Design And Development Of An Autonomous Ploughing and Levelling Robot

Project Title

Design And Development Of An Autonomous Ploughing and Levelling Robot

Project Area of Specialization Mechanical EngineeringProject Summary

Agriculture has become an important sector in rural areas for economic growth, food security, job creation, and poverty alleviation. It contributes 19.2 percent to Pakistan's GDP and employs about 38.5 percent of the labor force.

This system is primarily about the development of cultivation without any use of labor. The goal is to minimize the amount of labor and time required. In many countries, there is not enough agricultural labor to handle the required growth. It is time to automate the agricultural sector. The future aspects of this project are to expand the sensors for humidity or add more functions

In this system, a microcontroller will be utilized so we can control the different activities of the prototype. To operate plow lifting mechanism plow would be utilized that will rotate corresponding to the motor’s RPM. Microcontroller will receive the input and allow the prototype to perform further functions like Plowing and Levelling.

Following mechanisms will be connected to Bluetooth module to control the operation of the prototype:

1. Lifting mechanism links will be used in the prototype which drives the jagged teeth device served as plowing. The iron jagged teeth move down when the robot travels in the forward direction and loosen the upper layer of soil.
2.  Leveling is giving uniform distribution, a flat and even surface to the field. The leveler functions in a similar way to plowing. The robot movement will cause the roller to move and as a result level the surface.

The wheel provides the robot with enough traction on uneven terrain, powered by a DC motor. The critical hardware for plowing and leveling is located in the rear of the robot, which performs the functions that depend on the microcontroller. A 12V 7ah battery is used as the power supply and helps run the motor that drives the wheels and other critical functions of the robot. The plowing and leveling devices are driven by servo motors

In this project we will use:

• Arduino Uno
• 12V DC Battery
• DC motors
• Leveler Mechanism
• Plough Mechanism
• Bluetooth
• Buck Controller
• Coding  

Project Objectives

Objectives:

1. To build a battery-operated smart agricultural robot for multipurpose farm activities.
2.   To find out what forces are acting on the plow and the leveler by running simulations of the process
3.  It should be easy to operate and safe handling.

Aims :

1. To know how Arduino sensor will work in robotics
2. Interface sensors with vehicle
3. Interface Bluetooth device with vehicle
4. Control ploughing depth
5. Level the soil as required
6. Documentation of project
7. Write a general paper on project
8. Calculations of vehicle parameters

Project Implementation Method

Project Implementation Method :

The multipurpose agricultural robot consists of a chassis, a plowing mechanism, and a leveler machine. Two main criteria were considered in the design of the robot frame: minimum weight and strength. To achieve this, the following steps were carried out.

Task	Reason and How
Development of the robot chassis	The chassis provides the rigidity and stiffness required to sustain the various vehicle components as well as the payload.
Installation of the motors in the chassis	The servo motors supply power to the robot's rear and front axles, allowing it to move forward and do other tasks. Plowing and Leveling devices are also powered by servo motors
Development and Design of the plow	To make a simple plow for farmers. Turns and loosens the soil, buries crop waste, and helps control weeds
Development and Design of the leveler	Preparing the irrigation area so that there are no high and/or low spots that interfere with the even distribution of irrigation water in the field.
Making design using Solidworks	All parts were created in Solidworks, then the prototype is made
Literature review of the plow and leveler	To know how the plow and leveler work in the field and to make it easier for farmers to work with them
Selecting the wheels	The wheels are the main component of the robot for smooth operation. The wheels used ensure that whether the field is muddy or hard, it is easy to grip.
Installing the plow, leveler and all other components into the chassis	When all components are ready, they are connected to the chassis to ensure the final appearance of the robot.
Connecting Arduino with plow and leveler	An Arduino UNO is used as the microcontroller that acts as the brain of the prototype to control the movement of the robot and perform the plowing and leveling functions
Battery installation	A 12V 7Ah battery serves as the power supply and supports the motors that drive the wheels, the plow, the leveler, and other important functions of the prototype
Interfacing of  the buck converter and relay modules with the Arduino	Relay modules are used as motor derives that control motors with high current loads and have been connected to the Arduino UNO. Similarly, a buck converter is used as a buck converter that lowers the voltage from the supply to the load to avoid voltage spikes.
Pairing the Bluetooth module	The HC-05 Bluetooth module is used to control all operations via the mobile application. All the operation are linked each other through microcontroller
Testing the operations with IMU MP -6050	To have the kinematics of the two mechanisms, plow and leveler. The codes were added to the Arduino and then connected to the plow and the leveler to obtain the results
Documentation, Testing and demos	For writeup and thesis through Literature review, technical writing and testing
Final writeup and presentation	For FYP submission using Technical writing and communication skills

Task

Development of the robot chassis

Installation of the motors in the chassis

Development and Design of the plow

Development and Design of the leveler

Making design using Solidworks

Literature review of the plow and leveler

Selecting the wheels

Installing the plow, leveler and all other components into the chassis

Connecting Arduino with plow and leveler

Battery installation

Interfacing of  the buck converter and relay modules with the Arduino

Pairing the Bluetooth module

Testing the operations with IMU MP -6050

Documentation, Testing and demos 

Final writeup and presentation  

Benefits of the Project

Benefits of the Project

This robot/prototype will help reduce the farmer's time and labor. It is capable enough for smooth operations involved in plowing and leveling in agriculture. It will improve the productivity of crops and the crops we receive are rich in nutrients. They also help to reduce operating costs to a minimum so that they are affordable for every farmer. To ensure government compliance and quickly meet the production needs of farmers and the government. This project has a wide scope and helps with the following:

• Reduce the time and increased labor efficiency
• Cost Efficient
• Farmers perform more than one operation with the prototype
• Automating operations to increase the yield on large scale
• Improved Quality Assurance
• Improved Supply Chain
• Reduced food wastage
• More working time
• Increased Financial Sustainability

Since the technical solutions are fragmented, complicated and costly, this prototype will help to fix all that. Many applications have moved from the future to the present due to lower implementation costs and a changing consumer market.

Applications of the project are preparing the field by attaching different implements equipments and machinery for leveling and plowing.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

This project aims to implement a fully functional prototype agriculture system. The product to be delivered would include an Arduino UNO micro-controller with a Bluetooth module and a prototype for large scale plowing and leveling. This project involves integrating multiple technologies into a cohesive and robust framework to provide farmers and the management team with critical information about plowing and leveling and soil condition. The information include;

• Soil depth
• Turn and break up soil
• Bury soil residues
• Control weed
• Uniform distribution of water in the fields during irrigation
• Acceleration
• Speed and Torque
• Battery Power
• Land fertility
• Soil hardness
• Crops condition
• RPM

And many other important parameters

Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry AgricultureOther Industries Manufacturing , Others Core Technology Artificial Intelligence(AI)Other Technologies RoboticsSustainable Development Goals Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Climate Action, Life on LandRequired Resources

Elapsed time in (days or weeks or month or quarter) since start of the project	Milestone	Deliverable
Month 1	Literature Survey	To know what sort of work has been down by the previous people.
Month 2	Analytical Calculations	To know forces, power and torque requirment.
Month 3	Modeling	Finalisation of dimensions and designing 3D CAD Model
Month 4	Simulations	Static Structural and Dynamic Analysis on Ansys and Adams respectively.
Month 5	Fabrication	Market Survey and Development of Prototype.
Month 6	Testing	Mechanism and Prototype testing using IMU MPU 6050.
Month 7	Write Up	Based on all results report was made and later Paper was written.