PROJECT REPORT ON

Robotic system for book sorting and handling

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING

BY

Rohan Sahuji

Roll no: 1215041

Tushar Vora

Roll no: 1215055

Mahesh Lokhande

Roll no: 1215056

Vishesh Jaiswal

Roll no: 1215057

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

PROF. Sangeeta Bansode

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

K. J. SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, MUMBAI
UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI

2015-2016
Robotic system for book sorting and
handling
Submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements

For the degree of

Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering

by

Rohan Sahuji 1215041

Tushar Vora 1215055

Mahesh Lokhande 1215056

Vishesh Jaiswal 1215057

Guide

Prof. Sangeeta Bansode

Department of Mechanical Engineering

K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai-77
(Autonomous College Affiliated to University of Mumbai)
Batch 2012 -2016
 K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai-77
(Autonomous College Affiliated to University of Mumbai)

Certificate

This is to certify that the Dissertation entitled “Robotic system for book
sorting and handling” is bona fide record of the dissertation work done by

1. Rohan Sahuji 1215041

2. Tushar Vora 1215055
3. Mahesh Lokhande 1215056
4. Vishesh Jaiswal 1215057

in the year 2015-16 under the guidance of Prof. Sangeeta Bansode of

Department of Mechanical Engineering in partial fulfillment of
requirement for the Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering of
University of Mumbai.

_________________ _____________________
Guide/ Co-Guide Head of the Department

_________________
Principal

Date:
Place: Mumbai-77
 K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai-77
(Autonomous College Affiliated to University of Mumbai)

Certificate of Approval of Examiners

We certify that this project report entitled “Robotic system for book
sorting and handling” is bona fide record of project work done by
1. Rohan Sahuji 1215041
2. Tushar Vora 1215055
3. Mahesh Lokhande 1215056
4. Vishesh Jaiswal 1215057

This project is approved for the award of Bachelor’s Degree in

Mechanical Engineering of University of Mumbai.

_________________ _________________
External Examiner Internal Examiner

Date:
Place: Mumbai-77
 Acknowledgements
We have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been
possible without the kind support and help of many individuals who helped us in
whatever way they could. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of them.
We are highly indebted to Prof. Sangeeta Bansode for her guidance and
constant supervision as well as for her support in completing the project.
We would like to express my gratitude towards my parents & Robocon team
of K.J.S.C.E for their encouragement and kind co-operation which help us in
completion of this project.
We would like to express our special gratitude and thanks to Bro. Kaustubh
Mhatre for giving us the priceless knowledge, time and help in the electronics
department of our project.
 Abstract
A librarian needs to do a large amount of tedious work of issuing, collecting,
maintaining, arranging the books in a library. Moreover, if the library is big enough,
then this work becomes even more hectic. Hence, to reduce a big amount of
workload, we have transferred the act of arranging the books in the library to the
robotic arm. The main objective of the project is to develop a robotic arm which can
help reduce the work load of human in a library.

The robotic system for book sorting and handling is an automated system to
sort the books and arrange them using sensors. It has two linear degrees of freedom,
vertical and horizontal. The robotic system is a prototype carrying one book at a time
and placing it to desired location. The design of components and selection of
materials is done using different reference books. The components which could not
be manufactured were bought by selecting them based on the application they serve.
Finally the system was assembled using all the components.

Thus a robotic system for book sorting based on colour sensing technology
using LDR was manufactured and tested. Also placing the book and arranging it in a
specific order was accomplished using combination of different mechanisms.

Keywords: Robotic arm, book sorting, degree of freedom, colour sensing, LDR,
mechanisms.
 Contents

List of figures .................................................................................................................. i

List of tables ................................................................................................................. iii
Nomenclature ................................................................................................................ iv
1.Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Problem definition ................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Scope .................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 3
1.4 Process flow chart ................................................................................................ 4
1.5 Organization of thesis........................................................................................... 5
2. Literature review ........................................................................................................ 6
2.1 Humanoid Robot .................................................................................................. 6
2.2 Modern Autonomous Robot ................................................................................. 7
2.3 Basics for the book sorting robotic system .......................................................... 7
2.4 Objectives ........................................................................................................... 10
3. Design and selection of components........................................................................ 11
3.1 Working components ......................................................................................... 15
3.1.1 Column ........................................................................................................ 15
3.1.3 Baffle assembly ........................................................................................... 21
3.1.4 Pulley and Rope ........................................................................................... 26
3.1.5 High torque motor ....................................................................................... 28
3.1.6 Power window mounting and Support ........................................................ 31
3.1.7 Rack and pinion ........................................................................................... 33
3.1.8 DC Motor ..................................................................................................... 36
3.1.9 Roller support .............................................................................................. 37
3.1.10 Gripper ....................................................................................................... 38
3.1.11 Servo Motor ............................................................................................... 40
3.1.12 Sensor ........................................................................................................ 42
3.2 Controlling components ..................................................................................... 45
3.2.1 Relay Switch ................................................................................................ 45
 3.2.2 Arduino ........................................................................................................ 46
3.2.3 Arduino code: .............................................................................................. 50
3.3 Cost Report......................................................................................................... 58
4. Conclusion and Future Scope .................................................................................. 59
4.1 Conclusion and results ....................................................................................... 59
4.2 Future scope ....................................................................................................... 60
4.2.1 Mobility: ...................................................................................................... 61
4.2.2 Obstacle detection and proper book placement: .......................................... 61
4.2.3 Sensing: ....................................................................................................... 62
4.2.4 Multiple books carrying: ............................................................................. 62
References .................................................................................................................... 63
 List of figures

Fig 1.1: Manufactured robotic system ........................................................................... 5

Fig 2.1: Robotic crank arm ............................................................................................ 8
Fig 2.2: Pneumatic library robot .................................................................................... 9
Fig 3.1: Solidworks model ........................................................................................... 14
Fig 3.2: Column and support ....................................................................................... 15
Fig 3.3: Types of columns ......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.6
Fig 3.4: Column section ............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.6
Fig 3.5: Bending of column ....................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.7
Fig 3.6: Support section ............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.9
Fig 3.7: Types of guiding pair...................................................................................... 20
Fig 3.8: Baffle assembly .............................................................................................. 21
Fig 3.9: Gripper way .................................................................................................... 21
Fig 3.10: Boltig position .............................................................................................. 23
Fig 3.11: Force diagram of baffle assembly .............. Error! Bookmark not defined.4
Fig 3.12 Baffle bolt desigin ....................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.4
Fig 3.13: Pulley .......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.6
Fig 3.14: Pulley mounting.......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.6
Fig 3.15 Pulley force diagram .................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.7
Fig 3.16: Clutch wire ................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.7
Fig 3.17: Geared motor .............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.8
Fig 3.18: Planetary gear motor................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.9
Fig 3.19: Piezo actuator drive .................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.9
Fig 3.20: Power window ............................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.9
Fig 3.21: Internal of a power window ......................................................................... 30
Fig 3.22: L-section ....................................................................................................... 31
Fig 3.23: Power window mounting.............................................................................. 32
Fig 3.24: Straight teeth pinion ..................................................................................... 33

i
Fig 3.25: Helical pinion ............................................................................................... 33
Fig 3.26: Roller pinion ................................................................................................. 33
Fig 3.27: Timing rack ................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.4
Fig 3.28: Rack and Pinion terms ................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.4
Fig 3.29: Force diagram of book................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.5
Fig 3.30: Rack and pinion assembly .......................... Error! Bookmark not defined.5
Fig 3.31: DC Motor working ..................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.6
Fig 3.32: Fleming's Left left hand rule ...................... Error! Bookmark not defined.6
Fig 3.33: Motor mounting .......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.7
Fig 3.34: Roller .......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.7
Fig 3.35: Support using roller .................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.7
Fig 3.36: Gripper ........................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.8
Fig 3.37: Gripper mounting ......................................................................................... 40
Fig 3.38: Servo motor working .................................................................................... 41
Fig 3.39: Limit Switch ................................................................................................. 42
Fig 3.40: Light dependent resistor ............................................................................... 43
Fig 3.41: LDR circuit ................................................................................................... 43
Fig 3.42: Colour sensor .............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.4
Fig 3.43: Relay switch ............................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.5
Fig 3.44: Arduino pin configuration .......................... Error! Bookmark not defined.6
Fig 3.45: H-Bridge ..................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.7
Fig 3.46: Circuit for motor in forward ....................... Error! Bookmark not defined.7
Fig 3.47: Circuit for motor in reverse ........................ Error! Bookmark not defined.8
Fig 3.48: Arduino circuit............................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.9

ii
 List of tables

Table 4.1: Direct kinematics ........................................................................................ 60

iii
Nomenclature

σ – Stress

µ - Coefficient of friction

W – Weight

F – Force

D – Diameter

B – Magnetic field

I – Current

L – Length

T – Torque

iv
v
 Chapter 1
Introduction

This chapter presents a brief introduction to the project of the robotic system for
book sorting and handling. It covers points such as ideology, problem definition,
scope, methodology and operation of the system.

