DEVELOPMENT OF AN IOT ENABLED SMART HBP (HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE) MONITORING SYSTEM FOR PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS OF HYPERTENSION. BY OJOLOWO ADEDOTUN GODWIN 15CJ02854 A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND INFORMATION ENGINEERING, COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, COVENANT UNIVERSITY, OTA. IN PARTIAL FUFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (HONOURS) DEGREE IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING. APRIL 2020. CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that this research work was carried out by OJOLOWO, ADEDOTUN GODWIN (Matric No: 15CJ02854) of the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Covenant University, Ota under my supervision. ------------------------------------Supervisor 15/08/2020 ----------------------------------- Date Engr. Shobayo Olamilekan Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Covenant University, Ota. ------------------------------------- ------------------------ Head of Department Date. Professor Adoghe Anthony Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, College of Engineering Covenant University, Ota. DEDICATION I dedicate this research work to ALMIGHTY GOD from whom all good and perfect gifts cometh, and to my wonderful family for their continuous words of encouragement, prayers and support all through the period of my academic journey. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere gratitude goes to the Almighty God for the grace and privilege given to go through this programme and to complete it without hitches, despite all odds. I would also like to acknowledge Engr. Shobayo for his supervision and guidance even with his busy schedule and also the Head of Department Prof. Adoghe as well as the academic and non-academic staff of the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Covenant University for their support during the period of their work. ABSTRACT Hypertension (HBP) is a very quiet condition with little or no symptoms at all also without a known cure, a small amount of people in the world today are unaware of being hypertensive and this has had a very high impact in the increase of high mortality rate in the world today especially when HBP is not managed properly or on time. This raises the need for the development of a system which is able to accurately measure Blood Pressure (BP) and alert the qualified medical personnel and the users of any signs of Hypertension. Till today, a lot of devices and methods have been implemented to take BP readings and furthermore keep a track of it and the relevant changes, and the advancement in technology has played a very big role in making it easier to develop these methods; a Microcontroller based monitoring system has aided in providing a cost-effective solution for monitoring BP. An IoT enabled HBP monitoring system is designed and developed in this project to enable users and patients see their BP readings, take the right decisions, and furthermore alerts the required medical personnel’s to be aware of the necessary steps to take in ensuring the well-being of the patient. The Oscillometric method has been proven to be one of the most accurate methods of measuring BP asides the Stethoscope and Sphygnanometer method, and it has been implemented in various digital and electronic methods, this project also makes use of the Oscillometric method by measuring BP with the use of a hand cuff. A low-cost microcontroller based BP measurement device is developed in this project which consists of three essential aspects; the hardware, the electronic interface unit, and most importantly the microcontroller unit. The HBP monitoring system alerts the medical personnel of the BP readings through the use of the Blynk Application. After the BP readings of the user has been taken, it is sent to the Blynk cloud through the use of a WiFi module, an email is then sent to the medical personnel alerting them that the BP of the patient has been measured. Arduino Uno Microcontroller is the brain of the entire project, as it coordinates all the activities of the BP monitor. Being able to implement the IoT based HBP system would aid in improving the quality of life of patients that are hypertensive, especially people that aren’t aware of having a HBP. TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATION ............................................................................................................................. 2 DEDICATION .................................................................................................................................. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................... 4 ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................... 5 LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................... 8 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................ 9 CHAPTER ONE: Introduction ........................................................................................................ 10 1.1 Background of Study........................................................................................................ 10 1.2 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................. 11 1.3 Aims & Objectives of the Study ....................................................................................... 12 1.4 Methodology.................................................................................................................... 12 1.5 Significance of the Study.................................................................................................. 13 1.6 Scope of Study ................................................................................................................. 13 1.7 Research Outline .............................................................................................................. 13 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................... 15 2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 15 2.2 Disease Considered .......................................................................................................... 15 2.2.1 Hypertension ............................................................................................................ 15 2.2.2 Causes of hypertension ............................................................................................. 15 2.2.3 Symptoms of Hypertension....................................................................................... 16 2.2.3 Medications Available for Hypertension ................................................................... 16 2.2.4 Natural Remedies ..................................................................................................... 17 2.2.5 Preventive measures ................................................................................................. 18 2.3 The Concept of Internet of Things (IOT) .......................................................................... 19 2.4 Patient Monitoring Systems (PMS)................................................................................... 20 2.4.1 Classes of Patient Monitoring Systems ..................................................................... 21 2.4.2 Vital Physiological signs of importance that are measured using PMS ...................... 21 2.4.3 Central Monitoring Systems (CMS) .......................................................................... 24 2.4.4 Present Parameters in Patients Monitoring Systems: ................................................. 25 2.4.5 Some of the Future trends in PMS ................................................................................... 25 2.5 IoT Enabled Patient Monitoring Systems .......................................................................... 26 2.6 Related Reviews on Blood Pressure Monitoring Systems.................................................. 27 2.7 Related reviews on IoT Based Patient monitoring systems ................................................ 28 2.8 Gap identified. ................................................................................................................. 30 2.9 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 30 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 31 3.2 System Requirements ....................................................................................................... 31 3.3 System Design ................................................................................................................. 32 3.4 Design Specifications ....................................................................................................... 33 3.5 Circuit Design .................................................................................................................. 34 3.6 Hardware Components ..................................................................................................... 35 3.6.1 Arduino Uno ............................................................................................................ 35 3.6.2 ESP8266 WiFi Module ............................................................................................. 37 3.6.3 Honeywell Pressure Transducer (015PDAA5) .......................................................... 38 3.6.4 TL072 Operational Amplifier ................................................................................... 39 3.6.5 Motor Air Pump & Solenoid Valve........................................................................... 40 3.6.6 Arduino Compatible LCD......................................................................................... 41 3.6.7 Band Pass Filter Circuit ............................................................................................ 42 3.7 Software Components ...................................................................................................... 43 3.7.1 ARDUINO IDE ........................................................................................................ 43 3.7.2 Proteus 8 Professional .............................................................................................. 44 3.7.3 Blynk ....................................................................................................................... 45 3.8 Algorithm and Flowchart ................................................................................................. 46 3.8.1 Algorithm ................................................................................................................. 47 3.8.2 Flowchart ................................................................................................................. 47 3.9 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER FOUR: IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING ............................................................. 50 4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 50 4.2 Implementation (Software) ............................................................................................... 50 4.2.1 Software Implementation Using Fritzing................................................................... 50 4.2.2 Simulation of Amplifier Circuit Using Multism ........................................................ 51 4.2.3 System Implementation Using Proteus ...................................................................... 51 4.2.4 Virtual Serial Port Kit by Fabulatech ....................................................................... 53 4.2.5 Software Implementation .......................................................................................... 54 4.3 System Test and Results ................................................................................................... 57 4.4 Blynk Test ....................................................................................................................... 