design and construction of an automatic feeder system for pets by chisom sam orji

8/10/2019 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN AUTOMATIC FEEDER SYSTEM FOR PETS BY CHISOM SAM ORJI

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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN AUTOMATIC

FEEDER SYSTEM FOR PETS

BY

ORJI SAM, CHISOM O.E.

MOUAU/04/4092

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING

TECHNOLOLGY

MICHAEL OKPARA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, UMUDIKE,

NIGERIA.

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF

THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (B.ENG) IN

ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

OCTOBER, 2011


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CERTIFICATION

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN AUTOMATIC FEEDER SYSTEM FOR

PETS

BY

ORJI SAM, CHISOM O.E

A PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT

FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (B.ENG)

IN THE

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL/ ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

MICHAEL OKPARA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, UMUDIKE

OCTOBER, 2011

AUTHORS: ......................................................

ORJI SAM, CHISOM O.E

CERTIFIED BY: .......................................................

ENGR. PROF. I.I EZEBUIRO

(PROJECT SUPERVISOR)

ACCEPTED BY: .......................................................

ENGR. PROF. O.I OKORO

(HEAD OF DEPARTMENT)


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DEDICATION

This Project work is dedicated in honour of my parents, Amb. Sir & Dame Sam

Orji, JP.


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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I say a big thanks to the source of my existence and inspiration- THE HOLY

SPIRIT for His continual mercy, wisdom, grace, direction, provision, protection

and blessings upon my life and all through my study period in MOUAU.

I want to also say thank you to my parents, Amb. Sir & Dame Sam Orji, JP for

their love, support, encouragements and prayers, to my brother Prosper and my

sisters Engie and Miracle for their love and prayers.

To my HOD, Engr. Prof. O.I Okoro, my supervisor, Engr. Prof. I.I Ezebuiro

and my lecturers, for teaching me a lot.

To my own Thunderbolt one big happy family, for all your love, to my men

PND, JUSTIN, OGE, JAMES, D2T, KATCHIE, BENZ and others, to my

Pastors: Mummy Ikeorgu, Law and Laz for your encouragements and prayers,

to Joshua and Henry for their support and all those who contributed in various

ways to see the success of this project. Finally to my friend Uju, for your

wonderful personality


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ABSTRACT

The Automatic feeder system is based on the implementation of artificial

intelligence. Human labour is minimized by interfacing our duty with inanimate

objects making them animate with an embedded intelligence in the

microprocessor.

The construction of the electronic feeders aimed at defining conveniences. In

addition, having to supervise a bird eating leads to reduced mobility on the

owners part. As the feeding requirements becomes more complex, it gets more

expensive to hire someone to look after ones birds for long periods of time, and

even day-to-day care while not travelling can become restrictive.

Thus, the automatic feeder is introduced in chapter one, a review of literature

was done on the automatic feeder system in chapter two. In chapter three the

materials and methods, designs and construction employed, the operations and

the testing of this project were explained. In chapter four, the result of the test is

clearly stated then in chapter five, we discussed about the analysis of the result.

We made our final conclusions and recommendations about the automatic

feeder in chapter six.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page i

Certification ii

Dedication iii

Acknowledgment iv

Abstract v

Table of Content vi

List of Figures vii

List of Tables viii

List of Abbreviations ix

Chapter ONE 1

1.0Introduction 1

1.1 Statement of Problem 1-2

1.2 Aim and Objective 2

1.3 Justification 2

Chapter TWO 3

2.1 Literature Review 3-4

Chapter THREE 5

3.0Materials and Method 5

3.1.1 Materials 5


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3.1.2 Microcontroller 5-6

3.1.3 DC Motor 6-7

3.1.4 Crystal Oscillator 7-8

3.1.5 Relay 8

3.1.6 Visual Display Unit 9

3.1.7 Push Button 9-10

3.1.8 Transistor 11

3.1.9 Voltage Regulator 11-12

3.2.0 Resistor 12

3.2.1 Capacitor 13

3.2.2 Diode 13-14

3.2.3 DC Power Supply 14

3.2.4 Led Driver 14-15

3.2.5 Buzzer 15

3.2.6 Switch 16

3.2.7 Diagram and Design 16

3.2.8 Schematic Diagram (a) 16

3.2.9 Schematic Diagram (b) 17

3.3.0 Circuit Diagram 18

3.3.1 Construction 19


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3.3.2 Mechanical Construction 20

3.3.3 Testing the System 21

3.3.4 Surge Effect 21

Chapter FOUR 22

4.1 Results 22

Chapter FIVE 23

5.1 Result Analysis 23

5.2 Picture of the Automatic Birdfeeder 24

Chapter SIX 25

6.0 Conclusion and Recommendation 25

6.1 Conclusion 25

6.2 Recommendation 25

References 26-27


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LIST OF FIGURES

1. Pin Configuration of Microcontroller (Atmel 89S52)

2.

