Midterm Presentation 2

1. Midterm Presentation 2 Senior Design Team 25: Palm Harvester

2. Group Members Ricardo Aleman, ME Gianni Alessandria, IE David Boswell, ECE Yuze (Liam) Liu, ME • Brian Newman, ME • Bolivar Lobo, IE • Louis-Olivier Verret, IE Ricardo

3. Advisors • Dr. 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) Ricardo

4. Project Review Palm Harvester Goal Develop an effective, efficient, and economical oil palm harvester Ricardo

5. Review of Fall 2013 Ricardo Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

6. Review of Spring 2013 Ricardo Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

7. New Name: MORPHEUS • Mechatronically • Operated • Retractable • Palm • Harvesting • Experimental • Use • System Morpheus Greek God of Dreams Ricardo Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

8. Assembly Status • All mechanical subassemblies have been completed! Ricardo Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

9. Testing Liam

10. Cart and Pole Testing • Cart rolled out to AME field • Pole assembly was winched 25ft • Winching up was not hard • Winching down was safe with braking • All problems were observed and noted Liam Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

11. Testing Issue 1: Wobbly Legs • Cart wheels weren’t perfect when rolling to field • Problem stems from wobble in cart legs • Need to reduce wobble in cart legs to improve maneuverability Target Actual Liam Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

12. 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 ring Liam Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

13. 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 rotations Liam Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

14. Testing Issue 4: Bracket Yielding • The pulley brackets yielded • Why wasn’t this anticipated? • See wire twisted around pole • Twisting wire required extra winch force which wasn’t expected, thus yielding • Need to reinforce pulley brackets Liam Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

15. Solution 1: Wobbly Legs Rigid CAD model • 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 Less rigid physical model Ricardo Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

16. Solution 2: Loose Pivot Ring • 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 Ricardo Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

17. 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 Ricardo Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

18. 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 Ricardo Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

19. Electrical System Status David

20. Battery Camera 45 ft wires Camera and Monitor Wiring Monitor Winged wire connectors Battery Wire Wire Camera Monitor RCA Cable RCA Cable Camera David Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

21. Pushbutton Pole Saw Wiring 45 ft of Wires rated 20 Amps Winged wire connector Battery Pushbutton Wire Wire Pole Saw+ Battery David Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

22. Experiment on Tree Branches • Need to know pole saw current to estimate power consumption and properly select wiring by gauge • Carried out a field test • 33 data runs • 11 small branches • 11 medium branches • 11 large branches • Material: 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 experiment David Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

23. Experiment on Tree Branches 33 runs: 11 small, 11 medium, 11 large branches, respectively. Results show 8A current as largest operation current. David Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

24. Updates • Power estimate • 8 amps of current • 5 sec/ cut From analysis: Wiring changes: • Higher rated wires (20A) • Winged wire connectors for easy storage David Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

25. Safety Considerations Gianni

26. Safety Considerations PROTECTIVE GEAR: SAFETY GOGGLES GLOVES INDUSTRIAL HELMET Gianni Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

27. Safety Considerations BEFORE OPERATION: • Keep the harvester stationary • Check for level ground • Do not push/pull the harvester while the poles are extended • Use the bullseye from cart Gianni Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

28. Safety Considerations DURING OPERATION: • Fix tree grips to tree before turning on pole saw • Remain attentive for falling branches or fruit Gianni Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

29. Safety Considerations 43 ft DURING OPERATION: • 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. Gianni Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

30. FUTURE WORK Ricardo Review – Testing – Electrical Status – Safety – Future Work

31. Questions, Concerns, Suggestions?