Individual Design Concepts

Senior Design: Team

Burja _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AME 470: Senior Design

ASME Bulk Material Transporter

Matt Bertke, Paul DeMott, Patrick Hertzke, Will Sirokman

9 September 2004

Senior Design: Team

Burja _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Motors drive four wheels. Each side (right / left) is powered independently to allow zero radius turning.

Four plates, one for each wheel, revolve to form a ramp to assist the wheels in climbing the stairs. These ramps will be revolved by servo motors, and will be independent of the drive mechanisms.

Vehicle will have a container on the top of the vehicle which will be used for transporting rice. The motors and batteries will be beneath this apparatus to keep the center of gravity lower.

Rear wheels are indented to allow the ramp mechanisms to swing past the other wheels and ramps as they revolve.

Concept IMatt Bertke

Senior Design: Team

Burja _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Concept IMatt Bertke

Use of a 4-bar style mechanism to actuate ramp

Alternate design consists of two wheels in the front with a ramp type structure behind. The ramp will be smooth and will be towed behind the drive wheels. At the top step, the machine will back down the step with the ramp first, and dump the rice from the rear of the vehicle

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For design to be feasible, the wheel ramps must be able to stay in the same spot in relation to the step while the wheel rotates and translates up the ramp. This cannot be done with a truss structure, and some type of mechanism must be applied.

Concept II: Key FeaturesPaul DeMott

Senior Design: Team

Burja _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stability•Low center of gravity•Long wheel base•Stability: Wide wheel base

MovementWhile driving forward…

•Arm AB raises•Wheel A contacts step•Arm AB reverses•Wheel C is raised off the ground•Wheel C contacts step•Arm EF lowers•Wheel D is raised off the ground•Wheel D contacts step•Arm EF is raised, clearing step

Concept IIPaul DeMott

Senior Design: Team

Burja _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Initial Position

Senior Design: Team

Burja _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arm AB raisesWheel A contacts step

Concept IIIPatrick Hertzke

Senior Design: Team

Burja _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Following the path of the four arrows we can see the 4-bar linkage created by the two struts and the two connected treads.

1 or 2 Solenoids used for positional changes between the two treads.

Now the vehicle is seen in its over-center position with solenoid fully compressed.

Now the treads are inline and drive together to move up the stair.

This vehicle design utilizes two sets of independent tank-type treads on each side. The connected struts provide the structure to hold the treads together in different relative positions.

The Grain Container, spooling motor, and ambiguous box of motorized and electronic components should be largely ignored as inferior design ideas.

Looking right-to-left the process of stair climbing is

illustrated.Sub-assembly of tread system.

Treads attach by connecting rod (space between treads enlarged for effect).

Solenoids attached to rod by pin joints.

Concept IVWill Sirokman

Senior Design: Team

Burja _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Two Independently Driven Treads with Dual Swing Arm

Swing Arm rotates CW to incline front of vehicle. Treadsdrive forward until front contacts step.

Swing Arm rotates CCW to the rear of the vehicle.

Swing Arm lifts rear of vehicle as treads drive forwardonto next step.

Swing Arm rotates CW out of the way when vehicle is firmly on the next step.

Electronics Schematic

Senior Design: Team

Burja _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hand-Held Functions:-Umbilical connection to microcontroller.-Independent, variable speed forward and reverse for each tread.-Radial position control of Swing Arm or any such mechanism implemented.-Open/close function of payload container.

Microcontroller Functions:-Translate user input from hand-held controller into proper output to motor/ actuator controllers.-(optional) automate stair climbing procedure.-(optional) monitor position sensors to optimize vehicle performance.-(optional) one touch 90 degree turning sequence drives one set of wheels (or treads) forward and one set backward

Grain Discharge Mechanism

Senior Design: Team

Burja _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Solenoid attached to outside of payload compartment.

Gate opened and closed by the solenoid.

Extending side-walls would allow expansion of payload compartment after removal from starting box.

Gravity assisted trough will funnel all payload to the lower opening.