12 Volt DC Motor

3. The Crystal Oscillator

4. The Relay

5. 7 Segment Display

6. Push Buttons

7. A Transistor

8. Voltage Regulator (LM7805)

9. A Resistor

10.Capacitors

11.A Diode

12.12 Volts DC Battery

13.The Led Driver

14.The Buzzer

15.The Switch

16.

Schematic Diagram

17.Circuit Diagram

18.Construction Works

19.The Governor and The Accelerating Gutter


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20.Various Forms of System Test

21.The Automatic Bird Feeder Ready For Use


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LIST OF TABLES

1. Results.


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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

1. CPU: Central Processing Unit

2. RAM: Random Access Memory

3.

KB: Kilobyte

4.

DC: Direct Current

5.

AC: Alternating Current

6.

EMF: Electromotive Force

7. IC: Integrated Circuit

8. LED: Light Emitting Diode

9. VDU: Visual Display Unit

10.PNP: Positive Negative Positive

11.

NPN: Negative Positive Negative

12.FET: Field Effect Transistor

13.K: Kilo ohms

14.V: Volts

15.G: Gramm

16.Fig: Figure


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CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION:An Automatic feeder system has a timer which allows

for automatic feeding on a timed schedule in a standalone mode. Birds are fed

automatically based on a timed schedule. This Automatic system will hold

enough feed for the addition feeding practiced by birds.

1.1

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM:Most bird farmers and pet owners cannot

stay home to feed their birds several times a day, yet they want their birds to

be able to eat as needed throughout the days of their absence. One of the

most common ways that bird farmers and pet owners try to solve this

problem is by so-called free feeding, where a bird has its feed available all

day and eats at will. [1]

Our motivation to do this work is based on the tragic incident which took

place at the Jos zoo, in Plateau state, Nigeria. In this case, a hungry lion

pounced on its feeders that came to feed it with its regular goat meal. The

feeders brought the meal later than expected and as soon as they opened the

cage to throw in the goat for the lion, the hungry lion rushed at the men that

brought the goat, pounced on them and devoured two of them in a few

minutes. We observed that if the lion was to be fed automatically, it would


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CHAPTER TWO

2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW:There are many different types of pet feeders

in 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

owners schedule. 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 is not meant to control portion sizes or access to the

food. [2]

Petmate caf feeder allows the pet owner to ensure that the pet has access to

food throughout the day or for a longer period of time and that the food does

not go stale from exposure to the air before the pet eats it, but does nothing to

control the amount of food eaten by the pet. This feeder is designed to be a

hassle free form of free feeding. The user reviews for this type of feeder are

positive for the most part, with the most common complaint being that the food

hopper can be knocked off by the pet, creating a mess. [3]

There is the Petmate le Bistro electronic portion-control automatic pet feeder

which retails for $49.99. This pet feeder holds 4.5 pounds of food and can

dispense portions from cup to 2 cups up to 3 times per day. The reviews for


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feeders such as this are positive for the most part. 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 electronic display does not work,

the smallest portion of food is too large for some pets, and that the food gets

tamed in the chute leaving the pet hungry. [4]

The perfect pet feeder Lux Model by pillar products which was introduced in

July of 2007 holds up to 10 pounds of food, which it can dispense up to 6 times

per day in portions as small as a few pieces of food or as large as several cups.

