CHAPTER ONE

1.1. Introduction

The spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused a worldwide pandemic,

hitting hard and putting at risk the global human life and overwhelming public and
private healthcare facilities everywhere. The World Health Organization(WHO)
officially named the disease caused by SARS-Cov-2, the2019 novel coronavirus
first identified in Wuhan China, COVID-19 Shashank Raut et al (2021). Globally,
as of 9:19am CEST, 29 March 2023, there have been 761,402,282 confirmed
cases of COVID-19, including 6,887,000 deaths, reported to WHO.

Fever is one of the most important symptoms of COVID-19, but due to the
contagious effect, its measurement can become a serious problem, so it is
important to perform the temperature detection of patients very quickly and
possibly without any contact Di Gennaro et al. (2020). This paper, therefore,
presents a smart way of detecting the temperature of an individual without
contacting the potentially exposed person.

Body temperature screening is currently becoming the new normal to halt the wild
spread of COVID-19. The Nigerian president Mohamad Buhari signed into law
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Health Protection Regulations that has stated in
its operation in public places section declared that body temperature screening is
an inevitable process before accessing any premises during the pandemic. The
existence of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act 1992 causes the
owner of a premise to abide strictly as the breaching of rules may cause the owner
to get a monetary fine. Subsequently, this causes the increment demand for
contactless body temperature screening. All the countries worldwide could not
afford another wave of virus outbreak due to its severe impact on the economy,
living lifestyle, education, and also shocking fatalities. Therefore, the deployment
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of a contactless temperature scanner system is essential and acts to prevent the
current and future infectious disease outbreak.

Early methods of measuring body core temperature utilizing contact mercury

thermometers are replaced by the safer and more convenient electronic
thermometers at the sublingual, armpits, ear canals, and in some rare occasions, the
rectum and axillary for core temperature accuracy. Many of these surface
measurement sites, specifically the temporal and central forehead, reflect lower
readings than the more internal sites such as the tympanic temperature readings -
the current gold standard to represent the body core temperature, especially given
the impracticality of rectal/anal temperature takings. For disease screening as in the
ongoing pandemic, rapid temperature measurements of many individuals quickly
and safely without allowing the thermometer to be a vector of pathogen transfer is
crucial, thus making contact infeasible, ruling out many of the above measurement
sites. Infrared (IR) thermometers can fulfil this gap by measuring the surface
temperature without direct contact. The IR sensors do this by detecting the amount
of thermal or black body radiation emitted by the object and these thermometers
are now commonly used in clinical practices, and now almost routinely during the
pandemic for self-monitoring and screening at border customs and entrances of
public places.

1.2. Problem Statement

The rate at which the novel virus Covid-19 spread across the world in an alarming
rate with high rate of death of the infected persons is quite disturbing, hence the
need to checkmate its spread by quickly identifying persons with the symptoms of
this viral infection and denying them access into public spaces to avoid further
spread of this disease. Also to avoid infection from covid 19 virus, it is wise to
avoid touching surfaces since covid 19 virus can survive on meatal surface for
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about three days, so for the safety of the family members, colleagues, doctors,
delivery person touching at the entry point is a problem. So we have created a
smart entry system where both the temperature of a human body and the door
opening system can be done automatically.

1.3. Aim and Objectives

The main aim of this work is to Design and Construct a smart door based on
contactless body temperature evaluation technology with the following objectives.

1. To Design smart door based on contactless body temperature evaluation

technology
2. To develop an algorithm suitable for the proposed system
3. To develop a C++ code that will run on the microcontroller using the
algorithm developed in (1) above
4. To simulate the proposed system using proteus simulation software.
5. To assemble the physical components of the proposed system on a vero
board
6. To integrate the hardware and software components of the system.
7. To deploy and test the proposed system.

1.4. Scope of the Study

This proposed project will cover the Design and Construction of a smart door
based on contactless body temperature evaluation technology. The system consists
of a temperature sensor that allows us to take body temperature reading without
making contacts. Since the sensor is infrared based, the infrared sensor value will
be transmitted to the microcontroller and the analog to digital converter which is
embedded in the microcontroller will convert the infrared signal into a temperature
reading. The system also consists of a liquid crystal display (LCD) through which

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the user can view the data that is been read alongside with the other information
which include the prompt to position for entrance in the case where the measured
temperature is normal or the denial of access when the temperature reading is
High.

