DOGFEEDER WITH NOTIFICATION AND CONTROL VIA SMS

__________________

A Project Study

Presented to

The Faculty of the College of Information Technology and Engineering

De La Salle Lipa

__________________

In partial fulfillment

of the requirement for the Degree of

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATIONS

ENGINEERING

__________________

by

DEL RIO, ARGUS F.

LALUNIO, WILSON Z.

MIRASOL, IVAN C.

March 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

page LIST OF FIGURES i Chapter

1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Introduction 1 Objectives of the Study 3

Significance of the Study 4 Conceptual Background 5

Scope and Delimitations of the Project 9 Definition of Terms 10

2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Review of Related Literature 12 Review of Related Studies 20 Synthesis 22

3 METHODOLOGY Pre-design Stage 26 Design Stage 26 Development Stage 27 Testing Stage 28 BIBLIOGRAPHY

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure page

1 Conceptual Framework 6 2 Conceptual Framework of the Proposed Project 8 3 Full-bridge circuit typically used in strain gauge transducers 17

4 Petmate Café Feeder 19

5 The ERGO 8 day feeder 18

6 Petmate Le Bistro Electronic Portion-Control

Automatic Pet Feeder 19

7 Block Diagram of Research Methods and Procedures 25

Chapter 1

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Introduction

Dogs have been known as man's best friend. Owning a dog can be a

positive, enjoyable experience for the entire family. Dogs bring companionship

and joy to any family. The time and effort spent caring for dog will be returned by

a lifelong loyalty and friendship that will be received from them. Dogs, like

humans, are highly social creatures and possess a strong desire to communicate

and interact with people. They easily fit in peoples’ lives and interests and can

easily adjust to just about any environment with proper training. (Kingston, 2004)

Owning a dog requires responsibility and commitment from the owner.

Understanding these responsibilities are essential and it is very important to think

about the time, effort and expense required for their proper care. It is important

that people take care of them like a family member, which includes providing

proper food to eat, cleaning, proper grooming, and also providing some

entertainment.

One important factor on pet care is feeding. Feeding your dog a proper

diet is one of the most important things to know about how to take care of a dog.

Most dogs need to be fed once or twice a day depending on the breed of the

dog. The amount and type of food is taken into consideration for them to have a

well balance meal. Proper feeding will ensure that the pet will grow strong and

healthy.

Feeding the dog everyday is a responsibility that the entire pet owner

should take; however the busy schedule, lack of time and everyday stress, the

owners tend to become forgetful or exhausted when doing the simple task. Also

when the owner’s location is far away from the dog, feeding the pet manually is

impossible.

With this problem, different types of dog feeders are available on the

market to solve this problem, making sure that each pet has access to food

throughout the day. Some of these dog feeders are the gravity type feeder

wherein the food falls into the bowl as the dog empties the bowl, but does

nothing to control the amount of eaten by the pet. Also the food sometimes clogs

the chute of the feeder preventing food from being dispense. Another type of

feeder is the disk type wherein the cover lid rotates and serves food. Since the

device has no chute then the owner does not need to rely on the feeder to

measure amount of food. The common complaints on this kind of feeder are the

poor construction which allows the pet to tear the feeder apart and to access all

of the food and frequent battery replacement. (Heil, 2008)

With these complaints, the proponents realized the idea of having an

automatic dog feeder with weight sensor that can regulated amount of food

being dispense at any preset time. The project study is also able to send

notification and receive control via SMS from persons concerned with the cell

phone as the medium of communication between the user and the system.

The project is called “Dog Feeder with Notification and Control via SMS”.

With the use of cell phone which is economically and readily available as means

of transmitting via SMS, it is possible to inform the concerned person in the

shortest time possible when their dog is fed on time. Also with the use of GSM

technology, it is possible to control the system anywhere and anytime.

Objectives of the Study

The project study entitled “Automatic Dog feeder with Notification and

Control via SMS” aims to design and develop a system that can automatically

provide food to the dog and send notification to the concerned persons and allow

wireless control through SMS. Specifically, the study sought to:

1. Construct a weight sensor circuit that will measure the weight of food

being dispense.