59 4.4 Discussion of Results ....................................................................................................... 61 4.5 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 62 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................... 63 5.1 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................... 63 5.2 Challenges Faced ............................................................................................................. 63 5.3 Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 63 REFERENCES................................................................................................................................ 64 APPENDIX..................................................................................................................................... 67 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: Image Showing Blood Pressure Chart of an individual [4] ............................................... 10 Figure 1.2: Methodology of Patient Monitoring Systems using IoT [7].............................................. 12 Figure 2.1: General Architecture of Internet of Things [15] .............................................................. 20 Figure 2.2: ECG Monitoring [17]....................................................................................................... 22 Figure 2.3: Rectal or armpit thermometer used to monitor body temperature [19] ......................... 24 Figure 2.4: A Centralized Monitoring System showing the SP02, Heart rate, ECG and Blood Pressure of Various patients in the hospital [20] ............................................................................................ 25 Figure 2.5: Concept of IoT Based Patient Monitoring Systems [21]................................................... 27 Figure 3.1: Block Diagram of the Proposed IOT enabled HBP Monitoring System. ............................ 33 Figure 3.2: The Overall circuit design of the HBP Patient Monitoring System ................................... 35 Figure 3.3: Physical description of Arduino Uno Microcontroller [36] ............................................... 36 Figure 3.4: Diagram of an ESP8266 WIFI Module [37] ...................................................................... 38 Figure 3.5: A Honeywell Pressure Transducer [38] ........................................................................... 39 Figure 3.6: TL072 Operational Amplifier [39] ................................................................................... 40 Figure 3.7: 12v Dc Solenoid Air Valve [40] ........................................................................................ 40 Figure 3.8: Makeblock Air Pump Motor [41] .................................................................................... 41 Figure 3.9: 1602 Liquid Crystal Display [42] ...................................................................................... 42 Figure 3.10: Schematic diagram of Band Pass Filter [43] .................................................................. 43 Figure 3.11: The Arduino IDE [44] .................................................................................................... 44 Figure 3.12: Proteus software for Simulation [45] ............................................................................ 45 Figure 3.13: How Blynk Works. [46] ................................................................................................. 46 Figure 3.14: Flowchart of the Propose Blood Pressure Monitoring System ....................................... 47 Figure 4.1: The Breadboard View of the proposed system using Fritzing software interface............. 51 Figure 4.2: Simulation of the Amplifier Circuit using Multisim .......................................................... 51 Figure 4.3: Simulation of Proposed HBP system showing the Blood pressure readings of the Patient. ........................................................................................................................................................ 53 Figure 4.4: Virtual COM Serial Port Kit showing COM2 to COM3 connection (COMPIM to Blynk) ..... 54 Figure 4.5: Diagram of the implemented Pressure Sensor (Transducer) ........................................... 54 Figure 4.6: Diagram of the implemented LCD module using Proteus. ............................................... 55 Figure 4.7: Diagram of Implemented COMPIM ................................................................................ 56 Figure 4.8: COMPIM set to COM2 and a baud rate of 9600 .............................................................. 56 Figure 4.10: Snippet of code used in programming the Arduino microcontroller .............................. 58 Figure 4.11: Using Command Prompt to set Blynk to Port 3 while waiting for internet connection .. 59 Figure 4.12: Diagram of Blynk IoT project on IOS Application ........................................................... 60 Figure 4.13 (a): Diagram showing the email notification sent from Blynk ......................................... 61 Figure 4.13 (b): Diagram showing Email sent from Blynk .................................................................. 61 LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Specifications of the various components used in the implementation of the project ...... 33 Table 3.2: Specifications of the Arduino Uno Microcontroller. ......................................................... 37 Table 3.3: Specifications of the ESP8266 WiFi Module ..................................................................... 38 Table 3.4: Operating Specifications of the Honeywell Pressure Transducer ...................................... 39 Table 3.5: shows the operating specifications of the amplifier stage. ............................................... 39 Table 4.1: Results of System Test ..................................................................................................... 59 CHAPTER ONE: Introduction 1.1 Background of Study Hypertension or High Blood Pressure (HBP) is a very frequent infection with more than 1.5 million cases per year in Nigeria, however HBP pervasiveness relies upon various factors. About 1.3 billion people have been diagnosed with hypertension in the world today, most living in low- and middle-income countries [1]. HBP is a very serious ailment that intensifies the likelihood of damage to the heart, brain, kidney and various kinds of illnesses and it remains one of the greatest causes of premature death globally. Blood Pressure is a measurement of the force exerted against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood to your body [2]. “Hypertension” is the phrase that is used to describe High blood Pressure which when not treated could lead to heart diseases, stroke, Kidney failure and other health related issues. While “Hypotension”, according to medicine is used to describe low blood pressure which could also be a fatal problem, especially in elderly people and can lead to inadequate blood flow to the heart, brain and other vital organs. The blood pressure of an individual is determined by the use of two figures (numbers), the first figure represents the Systolic blood pressure which estimates the pressure found in the blood vessels when the heart beats, while the second figure represents the Diastolic blood and this is used to estimate the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart rests between beats. The Systolic blood pressure is considered of higher importance when considering heart diseases due to the reason that as an individual because grows older, the Systolic blood pressure also increases gradually [3]. If measurement is taken and it reads 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, it is said as “120 over 80” and written as “120/80 mmHg” Figure 1.1: Image Showing Blood Pressure Chart of an individual [4] The Blood pressure is considered to be low (Hypotension) when then the Systolic Blood Pressure readings is less than 90 mmHg or the Diastolic blood pressure is less than 60 mmHg. Blood pressure is normal when it is less than 120 mmHg for Systolic blood pressure and 80mmHg for Diastolic Blood pressure. Elevated blood pressures level or prehypertension are at a high risk of having high blood pressure and it is in between 120/80 mmHg and 189/89 mmHg. High blood pressure level or hypertension is at 140/90 mmHg or more. The consideration of heart rate is taken into place during diagnosis of HBP, observations have shown that patients that are hypertensive sometimes develop a fast heart rate (Tachycardia) and elevated heart rate of an individual can correlate with the development of hypertension. According to the HARVEST study, 15% of hypertensive patients had their heart rates at >85 bpm while at rest and 27% of them had the rates at >80 bpm. A large population of hypertensive patients in France also had elevated blood pressures than normotensive subjects, and the most increment was found in those with moderate to extreme high blood pressure [5]. Research has shown that even though there isn’t a known cure Hypertension, there are natural remedies that can be used in effectively managing hypertension depending on the Patients preference and the severity. Studies have shown that Hypertension worsens over time, but using the well prescribed medication and could aid to improve the standard of health of the patient [6]. Therefore, the need for a system arises which is capable of viably analyzing blood pressure, giving warnings to the individuals and the medical experts to be able to prescribe the right medication to prevent the health from declining when responding to treatment in ensuring a low death rate and hospitalization rate and to improve the comfort of hypertensive patients. 1.2 Statement of the Problem Health is a major factor in the daily routines of individuals, the necessity of available health care facilities to everyone regardless of the social class is something of great value on the planet today. It is known that hypertension can be properly managed if treated immediately. However, most individuals believe they have to be physically present at a hospital or treated by a medical doctor before they are diagnosed with HBP and other certain individuals don’t get to understand the readings taken when they measure their heart rate and blood pressure using the modern Sphygmomanometers, making them believe the readings are normal and they fail to seek immediate medical attention. HBP (Hypertension) has the possibility of silently harming the system of an individual for years before the symptoms become noticeable and unchecked HBP over time can develop into disabilities, poor living standards of life and in extreme cases, a deadly heart attack or stroke [6]. It is in utmost response to these challenges to make available an IOT enabled device that would be wireless, reliable, portable and trust worthy in monitoring the patients’ health without having to hospitalize the patients. Hence, the objective of this study to develop an IOT enable smart HBP system for preliminary diagnosis of hypertension. 1.3 Aims & Objectives of the Study The aim of this Study is to propose and develop an IOT enabled system that can successfully read the blood pressure and heart rate of patients for as an assistant technology for medical practitioners in improving the quality of their services in the preliminary diagnosis of hypertension. The objectives of this study include: 1. To gather various requirements along with analysis on the subject matter through research and knowledge elicited from the experts. 2. To model and design data gotten to determine the functions of the system. 3. To implement an IOT enabled smart HBP (High Blood Pressure) system for Preliminary diagnosis which can be displayed on a device and web server. 4. These data are stored in data base center which could be easily accessed by users at any time in case of an emergency. 