Automatic Dog Feeder Literature Review

1.0 Introduction

Automatic Dog Feeder An automatic dog feeder allows dogs be fed every day at specified times. The feeder can feed a dog up to five times a day this can be programed in by the owner of the dog feeder. This feeder is for outdoor dogs it allows dogs to be fed for up to three weeks. The automatic feeder will be able to feed dry food and will also supply constant water for the dog. The feeder bowl will have an automatic lid so it will only allow a specified dog open the bowl when he walks within a certain range of the feeder. This literature review will look at the different ways of controlling the different mechanisms in the automatic dog feeder. The literature review looks at Programmable Logic Controllers or micro controllers

In the agricultural sector grain stores use augers to transfer the grain from the ground into large silos. This grain is auger feed up to the top of the silo where it drops into the silo. The advantages of a screw conveyor are the level of control that can be achieved when feeding. It is small and compact and only requires a single motor to drive the system. When they are sized right there is little damage done to the conveying material (i.e. dog food) The disadvantages of screw conveyors are the motor required has to be between 60%-65% higher torque than the operational speed due to needing a high start-up torque. If the auger is designed incorrectly the feed may be crushed before it reaches its final

These devices are very low-cost and can be used easily in digital control applications. Most microcontrollers have built in circuits necessary for computer control applications. For example a microcontroller may have A/D converters so that the external signals can be sampled. They also have parallel input output ports so that digital data can be read or output from the microcontroller. Some devices have built in D/A converters and the output of the converter can be used to drive the plant through an actuator. Microcontrollers may also have built-in timer and interrupt logic. Using the timer or interrupt facilities we can program the microcontroller to implement the control algorithm accurately. Microcontrollers have traditionally been programmed using the assembly language of the target device. (HOON SIEW CHEAH. (2006).

The advantages of using a microcontroller are they are a reasonably cheap to buy and can be programmed easily. You can buy microcontrollers with built in timers to control the automation process, for turning on and off motors at certain times set by the end user. It is very easy to combine all the electronics into one simple control system like a micro