2. Design and develop a microcontroller based system that will process

data and control the quantity of food and the period of time that the

machine will dispense food.

3. Integrate GSM application that will provide notification and wireless

control through SMS.

4. Implement uninterrupted power supply for the dog feeder system.

5. Test and evaluate the effectiveness of the project.

Significance of the Study

The project study entitled “Automatic dog feeder with notification and

control via SMS” offers a solution to pet owners who value quality, in combination

with thoughtful, efficient design, allowing this study to easily program a diet

customized for the pet's optimum health, and to make adjustments as they

mature. It also offers a wireless monitoring technique via text messaging.

Replacing manual or free-feeding with an automated solution will profoundly

improve the time together, and peace of mind of the owner while away. The

project will contribute a great importance to the following people:

For the dog owner

The project study can help the owner feed their pet even when they

are away. This project can serve as a solution to pet feeding and can help

the owner to manage their pet easily.

For the proponents

The proponents will gain more knowledge and experience to

improve their skills. The conduct of the project study will enable them to

apply their knowledge and skills learned from previous ECE programs.

For the educator and students

This project can serve as additional information conducive for

learning. This will also serve as supplementary information that can help

develop their knowledge and skill regarding wireless technology, GSM

networking, microcontroller programming.

For the future designer

This project can be used for future reference for other similar

projects. This project can also be used as a topic for enhancement and

development of the system using other technologies and theories.

Conceptual Background

Automation is used in a wide variety of systems in which there is a

significant substitution of mechanical, electrical, or computerized action for

human effort and intelligence. In general usage, automation can be defined as

the technologies concerned with performing a process by means of programmed

command combined with automatic feedback control to ensure proper execution

of instructions. The resulting system is capable of operating without human

intervention.

Short message service or SMS as it is commonly called is the capability of

a cellular terminal to send and/or receive alphanumeric messages within a few

seconds where GSM coverage is available. One message can compose of 160

characters or 140 bytes in length. With this the user are able to exchange with

other digital cellular network. SMS is now increasingly becoming popular as a

messaging service. More than a paging service, when GSM coverage is

unavailable, a message is stored by the network and immediately sent when

coverage area becomes present. (Peersman, 2000)

Considering the situation about the difficulties encountered in manually

feeding the dog, automation could be use to solve such problem. Having a

wireless technology can also be helpful by sending notification and control. Given

this situation and technology, the proponents of the study aim to design and

develop an automatic dog feeder with the idea of having an SMS notification and

wireless controlling of the system.

Conceptual Paradigm

Figure 1 illustrates the conceptual paradigm of the design project that will

serve as guide in conducting the study.

Figure 1. Conceptual Paradigm

PROCES

S 1. Data gathering:

RESEARCH

INTERVIEW

CANVASSING

ACQUIRED

SUPERVISION

2. Software design

3. Hardware design

4. Development

5. Actual Testing

6. Evaluation

OUTPU

T

Manual pet

feeding

Automation

of machine

and

process

SMS

communi-

cation

INPUT

Automated dog feeder

with notification and

control via SMS

In Figure 1, manual pet feeding, automation of machine and

implementation of SMS communication technology are the concept that would be

used by the proponents’ project study. Considering this input of the project study,

the proponent will go through the gathering of data. Research is the basic part of

any study where all studies will undergo research process. In the process of

designing this project study, the proponent will also seek guidance and

supervision by interviewing professional electronic engineer, technicians and

veterinarians. The proponent will canvass for the cost of the equipment and

acquire passable administrative assistance from the proponents’ project study

adviser. The proponents will have conceptual product enhancement, comparison,

standards compliance and consultations. They aim to generate comprehensible

data, design and develop automated dog feeder with additional features and

high-quality standard, and most essentially, accomplish all the requirements.

The expected output of the proponent’s effort is an automatic dog feeder

with the idea of having an SMS notification and wireless control.

Figure 2. Conceptual Framework of the Proposed Project

In Figure 2, the whole system was shown in the conceptual framework.