Instead of relying on batteries, it runs on ac power from a typical wall outlet

and has a battery backup in case of power outages. Among other features, it

boasts a paw safe design which ensures that no pet will ever get to the food,

easy programming, a level meter to let the owner know when the unit is low on

food, and almost every component which touches food is dishwasher safe. The

drawback of this product is the price and the size. It retails for $499 and weighs

about 20 pounds when empty. [5]


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CHAPTER THREE

3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1.1 MATERIALS

3.1.2 MICROCONTROLLER:This is a low power, high performance 8 bit

microcontroller with 8 Kbytes of in-system programmable flash memory. The

device is manufactured using Atmels high density non-volatile memory

technology and is compatible with the industry-standard 80csi instruction set

and pin out.

(T2) P1.0

(T2 EX)

P1.1 P1.2

P1.3

P1.4

(MOSI)P1.5

(MISO)

P1.6 (SCK)

P1.7 RST

(RXD)P3.0

(TXD) P3.1

(INT0) P3.2

(INT1) P3.3

(T0) P3.4

(T1) P3.5

(WR)P3.6(RD)

P3.7

XTAL2

VCC

P0.0 (AD0)

P0.1 (AD1)

P0.2 (AD2)

P0.3 (AD3)

P0.4 (AD4)P0.5 (AD5)

P0.6 (AD6)

P0.7 (AD7)

EA/VPP

ALE/PROG

PSEN

P2.7 (A15)

P2.6 (A14)

P2.5 (A13)

P2.4 (A12)

P2.3 (A11)P2.2 (A10)

P2.1 (A9)

P2.0 (A8)

Fig. 1: Pin Configuration of Microcontroller (Atmel 89s52)


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The on-clip flash allows the program memory to be reprogrammed in-system or

by a conventional non-volatile memory programmer. By combining a versatile

8bit CPU with in-0system programmable flash on monolithic chip, the Atmel

AT89S52n is a powerful microcontroller which provides a highly flexible and

cost effective solution to many embedded control applications. The AT89S52

provides the following standard feature: 8kbyte of flash, 256byt of RAM, 321/0

lines, watch dog timer, two data pointers, three 16-bit timer/counters, six-

vector two level interrupt architecture, a full duplex serial port, on-chip

oscillator and clock circuiting. In this design, the microcontroller forms the core

of the system meaning that all mathematical and logical operation of the system

is executed from within it. [6]

3.1.3 DC MOTOR: Dc motors are similar to dc generators in construction.

When current is passed through the armature of a dc motor, a torque is

generated by magnetic reaction and the armature revolves. The revolution of the

armature induces a voltage in the armature windings. This induced voltage is

opposite in direction to the outside voltage applied to the armature and hence is

called back voltage or back voltage or counter electromotive force (EMF). As

the motor rotates rapidly, the back voltage rises until it is almost equal to the

applied voltage. Because the speed of rotation controls the flow of current in the


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Armature special devices must be used for starting dc motors. The speed at

which a dc motor operates depends on the strength of the magnetic field acting

on the armature, as well as on the armature current. The stronger the field, the

slower the rate of rotation needed to generate a back voltage, large enough to

counteract the applied voltage. For this reason the speed of dc motors can be

controlled by varying the field current. [7]

Fig. 2: 12V DC MOTOR

3.1.4 CRYSTAL OSCILLATOR:A Crystal Oscillator is an electronic device

that uses the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of piezoelectric

material to create an electrical signal with very precise frequency. This

frequency is commonly used to keep track of time, to provide a stable clock

signal for digital ICs and to stabilize frequencies for radio transmitters. A

crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules or ions are packed in

a regularly order,


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Repeating pattern extending in all three oscillators is used to power the

microprocessor. [8]

Fig. 3: THE CRYSTAL OSCILLATOR

3.1.5 RELAY:A Relay is an electrical switch that opens and closes under the

control of another electrical circuit. In the original form, the switch in operated

by an electromagnet to open or close one or many sets of contacts. Because a

relay is able to control an output circuit of higher power that of the input circuit.

It can be considered in a broad sense to be a form of an electrical amplifier. [9]

Fig. 4: THE RELAY


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3.1.6 VISUAL DISPLAY UNIT:Also known as the 7 segments display, it is

used to show the value that is entered. It is built around the microcontroller

which serves the core for the system by outputting the desired values of

information unto the display and a multiplexed seven segment display.

