Development of Carbon Monoxide Gas Leakage Detector in Vehicles Using IOT

In recent years, there has been an increase in the incidence of unexpected deaths of car occupants attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning. The gas is colorless and odorless, thus it goes undetected by humans. If inhaled, the carbon monoxide will combine with hemoglobin and can result in the formation of carboxyhemoglobin, which reduces the flow of oxygen to the body parts and may cause nausea, headache, vomiting, dizziness, and fatigue. Prolonged inhalation may lead to seizure and eventually, death can occur. Carbon monoxide is one of the gases produced by the internal combustion engine and is disposed of through the exhaust system of the vehicle. There are many ways in which carbon monoxide can enter the car such as due to a faulty exhaust system that leaked fumes inside the cabin of the car. Also, if the car is old, it develops a lot of tiny holes on the floor of the vehicle due to rust. Such holes can be very dangerous as exhaust gases may enter the car from these holes. This paper describes an Internet of Things (IoT) based system to monitor the level of carbon monoxide in a vehicle. The MQ-7 gas sensor and Arduino are used to detect the presence and level of carbon monoxide in the vehicle. By using the Global System for Mobile (GSM) module and Arduino, the sensor data will be sent to the cloud over the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network. Alerts in the form of text messages and a phone call will be sent to the emergency contact and user if the carbon monoxide level detected is high (around 90 ppm). When the level of carbon monoxide is very high (around 200 ppm), the device can also provide an effective automated power window that will release excessive carbon monoxide and ventilate the air system in the cabin car.