This shows a more detailed process of how the project will function. The dog

feeder system will operate with the aid of dc power supply. To begin with, keypad

is to be used to input the time when will the machine dispense food and the

amount of food to be dispense. The information will be directed to the

microcontroller unit (MCU). The MCU will process data and send signal to the

device to dispense food at any preset time. Upon dispensing, the device will then

give time duration for the pet to eat their food. After the time duration, the device

will send SMS notification that shows amount of food taken and time of

dispensing. A weight sensor will be used to monitor the amount of food.

The device can also be controlled by sending SMS through a cellphone

commanding the device to dispense food. The GSM module will process the

data from the SMS sent by user. Then the GSM module will send a signal trough

the MCU which commands the dog feeder to dispense food.

Scope and Delimitations of the study The proponents was able to defined the scope and delimitations to be able

to know the ability and limitations.

The study will mainly cover the following:

a. The studies concerning about the automation of machines and

processes.

b. The concept of a close loop system to have an accurate output.

c. The concept of microcontroller unit as the controlling element of the

system.

d. The study will also be concerned with wireless data transmission

through GSM technology for notification and control via SMS.

e. The project study will only use modules for GSM, microcontroller

and weight sensor.

f. The weight sensor will be used as the sensing element of the project

study.

g. The study will only cover the kind of dog that eats dry food.

h. The device can provide food for one week.

The study has the following delimitations:

a. The project study can be made to feed multiple dogs but the design of

the project study will focus only on feeding one dog.

b. The dispenser is capable of dispensing both dry food and wet food, but

the prototype will only use dry food specifically commercial dog foods.

c. The study will not consider the eating habits of dogs.

d. The study will not provide visual representation in notification

process.

Definition of Terms

The following terminologies are defined to have a clear perspective on the words

that had been used in this study:

Automation .It is the use of computers to control industrial machinery and

processes, replacing human operators. It is a step beyond mechanization, where

human operators are provided with machinery to help them in their jobs.

Dispenser.One that dispenses or gives out, especially a machine or

container that allows the contents to be removed and used in convenient or

prescribed amounts.

Feedback.The process of returning a part of the output of a circuit,

system, or device to the input, either to oppose the input (negative feedback) or

to aid the input (positive feedback)

GSM.It is known as the Global System for Mobile Communications

(originally from Group Special Mobile) and the most popular standard for mobile

phones in the world.

Microcontroller Unit.Is a functional computer system-on-a-chip. It contains

a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals.

Microcontrollers include an integrated CPU, memory (a small amount of RAM,

program memory, or both) and peripherals capable of input and output.

Module.A separable component, frequently one that is interchangeable

with others, for assembly into units of different size, complexity or function

Sensor.A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and

converts it into a signal which can be read by an instrument.

SMS.It stands for short message service. It is also often referred to as

texting, sending text messages or text messaging. The service allows for short

text messages to be sent from one cell phone to another cell phone or from the

web to another cell phone.

Strain gauge.A load cell translates loads or forces into measurable

electrical output. Strain gauges are placed in the elastic element to sense the

strain induced by the load applied on the load cell.

Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Review of Related Literature

In completing this project study, the proponents have found the following

studies and literature as relevant to the system being proposed. The theories and

descriptions have been taken as guidance in completing this project. This

chapter will present and give an overview about some application that uses SMS

application, the use of weight sensors and other related project that use

microcontroller as the main controller.

Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)

Mobile phones connect to the GSM (Global System for Mobile

Communication) by locating the cells of different sizes which includes

macro, micro, femto, umbrella and pico cells in the network surroundings.

Macro cells are the largest cells that cover radio signals. Micro cells cover

a small geographical. Pico cell is a wireless communication scheme and

also cover a small geographical area. Femto cell is a small base station

designed to provide the needs of minor business area. The application of

GSM is dependent upon its frequency. All 2G and 3G cell phones have

GSM. 2G mobile technology has brought a revolution to the mobile

technologies so that the 2G technologies replace by 3G technologies like

EDGE and UMTS (“GSM Technology”, 2010).

