Automatic pet feeder redesign
From DDL Wiki
Contents |
Design Concepts
Redesign Rotating Dispenser
The original rotating fin design was susceptible to food becoming stuck before reaching the bowl at the bottom. This design would be replaced by one relying on a horizontally oriented auger. The auger is similar in design to a screw, with threads that follow a helical shape, and the helical axis is the axis along the screw's length. The auger differs in that, compared to the properties of a screw<ref name="screw properties">http://www.buyblueprint.com/images/articles/48/122.jpg</ref>, the auger has a larger thread angle and pitch.
Rotation about the axis allows for translation of material along the axis <ref name="archimedes pump">http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Archimedes-screw_two-screw-threads_3D-view_animated.gif&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Archimedes%27_screws&usg=__72QZX3PinsK0LI_HfuwXMMtYWlg=&h=405&w=515&sz=2417&hl=en&start=13&um=1&tbnid=ei_DBqxtcaNl5M:&tbnh=103&tbnw=131&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dscrew%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26um%3D1</ref>. There would be a chamber that the auger is held within, and the food would enter from a hole in the chamber, located above the auger. The food would only have access to the auger on one end, and as the auger rotates, food would be transferred to the opposite end, without interference from the other pellets of food. Once the food reaches the other end, there will be an opening at the bottom to drop the food into the bowl.
To maintain the feeder's ability to control portions, there will be compartments within the helical section of the auger. These will allow food within the auger to be kept in known portions, and a limit switch will be used to notify the motor when to run and stop. To trip the limit switch we will use a gear design similar to the current gear on the motor, with protrusions that contact the limit switch.
Market Research
Competitor Products
Brookstone Auto Feeder
Special Features<ref name="Brookstone_Product_Details">http://www.brookstone.com/Programmable-Automatic-Dog-Feeders.html?bkeid=compare|mercent|googlebase|search&mr:trackingCode=0DA45775-E985-DE11-9973-0019B9C2BEFD&mr:referralID=NA</ref>
- Price: $129.95
- 20lb capacity for large, but available in different size
- Programmable digital timer, allows for up to 8 meals per day
- AC adapter included, power cord has protective sheathing to prevent pets from chewing
- Battery backup
Customer Reviews
- 3.9/5 Stars on Brookstone<ref name="Lentek_Rating">http://www.brookstone.com/Programmable-Automatic-Dog-Feeders.html?bkeid=compare|mercent|googlebase|search&mr:trackingCode=0DA45775-E985-DE11-9973-0019B9C2BEFD&mr:referralID=NA</ref>
- Attractive design
- Able to feed 7 cats
- Difficult to program
- Pet can get extra food by sticking their paw up the food shoot
- Food amount unpredictable
- Works better with large amounts of food
Lentek Automatic Six Day Feeder
Special Features<ref name="Lentek_Product_Details">http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5969455&sourceid=1500000000000003260550&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=5969455#ProductDetail</ref>
- Price: $39.84
- 6 separate, 2/3 cup food trays
- Can dispense wet food
- Serves up to six meals over six days
- Timer set on 6,12, or 24 hour intervals
Customer Reviews
- 3.5/5 Stars on Amazon<ref name="Lentek_Rating">http://www.amazon.com/Lentek-6-Day-Automatic-Pet-Dish/product-reviews/B00006JHRE/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1</ref>
- Loud motor
- Battery doesn't last very long
- Easily broken
- Trays are small if trying to feed a dog
- Refill food often
Blitz® Auto-Dine 25 Dog Feeder
Special Features<ref name="Blitz_Product_Details">http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1288930&CAWELAID=112344059</ref>
- Price: $34.99
- 25lb. capacity
- Can be permanently mounted
- Water proof lid, can be used indoor or out
Customer Reviews
- 4.5/5 Stars on Amazon<ref name="Blitz_Rating">http://www.amazon.com/Bergan-Aut-O-Dine-25-Colors-Vary/product-reviews/B000BQSKS2/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending</ref>
- Dogs regulate own food consumption
- Dogs have to push door open to get food
Design and Competitor Comparison
task list for report 2
3 ideas: feedback for dog, auditory feedback (james) feedback for owner, remote operation (jason) feeding mechanism redesign, auger (gumball machine, grain, etc...) (gary)
Provide a brief executive summary that describes your key findings and recommendations. • Provide a description of your market research and observations. Include pictures to communicate key observations where possible. Summarize top stakeholder product needs in a list. Jason
• Provide sketches and descriptions of your top three to five design concepts, describing what opportunities have been identified and how they will be addressed. Gary, Jason, and James
• Identify relevant competitor products from your patent searches, commercial searches, web searches, and expert interviews. Compare pros and cons of each of your concepts on a standard Pugh chart against your top stakeholder needs, and benchmark against the most relevant competitors. If your concepts are better on some attributes and worse on others, identify any market segments likely to value the tradeoffs you can offer. James
• Provide a Gantt chart to map out the team plan for design and prototyping through the remainder of the semester. Please be detailed to your particular project and individual member contributions. Lauren
• Identify team member roles during this phase and summarize your process. Submit
individual peer evaluations to Prof. Michalek.
EVERYONE
• Summarize your findings and recommendations. In particular, identify which concept you recommend pursuing for the remainder of the semester. EVERYONE
Provide a hypothetical user scenario representative of your target market from your research findings to motivate your top solution concept. Gary
• Include your list of at least 100 brainstorming ideas in an appendix. EVERYONE
• Of course, please include an executive summary, citations of references, and formatting expected of any professional report. Be sure to clearly highlight your major findings and recommendations in each section and overall. Identify any critical places where more information is needed.
Be sure to justify all assertions and recommendations using your research and analysis. EVERYONE
References
<references/>
