Specifications

113
5.1.5 Wireless Communications
The wireless communication protocol should be a relatively easily implemented
protocol. It should be fairly well known, in order to speed application and also to
reduce debugging time. The range of the wireless radios will not have to be
large; as it is a near-range application, the range will most likely not extend
beyond 5-10 feet at a maximum.
The wireless should be robust, and without frequent errors or issues. The data
transmission rate will not have to be high, as a large amount of data is not being
transmitted or received. As such, the data rate will not have to exceed more than
several thousand bytes per second. Lastly, the wireless protocol used should be
efficient in power consumption, and able to be controlled easily via the
microcontroller.
5.1.6 Airflow Detection Requirements
Since flow confirmation must be reliable enough to prevent abuse and misuse of
the unit, the airflow detection must have several characteristics. First, it must be
able to be integrated into the portable unit. Specifically, it must be able to be
integrated into the flow channel that will be in the portable unit. Given this
requirement, the airflow detection mechanism must either be small enough to fit
inside the channel, or have appropriate built-in channels in order to be able
interface directly with flow channel. In addition, this flow measurement location
must not impede with the overall airflow so as to cause an incorrect
measurement of airflow or airpressure from the breathing of the user. Also, it
should not impede flow across the sensor.
The other major requirement of the sensor is that it has some sort of output
readable by the rest of the circuit. This format could be in several different forms,
but the closer it is to being able to communicate directly with the microcontroller,
the more ideal it will be. It must also be sensitive enough to detect pressures low
enough as would be exerted by a human. Also, it must durable enough to be able
to withstand repeated uses.
5.2 Hardware Test Procedure
In order to properly verify the successful integration of all devices and
subsystems into a high quality product, it is necessary to define procedures by
which each subsystem can be individually tested against the established
requirements. Each component should be observed to operate under typical
conditions within its specified tolerance. Test procedures allow a technician who
is unfamiliar with the design and inner workings of a given system to make these
observations, and certify that there are no faults in components of the design.