Introduction The Arbuckle s automated simple-to-use cat feeder allows any cat owner to enjoy the benefits of owning a cat without constantly worrying about the need to feed the animal. Utilizing RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, the Arbuckle s Cat Feeder is a revolutionary product that keeps the cat at a healthy, balanced diet any time during the year. The Cat Feeder s user friendly interface even allows the owner to setup the amount of food, the number of times to feed per day, and the handling of multiple cats on the same feeder via a rotary pulse generator and LCD display. Even better, the Arbuckle s Cat Feeder notifies the owner over the internet when to refill the device shortly before the supply goes empty! IR or Infrared LEDs are cleverly hidden by packaging materials that allow the microcontroller to keep track of the level of food supply. The Arbuckles s Cat Feeder will be integrated and packaged into a commercial automated cat feeder. The objective of the packaging is to make the product accessible to consumers of all ages but at the same time allow technical personal to easily make modifications to the product. Most importantly, the marketed product should become a benefactor to all cat owners under careful and appropriate packaging designs. Analysis of Commercial Products To better understand the necessities for packaging the RFID Cat Feeder, three commercial products currently on the market were compared for competitor analysis - The Autopetfeeder for cats developed by Ergosystems, the PetSafe 2Meal Pet Feeder, and the PetSafe 3 Meal Electronic Pet Feeder. By analyzing the advantages and drawbacks to each of these designs, the Arbuckle s Cat Feeder can implement the strengths in the packaging details of these products while avoid unnecessary modifications. Ergo Systems AutoPetFeeder for Cats Figure 1.1 Ergo Autopetfeeder
Due to its compact and slim design, Ergo s Autopetfeeder allows the cat owner to place the cat feeder in any corner of the house without taking up too much space. Referring to Figure 1.1, label one indicates the horizontal feed auger system that allows cat food to dispense in accurate portions according to the owner. The auger system dispenses with the aid of a high torque synchronous motor. The specifications indicate that the auger is composed of metal over nylon to prevent food from jamming in the dispensing process. Furthermore, a food agitator is included within this product to prevent food for getting stale. The auger system is also enclosed in durable plastic material. There is a chew-proof electric cord cover to prevent to cat from pulling tricks on the feeder. The following design has two immediate advantages first, the cat food will dispense at a correct rate every single time to accurately reflect the cat s eating needs; second, the auger system enclosed in plastic design eliminates the possibility of the cat obtaining more food by clawing the feeder. Label two indicates the positioning of the cat s bowl. In the Autopetfeeder design, the bowl is detachable for cleaning. This is a definitely a critical necessity of the product since the food bowl will need constant cleaning. Label three indicates the transparent food storage tank. The food tank allows up to two to three weeks of cat food storage for a single cat. The food storage limit is 20 pounds. The quantity of food allowed for storage is definitely a plus in this design. The transparent tank shows the owner the amount of food left in the system at all times and signals the owner when to refill. Label four is simply the secure plastic lid used to seal the food from the outside. The lid is shut with a simple locking mechanism that does not allow food to be spilled out of the tank even if the feeder is pushed over. Label five perhaps indicates the heart of this design the timer module for the lazy pet owner! The pet owner is given the privilege to set the amount of time for the food to dispense. The time is used to control the rate at which cat food comes out of the auger in this design. The timer module is a twenty four hour digital timer that can allow up to eight feedings per day. Despite Ergo s Autopetfeeder being one of the best auto pet feeder products out on the market, the product does not account for multiple cats in a family. Moreover, the design relies on the fact that the owner will refill the food supply tank when he or she physically sees the tank empty. Also, the timer module is also not enclosed in a safe architecture that might cause the cat to tamper with it. PetSafe Meal Pet Feeder Figure 1.2 PetSafe 2Meal Pet Feeder
