Knight Watchmen - Calvin College
Contents
1. 1D e Task Name Duration Start Finish eri September 21_ October 11 November 1 November 21 __ December 11 1 Project Work 160 days Mon 9 27 04 Fri 5 6 05 ane 2 EX Preliminary Feasibility Evaluation 1 wk Mon 9 27 04 Fri 10 1 04 3 Ed Budget 3 days Mon 10 4 04 Wed 10 6 04 4 Research 10 days Mon 10 4 04 Fri 10 15 04 5 EX Motors 1 wk Mon 10 4 04 Fri 10 8 04 6 EX Gears 1 wk Mon 10 4 04 Fri 10 8 04 7 Es Electrical Components 2 wks Mon 10 4 04 Fri 10 15 04 8 EX Frame Materials 1wk Mon 10 4 04 Fri 10 8 04 9 EX Nozzles Valves 1 wk Mon 10 4 04 Fri 10 8 04 10 Ex Ordering Acquiring Parts 2wks Mon 10 18 04 Fri 10 29 04 11 Control Code 65 days Mon 12 6 04 Fri 3 4 05 12 Tracking System 30 days Mon 12 6 04 Fri 1 14 05 13 Ex Video Input 2 wks Mon 12 6 04 Fri 12 17 04 14 Motion Tracking output 2 wks Mon 1 3 05 Fri 1 14 05 15 Image Processing 2wks Mon 12 20 04 Fri 12 31 04 16 Automatic Nozzle Control 20 days Mon 1 17 05 Fri 2 11 05 17 Ex Input from Tracking System 2 wks Mon 1 17 05 Fri 1 28 05 18 Output to Motion Control 2 wks Mon 1 31 05 Fri 2 11 05 19 Manual Nozzle Control 15 days Wed 1 5 05 Tue 1 25 05 20 Ex Input from User 2 wks Wed 1 5 05 Tue 1 18 05 21 Output to Motion Control 1wk Wed 1 19 05 Tue 1 25 05 22 GUI 15 days Mon 2 14 05 Fri 3 4 05 23 GUL itself 2 wks Mon 2 14 052. 19 gun would have required a much more stable firing base for any kind of accuracy and a much more complex firing system compared to a hose nozzle meant that the base would also have to be considerably more bulky Using a hose opened the possibility of suspending the firing platform in the air i e on the side of the house or hanging from a cable and we even threw around the idea of making the platform mobile in order to cover a larger area Finally however we decided to simply stick with the turret design for several reasons First it will be much simpler for the end user to be able to place the device out in the middle of the yard or garden without having to install any hardware on the side of the house or string cable between two trees Second it allows for the device to be used anywhere there is a semi level surface and not just where it can be hung Finally adding mobility seemed as if 1t was going to add too much complexity and scope to the project as we determined the primary focus of this was to make the motion tracking system work That choice left us with a bit of a restriction however Webcams have a somewhat limited field of view and would not be able to cover a wide area We decided to connect motion sensors to the device that would detect an object in a certain area and be able to rotate the entire nozzle webcam assembly toward the detected motion Once properly situated the camera would take over the tracking duty and more
3. 5 2 2 Thermal Imaging Using a thermal camera to actively detect the heat given off by warm bodies would be a very effective way to pick up only animals or people and would be the ideal solution however the costs for these cameras run into the thousands of dollars making them extremely cost prohibitive for our purpose In their favor they would be very easy to track with and would work equally well during the day or night though they would be difficult to determine range with 14 5 2 3 Video Camera Webcam This is currently our primary tracking detection option Using a video camera provides most of the benefits of the thermal imaging system at an extremely small fraction of the cost They track extremely well and with a camera capable of picking up infrared radiation will work at night as well as during the day Using a webcam means that the images produced can easily be sent to computers in a standard format and thus can easily be used by the tracking software It does carry the disadvantage of difficult range determination as with the thermal system 5 2 4 Passive Infrared PIR Sensors Commonly used on exterior lightning these sensors detect changes in infrared radiation They are low cost reliable and perfectly suited for outdoor use The major downside is that they do not provide any kind of tracking or range capabilities they merely detect the presence of motion or more accurately the presence of an infrared radiation
4. precisely direct the stream of water Working with this set of design decisions we have moved forward with our physical design We have the wiring diagram for the device and have ordered some parts to begin assembling it We are currently working on selecting a motor and gearing for the upper assembly as well as selecting a pan tilt controller 8 1 Future Task Delegation In order to get our project done in a timely matter it is necessary to break down larger sections of the group into smaller tasks that can be done by one or possibly two people We have decided to use the strengths of each of our team members to our advantage as well as minimize the weaknesses of each by placing people on tasks that they feel comfortable and confident doing 8 1 1 Brian Due to his background in programming classes and work experience Brian Netz will be working mainly on the control code that will be installed on the PC that will run our prototype As this will be the biggest and most challenging part this is most of what he will be doing He also will be 20 doing any 3D modeling or animations we may want for our presentations or documents He will also be handling some of our documentation work 8 1 2 Jeff Jeff Shumate will also be working mainly on control code because of his success in programming classes Again we feel that this will be the most challenging part of the prototype and will take the most time and effort thus we have dec
5. 1 2 kg m dp 0 169 m motottorque 1 27 kgm mp 6 kg Mot 9 kg Pan Tilt Dimensions torque required 0 7605 kg m m_pt 6 k de ai No unit problems were detected r_pt d_pt 2 m_extra 3 kg Calculation time 0 sec m_tot m_pt m_extra Assume all mass at maximum radius torque_required m_tot r_pt Figure 5 Equations and Calculations Used for Assessing the Needed Torque 12 Conclusion This project is the combination of several different types of engineering and design the merging of different concentrations The success of the project hinges on the success of this integration We have already overcome several boundaries to this integration from developing a workable tracking system to the correct use of a parallel port to control the device We have also overcome some more administrative issues such as the elimination of a paintball gun for tracking and the substitution of water More hurdles do stand in our way however we believe that we have the beginnings of solutions to them and that they do not represent fatal threats to the success of the Knight Watchmen Figure A 1