The topic robotic system for book sorting and handling is a unique and
challenging project topic. Robots are slowly taking the place of human labours in
every field of physical work. Modern robots are even capable of their own decision
making. Hence it is an expected change in future that the book stores or libraries are
handled by the robots.
A library is a place for storing books which can be retrieved at any time by
any authorized person. The library contains a thousand or even more books belonging
to different authors or fields of study etc. It therefore becomes a challenging task to
find a particular book desired by the person amongst all these different kinds of
books. Owing to this never-ending task, a solution has been found for easy retrieval of
books. When a person needs to retrieve a book from a library, he knows the book‟s
unique characteristic is that he is looking for. This characteristic may be the book‟s
author, genre, subject etc. Hence, the books in the library are arranged in a specific
order in which all the similar kinds of books depending on the distinguishing
characteristic are kept together at one place in the library. This makes the retrieval of
book a very easy process. For this arrangement, the books have to be arranged
accordingly by the librarian which is another tedious work for a human to do. So, a
step towards shifting this task from manual to automate has been taken in order to
reduce the workload of the librarian.

1.1 Problem definition

In a library or a book store, the number of books contained is in range of some
hundreds to a few thousands. In some extreme cases it may also reach a lakhs. For
timely retrieval of the book, it is important that the books are kept in a specific order

1
so that they can be easily located. Arranging these books becomes a tedious job not
only physically but also mentally for the librarian. The book sorting process requires a
lot of analytical as well as solution centred approach. The issue arises firstly when the
library or store opens for first time as well as whenever a book issued by a reader is
returned. It becomes important to find an alternative to this issue owing to the hectic
work required to do for the librarian. Recognizing to the increase in robotics and
automation in day to day life, it is possible to transfer the job of sorting and arranging
the books from human to the robot. The job of book sorting and placing is a repetitive
job that does not require human intelligence. Hence, the idea of building a robotic
system for solving this issue was introduced.

1.2 Scope
The scope of the project has been limited to a low level prototype used for
sorting and arranging the books in a shelf. Owing to the lack of availability of finance
and time, the robotic system is built to sort the books of three different types. These
books may be distinguished with respect to any unique characteristic like author, field
of study, etc. The sorting system used is „colour sorting‟ or „colour sensing‟. A colour
sensor is used to distinguish between three different colours attached to three different
books.
Robot specifications:
1) Box dimensions: Length 50cm, Width 50cm, Height 100cm.
2) Weight: 18.6kg (approx)
3) Vertical reach: 100cm
4) Horizontal reach: 50cm (from coloumn)
Book specification:
1) Box dimension: width 20cm, height 27cm, thickness 4cm.
2) Weight: 2kg
3) Colour label position: 3cm to 5cm from bottom

2
1.3 Methodology

3
1.4 Process flow chart
START

Place a book in baffle assembly

Detect book by limit switch

Actuate servo motor and grip the book

Identify the colour label

Move to required height

White – Top

Red – Middle

Black – Down (Home)

Actuate DC motor – Push book

Release the book - Ungrip

Retract the arm

Move to home position

END

4
1.5 Organization of thesis
The thesis is organized in a sequence that would enable the reader to get a
good idea about the project in a sequential manner. The background of this chapter
describes the ideology and motivation behind the project. It further defines the
problem specification and scope of the project. Finally it describes the methodology
of approach and the sequence of tasks performed by the system in order to accomplish
the ultimate objective. The second chapter illuminates the research work done for
getting the idea for design of the project. It clearly classifies the points that proved to
be useful or not useful based on the application requirements. Third chapter is the
core of this thesis describing the detail design and selection procedure for various
components of the system and the final cost report. Finally, the conclusion, results and
future scope of the project are stated in the fourth chapter followed by the references.

Fig1.1: Manufactured robotic system

5
 Chapter 2
Literature review

This chapter presents the research work that was carried out while developing the
design of the system. Topics like history of robotics, modern day robots are
included. Various research work from international publications are mentioned
which helped in carrying out the research process.

The robotic system design requires a study of different fields of engineering

namely mechanical and electrical. The literature review includes study of robotics in
general and study of different electrical methods of sensing and sorting process of
books.
The history of robots has its origins on the ancient world. The modern concept
began to be developed with the onset of the Industrial Revolution which allowed for
the use of complex mechanics and the subsequent introduction of electricity. This
made it possible to power machines with small compact motors. In the early 20th
century, the notion of a humanoid machine was developed. Today, it is now possible
to envisage human sized robots with the capacity for near human thoughts and
movement.
The first uses of modern robots were in factories as industrial robots – simple
fixed machines capable of manufacturing tasks which allowed production without the
need for human assistance. Digitally controlled industrial robots and robots making
use of artificial intelligence have been built since the 1960s. Concepts related to a
robot can be found as long ago as the 4th century BC, when the Greek
mathematician Archytas of Tarentum postulated a mechanical bird he called "The
Pigeon" which was propelled by steam.

2.1 Humanoid Robot

The term "robot" was first used to denote fictional automata in the 1921
play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) by the Czech writer, Karel Čapek.

6
According to Čapek, the word was created by his brother Josef from the Czech
"robota", meaning servitude. Many robots were constructed before the dawn of
computer-controlled servomechanisms, for the public relations purposes of major
firms. These were essentially machines that could perform a few stunts, like the
automatons of the 18th century. The first humanoid robot was a soldier with a
trumpet, made in 1810 by Friedrich Kauffman in Dresden, Germany.

2.2 Modern Autonomous Robot

In 1941 and 1942, Isaac Asimov formulated the Three Laws of Robotics, and
in the process of doing so, coined the word "robotics". In 1948, Norbert
Wiener formulated the principles of cybernetics, the basis of practical robotics. The
first electronic autonomous robots with complex behavior were created by William
Grey Walter of the Burden Neurological Institute at Bristol, England in 1948 and
1949. The first digitally operated and programmable robot was invented by George
Devol in 1954 and was ultimately called the. The first digitally operated and
programmable robot was invented by George Devol in 1954 and was ultimately called
the Unimate The first mobile robot capable of reasoning about its
surroundings, Shakey was built in 1970 by the Stanford Research Institute. Shakey
combined multiple sensor inputs, including TV cameras, laser rangefinders, and
"bump sensors" to navigate.

2.3 Basics for the book sorting robotic system

The movement of the arm is done using the crank like structure which is used
for the lifting the arm up and down. And a separate DC geared motors are thus used
for the rotation of the arm around a 360 degrees rotation and hence as the rod rotates
and hence a clamp which is fitted at the edge of the rod and hence clamp which is
used for picking the object and which has an motor for rotating the clamp and hence
these are some of the basic operations of the arm and hence for movement of the arm
through various locations the arm is placed over the chassis and hence these are the
basic modes of operations of the arm. Similarly the chassis also moves with desired
directions and hence the movements are sensed using sensors and the object is thus
sensed using the RFID reader and thus by the basic operations are thus performed.

7
Then the wheels at the four ends of the chassis are thus controlled using the DC
motors and a wooden plywood is covered at the top of the chassis and hence over
which the crank is thus placed and hence the crank is in the cross shaped and over
which the arm is thus placed.

