Automatic Farm Gate
INTEREGR 160
Instructor: Prof. John Murphy
SA: Brandon Dudley
December 12, 2006
Outline
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Background
Problem Statement
Gantt Chart
Brainstorming
Preliminary Designs
Evaluation
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Integrated Design
Construction &
Materials
Testing
Budget
Alternative Design
Summary
Background Information
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Mark Novak and AgrAbility Project
America’s aging farming populations need
labor-saving devices to assist their everyday
task
Currently, farm gate must be opened
manually after exiting a vehicle
Current products in the market are
unsatisfactory (expensive and must be
bought as a package with a new gate)
Problem Statement
Our goal is to design an automated gate to
meet the needs of the aging and disabled
farming population. The gate will be remotely
opened and closed to reduce the amount of
physical labor required to operate the gate.
We will be providing the farmers with a safer,
inexpensive, and reliable system that can be
easily constructed and operated
Timeline – Gantt Chart
Brainstorming –
Small Group and Big Group
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Sliding gate
Swinging gate
Drop down gate
Flip down gate
Lamborghini (pivot)
gate
Double swinging gate
Wheeled gate
Rotating gate
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Solar powered
Pulley system
Gear motored
Screw drive powered
Magnetic lock
Ground switch
Rechargeable battery
Rotary powered
Gates of fire
Brainstorming Continues…
Preliminary Small Teams’ Design
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Screw drive powered sliding
gate
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Sliding gate powered by
spring loaded wheels
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Rack and pinion sliding gate
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Geared power swinging gate
Evaluation Criteria
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Safety
Durability
Reliability
Accessibility
Simplicity
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Cost
Time
Serviceability
Adaptability
Manual Operation
Integrated Design & Prototype
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A swinging gate powered by a motorized wheel
attached to the gate
Motorized wheel bought from Tecel
Spring loaded shock system attached to the wheel to
accommodate rough terrains
A solenoid powered latch
½ scale prototype (3 ft x 8 ft)
Radio receiver and transmitter to apply power and
switch direction of motor
Material & Budget Breakdown
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PVC’s (Home Depot) – Total: $27.63
– 5 - 10 ft, 1 inch PVC pipes
– 4 - 1 inch L connectors
– 8 – 1 inch T connectors
– 3 – 1 inch X connectors
2 Gate Hinges (Ace Hardware): $10
– Gate attachment
– Support attachment
– 6 Bolts (3/8 inches course)
– 2 nuts (3/8 inches course)
Nuts & Bolts (Ace Hardware): $18.17
– 4 guidance bolts
– 2 stabilizer bolts
– 1 threaded U bolt
– 8 nuts
– 8 washers
– 3 fine thread bolts
Material & Budget Breakdown cont.
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Tubular Solenoid, Pull Type, 1.00” (25 mm) DIA X 2.00” (51 mm) L; 12 DC volts;
continuous cycle (ElectroMechanicsOnline): $47.82
2 Channel Rolling Code RF Remote and Receiver (Car’s Electronics): $45.00
Continuous – Length Compression Springs (McMaster – Carr): $14.51 –
UNUSED
2 Way Lockable Gate Latch (Northern Tool + Equipment): $27.53 – UNUSED
Motorized Wheel 7 inches diameter (TECEL): $48.00
Radioshack Electrical Supplies: Total $22.96
– 2 DPDT 10Amp 12 VDC Relays
– ½ Amp Slow Blow Fuse
– 5 Amp Slow Blow Fuse
2 Kill Switches (Amazon.com): $9.98 – UNUSED
Battery
Latches assembly
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1 – 1” washer
1/8” x ¼” x 4 3/8” metal bar
Wheel Attachment Aseembly
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3 metal plates
1 spring 2 inches diameter
Total Budget
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Total spent: $271. 60
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Total used on prototype: $219.57
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Theoretical budget for user: ~ $100.00 - $200.00*
*Battery sold separately
Constructions
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Order of materials
PVC gate construction
Spring loaded shock system construction
Attachment of motorized wheel to the shock
system
Development of electrical details
Development of latching mechanism
Full assembly
Prototype
Latch Design
Wheel’s Detail
Electronics
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Powered by 12V automobile battery
Two channel radio transmitter/receiver
Radio signals activate relays, allowing
current to power the motor and latch
Signal 1 trips relay 1, allowing current to flow
in one direction
Signal 2 trips relay 2, allowing current to flow
in the opposite direction
Design’s Advantages
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Only simple modification needed to be done
on the existing gate
Less chances of physical injury (compared to
gear or pulley system)
Works in various terrains
Can be manually opened in case of power
outage
Only require small power (enough to be
powered by a battery)
Testing
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Preliminary computations to prevent later
problems
Testing on the remote control system
Testing on the locking mechanism
Testing on the strength of the wheel
Testing on the shock system
Testing power source and other electronic
components
Alternative Design & Adaptation
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Larger wheels will be needed for full-scale
gate
Improvement on the locking mechanism
(stronger solenoid)
Alternative spring loaded shock system
(suspension system)
Extensive weather and terrain factorization
Special Thanks To:
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Prof. John Murphy
Our SA: Brandon J. Dudley
SA Amit Nimunkar
Burke O’Neal
Countless efforts of fellow team members
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Questions?