DECLARATION

We, GASHUMBA NIYIGENA Aimable (PS/2015/0129) , Donata NYIRAHABIMANA

(PS/2015/0123) and Philippe KUBANATUBANE (PS/2015/0273) declare that to the best of
our knowledge, this workCONFORTABLE ELECTRICAL STRETCHER is original and has
never been presented or submitted for any academic award in any university or higher education
institution as whole or in part.

GASHUMBA NIYIGENA Aimable

Signature.

Date././.

NYIRAHABIMANA Donata

Signature.

Date//..

KUBANATUBANE Philippe Commented [u1]: sorting

Signature..

Date//

This report has been submitted for final year project with the approval of supervisor

Eng. MUNYANEZA Adrien

Signature..

Date ./../

i
CERTIFICATION

This is to certify that the project work which is CONFORTABLE ELECTRICAL

STRETCHER is on a record of the original work done by GASHUMBA NIYIGENA Aimable Commented [u2]: bold

(PS/2015/0129), NYIRAHABIMANA Donata (PS/2015/0123) and KUBANATUBANE

Philippe (PS/2015/0273). In partial fulfillment of the award of an advanced diploma in
Biomedical Equipment Technology Engineering in IPRC KIGALI, Kicukiro campus during
the academic year 2016-2017

Supervisor

Eng. Adrien MUNYANEZA

Signature.

Date: .../../.

Head of department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering:

Eng. Joseph HABIYAMBERE

Signature.

Date: ..//

Submitted for the project examination held at IPRC-KIGALI

On //.

ii
DEDICATION

We dedicate this work to:

Almight GOD

Our parent

Our lovely families members

IPRC KIGALI

All the teaching staff that have helped us during the studies

Our supervisor for the support he gave us

Government of Rwanda

Friends and classmates

To our sponsors that helped us to carry out our studies

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We offer our special thanks to almighty God who protected us till now .We heartedly thank the
Government of Rwanda which accorded us the financial report and oriented us to IPRC
KIGALI.

We cant forget to thank IPRC KIGALI administration and the whole IPRC KIGALI
Community for their uncountable supports during our studies.

We would like to convey our special and sincere thanks and gratitude to Eng. Adrien
MUNYANEZA and Eng. Joseph HABIYAMBERE for his Guidance and support during our
project analysis and design. And finally we also give thanks to our families, friends and
classmates to near to us during our studies.

iv
Abstract

The focus for this project is to design and build a new complex stretcher to
be used in standard hospital. The background research rendered useful
information on different types of stretchers that are found all over the
world. The redesigning of the stretcher begins following the specifications and
goals set forth by the group, which are to reduce vibrations experienced by the
patient, trim down the amount of weight, and simplify user operation while still
maintaining a high level of safety, comfort, and patient-centered care. It is
decided that the rebuilding of the stretcher will be from the ground up, utilizing
lightweight materials, and minimizing the amount of components. The new
stretcher employs new designs and features not seen or used on stretches
today, while still successfully achieving its objectives.

Our project includes five chapters: First chapter which is introduction says that this project will
assist to improve the driving quality of the patient in order to help the nurse to make decision
for the movement of stretcher quality speed control. Second chapter which is literature review
describes the components used in this project. The third chapter is design and implementation
which explain the procedures we have used to design our circuit and show the way to program
Arduino Uno. The fourth is result and discussion where we prove theoretical and practical result
gotten when the circuit is running. The fifth chapter which is conclusion and recommendation.
The main result of our project is to transport the patient without applied force and minimize
vibration according to the program uploaded in Arduino Uno that was done successfully. Commented [u3]: centering

v
Table of contents

Table of Contents

DECLARATION ......................................................................................................................................... i
CERTIFICATION ...................................................................................................................................... ii
DEDICATION ......................................................................................................................................... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ........................................................................................................................... iv
Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. v
Table of contents .................................................................................................................................. vi
List of figure ........................................................................................................................................ viii
List of Abbreviation ............................................................................................................................... ix
CHAP 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1
1.2. PROBLEM STATEMENT .......................................................................................................... 1
1.3. OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE ....................................................................................................... 2
1.3.1. GENERAL OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................... 2
1.3.2. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................................... 2
1.4. SCOPE OF THE PROJECT ........................................................................................................ 2
CHAP 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................. 3
2.1. PASSIVE COMPONENTS ......................................................................................................... 3
2.2.1. General Introduction ............................................................................................................. 3
2.2.2. RESISTORS......................................................................................................................... 3
2.2.3 Resistor Color Coding ........................................................................................................... 4
2.2.4. Different Types of Resistors ................................................................................................. 6
2.2.5. BATTERY ........................................................................................................................... 7
2.2. ACTIVE ELEMENT ................................................................................................................... 9
2.2.1. Semiconductor ...................................................................................................................... 9
2.2.2. LE D .................................................................................................................................... 9
2.2.3 ELECTRIC WIRE ............................................................................................................... 10
2.2.4. TRANSISTOR ................................................................................................................... 10
2.2.5. RELAY .............................................................................................................................. 11
2.2.6. DC MOTOR ....................................................................................................................... 14
2.2.8. SWICTH ............................................................................................................................ 15