Another automatic cat feeder similar on the market is the PetSafe 2Meal Pet Feeder. Viewing the product, the team immediately notices that the device has a clear advantage of portability. The PetSafe 2 Meal Pet Feeder also exploits a design of two bowls instead of one allowing different types of cat food to be stored within the same device. Similar to Ergo s Auto Feeder, the PetSafe 2Meal embraces the design of a timer device for the owner to select the appropriate time when which lid should open. The specifications of this product indicate that the timer can be set to either feed twice a day at two given times or one meal each day in two days. The product does not have a food storage tank that limits its extension time for automatic feeding. The cat owner must refill the PetSafe 2Meal almost once every other day. This eliminates the possibility of the cat owner using this device when on vacation. There is also an obvious flaw in the design in that the lid might accidentally hit the cat s head when opening at the set time. The design does not incorporate a food agitator to keep the food fresh. Figure 1.3 PetSafe 3 Meal Electronic Pet Feeder The next cat feeder model to be analyzed is the improved version of PetSafe 2, the PetSafe 3 Meal Electronic Pet Feeder. The PetSafe 3 is just as portable as its previous version due to its small size. In solving the crisis with the lid possibly injuring the cat, PetSafe has replaced the 2 bowl lid system with a rotating 3 bowl system. Instead of the lid popping up at the appropriate time, the lid simply rotates in a circular fashion that exposes the food to be dispensed. The extension time of the automatic feeding has expanded to three days given three bowls now. However, three meals could be dispensed in one day, causing the owner to refill every single day as the previous design. Perhaps the main improvement of PetSafe 3 is the ability for the owner to prerecord his or her voice for the cat at meal times. The owner s voice will be played to signal to the cat that it is time to eat. This voice recording option differentiates this product from other similar cat feeders but it is not a key necessity for a cat feeder product. Besides the voice recording and timer modules, the PetSafe models do not have any other user interfaces such as LCD displays or keypad encodings. The size and shapes of the PetSafe feeders can also be a drawback since a cat or child could easily move the device around. Specifications for Packaging The Arbuckle s development team realizes the importance of marketability of any product in the real world. The key issues that the team will focus on are the safety, features, and aesthetics of the product. Other packaging design issues such as storage capacity and interfacing will also be touched upon in the next paragraph.
In terms of aesthetics, the primary color of the architecture of the cat feeder will be the color white. The color white implies cleanliness and neatness that the product should promote. In addition, the color white generally gives the product a bright brand new look even a while after being purchased. The material for the product s architecture will be acrylic plastic. Acrylic plastic is composed of smooth surfaces that prevent any cat or human being from physical injury when in contact with the surface of Arbuckle s Cat Feeder. Acrylic plastic also serves as an excellent insulator against any heat and other environmental hazards such as dust. Acrylic plastic is also lighter than wood or metal materials that allow the Cat Feeder to be more portable among homes. The optimal weight could be achieved with an acrylic plastic architecture - the product will be heavy enough not to be easily moved by a cat or child, but on the other hand manageable for any adult owner to transport around. The components that will be enclosed in the architecture will be the microcontroller, the RFID reader, and the relay circuit. The rotary pulse generator, IRLEDs, and LCD display will either be partially concealed by the architecture or built onto the surface of the architecture. The devices primarily for user interaction are designed to be exposed for the user to program any settings for the device. The Arbuckle s Cat Feeder will be incorporating the Ergo Systems AutoFeeder without the timer module into the design. The primary advantages of the Ergo Systems cat feeder is the auger system, the food agitator, the chew-proof power cord, and the massive food storage tank for 20 pounds of cat food. The auger system ensures that the appropriate amount is dispensed. The food agitator allows food to be stored for longer than normal in the storage tank. The chew-proof power cord ensures that the cats are safe from electrical shocks. The food storage facility allows our device to extend the period of time that the cat is automatically taken care of. The RFID technology works off of two primary components, the RFID reader (with antenna) and its corresponding frequency transponders. As a transponder approaches the antenna, the RFID reader sends a pulse to the transponder. The transponder is then powered up and transmits its ID(an identification number in hexadecimal