Seismic Activated Circuit Breaker for Real-Time Monitoring and Contol Using GSM-Microcontroller Integration
Catherine S. Salvador, Louie I. Valcos, Kenneth Justine L. Delos Santos, Ryan R. Mabaga · 2025
The Philippines, situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, faces heightened earthquake vulnerability. To mitigate electrical accidents during earthquakes, it's advised to switch off circuit breakers on distribution panels. However, amidst tremors, people often prioritize seeking shelter or evacuating rather than immediately turning off circuit breakers. This study focuses on designing an earthquake-sensitive circuit breaker with notification features. Its goal is to detect seismic motion, triggering the device to cut off specific loads based on seismic activity and intensity. Notifications serve as safety alerts, mitigating electrical damage and hazards during earthquakes. An automatic calibrating prototype was developed, integrating a 3-axis accelerometer with an Arduino microcontroller and a GSM module to test reliability and accuracy. Observed values aligned with expected sensitivity measurements, validating the prototype's functionality. The reliability of SMS notifications via the GSM module was also tested, yielding a 100 % reliability rate in response to seismic movements. Results demonstrate successful automatic tripping across low, medium, and high-risk seismic movements, with a$\mathbf{1 0 0 \%}$reliability rate for all 30 trials.