1.5 Significance of the Study

This work upon implementation or after implemented can be deployed in different

places but basically we will like to deploy it locations where there is need to
measure the temperature of those entering the environment and also avoid contact
with surfaces like the door nub. This can be at the entrance point of offices, homes,
super Markets, schools and other public places including hospitals. Since it is quite
important to take the body temperature of those accessing such public places as
part of Covid 19 safety protocols

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 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Historical Background

The thermoscope is the earliest invention that enables humankind to measure

temperature. However, the absence of scale in thermoscope only allows the user to
illustrate the changes in temperature of the measured object but did not provide an
accurate temperature reading. In 1593, an Italian inventor, Galileo Galilei,
managed to invent the world’s first version of thermoscope using the principle of
buoyancy. After two decades, another Italian inventor, Santorio Santorio, decided
to apply a numerical scale on the thermoscope. The invention leads to the born of
the first rudimentary thermometer for medical usage. The further introduction of
different scales such as Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvins standardised and gave rise
to a more accurate and consistent temperature measurement. Next, thermometers
have been widely used in the medical setting as a tool to measure body
temperature. The body temperature is measured through several locations such as
the mouth, rectum, axillary, tympanic and more. The body temperature is generally
used as guidance during diagnosis as fever is one of the ordinary sign or symptoms
that emerge during the tracking of several infectious diseases. The earliest method
for body temperature measurement was done by using a contact mercury
thermometer.

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The advancement of electronic technology causes the rise of different contact-type
digital thermometers which are portable and have a digital display for convenient
measurement reading. Also, the modern thermometer nowadays uses infrared
technology, which makes contactless body temperature measurement possible.
Moreover, the importance of body temperature measurement is highlighted in mass
fever screening.

Mass fever screening has always been one of the government’s proposed solution
to break the transmission chain of infectious disease. This can be seen from the
vast deployment of mass screening during the SARS outbreak in 2003, H1N1
attack in 2009, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The spread of the deadly
COVID-19 virus has caused a global pandemic that exerted immense stress to both
private and public healthcare 2 facilities. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic has
contributed to a dramatic loss of human lives. According to statistics, more than 4
million peoples are infected globally with a record of more than 300,000 deaths
reported across 188 countries worldwide (Teo, Tan and Prem, 2020).

Therefore, the WHO has issued a statement related to ways to protect oneself from
the virus and help to halt its deadly spread. These include regular hand washing
with soap, mask wearing in public area, and the most important body temperature
checking. The body temperature screening for fever identification is crucial in the
detecting the suspected individual with infectious disease.

2.2. Review of Related Works

Sandra Costanzo et al (2020) An integrated sensors platform for non-contact

temperature monitoring is proposed in this work. The adopted solution, based on
the combined integration of an infrared thermometer and a capacitive humidity
sensor, is able to provide a fast and accurate tool for remotely sensing both ambient

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and body temperature in the framework of pandemic situations, such as COVID-
19, thus avoiding any direct contact with people. The information relative to the
ambient temperature is successfully exploited to derive a correction formula for the
accurate extraction of body temperature from the measurement provided by the
standard infrared sensor. Full details on the design of the proposed platform are
provided in the work, by reporting relevant simulation results on the variations of
ambient temperature, relative humidity, and body temperature. Experimental
validations are also discussed to provide a full assessment of the proposed
approach.

Rayan Eid Turki Alqadir et al (2022). Worked on the Design of Smart-Gate

System for Monitoring Body Temperature Detection During the COVID-19
Pandemic. This project proposed to design and develop a smart-gate system that
will be placed at an entrance of a public places such as markets, shops to detect the
body temperature of a person entering and also calculate the level of social
distance of the same place. The level of social distance is determined by the
number of people in relation to the area. The system operates as follows; it
calculates the level of social distancing of a public place showing the maximum
number of people the place can hold at a time. When a person enters, the
temperature is detected and if it is within the acceptable range, the system will send
a signal to the gate to open only if the maximum number of people has not been
exceeded. The system also displays the number of people on a screen.
Additionally, if the temperature exceeds 370 C, the system will not send a signal to
the gate to open while a buzzer is activated indicating the detection of covid
symptom. This system developed for this study can be used in numerous
applications such as stores, meeting rooms, classrooms, government buildings,
courts, and hospitals.

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2.3. Review of Relevant Literature

2.3.1. A thermometer

A thermometer is a measuring instrument that can evaluate temperature or

temperature gradient to observe body malaise. In this 21st century, there are
various types of thermometers for body temperature measurements such as digital
electronic contact thermometer, alcohol thermometer, infrared thermometer,
forehead thermometer and even old-style glass and mercury thermometer (Tang
and Hung, 2017). The innovation of thermometer can be seen after several decades
from its transformation from old type mercury-inglass thermometer to digital
thermometer and even contact or contactless infrared thermometer. The
thermometers for different measurement locations can be classified into two major
categories, contact and contactless thermometer. The contact sensor in the contact
thermometer required physical contact of invasive means with the measured object
or individual as it uses heat conduction principle during measurement. On the other
hand, a contactless thermometer used an infrared sensor to obtain the temperature
of an object or individual noninvasively by referring to infrared emission level. In
brief, there are several basic requirements for an ideal thermometer. First, the
accuracy level of a perfect thermometer must be only ±0.1 °C. Next, the
measurement of the thermometer should not be affected by the influence of
environmental changes. The ideal thermometer must provide stable temperature
readings, and the size of the thermometer must suit the site of measurement.

