EHMS (External Heat Management System)

I am particularly drawn to hands-on projects. A seminar on innovation and entrepreneurship at IIT Kanpur which paved my way to an internship project subsequently, sparked my interest in developing innovative projects. I learnt in the seminar the importance of identifying problems as a crucial step in innovation. 

I have seen people asking not to use a mobile phone while charging and keep it aside. There have been incidents of mobile phones getting burst due to overheating. I discovered that such hazards often stem from the failure of the built-in Battery Management System (BMS). To address this issue, I proposed the creation of an external BMS to serve as a secondary layer of protection for phones during charging. Drawing an analogy to the way we use screen protectors despite having durable glass screens, I envisioned integrating this external BMS into the plastic covers commonly used on the back of phones.

To realize this concept, I designed a circuit incorporating a temperature sensor and the Attiny 85 microcontroller. I have used Arduino ISP in my research project at IIT Kanpur where I designed an External Heat Management System for Mobile phones. The Arduino Board was used as an in-system programmer to program the IC Attiny 85 (microchip) which detects the increase in heat and then shuts off the electrical system. The system utilizes a temperature sensor to monitor the battery’s temperature. When the temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system will automatically cut off the power supply to prevent overheating or any potential danger to the battery. 

The internship project aimed to construct a temporary Battery Management System (BMS) for monitoring the mobile phone’s battery temperature while it is charging, to protect the phone from potential hazards in the event of BMS failure. The system utilizes a temperature sensor to monitor the battery’s temperature. When the temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system will automatically cut off the power supply to prevent overheating or any potential danger to the battery.

This was an academically challenging and rigorous project. I loved the experience of working with PhD scholars, continuously day and night. I learned and applied skills such as Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design, Integrated Circuits (IC), 3D Modeling, and Arduino IDE.