1.4 Methodology Figure 1.2: Methodology of Patient Monitoring Systems using IoT [7] The system is being developed to diagnose abnormal blood pressures and send immediate results to medical experts to be able to diagnose and prescribe adequate medications to the persons involved. The diagnosis would be based on the symptoms of hypertension as documented in literature. In this project, we have blood pressure and heart beat readings that are monitored using Arduino. The sensor signals are sent to the Arduino, which is an open source hardware that works as a micro controller. The patients’ blood pressure is measured and has the ability of being observed by both the patient and medical Personnel in any part of the world that has an access to the internet. The Arduino acts as a server once its connected to the internet using a WIFI module and it sends the data (readings taken) automatically to the website (Blynk). With the use of an IP address anybody is able to access these readings using their laptops, tablets or mobile devices especially the medical expert who is able to give the required treatments to the user. 1.5 Significance of the Study The human body remains the most complex creation in existence and this has led to ceaseless innovative work and development regarding maintaining the body in control, battling different illnesses that deprive one from living in one’s full potential. The proposed would help to inform individuals about such risk factors in order to be able to avoid it. The proposed system may help in a reduction of mortality rate due to heart illnesses as a result of quick and early detection of abnormalities in the readings of blood pressure and immediate treatment of the disease. 1.6 Scope of Study The scope of this study was restricted to taking only blood pressure readings along with the close monitoring of the gathered information of a single individual. It was of high importance that the proposed system was considered to be safe and accurate in taking blood pressure reading. On the grounds that the data being collected decides the seriousness of a life-threatening scenario. 1.7 Research Outline • Chapter one of this study contains a background information needed for the reader to have knowledge about what the study is about. It also states the problem the study hopes to answer, it states the study’s aim and highlights the different objectives needed to understand the aim. Also, a summary is given on how the study’s aim will be accomplished which is the methodology and the significance of the study. Lastly, details on the scope of study were enumerated and an outline of the research. • Chapter two- Literature Review- explicitly examines related existing literature on hypertension and the concept of the IOT based system. Also, on the use of the HBP system in the medical field. A review of existing systems is giving in this chapter and the gap identified in these systems is also give. • Chapter three provides a detailed description of the proposed system. • Chapter four shows the implementation of the system achieved mainly through C programming (Arduino). It shows the implementation of the diagnosis system explicitly. • Chapter five summarizes the project and gives recommendations, suggestions and conclusions. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This section provides an audit on HBP, its different causes, along with its indications and medicines. It also includes a review of master frameworks, containing helpful information in a specific field of study. The idea of a Smart based IOT system is to continuously monitor a patient which contains acquisition of data, reviewing the healthrelated data and then sending it to the qualified medical practitioners through the use of Internet of Things. A review of related works on existing patient monitoring systems is given, as well as the gaps that have been recognized in the previously existing frame works. 2.2 Disease Considered 2.2.1 Hypertension Hypertension or HBP is a complex but common condition. HBP is known to cause a number of cardiovascular events such as death, stroke and heart failure. Hypertension is defined as a circumstance, which the force of the blood against the walls of the artery is too high. Any blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg and is considered to be hypertensive and very fatal when there is a pressure reading 180/120 mmHg. 2.2.2 Causes of hypertension According to Healthline there are two types of hypertension. And each of these types have different causes [8] Primary Hypertension This type of HBP is also known as “Essential Hypertension” and this doesn’t have a known cause, it develops over time and it is a common type of high blood pressure. Although there isn’t a known cause or reason why the blood appreciates slowly. However, there could be an amount of risk factors that may have in hand in the increase of the BP of an individual, and they include: • Genes • Diet • Stress • Being overweight. • Minimal physical activity Secondary Hypertension Secondary hypertension is HBP that is developed from an entirely different medical illness or condition. And this happens in about 10% of individuals. It often occurs faster and is known to be fatal when being compared to Primary hypertension. Some of these conditions that may play a role in the development of secondary hypertension include : • Intake of Illegal drugs • Excessive use of alcohol • Side effects due to medication • Diabetes • Obesity • Pregnancy The risk factor considered in secondary Hypertension is developing a medical illness that could cause HBP which includes; as kidney, heart or endocrine system diseases [9]. 2.2.3 Symptoms of Hypertension HBP is known to be a very quiet illness, it is mostly referred to be a “Silent Killer”. A large number of individuals wouldn’t develop any indication of having hypertension. After a long period of time, hypertension develops rapidly into a very extreme condition before most of the Symptoms start to develop. Even when these Symptoms become self-evident, majority of the time they are ascribed to other medical conditions In rare occasions, HBP may show symptoms such as: • Migraines and headaches • Dyspnea (Otherwise known as difficulty in breathing) • Epistaxis (This is the medical term for nosebleeds) • Lightheadedness • Pains in the Chest area. • Visible changes in the physical appearance of the patient • Hematuria (This is the medical term for the presence of red blood cells in the urine) These symptoms are needed to be reported for prompt clinical consideration. The symptoms are not usually visible in every hypertensive patient, although waiting until these indications show up might be extreme. The most ideal approach to know whether an individual is hypertensive is by getting standard blood pressure readings. [8]. 2.2.3 Medications Available for Hypertension Changing your way of life can go far in controlling hypertension. Your doctor may suggest improving and developing a healthy eating habit, continuous exercise, losing weight and highly reducing alcohol intake. Although in most cases, changes in the lifestyle of an individual are not adequate, medication is also highly recommended to reduce the blood pressure readings. Some of these medications include: • ACE Inhibitors: Ace Inhibitors are prescribed because regular intake of them helps in relaxing the blood vessels and to prevent the kidney from damages due to diabetes, Examples of them are Capoten, Vasotec, Prinivil, Lotensin, Monopril, Altace and Univasc.[10] • Diuretics: It eliminates extra water from the body and is also prescribed to treat HBP. They are the commonly the first drugs prescribed to try to control your blood pressure. Examples of them are: Hygroton, Diuril, Lozol, Midamor, Bumex and Aldactone [10]. • Beta Blockers: These medications slow down the heart rate hereby decreasing blood pressure, some of them are also used for eye drops to reduce eye pressure. Examples of them include: Tenorim, Sectral, Kerlone, Visken and Levatol [10]. • Calcium Channel Blockers: The perform the primary function of relaxing the blood vessels. Some of which include: Amlodipine, Felodipine, Nifedipine, Diltiazem and Verapmil [10]. • Vasodilator: These medications open the blood vessels, thereby allowing blood to flow more easily. A common example of Vasolidators is Hydralazine. [10] Surgeries are also considered in the treatment and handling of HBP. Some of which include: • Unilateral nephrectomy • The removal of adrenal tumors • Surgeries on the Sympathetic nervous system. [11] 2.2.4 Natural Remedies We know that what you eat won’t cure or cause high blood pressure, although some foods help to reduce and sometimes eliminates high blood pressure. Some of which are mentioned below: • Basil: This is a highly nutritious and tasty herb, that is even put in meals to make them tasty and flavorful. Medical experts have performed experiments on rodents, which resulted in temporarily reducing the BP of the rodents, the chemical eugenol is known to be present in Basil and it blocks substances that have the ability of tightening the blood vessels. [12] • Cinnamon: In an investigation done in rodents, it recommended that cinnamon extracts brought down abrupt beginning and delayed hypertension. Although, there hasn’t been a conclusion on this experiment due to the reason that the cinnamon was given through the use of injections.[12] • Garlic: This flavoring accomplishes a lot more than enhancing nourishment and ruining your breath. There is the possibility of the presence of garlic in foods to reduce the heart rate by increasing nitric oxide which is an essential component in relaxing and dilating the blood vessels.[12] • Hawthorn: Hawthorn has been used in China as a medicine for HBP for thousands of years, it seems to improve the cardiovascular health of the individual, which in returns causes a decrease in the BP. It comes in different forms such as a pill, liquid extract or tea.[12] • Flax seed: Flax seeds reduces the serum cholesterol and improves glucose tolerance, therefore acting like an antioxidant.[12] • Cardamom: Cardamom is a seasoning, that is known to be popularly growing in India and it has helped in different occasions in reducing the BP of an individual. Cardamom seeds are sometimes put in soups, stews and some baked goods to add flavoring to it and in improving the health.[12] • Ginger: Ginger may significantly aid in controlling BP. According to studies taken on animals, ginger really helps in aiding circulation of blood in the body by relaxing the muscles that are found around the blood vessels. Although, no conclusions have been drawn yet in human studies.[12] • Celery seed: Celery seed goes beyond just adding flavour to meals, they are even being used as diuretics in the medical world. The Chinese have been using this herb for the treatment of HBP, for a long period of time.[12] • French Lavender: In animal studies particularly rodents, Lavender extracts have been shown to lower blood pressure.[12] • Cat’s claw: In china, Cat’s claw is an herbal medicine that has been long used to treat hypertension, it acts on the Calcium Channels in the cells of the body and has thereby helped in reducing HBP significantly in rodents.