vi
 2.2.9. SENSOR ............................................................................................................................ 15
2.2.10. ARDUINO ....................................................................................................................... 16
2.2.11. Features of Arduino Uno................................................................................................... 17
2.2.12 Pins Description ................................................................................................................ 18
2.2.13. Communication ................................................................................................................ 19
2.2.13. Arduino Uno Programming ............................................................................................... 19
2.3. Wheels ...................................................................................................................................... 20
CHAP 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................... 21
3.1. Introduction............................................................................................................................... 21
3 .2. Definition of Methodology ...................................................................................................... 21
3.3. Documentation .......................................................................................................................... 21
3.4. Tools and Components Used ..................................................................................................... 21
CHAP 4.DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION .............................................................................................. 23
4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 23
4.2 CALCULATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 23
4.3 General circuit............................................................................................................................ 26
4.4 Interpretation of the results ......................................................................................................... 27
CHAP 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION .................................................................................. 28
5.1 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................... 28
5.2. Recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 28
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................ 29
APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................................ 29

vii
List of figures

Figure 1: Image of resistor with 4 band color code ................................................................................. 5

Figure 2: potentiometer resistor .............................................................................................................. 7
Figure 3: Image of primary battery ........................................................................................................ 9
Figure 4: LIGHT EMITTING DIODE ................................................................................................. 10
Figure 5: images of wire ...................................................................................................................... 10
Figure 6: types of transistor .................................................................................................................. 11
Figure 7: Internal structure of relay ...................................................................................................... 12
Figure 8: Relay inner section diagram .................................................................................................. 13
Figure 9: Relay's pins ........................................................................................................................... 13
Figure 10 : working principle of dc motor ............................................................................................ 15
Figure 11: switch ................................................................................................................................. 15
Figure 12: ultrasonic sensor ................................................................................................................. 16
Figure 13: arduino board ...................................................................................................................... 17
Figure 14: Images of stretcher wheels .................................................................................................. 20
Figure 15: general circuit ..................................................................................................................... 26
Figure 16: circuit block diagram........................................................................................................... 27

viii
List of Abbreviation

AC: Alternative current

AGM: Absorbed Glass Mat

AlGaAs: Aluminum gallium arsenide

AlGaInP: Aluminum gallium indium phosphide

BJT: bipolar junction transistor

BMET: biomedical equipment technology

CES: Comfortable Electrical stretcher

CO: change over

DC: Direct Current

DPDT: double pole double throw

DPST: double pole single throw

EEPROM: electrically erasable programmable read only memory

EMS: emergency medical services

FET: field effect transistor

GaP: gallium phosphide

GND: Ground

HTM: health technology management

ICSP: in-circuit serial programming

InGaN: Indium gallium nitride

ix
IPRC: Integrated polytechnic regional center

LED: Light emitted diode

MOSFET: Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor

NC: normal closed

NiCd: nickelcadmium

NiMH: nickel metal hydride

NO: normal open

SCL: Serial clock

SDA: Serial data

SPDT: single pole double throw

SPST: single pole single throw

TTL: transistor transistor logic

USB: Universal serial bus

VRLA battery: valve regulated leadacid battery

x
CHAP 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION

A stretcher is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot
or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley,
bed or cart) is often equipped with variable height frames, wheels, tracks, or skids. Stretchers are
primarily used in acute out-of-hospital care situations by emergency medical services (EMS),
military, and search and rescue personnel.

Comfortable and Electrical Stretcher is a project idea that we have gotten from the observation
and analyzing the situation of how the patients are transported from one department to the others
in the Rwandan hospitals or out of country. This project is formed by two main parties which are
the Electrical and Mechanical parties.

By the implementation of the COMFORTABLE AND ELECTRICAL STRETCHER project, we

use an arduino Uno, Relay, Potentiometer, LEDS, Ultrasonic sensor, Wires, Wheels, Switches,
DC motor, Battery, Dumpers and Metals for the purpose of driving the stretcher without of the
application of the drivers forces for pushing or pulling the stretcher, secondary it is for driving
the stretcher on constant speed which lead to the minimizing of patients vibration produced
during the transportation of the patients from one place to other place in the hospital which can
increase the severity of the disease.

The COMFORTABLE and ELECTRICAL STRETCHER is easier equipment to use and

maintain for every trained person, and is designed for the interest of the patients and Hospitals.

1.2. PROBLEM STATEMENT

Usually; In the Rwandan Hospital, the patient are transported from one place to other by using
the stretchers which work by the application of driving forces in pushing or pulling it. Sometimes
the weight of stretcher and the patient on it are greater or equal to the force of the stretcher
drivers and this may cause an accident because the driver cannot have a capacity of controlling
the stretcher all the time. Also by exerting a variable force on the stretcher from the stretcher
drivers the generation of some vibration must occur and cause the increasing of severity of
disease on the patient, also the vibration may cause by the ways where the patient on the stretcher
is transported on, and those are reasons why we think about the constant speed and the
confortability of CE Stretcher. This project have to overcome the problem of high salary which

1
paid to the stretcher drivers and decrease the time lost when the nurses or doctors need the
stretcher driver to make a transportation of the patient while he/she is not near of where is needed
because after of training the nurses or doctors will have the ability of using COMFORTABLE
and ELECTRICAL STRETCHER and continue to access the patient physical parameters change
at the same time without of intervention of other stretcher driver.

