Development of a realtime microcomputer-based logging system for diagnosis and research

Abstract

In this research, a realtime temperature logging system that logs human temperature into the computer over a period was developed and the temperature chart produced is useful for diagnosis and research purposes. The graphical representation within the threshold temperature (36°C) depicts normal body temperature of a healthy person. An upshot beyond this temperature makes the logger to signal an audible alarm for medical attention. It consists of hardware and software units. The hardware consists of sensor NTC (negative coefficient of temperature) thermistor, pre-amp; analog to digital converter, buffer between analog to digital converter and computer interface port. The software was developed in Visual Basic 6.0 for interfacing through the parallel port of the computer and the program designed to provide a user-friendly environment where the measurement can be read. There is high correlation between the approach developed by this study and other standard measuring equipments — correlation of 0.994574 with standard thermistor, and correlation of 0.997785 with standard thermocouple. The temperature logged to the PC can also be viewed from another PC remotely located over a network thus providing a good framework for telemedicine.