[12] 2.2.5 Preventive measures • Eating healthy • Low sodium diets • Get regular exercise • Being at a healthy weight • Be physically active • Limiting alcohol 2.3 • Don’t smoke. • Cut back on caffeine • Managing stress. • Get enough sleep • Work together with your doctor. The Concept of Internet of Things (IOT) The internet of things, or IOT, is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines provided with unique identifiers (UIDS) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human to human or human to computer interaction [13]. IOT makes a reference to a large number of physical devices and systems globally that gathers and shares data respectively, and are all connected via the internet. In the world today, affordable computer chips and the ubiquitous properties of Wireless networks have made it feasible to make virtually any device, ranging from objects that are as small as a pill to relatively large objects the size of an Air craft a part of the Internet of Things. These items can be associated together and sensors can relatively be added to them, thereby improving digital intelligence to an extent and making these items able to disseminate data and information without the inclusion of a person. IoT is excessively improving the texture of the environment today intelligently, and aiding in the merging of the digital and physical universes. There is no physical device today that doesn’t have the ability of being a part of the Internet of Things, considering that it could be successfully connected Virtually in order to pass across information. Common examples include a home automation system, or a streetlight or smart irrigation system. Larger components could can also be made up of a number of components that are smaller in size; an example of this scenario is A jet engine that contains thousands of different sensors that are remotely disseminating data and information in making sure that the engine is working properly and efficiently. The marvel in IoT is that it is majorly utilized in gadgets that aren’t considered or anticipated to be connected Virtually, these gadgets have ability to pass information efficiently within various networks without the need of a human meddling into it. A personal Computer (PC) or mobile phones are not considered to be IoT devices, smart watches and wearables are better examples of IoT devices. Between the 1980’s and 1990’s, the additions of sensors to physical items and devices were being considered but it had a relatively slow impact because the technology wasn’t adequate enough yet, although one of the early examples was the vending machine that was connected via the internet. One of area of problems was in the sizes of the chips, they were so large in size and cumbersome and this aided in a great difficulty on getting the items to be conveyed viably. The internet of Things was phrased by Kevin Ashton in the year 1995, it however took the world a decade or more to be able to meet up with his innovation.[14] IOT can be extensively applied in, consumer applications such as smart home and elder care, commercial applications such as medical and health care, transportation and in building and home automations, in industrial applications such as manufacturing and agriculture and infrastructure applications such as energy management. IoT has been highly considered and is being highly developed in the area of medical diagnosis and a cause for research because of the amazing tasks it performs. Some of the advantages include Reduced cost, reduced danger, faster response, data base increased reliability, improved monitoring of devices and gadgets, high efficiency and its timely. Some of the disadvantages include Complexity, risk of losing privacy and lesser employment of menial staff . Figure 2.1: General Architecture of Internet of Things [15] 2.4 Patient Monitoring Systems (PMS) The main objectives of patient/ health monitoring systems, is to aid in the continual observation of the vital signs, aid in better making of conclusions and decisions among health care providers, and to help in enhancing quality care of individuals. Patient monitoring systems are majorly made up of devices that take measurements, displays and takes records of major changes in vital signs of patients which are; temperature, heart rate/pulse, blood pressure and other health standards. The Vital signs are very important in determining and monitoring various illnesses, like in this project Hypertension (HBP). Different types of sensors and are employed in PMS, to receive the vital signs of a patient, some of which include; the ECG Electrodes used to determine ECG of the patient, the BP cuff used to determine the pressure readings, the temperature Probes and the SPO2 finger sensor. The vital signs are the most important aspects of human body to be observed when receiving treatment, PMS thereby occupies a very important place in the aspect of medical devices [16]. Technology having been improved over time has enabled us with the ability of transmitting the vital signs of a patient to the qualified medical teams, simplifying the readings of these vital signs and thereby making the monitoring of patients more efficient. Having a reliable patient monitoring system can make a world of difference during an emergency situation in which a life is on the line. 2.4.1 Classes of Patient Monitoring Systems: There are two classes of patient monitoring systems which are: • Single Parameters Monitoring Systems, these have been dominant in a lot of products being manufactured by medical personnel. They are capable of measuring only one of the vital signs at a given time[16]. • Multi Parameters Monitoring Systems, they are capable of measuring two or more of the vital physiological signs of a patient, they are being commonly being used in the world today. [16] 2.4.2 Vital Physiological signs of importance that are measured using PMS. The vital signs are the quantification of the primary functions of the human body. The four vital signs that are of importance, and are commonly monitored, particularly in an intensive care unit, which is a specialized hospital unit that provides constant observation and monitoring of the patient and provide immediate treatment in the case of an emergency. These vital Physiological signs include: Electrical signals from the heart, Blood Pressure, Respiration Rate and Body Temperature. [16] ECG (ELECTROCARDIOGRAM) MONITORING The principal and most important vital sign that is measured in a hospital or intensive care unit is the electrocardiogram of the patient. An electro diagram primarily performs the function of reading the electrical signals derived from the heart, with which any heart related disease is then monitored. This test takes notes of the electrical activities in the heart and then determines if the heart is properly functioning according to the medical standards. The hearts rhythm and activity are recorded on a tiny piece of paper that moves over time or sometimes on a screen depending on the type of ECG. Electrodes are the major components or sensors used in the ECG, these electrodes are positioned on the patient’s chest, these electrodes then quantify the electrical signals of the heart which causes it to beat. The use of the lead strips in the electro diagram is to note the heartbeat of the patient. The signals that are gotten from the active electrodes are then recorded on a piece of a paper or shown on a screen. [17] Figure 2.2: ECG Monitoring [17] BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING The BP of a patient is the second important vital sign that is usually monitored, either in the intensive care unit or outside of the hospital grounds. There are three methods which are effectively used in measuring blood pressure and they are: • Korotkoff System-Riva-Rocci Method: It was first introduced by Riva Rocci in 1896, although this method had the limitation of only measuring Systolic BP by the use of an Upper arm cuff, it was until 1905 that another scientist named Nicolai Sergeivich Korotkoff implemented a technique called the auscultatory method, this method then made it possible for both the diastolic and systolic blood pressure to be measured at the same time [18]. The most popular and accurate method of taking BP readings is by using the Sphygmomanometer (automatic cuff pump and Korotkoff microphone). However, this method has the disadvantage that the blood pressure of the patient cannot be continuously measured or recorded, therefore if there is an increase or decrease in blood pressure of the patient, the system might take a few minutes to detect this change. • Plethysmograph: The plethysmograph is a medical instrument that records variation in the volume of specific parts of the human, due to the changes in the BP of an individual. It is very comfortable when monitoring the blood pressure of the patient, however it gives more information about the circulatory system rather than the just Systolic and diastolic pressure readings of the patient. • Digital blood pressure monitors: The digital monitors have become one of the most popular and prevalent method of measuring BP in the world today due its remoteness and it can be used within and outside of medical grounds. The digital monitor makes use of the oscillatory method, the use of a cuff is employed. The Bp is measured by the use of a cuff, and after the cuff deflates, the readings are then displayed on the small screen, some other digital monitors even go as far as employing print outs as a way of taking readings. The digital monitors also has its own limitations especially with accuracy, minor movements of the body and an irregular pulse sometimes makes the digital monitors produce inaccurate results, some models also poised a problem as they only functioned properly on the left hand side of the patient. RESPIRATION MONITORING While on the hospital grounds or in the intensive care unit, another major and important vital sign that needs to be measures is the Respiration Rate of the patient. one of the accomplished methods of doing this is by using a thermistor pneumograph which is placed in the nostrils. The number of breaths taken by an individual in a minute is defined as the Respiration rate. It is easier to measure the respiration rate when the patient isn’t doing any physical activity (or at rest) and it just involves counting how many breaths the individual takes in 60 seconds, this effectively done by counting the number of times the chest rises in one minute. An increase in the respiration rate may occur due to some medical illnesses. BODY TEMPERATURE MONITORING It is advisable to measure the body temperature of a patient and monitor it continuously as it could rise over time especially with the presence of an illness, it could be measured in various ways but it is commonly measured using a rectal or armpit thermometer. Figure 2.3: Rectal or armpit thermometer used to monitor body temperature [19] 2.4.3 Central Monitoring Systems (CMS) The central monitoring system is a smart monitoring management system that connects a series of patient monitors together and back to a central monitor. The CMS is a very helpful equipment that aids in the provision of vast knowledge to the Staff within the medical grounds the state and well-being of their patients. Clinical staff can assess a Patients wellbeing in a superior and greater manner and come up with a proper diagnosis of the patient’s condition by making proper use of the CMS. Different Central Monitors have varieties of designs, and depending on its design the CMS has the ability to take records of various vital signs of the body at the same time, these vital signs may include; the ECG, Respiratory Rate, Body Temperature, BP, etc. CMS possess computing capabilities and come with various ways of displaying the information about the vital signs that have been obtained for monitoring of the patients. When using CMS, there is usually a presence of EMR (Electronic Medical Records), and as these data are collected from the patients, the CMS has the capability of storing these data in the EMR for observation and future reference Some CMS, also have alarms which are quite distinct from the normal hospital alarms which alerts the nurses or approved medical personnel of an abnormality in any of the patient’s vital signs at any given point in time. Although CMS, has the disadvantage that the data cannot be accessed by the patient outside of the hospital grounds. Figure 2.4: A Centralized Monitoring System showing the SP02, Heart rate, ECG and Blood Pressure of Various patients in the hospital [20] 2.4.4 Present Parameters in Patients Monitoring Systems: There are five standard parameters in a PMS today and they include: • Electrodiagram (ECG). • Respiration Rate • Blood Pressure • SPO2 (Pulse Oxy meter) • Body Temperature [16] 2.4.5 Some of the Future trends in PMS As technology improves over the years various Patient Monitoring systems are being developed regularly which are making it easier and more effective for the monitoring of a patient with the hospital grounds and even outside of hospital grounds. Some of which are mentioned below: • Arterial blood gas test • Dosage Calculators • Medical Expert Systems • Patients Location Systems in Real time • Telemetry/Telemedicine. 