Fig2.1: Robotic crank arm

In this paper the picking and positioning of the object using the robotic arm
with the clamp was dealt and the object is thus sensed using the RFID reader and
hence it is mainly designed for the library. And hence the height of the arm can be
moved up to 58cms from the ground and thus and the clamp can rotate according to
the direction of the book placed in the rack and hence the cost of this object is
nominal and working operations of the arm is also simple.
However, this arm resembles an actual human arm that picks and places the object
from one location to another. In our project, our aim is to design a system that would
be reliable as well as easy to manufacture. In a pick and place system, there is always
a possibility of book slipping through the grip of arm due to its heavy weight. Our aim
was to eliminate this possibility [1].
While entering in library first person enters the name of book which he wants
to issue. The input is give through the switch. This information provided to the
microcontroller AT mega 16. According to the information motor is moved and
because of motor movement whole robotic structure is moved. RFID tag attached to
the book and RFID reader is placed in robot grip. RFID reader read the information of
book saved in RFID tag. This information is sent to the microcontroller AT mega 16.

8
Microcontroller again send this information to the motor through motor driver IC
L293D.Robotic arm picks the book and put it on the conveyor system then conveyor
carries the book to the issue counter. For returning the book the process will be
reversed.
To pick the specific book and place it on the conveyor this was the first
objective of the project which has been achieved. This project implements the
concepts of embedded system, robotics and RFID communication. The idea of library
automation can be achieved with the help of this project [2].
This system consists of movable platform using four wheel mobile systems. At
the mobile platform there are a robotic arm and gripper that can move vertically and
horizontally to pick and place the books on the shelf. The system is equipped with the
colour recognition sensor and Radio Frequency Identification Detector (RFID) to
ensure the robot can recognize the books located on the shelf. The system starts its
operation by utilizing the sensor to detect the book on the shelf and then, the system
actuator will be activated, causing the mechanism arm to extend and retract to reach
to the book and the gripper will grip the book. The book that is required then can be
brought down and the
mobile platform will
move to the counter. If
the books are required to
be sorted out, the motor
at the robotic hand will
moves the arm
mechanism until the
sensor detect an absence
of books on the book
shelf. Then, the arm will
extend, sorting the book

at its place by release the

Fig2.2: Pneumatic library robot
gripper. The objectives of
this conceptual paper is to provide an overview about a simple robotic system that can
be used at the library to assist users and librarians and support the current automation

9
system which available in the library. The system also is targeted to increase
smoothness of the library daily operation.

The conceptual design for the sorting and retrieval mobile robot system that can be
used as assistant inside the library has been proposed. The mobile robot consists of
the mobile platform, vertical pneumatic cylinder and horizontal gripper to arrange the
books on the shelf and the PLC controller to control the whole operation process. The
PLC program has been constructed and simulate in the simulation environment by
utilizing OMRON CX programmer software [3].

2.4 Objectives
1) To develop a system that would replace human by robot for the hectic job of
sorting and arranging of books.
2) To study and establish a new method for sorting books in a library.
3) To make a robot using colour sensing technology for sorting books.
4) To combine different mechanical motions to accomplish the desired task of book
sorting and placing.

10
 Chapter 3
Design and selection of components

This chapter presents design and selection procedure to all the different
components of the robotic system. Components classified into two types such as
working and controlling components are specified in detail.

The designing of various components of the system is done based on the

different applications they serve. The components are compared to standard
mechanical problems and designed accordingly. The list of components selected are
as below. They are classified in two types,

A. Working components
1) Column

2) Baffle assembly

3) Pulley and Rope

4) High torque motor

5) Power window mounting and Support

6) Rack and pinion

7) DC Motor

8) Roller support

9) Gripper

10) Servo Motor

11) Sensor

B. Controlling components
12) Relay Switch

13) Arduino

11
The design procedure:
a) The design procedure began with the column. Column is the base or the core
support of the sysytem. Hence it was mandatory to design and select the type of
the column first by estimating the amount of load that would cause stresses in the
column.
b) The baffle assembly is the next heavy and important part of the system to be
considered. Various estimations and assumptions were made while designing the
baffle assembly. Selection of material involved cosiderations of strength and
rigidity.
c) The baffle assembly is a cantilever load on the column. To change this situation, a
support is attached in form of pulley and rope. The rope was designed owing its
application to transfer the load of baffle assembly from cantilever to longitudinal
compressive load through pulley. The rope carries the baffle assembly over the
pulley system.
d) The motion of the baffle assembly is a vertical to and fro motion where the work
had to be done against the gravitational force. This invites the need of high torque
driver which would be able to carry the load of the baffle assembly. Selection of
Power window motor was done based on the torque required, velocity of motor
and accuracy of motion. The power window winds up the rope attached to the
baffle assembly to raise it while it unwinds the rope to lower it.
e) Now, the power window itself was a unique shaped motor with considerable
weight. Moreover, the operation of power window involved vibrations and
oscillations of the entire motor and hence fluctuating load. To avoid this, the
power window was mounted in such a way that it would provide a three way
support to the motor restricting al the possible degrees of freedom.
f) Moving to horizontal motion facility, First thing was to design a transmission
system for moving the arm back and forth. Without any hesitation rack and pinion
motion transfer mechanism was chosen owing to its efficiency and reliability.
Further, types of the transfer system were analysed to suit for the application.
g) Rack and pinion assembly indicates rotational input converted to linear output.
Hence for rotational input, a simple DC motor was chosen. Design of the motor is

12
 based on the amount of force required to slide the book on the base of baffle
assmbly.
h) It was found that the arm that pushes the book was again a cantilever with big
length. To avoid this a support at the other end was needed. However, due to the
sliding motoin of arm, the support also needed to be slided along with the arm.
Hence a roller was attached to make the support a rolling support.
i) To push the book, the robotic arm must have a good grip of the book. Hence a
gripper was selected form the available gripper types in market base on the fact
that it should perfectly suit the application of providing max gripping force in
minimum area of contact.
j) To actuate and drive the gripper, a servo motor was selected owing to its accuracy,
torque and signaling ability.
k) Sensors are the core components of the system. The basic aim of sorting of the
books is accomplished using sensors. Selection of sensor was done among
different available sensors based on the simplicity of method of sorting and cost.
l) The entire controlling of all the motions of the system should be done using a
microcontroller. Due to the simplicity and popularity of Arduino, it was selected.
m) The robotic movements involved to and fro motion of the parts. It means that the
motors needed to be actuated in both forward and reverse directions. Hence a
relay switch was used to switch between forward and reverse motion of motors.
The assembly of the components was done in following sequence.
1. Mounting the columns on the base.
2. Attaching supports to the columns.
3. Mounting slider on the columns.
4. Baffle assembly on the sliders.
5. Attaching pulley system to columns.
6. Mounting of power window.
7. Attaching rack and pinion assembly.
8. Mounting gripper and rolling support.
9. Mounting of DC Motor.
10. Attaching the colour sensor to the arm.
11. Roping the baffle assembly to the power window.

13
12. Preparing circuit for arduino and relay switch.
13. Connecting the wires of motors and sensors to the circuit.
The detailed design procedure and calculations of all the components is
described in the following part of the chapter.

Fig3.1: Solidworks model of assembly

14
3.1 Working components
The components which are actually involved in motion or load carrying
activity are included in working components.

3.1.1 Column
A column is a structural element that transmits the weight of the structure
above to other structural elements below, through compression. In other words, a
column is a compression member.

Material available:

 Aluminium: Aluminium is widely used as

it is much lighter in weight as compared to
other metals. Also it is expensive.
 Mild Steel: mild steel has higher load
carrying capacity but it corrodes at much
higher rate. M.S. is cheaper than
aluminium.
 Stainless steel: stainless steel has higher
strength also it is corrosion resistant
material. S.S. is expensive than aluminium
and M.S.

Among all materials available,

aluminium is superior to other materials and
so it is chosen to construct the structure and Fig3.2: Column and support
support for robotic system. Also aluminium is
widely available in market.

15
Types of aluminium column sections available in market:

In market, circular, rectangular, square sections, L, U, T channels are available

in wide range.