6. 2 11 05 52 EX Oral Presentation 4 1 wk Mon 3 28 05 Fri 4 1 05 53 Es Projects Banquet 1 day Mon 4 25 05 Mon 4 25 05 54 55 EX Refined Task Specifications 1 day Fri 10 29 04 Fri 10 29 04 i 56 Ex Preliminary Project Schedule 1 wk Mon 11 1 04 Fri 11 5 04 57 Ex Project Briefing 1 wk Mon 11 8 04 Fri 11 12 04 58 Ed Documentation 2 mons Mon 3 7 05 Fri 4 29 05 Ye 59 Es Troubleshooting 2 mons Mon 3 7 05 Fri 4 29 05 Project team 1 projectmpp Task Progress ee Summary Qe External Tasks Deadline wb Date Fri 2 11 05 Split mamas Milestone 4 Project Summary QE External Milestone 4 Page 1
7. Fri 2 25 05 24 GUI integration 1 wk Mon 2 28 05 Fri 3 4 05 25 Nozzle Assembly Motion Control 10 days Wed 1 5 05 Tue 1 18 05 26 Ex Input from Sensors 1 wk Wed 1 5 05 Tue 1 11 05 27 Output to Motion Control 1wk Wed 1 12 05 Tue 1 18 05 28 Water Valve Integration 35 days Mon 1 31 05 Fri 3 18 05 29 Ex Electrical Wiring 1 wk Mon 1 31 05 Fri 2 4 05 30 EX Physical Assembly 1 2 wks Mon 2 7 05 Fri 3 18 05 ener 31 Base Design Assembly 40 days Mon 2 14 05 Fri 4 8 05 32 Ex Motor Asseblies 2 wks Mon 2 14 05 Fri 2 25 05 q 33 Primary Frame 2 wks Mon 2 28 05 Fri 3 11 05 34 Attachments 2 wks Mon 3 14 05 Fri 3 25 05 Yur 35 Assembly 2 wks Mon 3 28 05 Fri 4 8 05 Yor 36 Overall Integration 3 wks Mon 4 11 05 Fri 4 29 05 37 Testing 2 5 mons Mon 2 28 05 Fri 5 6 05 v 38 39 Administrative Work 153 days Wed 10 6 04 Fri 5 6 05 40 PPFS First Draft 10 days Wed11 17 04 Tue 11 30 04 YY 41 Ex PPFS First Draft 1 5 wks Wed 11 17 04 Fri 11 26 04 42 Revise PPFS First Draft 0 5 wks Fri 11 26 04 Tue 11 30 04 43 PPFS Final Draft 7 5days Wed 12 1 04 Fri 12 10 04 vgy 44 Continue PPFS Revising 1 wk Wed 12 1 04 Tue 12 7 04 45 Assemble Final PPFS report 0 5 wks Wed 12 8 04 Fri 12 10 04 46 EX Final Presentation 2 wks Mon 4 25 05 Fri 5 6 05 47 Ex Poster Work 2 wks Mon 4 25 05 Fri 5 6 05 48 Ex Final Report 1 mon Fri 4 1 05 Thu 4 28 05 Vo 49 EX Oral Presentation 1 1 wk Wed 10 6 04 Tue 10 12 04 50 Es Oral Presentation 2 1wk Wed 11 24 04 Tue 11 30 04 51 Ex Oral Presentation 3 1 wk Mon 2 7 05 Fri
8. because there are other types of relays that are smaller and cheaper than those we have and would use 120VAC for power There are also water solenoids that run on the same 120VAC power that cost slightly more than the one we will use in the prototype which would be cheaper than buying a power supply and thus eliminate the need for one The reason we are using the 24VDC power supply right now is that we were able to acquire the supply and the relays that use it without cost for use with our prototype and the water solenoid that uses 24VDC is cheaper than one using 120VAC by about 5 24 Another important issue is that our production costs are currently based on purchasing and assembling many components that would be integrated into a single production unit such as many of our relays and our opto isolator circuits This would cut costs further although this fact has not been figured in yet because we cannot get an accurate estimate as to which components would all be integrated or a good idea of what the cost of this integrated unit would be Our estimated production costs have been laid out in the figure below which gives an idea of why our costs for production are so much higher than our prototype costs Team 1 Preliminary Budget 11 30 2004 Predicted Production Costs Factor in mass quantity discounts Comp Component Description Price 1 Camera webcam likely 25 2 Pan tilt Controller 3 Hose 4 Hose Nozzle 2 5 Water Sol
9. not overload that processor Opto Isolator Circuit 1 day In researching the parallel port we determined that we needed a circuit for surge protection This research will help in the design of that circuit Water Solenoid 1 day Here we will look into the proper dimensions for the electronic valve Values such as operating voltage and current are necessary for integration with the overall system o Framing Material 1 week This will be an investigation of what type of material will be best suited to construct the prototype and production designs Factors to be considered will be weight aesthetics strength etc o Nozzles 1 week Here we will determine what type of nozzle will give us the best distance and accuracy e Control Code 3 months o Tracking System 3 weeks This portion of the code will be one of the larger and difficult parts to write It will be what tracks an object in the cameras field of vision and relays a position to the rest of the program and eventually to the pan tilt controller Video Input 1 week This will be the code that takes the video signal from the camera and recognizes it as such and creates the bitmaps for processing A very basic code was acquired from Joel DeVries which we will be adapting and expanding to meet the needs of our project specifications Tracking Output 1 week The program will use this part of the code to output the position of the object Image Processing 2 w
10. source As such we have chosen to use them for just that detecting the presence of an animal in a certain direction and then using this information to turn the nozzle assembly 5 3 Motion Our project has two main sections of movement the part that connects to the deterrent to aim it at the desired object and the motor to control the movement of the whole base Only the former will be analyzed as we have determined the other options for the base would remove the tracking requirement and not allow us to obtain the accuracy we are looking for in the system 5 3 1 Stepper Motors These would be an excellent solution due to their small size and high efficiency however given the power of the motors we would need they become prohibitively expensive They are also very accurate and can be precisely controlled which would be perfect for the tracking application that we have Unfortunately the costs truly are prohibitively expensive and are therefore not suitable 5 3 2 Motor and Actuator This option would use one electric motor for rotation and a small linear actuator for vertical motion This is an excellent option with regards to cost and speed with motors and actuators 15 both being fairly quick and inexpensive The major downside is that it would require a much more complex base and control system to be used adding programming difficulty that would be beyond the scope of this project Control would also be a major problem as