1.3. OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE

1.3.1. GENERAL OBJECTIVES

The general objective of this project is to design and to implement equipment used for
transporting a patient and how to determine obstacles in order to decrease the risk of accident for
patient.

1.3.2. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

To increase our knowledge and to improve the innovation in biomedical field

To help a nurse how can do follow-up or control patient movement

To help a nurse to know the speed putting patient to stretcher if it is necessary.

To fulfill our studies for Advanced Diploma

1.4. SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

Our project is titled,CONFORTABLE ELECTRICAL STRETCHER, we dealing of how
increase or decrease speed and how vibration will be minimized by using Arduino UNO;
ultrasonic sensor and potentiometer.

2
 Commented [u4]:

CHAP 2. LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter we will discuss about all components that we will be used to design and implement
in our project of CONFORTABLE ELECTRICAL STRETCHER

2.1. PASSIVE COMPONENTS

2.2.1. General Introduction

Passive components cant introduce net energy into the circuit. They also cant rely on a source
of power, except for what is available from the (AC) circuit they are connecting to. As a
consequence they cant amplify, although they may increase a voltage or current. Passive
components include two-terminal components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, and
transformers. Most passive components with more than two terminals can be described in terms
of two ports parameters that satisfy the principle of though there are rare exceptions. In contrast,
active components have more than two terminals. Normally, there are tree passive components
include resistor and the others.

2.2.2. RESISTORS
A resistor is an electrical component that limits or regulates the flow of electrical current in
electronic circuit. It can also be used to provide a specific voltage for an active device such as a
transistor. (DC) circuit, the current through a resistor is inversely proportional to its resistance
and directly proportional to the voltage across it. This factor is known as Ohms low.

There are many types of resistor available for use within electronic circuits. These different
resistor types have somewhat different properties dependent upon their construction and
manufacture. This makes the different types of suitable for different applications. There are fixed
and variable resistor types.

Fixed resistors: Fixed resistors are by far the most widely used type of resistor. They are used
type of resistor. They are used in electronics circuits to set the right condition in circuit. Their
values are determined during the design phase of the circuit, and they should never need to be
changed the circuit

3
Variable resistors: These resistors consist of a fixed resistor element and a slider which taps on to
the main resistor element. This gives three connections to the component: two connected to the
fixed element, and the third is the the slider. In this way the component acts as a variable
potential divider if all three connections are used. It is possible to connect to the slider and one
end to provide a resistor with variable resistance.

2.2.3 Resistor Color Coding

The value and tolerance of a resistor is normally given by a sequence of colored bands on the
resistor body. Normally, there are four bands, three to give the value and one for the tolerance.

Occasionally, a fifth and a sixth band may be added. When four bands are used, first two are
digits, the third is a multiplier and the last is the tolerance. When five bands are used, first three
are digits, the fourth is a multiplier and the fifth is the tolerance. The sixth band is included to
give information about how the resistance changes according to temperature. These are generally
found only in military equipment

List of colors and their tolerance used in resistor color coding

Temp.
Significant
Color Multiplier Tolerance Coefficient
figures
(ppm/K)

Black 100 250 U

Brown 1 101 1% F 100 S

Red 2 102 2% G 50 R

Orange 3 103 15 P

Yellow 4 104 25 Q

Green 5 105 0.5% D 20 Z

4
 Blue 6 106 0.25% C 10 Z

Violet 7 107 0.1% B 5 M

Gray 8 108 0.05% A 1 K

White 9 109

Gold 10-1 5% J

Silver 10-2 10% K

None 20% M

Mnemonics exist for remembering the order of the colors. A common one is:

Black Bears Robbed Our Yummy Goodies, Beating Various Gray Wolves. Get Some Now.

There is usually a small gap between each value band and a wider gap between the three (or four)
value bands and the tolerance (and temp. coefficient) bands. These are read last in the code. No
resistor color code ever starts with gold or silver.

Figure 1: Image of resistor with 4 band color code

The first band is red, so the value starts 2.

The second band is violets, so the next digit is 7, giving 27.

The multiplier band is green, so the value is multiplied by 105, giving 2,700,000.

The tolerance band is gold, so the tolerance is 5%.

5
The value of the resistor is therefore 2M7, with a tolerance of 5%.

For an online calculator for resistors with 4, 5, or 6 bands,

2.2.4. Different Types of Resistors

There are some different types of resistors in the electronic circuits. Depending upon the
manufacture and contraction the resistance has different properties. It makes the difference in
their applications. The resistors are available in different sizes and shapes in the market. The
different types of resistor are discussed in the following section:

Linear resistors.
Non-linear resistors.