A circular beam would be a waste of material. When dealing with bending

stresses all the stress is acting on the top and bottom of the beam. If you have a

Fig3.3: Types of columns

circular beam your max cross sectional area would be at the center of the beam where
no bending stress occurs. If you have a rectangular beam you will have more cross
sectional area at the top and bottom. You will also have less material in the center of
the beam where no stress is acting. So a rectangular beam is the better choice.
Therefore all the sections used are rectangular or square depending on area
requirement for mounting sub-assemblies. L channel is also used for mounting some
parts.

Design of vertical column: [6]

Material: aluminium

Section: rectangular 2” x 1”

d = 50mm

b = 25mm
Fig3.4: Column section

16
Thickness of section = 2mm

k = 46mm

h=21mm

Height of column:

Height of column is decided according to maximum height to which book is to

be delivered plus extra height for mounting power window. It comes out to be 150cm
i.e. 1500mm.

The vertical column is fixed at base with the help of L channels. L channel is
fixed with bolted joint to wooden
base.

Column is under compressive stress

due to load P at top.

Total load = assembly load + book

load = 5kg + 3kg = 8kg

Let, design load = 10kg = 100N

Design load per column (P) = 100/2

= 50N

Radius of gyration is given by, Fig3.5: Bending of column

K = 17.809mm

Slenderness ratio is given by,

Le/k

Le: effective length of column

17
As one end of column is free and one end is fixed,

Le = 2L = 1500 x 2 = 3000mm

Slenderness ratio = 3000/17.809 =168.45

As Slenderness ratio is greater than 120,

Column is considered as long column.

Long column are mainly subjected to flexural stress and direct stresses generated are
very small in magnitude. So, long column fail due to buckling only.

Moment of inertia of section is given by,

I = 90078.67 mm4

Critical loading is calculated by Euler‟s formula,

Modulus of elasticity of aluminium = 0.69 x 105 MPa

Pcr = 6815.98N < P = 50N

Design is safe.

Due to moment created during operation as load is not directly acting at center
support for column is required.

Design of support for vertical column:

Material: Aluminium

Section: square 0.5” x 0.5”

18
a = 12.7 mm

Thickness of section = 1 mm

b = 10.7 mm

Support is provided without any mathematical

calculation but by considering the mounting of power Fig3.6: Support section
window motor and base area available.

Length of support = 112 mm

Upper end is fixed to vertical column and lower end is hinged to base with help of L
channel.

3.1.2 Guiding pair

Guiding pair is required to allow smooth vertical motion along column.

Different types of guides available in market:

1. Linear rail and carriage

2. Linear bearing
3. Lead screw
4. Drawer sliders

Among different available guiding pairs, drawer sliders are used for the
project. Drawer sliders are much economical as compared to other types.

Slider specification:

Material: Chromated steel

32” sliders are used according to height required to reach the highest position of rack.

32" drawer slides are a heavy duty, telescoping, precision, full extension drawer slides
for high loads, up to 500 lb. capacity, with cushioned in and out stops. The runner and
ball race form a single non-detachable unit. Smooth action and high side stability

19
through precision slide. Ball spacers made of noise-absorbing plastic with hardened
steel balls.

Fig3.7: Types of guiding pair

20
3.1.3 Baffle assembly
Baffle assembly is the part of the
system which carries the book. Baffles are
plates or set of sections which create a
compartment like structure in the space.
Depending on average size and weight of a
book, designing of the baffle assembly was
accomplished. As per evaluation, a baffle
assembly must possess following
characteristics for effective operation of the
system.
1. Sufficient in size to carry an average Fig3.8: Baffle assembly
sized book.
2. Strong enough to bear the weight of the average sized book.
3. Provisions to ensure proper and unrestrained motion of book and other
components of the system.

Considering average size of book l x h x t as 20 x 27 x 5 cm

Hence, the size of the baffle assembly must be large enough to bear the book.
Taking extra length and height of the baffle section, the dimensions of baffle section
would be, 24 x 30 x 5 cm.

Gripper way:

The main aim of the arm of the

system is to push the book and slide it on
the surface of base towards the rack or
shelf. In the process, the arm is equipped
with a gripper to make proper gripping
while pushing the book. This gripper has a
width of about 10cm (which is more than
Fig2.9: Gripper way
the space within two baffles). Also, the
motor required to operate the arm motion acquires some space. For this, the length of

21
the baffles is increased by 10cm and to compensate the extra material required in this,
the height is cut off by 5cm. Book popping out of assembly from top is of no harm.
To allow the arm to move freely within the baffle, the baffle assembly is
divided in two portions, upper and lower with space in between them. Hence, the final
dimensions of the assembly are 35*25*5 cms divide in two portions, Upper: 35*10*5
cm and Lower: 35*10*5 cm and a space of 15cm in middle for the gripper.

Square sections:

Baffles are usually plates used to create compartments in a space. The entire
baffle assembly is hanging on the sliders at column. Hence the system is a cantilever.
Plates when loaded in cantilever tend to bend due to the bending moment by book
when the book rests on the baffle walls. This might cause total bending or failure of
the plates, or in other case using material with higher strength. This would increase
the cost as well as the weight of the assembly and hence the system.
Alternatively, providing strength to the low grade plates can be done using
supports at the end. Hence the main skeleton of the baffle assembly is composed of
the framework of 12mm square sections of aluminium which can provide required
strength at low cost as well as less increase in weight.

Base:

Following points are considered for designing of a base:

1. The base of the baffle assembly should be capable to bear the weight of book or
even transfer some weight through the aluminium section on to the bolts at the
slider.
2. The surface of the base must be smooth to provide minimum friction to the book‟s
sliding motion. The friction between the surface is µ*W where W is the weight of
the book and µ is coefficient of friction between surfaces.
3. Acrylic is therefore chosen for base, since it provides smooth surface as well as is
light weight and cheap.

22
Sides:

The baffle assembly with sections is just an

assembly of skeleton sections. The book
contained in it can be in any position depending
on it‟s degree of freedom. Considering this,
there is a chance that the book is slightly open
and the cover or pages of book get restrained in
the skeletal section while being pushed
forward. To avoid this, the skeletal section is Fig3.10: Bolting position
covered form inside by mica plates. The mica
plates are smooth, light weight and extensively cheap.

Assembly to slider:

The baffles manufactured as above need to be assembled to main system on the

sliders at column. Almost all the load on baffle assembly is transferred to this section.

Design of bolts: [6]

Design considerations of the lower part of assembly since, weight of book is totally
on the base attached to lower part.

1. Average weight of book and baffle assembly (P)= 80N

2. No of bolts(n)= 4
3. Material of bolts= Low carbon steel grade 2. (σy=510 MPa)
4. Factor of safety(f)= 4
5. Eccentricity of load application(e)= section width + length of baffle= 35+1= 36cm

σallowable = σy/f

= 510/4

= 127.5 MPa

23
1. Shear force is given by,

Load (P) = 80N

No. of bolts = 4 Fig3.11: Force diagram of baffle

P‟ = P/ no. of bolts = 20N assembly

2. Tensile force is given by,

Taking only maximum force at point 1 & 2,
P” = (P x e x l2) / 2( l12 + l22)
Where
l1 = 0.6cm and
l2 = 9.3cm
P” = 154.2N

3. Shear stress
Area of cross section of bolt (A)
Ƭ = P‟ / A = 20 / A

4. Tensile stress
σb = P” / A = 154.2 / A

5. According to principal stress theory,

σallowable > σ1

Fig3.12: Baffle bolt desigin

σ1 = 156.75 / A

6. As,

24
σallowable > σ1
127.5 > 156.75 / A
A > 1.23 mm2
Diameter of bolt > 1.2514mm

Hence, standard bolt of M4 diameter has been selected.

25
3.1.4 Pulley and Rope

Pulley:

Pulley comprises of a wheel on a fixed axle, with

a groove along the edges to guide a rope or
cable. Pulleys are used to reduce the time and energy
taken to lift heavy objects.

Material used – Plastic Pulley

Diameter of Pulley = 30mm

Fig3.13: Pulley
Groove on Pulley – V-Groove

Clutch wire is passed on pulley to perform smooth lifting of assembly along the

guiding pairs. Two similar types of pulleys are combined with aluminium strip of

3mm thickness in between. Aluminium strip is mounted at top of the column with the
help of bolts. Two pulleys divides load so improves performance. Pulley allows
turning direction of clutch wire as required.

