Smart Digital Thermometer for Covid-19 Detection

Abstract

During the COVID-19 epidemic, taking temperatures has been a major focus. The aim of this project is to implement a prototype of a cheap and high reliability digital temperature measurement device with the aid of Arduino Nano, Infrared temperature sensor (MXL90614), OLED 128 X 64 (0.96-inch screen size), IR sensor and buzzer. This thermometer uses an infrared sensor MXL90614 to detect the body temperature and then sends the reading to the microcontroller. If there is no human presence near the system, it will read zero; however, if there is, it will measure the temperature of the person through their hand or whichever portion is utilized as a point of contact closer to the system and communicate the reading. After that, the reading is presented on the OLED screen. The prototype's design and implementation were completed, and the desired outcome was obtained.

Full text

International Journal of Research in Engineering and Science (IJRES)
ISSN (Online): 2320-9364, ISSN (Print): 2320-9356
www.ijres.org Volume 10 Issue 3 ǁ 2022 ǁ PP. 16-20
www.ijres.org 16 | Page
Smart Digital Thermometer for Covid-19 Detection
Lawal Muhammed Adewale1, Taiwo Samuel Aina2, Ademola Emmanuel
Tosin3, Oluwaseun Olanrewaju Akinte4
1Department of Computer Science, Harvarde College of Science Business and Management Studies, Abeokuta,
Ogun State, Nigeria
2Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom
3Department of Computer Science, Harvarde College of Science Business and Management Studies, Abeokuta,
Ogun State, Nigeria
4Department of Energy and Materials Engineering, Rajamangala University of Technology, Thanyaburi,
Pathum Thani 12110, Thailand
Abstract
During the COVID-19 epidemic, taking temperatures has been a major focus. The aim of this project is to
implement a prototype of a cheap and high reliability digital temperature measurement device with the aid of
Arduino Nano, Infrared temperature sensor (MXL90614), OLED 128 X 64 (0.96-inch screen size), IR sensor
and buzzer. This thermometer uses an infrared sensor MXL90614 to detect the body temperature and then sends
the reading to the microcontroller. If there is no human presence near the system, it will read zero; however, if
there is, it will measure the temperature of the person through their hand or whichever portion is utilized as a
point of contact closer to the system and communicate the reading. After that, the reading is presented on the
OLED screen. The prototype's design and implementation were completed, and the desired outcome was
obtained.
Keywords: digital temperature, Arduino Nano, Infrared temperature sensor, Smart digital thermometer, OLED
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Date of Submission: 28-02-2022 Date of acceptance: 09-03-2022
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I. Introduction
Previously, temperature was measured with an analogue metre, technology has recently transitioned
from analogue to digital [1]. Resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), thermocouple, thermistor, contact, and
remote are some of the numerous types of digital thermometers available [7]. Temperature measurement is
important in the medical field [2] because it allows doctors to gather a wealth of information about an
individual's health. As a result of the ongoing spread of novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria,
according to the most recent statistics from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, the country now has 254,137
confirmed cases [13]. On February 16, 2022, 13 new confirmed cases of the covid-19 were recorded in Nigeria,
with no deaths; therefore, a high reliability thermometer for measuring the body temperature at a specific time is
required for a good guarantee of the citizen's daily life. The traditional mercury thermometers require human
body contact and longer measurement hence the need for this project. This gap can be bridged by infrared (IR)
thermometers, which detect the amount of thermal or black-body radiation emitted by the object without
requiring direct contact [3]. An infrared thermometer can measure temperature without making direct contact,
which can aid in the spread of a contact infection [5]. The temperature sensor is utilized in the system to collect
the temperature [8]. The average human body temperature is 36.5-37.5°C, though this varies depending on the
time of day and how it is measured [4]. According to current health guidelines, anyone with a temperature of
37.8°C or higher should be considered potentially infected with COVID-19 and should self-isolate [4]. Hence,
this work is intended to provide [15] high-reliability digital temperature measurement device.
II. Materials and Methods
This section consists of the procedures, techniques and methods used in carrying out the set objectives
of the project. The high reliability digital thermometer system is made up of two important subsystems, which
are the hardware subsystem and the software subsystem[14]. The hardware subsystem consist of Arduino Nano,
Infrared temperature sensor(MXL90614), OLED 128 X 64 (0.96 inches in screen size) , IR sensor and buzzer.
The system was programmed with Arduino IDE.
The Arduino Nano is simply a scaled-down version of the Arduino UNO. It has a 5V operating voltage,
but the input voltage can range from 7 to 12V [6]. The MLX90614 is an infrared thermometer that measures
temperature without touching it [9]. The OLED display module is small, with a diagonal of only 0.96" and

Smart Digital Thermometer for Covid-19 Detection
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128x64 individual yellow and blue OLED pixels that are individually turned on or off by the controller chip
[10]. A buzzer is a voice device that transforms an audio model into a sound signal [12]. The buzzer in the
thermometer mainly plays the role of beep. Because the thermometer is relatively small, the buzzer we use must
also be smaller [11]. The no contact thermometer uses a battery, and the required working voltage is relatively
low, generally 3V [11].
Whenever the IR sensor with range between1-5cm detect an object at that particular range the IR
sensor send high signal to microcontroller. Whenever the microcontroller receives a high signal from IR sensor
then trigger the temperature sensor to measure the temperature of that particular object placed in front of IR
sensor and send the reading to microcontroller. The sensor can measure two types of temperature the ambient
temperature and object temperature. In this project the concern is object temperature, whenever IR sensors is
high it trigger the infrared sensor to measure object temperature and send the signal to microcontroller.
Microcontroller receives the signal and then display that on the OLED screen.
III. Design and implementation
Before implementing the circuit on a Vero board, the components were tested to confirm their rated values. The
components were carefully soldered to avoid damage. Short circuits and continuity test were then carried out on
the circuit board.
The connections diagram and the system snap during implementation are shown in Figs. 3.1 and 3.2,
respectively.
Fig. 3.1: Connections diagram of circuit components
Fig. 3.2: System snap shot during implementation

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A. Flow Chart of the system
Figure 3.3: The flowchart illustrating how the system works
4. Testing
The implementation system was placed in a way that no object is seen and OLED screen displays place your
hand
Fig:4.1 : The implementation system was placed in a way that no object is seen and OLED screen

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Fig:4.2: After placement of fore head the temperature then display on the screen
Fig. 4.3: Temperature monitor initializing
A COVID19 patient can then be predicted if the temperature exceeds 37.8°C by buzzer beeping for 5 seconds.
According to current health guidelines, anyone with a temperature of 37.8°C or higher should be considered
potentially infected with COVID-19 and should self-isolate [4].
IV. Conclusion
The objective of this project has been the design and development of a smart digital thermometer for
covid-19 detection.The design enables for dynamic use in any field where temperature is measured. All
Nigerian tertiary institutions are encouraged to use it as a screening tool to see if a student has a high
temperature that could be caused by a COVID-19 infection.
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