GSM Module

GSM module accept SMS request from a mobile user. The GSM

modem can receive and respond from this SMS request through the help

of this module. The user can enable or disable the communication with the

GSM modem. Particularly in the communication of GSM modem, the user

should enable the communication and it is only disable when the database

is updated or edited (Bhoir, 2011).

Mobile phone

An electronic device often referred to as a cellular phone. Mobile

telephone is a type of shortwave analogue or digital telecommunication. It

uses a radio wave or satellite transmission to connect in a wireless

communication network. It provides voice communications, Short

Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Message Service (MMS), and newer

phones may also provide Internet services such as web browsing and

e-mail (Abdul, 2010).

Mobile phones works based on the concept of wireless technology

and cell networking. It picks up signal from the cellular system means

division of city into a cell. Each cell has its own base station where this

base station has the radio equipment to spread the mobile frequency used

in a city. Large number of base station is necessary in a city to function

the mobile phones easily. Mobile phones have special codes which

identify the phones number and network operator of individual mobile

phone (“Cell Phones”, 2006).

Short Message Service

Short message service or SMS as it is commonly called is the

capability of a cellular terminal to send and/or receive alphanumeric

messages within a few seconds where GSM coverage is available. One

message can compose of 160 characters or 140 bytes in length. With this

the user are able to exchange with other digital cellular network. SMS is

now increasingly becoming popular as a messaging service. More than a

paging service, when GSM coverage is unavailable, a message is stored

by the network and immediately sent when coverage area becomes

present (Cvetkovic, 2000).

SMS message are handled by “short message service center”

which is maintained by the cellular provider for the end devices. Binary

data can also be sent over the air via text message. Typically, the

application on the phone that handles messages containing binary data.

Some of this is downloading of ringtones, on or off of animation and

exchange of picture messages (Brown, 2007).

Microcontroller

Microcontrollers are special purpose computers. It is dedicated to

perform one specific program at a time. The program is stored on the

read-only memory. It has a low power rating which consumes about 50

mill watts. A microcontroller also takes input from the device it is

controlling and controls the device by sending signals to different

components in the device (Singh, 2008).

A microcontroller is an expensive single-chip computer. It is

capable of storing and running a program. The microcontroller contains a

central processing unit (CPU), random-access memory (RAM), read-only

memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory

(EEPROM), input/output (I/O) lines, serial and parallel ports, timers and

other built in peripherals, such as analog to digital (A/D), and digital to

analog (D/A).It has the ability to store and run unique programs that

makes it extremely versatile. Its ability to perform math and logic function

allows it to imitate sophisticated logic and electronic circuits (Iovine, 2004).

Microcontroller can also be classified in terms of programming as

Flash Devices and One Time Programmable Devices. Flash devices are

microcontroller which can be reprogrammed or which allow the program to

erase. One Time Programmable devices are microcontroller which can be

programmed once or when the program is wrong the microcontroller

cannot be used again (Smith, 2006).

Strain Gauge Configurations

Strain gauges are sensing devices that change resistance at their

output terminals when stretched or compressed. It is normally connected

to a solid material to measure its dimensional changes when put into

compression or tension. Strain gauges are often used in measuring

pressure, tension and force. Strain gauges have a characteristic gauge

factor that is defined as the fractional change in resistance divided by the

strain (Gyorki, 2005).

Poisson effect in honour of the French scientist Simeon Poisson

takes place when an object is subjected to mechanical strain, it contracts

or expands. Spring element that exhibits Poisson effect is used with the

addition of strain gauge that varies its electrical resistance. Stress is

measured by attaching a spring element with the strain gauge to the

surface that contract or expands where the mechanical change is

determined by the gauge. The applied force will vary the electrical

resistance of the strain gauge, the intensity of the force applied is

proportional to the intensity of the electrical resistance varied (Maloney,

2004).