Linear Resistors

The resistor values are changed with the help of the temperature and applied voltages are called
linear resistors. If the resistance of the current value is directly proportional to the applied voltage
is called the linear resistance. The linear resistors are two different types of resistor which are the
following:

Fixed resistors
Variable resistor

Fixed Resistor

The name itself says that fixed resistor. So the values of the specific resistor cannot change in the
fixed resistor.

Variable Resistor

A variable resistor is a resistor of which the electric resistance value can be adjusted. A variable
resistor is in essence an electro-mechanical transducer and normally works by sliding a contact
(wiper) over a resistive element. When a variable resistor is used as a potential divider by using 3
terminals it is called a potentiometer. When only two terminals are used, it functions as a variable
resistance and is called a rheostat. Electronically controlled variable resistors exist, which can be
controlled electronically instead of by mechanical action. These resistors are called digital
potentiometers.
6
Potentiometer Resistor

The potentiometers resistor will have an additional screw and it has a better efficiency of
operation. The potentiometer resistors are also known as trimmers. By changing the position of
the screw by rotating through small screw driver then the value of resistor can be changed. These
resistors are made of carbon composition, carbon film, and wire materials. The range of this
resistor is from 50 ohms to 5mega ohm.

Figure 2: potentiometer resistor

Applications

These are used in wide range of industries.

It can be used in control input and position measurement

2.2.5. BATTERY
An electric battery is a device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external
connections provided to power electrical devices such as flashlights, smartphones, and electric
cars.[1] When a battery is supplying electric power, its positive terminal is the cathode and its
negative terminal is the anode. The terminal marked negative is the source of electrons that when
connected to an external circuit will flow and deliver energy to an external device. When a
battery is connected to an external circuit, electrolytes are able to move as ions within, allowing
the chemical reactions to be completed at the separate terminals and so deliver energy to the
external circuit

7
2.2.5.1. Principle of operation
Batteries convert chemical energy directly to electrical energy. A battery consists of some
number of voltaic cells. Each cell consists of two half-cells connected in series by a conductive
electrolyte containing anions and cations. One half-cell includes electrolyte and the negative
electrode, the electrode to which anions (negatively charged ions) migrate; the other half-cell
includes electrolyte and the positive electrode to which cations (positively charged ions)
migrate. Redox reactions power the battery. Cations are reduced (electrons are added) at the
cathode during charging, while anions are oxidized (electrons are removed) at the anode during
charging. During discharge, the process is reversed. The electrodes do not touch each other, but
are electrically connected by the electrolyte. Some cells use different electrolytes for each half-
cell. A separator allows ions to flow between half-cells, but prevents mixing of the electrolytes.

The voltage developed across a cell's terminals depends on the energy release of the chemical
reactions of its electrodes and electrolyte. Alkaline and zinccarbon cells have different
chemistries, but approximately the same emf of 1.5 volts; likewise NiCd and NiMH cells have
different chemistries, but approximately the same emf of 1.2 volts. The high electrochemical
potential changes in the reactions of lithium compounds give lithium cells emfs of 3 volts or
more.

Batteries are classified into primary and secondary forms:

Primary batteries are designed to be used until exhausted of energy then discarded. Their
chemical reactions are generally not reversible, so they cannot be recharged. When the supply of
reactants in the battery is exhausted, the battery stops producing current and is useless.

Secondary batteries can be recharged; that is, they can have their chemical reactions reversed by
applying electric current to the cell. This regenerates the original chemical reactants, so they can
be used, recharged, and used again multiple times.

Some types of primary batteries used, for example, for telegraph circuits, were restored to
operation by replacing the electrodes. Secondary batteries are not indefinitely rechargeable due to
dissipation of the active materials, loss of electrolyte and internal corrosion

8
Figure 3: Image of primary battery
2.2. ACTIVE ELEMENT

2.2.1. Semiconductor
As the name suggests a semiconductor is neither a true conductor nor an insulator, but half way
between. A number of materials exhibit this property, and they include germanium, silicon,
gallium arsenide, and a variety of other substances.

To understand how it acts as a semiconductor it is necessary to first look at the atomic structure
of pure silicon, a good insulator. It consists of a nucleus with three rings or orbits containing
electrons, each of which has a negative charge. The nucleus consists of neutrons that are neutral
and have no charge, and protons that have a positive charge. In the atom there are the same
number of protons and electrons so the whole atom has no overall charge.

The electrons are arranged in rings with strict numbers of electrons. The first ring can only
contain two, and the second has eight. The third and outer ring has four. The electrons in the
outer shell are shared with those from adjacent atoms to make up a crystal lattice. When this
happens there are no free electrons in the lattice, making silicon a good insulator. A similar
picture can be seen for germanium. It has two electrons in the inner most orbit, eight in the next,
18 in the third, and four in the outer one. Again it shares its electrons with those from adjacent
atoms to make a crystal lattice without any free electrons.

2.2.2. LED
In the simplest terms, a light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light
when an electric current is passed through it. Light is produced when the particles that carry the
current (known as electrons and holes) combine together within the semiconductor material.