11. Knight Watchmen Project Proposal and Feasibility Study December 10 2004 Team 1 Brian Netz Jeff Shumate Andrew Tazelaar Derek Wykstra Advisor Professor Steven H VanderLeest Table of Contents Table Of Contents sccccccccccccccccacscisc ess ds cctacesisetestccsecnsc escucscscvcesscusccusscscvcussctscsecs cscucusscusecucvesecesscsecses 1 Re O RIO 2 Our Te ii tristes 2 2 1 Brian Netze Ce RE OO 3 22 A stele tata sha ae as snes aaeas as een 3 2 3 Andrew Tazelaar a id 3 24s Derek VVS Pa A E 3 3s Design NOMS id 3 1 Cultural Appropriateness s 52s2ic cicsasciccessceveccesaveynondesedecsawiaeed saaleasanivjoestiaotncssisiabod atest 3 A A aa a A watered E E AE ena A TEE 4 3 3 Stewardship and CATE oi dade ee iseaaeds ete Hid aoe 4 A A A ead 5 4 Task Specificati nS A iia O Se Desisn Alternatives ode reee dl S l Y O A A A A ON 11 5 1 1 Water Host Uadec toc dto dai 11 5 1 2 A O 12 5 1 3 Focused Beam of Light inenen A as ae TAS 12 5 1 4 Patti eat Ga BS e a e E 12 5 2 Trackmo Detection IA ov conc A AAA 13 5 2 1 WAS OMG PP OR COn O LO 5 2 2 Thermal MAI a LO 5 2 3 Video Camera Webcast irrita DA 5 2 4 Passive Infrared PIR Sensors cccccccssssssssscsscsccssssscsssssecscccssssssssccsecescseeees 14 Side WOON or A ad 14 5 3 1 Stepper NIOLOTS dni o LA 5 3 2 Motor and Actuator eves ssacsvsvasevensessseceseestessvscsvacvasonsues cesstatvccostsened sensavevecesvonsssvens LA 5 3 3 Pans Ti Con
12. Reliability Accuracy Speed Integration Total Max Points 10 5 15 10 10 10 10 70 Stepper Motor 4 5 13 10 10 9 9 60 Motor Actuator 7 3 11 7 7 if 7 49 Pan Tilt Controller 10 5 14 9 g 6 g For all of these design matrices the headings stand for Prototype how easy beneficial it ll be for us to use for our prototype For example if we have a donation for that specific item the point value for it will be very high as we will not have to purchase or make that item Safety scare the target in a way such as to not permanently damage any part of them such as their eyes ears or body Also how well the approach prevents the user from harm Efficiency to what fullness the approach accomplishes the desired task Versatility how well it operates in many different conditions such as rain wind and thunderstorms Reliability how long the apparatus will be able to work at nearly 100 operating level under the conditions we have set for the product Ease of Integration how easily it will adapt to our specific project and how easily it will be for us learn how to use it Environmental Impact how well it uses resources and does not harm the environment Neighbor Happiness how our project will affect the mood of the user and surrounding neighbors 17 e Accuracy how accurately the motor can be positioned e Speed how fast the motor can move e Tracking Precision how precisely the device can track an object e Range Determination how wel
13. a pulsing action This would be extremely environmentally sound with no projectiles or use of ammunition It would be completely quiet with no moving parts besides a few small electric motors yet still be fairly accurate and have good range There are a few major downsides however primarily that it would be completely ineffective during the day or even at night in a well lit area It is also possible that the animals could get used to the light or simply not be affected by it enough to leave or as demonstrated by the deer in the headlights syndrome be too scared to even move at all 5 1 4 Paintball Gun Initially our primary option this would use a commercially available paintball gun to deter the creatures The pros of this are that it would be extremely accurate have a very long range and be a very effective deterrent It also has some extremely large cons The two primary reasons that we abandoned this option are safety and that it is illegal to fire a paintball in nearly all cities eliminating a very significant portion of our perceived customer base To put it simply paintballs are not safe as they travel at a very high rate of speed and fairly likely do injure not only animals but also any humans that may enter the detection area This is a major problem and 13 would have violated several or our design norms Also paintballs would leave unsightly residue and pieces behind and although the balls themselves are biodegrada
14. again our panel will cost much less for a production run because we will be using equipment not rated for industrial use lowering the cost of those individual items That combined with the fact that we would be mass producing these units and getting a good discount on parts means our production cost should be lower than the estimate we have now We are unsure as to the costs of some parts for the production model because we are not sure about which parts would be best to use yet Further research will be conducted into both parts and discounts and better numbers will be finalized next semester The costs we have compiled are laid out in the following sections 10 1 Prototype This is a spreadsheet estimating our costs for the prototype being developed Total estimated cost for this project is about 420 which is somewhat higher than our budget for the class These costs are based on the fact that many of our more expensive items such as the panel to house our electrical components and the relays to run our motor are on loan to us from outside sources However if we decide to use an embedded processor we may have a substantial cost added to our existing costs We are currently researching whether we should pursue this course of design or not These items alone would increase our costs by at least a factor of 2 making our current design path infeasible without outside funding Our biggest costs for prototyping will be the gearing we will need to al
15. an a small town of 500 residents He will be getting married this summer and currently has a job offer at Apex Controls Inc in Hudsonville MI where he will be pursuing a full time career as a controls engineer 3 Design Norms When designing any product or device it is imperative to consider both the values put into the design itself and the values of the end users of the product Discussed here are the values and norms we believe are important to our project 3 1 Cultural Appropriateness Any design must fit into the culture and setting of its intended user In this case we are targeting consumers who not only have gardens and yards but also have trouble with animals invading and destroying those spaces This implies that they place a value on the aesthetics of their yard and garden and are concerned about preserving those aesthetics Consequently our design cannot be visually intrusive Typically these consumers are also going to be environmentally conscious as such even though they wish to remove the animals from their yards they will not want to injure or otherwise disturb the animals This is one of the main reasons we decided to do away with the paintball gun to focus on water Paintballs travel at very high rates of speed and consequently can be very dangerous particularly to smaller creatures As our device is going to be based heavily around technology and electronics it is important that our market be accepting