Pulley mounting

The pulley is mounted on the

column as shown in figure with the help
of a square section to transfer entire
weight of the baffle assembly from rope
to the column through the pulley.

Fig3.14: Pulley mounting

Rope Design

Clutch Wire is used as rope for power transmission from power window
motor.

All the data and values have been taken from PSG Databook

26
Consider, Class – 2

Weight to be lifted = 8kg = 80N (Assumed)

Rope material – High Carbon Steel

1) Ultimate tensile stress, [σu] = 1750 N/mm2 [8]

Duty Factor, df = 1.2 [8]

2
2

80N 1
1 80N

Fig3.15: Pulley force diagram

2) For 2 fall system, Nf = 2 as shown in figure.

3) Maximum tension in each fall, F

[ ]
F=

Where, [W] = W * df = 80 * 1.2 = 96N

Ws = 2% of W = 0.02 * 80 = 1.6N Fig3.16: Clutch wire

ηmech. = 80% = 0.8 (Assumed)
F= = 61N.

4) Breaking strength, P = F * n
= F * (n‟ * df)
Where, n‟ = 4.5 [8]
P = 61 * 4.5 * 1.2 = 329.4N = 32.94 kgf
5) Diameter of rope, d

27
 P = [σu] * 0.4 * * d2 [8]

329.4 = 1750 * 0.1 * π * d2

d = 0.774 mm
Let d ≈ 1 mm to be used.

3.1.5 High torque motor

A torque motor is a specialized form of electric motor which can operate indefinitely
while stalled, that is, with the rotor blocked from turning, without incurring damage.
In this mode of operation, the motor will apply a steady torque to the load.

To lift the book and baffle assembly, the motor should have high torque, as load is
high. Also assembly after lifting should be maintained at same height to slide the
book and keep in the rack. This facilitates the use of high torque motor.

Types of high torque motor (actuators):

1. Geared motor: "Gear motor" refers to a combination of a motor plus a reduction

gear train. These are often conveniently packaged together in one unit. The gear
reduction (gear train) reduces the speed of
the motor, with a corresponding increase in
torque. Gear ratios range from just a few
(e.g. 3) to huge (e.g. 500). A small ratio can
be accomplished with a single gear pair,
while a large ratio requires a series of gear
reduction steps and thus more gears. There
are a lot of different kinds of gear reduction.
Fig3.17: Geared motor

2. Planetary gear motor: Planetary Reduction Gearbox consist of an Internal

toothed Ring Gear to which are set 3 Planets mounted on the Planet Carrier
engaging also with the Sun Gear (Pinion) and reduced output speed is taken

28
 through Planet Carrier and Ring Gear is
remain stationary. Output shaft maintaining
the same direction of rotation as Input.
Salient Features Planetary Gearbox: High
Reduction Ratios, Power Saving, High
Efficiency Long Life, Space-Saving

Compactness, Higher Overload Capacity,

Fig3.18: Planetary gear motor
Reliable and Trouble-Free Service, Compact
and Co-Axial Sturdy, No-Self Locking Property.

3. Piezo Actuator Drive (PAD): Piezoelectric Actuator Drive (PAD) is a drive

technology transforming the linear motion of high performance piezoelectric
actuators into a powerful and precisely controllable rotation.
Advantages compared to existing drive systems are: High precision and
accuracy, high dynamics, system simplification and
scalable technology.
4. Power window motor: Power window is the
motor used to lift and lower the window of a car.
The window lift on most cars uses a really neat
linkage to lift the window glass while keeping it
level. A small electric motor is attached to a worm
Fig3.19: Piezo actuator drive gear and several
other spur
gears to create a large gear reduction, giving it
enough torque to lift the window.

Among above mentioned high torque

actuators, power window motor is used in this
project. Other actuators are highly precise and also
cost a lot. On the other hand, power window
motors are comparatively very cheap. Also power
Fig3.20: Power window
window is widely available at automobile garages,

29
workshops.

Power window operation:

The power window motor is a small motor that has an attached worm gear.
This worm gear is a length of metal with a spiral on one end, similar to that of a
screw. The worm is attached to a gear; this circular gear has teeth around the outside.
As the worm turns it moves the gear by linking the teeth inside the spiral; the gear is
then linked to several spur gears. Spur gears are used to create gear reductions in
machines with motors. The worm is fixed at a specific angle to the gear, which allows

Fig3.21: Internal of a power window

the worm to turn the gear, but prevents the gear from turning the worm. The motion of
the worm and gears create a gear reduction which gives enough force to turn or rotate
things, this is called torque.

Power window specification:

 Left side car door motor

 Voltage rating: 12V DC
 Operating speed: 60rpm
 Rated current: 15A

30
 Operating current: 5A
 Rated torque: 30kgcm(2.9Nm)
 Type of gear reduction: Worm and Worm wheel
 Torque required= p x dp/2 = 10 x 2.5= 25kgcm < rated torque

1. Power window shaft

 Material: plastic
 Type of thread: square with fillet edges
 No. of threads(n)= 5
 Dia of pulley(dp)= 50mm
 Max height reach= n x pi x dp
= 5 x 3.142 x 0.05 = 0.78m = 78cm
 Pitch of thread= 3mm
 Width of shaft= pitch x n + clearance on both side= 3x5+1+1= 17mm

3.1.6 Power window mounting and Support

The need for adding the supports is to mount the power window at the top and
to control the vibrations of the robotic system. To overcome these needs, 2 L channels
and one square section of Aluminium are used. One channel will be mounted on the
columns at the top behind the baffles, so that base of power window can rest over it.
Another one would be mounted perpendicularly to the first one, so that power window
could be mounted on it as shown in figure.
The L section used here has dimension of
H = 50mm
B = 50mm
S = 3mm
Length of channel = 200mm
But only two bolts of power window on L Fig3.22: L-section
channel can be mounted. For third bolt a square
aluminium section of ½” x ½” and length of 110mm was used. one end of section will
be mounted on the third bolt of power window and the other end will be mounted on
31
the side of the column as shown in figure. This has also been useful for reducing the
vibrations on the system.

Fig3.23: Power window mounting

32
3.1.7 Rack and pinion
Rack and pinion gears are used to convert rotation into linear motion. The flat,
toothed part is the rack and the gear is the pinion. The circular pinion engages teeth on
a flat bar - the rack. Rotational motion applied to the pinion will cause the rack to
move to the side, up to the limit of its travel. The rack and pinion arrangement is
commonly found in the steering mechanism of cars or other wheeled, steered vehicles.

Rack and pinion gears are available in three variations:

1. Straight teeth have the tooth axis parallel to the
axis of rotation. Straight teeth that run parallel
to the axis of the gear. Load movement or
transfer is manual or walk-behind.

2. Helical teeth gears provide continuous Fig3.24: Straight teeth pinion

engagement along the tooth length and are
often quieter and more efficient than straight
tooth gears. Helical tooth gears resemble spur
gears in the plane of rotation, but include teeth
that are twisted along a helical path in the axial
direction.
Fig3.25: Helical pinion

3. Roller pinion drives use bearing supported rollers that mesh with the teeth of that
rack in order to provide minimal to no backlash.

Fig3.26: Roller pinion

33
 Among all above variation straight teeth rack and pinion was chosen.
Material used:
Material available was steel, plastic and
polymer, among which plastic pinion
and polymer rack is selected (timing
belt) because of the following reasons:

1. Eliminates lubrication.
2. Extends wear life.
3. Prevents corrosion.
4. Improves motion control Fig3.27: Timing rack
5. Remain dimensionally stable.
6. Easily available
7. Cheap.

Dimensions:

Pinion:

1. Pitch diameter(Dp) = 35 mm
2. Number of teeth =25
3. Module=1.4
4. Circular pitch=4.4 mm
5. Addendum diameter =38mm
6. Dedendum diameter=32mm

Rack:

1. Linear pitch =5 mm.

Fig3.28: Rack and Pinion terms
2. Rack length= 300 mm.
3. Rack pitch distance =4 mm.
4. Rack travel limit=200mm.

