Introduction
When searching for ideas and concepts for our project, we decided that we wanted to build and program a mechanism that would be useful for us in our daily lives. The problem that we noticed is common in many households with multiple pets – pets eating each other's food. This is a problem as diet control is very important to keep pets healthy. But constantly having to watch over pets as they eat is a time-intensive and inconvenient task, so having a mechanism that could automate this would be helpful. We can also test this out since one of our members, Sakshi, has two cats and a dog. We did a lot of research on different types of NFC (near field communication) and finally settled on RFID since it seemed easiest to implement. The goal was to have an RFID tag on the pet's collar which when in range of the RFID sensor, would open this box only if it was the correct pet tag, therefore preventing other pets from eating that food.
Background
Our process involved several iterations of conceptual and mechanical design, thorough analysis of different materials and linkage configurations, as well as the consideration several different sensor-control schemes for the mechanism. The conceptual design changed multiple times in the beginning of the design process, but after we settled on a concept, the functionality and design parameters were constantly adjusted in consideration of the tools, materials, facilities, and time that we had available throughout the semester. In the end, we were able to build a prototype that was mechanically sound. Although the selected motors did not provide enough torque to open the lid, the rest of the electronics functioned properly during testing, and were therefore satisfactory. Since this design was aimed to be actually used, we plan on continuing to work on this project independently even after the completion of this course to swap out the motors and give the box a more sleek look by manufacturing it out of metal.
Goals: Describe what is the goal of the mechanism and what are the important design considerations?
- The goal is to let the pet be able to access preselected amounts of dry food fed at preselected times. Only the RFID pet individual will be able to trigger the door opening and eat the food so that different pets do not eat each other's foods.
- Consider failure points at each joint in the mechanism
- Consider potential failure of the dispensing mechanism
- Should be designed for ease of manufacturing and assembly given capabilities and capacity at TIW and the ETC Machine Shop
- Should be cost effective to be competitive against similar devices and concepts on the market
- Arduino coding for the wiring and electronics
- Consider lead times for potential procurements and manufacturing processes for scheduling processes
- Reduce contact friction for moving parts
Success Criteria: How would we know if your project is successful?
- Robotics motion MATLAB analysis and plots
- If the expected motion of the door opening/closing and RFID system works successfully, then we can conclude that the prototype is successful
Needs: Share a list of anticipated materials and resources at TWI studio you will require.
- Arduino and associated cables
- Breadboard, LEDS, buttons, etc
- Acrylic to be laser cut for door linkage mechanism
- Access to 3D Printers and laser cutters
- Plywood
- Integration hardware such as bolts, nuts, and washers
- RFID sensor at correct frequency
- 2 motors
- Obstacle detection sensor