16. ate and smooth in transition o Pan Tilt The pan tilt motor needs to be tested so we understand how the motor operates This information will be helpful for programming the right inputs so 1t behaves as we need it to o Base Sturdiness We need to make sure that the base is sturdy enough that it doesn t fall over Forces of wind and physical blows need to be checked to ensure it will stay up o Sensors The sensors need to be tested to make sure they are working Also we need to understand what signal is a result of the motion sensor being activated by motion o Automatic Tracking Code As the code increases in complexity to meet our needs we need to make sure that it still functions as it needs to o Manual Control When the manual control code is developed we need to make sure it works properly and that it doesn t fail in any aspect o Overall Integration Once everything is put together we need to test for a few various elements We need to make sure that it tracks and sends signals properly The emergency stop will be checked 11 5 Design Alternatives During the research stage of our project we looked at different ways to accomplish the various tasks of the problem we set out to solve Our design can be broken into four main parts that we have alternatives for deterrent tracking detection control processing and movement A numerical breakdown of these options can be seen in the decision matrices of the next secti
17. ble the soapy water used inside of them would be somewhat polluting 5 2 Tracking Detection The tracking detection part of our project had some interesting possibilities but due to financial reasons most of them were infeasible 5 2 1 Ultrasonic Similar to a radar system ultrasonic waves are shot out and bounce off of the objects to detect if anything is there It would be very good for providing the range to the target however without an extremely complex network of them it would be extremely difficult to track with As the sensors return only a distance and not a direction a large number of sensors would be required to provide not only a location but also distinction between multiple targets This increases not only the cost but also requires exact placement of the sensors adding complexity to the end user s usage something we wish to avoid Another negative is that the waves require a surface perpendicular to their direction of travel in order to be properly reflected back to the detector in order to register the presence of an object An animal would have to stand at just the right orientation for the system to work Not only that but similar to carpet the fur on an animal will absorb some of the sound waves weakening the signal even further Even with multiple sensors programming the system to properly identify targets based on varying positive and negative returns adds an incredible amount of complexity to the system
18. duct should be highly dependable in that 1t will not break down and that it will need little to no maintenance by the owner It also should not become obsolete in a short amount of time Some products particularly computer technology products become obsolete within a couple years of being introduced and the owners are forced to upgrade to stay current However other products such as cars have a much longer useful life Their values decline steadily but they stay useful for many years We aim to make our product have enough staying power that it can be used for years without needing to be replaced The processor we choose will be fast enough to run our tracking software and since it will be the only program running the processor will not need to be upgraded in order to accomplish more or different tasks The relationship between neighbors was also considered as we did not want our design to create tension between neighbors Loud noises large designs and large flashing lights were quickly ruled out in order not to produce undue problems between neighbors Similarly the design needs to be inconspicuous in that it is not an eyesore to the owners or neighbors and that it does not annoy people nearby through loud noises during operation so as not to disturb the peace 2 5 Personal Integrity Another important aspect of our project is personal integrity among our team members In order to design a product that properly reflects our Christian fai
19. eeks This is the part of the program that takes the captured bitmaps from the video input and processes them to find the moving object in the camera s field of vision o Automatic Nozzle Control 2 weeks Here is where the program will control the pan tilt module and aim the water nozzle Input From Tracking System 1 days This is where the tracking system tells the valve to open Motion Control 2 weeks Here the program will take the output signals from the tracking code output and uses them to aim the pan tilt module in order to aim the nozzle in the proper direction Manual Control Secondary Goal 2 weeks We would like to be able to manually control the aim of the nozzle independent of the program but that is a secondary goal for us The ability of manual control allows testing of the motor and spray unit independent from any code If something is not working properly this is a quick way to test if it is a tracking code problem or a motor problem This testing is most useful for prototype but could also be beneficial for the end user as well Input From User 1 week This would be the input from either a game port using a joystick or from the keyboard whose signals would then be processed and sent out Output to Motion Control 1 week Here is where the input from the user would be output to the pan tilt module and move the water nozzle Output to Water Solenoid 1 day This is what the user would use to actually spra