Wheatstone Full-Bridge Circuit with Strain Gauge Sensor

A Wheatstone bridge is used to convert force or loads into electrical

output. Gauges are placed in the elastic element to sense the strain

induced by the load applied on the cell. A greater sensitivity will rise out

when more than one gauge is used. A basic full-bridge circuit typically

used in strain gauge transducers is illustrated in Figure 3 (Maloney, 2004).

Figure 3.Full-bridge circuit typically used in strain gauge transducers

Commercially available dog feeder

There are many different types of pet feeders on the market today

attempting to solve the problem of making sure that each pet has access

to a healthy amount of food throughout the day, regardless of the owner’s

schedule. The following are samples of commercially available dog

feeders.

Petmate Café Feeder

The most basic pet feeder is a gravity feeder, which consists

of a hopper full of food which falls into a bowl as the bowl is

emptied by the pet. This type of feeder as shown in figure 4 is not

meant to control portion sizes or access to the food. The most

common complaint being that the food hopper can be knocked off

by the pet. (Hail, 2008).

Figure 4.Petmate Café Feeder

The ERGO 8 day feeder

The advantage of this type of feeder over the gravity-type

feeders is that there is no chute to get clogged with food, and the

owner does not need to rely on the feeder itself to measure how

much food will be served, since the owner places the exact amount

to be fed in each compartment. The device operates by rotating the

lid when the programmed time is reached. the ERGO 8 day feeder

is shown in figure 5. The problem with this device is that it has a

poor construction which allow pet to tear the feeder apart and

allowing access to the food, requires frequent change of battery

and cover rotates rather than the base. (Hail, 2008)

Figure 5. The ERGO 8 day feeder

Petmate Le Bistro Electronic Portion-Control Automatic Pet Feeder

This pet feeder holds 4.5 pounds of food and can dispense

portions from ¼ cup up to 3 cups. This device can be program to

dispense food up to 3 meals per day. The device can be

programmed to respond to regular meal times and amounts. The

most common complaints about this type of feeder is that the

programming is very difficult and is lost when the batteries are

removed, the smallest portion of food is too large for some pets,

and that the food gets jammed in the chute leaving the pet hungry.

The figure 6 illustrates the Petmate Le Bistro Electronic Portion-

Control Automatic Pet Feeder. (Hail, 2008)

Figure 6. Petmate Le Bistro Electronic Portion-Control

Automatic Pet Feeder

Review of related study Foreign study

A study entitled “SMS Based Wireless Home Appliance Control

System for Automating Appliances and Security” by Sikandar et al.(2009),

demonstrated two sub-system for automating appliances and security

purposes via SMS. The appliance control subsystem enables the user to

control home appliances using SMS. The system is capable to instruct

user via SMS, from a specific cell number, to change the condition of the

home appliance according to the user’s needs and requirements. The

second system is about security alert which is achieved in a way that on

the detection of intrusion the system allows automatic generation of SMS

thus alerting the user against security risk. System allowed the provision

of security such that system took no action against the instruction received

from unauthorized number. The required task was performed only when

the pre-configured number instructed the system.

The study entitled “A Proto-Type for Home Automation Using GSM

Technology” by Srinivasa (2010), utilizes the technology of GSM (Global

System for Mobile Communication) to control electrical device at home

from a remote location using a mobile phone. This is achieved by

sending an SMS to a receiver present at home which is in turn connected

to a hardware kit. The SMS then received by the receiver is transmitted to

the microcontroller using a serial port. The microcontroller then reads the

message received and controls the appropriate device. The study made

use of a microcontroller specifically AT90S8515 microcontroller with an

assembly language coded program which is stored in a built-in flash

memory of the microcontroller. A relay circuit is use for protection against

strong reverse current. The GSM modem served as the

transmitter/receiver of the system.

