The Project Synopsis Based on Hall Effect Sensor

REAL TIME ENERGY MONITORING AND CONTROL USING ARDUINO PLATFORM: DEVELOPMENT OF A SMART PLUG

ECE DEPARTMENT, SRMGPC, Lucknow Page 1

Introduction

With the scarcity of power resources and increase in demand for power, the world is

going through a power crisis. The world is now looking forward to develop

technologies for efficient power generation and utilization at the same time. In some

countries high loads at peak hours have led to blackouts in the past. India also faced a

similar blackout in August 2012 which left some 650 million people without

electricity [1]. Each such blackout used to cost millions in loss to the industries which

in turn used to affect the GDP of the country. So power generation efficiency alone is

not important to a country but efficient power consumption pattern as well. In this

situation it has become a necessity to raise awareness about the importance of giving

people access to data surrounding their energy usage. Studies show that having simple

access to such information helps consumers reduce their energy use by up to 15%;

even broader access to this information could help reduce energy use worldwide. A

study by Centre Point Energy Inc. and the Department of Energy, United States found

that 71% of customers reported changing their energy consumption as a result of

accessing energy data through their in-home displays [2]. Also the preliminary results

from a pilot program by IBM and the City of Dubuque, Iowa, indicate strong

engagement by residents and energy savings of up to 11%.

With the statistics indicating a steep rise in the sale of smart phones, the mobile users

are on the rise with the total mobiles in India to overtake human population in

numbers soon. So the mobile applications will play a major role in human to human

and machine to human interaction. Smart plug enables the users to operate a device

and monitor its power consumption [3] even from a remote location using a mobile

phone. Control and data acquisition at the same time thus enhances the user's ability

to have a greater control over his/her spending on electricity. The application

(hardware and software combined) will thus increase the awareness and will alert the

users about the wastage of electricity if any and thus will result in considerable

savings in his/her monthly bill.



Literature Survey

ALTAF HAMED SHAJAHAN (2013) developed an energy monitoring system

that provides the real time update of the energy consumption at the device level.

The device was developed using an Arduino Uno Microcontroller board, an

ENC28J60 Ethernet module and CT sensor. The user interface of the device was

developed in Android and hence the user interface was only compatible in an

android mobile phone. [4]

F. ADAMO (2013) described the design and the implementation of a prototype

for an Alternating Current (AC) energy monitoring device based on an open

source concept. The measurement device aimed to provide a remote monitoring

interface useful for three phase and single phase AC power systems. [5]

SAHANA M N (2015) presented a prototype implementation for home energy

management and control, leveraging Internet of Things protocol stack comprising

emerging IETF standards such as 6LoWPAN, RPL and CoAP. The open

standards based approach enables seamless integration of the appliances at home

to the existing internet infrastructure making remote monitoring, control and data

collection over the web possible. [6]



Problem Definition

Project Objective:

In this work, we propose to develop a smart plug, an energy monitoring system that

provides real time update of the energy consumption at the building level and control

at the device level. The work is segmented in the following steps:

1) Interfacing Hall Effect Sensor with AC Mains and Arduino Uno.

2) Programming the Arduino Uno using National Instrument’s LabVIEW 2014.

3) Storing the samples acquired in MySQL Database.

4) Designing the UI on MyEclipse Enterprise Workbench 8.6 using the data

stored in MySQL Database.

Proposed Methodology:

The hardware of the system is to be implemented using an Arduino Uno which is a

microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P. A current sensor is used to sense

the current flowing on to the device by invasive technique.

The Complete Block Diagram of the Project is as follows:

Figure 1: The Complete Block Diagram of the Project



The softwares used for development are National Instrument’s LabVIEW 2014 for

programming Arduino and MyEclipse Enterprise Workbench 8.6 for user interface

development and MySQL Enterprise Workbench 8.6 for storing the samples acquired.

Well after seeing the proposed methodology or the complete block diagram which

actually is an integration of the Hardware plus the Software approach, let us have a

look at the Block Diagram Approach or to be more Specific the Hardware Approach.

The Block Diagram Implementation of the Project is as follows:

Figure 2: The Block Diagram Representation of the Proposed Project



Hardware Requirements and Specifications

The hardware required in the proposed project are as follows:

1) ACS712 Hall Effect Sensor:

It is an Invasive Type Sensor.

The Sensor employed here is ACS712 [7].

Can measure a maximum of 30A AC and DC Current.

The output of the ACS712 is a DC Voltage ranging between 0 Volt and 5 Volt.

The sensitivity of ACS712 30Ampere version is 66mV/A.

2) Arduino Uno: Microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P [8].

It has 14 digital input/output pins.

It has 6 analog inputs and here we will make use of these.