Since light is generated within the solid semiconductor material, LEDs are described as solid-
state devices. The term solid-state lighting, which also encompasses organic LEDs (OLEDs),

9
distinguishes this lighting technology from other sources that use heated filaments (incandescent
and tungsten halogen lamps) or gas discharge (fluorescent lamps).

Main LED materials

The main semiconductor materials used to manufacture LEDs are:

Indium gallium nitride (InGaN): blue, green and ultraviolet high-brightness LEDs

Aluminum gallium indium phosphide (AlGaInP): yellow, orange and red high-brightness LEDs

Aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAS): red and infrared LEDs

Gallium phosphide (GaP): yellow and green LEDs

Figure 4: LIGHT EMITTING DIODE

2.2.3 ELECTRIC WIRE
Its a conductor for transmitting electrical or optical signal or electrical power

Figure 5: images of wire

2.2.4. TRANSISTOR
A transistor is a device that regulates current or voltage flow and acts as a switch or gate for
electronic signals. Transistors consist of three layers of a semiconductor material, each capable of
carrying a current.

10
Figure 6: types of transistor Commented [u5]: no heading

2.2.5. RELAY
We know that most of the high end industrial application devices have relays for their effective
working. Relays are simple switches which are operated both electrically and mechanically.
Relays consist of an electromagnet and also a set of contacts. The switching mechanism is carried
out with the help of the electromagnet. There are also other operating principles for its working.
But they differ according to their applications. Most of the devices have the application of relays.

Why is a relay used?

The main operation of a relay comes in places where only a low-power signal can be used to
control a circuit. It is also used in places where only one signal can be used to control a lot of
circuits. The application of relays started during the invention of telephones. They played an
important role in switching calls in telephone exchanges. They were also used in long distance
telegraphy. They were used to switch the signal coming from one source to another destination.
After the invention of computers they were also used to perform Boolean and other logical
operations. The high end applications of relays require high power to be driven by electric motors
and so on. Such relays are called contactors.

Relay Design

There are only four main parts in a relay. They are:

Electromagnet
Movable Armature
Switch point contacts

11
 Spring

The figures given below show the actual design of a simple relay.

Figure 7: Internal structure of relay Commented [u6]: no heading

Relay Construction

It is an electro-magnetic relay with a wire coil, surrounded by an iron core. A path of very low
reluctance for the magnetic flux is provided for the movable armature and also the switch point
contacts. The movable armature is connected to the yoke which is mechanically connected to the
switch point contacts. These parts are safely held with the help of a spring. The spring is used so
as to produce an air gap in the circuit when the relay becomes de-energized.

How relay works?

The working of a relay can be better understood by explaining the following diagram given
below.

12
Figure 8: Relay inner section diagram Commented [u7]:

Commented [u8]:

Relay Basics

The basics for all the relays are the same. Take a look at a 4 pin relay shown below. There are
two colors shown. The green color represents the control circuit and the red color represents the
load circuit. A small control coil is connected on to the control circuit. A switch is connected to
the load. This switch is controlled by the coil in the control circuit. Now let us take the different
steps that occur in a relay.

Figure 9: Relay's pins

RELAY OPERATION

Pole and Throw

Relays have the exact working of a switch. So, the same concept is also applied. A relay is said to
switch one or more poles. Each pole has contacts that can be thrown in mainly three ways. They
are:

Normally Open Contact (NO) NO contact is also called a make contact. It closes the
circuit when the relay is activated. It disconnects the circuit when the relay is inactive.

13
 Normally Closed Contact (NC) NC contact is also known as break contact. This is
opposite to the NO contact. When the relay is activated, the circuit disconnects. When the
relay is deactivated, the circuit connects.
Change-over (CO) / Double-throw (DT) Contacts This type of contacts are used to
control two types of circuits. They are used to control a NO contact and also a NC contact
with a common terminal. According to their type they are called by the names break
before make and make before break contacts.

Relays are also named with designations like

Single Pole Single Throw (SPST) This type of relay has a total of four terminals. Out of these
two terminals can be connected or disconnected. The other two terminals are needed for the coil.

Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) This type of a relay has a total of five terminals. Out of
these two are the coil terminals. A common terminal is also included which connects to either of
two others.

Double Pole Single Throw (DPST) This relay has a total of six terminals. These terminals are
further divided into two pairs. Thus they can act as two SPSTs which are actuated by a single
coil. Out of the six terminals two of them are coil terminals.

Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) This is the biggest of all. It has mainly eight relay
terminals. Out of these two rows are designed to be change over terminals. They are designed to
act as two SPDT relays which are actuated by a single coil.

2.2.6. DC MOTOR
An Electric DC motor is a machine which converts electric energy into mechanical energy. The
working of DC motor is based on the principle that when a current-carrying conductor is placed
in a magnetic field, it experiences a mechanical force.

14
Figure 10 : working principle of dc motor Commented [u9]:

Suppose the conductors under N-pole carry currents into the plane of the paper and those under
S-pole carry currents out of the plane of the paper as shown in Figure. Since each armature
conductor is carrying current and is placed in the magnetic field, mechanical force acts on it. On
applying Flemings left hand rule, it is clear that force on each conductor is tending to rotate
the armature in anticlockwise direction. All these forces add together to produce a driving torque
which sets the armature rotating.

