Problem Identification

Despite the growing popularity of the usage of air conditioners, electric ceiling fans are still widely in use all over country. Air conditioners, though providing users with the option of precision temperature regulation along with several other features, remain largely unaffordable to the majority of consumers. Ceiling fans, on the other hand, with their relatively lower price ranges, easy installation ability and simple control mechanism still remain the most popular domestic cooling appliances for user thermal comfort in tropical countries like Sri Lanka. Presently, conventional choke-styled fan regulators as well as the more expensive smooth dial regulators are available in the market. These give the user the option of setting fan speed as desired depending on ambient environmental status (temperature, humidity etc.) with the latter product affording greater speed variation as opposed to its counterpart. Perhaps the major problem with fan regulators currently in the Sri Lankan market is their inability to automatically regulate fan speed corresponding to changes in the external environment. This proves to be somewhat of an inconvenience to the user. One might often set the dial of the regulator to its maximum speed prior to going to bed with the room being warm and humid, and yet awake feeling too cold in the morning due to a significant drop in temperature. The opposite too, that of temperature rising at night, although not frequent, is a possibility. Furthermore, existing regulators have the additional disadvantage of not being energy efficient as they even continue to draw the same amount of power when the fan is operating at a slower speed. Preliminary survey for existing products indicated that similar products exist in foreign market for considerable higher prices while such products have not been introduced to Sri Lanka consumer market so far.

To address the issues identified, we decided to introduce a new design with automatic speed regulation in accordance with ambient temperature and low power consumption for an affordable price.

Before moving on, we conducted a user survey to get confirmed whether there really is such a necessity for automatic temperature regulation for long and whether for new product has its marketability.

User Survey
Group members interviewed 50 people from various parts of the country spanning across various socio-economic divisions in order to accurately assess what an average Sri Lankan consumer would require as improvements to existing fans/fan regulators available in the market. Each interviewee too was asked to fill in a form detailing the various pieces of information required. The divisions were as follows: Age division (young/old) Income status division (affluent/low income generating) Geographic locality (urban/rural) Educational Status (educated/uneducated) According to gender (male/female) Results (Summarized) * * Appendix A for details Appendix B for Survey form

Based on the data collected above, predominant needs appearing multiple times across all listed categories were identified. Major Needs Identified
Power Saving Mechanism 5% 25% 23% Automatic Control depending on Room being too Warm/Cold Remote Control Display Options 3% 3% 3% 3% 4% Dust Removal Mechanism Automatic On/Off Switching Operation during Power Failure

31%

Uniform/Directed Blowing

Out of major needs identified above, two significant needs have been accounting for more than 50% of all needs. Those are, Facility of remote control. Automatic Remote Speed Control in according with ambient temperature.

Although Automatic speed control would satisfy the necessity of having remote control and adding remote control increases the total cost, we decided to consider the facility of remote control in conceptual design while having a thought of dropping that feature if it adds unnecessary complexity to the design. Then we developed the following design specifications taking above mentioned user needs and technical issues in to consideration.

Design Specifications
Interface to switch the fan on and off. Interface to switch between auto and manual mode.* Interface to set reference temperature (In auto mode) Interface to set fan speed (In manual mode)* Continues variation of speed in accordance with ambient temperature.

* Even though the user survey doesnt indicate any necessary for both auto and manual modes together there is
an issue arises when manual control is necessary for some special cases. So we decided to add both auto and manual mode to work in harmony.

Even though user need survey does not indicate continues variation of speed in accordance with temperature,
we added it as a hidden need as it makes consumer more comfortable and does not require extra cost.

To fulfil the above we came up with 2 different conceptual designs.

Conceptual Designs
Design 1
In auto mode of operation, the reference temperature value set by the user and ambient temperature value read through the temperature sensor are fed into control unit. The control unit calculates the error between two values and generates a signal accordingly and passes it to voltage regulator. Voltage regulator regulates the power input to the fan in accordance with the signal received from control unit. In manual mode of operation, only the speed value set by the user is fed into control unit and then the control unit generates a signal with respect to the error value between received value and pre-defined reference value. This calculated value is fed into the voltage regulator which regulates the power input to the fan in accordance with received signal.