2.5 • Wearables. • IoT enabled Patient Monitoring Systems. [16] IoT Enabled Patient Monitoring Systems One of the limitations of traditional Patient Monitoring Systems and the central monitoring systems, is the inaccessibility to them outside of the medical grounds. Patients have to be physically present in a hospital to be able to monitor check on his vital signs before an abnormality in any of the vital signs is noticed and treatment is administered, sometimes patients have already developed an illness or have been rushed to the hospital before they are aware of any abnormalities. Even in cases where the traditional PMS are used outside of the medical grounds for example the digital blood pressure monitoring systems, patients are sometimes ignorant to what the figures mean and believe that as long as they feel perfectly fine, they do not require medical attention. Patient Health Monitoring using IOT is a technology that aids in the monitoring of patients outside of medical grounds (for example in the home) that hopes to expand availability to health care services and minimize the costs of delivery. This can fundamentally improve a person’s nature of life and permits the patients the maintain independence, prevent complications and limit personal costs. This system facilitates these objectives by conveying care right to the home, offices and almost anywhere in the world. IoT PMS devices are microcontroller-based devices with the appropriate and approved medical sensors or electrodes to provide constant based cloud monitoring of a patient. The vital signs are the most relevant ways of detecting various medical conditions and they can be easily measured by different sensors that are being developed today, these sensors also possess virtual capabilities and with the help of the internet can easily disseminate the measurements to the cloud service, the measurements can be easily analyzed in search for abnormalities. If any abnormalities are found in the vital signs of the patient, the qualified medical personnel can be notified immediately. As shown in Figure 2.5, Data or readings taken from the Patients can be sent to the cloud and retrieved from the cloud at any point in time and in any part of the world provided there is an access to internet connections. With the implementation of IoT PMS, patients an edge of being evaluated from time to time at a low price. Hereby reducing mistakes due to human responsibility and then alerting the medical personnel to take immediate actions on the well-being of the patient. Furthermore, this system helps patients and their relatives feel safe knowing that they are being observed and will be immediately notified if a medical issue emerges. Thus, IoT based patient monitoring systems effectively monitors patient’s health status and it saves life on time. Figure 2.5: Concept of IoT Based Patient Monitoring Systems [21] 2.6 Related Reviews on Blood Pressure Monitoring Systems There have been quite a lot of attempts from researches from different walks of life to successfully implement a physical device to continuously measure the BP of a patient with the ability to notify the necessary personnel if there is abnormality of the blood pressure level of the Patients. However, the developed continuous blood pressure monitors haven’t been reliable enough in taking blood pressure readings like the Oscillometric method or the gold standard techniques which are chosen to take blood pressure readings. One of the methods that was developed was the PPT technique. The PPT Techniques have been come short to be nothing but unreliable. C Dounoma, CU Sauter and R Courroune in 2009 performed various experiments which were based on Clinical methods on Various PPT Techniques. These experiments were conducted on twentytwo different patients, at the end of the day only fourteen of them were considered to be suitable enough for analysis. Different vital signs of the patients which included ECG, Photoplethysmogram, Blood Pressure, ICG and bioimpedence plethysmogram (IPG) were measured for a total time of about two hundred and forty hours. After taking various measurements of the vital signs, they found out that PPT techniques were not suitable for taking BP measurements the least of the average error achieved was about a difference of 4.91mmHg [22]. M K Ali Hassan, M Y Mashor, A R Mohd Saad, and M S Mohamed (2011) also performed another research where they implemented a portable BP Continuous Monitoring Kit. This Portable Kit made us of ECG technology to continuous measure BP level and used the mercury sphygmomanometer as a reference for measuring BP level continuously and was functioning by using a neural network model. This portable BP kit however proved to be portable for the measurement of BP level, although further researches have to be put into place to encounter an error average of about -0.4712 mmHg. [23]. Another group of different researches; Md Manirul Islam, Fida Hasan Md Rafi, Abu Farzan Mitul, Mohiuddin Ahmad, M A Rashid, and Mohd Fareq bin Abd Malek were successful in the implementation of a continuous BP measurement system by making use of PPG techniques. Two components which were very effective in implementing this research were, a light Dependent Resisitor [LDR] and a LED of high intensity. The BP readings of this device were evaluated by using varying intensities that were gotten from the Light Emitting Diode (LED). The maximum light intensity was very useful in measuring the DBP, while the minimum light intensity was effective in the measurement of SBP. This system proved to be reliable, however it required frequent calibration any time a patient wanted to make use of it as different persons had different finger and artery sizes [24]. The Oscillometric method (Use of a cuff and valve) would be used for the implementation of this final year project as this method, it has been proven to be the most reliable compared to other methods of measuring BP both in medical grounds and outside of medical grounds. 2.7 Related reviews on IoT Based Patient monitoring systems IoT based PMS have continued to evolve over time and have created innovative techniques to produce improved outcomes This segment gives a comprehensive review on the various frameworks that have been created and proposed after some time. 6LoWPAN (IPV6 over Low power Wireless Personal Area Network) serves as a really important element in IoT, because of various combination technologies and communication solutions. S. J Jung and W. Y. Chung (2011) implemented 6LoWPAN in the development of a flexible and expandable PMS, this project has served as an enabling factor for various other developed PMS systems and even in this proposed project. [25] Muthuraman Thangaraj and Subramian Anuradha also proposed the term “Digital hospital “which was introduced for hospital management. This development served as a backbone in the implementation of EMR (Electronic Medical Records) today. The development debated various instances of an IoT based Autonomous hospital management.[26] Ayush Bansal, Sunli Kumar, Anurag Bajpal, Vijay N. Tiwari, Mithun Nayak and RangaVittal Naraynan also focused on the implementation of a system which had the capability of determining cardiac events in the human body, by making use of an advanced monitoring system that could determine the situation of a cardiac event through its symptoms.[27] Cristina Elena proposed a system that provides a solution to various medical applications based on IoT. This study presented a detailed information about how Radio frequency identifications, Multi agents and IoT technologies can be used to improve patients’ access to quality healthcare services.[28] Loren Schweibert, Sandeep K.S. Gupta and Jennifer Weimann evaluated the strength of smart sensors in their research paper, they performed this by bringing together different sensing materials and elements along with integration of different circuits for the applications in the medical fields.[29] A remote PMS was specifically designed to capture the ECG of patients, particularly in an ICU was successfully implemented by Sebastian et al. The PMS had one limitation though, the results of the patients were sent to all the doctors in the building, even the ones that were unauthorized to use it thereby not considering the privacy and confidentiality of patients. [30] Alexander et al, implemented a remote based PMS based on mobile phones for controlling HBP in hypertensive patients, by using a Bluetooth supported HBP monitor. One thing that the system was successful for was in ensuring privacy and confidentiality of patients, however patients with some sort of impairment to the eyes or a low dexterity were frustrated while making use of the System [31]. A wireless based PMS on strictly medical premises was developed by Lui. This system also monitored the vital signs of a patient and then forwarded these measurements to the control unit for centralized monitoring. This PMS was limited only hospital wards, patients outside the clinical premises could not be monitored.[32] The MobileHealth remote PMS was created by Mobilhealth, this system had the capability of monitoring the vital signs outside medical grounds by making use of a Bluetooth WPAN. The major limitation of the MobileHealth was the Bluetooth WPAN was only stable for about 9 hours for continuous monitoring of the patient. [33] The Arduino Uno is the microcontroller and the brain of the proposed system. A lot of research on different kinds of Arduino compatible Wireless Technologies have been carried out. The Wifi ESP8266 is chosen among all the different kinds of technologies and can be easily mounted on the Arduino microcontroller. 2.8 Gap identified. From literature most IoT Based patient monitoring systems are used to measure only one parameter at a time, not being able to maintain patient’s confidentiality because of the fear of it getting into the wrong hands and being able to take readings outside of the medical grounds. This study hopes to provide a medium where only one of the vital signs (Blood Pressure) can be monitored and taken records of, under a single system outside of hospital grounds and to maintain patient’s privacy and confidentiality through the use of a cloud platform and Internet of Things (IOT). Blood pressure as a vital sign has been chosen to be measured alone due to the lack of a sensor which can effectively measure blood pressure, some research papers have suggested measuring blood pressure using a heart rate sensor using regression models, but they haven’t been implemented yet. 2.9 Conclusion In this chapter, a literature review has been undertaken for the prevalent topics in the aspect of Patient monitoring systems to monitor patient health. The review gave a better understanding of how IoT have facilitated in Patient monitoring systems and this would help aid in designing and implementation of the propose system as it would be discussed in its following chapters. CHAPTER THREE: SYSTEM DESIGN 3.1 Introduction A system is an integration of interrelated components and procedures that work together to accomplish a common goal or to solve a problem. System design can be defined as a way of defining the various components, architectures, interfaces, data and modules needed for a system to operate and meet its requirements. This chapter discusses the various sections and components used in the implementation of the system in order for it to meet its requirements and explains them vastly. The circuity of the system and the various functions of the components are also enumerated. This chapter therefore offers a systematic and in-depth analysis of the IOT based Patient Monitoring System. 