When the conductor moves from one side of a brush to the other, the current in that conductor is
reversed and at the same time it comes under the influence of next pole which is of opposite
polarity. Consequently, the direction of force on the conductor remains the same.
It should be noted that the function of a commutator in the motor is the same as in a generator.
By reversing current in each conductor as it passes from one pole to another, it helps to develop a
continuous and unidirectional torque

2.2.8. SWICTH
It is a device for making and breaking the connection in an electric circuit.

Figure 11: switch

2.2.9. SENSOR
A sensor is a device which provide a usable output in response to a specific measured. A sensor
acquires a physical quantity and convert it into a signal suitable for processing (e.g. optical,
electrical, mechanical).Nowadays common sensors convert measurement of physical
phenomenon into electrical signal. Active element of a sensor is called a transducer.

An example of project used sensor is given below;

15
Figure 12: ultrasonic sensor
Ultrasonic sensors are great tools to measure distance without actual contact and used at several
places like water level measurement, distance measurement etc. This is an efficient way to
measure small distances precisely. In this project we have used an Ultrasonic Sensor to determine
the distance of an obstacle from the sensor. Basic principal of ultrasonic distance measurement is
based on ECHO. When sound waves are transmitted in environment then waves are return back
to origin as ECHO after striking on the obstacle. So we only need to calculate the travelling time
of both sounds means outgoing time and returning time to origin after striking on the obstacle. As
speed of the sound is known to us, after some calculation we can calculate the distance.

2.2.10. ARDUINO
The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. It has 14 digital
input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz ceramic
resonator, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button.It contains
everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB
cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.

The Uno differs from all preceding boards in that it does not use the FTDI USB-to-serial driver
chip. Instead, it features the Atmega16U2 (Atmega8U2 up to version R2) programmed as a USB-
to-serial converter.

"Uno" means one in Italian and is named to mark the upcoming release of Arduino 1.0.The Uno
and version 1.0 will be the reference versions of Arduino, moving forward. The Uno is the latest
in a series of USB Arduino boards, and the reference model for the Arduino platform for a
comparison with previous versions.

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Figure 13: arduino board
2.2.11. Features of Arduino Uno
Microcontroller ATmega328

Operating Voltage 5V

Input Voltage (recommended) 7-12V

Input Voltage (limits) 6-20V

Digital I/O Pins 14 (of which 6 provide PWM output)

Analog Input Pins 6

DC Current per I/O Pin 40 mA

DC Current for 3.3V Pin 50 mA

Flash Memory 32 KB (ATmega328) of which 0.5 KB used by bootloader

SRAM 2 KB (ATmega328)

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EEPROM 1 KB (ATmega328)

Clock Speed 16 MHz

2.2.12 Pins Description

Power

The Arduino Uno can be powered via the USB connection or with an external power supply. The
power source is selected automatically. External (non-USB) power can come either from an AC-
to-DC adapter (wallwart) or battery. The adapter can be connected by plugging a 2.1mm center-
positive plug into the board's power jack. Leads from a battery can be inserted in the Gnd and
Vin pin headers of the POWER connector.The board can operate on an external supply of 6 to 20
volts.If supplied with less than 7V, however, the 5V pin may supply less than five volts and the
board may be unstable. If using more than 12V, the voltage regulator may overheat and damage
the board. The recommended range is 7 to 12 volts.

The power pins are as follows:

VIN. The input voltage to the Arduino board when it's using an external power source (as
opposed to 5 volts from the USB connection or other regulated power source). You can supply
voltage through this pin, or, if supplying voltage via the power jack, access it through this pin.

5V.This pin outputs a regulated 5V from the regulator on the board. The board can be supplied
with power either from the DC power jack (7 - 12V), the USB connector (5V), or the VIN pin of
the board (7-12V). Supplying voltage via the 5V or 3.3V pins bypasses the regulator, and can
damage your board. We don't advise it.3V3. A 3.3 volt supply generated by the on-board
regulator. Maximum current draw is 50 mA.

GND.Ground pins.

IOREF. This pin on the Arduino board provides the voltage reference with which the
microcontroller operates. A properly configured shield can read the IOREF pin voltage and select
the appropriate power source or enable voltage translators on the outputs for working with the 5V
or 3.3V.

Memory Commented [u10]:

18
The ATmega328 has 32 KB (with 0.5 KB used for the boot loader). It also has 2 KB of SRAM
and 1 KB of EEPROM.

Input and Output

Each of the 14 digital pins on the Uno can be used as an input or output, using pinMode(), digital
Write(), and digital Read() functions. They operate at 5 volts. Each pin can provide or receive a
maximum of 40 mA and has an internal pull-up resistor (disconnected by default) of 20-50K
ohms.

2.2.13. Communication
The Arduino Uno has a number of facilities for communicating with a computer, another
Arduino, or other microcontrollers. The ATmega328 provides UART TTL (5V) serial
communication, which is available on digital pins 0 (RX) and 1 (TX). An ATmega16U2 on the
board channels this serial communication over USB and appears as a virtual com port to software
on the computer. The '16U2 firmware uses the standard USB COM drivers, and no external
driver is needed. The Arduino software includes a serial monitor which allows simple textual
data to be sent to and from the Arduino board. The RX and TX LEDs on the board will flash
when data is being transmitted via the USB-to-serial chip and USB connection to the computer
(but not for serial communication on pins 0 and 1).