2.3.2 Comparison of Contact and Contactless Thermometer

Contact Temperature Sensors

There are a few types of contact temperature sensors, including thermocouples,

thermistors, and resistance temperature detectors. In a thermocouple, a voltage

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difference is created by the temperature difference between two dissimilar wires.,
and temperature is calculated when the thermocouple sensor measures the voltage
difference.

Thermistors are typically made from ceramic or polymers and differ from
thermocouples by measuring a resistance change. A common type of this type of
contact temperature probe is the negative temperature coefficient thermistor, where
the resistance decreases as the temperature increases. Resistance temperature
detectors are similar to thermistors and are often made of platinum.

Non-Contact Temperature Sensors

Non-contact temperature sensors include optical pyrometers, radiation

thermometers, thermal imagers, and fiber optic sensors.

Radiation thermometers measure the radiation emitted from an object to gauge

temperature differences. Thermal imagers are similar to radiation thermometers.
However, they can calculate a two-dimensional space rather than measuring
temperature based on a given point on the surface of an object.

Fiber-optic temperature sensors are variants of radiation thermometers. Radiation

is sensed by an active sensing device, and the system processes and converts it into
a temperature readout.

Optical pyrometers have an optical system and a detector, measuring temperatures

that are too bright to see with the naked eye. The optical system focuses the
radiation onto the detector, providing the temperature measurement.

2.3.3 Advantages of Different Temperature Sensors

Thermocouples are inexpensive, easy to use, have an extensive temperature range,

and are self-powered. However, they suffer in terms of accuracy.

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Although thermistors are sensitive and have a low cost, they are non-linear and
self-heating. Radiation thermometers are accurate, repeatable, and have long-term
stability. However, their response is slow, and the temperature range they can
detect is limited. Radiation thermometers are also not as cost-efficient as other
sensors due to their high expense.

Optical pyrometers, on the other hand, can measure high temperatures with high
accuracy. However, they are expensive, and accuracy can be affected by thermal
background radiation, dust, and smoke.

Fiber-optic temperature sensors are immune from nearby radiation and are accurate
with a fast response time, but can be expensive, and measurement systems can be
complex to develop. Thermal imagers create an entire heat map of difficult to
touch or out of reach objects, but the images can be difficult to interpret.

2.3.4 Comparison of Different Contactless Infrared Thermometer

There are about four types of contactless infrared thermometer they include:

i. Handheld infrared thermometer

ii. Automatic infrared thermometer

iii. Infrared thermography

iv. AI infrared thermometer

The above mentioned are the common contactless type of infrared thermometers.
All the mentioned contactless infrared thermometers work based on the same
principle, detecting emitted infrared radiation and translating it into a temperature
reading. Nowadays, the handheld infrared thermometer available in the market can
measure skin surface and body temperature. The provided selection offers
flexibility to the user in terms of the type of temperatures to be measured.
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However, other contactless infrared thermometers only allow the measurement of
body temperature. Also, all the contactless infrared thermometers measured the
infrared radiation emitted from the prime surface it encounters.

Moreover, all the contactless infrared thermometers can only obtain one
measurement at once except for infrared thermography. The infrared thermography
can measure the temperature of multiple people at once and estimate the
temperature of individuals within the camera frame. Nevertheless, the lightweight
and smaller size of the handheld, automatic, and AI infrared thermometer cause
them to be portable compared to the infrared thermography. Generally, all the
contactless infrared thermometers are equipped with an alarming system. However,
only the AI infrared thermometer comes with features such as mask detection, face
recognition, and data logging, which are not available in other contactless infrared
thermometers. Figure 2.6 shows the AI infrared thermometer with face recognition
capability.

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 Figure 2.4: AI Infrared Thermometer (Smith, 2020)

DISPLAY
MLX90614
INFRARED
TEMPERATURE
MICROCONTROLLER
ALARM

ULTRASONIC
SSENSOR
12 DOOR CONTROL
 Figure 3.8: System Block Diagram

3.2.2. SYSTEM CIRCUIT DIAGRAM.

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 Figure 3.9 system circuit Diagram.

3.2.3. Circuit Description

The system operates as follows; The ultrasonic sensor senses when there is
someone at the door, the IR temperature sensor takes the body temperature of the
user and evaluates it based on the temperature threshold that has been given via the
C++ code in the microcontroller. If the temperature is equal to or below the
threshold, the door controller is activated and when it is higher, the system gives
out a warning alarm.

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