34
Torque calculation:

As shown in figure, the book weight is 20N, base on which book rest is of
acrylic and the coefficient of static friction (µ) is 0.4.

Fig3.29: Force diagram of book

 Friction force = µ x F = 0.4 x 20 = 8N.

 Minimum Torque required is given by,

Friction force x pitch circle radius = 8 x 35 / 2 = 140Nmm = 1.4kgcm.

Mounting:

 Pinion mounting

Pinion is mounted on a shaft

of a DC motor with the help of grub
screw as shown below.

 Rack mounting

Rack is mounted on a baffle

section with the help of square section
and double side tape as shown below.
Fig3.30: Rack and pinion assembly

35
3.1.8 DC Motor

A motor is an electrical
machine which converts electrical energy
into mechanical energy. The principle of
working of a DC motor is that "whenever
a current carrying conductor is placed in a
magnetic field, it experiences a Fig3.31: DC Motor working
mechanical force".

To determine the direction of

force acting on the armature conductors
of dc motor Flemings left hand rule is
used. Fleming‟s left hand rule says that
„If we extend the index finger, middle
finger and thumb of our left hand in
such a way that the current carrying
conductor is placed in a magnetic field
(represented by the index finger) is
perpendicular to the direction of Fig3.32: Fleming's Left left hand rule

current (represented by the middle finger), then the conductor experiences a force in
the direction (represented by the thumb) mutually perpendicular to both the direction
of field and the current in the conductor.‟

The torque produce by dc motor is given as,

T = BIL x w x cosα,

Where T is torque, B is magnetic field, I is current, L is length, α is the angle

between the plane of the armature turn and the plane of reference, w is distance from
center.

36
 As per torque calculated in
rack pinion section the minimum
torque requirement was 1.4 kgcm, so
a normal geared dc motor of
following specifications was selected,

 Rated torque: 5kgcm

 Rated rpm: 30rpm
 Voltage rating: 12V DC. Fig3.33: Motor mounting
Motor mounting:

Motor is mounted on upper baffle with the help of square section and bolt as shown in
figure.

3.1.9 Roller support

Roller supports are free to rotate and
translate along the surface upon which the
roller rests. The surface can be horizontal,
vertical, or sloped at any angle. The resulting
reaction force is always a single force that is
perpendicular to, and away from, the surface.
For supporting gripper and rack plastic roller
is used in window as shown in image, Fig3.34: Roller

 As gripper proceeds further

the cantilever length of arm
increases and hence the arm
was bending, so to avoid it a
roller below the gripper end
of rack was attached.
 Mounting of color sensor.

 To guide book and avoid it Fig3.35: Support using roller

37
 to be toppled back while moving forward.

Dimensions:

 Diameter of roller: 20mm.

 Width of roller: 5mm.

3.1.10 Gripper
For gripping book a two claw plastic gripper operated by servo motor is used,
it has two steering gear holder, it supports single clamping and clamping, It can clamp
variety of shapes of an object (square, cylindrical, cone, sphere, etc)

Dimensions: 5.79 in x 4.09 in x 1.93 in (147 mm x 104 mm x 49 mm)

Weight: 161 g.
The Widest of the claw: 55 mm (5.5cm)

Fig3.36: Gripper

Gripping force and motor torque requirement:

The front view of gripper clamping book is show in figure with various forces
acting on it. To clamp the book and to hold at particular height the clamping force
(frictional force between book and gripper claws) require must be greater than the
weight of the book.

38
Mathematically,

Frictional force > weight of the book

2xµxN>W

Where,

W=weight of the book=20N (2Kg),

N=clamping force,

µ=coefficient of static friction = 0.4 for book and plastic

Calculation:

2 x 0.4 x N > 20

N >2.5Kg

Motor torque required:

Torque > clamping force x distance between shaft and small arm

Torque > 2.5(Kg) x 2(cm)

Torque > 5 kgcm.

So a servo motor of torque greater than 5 Kgcm was required.

39
Gripper mounting:

Gripper is mounted in front end of rack, by using L-section and bolts (4mm).

Fig3.37: Gripper mounting

3.1.11 Servo Motor

A servo motor is basically a DC motor (in some special cases it is AC motor)
along with some other special purpose components that make a DC motor a servo. In
a servo unit, you will find a small DC motor, a potentiometer, gear arrangement and
an intelligent circuitry. The intelligent circuitry along with the potentiometer makes
the servo to rotate according to our wishes. A small DC motor will rotate with high
speed but the torque generated by its rotation will not be enough to move even a light
load. This is where the gear system inside a servomechanism comes into the picture.
The gear mechanism will take high input speed of the motor (fast) and at the output;
an output speed is obtained which is slower than original input speed but more
practical and widely applicable.

40
Basic Working:

Say at initial position of servo motor shaft, the position of the potentiometer
knob is such that there is no electrical signal generated at the output port of the
potentiometer. This output port of the potentiometer is connected with one of the
input terminals of the error detector amplifier. Now an electrical signal is given to
another input terminal of the error detector amplifier. Now difference between these
two signals, one comes from potentiometer and another comes from external source,
will be amplified in the error detector amplifier and feeds the DC motor. This
amplified error signal acts as the input power of the DC motor and the motor starts
rotating in desired direction. As the motor shaft progresses the potentiometer knob

Fig3.38: Servo motor working

also rotates as it is coupled with motor shaft with help of gear arrangement. As the
position of the potentiometer knob changes there will be an electrical signal produced
at the potentiometer port. As the angular position of the potentiometer knob
progresses the output or feedback signal increases. After desired angular position of
motor shaft the potentiometer knob is reaches at such position the electrical signal
generated in the potentiometer becomes same as of external electrical signal given to
amplifier. At this condition, there will be no output signal from the amplifier to the
motor input as there is no difference between external applied signal and the signal

41
generated at potentiometer . As the input signal to the motor is nil at that position, the
motor stops rotating. This is how a simple conceptual servo motor works.

Torque required:

As calculated in gripper section the minimum torque required was 5 kgcm so

10 kgcm torque servo motor was selected. The motor was integrated with gripper.

3.1.12 Sensors

Limit switches:

When the robotic system is on, but

there is no book placed in the baffles, there is a
possibility that the colour sensor gets activated
and detects a random color in the atmosphere.
This would cause the system to perform the
tasks without the book. Hence it becomes
mandatory to sense the presence of book and
then actuate further tasks. To sense the
physical presence of the book, a limit switch is
used. In electrical engineering a limit switch is
Fig3.39: Limit Switch
a switch operated by the motion of a machine
part or presence of an object. They are used for controlling machinery as part of
a control system, as a safety interlocks, or to count objects passing a point.

A limit switch is an electromechanical device that consists of an actuator

mechanically linked to a set of contacts. When an object comes into contact with the
actuator, the device operates the contacts to make or break an electrical connection.
Limit switches are used in a variety of applications and environments because of their
ruggedness, ease of installation, and reliability of operation. They can determine the
presence or absence, passing, positioning, and end of travel of an object. They were
first used to define the limit of travel of an object; hence the name "Limit Switch".

42
Colour sensor:

The colour sensor is the core component

of the robotic system. LDR (Light Dependent
Resistor) is a type of variable resistor that
changes the resistance depending on light
incident on it. The colour sensor is attached on
the perpendicular extension of the arm. It is
required to cover the sensor with insulation from
Fig3.40: Light dependent resistor
light to avoid the interruption of surrounding
light. When the book is placed in between the baffles, the LDR detects the colour of
the label on the book. The LDR receives the reflection of the light it emits from the
label surface. Depending on the colour of the label, the intensity of reflected light
changes. The LDR converts this intensity into a numerical value. The range of values
that are obtained from a single colour are observed and then coded for specific task
corresponding to the colour of label.

Fig3.41: LDR circuit

The Color sensor module base on TCS3200 which is a programmable color

light-to-frequency converter, it could filter RGB data from source light and convert it

43
to a square wave(50% duty cycle) with frequency directly proportional to light
intensity (irradiance). The full-scale output frequency can be scaled by one of three
preset values via two control input pins (SO, S1 Selectable Options 2%, 20%, 100%
frequency), and pin S2, S3 control the filter of RGB. Digital inputs and digital output
allow interface to a microcontroller or other logic circuitry directly. Output enable
(OE) places the output in the high-impedance state for multiple-unit sharing of a
microcontroller input line. At last, user can calculate the color of the light by RGB
values.