It has a 16MHz quartz crystal.

Simply requires a USB Connection or AC to DC adapter to get powered up.

3) Wireless Router:

Networking device use to forward data packets along networks.

Connected to at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or a LAN

and its ISP’s network.

Here used as a wireless access point in order to set up the server.

4) Solid State Relay: The Solid State Relay used here is the SC5-S-DC6V-LEONE [9].

The Contact Capacity is 7A @300VAC.

Coil Voltage ranges from 6 VDC to 48 VDC.

mailto:@300VAC.



Softwares Requirements The software tools used for the development of the proposed project are as follows:

Arduino IDE for uploading the LIFA Toolkit Sketch on the Arduino Uno.

National Instrument’s LabVIEW 2014 for programming the Arduino Uno using

the LIFA (LabVIEW Interface for Arduino) Toolkit [10].

MySQL Database for storing the samples acquired from the Arduino Uno board.

MyEclipse Enterprise Workbench 8.6 for developing the User Interface(UI) and

setting up the server so that the dynamic webpage is accessible on all the remote

devices.

Command Prompt in Administrator Mode to set up the Hotspot from the Laptop

so that the server is accessible on all the remote devices.

The working environment of LabVIEW 2014 is as follows:

Figure 3: National Instrument’s LabVIEW 2014 Working Environment



The working environment of MySQL Database is as follows:

Figure 4: MySQL Database Working Environment

The working environment of MyEclipse Enterprise Workbench 8.6 is as follows:

Figure 5: MyEclipse Enterprise Workbench 8.6 Working Environment



Description of the Components

ACS712 Hall Effect Sensor: There are broadly two methods of current sensing i.e.

Invasive Method and Non-Invasive Method. In Non-Invasive method, direct

connection to the mains is avoided whereas in Invasive technique, the sensor is

directly connected to the mains. The sensor which works on Non-Invasive Technique

is the split core CT Sensor or Current Transformer Sensor and the sensor that works

on Invasive technique is the Hall Effect Sensor. In this proposed project we are using

the ACS712 Hall effect sensor. ACS712 is a Hall Effect based current sensing module

which is basically used for the measurement of AC and DC currents. The ACS712

comes in three versions i.e. 5A version, 20A version and 30A version. The sensitivity

of the 5A version is 185mV/A, 100mV/A of 20A version and 66mV/A of the 30A

version. The output of the ACS712 is a DC voltage which is actually proportional to

the AC or DC current applied across it. If we are powering the module with a 5V DC

supply then when no current is applied across it, it will output a DC voltage of 2.5V.

The direction of current is of prime importance when we are working with the

ACS712 as it will decide the value of the current applied across it.

Figure 6: ACS712 Hall Effect Sensor

Arduino Uno: The Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P. It has

14 digital input/output pins, 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz quartz crystal, a USB

connection, a power jack, an ICSP header and a reset button. It is used in the proposed

project as a data acquisition device that will acquire the samples from the current

sensor and will allow calculations to be performed using those samples and facilitate

the power calculation.



Wireless Router: A router is a device that forwards data packets along networks.

A router is connected to at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or a

LAN and its ISP's network. Routers are located at gateways, the places where two or

more networks connect. A wireless router is a device that performs the functions of

a router and also includes the functions of a wireless access point. It is used to provide

access to the Internet or a private computer network. It can function in a wired LAN

(local area network), in a wireless-only LAN (WLAN), or in a mixed wired/wireless

network.

Solid State Relay: A Solid State Relay is an electronic switching device that turns on

and off when an external voltage is applied across the control terminals. It can be

compared to a CMOS Transmission Gate which transmits input signal to the output

terminal only when 1 is applied at the control terminal. The relay is used here to turn

on/off the electrical appliance from the user interface.

Figure 7: Solid State Relay Module

We actually begin by connecting the current sensor to the AC mains and acquiring the

samples using Arduino Uno board programmed by LabVIEW 2014. Using this

software, the samples are stored in a database which is accessible by MyEclipse to

create a User Interface. The User Interface then runs on the server computer to make

it accessible to the remote devices connected to it [11].



Applications/Advantages Energy monitoring in general is critical. One can’t manage what one doesn’t measure.

Real-time monitoring takes things a step further, allowing facility managers and

operators to begin a shift from a long reactive cycle to a much shorter reactive cycle

toward being proactive. Making smart energy decisions based on conditions in the

past is difficult and expensive, given that energy has been wasted for the entirety of

the reactive period.

1) Real-time monitoring allows facility managers to better manage and analyse

the vast amount of data being gathered from their buildings and point out

where inefficiencies are occurring – shortening the reactive period

significantly and saving significant amounts of energy [12].