Local Study

Abdul et al. (2010), conducted a project study entitled “SMS Based

Water Level Monitoring System” is a device that can detect and monitor

the level of water and with the use of cell phone, it will warn the people

concerned for the shortest time possible when water is in critical level. The

proponents used a mechanical type of sensor specifically the water level

sensor. The proponents made use of the combination of the conductivity

system and the float system. They used plastic floater to easily float in the

water having sensor switch connected in the floater. The system is

composed of Zilog Encore Z8F6421 as microcontroller, BenQ as the GSM

Module, Buzzer and three switch sensor with floater. The sensor was

connected to the ground to be activated and it sends the signal to the

Zilog Encore Z8F6421 microcontroller. There were three levels of warning

message and when the third level of warning message was activated the

system sent a warning message to the BENQ GSM module and an

irritating buzzer will activate to warn the concerned people.

Bonares, et al. (2007) conducted a project study entitled “SMS

Integrated Home Security System” demonstrated the use of GSM

technology by designing a security device that can monitor and at the

same time send SMS informing the concerned person automatically

through the network provider, when there is fire, smoke, and intruder

inside the home in the shortest possible time . The sensors will serve as

the switches of the security system. When one of the sensors is triggered

it will send a digital signal to the microcontroller. The microcontroller will

then facilitate the whole process in sending the message to the mobile

equipment then to the network provider until it reaches the destination or

the cell phone of the owner.

Synthesis

Two groups of researchers made use of the same concept of controlling

devices using GSM technology. The research entitled “SMS Based Wireless

Home Appliance Control System (HACS) for Automating Appliances and

Security” made use of a GSM module as a transceiver of the device. PC is used

as the controlling element of the device. The study entitled “A Proto-Type for

Home Automation Using GSM Technology” also uses a GSM module as a

transceiver of the device. This study is able to control their respective devices at

home from a remote location by a simple mobile phone. This is achieved by

sending an SMS to receiver present at home which is in turn connected to a

hardware kit. Both studies are related to this project study since all study uses a

GSM module as a means of connection between the user and the device. Also

through SMS, the studies are able to control their respective devices wirelessly.

The concept of notification via SMS was implemented by two more study;

they only vary in the sensor use for the triggering of notification. The project

entitled “SMS based water-level monitoring system” is uses a floater that will

activate a switch once the water reach a certain level. By using GSM module

specifically a, BenQ as the GSM module, notification is then sent to the GSM

network to the concerned person through SMS. The controlling element used

Zilog family. Another study entitled”SMS Integrated home security system” uses

a sensor that will activate when fire, smoke or intruder is detected. Upon

activation notification will be sent through the GSM network using a GSM module

as a transmitter for SMS sending. Both studies are related to this study since

both studies are able to send notification regarding a certain situation or event

using SMS as a means of communication between the user and the devices.

Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter present and discuss the procedures and the methodology

used for the design and development of the Automated Dog Feeder with

Notification and Control via SMS. The study will be constructed under the

descriptive type of research and applied type of research. Creswell (1994) stated

that the descriptive type of research is to gather information about the present

existing condition. This type of research allows the proponents to gather

information from other existing related studies which are relevant to the project

study and further investigation may be conducted when important new issues

and questions arise during the duration of the study.

Applied type of research will be undertaken to solve practical problems

rather than to acquire knowledge for knowledge sake. According to Malik (2008),

applied type of research deals with practical problems. This type of research

uses basic research; past theories and knowledge to solve an existing problem

arise from the study.

To achieve the reliability, functionality and well-organized model, the

proponents give consideration to the four different stages namely: pre-design

stage, design stage, development stage and testing stage.

Figure 7.Block Diagram of Research Methods and Procedures

Design Stage Designing the layout of the study Consideration of necessary components Program flow chart

Development Stage Hardware Development

Fabrication of PCB layout

Familiarization of the components Program Development

Consultation with the professionals

Developing necessary program language

Testing Stage Performance and efficiency testing of the design

project Testing of the program developed Actual simulation of the design project

Pre-design Stage Review and Evaluation of existing commercially

available dog feeder Research about the study Conducting an interview on technical persons

Pre Design Stage

To develop the project study, goals will be set in order to create the design

project study and the proponents will make a brain storming in order to know the

focus of the design project.

Gathering of different related studies serve as a source to come up with

various applications related for the design project. The proponents evaluate

commercially available dog feeder and will consult different articles, websites,

magazines and books which help in accomplishing the success of the design

project.