20. enesis 1 28 NLT God blessed them and told them Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals We have put a significant amount of time into looking over alternatives and analyzing our final choices to make sure that our project was very environmentally friendly through the use of a natural deterrent in water The initial design of a paintball gun had raised some flags regarding this as paintballs though biodegradable raise issues regarding the safety and health of the animals This part of current design 1s especially well suited for this as not only will it be an effective deterrent but it will deter in a way that is non toxic and can even be beneficial watering the users yard while keeping the animals out Our design is also designed for very user safe operation With safety features such as emergency stops waterproof housing finger guards and low voltage our design will not harm the user in addition to being safe for use in the environment and on the target making for a very non offensive design Our design will help reduce tension between homeowners and animals by deterring animals in a way that will not injure or kill the animals Some homeowners decide to protect their gardens and yards by simply killing any offending animals with our design we hope to promote a non lethal solution 3 4 Integrity To be marketable and more importantly to use good Christian design our pro
21. enoid 15 6 7 Motor Fixture Rotation 60 8 9 24 VDC Power Supply Water Sol 0 10 Panel Controller PS etc 75 11 PowerCord TS f2jFuses 2 13 14 15 16 17 HE Total For production we would use a different solenoid negating the need for a power supply Figure 4 Parts List and Price of Production Cost 11 Feasibility With the research on motors and electrical components that we have done so far we feel that our project is feasible and will get done by May 7 2005 Andrew has conducted several calculations on our motor see Figure 5 and has found that the motor that we are planning to use will be more than sufficient for 25 our immediate design Derek and Brian s prior knowledge of control systems should help the designing and implementation of the electrical circuit We will be within our budget constraints with the budget that we have proposed and do not foresee any other large expenses Our greatest hurdles right now are getting the code working and the integration of all of the different electrical and mechanical components Brian and Jeff are currently working on the code and if they have any questions there are many coding development pages on the internet as well as Joel DeVries who wrote the tracking code We are currently on schedule and we still have some float time if anything needs to be pushed a couple of weeks Motor Rating Unit Settings kJ K XPa kmol degrees motor_torque
22. ided to have two people make this aspect the primary focus of their work He will also be the one checking and updating our schedule and by telling the rest of the team if we begin to fall behind on any tasks If this occurs we will meet and decide who needs to do extra tasks or put in more hours to bring us back up to speed 8 1 3 Andrew Andrew Tazelaar is the mechanical engineering student on the team and will be the one working on developing the gearing for our motor setup as well as creating the design for the frame and fixture for the prototype He will also be the one to head up the construction of these parts of the prototype as well as helping with documentation 8 1 4 Derek Derek Wykstra will be the one designing and assembling the panel layout to hold our electrical components relays power supply etc He will also be working on assembling and testing the opto isolator circuits that will be protecting the parallel port from overload when driving relays as well as helping work on any documentation 9 Time Schedule Once we had our task specifications we were able to put together a schedule The schedule was completed using Microsoft Project The timeframe to complete each task was estimated and all predecessors linked together We estimated long for many of the sections just in case we ran into problems A Gantt chart showing that path of tasks gave us a clear idea where much of our efforts should be spent This char
23. inal Design 8 Method of Approach Initially our idea for a senior project was to develop a motion tracking system however we did not have any particular ideas for applications of it During one of the early class lectures Professor Nielsen proposed a device that would help keep deer out of people s yards and gardens These two ideas seem to mesh nicely and we decided to develop a motion tracking deer deterrent Once this was decided we went about determining the best way to accomplish this We began to investigate different methods for the various components those pros and cons can be seen in more detail in the design alternatives section We eventually settled on using a webcam for motion tracking a pan tilt controller for the motion control and a paintball gun for the deterrent After these first components were chosen we began the initial design work Through research and reaction to our initial design it quickly became clear that although a paintball gun would likely be the most effective deterrent it is not only illegal to fire in most cities but also presents a plethora of safety problems and issues We decided to scrap the paintball gun in favor of using water out of a hose and have moved forward with that decision Once the hose was chosen the actual configuration of the device needed to be chosen The primary idea had been a turret style system but the switch to water allowed for some more flexibility The paintball
24. l the device can determine an object s distancem Using this method we were able to decide that using the hose the camera and the pan tilt controller would be the best choices for our project The design for the stand of the apparatus has not been fully decided yet Our top two designs for stabilization are a tripod or a table with four legs Some other considerations have been a single pole or some sort of system where the device hangs from a wire These two were thrown out due to stability issues The type of materials we are using for the construction have not been fully decided yet either We will probably not have all water proof metal as that would become either expensive or will bring into question the durability of the structure The final design will be painted as that will cover up any metal that would other wise be susceptible to rust 7 Design Our current design see Figure 2 consists of seven main parts the stand motor base pan tilt controller water solenoid motion sensor and a camera The water solenoid controls the flow of the water This device sets on top of the pan tilt controller that will point the water solenoid in the direction of the disturbance The pan tilt controller and the camera will sit on top of a platform that will be rotated by the motor The motor will rotate this platform at 90 intervals depending on if a sensor has been triggered by motion 18 Figure 2 Artist s Representation of F