3.2 System Requirements System requirements consists of a detailed summary of the functions of the system. It gives a detailed explanation of the things the system is able to perform, given that all the components are working properly and shows what a user could accomplish by using the system. The HBP monitoring system is expected to provide expert observation of the blood pressure to ensure early diagnosis of hypertension therefor ensuring in a high level of quality patient care. The proposed system is also web based and can be easily accessed over the internet. Monitoring patients regularly (Checking them and their health) while in the hospital or outside of the hospital grounds and taking actions when showing signs of hypertension can help to avoid grave problems Below is a list of the requirements of the proposed system: • Security: Unauthorized personnel should not have access to the records taken from the users. • Usability: Users should be able to easily understand the system. • Accuracy: The system should give precise and accurate results after taking the blood pressure readings of the users. • Reliability: The proposed system has to function properly and giving accurate results regardless of the circumstances. • Speed: The system should respond timely in taking the Blood pressure measurements of the patients. 3.3 System Design The block diagram in figure 3.1 gives an outline of the proposed design of the HBP Monitoring System. The design of this project makes use of eight major components to be able to function properly; WiFi Module, LCD display, A motor pump, A Cuff, A Pressure Transducer, A Valve, a band pass filter, an amplifier stage and a Microcontroller. The WiFi Module, an ESP8266 WiFi module is a small module with an integrated TCP/IP protocol stack that gives the microcontroller access to a WiFi network. The LCD display is used for displaying the data taken (I.e. the blood pressure measurements of the user). The Motor Pump and cuff and valve work simultaneously as the Motor air pump inflates and deflates the cuff, while the valve removes the remaining air in the pump once the cuff has been disconnected after taking blood pressure readings. The pressure transducer or pressure transmitter (Honeywell Differential Transducer 015PDAA5) converts the pressure derived from the cuff into an electrical signal but with analog value, this signal is then converted into a digital signal with the help of the microcontroller. Our design makes use of a passive band pass filter, this filter consist a low pass filter connected in series with a high pass filter, the low pass filter is used to abolish noise while the high pass filter makes it easier to determine the mean pressure based on the pressure fluctuations in the cuff. The TL072 Op Amp is used as an amplifier stage and is used to determine accuracy with respect to low harmonic and noise. Arduino UNO v3, is the microcontroller used for this project, the microcontroller contains an ATMEGA 328 microprocessor. The Arduino Uno serves as the brain of the system and it controls and regulates the operations of all other components of the system. All other components are connected to the input ports of the Microcontroller and are programmed using the Arduino IDE software. The Arduino IDE software is an open source software that enables the Arduino board and all other components to be programmed in order to perform their specific functions. The main idea behind the system is for the pressure cuff to measure the mean arterial pressure of the patient and pass on the readings to the Arduino Uno board which then relays this information to the LCD for the user to see it and the to the WiFi Module which transmits the data to the cloud (Blynk). The function of the microcontroller is to control when and where information is transmitted to. CLOUD (BLYNK) MOTOR PUMP WIFI MODULE ESP8266 CUFF VALVE PRESSURE TRANSDU CER AMPLIFIER STAGE ARDUINO UNO MICROCONTR OLLER BANDPASS FILTER STAGE LCD Figure 3.1: Block Diagram of the Proposed IOT enabled HBP Monitoring System. 3.4 Design Specifications Table 3.1: Specifications of the various components used in the implementation of the project S/N COMPONENT SPECIFICATIONS 1 Microcontroller Arduino Uno (ATmega 328) Operating voltage: 5V [34] Input Voltage: 7-12V Digital I/O pins. 2 WiFi Module ESP8266 Pin-compatible with Arduino Uno Input Voltage: 1.7-3.6V WiFi operation current: Continuous 3 Pressure Transducer Honeywell Transducer (015PDAA5) Voltage Rating: 5V Operating Pressure: 15psi Sensor output: Analogue 4 Operational Amplifier TL072 Op-Amp Total supply voltage:7V – 30V Output Current: 10mA Offset Voltage: 6mV 5 Air pump Make block Air Pump Motor Rated Voltage: 12v 6 Arduino compatible LCD LM02 Liquid Crystal Display Supply voltage: 3.3v or 5v Number of Characters: 16 characters x 2 Lines Adjustable contrast 5 Software requirement Arduino IDE, Windows OS, Proteus 8 professional, Multisim, and fritzing diagram. 3.5 Circuit Design The overall design is using a power supply of 12v because the Arduino board is capable of supplying only 5V and 3.3V. As stated before, the Honeywell transducer produces a signal (output) which helps to reflect pressure inside the cuff. This signal is then amplified with the TL072 Op-Amp and then filtered by the Band pass filters before being captured by the Microcontroller (Arduino) and then the Arduino determines the SBP and DBP by the operation of the program codes, After which the results is displayed on the LCD and then transmitted to the WIFI module which from there can be transmitted to the cloud. Figure 3.2: The Overall circuit design of the HBP Patient Monitoring System 3.6 Hardware Components The various hardware components used for this project are discussed in details in this section. These components include the Arduino Board, the Motor Air pump, The cuff, The Pressure transducer, The WiFi Module, The LCD, The low band pass filters, The valve and the amplifier. 3.6.1 Arduino Uno The Arduino board is a programmable microcontroller board which implements the ATmega328 Microprocessor and it is designed to aid in the ease of use of electronic devices simultaneously. The Arduino is used for controlling all operations of the HBP sensor, by the use of different programming codes that are suitable for the measurement of blood pressure. Arduino boards were first introduced into the market in 2005 by Atmel corporation and software company, the first Arduino boards consisted of basic components like the microprocessor, USB port, LED, analog and digital pins [34]. There are different types of Arduino boards and there are now even clones available in the market, the types of Arduino boards include: Arduino Uno, Arduino Mega, Arduino Nano, Mini, Pro Mini, Leonardo, Ethernet and Yin which are used to perform a large variety of tasks. The Arduino Uno, which is used for this project has 14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz ceramic resonator (CSTCE16M0V53-R0), a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header and a reset button. Everything needed to support the microcontroller is already contained on the board, and can simply be connected to a computer via a USB cable or powered via an AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started, [35]. The process starts from the motor pump which is used to inflate the cuff, after that the cuff deflates gradually and then Systolic and diastolic pressure is determined, once deflation is complete, the air valve releases the remaining air while the Arduino starts to analyze the pressure sensor (Transducer) and then senses this analog signal and determines at what level of pressure (usually in Kpa)l is reflecting the BP readings with the HELP of an inbuilt ADC (Analog To Digital Converter) to quantize the analogue signal into digital signal. Figure 3.3: Physical description of Arduino Uno Microcontroller [36] The operating voltage of the Arduino Uno is 5v, if a voltage of 7v is supplied to the Arduino uno board it causes it to be unstable for use and if the voltage exceeds 12v, It overheats the voltage regulator making the board damaged. The recommended range for operation of the board is between 7V and 12V. The Microcontroller (AtMega) is programmed using C language, the Arduino Interface Development (IDE) is used to implement programming. Table 3.2: Specifications of the Arduino Uno Microcontroller. Microcontroller Atmel ATmega328P Supply Voltage 7-12V Digital Input/output pins 14 Pins I/O pins current 40 mA Flash Memory 32KB SRAM 2KB EEPROM 1KB Speed of Clock 16MHZ Board Size 68.6mm X 53.4mm Weight 25g 3.6.2 ESP8266 WiFi Module The ESP8266 is a low-cost Wi-Fi microchip, with a TCP/IP stack and microcontroller capability, produced by Espressif Systems in Shanghai, China [1]. It has the capability of giving any microcontroller access to a WIFI network. The ESP8266 Wifi Module has a maximum working voltage of 3.6v and 8 pins. The safe operating range of the Wifi module is between 1.7V – 3.6V and it has an onboard 3.3v regulator to deliver a safe consistent voltage to the IC. Figure 3.4: Diagram of an ESP8266 WIFI Module [37] Table 3.3: Specifications of the ESP8266 WiFi Module Manufacturer Espressif Systems Type 32-bit Microcontroller CPU 80MHZ at default or 160MHZ Input 16 GPIO pins Power 1.7v – 3.6v 3.6.3 Honeywell Pressure Transducer (015PDAA5) The Honeywell Pressure Transducer (Pressure Sensor) is part of the ASDX Series Silicon Pressure, it changes pressure into an electrical signal. These sensors can be used to measure different types of absolute, differential and gauge pressures. Figure 3.5: A Honeywell Pressure Transducer [38] Table 3.4: Operating Specifications of the Honeywell Pressure Transducer Supply Voltage 3.0V – 3.6V Supply Current 2.0 – 5.0mA 3.6.4 TL072 Operational Amplifier The TL072 amplifier is a high voltage JFET general purpose amplifier with low input bias and offset currents. It possesses a low harmonic distortion and low noise which makes it satisfactory to work in areas of high fidelity and audio preamplifier applications and there are other classes in the family such as the TL072A, TL072B and TL072M which are all used for different applications. It is a dual OP Amp IC meaning it contains two Op Amps inside. This project makes use of the TL072 and the amplifier which provides accuracy in the BP readings of a patient. Table 3.5: shows the operating specifications of the amplifier stage. Supply voltage 6V – 36V Distortion of Harmonic 0.003% Output Current 10mA Operating Temperature -40 to 125 Celsius Figure 3.6: TL072 Operational Amplifier [39] 3.6.5 Motor Air Pump & Solenoid Valve For this project, I made use of the Make block Air Pump Motor and Valve, The motor air inflates air pressure in the cuff while the valve is used to hold the pressure and then releases excess air after deflation of the cuff. The makeblock airpump has a rated voltage of 12V and is capable of providing pressure of up to 600 mmHg. The Solenoid Air Valve also has a rated volatage of 12V. Figure 3.7: 12v Dc Solenoid Air Valve [40] Figure 3.8: Makeblock Air Pump Motor [41] 3.6.6 Arduino Compatible LCD The are several types of LCD display that can easily function with the Arduino Board, the system made use of the 16 x 2 Character LCD display, it contains a blue or green background depending on the type and a back light. It usually displays 16 characters in 2 rows and its used in various circuits because of the ease in programming it and has the capabilities of displaying animations. The LCD possess two registers which are the command register and the data register; The command register is responsible for storing the commands given to the LCD via programming while the data register stores the data to be displayed on the screen. The LCD is essential because it displays the Blood pressure readings of the Patient. The LCD pins and their various functions are listed below: VSS- This pin is connected to ground Vcc- This pin is usually connected to the supply voltage Vee- This pin is used to adjust the contrast of the LCD display; this is usually achieved through the use of a resistor. R/S- This pin enables register select of the LCD; 0 represents the command register and 1 selects the data register. R/W- This pin is responsible for reading and writing of the LCD registers; 0 is used when writing to a register while 1 is used for reading from a register E- This is the enable pin; it is responsible for sending data into the data pins when given a high to low pulse. DB 0-7- These are 8-bit data pins which serves as a path or medium for sending data or instructions to the LCD. Led +- This is the backlight VCC (5v) Led- - This is the backlight ground pin. Figure 3.9: 1602 Liquid Crystal Display [42] 3.6.7 Band Pass Filter Circuit The circuit consists of a Passive bandpass filter circuit; a low pass filter connected in series with a high pass filter. The low pass filter eliminates any high frequency noise with a cut off of 10Hz and the high pass filter with a cut off 2Hz helps in determining the Mean Arterial Pressure from the cuff Figure 3.10: Schematic diagram of Band Pass Filter [43] 3.7 Software Components This section highlights the various Software and programming languages that are used in the implementation of this project. The Software would aid in the programming of the Arduino Uno Microcontroller, uploading the codes and in viewing the codes via the LCD display and on other internet related sources. The major programming language for the implementation of this project is the C language. 