Midterm Presentation 2Senior Design Team 25: Palm HarvesterGroup MembersRicardo Aleman, MEGianni Alessandria, IEDavid Boswell, ECEYuze (Liam) Liu, ME

Brian Newman, MEBolivar Lobo, IELouis-Olivier Verret, IE

2RicardoAdvisorsDr. Okoli (Sponsor)Dr. Olawale (IE supervisor)Dr. Amin (ME senior design coordinator)Dr. Clark (ME advisor)Dr. Frank (ECE senior design coordinator)Dr. Moss (ECE advisor)3RicardoProject ReviewPalm HarvesterGoalDevelop an effective, efficient, and economical oil palm harvester

4Ricardo

Review of Fall 20135Ricardo

Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work

Review of Spring 20136Ricardo

Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work New Name: MORPHEUS7MechatronicallyOperatedRetractablePalmHarvestingExperimentalUseSystem

MorpheusGreek God of DreamsRicardoReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Assembly StatusAll mechanical subassemblies have been completed!8

RicardoReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work TestingLiam9

Cart and Pole Testing Cart rolled out to AME fieldPole assembly was winched 25ft Winching up was not hard Winching down was safe with braking All problems were observed and noted

10LiamReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work

Testing Issue 1: Wobbly Legs Cart wheels werent perfect when rolling to field Problem stems from wobble in cart legs Need to reduce wobble in cart legs to improve maneuverability

11TargetActualLiamReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Testing Issue 2: Loose Pivot Ring Gap between the pivot ring and the bottom pole Shims were used during testing to tighten pole on pivot block Need a better way to secure pole inside pivot ring12

Liam

Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Testing Issue 3: Pole Rotation Poles should only slide up or down However, testing showed that poles rotated also This rotation can cause damage and unanticipated failures, thus Need to constrain pole rotations13

LiamReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work

Testing Issue 4: Bracket Yielding The pulley brackets yielded Why wasnt this anticipated? See wire twisted around pole Twisting wire required extra winch force which wasnt expected, thus yielding Need to reinforce pulley brackets

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LiamReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Solution 1: Wobbly Legs Need to reduce wobble in cart legs to improve maneuverability Temporary solution by filling gaps with material to occupy space We used shims during testing Future work can improve the legs by designing them more rigidly

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Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Less rigid physical modelRigid CAD modelSolution 2: Loose Pivot Ring 16Ricardo Need a better way to secure pole inside pivot ring Add T-handle screw T-handle screw allows manual tightening of pole inside pivot block Easy to tighten and remove

Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work

Solution 3: Pole Rotation Need to constrain rotation Use inner plastic bars to constrain rotation Also use orange tape along tubes to watch for potential rotations

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RicardoReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Solution 4: Bracket Yielding Need to reinforce pulley brackets Bending likely because of extra load from twisting rope One fix is to constrain rotation ( Solution 3) Also use pulley with wing to distribute load better

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Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Electrical System Status19

David

RCA CableMonitorWinged wire connectorsBattery Camera45 ft wiresCamera Camera and Monitor Wiring20DavidReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work MonitorCameraBatteryRCA CableWireWire

Battery45 ft of Wires rated 20 AmpsPushbuttonWinged wire connectorPole Saw Wiring21DavidReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work WireWirePushbuttonPole Saw+ BatteryExperiment on Tree Branches Need to know pole saw current to estimate power consumption and properly select wiring by gauge Carried out a field test33 data runs11 small branches 11 medium branches11 large branchesMaterial: wood Measured current (A) versus branch diameter (in) for 33 cases Note: Stems of oil palm fruits may be softer than wood, making this a conservative experiment22Branch DesignationDiameter (in)Small0.4 0.7Medium0.7 1.0Large 1.0 1.5Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work DavidExperiment on Tree Branches23David

33 runs: 11 small, 11 medium, 11 large branches, respectively.Results show 8A current as largest operation current.Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work

Updates Power estimate 8 amps of current5 sec/ cut24From analysis: Higher rated wires (20A) Winged wire connectors for easy storage

Wiring changes:DavidReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Safety ConsiderationsGianni25

26Safety ConsiderationsPROTECTIVE GEAR:

INDUSTRIAL HELMETSAFETY GOGGLESGLOVESGianni

Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Keep the harvester stationary Check for level groundDo not push/pull the harvester while the poles are extended

27BEFORE OPERATION:Safety ConsiderationsGianni

Use the bullseye from cart Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Fix tree grips to tree before turning on pole saw

Remain attentive for falling branches or fruit

28DURING OPERATION:Safety ConsiderationsGianni

Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work In case of inclement weather, it is recommended to stop the operation, lower the poles, and resume only after the weather has been cleared.

In case the telescoping pole falls, the operator should immediately stop and exit outside of the range that the pole saw can cover.

29DURING OPERATION:Safety ConsiderationsGianni43 ftReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work

FUTURE WORK30RicardoReview Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work

Questions, Concerns, Suggestions?

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