.5
Brian Dickinson $35 150 $5,250 $13,125
Ethan Coxsey $35 150 $5,250 $13,125
James Su $35 150 $5,250 $13,125
Total: $39,375

4.1.2 Parts

Item Part Number Qty
Unit
Cost Total Cost
50 GPH
Submersible Pump - 1 $5.84 $5.84
Peltier Thermo-
Electric Cooler
Module - 3 $14.95 $44.85
Common Anode
5mm RGB LED - 15 $0.05 $0.75
Switches/knobs - 5 $2.89 $14.45
Microcontroller
board - Ardunio
UNO - 1 $14.99 $14.99
5V Voltage
Regulator - 1 $0.23 $0.23
Container &
Tubing - 1 $20.00 $20.00
12V Voltage
Regulator - 1 $0.25 $0.25
Thermocouples - 2 $7.05 $14.10
120V to 12V
Transformer - 1 $7.02 $7.02
5V Capacitor - 1 $0.50 $0.50

12V Capacitor

-

1 $0.50

$0.50
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Item

Part Number

Qty
Unit
Cost

Total Cost
Rectifier Diodes 1n4004 4 $0.14 $0.56
Filter Capacitors - 2 $0.25 $0.50
High Power Field
Effect Transistor IF520 1 $0.60 $0.60
PWM Controller - 1 $1.40 $1.40
High Power
Inductor - 1 $3.05 $3.05
Total $129.59



4.1.3 Grand Total

Total
Labor
Total
Parts
Grand
Total
$39,375 $129.59 $39504.59


4.2 Schedule
Week Brian Dickinson Ethan Coxsey Jimmy Su
2/10/2014
Work on Project
Proposal
Work on Project
Proposal
Work on Project
Proposal
2/17/2014
Work on design
review design of
power supply,
design of circuit
layout
Work on design
review
simulations of
temperature flow,
testing plan
Work on design
review control
systems, cost
analysis
2/24/2014
Work on designing
PWM Buck
converter for power
supply
Work on
designing
component to
control power
supply voltage to
pump
Work on designing
the plant model of
the control system;
order parts
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3/3/2014
Work on PCB
design
Work on testing
plan for devices
Work on code for
interface
3/10/2014
Test Peltier devices
and water pump
Review code, test
sensors
Design complete
control system
model
3/17/2014
Individual Progress
Reports
Individual
Progress Reports
Individual
Progress Reports
3/24/2014 Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break
3/31/2014
Mock Up Demos
Work out kinks for
demos
Mock Up Demos
Work out kinks
for demos
Mock Up Demos
Work out kinks for
demos
4/7/2014
Finish final PCB
design, get
submitted for
fabrication to shop
Design user
friendly interface
topology
Implement control
system into
microcontroller
and test
4/14/2014
Design enclosure
of unit and
contents, finish
PCB soldering
Design enclosure
of unit and
contents, finish
PCB soldering
Fix kinks in
control system
4/21/2014
Finish assembly
and do testing -
power usage and
water pump
Finish assembly
and do testing -
temperature
transfer and
Peltier devices
Finish assembly
and do testing -
control system and
sensors
4/28/2014
Demos Ready
demo, last minute
troubleshooting
Demos Ready
demo, last minute
troubleshooting
Demos Ready
demo, last minute
troubleshooting
5/5/2014
Finish Final Paper -
power
Finish Final Paper
- temperature
Finish Final Paper
- control