3.7.1 ARDUINO IDE The Arduino IDE is the major backbone of the entire project as it is here that the programming of the Microcontroller is done using the C language. The Arduino IDE is an open source software that was designed by Atmel Corporations to program and compile codes that are to be uploaded to the Arduino Board. There is no need for an external hardware programming of the Arduino Uno Board because the microcontroller has already been preprogrammed with a boot loader by the manufacturer. The Arduino IDE is also used in programming the WiFi Esp8266 Module used for this project. Figure 3.11: The Arduino IDE [44] 3.7.2 Proteus 8 Professional The proteus design suite is one of the foremost and most popular tools that is used basically for electronic design automation, it is used to create schematic layouts, Firm wares and for simulation of electronic circuits. Proteus was developed by Labcenter Electronics in Yorkshire, England and the software today has been made available in varieties of languages such as English, French, Spanish and Chinese. Proteus 8 was used in this project for performing micro controller simulation, the Arduino microcontroller was co simulated along with the other components required for the system. Figure 3.12: Proteus software for Simulation [45] 3.7.3 Blynk Blynk is an IoT platform with IOS and Android apps that aids in controlling of the Arduino Uno over the internet. It is also used to store and retrieve data or readings gotten from the Blood pressure sensors using the HTTP protocol over the internet. The Blynk platform consists of three different components: • Blynk Application: The application enables users with the ability to create all types of interfaces for the projects using the various widgets that are available and with the ability to create applications too. • Blynk Server: This is responsible for communication between the smartphones and the hardware using the blynk cloud. It is an open source platform with the capability of handling thousands of devices and even working on other micro controller platforms such as the Raspberry Pi • Blynk Libraries: The Blynk libraries enable hardware communications with the server. Figure 3.12 gives a brief description of how Blynk works, once the readings are taken from the Arduino board they are uploaded to the Blynk Libraries and from there taken to the Blynk Server and this makes it possible to be accessed by the medical personnel by the use of the mobile phone and even by the patient too once authorized. The Blynk Mobile Application helps in the easy delivery of the information uploaded to the Blynk server to the end users (patients and Medical personnel). Figure 3.13: How Blynk Works. [46] 3.8 Algorithm and Flowchart The Algorithms and Flowcharts are employed to minimize errors when developing the programs that oversees the operations of the Microcontroller. 3.8.1 Algorithm This is a step by step computational procedure used in programming the most efficient solutions to the given problem. The Algorithm of the Blood pressure measurement development is: 1. Initialize the Ports, LCD and Operational Amplifier. 2. Initialize LCD 3. Initialize USART 4. Enable Interrupts 5. Start the system 6. Inflate Blood Pressure Cuff 7. Read signals from the sensor and transmit it to the amplifier 8. Convert the Analog signal to an electric signal using Honeywell Transducer 9. Calculate the Systolic and Diastolic Pressure 10. Deflate Blood Pressure Cuff 11. Display the results on LCD. 12. Send Sensor data to the Blynk database server using Esp8266 WiFi module. 13. Receive the BP value from Blynk Database server using Blynk iOS or Android Application. 3.8.2 Flowchart The flowchart is a diagrammatic representation of the algorithm, step by step approach of the activities performed by Arduino in controlling the Blood pressure measurement system. The flowchart for the proposed system is show below in figure 3.14 Figure 3.14: Flowchart of the Propose Blood Pressure Monitoring System START Initialize Blood Pressure Sensor Initialize Microcontrollers Initialize LCD Enable UART Inflate Blood Pressure Cuff Read Signal and Calculate SBP and DBP Deflate Blood Pressure Cuff Display Blood Pressure on LCD Store Blood Pressure in Blynk Database and send to Blynk App .using END 3.9 Conclusion This chapter provided a detailed explanation of the building of this project. It includes the different components used, the circuitry and block diagrams and the algorithms and flowcharts in their different sections. - CHAPTER FOUR: IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING 4.1 Introduction This chapter provides detailed explanation on the implementation and testing of the Smart HBP system. The working operation of the system at all levels is also explained. Testing is very critical in the implementation of any project in order for the validation of the work that has been done. Therefore, testing of the sub units were carried out in order to eliminate design errors that could occur after construction of the project. 4.2 Implementation (Software) This section gives a detailed explanation of the development and integration of the software that makes up the system. The software contains the fritzing interface, the micro controller source codes and the results gotten after simulating it with the aid of proteus. The implementation of this project was done based on the system design which was explained in the previous chapter. 4.2.1 Software Implementation Using Fritzing Fritzing is an open source software that is used in schematics and Printed Circuit board design. The HBP system design framework, its circuitry and the PCB layout were accomplished using the fritzing software. Fritzing has a large library of components which the HBP system requires to be able to function properly. Also fritzing doesn’t have the ability to simulate (or play) a circuit that has been designed because of the difficulties in simulating hardware components and the complications that it could cause. The figure below shows the software layout of the proposed system using fritzing software interface containing the bread board view. Figure 4.1: The Breadboard View of the proposed system using Fritzing software interface 4.2.2 Simulation of Amplifier Circuit Using Multism To provide better accuracy when taking the pressure measurement of blood pressure, the signal gotten from the pressure transducer has to be amplified at about 9 gains to widen the output voltage range, for example if the pressure sensor is yielding about 0.13v into the input of the amplifier circuit, the amplifier would produce about 1.3v. The amplifier circuit was then Simulated using Multisim to show that the circuit is working properly as expected. Multisim is another electronic schematic capture and simulation program and is widely used for SPICE simulation. Figure 4.2: Simulation of the Amplifier Circuit using Multisim 4.2.3 System Implementation Using Proteus Proteus was the final software and the most significant software used in the implementation of the HBP system. Proteus is the primary and proprietary software that is used for electronic design automation, it also contains a vast number of libraries and other libraries can be added to it from time to time. Initially the Arduino library wasn’t available in the proteus software but I searched online and was able to download it, after finding the library I was able to use the Arduino Uno which is the microcontroller that was specified for this system. All parts of the system were connected and arranged according to the schematic diagram of the circuit and then the Arduino Uno and Lcd were programmed using the Arduino IDE and then uploaded to the Proteus Professional software. One of the limitations, when implementing this project was the lack of a pressure cuff, motor pump and valve, these parts aren’t electrical components but motor components and they weren’t part of the libraries in proteus, the working principle is that the Pressure cuff is inflated to about 180mmHg using the motor pump and then slowly deflates, the excess air is the removed through the air valve, the cuff then sends the pressure taken to the Pressure sensor, which converts this analog signal to an electrical signal and is then amplified and filtered before being sent to the Arduino board from which the pressure readings of the patient are measured and then taken to the LCD and Blynk Cloud Service, The pressure sensor was found in the Proteus library and we were able to adjust it to different pressure readings in Kpa (Kilo Pascal), this pressure sensor produces an output signal which reflects the pressure found in the Cuff , this reading from the sensor is then also amplified and then filtered with the aid of band pass filter and the results are shown on the LCD as shown in the figure below. When taking results from the Proteus software, we adjusted the pressure sensor to various values and took their various results and classified them into three groups which are; Low blood pressure readings (Hypotension), Normal Blood Pressure readings and High blood pressure readings (Hypertension), the tests and results are furthermore discussed in a later section of this chapter. Proteus was effective in the overall simulation of the system and proved that the hardware implementation wouldn’t be a problem if the components are connected right and according to the standards that have been put in place in the development of this system. Figure 4.3: Simulation of Proposed HBP system showing the Blood pressure readings of the Patient. 