2) Using data available in real time enables facility managers to adjust HVAC,

lighting, electrical distribution systems and other systems based on

information gleaned from the system.

3) Users can, at a glance, see system level inefficiencies and pivot operations

quickly to reduce energy use. Schneider Electric’s energy and systems

monitoring software can also be used to compare day-to-day usage to

accurately forecast energy consumption.

4) This can help ensure that real time adjustments of the systems are having the

desired effect and help further influence behavioural changes over time. The

data is presented in a way that’s easy-to-use and digest through interactive

graphs, modules and comparisons, helping facility managers avoid data

overload.



Limitations 1) The current sensing method employed for measuring the current is invasive

i.e. we have to directly connect it to the AC mains thus increasing the risk

factor in its installation.

2) The ACS712 current sensor at times is affected by a phenomenon called the

“Electromagnetic Interference”. Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) is a

disturbance generated by an external source that affects an electrical circuit by

electromagnetic induction, electrostatic coupling or conduction. So in case of

EMI the ACS712 would not give us stable output thus creating errors in

current measurement.

3) One has to be very careful when selecting the ACS712 for current

measurement because if it exceeds the maximum rated peak to peak value, it

will burn out thus causing short circuit.



Future Scope The work that can be done in the future on our proposed project is as follows:

1) Facilitating easy installation of the monitoring device by using alternatives

like non-invasive CT Sensor: In the proposed project we are making use of

ACS712 which employs invasive technique of current measurement, which

increases the risk factor when installing it into AC mains, but the use of non-

invasive CT sensors will facilitate easy installation thus reducing the risk factor to

a great extent. CT sensors basically have two clamps that needs to be encircled

around the live or neutral wire of the AC mains.

2) Implementing the Control Objective on every possible electrical appliance:

We have actually proposed to implement the control objective on a single device

in this project because of feasibility issues. But in future, the control objective can

be implemented on every possible electrical appliance by using a relay board that

contains ‘N’ number of relays to operate the electrical appliances remotely and

designing the mains panel keeping in mind the control objective.



References [1] "A post-mortem on India's blackout in Spectrum”.

Available:http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/thesmarter-grid/a-

postmortem-on-indias-blackout

[2] Rosenthal, Andrew L., Mani, Jeevan Kumar; Kachare, Meghraj, "Low cost

AC power monitor for residential PV support”, Proceedings of the twenty-

ninth IEEE PVSC, 19-24 May 2002, pp.1473-1475.

[3] Available: http://www.google.com/powermeter/about/

[4] Altaf Hamed Shajahan; A. Anand, “Data Acquisition and Control using

Arduino-Android Platform: Smart Plug,” International Conference on Energy

Efficient Technologies for Sustainability (ICEETS), 2013, pp. 241-244.

[5] F. Adamo; G. Cavone; A. Di Nisio; A. M. L. Lanzolla; M. Spadavecchia, “A

Proposal for an Open Source Energy Meter,” IEEE International

Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), 2013,

pp. 488-492.

[6] M N Sahana; S. Anjana; S. Ankith; K. Natarajan; K R Shobha; A. Praventhan,

“Home Energy Management Leveraging open IoT Protocol Stack,” IEEE

Recent Advances in Intelligent Computational Systems (RAICS), 10-12

December, 2015, pp. 370-375.

[7] Available: http://www.allegromicro.com/~/media/files/datasheets/acs712-

datasheet.ashx/

[8] “Arduino”. Available: http://arduino.cc/

[9] Available: http://www.datasheetspdf.com/datasheet/SC5-S-DC6V.html/

[10] L. Sevgi and Ç. Uluışık, “A LabVIEW-Based Virtual Instrument for

Engineering Education: A Numerical Fourier Transform Tool,” ELEKTRIK,

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, 14, 1,

January 2006, pp. 129-152.

[11] Shen, I-Cheng; Liu, Tang-Jen, "Reducing power consumed by a PC-based

server in an Internet-based data acquisition system using a novel server agent",

3CA, 2010, vol. 1, pp.423-425.

[12] Alahmad, Mahmoud A.; Wheeler, Patrick G.; Schwer, Avery; Eiden, Joshua;

http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/thesmarter-grid/a-

http://www.google.com/powermeter/about/

http://www.allegromicro.com/~/media/files/datasheets/acs712-

http://arduino.cc/

http://www.datasheetspdf.com/datasheet/SC5-S-DC6V.html/



Brumbaugh, Adam, "A Comparative Study of Three Feedback Device

Residential Real-Time Energy Monitoring”, IEEE Transactions on Industrial

Electronics, Vol. 59, Issue: 4,2012, pp.2002-2013.

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The Project Synopsis Based on Hall Effect Sensor