Basically, LED displays are nothing else but the LEDs molded in the same

plastic case. Diodes are arranged so that the different marks commonly digits:

0, 1 and 2.9 are displayed by activating them. They are composed of 7 LEDs

(A, B, C, D, E, F, G) 7 segments are arranged as a rectangle for symbol

displaying and there is additional segment for decimal point display. In order to

simplify connecting, anodes and cathodes are connected to the common pin so

that there are common cathode display and common anode display. When

connecting, each diode is treated in dependently, which means that each must

have its own conductor for current limitation. [10]

Fig. 5: 7 SEGMENT DISPLAY (VDU)

3.1.7 PUSH BUTTON: This is a simple switch mechanism for controlling

some aspect of a machine or a process. They are also used to encode digits to


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the microcontroller. Encoded digits are converted to time and make the machine

to run for that amount of time. Buttons are typically made out of hard materials,

usually plastic or metals. The surface is usually flat or shaped to accommodate

the human finger to be easily pushed. Buttons are often biased switches, though

even many unbiased buttons required a spring to return to their unpushed state.

In industrial and commercial applications, push buttons can be linked together

by mechanical linkage so that the act of pushing on button causes the other

button to be released. This method of linkage is used in simple manual

operations that have got electrical act in the machine or process. Push buttons

are often colour coded to associate them with their functions so that the operator

will not push the wrong button in error. Commonly used colours are red for

stopping the machine or process and green for starting the machine or the

process. [11]

Fig. 6: PUSH BUTTONS


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3.1.8 TRANSISTORS:Transistors are made from semiconductors. These are

materials such as silicon or germanium that are doped so that either abundance

or a lack of free electrons exists. The bipolar transistor was invented in 1948 as

a replacement for the triode vacuum tube. It consists of three layers of doped

materials, forming two p-n (bipolar) junctions with configurations of p-n-p or n-

p-n. Another type of transistor is the field effect transistor (FET) that operates

on the principle of repulsion or attraction of charges due to a superimposed

electric field. The field effect transistor operates more than the bipolar types

because a large signal can be controlled by a very small amount of energy.

Transistors function mainly as amplifier or switch and so it is biased into

saturation. [12]

Fig. 7: A TRANSISTOR

3.1.9 VOLTAGE REGULATOR (LM7805): This is used to regulate the

voltage supplied into this circuit. It receives power supply from a substation that

is high in voltage and then it is stepped down to the desired voltage for the


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3.2.1 CAPACITORS: Capacitors are used to store electric charge. They are

used with resistors in timing circuits because it takes time for capacitor to fill

with charge. They are also used to filter circuits because capacitors easily pass

AC signals but they block DC signals capacitors are divided into two groups: -

polarized and non-polarized. [15]

Electrolytic Capacitors

Non-polarized capacitors

Fig. 10: CAPACITORS

3.2.2 DIODE:Diode is an electronic device that allows the passage of circuit in

only one direction because electrons can flow in only one direction from

cathode to anode, the vacuum tube diode could be used as a rectifier. Semi

conductor diodes are most commonly used in circuits. Light emitting diodes

(LED) are also used in thin design. [16]


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Fig. 11: A DIODE

3.2.3 DC POWER SUPPLY (12V/7A): This is the typical power supply of the

automatic feeder system that can carry the coil of the DC motor. It is used here

because the ripple voltage from the transformer will affect the motor if used.

[17]

Fig. 12: 12V DC BATTERY

3.2.4 LED DRIVER:This is a device that is used to amplify the visibility of

the display in the visual display unit. The LED driver is connected with pull-up


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resistor from the microcontroller and is also connected to the 7 segment display

to give a bright display. [18]

Fig. 13: THE LED DRIVER

3.2.5 BUZZER: The buzzer is a piezo component that generates high

frequency alarming sound when biased accordingly, i.e. when the appropriate

voltage is imputed. [19]

Fig. 14: THE BUZZER


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3.2.9 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

Fig. 16: SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

Feed Reservoir

Power Switch

Visual Display Unit

Enter Push Button

Decrement Push Button

Increment Push Button

Accelerating Gutter

System Box containing The Circuitboard, the DC supply (battery), the

DC motor and the Governor.


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3.3.0 THE AUTOMATIC BIRDFEEDER CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

Fig. 17: CIRCUIT DIAGRAM


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3.3.1 CONSTRUCTION

Our design was triggered off by first; trying to figure out how the project can be

actualized, getting the desired clue, surfing online to gather more information

and the idea was achieved. After the circuit construction, what remains now is

the mechanical outlook of the enclosed system. In our design we have

considered price and usage in real time application, since the aim of this project

is for photo typing, we opted for a wooden finishing with leather wrapping to

give it slick and wonderful look, and as well as giving it the desired

ruggedness.