25. less effective it will be The use of water also prohibits cold weather operation although this is somewhat offset by the fact that there aren t usually plants that need to be protected during the winter 12 5 1 2 Noise Deterrent This would involve setting off a loud noise in order to scare the animal away This is a very environmentally friendly option as there are no resources being consumed by the unit barring a small amount of electricity and as there is no projectile besides some sound waves the animals will not be harmed in any way It would be extremely cheap have a very long range and also very simple to implement However this option has several problems First and foremost as sound is mostly unidirectional it completely eliminates the need for any kind of a tracking system Tracking being a primary focus of our project this makes noise a poor choice for our purposes Even without that there are some other problems with it Setting off a loud noise is technically noise pollution any loud sound generally is unappreciated in a suburban setting particularly at night Even if there are no neighbors nearby the yard where it is being used it is still liable to annoy the people living in the house waking up children interrupting conversations or any other quiet activity 5 1 3 Focused Beam of Light This option would use a high powered spotlight to focus on and deter the animals possibly either with continuous beam or
26. low our motor to properly rotate the fixture with our camera and water nozzle the pan tilt controller which we will have to purchase and the motion sensors which are simple and commercially available In the figure below the notes help show where some of our costs are kept low and the sources for some of our parts 23 Class Prototype Costs scription Price Notes Already have one Lowes some in Metal Shop In storage upper EB Already have one Build Material provided Use an extension cord Material Provided Borrowed some Already have one Provided Need further research Figure 3 Parts List and Price of Prototype Cost 10 2 Production For our production model costs would unfortunately go up by over 100 to an estimated total of almost 550 This is due to the fact that many of the components we have free of charge for the prototype will need to be purchased for production albeit at lower than retail cost The prices we have estimated for our production model are based on a sales estimate of 100 000 units and were garnered from online research and sources within the companies that have assisted us with part donations and equipment loans One important note is that for our production model we would no longer need a 24VDC power supply because we would acquire a different type of relay and a different water solenoid and would no longer need the power supply We would be using different components for production
27. n this stage all of those components will be securely placed within the panel The parallel port connection for our prototype will be connected to that as well Hose Nozzle 2 days Here the nozzle will be attached to the pan tilt motor Also included in this stage 1s the connection of the hose to the water solenoid e Ordering Parts 2 weeks We expect to spend a little time selecting specific parts and a vendor where we can purchase or borrow from Upon receipt of our ordered parts there will be a quick inspection to ensure that we have the right parts and they are working properly e Documentation 1 2 months Documentation requires a lot of time that could be used in a more useful matter It s always good to ask Am I doing the right thing instead of Am I doing this 10 right Various documents are required from us during this year which includes status reports budget reports hours feasibility studies and other reports These reports are finished for this semester but there will be many for next semester as well although we do not know what they are yet Testing o Water Solenoid This device will be tested to ensure that it opens and closes properly as well as help us understand how it works o Assembly Motor The assembly motor moves the entire unit from facing one direction to facing another It needs to be tested for speed to make sure it doesn t spin too fast Also we need to make sure it is accur
28. ns that if a few tasks take an extra week or two 1t will not hurt our end date at all Another advantage we have is that we have divided our tasks up effectively enough that each team member can keep track of their own part of the schedule and if anyone is falling behind we can all pick up a little slack and help pull ourselves back up to date Finally in some cases 1f we fall behind simply putting more time in on a given day or week than we anticipated will be the best way to return to schedule Simply put if we fall behind we will work harder to get back on schedule 10 Cost Estimate We have very different cost estimates for our production cost versus our prototype costs For our prototype cost we are going to be able to pick up many parts free of charge through many channels such as borrowing from our respective employers and using equipment that we own personally This will help us keep our costs down for prototyping but also skew our view of what a fully functional production version would cost if we were to use the exact equipment for production For example the panel we are 22 going to use is one designed for use with industrial machinery and is far more expensive and tougher than what we would really need for a production model This is being borrowed for use with our prototype and will be returned once we are finished with it Although in balance with that some of the equipment we are using such as some of our relays and
29. nth O Assembling Motor amp Gearing 1 week This is where we will assemble the motor and gearing into a housing which will then be mounted to the frame of our prototype Primary Frame 2 weeks Here is where we will assemble all of the different components of our frame such as legs and motor gearbox into a single standing frame Attachment Frame 1 week This is when we will assemble and attach the frame that will hold our pan tilt module and our water nozzle as well as our camera e Electrical Wiring 1 month O Initial Wiring 2 weeks Here is where the time will be spent taking all of our individual components and wiring them together and giving them all power wires so that we can begin to run our prototype Testing 2 week Here is when we will test all of the electrical components to ensure that they are wired up correctly and that they function properly e Final Integration 1 month This is where we will spend our time integrating all of our separate components such as our motion detectors our pan tilt module our water solenoid our fixture motor and our code We will spend this time trying to make everything work together properly and make the overall system function successfully O Base 1 week This will entail the attachment of the pan tilt motor to the base of the device The motion sensors will also be attached in this stage Panel 1 week The panel contains all of the electrical components I