Design 2
Temperature sensor and the user interface are located in a remote control. It sends the values read through sensor and user interface to a receiver which is placed inside a gadget which is attached to fan itself. All other functions are similar to the conceptual design 1 except the facility of remote control.

Design 1- Block Diagram

Design 2- Block Diagram

Even though the 2nd conceptual design provides the consumer with more comfort and ease of use, its higher cost draws back the demand for it. So we decided to start with the 1 st conceptual design as it is more economical and fulfills the user needs to a satisfactory level.

Preliminary design
As we chose 1st conceptual design to work on, we come up with a preliminary design which describes the implementation process of 1st conceptual design. We employed top down hierarchical design technique as we are novel to the subject and also the design is a new one.

Top most level of the design

Control Unit User Input Variable Resistor INPUT Variable Resistor Temperature Sensor LM35 1 3 VI VO Temperature Sensor INPUT OUTPUT to TRIAC Circuit INPUT1 OUTPUT1 OUTPUT2 2 FAN 1 TRIAC Circuit

GND

Zero Crossing INPUT Power PIC

INPUT2 TRIAC_CIRCUIT

Power Circuit Zero Crossing Detector VDD_5V VDD_12V VDD_12V

AC_In1 AC_In2

GND

AC_In1 AC_In2 GND Zero_Crossing_Detection T1 1 5

Output to the PIC

AC_Power 230V 50Hz

Rectif y _and_Regulate_Voltage

8 TRANSFORMER Title Size A Date: Intelligent Fan Regulator Document Number 01 Thursday , September 22, 2011 Sheet 1 of 7 Rev

Take the user input from variable resister and varies the fan speed in accordance with ambient temperature sensed from the temperature sensor (LM35).

Major blocks used for top level Power Circuit Control Unit Zero Crossing Detector TRIAC Circuit

Second Level of the Design

Power circuit
Rectri AC_In1 DC_12V

GND AC_In1 AC_In2 VDD_12V

VDD_5V Rectif y AC_In2 Voltage_Regulator_Circuit VDD_12V DC_12V VDD_5V GND

GND GND Regulate_Voltages

Employs a rectifier circuit and a voltage regulator circuit to convert normal AC to 12V and 5V DC to feed control circuit and other peripheral circuits with.

Control Circuit
Control Unit Variable Resistor INPUT OUTPUT to TRIAC Circuit Temperature Sensor INPUT
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 30 29 28 PIC 16F877A RC0/AD0 RC1/AD1 RC2/AD2 RC3/AD3 RC4/AD4 RC5/AD5 RC6/AD6 RC7/AD7 RD0/AD8 RD1/AD9 RD2/AD10 RD3/AD11 RD4/AD12 RD5/AD13 RD6/AD14 RD7/AD15 RE0/ALE RE1/OE RE2/WR RA0/INT RA1/T0CLK RA2 RA3 RA4/RX/DT RA5/TX/CK RB0/CAP1 RB1/CAP2 RB2/PWM1 RB3/PWM2 RB4/TCLK12 RB5/TCLK3 RB6 RB7 OSC1/CLK OSC2/CLKOUT MCLR/VPP TEST VDD PIC16F877A 26 25 24 23 22 21 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 32 27 1 Power

Temperature Sensor INPUT Variable Resistor INPUT

Zero Crossing INPUT

OUTPUT to TRIAC Circuit

Zero Crossing INPUT Power PIC

Employs a PIC16F877A microcontroller to calculate error between user input and temperature sensor input and to generate a pulse accordingly.

Zero Crossing Detector

Zero Crossing Detector
Output to the PIC

VDD_12V

VDD_12V 2 R AC_In1 2 1 C1 AC_In2 1n 3 + 2 R 1 U1A 2 8

R 1 1

AC_In1 AC_In2

V+

OUT
V-

Output to the PIC

LM6152BCN

GND

GND Zero_Crossing_Detection

Employs a LM 339 zero crossing detector to detect zero crossing of AC and to inform microcontroller through an interrupt.

TRIAC and Octocoupler Circuit

TRIAC Circuit INPUT1 OUTPUT1 OUTPUT2
R1 1k R3 1k R2 1 1k U2 BT136
GND

VI

VO

OUTPUT1 OUTPUT2

INPUT1 1 INPUT2 2

U1 MOC3011

INPUT2 TRIAC_CIRCUIT

Employs an octocoupler (OC 3011) to isolate AC and DC circuit portions and TRIAC (BT 136) to regulate the fan speed by controlling power supplied to fan.