A Software Serial library allows for serial communication on any of the Uno's digital pins.

The ATmega328 also supports I2C (TWI) and SPI communication. The Arduino software
includes a Wire library to simplify use of the I2C bus. For SPI communication, use the SPI
library

2.2.13. Arduino Uno Programming

The Arduino Uno can be programmed with the Arduino software. Select "Arduino Uno from the
Tools > Board menu (according to the microcontroller on your board).

The ATmega328 on the Arduino Uno comes preburned with a boot loader that allows you to
upload new code to it without the use of an external hardware programmer. It communicates
using the original STK500 protocol. Arduino programs can be divided in three main parts:
structure, values (variables and constants), and functions.

19
 Commented [u11]:

2.3. Wheels
Wheels are circular objects that revolves on an axle and are fixed below a vehicle or other object to
enable it to move easily over the ground. It is very important to make attention on the types and
specifications of the wheels what you want to use for a new design of vehicle.

Figure 14: Images of stretcher wheels

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 Commented [u12]:

CHAP 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1. Introduction
This chapter explains methods which have been used to correct data during research and software
tools. The satisfactory results obtained are motivated by the good choice of methods and
techniques used for the collection of data. For making that, in this project we are going to put
clarification, methods and techniques that we used to observe the reality and to reach objectives
that we fixed ourselves.

3 .2. Definition of Methodology

The methodology is defined as a set of techniques, rules, as well as structured that a researcher
should follow a discipline with a set of procedures during the analysis of the principles of
inquiry within a particular subject field.

3.3. Documentation
This refers to the process of providing evidence (to document something). This documentation
has been done in different manner. Books, internet, journals, visit on site and other techniques
have been done as method of documentation. We conducted our documentation by accessing
library reading books, class notes and some websites on the internet as well as reports done by
other researchers have been used.

3.4. Tools and Components Used

Normally the tools used in this project are not different from those which are related to the field
of Electronics which is in our subject area. Electronic performs many operations in medical
Equipment. The tools and components used are:

Bread board

Arduino Uno

Ultrasonic Sensor

Resistors

Multimeter

21
Screwdriver

Spanners

Computer

Internet cable, (Wi-Fi)

LEDS

Relays

Wires

Transistor

Potentiometer

22
 Commented [u13]:

CHAP 4.DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

4.1 Introduction
The goal of the project is to improve the functionality on a current
emergency stretcher. Essentially each stretcher is designed specifically for the
transportation of a patient from a critical situation to the ambulance and from hospital department
to another. The objectives of the project is to reduce vibrations transmitted through the
stretcher to the patient, reduce the number of parts for the redesign, and have
a simple easy to use system. The vibrations transmitted through the stretcher is
the number one priority for the redesigning of the stretcher. The damaging effects
from vibrations is quite detrimental to the care a patient can receive, as
previously discussed in this chapter, and needs to have full concentration
implemented into correcting it and have the ultrasonic sensor used to determine the distance of
an obstacle from the sensor.

4.2 CALCULATIONS
Good science project does not stop with building a motor. It is very important to measure
different electrical and mechanical parameters of your motor and calculate unknown values using
the following helpful formulas.

We will use the International System of Units (SI). This is modern metric system that is officially
accepted in electrical engineering in the USA.

One of the most important laws of physics is the fundamental Ohms Law. It states that current
through the conductor is directly proportional to applied voltage and is expressed as:

I=V/R

Where:

I: current, measured in amperes (A);

V: applied voltage, measured in volts (V);
R: resistance, measured in ohms (). Commented [u14]:

23
This formula could be used in many cases. You may calculate the resistance of your motor by
measuring the consumed current and applied voltage. For any given resistance (in the motors it is
basically the resistance of the coil) this formula explains that the current can be controlled by
applied voltage.

The consumed electrical power of the motor is defined by the following formula:

Pin = I * V

Where:

Pin: input power, measured in watts (W);

I: current, measured in amperes (A);
V: applied voltage, measured in volts (V). Commented [u15]:

Motors supposed to do some work and two important values define how powerful the motor is. It
is motor speed and torque ( the turning force of the motor). Output mechanical power of the
motor could be calculated by using the following formula:

Pout = *

Where:

Pout: output power, measured in watts (W);

: torque, measured in Newton meters (Nm);
: angular speed, measured in radians per second (rad/s).

It is easy to calculate angular speed if you know rotational speed of the motor in rpm:

= rpm * 2 / 60

Where:

: angular speed, measured in radians per second (rad/s);

rpm: rotational speed in revolutions per minute; Commented [u16]:

:mathematicalconstantpi(3.14).

60: number of seconds in a minute.

24
If the motor has 100% efficiency all electrical power is converted to mechanical energy.
However such motors do not exist. Even precision made small industrial motors such as one we
use as a generator in generator kit have maximum efficiency of 50-60%. Motors built from our
kits usually have maximum efficiency of about 15%.

