PetConsole
For my gadgetry course which I took as the prerequisite to the advanced senior design capstone (Electromechanical Systems Design) I created an automatic pet care system. (w/ Rony Henriquez and Gerardo Guira). The product goal is to help working pet owners can care for special needs pets that require precisely timed medication. The large blue dish is the container to be filled with treats concealing medication for their pets. The treat dispenser is set on a delivery schedule using the 16 key input pad with LCD screen attachment. The owner can independently set the schedule for food in the case of specific pet diet. The water bowl is automatic and set to stay at a certain weight using a sensor below the bowl.
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Following completion of this project I have done multiple new concept sketches for designs to better conceal medication including pill crushing and flavor infusion to molding and baking. These designs can be found in my design sketches tab of my portfolio.
Purpose
Having a pet can be a time consuming process, but when unexpected illnesses and need for medication arise it can become an extreme challenge for working pet owners. We developed PetConsule for the purpose of relieving stress on owners and ensuring the best, most consistent method of medication and feeding care to pets.
Problem
Sick pet owners often face a trade off between missing work (or leaving for a chunk of the day) to feed and treat their pets or having their pets go longer than suggested between doses. Having a programmable feeding and medication delivery system helps fix this problem. The pressure based sensor of the water bowl allows owners to change boundary conditions of bowl fillings and ensure clean new water to their pets.
Approach
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We wanted to make our food dispenser time dependent and allow for user input. A button pad matrix, analog timer, and LCD display was used.
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We wanted to make the pill dispenser automated and integrated with the food dispenser so that pet would be inclined to consume it.
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We wanted to make water bowl filler automated and consistent. The pressure sensor set to a value range that would ensure our pet stays hydrated.
Problems and Solutions
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Pressure sensor variation and need for “steady state” which was an unexpected behavior(ranges of read). To resolve we added a single area of contact
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Back current in 12-volt DC motor used in feeder. We used a relay and were surprised that the somewhat theoretical “back current” become a problem. To resolve we added a diode.
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The power needed by the motors required external batteries which required battery drain checks. Using batteries helped us keep wiring neater and have multiple Arduinos by detaching the Arduino from a computer
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Pump had challenges pulling water so we had to increase the area of push and decrease the length of tube used to “pull”
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LCD programming was a challenge since there is a read/write functionality that restricted our text from appearing. This project was a great way to familiarize ourselves with LCDs
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Needed to expand number pins so used and had to purchase an Arduino Mega. We got to get creative by having a push attached to an analog pin using a digital read
Circuit Schematics: Treat rotation/Weight sensing and input for UI
CAD: Treat Dispenser and food dispenser