Third level of design (for power circuit)

Rectifier Circuit
Rectri
AC_In1 D1 D2 DC_12V D1N4007

AC_In1

DC_12V

D1N4007

AC_In2 D4 D3 D5 D1N4007 D1N4007 C1 500u GND D1N4494

GND AC_In2

Rectif y
0

Employs IN40075 in a full wave rectifier bridge.

Voltage Regulator Circuit

Voltage_Regulator_Circuit VDD_12V DC_12V VDD_5V
DC_12V U2 MC7812C
GND

U1 MC7805C IN
GND

VDD_12V 2

IN

OUT

OUT

VDD_5V C4 0.1u

C1

C2 0.1u

C3 0.33u

GND GND Regulate_Voltages

GND

0.33u

GND

Employs 7812 and 7805 voltage regulators to regulate DC at 12V and 5V respective.

Enclosure Design
After obtaining an accurate preliminary design, we next moved on to designing of proper enclosure for our product. We were able to come up with a suitable enclosure which suits the design as follows.

1 PIC_16F877A R1 1 1k 1k 2 26 25 24 23 22 21 R2 FAN FAN1 2

J3 CON3

4 3 2 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 RC0/AD0 RC1/AD1 RC2/AD2 RC3/AD3 RC4/AD4 RC5/AD5 RC6/AD6 RC7/AD7 1 2 U1 MOC3011 RB0/CAP1 RB1/CAP2 RB2/PWM1 RB3/PWM2 RB4/TCLK12 RB5/TCLK3 RB6 RB7 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 RA0/INT RA1/T0CLK RA2 RA3 RA4/RX/DT RA5/TX/CK

Schematic design

40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 RD0/AD8 RD1/AD9 RD2/AD10 RD3/AD11 RD4/AD12 RD5/AD13 RD6/AD14 RD7/AD15 OSC1/CLK OSC2/CLKOUT MCLR/VPP TEST VDD PIC_16F877A 1 32 27 19 20 RE0/ALE RE1/OE RE2/WR 30 29 28

D1 D1N4007
U2 MC7812C MC7805C

D2 D1N4007
U10

CON4

D5 D4
3

GND

D3 D1N4007
500u 0.33u

GND

1 IN OUT

IN

OUT

D1N4007

D1N4494 C10
C1

C2 0.1u

C3 0.33u

T1

J2

2 1

CON2

TRANSFORMER

2 R50 2 C12 1n 3 + 1

R52

R51 U4A 2 -

V+

OUT

Title Fan regulator schematic

V-

1 2 3
C4 0.1u

J1

Size A4 LM6152BCN

Document Number 01

Rev

Date:

Sunday , May 15, 2011

Sheet

of

PCB Design
PCB design which suits to the enclosure.

Part List Part

0.33u 0.1u 0.33u 0.1u 500u 1n D1N4007 D1N4007 D1N4007 D1N4007 D1N4494 Ceiling CON4 PIC_16F877A 1k 1k 1k Ceiling Ceiling Ceiling TRANSFORMER MOC3011 MC7812C LM6152BCN MC7805C BT136

Reference
C1 C2 C3 C4 C10 C12 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 FAN J1 PIC_16F877A R1 R2 R3 R50 R51 R52 T1 U1 U2 U4 U10 U11

Appendix A
Data has been presented according to the five divisions mentioned above along with suitable histograms to enhanced clarity of the information.

Age Division
Table 1: Problems and Needs Identified by Users According to Age Category

Problems Identified

Age Category Needs Identified < 30 > 30 2 Power saving mechanism (PS) Temperature sensitivity (TS) Automated control (AC) Humidity sensitivity (HS) Bulb fixed to ceiling fan (B) Mosquitoe repellent (chemical agent) (MR) 1 4 1 Display RPM (RPM) Fan to work even during power failure (PF) Mechanism to prevent dryness of skin during operation (SD) Remote control capability (RC)

Age Category < 30 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 > 30 1

High electricity bill/consumption Problem of having to go to the regulator in order to vary speed Noisy operation Absence of mosquitoe repellent Absence of automatic ambient temperature sensitivity Malfunctioning timers Dryness of skin Dust accumulation and difficulty involved in cleaning Breathing difficulties due to high speeds