Efficiency of the motor is calculated as mechanical output power divided by electrical input
power:

E = Pout / Pin

Therefore

Pout = Pin * E

After substitution we get

*=I*V*E

T * rpm * 2 / 60 = I * V * E

And the formula for calculating torque will be

= (I * V * E *60) / (rpm * 2)

Connect the motor to the load. Using the motor from generator kit is the best way to do it. Why
do you need to connect the motor to the load? Well, if there is no load there is no torque.

Measure current, voltage and rpm. Now you can calculate the torque for this load at this speed
assuming that you know efficiency of the motor.

Our estimated 15% efficiency represents maximum efficiency of the motor which occurs only at
a certain speed. Efficiency may be anywhere between zero and the maximum; in our example
below 1000 rpm may not be the optimal speed so the for the sake of calculations you may use
10% efficiency (E = 0.1).

Example: speed is 1000 rpm, voltage is 6 Volts, and current is 220 mA (0.22 A):

= (0.22 * 6 * 0.1 * 60) / (1000 * 2 * 3.14) = 0.00126 Nm

25
As the result is small usually it is expressed in milliNewton meters (mNm). There is 1000
mNm in 1 Nm, so the calculated torque is 1.26 mNm. It could be also converted further to still
common gram force centimeters (g-cm) by multiplying the result by 10.2, i.e. the torque is 12.86
g-cm.

In our example input electrical power of the motor is 0.22 A x 6 V = 1.32 W, output mechanical
power is 1000 rpm x 2 x 3.14 x 0.00126 Nm /60 = 0.132 W.

4.3 General circuit

Figure 15: general circuit

Photo of the implemented circuit Commented [u17]:

26
Figure 16: circuit block diagram

4.4 Interpretation of the results

.This project is formed by two main parties which are the Electrical and Mechanical parties.
Also is designed to reduce the force applied by the transporter and the speed is controlled
either increasing or decreasing by potentiometer. This stretcher is important for transportation
of a patient from hospital department to another.by reducing vibrations because of
confortability for it and to decrease the risk of accident by using ultrasonic sensor used to
measure the distance from obstacles.

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CHAP 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1 CONCLUSION
The purpose of the project was to design a complex stretcher that could be used in hospital but at
the same time reduce significantly that amount of vibrations transmitted to the patient.

Each component of the new stretcher contributes to the overall comfort and safety for the patient.
There are two types of emergency stretchers; one is used for the transportation of patients from
one hospital to another or long distances in which time is not too critical and the other is for
emergency situations, transporting a patient from a life-threatening situation directly to the
hospital. For emergency situations the stretcher has to be light weight and versatile enough to
easily transport the patient. However, the stretcher has to be designed in order to provide comfort
and safety to the patient reducing low frequency vibrations is essential to the confortability and
safety of the patient. The goal was to design a stretcher focusing on reducing vibrations and
ultimately preventing further injury to the patient and know the range of obstacle; and by
considering on how CES is designed, it have the ability of reducing the vibrations transferring to
the patient which may caused by variable speed and eliminate the exerting force of

5.2. Recommendations
We recommend IPRC Kigali to increase and make strength in biomedical workshops and to
provide more skills and innovation in health technology management (HTM) and project design
courses.

We recommend association related to health especially biomedical to do exhibition or publication

to this project to make it clear more than this so that it can be used in different hospital.

We recommend next final year student to continue for controlling stretcher using Bluetooth ,or
using remote control and increase more confortability about patient in transportation from one
place to another, also we recommend IPRC KIGALI to increase the knowledge about
programming and to teaching in practically help the student to know the many components like
LCD display; lab view, GSM Module and both to connect to Arduino Uno microcontroller for
the performance of the system will be accuracy. The students in final year project especially for
Biomedical Equipment Technology option; also recommend Ministry of health to help the
marketing of final year project in hospitals and to increase the job for the graduated students in
biomedical equipment technology.

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REFERENCES

http://uploard.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/cmmons/a/a5/mosfet-structure.png

http://www.efxkits.co.uk/category/electrical/

http://www.galco.com/shop/line-reactiors

http://www.ledsmagazine.com/content/led/en/pennwell-websites.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpesDF6hzn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYjhYKeOOgI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs86QPCGfs4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZejQOX69K5M

http://arduino.cc/en/main/boards

Commented [u18]: Books and syllabuses

APPENDIX

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Appendix I

Appendix II

We (GASHUMBA NIYIGENA Aimable, NYIRAHABIMANA Donata and

KUBANATUBANE Jean Philippe) made this project of COMFORTABLE and ELECTRICAL
STRETCHER (CES) and built a project prototype in order to show that there are a problem in
transportation of the patient from one department to another in Rwandan hospitals, where we are
conducted our research. When this project become a final project it can reduces the observed
issues but not at 100%, that is reason we ask and allow any engineer to give and share its ideas
on how we can make the best equipment, and all done in the interests of the patients and our
hospitals. Commented [u19]: Remove and add other photos

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