Fig. 18: CONSTRUCTION WORKS


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3.3.2 MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION:

Major mechanical components used in the construction of the automatic feeder

system apart from the wooden box cover and the aluminum reservoir, are the

governor and the accelerating gutter. The governor is firmly attached to the

motor with an angle of inclination of 90o and the accelerating gutter has an

angle of inclination of 45o

such that the particles move out due to the exerted

gravitational force.

Fig. 19: THE GOVERNOR AND THE ACCELERATING GUTTER


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3.3.3 TESTING THE SYSTEM

After the construction, the circuit was tested and short circuit and open circuits

were all corrected. The circuit is then powered with a voltage supply of 12v and

some parameters were measured.

Fig. 20: VARIOUS FORMS OF THE SYSTEM TEST

3.3.4 SURGE EFFECT: Surge is the initial flow of high voltage and current

when an inductor coil is switched on, it generates a current that tries to oppose

the e.m.f that produces it causing a short circuit according to faradays law.


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CHAPTER FOUR

4.1 RESULTS

MONITOR

TIME

FEEDING

INTERVAL

FEED

QUANTITY

DISPLAY

TIME

ALARM

UNIT

6 35 seconds 1620g 6 7

5 35 seconds 1350g 5 6

4 35 seconds 1080g 4 5

3 35 seconds 810g 3 4

2 35 seconds 540g 2 3

Total Quantity

of feed= 5400g


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CHAPTER FIVE

5.1 RESULTS ANALYSIS

The result obtained is as follows: At the time entered through the input (push

buttons), the governor rotates in a clock wise direction opening the reservoir for

the feed to be dispensed and when the time expires, the governor will rotate in

an anti clock wise direction which also closes the feed dispenser.

At an input time of 6 seconds, 1620g of feed is dispensed. At 5 seconds, 1350g

of feed is dispensed. At 4 seconds, 1080g of feed is dispensed. At 3 seconds,

810g of feed is dispensed and at 2 seconds, 540g of feed is dispensed making a

total of 5400gramm of feed dispensed during the system test. The buzzer

sounds an alarm at each second as long as the governor is opened and the feed

is dispensed. The last sound of the buzzer signals the closure of the governor

and the end of the feed dispense. At an interval of 35 seconds, the system

repeats the process based on the input time in seconds.


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5.2 PICTURE OF THE AUTOMATIC BIRDFEEDER

Fig. 21: THE AUTOMATIC BIRD FEEDER READY FOR USE


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CHAPTER SIX

6.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

6.1. CONCLUSION: This project was designed, constructed and tested and it

conformed to the design specification.

6.2 RECOMMENDATION: For further modification and improvement on

this work, the following recommendations are advised from observations:

1. The feed reservoir should have a lid, so that the feed can be covered and

well protected even in the absence of the owner.

2. A stirrer should be constructed in the reservoir, to ensure that the feed is

well stirred to flow out during dispense time.

3.

A remote control should be constructed for the system, so that the owner

or an operator can control the automatic bird feeder from a distance.


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REFERENCES

[1]. The Overweight Pet. ThePetCenter.Com. 25 Jan. 2008.

[2]. Petmate Caf Feeder. Amazon.com. 25 Jan. 2008

[3]. Petmate Caf Feeder. Amazon.com. 25 Jan. 2008

[8]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/crystaloscillator.htm>

[9]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/relay.htm>


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[10]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/7segmentdisplay.htm>

[11]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/pushbutton.htm>

[12]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/transistor.htm>

[13]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/voltageregulator.htm>

[14]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation

< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/resistor.htm>

[15]. Eid products. Elrich IndustrialDevelopment Corporation< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/capacitor.htm>

[16]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation

< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/diode.htm>

[17]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/12voltdcbattery.htm>

[18]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/leddriver.htm>

[19]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/buzzer.htm>

[20]. Eid products. Elrich Industrial Development Corporation< http://www.eidusa.com/electronics_components/switch.htm>

design and construction of an automatic feeder system for pets by chisom sam orji

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