Fig3.42:Colour sensor

Features:

 High-Resolution Conversion of Light Intensity to Frequency

 Programmable Color and Full-Scale Output Frequency
 Communicates Directly With a Microcontroller
 Single-Supply Operation (2.7 V to 5.5 V)
 Power Down Feature
 Nonlinearity Error Typically 0.2% at 50 kHz
 Stable 200 ppm/°C Temperature Coefficient

The LDR colour sensor is far less complicated and cheap compared to a
regular colour sensor. In order to use the sensor for an application of a small
prototype, an LDR is preferable sensor.

44
3.2 Controlling components

Controlling components of the assembly are the components which control the
motion of the system. These components are responsible for carrying out the task
expected from the system.

3.2.1 Relay Switch

Relays are switches that open and close circuits electromechanically or
electronically. Relays control one electrical circuit by opening and closing contacts in
another circuit. Relays are used where it is necessary to control a circuit by a low-
power signal, or where several circuits must be controlled by one signal. There are
various types of Relays; one of them is Time Delay Relay. As per the requirement
Time Delay Relays were used. Timing relays are arranged for an intentional delay in
operating their contacts. A very short (a fraction of a second) delay would use a
copper disk between the armature and moving blade assembly. Current flowing in the
disk maintains magnetic field for a short time, lengthening release time. For a slightly
longer (up to a minute) delay, a dashpot is used. A dashpot is a piston filled with fluid
that is allowed to escape slowly; both air-filled and oil-filled dashpots are used. The
time period can be varied by increasing or decreasing the flow rate. For longer time
periods, a mechanical clockwork timer is installed.

Fig3.43: Relay switch

45
3.2.2 Arduino
Arduino is an open-source prototyping platform based on easy-to-use
hardware and software. Arduino boards are able to read inputs - light on a sensor, a
finger on a button, and turn it into an output - activating a motor, turning on an LED,
publishing something online. Board can be controlled by telling it what to do by
sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board. To do so the Arduino
programming language (based on Wiring), and the Arduino Software (IDE), based on
Processing are used.

Pin configuration:

Fig3.44: Arduino pin configuration

46
H-Bridge:

An H-Bridge is an electronic
circuit that enables a voltage to be
applied across a load in either
direction. These circuits are often
used in robotics and other applications
to allow DC motors to run forwards

and backwards. Fig3.45: H-Bridge

Most DC-to-AC converters
(power inverters), most AC/AC converters, the DC-to-DC push–pull converter,
most motor controllers, and many other kinds of power electronics use H bridges. In
particular, a bipolar stepper motor is almost invariably driven by a motor controller
containing two H-bridges.

Motor operation in forward and reverse:

Fig3.46: Circuit for motor in forward

47
Fig3.47: Circuit for motor in reverse

48
Circuit diagram:

The connections are made according to the pin configuration diagram as

shown.

Fig3.48: Arduino circuit

49
3.2.3 Arduino code:

/**************Laibrary Book Maneger************/

//H bridge code for controlling motor

//H Motor code pin config
#define h1 2
#define h2 3
#define h3 4
#define h4 5
//L Motor code pin config
#define l1 6
#define l2 7
#define l3 8
#define l4 9
#define Bump 11
//servo pin
#define SERVO_PIN 10
//int pin = 12;
int pos=0,button=1;
int color;
void forward();
void backward();
void motorStop();
void servoAngle();

void setup() {
// put your setup code here, to run once:
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.println("Strat");
pinMode(h1,OUTPUT);
pinMode(h2,OUTPUT);
pinMode(h3,OUTPUT);

50
pinMode(h4,OUTPUT);
pinMode(l1,OUTPUT);
pinMode(l2,OUTPUT);
pinMode(l3,OUTPUT);
pinMode(l4,OUTPUT);
pinMode(10,OUTPUT);
pinMode(Bump,INPUT);
//pullup
digitalWrite(h1,HIGH);
digitalWrite(h2,HIGH);
digitalWrite(h3,HIGH);
digitalWrite(h4,HIGH);
digitalWrite(l1,HIGH);
digitalWrite(l2,HIGH);
digitalWrite(l3,HIGH);
digitalWrite(l4,HIGH);
//pinMode(pin, OUTPUT);
//attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(pin), allstop, LOW);
//servo pin
//myservo.attach(SERVO_PIN);
//interupt to save the overflow
//attachInterrupt(0,allstop,LOW);
//Serial.begin(9600);
}
/************************Main
Loop****************************/
void loop() {

//readColor();
//servoAngle(20);
//analogWrite(SERVO_PIN,20);

//testing
button=digitalRead(Bump);

51
if(button==0)
{

readColor();
//Serial.println(color);
if(color==2)
{
delay(3000);
Serial.println("1st");

analogWrite(SERVO_PIN,20);
forwardl();
delay(3000);
motorStopl();
delay(1000);
//lose

delay(500);
//pull
analogWrite(SERVO_PIN,200);
backwardl();
delay(3000);
motorStopl();
delay(1000);
color=0;
button=1;
//return;
}
if(color==3)
{
delay(3000);
Serial.println("2st");
forwardh();
delay(2200);
motorStoph();

52
 delay(1000);
//grip
analogWrite(SERVO_PIN,20);
delay(500);
//push
forwardl();
delay(3000);
motorStopl();
delay(1000);
//lose
analogWrite(SERVO_PIN,200);
delay(500);
//pull
backwardl();
delay(3000);
motorStopl();
delay(1000);
//down
backwardh();
delay(1300);
motorStoph();
delay(1000);
color=0;
button=1;
// return;
}
if(color==1)
{
delay(3000);
Serial.println("3st");
forwardh();
delay(4000);
motorStoph();
delay(1000);
//grip

53
 analogWrite(SERVO_PIN,20);
delay(500);
//push
forwardl();
delay(3000);
motorStopl();
delay(1000);
//lose
analogWrite(SERVO_PIN,200);
delay(500);
//pull
backwardl();
delay(3000);
motorStopl();
delay(1000);
//down
backwardh();
delay(2250);
motorStoph();
delay(1000);
color=0;
button=1;
//return;
}

/************Testing***************
//Servo
servoAngle(150);

/***Height****
forwardh();
delay(3000);
motorStoph();
delay(1000);
//backwardh();

54
delay(1000);
motorStoph();
delay(1000);

/****Length
forwardl();
delay(2000);
motorStopl();
delay(1000);
backwardl();
delay(2000);
motorStopl();
delay(1000);
**/
}
else
{
Serial.println("No BOOK");
}
}//Loop ends here

/********FUNCTIONS**********/
//**********Hight
void forwardh()
{
digitalWrite(h3,HIGH);
digitalWrite(h2,HIGH);
digitalWrite(h1,LOW);
digitalWrite(h4,LOW);
}
void backwardh()
{
digitalWrite(h1,HIGH);
digitalWrite(h4,HIGH);

55
 digitalWrite(h3,LOW);
digitalWrite(h2,LOW);
}
void motorStoph()
{
digitalWrite(h1,HIGH);
digitalWrite(h2,HIGH);
digitalWrite(h3,HIGH);
digitalWrite(h4,HIGH);
}
//********************length
void forwardl()
{
digitalWrite(l3,HIGH);
digitalWrite(l2,HIGH);
digitalWrite(l1,LOW);
digitalWrite(l4,LOW);
}
void backwardl()
{
digitalWrite(l1,HIGH);
digitalWrite(l4,HIGH);
digitalWrite(l3,LOW);
digitalWrite(l2,LOW);
}
void motorStopl()
{
digitalWrite(l1,HIGH);
digitalWrite(l2,HIGH);
digitalWrite(l3,HIGH);
digitalWrite(l4,HIGH);
}
//*****************servo
void servoAngle(int pos)
{