format) back to the receiving reader. Based on the ID, the reader can distinguish between items and display information based on the product. The RFID antenna that is attached to the reader will be cleverly mounted below the detachable food dish of the Ergo cat feeder in a 2x6x2 inch cavity. The RFID transponder or tag will be camouflaged and attached to the cat s collar with Velcro or string fiber. Since the range of the 134.2 khz low frequency reader is short, the cat s head will need to be 10 cm above the dish for the antenna to detect a transponder. This also eliminates any tag interference issues when multiples cats are using the Arbuckle s Cat Feeder. Since only one cat s head can fit into the area above the dish, there should not be any issues with cats fighting over cat food. The 20x4 LCD screen display allows the cat owner to view the settings of the Arbuckle s Cat Feeder more clearly than any smaller sized LCD or VFD display. The rotary pulse generator will be placed next to the LCD display for allowing the cat owner to view and change his or her settings at the same time. The four IRLED s will be taped or mounted on the surface of the food storage tank at these four positions: top, bottom, left middle, and right middle. Each IRLED will have a corresponding IR Photo Transistor on the opposite end. The goal of these coordinates is to detect when the food
in the container is almost empty. The IRLED s and IR photo transistors will be protected and hidden with soft material such as white cloth or white fiber on the exterior. The Arbuckle s Cat Feeder differentiates from all other automatic cat feeders in the industry in three different aspects the use of RFID technology, the ability for multiple cats to share the product, and the ability for the microcontroller and PC to send a notification email to the cat owner when the food supply is near empty. The microcontroller will utilize an Ethernet controller or add-on module for network connectivity. The microcontroller or RFID may interface with the computer through an SCI interface. 8 Detailed Scale CAD Drawing 18½ 9 8 9 6 Figure 1.4 CAD Drawing Referring to the CAD Drawing in Figure 1.4, the Arbuckle s Cat Feeder can be broken down into two architectures. Architecture A is simply the Ergo Systems food dispenser unit and RFID antenna while architecture B holds the primary components within: the microcontroller, the RFID reader, and the reed relay circuit. The LCD display and rotary control generator are mounted on the surface of architecture B.
Materials List Material Quantity IRLED 4 IR Photo Transistor 4 Freescale MC9S12NE64 MC 1 Texas Instrument s RI K2A 001A Low Frequency Evaluation Kit (Reader only) 1 A/C Switching Relay Circuit 1 LCD Display 1 Rotary Pulse Generator 1 Pet Food Dispenser 1 Acrylic Plastic, Screws, Cloth, Velcro N/A Additional Circuitry N/A Table 1.1 Materials List Tooling List Soldering Tools Electric Drill Wire Strippers Dremel Screws/ScrewDriver Caulk Gun Estimate of Weight and Cost Component IRLED IR Photo Transistor Freescale MC9S12NE64 MC Estimated Weight (lb) negligible negligible 0.5 lb Texas Instrument s RI K2A 001A Low Frequency Evaluation Kit (Reader only) A/C Switching Relay Circuit LCD Display Rotary Pulse Generator Pet Food Dispenser Acrylic Plastic, Screws, Cloth, Velcro Additional Circuitry Table 1.2 Estimated Weight = 14.85 lb 0.75 lb (Reader) 0.40 lb (Antenna) 0.5 lb 0.5 lb 0.2 lb 10 lb 1 lb 1 lb
Material Quantity Total Cost(USD) IRLED 4 $6.36 IR Photo Transistor 4 $7.16 Freescale MC9S12NE64 MC 1 $9.30 Texas Instrument s RI K2A 001A Low Frequency Evaluation Kit (Reader only) 1 $595.00($63.00) A/C Switching Relay Circuit 1 $5.00 LCD Display 1 $65.00 Rotary Pulse Generator 1 $2.34 Pet Food Dispenser 1 $120.00 Acrylic Plastic, Screws, Cloth, Velcro N/A $20.00 Additional Circuitry N/A $10.00 Table 1.3 Estimated Cost = $839.00 Despite the fact that the estimated cost is $839.00, the team managed to obtain the RFID evaluation kit and microcontroller evaluation kit for free, dropping the team s actual spending to $244.82. The items are also probably less expensive if purchased from distributors in large quantities, so the estimated cost may be a little more than it should be. Motorola Microcontroller http://www.freescale.com/ List of References TI RFID http://www.ti.com/tiris/docs/products/readers/readers.shtml LCD Display CrystalFontz http://www.crystalfontz.com/products/634/ IRLED http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=ctlg&category_name=ctlg_ 011_006_002_000&product_id=276-143 Ergo SystemsAutoPetFeeder http://www.autopetfeeder.com/p_feeder.asp http://allpetsolutions.zoovy.com/category/electronic_petfeeder/ PetSafe 2 Pet Feeder http://www.americas-pet-store.com/details/prodid/94.html PetSafe 3 Pet Feeder http://www.americas-pet-store.com/details/prodid/297.html http://www.maxiaids.com/store/prodview.asp?idstore=5&idproduct=2402