Development and performance study of temperature and humidity regulator in baby incubator using fuzzy-pid hybrid controller

Abstract

Technological developments in the health sector for the safety of neonates are essential. Such efforts are needed to curb the increase in premature infant mortality cases caused by bacteria, asphyxia, infections, and poor management of facility equipment. Furthermore, preterm and other at-risk babies have low ability to regulate temperature and produce body heat as characterized by their dry skin conditions; hence, the need for baby incubators. For their operation, these baby incubators provide strict regulated energy change that is influenced by heat transfer caused by the surrounding atmospheric temperature and humidity. This paper presents the design, construction, and performance study of a proposed Fuzzy-PID hybrid control system for regulating temperature and humidity in a baby incubator. To accomplish its goal, the proposed controller must be able to distribute heat and maintain humidity in the incubator under fluctuating atmospheric conditions to keep the baby’s body warm. Performance tests of the proposed hybrid controller were conducted by comparing temperature and humidity outputs in the baby incubator against predetermined expected values. Results show that the proposed controller is able to successfully achieve and maintain the temperature and humidity set points. Further examination also suggests that the proposed Fuzzy-PID hybrid control offers an improved overall system response performance compared to the PID controller.