Figure 1. Emission Control System
Automobiles have become an indispensable element as situations and circumstances necessitate the use of vehicles. Internal combustion engines burn fossil fuels to power the vast majority of automobiles. During the process, they release a range of emissions into the atmosphere causing air pollution. This paper proposes a solution which will monitor the gas emission through the exhaust for the threshold limit of noxious chemicals. If the real-time value of particulate matter (PM) emissions exceeds the allowed limit, the system will warn the driver and text message will be sent to emission control authorities. The prototype of the paper makes use of a microcontroller, Bluetooth module, GPS and GSM communication modules, and few vehicle emission sensors. This work would be a successful solution to control pollutant emission from automobiles and a step towards clean environment and mitigating climate crisis.
Emission from motor vehicles is classified as primary pollution since it is emitted directly into the atmosphere, whereas secondary pollution is caused by chemical reactions between pollutants after they have been released into the environment. Despite decades of efforts to reduce air pollution, at least 92 million people in the United States still live in places plagued by smog (Gale et al., 2001). According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), by 2010, more than 93 million people will live in areas that violate ozone (urban smog) health standards, and more than 55 million Americans will be exposed to unhealthy levels of fine-particle pollution, which is especially harmful to children and senior citizens. When hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides (NOx ), both of which are substances emitted by automotive burning the fuel, mix with sunlight, ozone is formed, which is the main component of urban smog. Ozone, while useful in the upper atmosphere, can damage the respiratory system at ground level, causing coughing, choking, and diminished lung capacity (Galatsis et al., 2002).
Smog gets its murky colour from soot, metals, and pollen particles. Fine particles (less than one-tenth the width of a human hair) pose the greatest harm to human health from automobile pollution because they penetrate deep into the lungs. In addition to direct fine particle emissions, automobiles emit nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and sulphur dioxide, which produce secondary fine particle pollution.
These pollutants can irritate the lungs and compromise the body's defences against respiratory illnesses including pneumonia and influenza. They also contribute to the development of ozone and particulate pollution. NOx pollution is responsible for one-third of fine particle pollution in many cities.
The combustion of fossil fuels like gasoline produces this odourless, colourless gas. Nearly two-thirds of this pollutant comes from automobiles and trucks. CO, when inhaled, prevents oxygen from reaching the brain, heart, and other important organs in the human body. CO has a particularly negative impact on newborn children and adults with chronic conditions.
This pollutant is produced by motor vehicles burning sulfur containing fuels, particularly diesel. It can react with tiny particles in the atmosphere, posing a health concern to young children and asthmatics.
These chemical compounds have been associated to birth defects, cancer, and other dangerous disorders. They are generated by cars, trucks, refineries, petrol pumps, and other sources.
The necessity of environmental awareness has been emphasised during the start of the twenty-first century. Air pollution is one of the most serious environmental challenges. Air pollution contributes to greenhouse gases, which generate the greenhouse effect, whose adverse effects are now well known to everyone with the discovery of the ozone hole. Air pollution is hazardous to not just the environment, but also to all other living creatures on the planet. Inhaled air pollutants have a negative impact on human health, damaging the lungs and respiratory system; they are also absorbed by the blood and circulated throughout the body.
These contaminants are also deposited on soil, plants, and in water, increasing human exposure and negatively impacting sea life. Apart from industries, vehicles are one of the most significant sources of air pollution. The main pollutants emitted by vehicles are carbon and nitrogen oxides, which can now be easily detected using semi conductive gas sensors. As a result, in this study, a concept is proposed that might be extremely beneficial in lowering air pollution caused by vehicles.
In this study, we propose a system that can be connected to a car alarm to notify the owner when pollutant emissions exceed a threshold level. The parameters, as well as GPS coordinates, will be reported to RTO authorities by SMS utilising GSM technology. When the pollutant emission level exceeds the previously established threshold, a buzzer in the car will sound to notify that the limit has been achieved, and the vehicle will come to a complete stop after a certain time. The goal of the study is to create an intelligent vehicle status assessment system that takes into account engine temperature and pollutant levels. The block diagram of the emission control system is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Emission Control System
The system also includes a relay that controls the ignition of the vehicle. When a network is unavailable, the alerts server keeps data in internal memory and transmits it to the server when the network is available again. We employed the following devices in the proposed system.
The gadget is installed in the vehicle and sends GPS position of the vehicle at the time when the alert is sent.
The user interface system specifies how one can get current information, view vehicle-related data, and extract all pertinent information. Abnormal parameters are alerted by a buzzer and displayed on a LCD display.
An embedded system is a set of software and hardware that works together to complete a specific purpose. Microprocessors and microcontrollers are two of the most common electronics used in embedded products. Microcontrollers are usually referred to as general-purpose processors because they are the principal controlling device of the entire system. Pollution sensors for detecting pollution levels are among the input modules connected to the microcontroller. A temperature sensor detects engine overheating. GPS is used to deliver location information based on latitude and longitude coordinates. The microcontroller has been connected to the output modules. The LCD module displays visual notifications. When pollutant emissions exceed the preset level, the buzzer sounds an audible alert. The GSM modem sends text messages with the location of the vehicle to the pollution control authorities for further action.