2 3 1 1 1 1

Agewise Need Distribution

4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 PS TS AC HS B MR RPM PL SD RC Need (Key) Figure 1: Histogram of Needs Identified by Users According to Age Category

Frequency

Below 30 Above 30

Income Status
Table 2: Problems and Needs Identified by Users According to Income Status Category

Problems Identified

Monthly Income
< 15,000 LKR > 15,000 LKR

Needs Identified Continuous speed regulation (CS) Remote Control (RC)

Monthly Income
< 15,000 LKR > 15,000 LKR

Noisy operation Requirement for frequent repairing High electricity consumption Dust accumulation

1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 2

Embedded devices instead of mechanical control (ED) Flexibility with alternative power sources (FAP) Ability to orient direction of blowing (OD) Timer option (TO) Automatic speed control (AC)

Income Generation Status Based Need Distribution

4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 CS RC ED FAP OD TO AC Need (Key)

Frequency

Low Income Affluent

Figure 2: Histogram of Needs Identified by Users According to Income Status Category

Geographic Locality
Table 3: Problems and Needs Identified by Users According to Geographic Locality

Problems Identified

Locality Needs Identified Urban Rural 2 2 Automatic fan speed control according to room temperature Remote control (RC) Power saving mechanism (PS)

Locality Urban 3 Rural 2 1 1

Noisy operation Drop of temperature during the night (getting too cold) High electricity consumption Dust accumulation

1 1 1 1

Geogrophical Location Base Need Identification

4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 AC RC Need (Key) PS

Frequency

Urban Rural

Figure 3: Histogram of Needs Identified by Users According to Geographic Locality

Educational Status
Table 4: Problems and Needs Identified by Users According to Educational Status Category

Problems Identified

Status Upto O/L Above O/L 1 Needs Identified Automatic switching on/off depending on human presence (AS) Remote Control (RC) Display Options (DO) 2 1 1 Dust removal mechanism (DR) Automatic speed control (AC)

Status Upto O/L 2 3 1 1 2 2 Above O/L

Health issues Dryness of skin Non-uniform blowing Dust accumulation Motor getting weak Absence of timer features

2 1 1

Educational Status Based Need Distribution

4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 RC ASO DO Need (Key) DR AC

Frequency

Upto GCE O/L Above GCE O/L

Figure 4: Histogram of Needs Identified by Users According to Educational Status Category

Gender Based
Table 5: Problems and Needs Identified by Users According to Gender

Problems Identified

Gender Needs Identified

Male Female

Gender
Male Female

Health issues Non-uniform blowing High electricity consumption Shadows appearing in the room Inability to operate during power failure Noisy operation Inability to regulate temperature Problem of having to go to the regulator in order to vary speed

4 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 2

Temperature regulation (TC) Remote Control (RC) Mechanism to reduce noisiness (RN) Automatic speed control (AC) Battery to enable operation during power failure (BPL) Automatic temperaturesensitive speed regulation (TS) Protective mesh (PM) Mechanism to ensure uniform blowing to all parts of a room (UB)

1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3

Gender-wise Need Distribution

6 5 Frequency 4 3 2 1 0 TC RC RN AC BPL TS PM UB Male Female

Need (Key)

Figure 5: Histogram of Needs Identified by Users According to Gender

Appendix B
User Survey Form Age : ..................................... Residence (urban/rural) : ........................................ District : ..................................... Profession : ..................................... Gender : ..................................... 1. Do you have an air conditioner at home (yes/no)? 2. Do you have a fan at home? (yes/no) if yes Ceiling fan : ......................... Table fan : ......................... 3. At what time of the day do you mostly use your air conditioner/fan? Afternoon / At Night) (Morning /

4. What are the problems you face when using your fan? .......................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................... 5. What improvement would you like to have included in your fan? .......................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................... 6. If you had an air conditioner instead of a fan, you would (like it / would not like it / make no difference) Reason : .................................................................................................................................. 7. How many units of electricity do you consume per month a. Less than 60 b. Between 60 and 90 c. Between 90 and 150 d. Between 150 and 300 e. Do not know 8. Are you concerned about the power consumption of the electric goods you purchase? ..........................................................................................................................................