MANURE CLEANER ROBOT

By: Marcus Ortuno & John Audlin

PROBLEMWe have been tasked with the design and fabrication of a robotic prototype capable of maneuvering within a typical cow barn environment and relocating manure to a disposal area.

BACKGROUND

2 people are needed at the VTC farm during milking: one for doing the milking and the other for cleaning the area of manure.

A cow can produce ≈ 80-120 pounds of manure in one day. (80% water)

Poor hygiene increases risk of coliform mastitis and other health concerns.

Existing robotic solutions require the barn to be built around the robot

PROPOSED SOLUTION

•Manure is stored in a small body, dumps frequently•Navigates “lawn mower style”•Uses Ultra-Sonic and Infrared Sensors

SYSTEM DIAGRAM

01

2

3

4

5

KEY SPECIFICATIONS

Range Finder Sensor Specs Short range: 20-150cm Long range: 100-500cm

IR Thermometer -40°C to 80°C

Robot Travel Speed 1 to 4mph

Robot Dimensions 5’ x 2’ x 2’

CONVEYOR

Fist Design (conveyor belt)

Second Design( Double Chain)

Third and final(Single Box chain)

CONTAINER/STORAGE

Max capacity is 4 gallons

Weight load ~ 32lb.

SMBUS INTERFACE

MANAGEMENT

Responsibilities Software: John

Navigation (Marcus’ Assistance) Motor Control Sensor communication

Hardware: Marcus Part Allocation Part Manufacturing Part Assembly (John’s Assistance)

Team Web Documentation Presentations

TIME LINE AND MILESTONES

  Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15

Components                              

CAD/Hand Drawn design   1* 2*                        

Final design                              

Chassis Fabrication                              

Conveyor Fabrication             3*                

Bucket Fabrication               4*              

Scraper Fabrication                 5*            

Design Alterations                              

IIC Interface       6* 7*                    

Range sensors                              

Navigation Sub-Routine             8* 9*              

Dump Sub-Routine                              

Turning Sub-Routines                              

Presentation                              

 

*See MileStones   Milestones1 Fisrt Model of Conveyor2 Final Design of Conveyor3 Functional4 Functional5 Functional6 Send a Byte7 Receive data8 Go around the barn9 Move in Mowing pattern

BUDGETBudget  Cost($)Sensors    IR Range sensors (4x)    $         52.76 Thermal sensor(1x)    $         25.39 Ping sensor(1x)    Given Cables    $         11.00      Conveyor belt    sprokets (3x)    $         30.00 #55 Flat chain (+6')    $         25.00 cleates(4x)    Donation Materials    Given bearings(6x)    $         66.00 Drive motor(1x)    TBA           Bot Base    Marv Frankenstien(1x)    borrowed Batteries (2x)    borrowed      Dump System    Materials    Given Door mechanism    TBA      Scraper    Materials    Given      Total $ 210.15

DESIGN CHALLENGES

Software Dump Routine Sequential Passes ‘Live’ Interference

Hardware Dumping Mechanism Turning/Maneuvering Acquiring Conveyor Belt

QUESTIONS?