The suggested microcontroller for the proposed design PIC single-chip microcontrollers as shown in Figure 2, where PIC stands for Peripheral Interface Controller, a trademark of Microchip Technology. This 8-bit microcontroller is popular for its versatile use in a lot of applications. This onboard computer can communicate effectively with the output and input modules used in this project. The programme code is stored in internal memory of the controller. This memory is also used to load a set of assembly instructions for the operation of the controller.
Figure 2. PIC Microcontroller
The crystal oscillator speed that can be used with the PIC microcontroller is up to 20 MHz. When using the CCS C compiler, a 20 MHz oscillator is generally used. The microcontroller is also quite inexpensive. A 22 pF capacitor should be connected to the 20 MHZ crystal oscillator. The PIC microcontroller has five input/output ports: port A, port B, port C, port D, and port E. Every port has its own unique set of capabilities. The vast majority of them can be used as standard I/O ports. The Harvard architecture of the microcontroller divides the program and variable (data) memory interfaces. This simplifies the retrieval of an instruction as well as data operations and variable access.
The sensitive substance of the MQ-2 pollution detector is SnO2 , which has a reduced conductivity in clean air. When combustible smoke is present, the conductivity of the sensor increases with increasing smoke concentration. The MQ-2 sensor is very sensitive to LPG, propane and hydrogen and can also be used for methane and other combustible gases. It is inexpensive and suited for a variety of applications. This semiconductor pollution or gas sensor detects combustible gas and smoke at quantities ranging from 300 to 10,000 parts per million (ppm). This sensor monitors flammable gas and combustible gas concentrations in the air and generates an analogue voltage as a result. The sensor works at temperatures ranging from -20 to 50 °C and draws less than 150 mA at 5 V. Figure 3 shows the image of pollution sensor.
Figure 3. Pollution Sensor
The HC-05 Bluetooth module, shown in Figure 4, is designed for wireless communication. This module can be used as either a master or a slave. Bluetooth serial modules allow all serial-enabled devices to interact wirelessly. It has six pins.
Figure 4. Bluetooth Module HC-05
This pin is used to switch the Bluetooth module to the AT instructions mode. This module will work in command mode if the Key/EN pin is set to high. Otherwise, it is in data mode by default. In command mode, the default baud rate of HC-05 is 38400 bps, and in data mode it is 9600 bps. The HC-05 module has two modes: data exchange and data storage.
It uses AT commands which are used to change setting of HC-05. To send these commands to module serial (USART) port is used.
It connects 5 V or 3.3 V to this pin.
It is the ground pin of the module.
Transmit serial data (wirelessly received data by Bluetooth module transmitted out serially on TXD pin).
Receive data serially (received data will be transmitted wirelessly by Bluetooth module).
It reports whether the module is connected or not. The HC- 05 has a red LED that shows the connection status regardless of whether Bluetooth is connected or not. This red LED blinks continuously in a periodic pattern before connecting to the HC-05 module. Its blinking slows down to two seconds when it connects to another Bluetooth device. This module operates at 3.3 volts. As the module contains a 5 to 3.3 V regulator on board, we can also attach a 5 V supply voltage. Also, the HC-05 Bluetooth module has a 3.3 V RX/TX level and the microcontroller can detect 3.3 V levels, there is no need to change the HC-05 module's transmit level. However, we must change the transmit voltage level from the microcontroller to the HC-05 module's RX.
Environmental Systems Products (ESP, Arizona, US) provided an Accu Scan TM RSD-4600 instrument as a dedicated across-road vehicle emissions monitoring system for the vehicle emission remote sensing measurements. A focused beam of Non-Dispersive Infrared (NDIR) and Ultraviolet (UV) light is projected across the plume to assess individual exhaust plumes trailing vehicles. The IR/UV beam is reflected back to the remote sensing detector (spectrophotometer and opacity) module via a corner cube mirror. Brevik et al. (2000) were the first to employ open-path NDIR spectroscopic techniques to quantify CO vehicle emissions.
Following that, improvements such as the installation of a high-speed UV spectrometer capable of measuring NO and a UV opacity metre (wavelength 230 nm) to offer a PM10 proxy (index) estimate were made (Fine et al., 2010);( Liu et al., 2008);( Solomon, 2007). The concentration ratios of NO, CO, HC, and the PM10 proxy (opacity measure) to the concentration of CO2are included in the RSD-4600 readings. As a result, measurement factors indicate the emissions of pollutants per unit of fuel used. The use of CO2 as a reference gas allows for quantitative measurements of exhaust gases.
A speedometer module, temperature and barometric pressure sensors, a camera system to take a clear digital image of the vehicle's number plate for post-processing, and a computer are used for the emission measurements. This method is extensively used in large-scale pre-screening testing for vehicle inspection and maintenance emission programmes in the United States and Canada (Jones et al., 2011); (Klara et al., 2003). The fundamental deployment setup is similar to that of the Source/Detector and Mirror Box setups.
All of the hardware components used are integrated with the different modules. Each and every module's presence has been carefully considered and the vehicle pollution control system is constructed. Moreover, the project has been successfully implemented with a new idea using extremely advanced IC's such as GPS module and GSM technology. The project has been designed and tested successfully. This technology may also monitor accident scenarios notify emergency service about the accident location. A high-efficiency GPS receiver and a GSM module can be used to expand this idea.