30. of technology We believe this to be the case as automatic sprinkler systems are common among gardeners and homeowners and our project is something of a natural extension of those systems Superseding the requirements of the end user are the laws by which we all must live Researching laws and ordinances of the Grand Rapids area we found that within most cities it is illegal to fire not only a paintball gun but anything that might possibly be defined as a projectile This again steered us away from the paintball option as well as preventing us from considering any other sort of projectile barring water 3 2 Transparency People have to be able to understand how to not only operate our device but also store maintain and possibly even repair it With this in mind our project should be intuitive enough that the user is only required to plug it in without extensive requirements for placement or location We will be including a user s manual for more specific information and use diagrams to allow for non English speaking consumers It should not interfere with the user s yard and lifestyle either through excessive amounts of equipment imposing size noise or other factors 3 3 Stewardship and Caring Stewardship is another key design norm to be considered As Christians we should have a stronger calling towards this norm than the world might have as we are specifically called by God to take care of the creation He made as it says in G
31. on Analysis of Alternatives 5 1 Deterrent The deterrent component to our project had the most diversity as there are many different ways to motivate animals to leave an area Throwing away unworkable and impractical designs our best alternatives for deterrent are 5 1 1 Water Hose Currently our primary design this consists of an ordinary water hose that attaches to any exterior household faucet that will be turned on to spray the intruder There are many advantages to this option first and foremost of which is safety A typical garden hose even fully open is not powerful enough to harm any animal large enough to trip the motion sensor Sprinkler systems are used by nearly everyone with a yard and garden and such water velocities and pressures are commonplace At the same time a hose is going to be powerful enough to provide a deterrent Similarly water as ammunition is in ready supply and is environmentally friendly Being similar to automatic sprinkler systems which routinely run at night 1t is low noise and could easily be run without disturbing neighbors There are a few cons though including the possibility of erosion and runoff from the water stream It could also be considered wasting water to deter the animals The system also has a limited range and accuracy as a household hose is not going to have enough pressure to reach an entire yard Also the farther the system does reach the more the stream will disperse and the
32. properly explained o Assemble Final Report 1 day A final review of the last document for Engineering 339 which will then be submitted upon completion e Research 2 months o Motors 1 week This will involve investigating which type of motor will be best to use for our entire assembly unit and also for our water hose We will also determine properties of AC and DC motors to help in decision making for final design o Gears 1 week This will entail researching how to reduce rotational speed as well as changing from rotation around a horizontal axis to rotation around a vertical axis o Electrical Components 2 weeks Here we will be looking into what components work best and how to connect all them electrically Power Supply 2 days Here we will investigate the best voltage rating to use for supplying power to our system Also we need to make sure that the supply provides sufficient current for the types of relays to use as well as the entire rest of the circuit The power supply also must be able to handle the voltages that are needed for specific components Relays 1 week This research will involve investigating what type of relays should be used Also results from the research on power supplies will be necessary to determine how the relay is tripped Parallel Port 1 day This will provide information such as the number of pins we have available Also a circuit is necessary to ensure that current is regulated and does
33. t can be found in Appendix A 21 There are two main sections to the project The code and physical layout are the basic sections Because of the nature of these two sections there is a fair amount of float time from start to finish Each section can be treated almost like a separate project until the very end when everything is put together Neither the software nor physical assembly and layout affect the start time of the other section We decided to divide our team so that two people work on the code and the other two do the electrical and mechanical aspects of the unit itself Once we start coding and designing there is continual testing until completion Many of the sections are broken down to smaller and simpler sections for the purpose of testing It is especially important to do this with the code Once we have one block done we add another until we finish with everything complete During the times we meet as a group we make sure to maximize our time Using the chart and task specs we figure out what needs to be done over the given week We divide up the weekly tasks to the person most experienced so that everyone is working as efficiently as possible As we check our schedule every week we can make sure that we are on task or if falling behind can take measures to catch back up One thing we have is that we built a cumulative total of a few weeks of float time into our schedule and our critical path is relatively loose This mea