4.2.4 Virtual Serial Port Kit by Fabulatech A Virtual Serial Port Emulator allows the user to create an unlimited number of COM ports. The virtual serial port Kit was used to simulate the interaction of proteus with the Blynk application on an IOS device. A Virtual serial port emulator helps the COMPIM port model in proteus to work. With the aid of a virtual serial emulator, you are able to create a COM to COM emulation, in this case our COM2 was our COMPIM in the proteus Software and our COM3 was our blynk application. In the next section of this chapter, how we sent our Blynk Library to COM3 would be further discussed. Figure 4.4: Virtual COM Serial Port Kit showing COM2 to COM3 connection (COMPIM to Blynk) 4.2.5 Software Implementation Pressure Sensor The pressure sensor is made up of 6 pins which are Vout, GND, Vcc, DNC, DNC & DNC. Pins 4, 5, & 6 which are DNC pins stand for do not connect and they are not to be connected to external circuitry or ground. The power source, Vcc is connected to the 5V output pin of the Arduino microcontroller and the ground pin is connected to the ground. Figure 4.5: Diagram of the implemented Pressure Sensor (Transducer) Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) The LCD that was used for the implementation of this project is the LM02 LCD. The LCD is an electronic component which consists of different pins which are about 16 of them, these pins aid in controlling the operation of the LCD. The LCD has two operating modes which are the 4 bit mode and the 8 bit mode, in the 8 bit mode, all of the data pins are either used to transmit or receive data, while in the 4 bit mode, only data pins 4-7 are used for the receiving and transmission of data. The four-bit mode is used in this project and it is specifically chosen to reduce the number of connections to the Arduino micro controller. Data pins 4 to 7 are connected to pin 4 to 7 of the microcontroller respectively. The Enable (E) pin is connected to pin 9 of the microcontroller while the Register Select Pin (RS) is connected to pin 8. The LCD isn’t sending any commands (Writing) to the microcontroller, therefore the RW pin is connected to ground along with the Vss. The remaining pins are left without any connections, although there is the consideration of connecting the Vo pin to a 10k Potentiometer, and is also connected to the positive 5V, this is being considered for the function of adjusting the contrast of the LM02 LCD. Figure 4.6: Diagram of the implemented LCD module using Proteus. Proteus COMPIM The COMPIM is a component in proteus that is used to model a physical serial port. It buffers received serial communication from the Arduino board and then presents it as a digital signal. Having done this, any serial data that has been transmitted from the Proteus travels through the serial ports of the computer via the use of a virtual serial port emulator to the Blynk Application. The COMPIM was set to COM2 on the virtual emulator with a virtual baud rate of 9600, with the use of Arduino codes gotten from the Blynk forum, data was transferred from the Arduino Uno to the Blynk App which was given instructions to send an email to adedotun.ojolowo@stu.cu.edu.ng. Figure 4.7: Diagram of Implemented COMPIM Figure 4.8: COMPIM set to COM2 and a baud rate of 9600 Amplifier and Band Pass Filter Circuits The amplifier used for the implementation of this project was the TL072 operational amplifiers, it was simulated to achieve 9 gains by the use of 220 ohms and 2k ohms variable resistor. The amplifier was necessary in thus circuit to amplify (strengthen) the signal gotten from the pressure sensor without changing the input of the signal. A low pass filter was also used in the implementation of this project, which consisted of two 68k ohms resistor and a capacitor of 0.33 Micro Farads. The filter was necessary to filter noise that occurred at a high frequency. Figure 4.9: Diagram of Implemented Amplifier circuit and Band pass Filter Circuit 4.3 System Test and Results After the simulation was carried out, the system was tested to ensure that it was working properly and it was displaying accurate results. With the aid of Arduino codes, the LCD library was initialized along with all of its necessary global variables. It is necessary to note that the valve doesn’t release the excess air from the cuff when voltage is being applied across it. When designing the code to calculate the Blood Pressure of the Patient, I created an array of loops of different output voltages, this loop was designed to run for 50 times with a delay of .25s between them. This was necessary because it was to meet with the 12.5s required after cuff inflation, cuff Inflations that go beyond this time are considered to be too tight. The applied pressure is calculated by using the equation found on the data sheet of the Pressure transducer, using a differential transducer, the pressure that was calculated is the differences between the pressure in port 1 and port 2 respectively. The Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) is the pressure found in port 2 and this was calculated by subtracting the pressure from the atmospheric pressure (14.7 psi). In order to have the value of the Pressure in mmHg, we had to multiply the value by 51.7. Furthermore, for the occurrence of the pressure offset that was gotten after taking the readings 3.16 was subtracted from the pressure to act as compensation. Once the for loop is exited in the Arduino IDE, the pin 3 of the Arduino pin becomes LOW and this causes the Valve to release the excess air from the cuff. Figure 4.10: Snippet of code used in programming the Arduino microcontroller Table 4.1: Results of System Test PRESSURE 4.4 SENSOR CALCULATED BLOOD CONDITION/ DISEASE READING (KPA) PRESSURE (mmHg) CONSIDERED 0 70.82/57.62 Hypotension 20 119.43/79.62 Normal 40 111.57/74.38 Normal 60 102.38/68.26 Normal 80 92.97/61.98 Normal 100 98.34/65.56 Normal 120 106.67/71.11 Normal 140 114.24/76.16 Normal 160 128.76/88.51 Elevated Blood Pressure 180 141.87/100.25 Hypertension 200 116.43/77.62 Normal Blynk Test Blynk was configured to receive data from the Proteus software by the use of Virtual Serial Port Kit. The Blynk app was set to COM3 with the use of Command Prompt and Arduino Libraries. Figure 4.11: Using Command Prompt to set Blynk to Port 3 while waiting for internet connection After creating a new project in Blynk, an authentication code is then set to the email of user which is used when writing the Arduino codes. Once the Blynk has been set to COM3 and the simulation has started, the Blynk Application is then Online, the Project on the Blynk app has a push button and an email widget, once the button is pushed, an Email is sent saying the Patients’ Blood Pressure has been taken. Figure 4.12: Diagram of Blynk IoT project on IOS Application Figure 4.13 (a): Diagram showing the email notification sent from Blynk Figure 4.13 (b): Diagram showing Email sent from Blynk 4.4 Discussion of Results After taking various readings, accuracy has seen to be a major limitation when measuring BP. The accuracy of direct BP measurement isn’t sufficient. The operating performance of the sensor was tested and it was proven to operate perfectly to the desired standards and system design. The wireless Part was also tested by using a Virtual Port, but it doesn’t work as well as an ESP 8266 Wifi, sometimes the program started to show Blood pressure Monitor offline and other times, it didn’t work on some Wifi. The Wireless Part has been proven to work but would need to be integrated when accuracy has been improved on the Blood Pressure Sensor. The BP sensor also made use of components rated at least 5v, anything above that could cause a damage to the system and it ascertains that the Project uses a single power supply and to provide a simpler design of the system. 4.5 Conclusion In this chapter, the operation and functionality of the system based off hardware was discussed as well as the implementation and tests were also carried out. CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Conclusions The major reason of developing an IoT based HBP monitoring system is to provide lower costs in improving quality of life especially among people with tendencies of being hypertensive. However, accuracy when taking BP readings have poised to be a major setback, especially with the aim of achieving a low percentage error when being compared to a medical sphygmomanometer. Additional research to this study especially in the area of accuracy would definitely aid in providing affordable and reliable IoT Based HBP systems. It can be very tasking to measure BP readings of an individual accurately, but with the help of microcontrollers it is definitely less tasking. The transmission of the BP readings using Blynk did not have any error, if accuracy can be well improved the project would definitely be flawless. 5.2 • Challenges Faced The absence of a physical cuff proved to be one of the reasons of a high percentage of error because the project was implemented virtually, although even in other researches where the Cuff was present, there was still a high percentage in inaccuracy of the BP readings. • Then project wasn’t able to be simulated in real time due to the excessive CPU load on the schematics of the project, we had to stop simulation and then adjust the sensor values every time we wanted take output readings and then start the simulation all over again • Blynk also posed a problem in implementation of the project as it took a while before the readings were sent to the server and at times it wasn’t online unless we used a different WIFI. 5.3 Recommendations There is nothing short of a gigantic amount of areas of improvement in this project before it can be validated to meet commercial and medical standards. 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Available from: https://lastminuteengineers.com/arduino-1602-characterlcd-tutorial/ Available from: http://www.evalidate.in/lab3/pages/2ndOrderBandPassFilter/BandPassFilter_T.html “ Introduction of Arduino IDE”, diy.waziup.io, Available from: https://diy.waziup.io/sensors/introduction_Arduino_IDE/intro_Arduino_IDE.html Available from: https://fullpacworx.netlify.app/proteus-isis-7-professional-torrent.html Available from: https://docs.blynk.cc/ APPENDIX include <LiquidCrystal.h> // Initialize the library with the numbers of the interface pins LiquidCrystal lcd(8,9,4,5,6,7); float PressureMin = -15; float PressureMax = 15; float Vsupply = 5; //Voltage Supply int AnalogInpin = A0; // Analog Input float volta = 0; int i; float maxvolt = 0; float volt = 0; float pressure = 0; float MAP = 0; float maxv = 0; void setup() { // put your setup code here, to run once: Serial.begin(9600); lcd.begin(16, 2); pinMode(3,OUTPUT); } void loop() { // put your main code here, to run repeatedly digitalWrite(3,HIGH); for (i = 0; i <40; i = i +1){ volta = analogRead(AnalogInpin); volt = (volta*Vsupply)/(pow(2,10)-1); maxv = max(abs(volt-2.5), maxvolt); maxvolt = abs(maxv-2.5); delay(250); } pressure = (((maxvolt)-.1*Vsupply/((.8*Vsupply)/(PressureMax-PressureMin)))+PressureMin);//Psi MAP = -1*(14.7-pressure*-1)*51.7 - 3.16/maxvolt; //mmHg digitalWrite(3,LOW); lcd.setCursor(0,0); lcd.print(" THE BP IS = "); lcd.setCursor(0,1); lcd.print(" "); lcd.print( MAP*0.66298); lcd.print("/"); lcd.print(MAP*0.44199); } For Blynk COMPIM Code: #define BLYNK_PRINT SwSerial /* Set this to a bigger number, to enable sending longer messages */ //#define BLYNK_MAX_SENDBYTES 128 #include <SoftwareSerial.h> SoftwareSerial SwSerial(10, 11); // RX, TX #include <BlynkSimpleStream.h> // You should get Auth Token in the Blynk App. // Go to the Project Settings (nut icon). char auth[] = "iVlcPbhR2UtaQeLl1fb4uBtpqQM_b6IK"; char ssid[] = "AndroidAP7CC2"; char pass[] = "lyci0011"; unsigned count = 0; void emailOnButtonPress() { // *** WARNING: You are limited to send ONLY ONE E-MAIL PER 5 SECONDS! *** // Let's send an e-mail when you press the button // connected to digital pin 2 on your Arduino int isButtonPressed = !digitalRead(2); // Invert state, since button is "Active LOW" if (isButtonPressed) // You can write any condition to trigger e-mail sending { SwSerial.println("Button is pressed."); // This can be seen in the Serial Monitor count++; String body = String("You pushed the button ") + count + " twice."; Blynk.email("adedotun.ojolowo@stu.cu.edu.ng", "Subject: Blood Pressure Monitor", isButtonPressed); // Or, if you want to use the email specified in the App (like for App Export): //Blynk.email("Subject: Button Logger", "You just pushed the button..."); } } void setup() { // Debug console SwSerial.begin(9600); // Blynk will work through Serial // Do not read or write this serial manually in your sketch Serial.begin(9600); Blynk.begin(Serial, auth); // Send e-mail when your hardware gets connected to Blynk Server // Just put the recepient's "e-mail address", "Subject" and the "message body" Blynk.email("adedotun.ojolowo@stu.cu.edu.ng", "Blood Pressure", "The Blood readings have been taken"); // Setting the button pinMode(2, INPUT_PULLUP); // Attach pin 2 interrupt to our handler attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(2), emailOnButtonPress, CHANGE); } void loop() { Blynk.run(); }