56
//myservo.write(pos); // tell servo to go to
position in variable 'pos'
delay(100); // waits 15ms for the servo
to reach the position
}
//************Read Color
void readColor()
{
int x=analogRead(A0);
Serial.print("\t\t");
Serial.println(x);
if(x<805 && x>750)
{
Serial.println("White ");
color=1;
}
else if(x<735 && x>710)
{
Serial.println("red");
color=2;
}
else if(x<690)
{
Serial.println("Black");
color=3;
}
}
void allstop()
{
Serial.println("all stop");
while(1);
}

57
3.3 Cost Report

Sr.
Component Specs. Qty. Cost
no
MECHANICAL COMPONENTS
1 Square aluminium sections Sq. ½”x26 ft 260
2 Aluminium strip ½”x5 ft 100
3 L shape aluminium sections Sq.1½”x4 ft 150
4 Column sections 1”x2”x12 ft 410
5 Column slider Mild steel 2 540
6 Arm slider 2 110
7 Rack and pinion assembly 1 240
8 Roller wheels 1 40
9 Pulley Plastic 2 60
10 Aluminuim angle connector 50 200
11 Clutch wire 55
12 Nuts and bolts 210
13 Tap and machining 2 110
14 Acrylic 10x40 cm 1 65
15 Shaft manufacturing 1 750
16 Mechanical Total 3300

ELECTRONICS COMPONENTS

1 Gripper servo gripper 1 1000

worm gear
2 Power window 1 500
motor
3 DC motors 1 310
4 Relay circuits 2 420
5 Arduino 1 400
6 Colour sensor LDR 1 10
7 Battery Lipo(12V) 1 1300
8 IR sensor 5 50
9 RGB LED 4 40
10 Lug / flexible wire 15
11 Electrical wire 10m 65
12 Electronics Total 4110
13 Total 7410

58
 Chapter 4
Conclusion and Future Scope

This chapter presents a brief description of future scopes of work in the project
in different aspects and ways to achieve them. The chapter includes scope of
work in mobility, obstacle detection, sensing and carrying multiple books.

The robotic system for book sorting and handling was thus manufactured and
tested. The working system sequence of the system is as below:
4.1 Conclusion and results
1. The power supply is connected.
2. Book is placed within baffles.
3. The limit switch at base detects the presence of book and signals the Arduino to
proceed for further tasks.
4. The servo motor of the gripper is signaled to rotate which causes the gripping of
the book.
5. The colour sensor detects the colour of the label and sends a signal to the Arduino.
6. Arduino receives the signal from sensor and actuates the power window as per the
code instructs to.
7. If the colour detected is white, the Arduino supplies power to the power window
for calculated time to make baffle assembly travel to top position. The motor rpm
is 40 and linear speed of translation is 10.5 cm/s.
8. Similarly, if colour detected is red, power is supplied to move the baffle assembly
to middle position and if colour is black, no power is supplied since it already is at
the desired (home) position.
9. Now after a short delay, Arduino instructs the DC motor to rotate such that the
book is pushed out of the system by the arm. The motor speed is 30 rpm and linear
speed is 5.5cm/s
10. The servo is the signaled to rotate in opposite direction to lose the book.

59
11. The DC motor is signaled to rotate and now in opposite direction because of the
relay switch which makes the arm to retract to the system.
12. Finally, the power window is operated to return the baffle assembly to home
position.
The robotic system is basically an arm made up by joining different links. The
range of the arm reach is only a vertical plane but, when the base is provided with
wheels, the range becomes a cylindrical volume. The column being the first link is
joint to the baffle assembly which is second link and finally the arm with gripper
makes the third link. Hence the position of the gripper with respect to the base was
found out using direct kinematics. The results were as below:
α a d θ
1–2 0 0 0 π/2
2–3 0 0 0 0
Table 4.1 Direct kinematics

It is observed that for a two axis planar system, α and d are always equal to
zero. The x and y components of the end effector (gripper) with respect to the base are
given by, [7]

x = a1cos θ1+a2cos(θ1- θ2)

y = a1sin θ1+a2sin(θ1- θ2)

This comes out to be x=0 and y=0 for the home position. Similarly by
calculating for top position with extended arm, x=40cm and y=100cm.

4.2 Future Scope

The robotic system for book sorting and handling is a prototype build in
accordance to its application in library to reduce the work load. The books in a library
are to be arranged according to their category or author or any unique detail. In a huge
library, this is a tedious work to perform for a human. Hence introducing a robotic
system for this task is beneficial.

60
In order to develop the robotic system to be able to serve in the library, improvements
in various fields as follows,

4.2.1 Mobility:

The prototype manufactured is a stationary robotic system. It is therefore

capable of sorting and arranging the books at same place. (ie the system needs to be
placed in front of the shelf for the process). An easy solution to this is attaching
wheels to the base of the robotic system. This task is not as easy as it seems. The
wheels cannot be directly attached to the base. The base needs to be modified into a
chassis which is then capable of carrying the wheels.

The chassis is another skeletal structure designed to carry the entire load of the
system. The motors required to drive the wheels are very high torque motors and
hence are expensive. Although, after attaching the wheels, the system becomes
mobile, it is still dependent on humans for directions to move. To make it efficient in
a library, this process needs to be automated. This can be done using line following
technique of Automatic Guided Vehicles. (AGV) Building an entirely different circuit
for line following

4.2.2 Obstacle detection and proper book placement:

The robotic system is not equipped with any obstacle detection system. As the
system can move on commands of sensors, it would be vulnerable if an object comes
in its path. Moreover, if this object is a human being, this is more fatal. Hence
obstacle detection system can be incurred.

Obstacle detection can also be used for placing the books appropriately. In the
current system, if the shelf is full of books, or even when the robotic system tries to
insert a book in the rack where already a book is placed, the system won‟t detect the
filled space and will continue the insertion of book. This issue can be solved using a
proximity sensor at the front of baffle section. The sensor would detect the space
available for the system to insert the book and accordingly signal the system.

61
 Another issue is to place a book right next to a book already in the shelf so
that the book to be placed does not fall inside the shelf. By placing the book besides
another book, the new book can lean on to the book already placed. Same proximity
sensor can be used to resolve this issue. The sensor would command the system to
move either to its left or right until another book is detected. Then place the book
besides the detected book.

4.2.3 Sensing:

The colour sensor used to sort the books is not compatible to sort hundreds of
types of books as there are not as many different colours available for sensor to
distinguish. Hence, a different type of sensing can be used for ex. RFID sensor. The
RFID or Radio frequency identification sensor uses tags, encoders and decoders to
sort the books. All the information regarding various types of books can be stored in a
database which is used to differentiate among the books. This makes the system too
costly and complicated.

4.2.4 Multiple books carrying:

The current system is capable of sorting and placing only one book at a time.
While, provisions can be made to include carrying multiple books and sort them one
by one. This would involve introducing multiple baffles or totally designing a new
baffle assembly.

62
 References

[1] M. Elango, “Robotic Arm Based Library Automation Using Haptic Technology” /
International Journal of Computer Science Engineering (IJCSE) Vol. 3 No.02 Mar
2014.
[2] Shraddha S. Chauhan, Ashwini S. Kalbande, “Automated Library System Using
Robotic Arm” - International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science
and Software Engineering - Volume 5, Issue 2, February 2015.
[3] M.Z.A Rashid, H.N.M Shah, “Sorting and Retrieval Robotic System Controlled
via Programmable Logic Controller for Library Usage” - International Journal of
u-and e-Service, Science and Technology Vol.7, No.4 (2014), pp.19-30.
[4] Jackrit Suthakorn1, Sangyoon Lee1, “A Robotic Library System for an Off-Site
Shelving Facility”, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
[5] Hansson R., “Industrial robot lends a hand in a Swedish library”, ABB Review,
No. 3, 1995, pp.16-18.
[6] V.B.Bhandari, “Design of machine elements”, Tata McGraw Hill, New Delhi, 3rd
Edition, pp. 231-233.
[7] Schilling, “Fundamentals of Robotics”, Prentice hall of India pvt. Ltd., New
Delhi, 2001, pp. 51-53.
[8] Faculty of mechanical engineering, PSG College of technology, “Design Data”,
M/s. Kalaikathir Achchagam, Coimbatore, 2013.

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