34. th a mechanical concentration we are Team 1 The Knight Watchmen Our generic initial idea revolved around creating a tracking system of some sort an idea which was refined to our current project when Professor Nielsen proposed a system to help keep deer out of his backyard We hope that our varied backgrounds and mixed concentration team will allow us to creatively solve problems and develop an effective intuitive design 2 1 Brian Netz Brian is twenty one and was raised in Pella lowa and found himself at Calvin College when he followed his high school sweetheart This past summer he married that sweetheart and worked for Beta Integrated Concepts doing controls engineering Brian currently has no definite plans after school and is open to grad school or fulltime employment 2 2 Jeff Shumate Jeff is twenty one and was born in Grand Rapids Michigan where he has lived his entire life He is engaged to Meghan Reeves who he met here at Calvin College and will be getting married in April 2006 Jeff plans to work upon graduating and is currently searching for a suitable place of employment 2 3 Andrew Tazelaar Andrew was born in Palo Alto California but has spent most of his life in Rochester Minnesota He is twenty one and the lone mechanical engineer on the team After graduation he hopes to pursue a career in either the aerospace or automotive industry 2 4 Derek Wykstra Derek is twenty one and grew up in Martin Michig
35. th and fulfills our other design norms each of our members will need to have personal integrity This means being willing to negotiate when opinions differ do the work we are supposed to do on time and help each other out when deadlines need to be met Primarily we need to remember that we are not designing a product for personal gain or prestige but to reflect the gifts and talents given to us by God and that everything we do in this project is a reflection of the person he made us 4 Task Specifications Our task specifications include a list of what we need to accomplish an estimated time limit and a short description of the task e Preliminary Feasibility Evaluation 1 week This evaluation is a critical examination of our project to determine if we are capable of completing it e Preliminary Budget 3 days This is a proposed budget based on our initial research of the parts we will need to purchase to create the prototype e Preliminary PPFS Report 2 weeks o Write First Draft 1 week This report contains the culmination of all of the different documentation we have so far It reports our research results and the feasibility of our project o Revise 1 day Check and fix any mistakes and expand on any portions that are less than properly reported e Final PPFS Report 2 weeks o Revise Preliminary 1 week Re check and re write any sections that have proven inadequate and make sure all aspects of the project are
36. the electric motor would lack the precision speed changes needed for the tracking system 5 3 3 Pan Tilt Controller This is our primary motion control option a security camera style pan tilt controller These units are ideal for our purposes as tracking is essentially their designated purpose They are high precision compact and already integrate 2 axis motion into the unit Many units are also weatherproof and designed to be controlled remotely right out of the box 6 Analysis of Alternatives Throughout the process of research and design it is imperative that we compare different options in order to come out with the best result for this specific senior design project The best way in which we were able to make these comparisons was to form a design matrix The following matrices were used to determine the best possible solution 6 1 Deterrent x h Prototype Environmental Neigbor Cost Efficiency Reliability Safety Impact Happiness Total Max Points 10 5 10 20 10 10 65 Paintball Gun 8 5 6 10 4 5 38 Hose 9 4 9 18 g 1o 59 Noise 8 3 9 15 10 0 45 Focused Light f 3 E 19 10 E 53 16 6 2 Tracking bo Prototype Tracking Range Ease of Cost Precision Versatility Determination Reliability Integration Total Max Points 10 10 15 10 10 10 65 Video Camera 9 9 13 5 7 e _ 51 Ultrasonics 6 2 10 10 6 4 38 Thermal Imaging 1 9 15 3 10 8 46 6 3 Motion Prototype y Y y Ease of Cost Efficiency Versatility
37. troller 10 6 Analysis of Alternatives doo 61 Deterrent Aan A eA E rastcas 15 6 2 AM O E 16 6 3 7 Moon taba 16 A A E T E T E A ER U 8 Method of Approach ssessseessececocecsoecsocesococsosecoosesoessooesseccsosccossessossocossocesosecosessseesssesssssss LS 8 1 Future Task Dele a ia 19 8 1 1 Bri 19 1 1 O Cec cccccccccccccccccccececccccececcceccccoececoeooooeceoeele Cocccccccccce AA A 8 1 3 8 1 4 9 Time Schedule nio ZU TO CosdtESstiMate sc ceascnsecsssctscceaseenciesisecechsicapocacisessecantenncens vesnetaseusuaasasesstandaewscceetesedeonecsveeeavacsee A 10 1 A A TN 10 2 Production sesscccsescsecssssees cosscecescessssveseendenseseeseccssdusescesossssodbendeaceseess cosssedeccecessesesees DO 11 Feasibili 24 SAA UN R 1 PAE O LIO i EARRAN TATATA A ANATA A ANOETA EA AN 2 1 Introduction As senior engineering students at Calvin College we are tasked with bringing a product from the very first brainstorming session through to final prototyping testing and documentation With this aim in mind we propose a device to deter deer and other animals from gardens and yards This document is a study of our project analyzing how we got to this point describing the current design and reporting on the feasibility of actually accomplishing this task 2 Our Team Figure 1 Team 1 Andrew Tazelaar Derek Wykstra Jeff Shumate Brian Netz Consisting of three men with an electrical concentration and one wi
38. y an object which will be just a simple signal activated by a key button Visual Interface 1 weeks This will be for the purpose of testing our prototype We will be able to see what the camera sees and where the cursor is pointing With that information as well as watching where the nozzle is spraying we will be able to determine how well our tracking code is working Fixture Control 2 weeks This is what the program will use to take input from the motion sensors and move the fixture with the nozzle and camera to face the direction of the moving object Input From Sensors 1 day Here is where the motion sensor input will be read and translated into a direction which is where the fixture will then move Output to Motion Control 2 weeks This is what the program will use to output the direction the fixture should be facing to the motor which will spin the fixture to face the intruding object Power Circuit 2 months The power circuit contains all of the electrical components that will be used for protection and the actual wiring from computer to the different components e Water Valve 2 weeks O Electrical Wiring 1 week This includes the wiring and electrical testing of the valve that will turn the flow of water on and off Physical Assembly 1 week This is where we will actually attach the water solenoid to the fixture and test the motion of the pan tilt module with the solenoid attached e Base Design Build 1 mo
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