To improve the design conceptualization of the project study, the

proponents will interview some technical persons typically in the field of

Electronics Engineering and Computer Programming. Also upon gathering the

important data consideration of the availability of components that can be used

will be considered.

Design Stage

Through comprehensive plans and analysis of the project study, the

proponents will come up with the layout of the design. In this stage, proponents

will deal with the diagram and design of the components necessary in the project

study. This also includes the development of block diagram, component costs

and the availability of the components.

This stage will incorporate with the programming stage where a computer

programming language will be use to acquire the program that functions

according to the design project.

Development Stage

Plans from the design pre-design and design stage will be used to achieve

the goals in this stage. At this stage necessary components will be purchased

and fabrications of PCB layout for the circuits will be completed for the actual

construction of the project study.

Hardware Development

For hardware development, the proponents will use the block

diagram to come up with the overall design and fabrication of the

Automated Dog Feeder with Notification and Control via SMS. This would

involve the familiarization of microcontrollers that are available in the

market. For the selection of the microcontroller the proponents will be

considering the price and specifications that has been used in other

studies and that would fit our application. The hardware consists of GSM

module, load cell sensor and microcontroller. The display will be an LCD

display. A keypad will accept the input parameters to operate the feeding

machine.

Program Development

For the program development, consultations with the professional

in the field of programming will be conducted. Different approaches will be

considered that can help to accomplish the project study. The software will

involve the programming language that depends on the microcontroller

chosen. If possible programming language will be explored by the

proponents.

Testing stage

After the designing and developing stage of the project study, the

performance and efficiency of the Automated Dog Feeder with Notification and

Control via SMS will be tested. The proponents will do different testing procedure

for the different design circuits then the output of each will be compared to the

expected outcome.

The whole system which includes the device and the created programs

will be tested through the actual simulation of an Automated Dog Feeder with

Notification and Control via SMS. The program should be able to facilitate the

simulation and perform every instruction properly.

Bib liography

Books

Bhoir, D. Surve, F. & Unnikrishnan, S. (2011). Advances in computing, communication and control. Proceedings of the international conference, icac3 2011 (pp. 125). Mumbai, India: springer heidelberg dordrecht . Brown, J. Shipman, B. & Vetter, R. (2007). SMS: The Short Message Service. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. Gyorki, R. (2005). Strain sensor basics and signal conditioning tips. United State of America: Mc GrawHill Companies. Iovine, J. (2004). PIC Microcontroller Projects Book 2nd Edition. United States of America: Mc GrawHill Companies. Maloney, T.(2004). Modern Industrial Electronics 5th Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA: Pearson Prentice-Hall, 2004 Singh A.(2008). Microcontroller and embedded system:New Age International. Smith, W. (2004). Pic in practice: a project-based approach. Jordan Hill, Oxford: Elsevier linacre housel. ELECTRONIC SOURCES

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UNPUBLISHED SOURCES Abdul, F. Asfour, M. Dela Cruz, B. Macarrubo, V. & Palafox, P. (2010).SMS based water-level monitoring system. Unpublished manuscript, Bayombong, Nueve Viscaya

Bonares, A. Jacinto, D.(2007).SMS integrated home security system.

Unpublished manuscript

Cvetkovic,S. Griffiths, P. Spear, H. Peersman, C. (2000).The Global for Mobile Commmunications Short Message Service. Unpublished manuscript.Sheffield University, United Kingdom Hail, R. McCarthy, K. Rege, F. & Rodriguez, A. (2008).Smart Pet Feeder.

Unpublished manuscript.Boston, MA

Khan, A. Shehzadi, E. Sikandar, M.(2009). SMS Based Wireless Home Appliance Control System(HACS) for Automating Appliances and Security. Unpublished manuscript, Rawalpindi, Pakistan Madan Mohan, R. Prasad, S.D.V. Srinivasa, B.(2010). A Proto-Type for Home

Automation Using GSM Technology. Unpublished manuscript, Allahabad