Automated Baseball Field Lining Device
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Transcript of Automated Baseball Field Lining Device
AUTOMATED BASEBALL FIELD
LINING DEVICE
Ryan O’Connor
The Problem The problem identified is that it is difficult
to effectively lay down straight and accurate foul lines on a baseball field, making it difficult for player and umpires to distinguish between batted balls which fall fair or foul down these lines.
The equipment used to draw these lines is heavy, difficult to push, and generally uncooperative
The Solution I have devised a machine that uses
electrical motors to pull a chassis along a guide-wire, allowing it to pull a basin of chalk and a can of spray paint for the dirt and grass portions of the line, respectively.
The wire would reach from home plate to the foul pole, and would be strung very tightly to minimize path deviation.
The Project The Project was initially planned to be a
production-based project with a functioning robot
The robot was to be built from steel components and a single AC motor that would be incorporated into a gearbox that would drive a pair of pulleys on the top of the machine.
The Project The primary objective of this project is to
produce a functioning robot system capable of traveling in a straight path while laying down chalk and spray paint for baseball foul lines
The Engineering Electrical – The robot will be powered by
a DC battery mounted on the chassis. This battery will be used to power the motor that will drive the gears that pull the robot along the guide wire
Mechanical – The motor will be incorporated into a gearbox that will allow for the pulley system to pull the robot along the wire
The Budget The original budget for this project was
about $50.00 My plan was to use parts from my SRC
project last year to build the chassis and gearbox
I would spend the $50 on scrap and sheet metal that would be used to build the superstructure
All chalk, paint, and the basin would be provided by the Landstown Baseball team
The Budget Unfortunately, I had to wait until
December to confirm whether or not I would be able to use the chassis
I was then informed that I could not I then looked into potentially buying the
parts myself
The Budget The robot chassis would cost between
$350 and $550 Each high-torque motor would cost
between $50 and $150 The gears, hardware, and electrical
supplies would total to approximately $50
In total, a functioning machine would cost between $500 and $900 to build
The Budget This budget made self-funding the
project entirely unfeasible I was then forced to reevaluate my
Senior Design Project
The New Project As such, I had to transition my
functioning project to a series of 2D and 3D CADD drawings (Computer Aided Drafting and Design)
The Learning Curve Unfortunately, in nearly four years at
Landstown, I have never taken a CADD class, and have never used the intricate, advanced drafting software needed
As such, I had to teach myself how to use AutoCAD to produce 2D drawings
I also had to teach myself how to use Autodesk Inventor Professional to produce my 3D drawings and models
My first “CADD”
My initial technical drawings
The Design Process I began by designing the chassis for the
robot, based on the GearsED I measured the specifications from the
GearsED chassis I used last year
The Design Process I used these specifications to design a
to-scale model of the chassis
The Design Process I took these designs and created a 3D
version, along with two axels and 4 wheels to complete the chassis
The Design Process After completing the Chassis, I devised
the superstructure of the robot
The Design Process I again incorporated these designs into
my 3D model of the chassis
The Design Process After the Superstructure was complete, I
designed a model of the motor that I would buy and utilize in my robot
The Design Process I then took the motor and incorporated it
into the superstructure assembly
The Design Process Following completion of the
superstructure, I began devising the chalk basin
I used the specs from the LHS Baseball team’s chalk basin for my model and created 2D drawings based on my measurements
The Design Process
The Design Process
The Design Process After designing the components that
would form the basin structure, I integrated them into a 3D model
The Design Process I then created my own wheels to replace
the stock wheels on the basin These wheels would have low friction
and high traction in both dirt and mud
The Design Process I then added these wheels on low-
friction axels mounted on the basin
The Design Process I then had to devise a way of mounting
the chalk basin to the chassis. I custom-designed a piece that would do
this
The Design Process I then built a 3D model of this part and
affixed it to the chassis
The Design Process Next, I attached the Chalk Basin to the
chassis via the custom basin mount
The Design Process This left only the spray paint that would
draw the outfield lines Again, I had to engineer a custom piece
that would mount the spray can This piece would also need to be able to
hold the can in the “on” position while it moves
The Design Process
The Design Process I then incorporated this piece into the
chassis
The Design Process
The Final Design With all of the components assembled
and integrated, the design was complete The robot design is now capable of
pulling itself along a guide wire It is also capable of pulling a basin filled
with chalk, as well as a can of spray paint
The Final Design
The Final Design
The Final Design
The Final Design
The Final Design