INTRODUCTION:
This project is about leveling uneven things on surfaces like tables or grills. My motivation for this project is one day when my Dad was cooking on the grill he had me help him put blocks of wood under the grill legs to make it level and when we were finished I thought it would have been easier to make it level with a type of machine. My product's expected end users are everybody with a table or grill with uneven ground. The functional requirements for the Auto leveler are legs that go down on their own, and be able to have the surface of the level without any dip. This will need a lot of time and effort but will have a great outcome.
OBJECTIVES:
The goal of the project is to make a device that can automatically level itself. The intended functions and features of this project include hydraulic legs that come down after a button is pressed and the code is run, and leveling liquid that is usually on manual leveling devices to help determine by manual work if it is level. It narrows down the scope of the project based on available resources because for my prototype I will only need syringes to make a smaller version of what I want. The only thing that I would need to buy is an accelerometer for it to make it work in a way that RV leveling systems do. Testing will include using tinier 3D printed tables and grills to make a sizable reference to start testing before going onto actual tables and grills. Challenges that might stand in my way would be it not working, it not being level when the program ends, and it breaking under the weight of the said object.
Design Strategy:
My approach to this project is to figure out a way to bring a miniaturized version of an RV leveling system into everyday things like grills, and tables. My plan for building the leveling system is to build hydraulics that will open and close to a line of programming causing it to lift or put down the legs, and I will design most of it on a computer. I want to simulate this in a program and real life with a smaller version of it. The leveling system puts down its legs and extends its legs until sensors sense it and make it stop, depending on how uneven the ground is will either benefit or impact how much the legs push into the ground. The leveling system needs an accelerometer to help it work, with sensors to sense the ground and how much pressure to put on it. Some risks and safety precautions would be standing back when testing the actual grill or table. There is always the risk of it breaking, and falling over.
Plan of action:
The first thing I want to do before designing anything for the leveler is to research RV levelers to help determine what I should implement into the build.
The second thing I want to do is build something online before the prototype to get a sense of what it should look like and how it should work.
The third thing I want to do is start to design the prototype with a little help from a year 2 because they have more experience with designing 3D objects than me.
The fourth thing I want to do is print my prototype and test and learn from my mess-ups and fix anything that needs to be fixed within the coding and anything else.
Verification:
Test procedures include
Making the hydraulics go up and down
Seeing if it is level
Testing to see the max weight it can hold
Testing it on a real table/grill
Tolerance analysis
Components
Accelerometer
This the sensor that senses the ground to make the legs stop
Arduino
The coding that I am probably gonna use to make it work
Hydraulics
These push the legs down and make it level
Subsystems
Programming
These will affect the performance of the project because it will help make the legs go up and down, pushing down and bringing up, and the code is most important because without it it would be a manual leveler
Cost and Schedule:
COST: Accelerometer: $9.99, Arduino kit $80, hydraulic pistons $20 each, $80 total for pistons, 3d printed grill/table ½ size $2
Schedule: Start Construction 10/17/23, 1/17-18/23 order pieces if needed and 3d print device to hold the prototype. 10/20-21/23 test device. 10/23-24/23 redesign device if needed. 10/25-30/23 test redesign and last day is 10/30-11/1/23
Bibliography:
Unknown. “Yard Grading 101: Everything You Need to Know.” This Old House, This Old House Review team, 9 Mar. 2023, www.thisoldhouse.com/lawns/reviews/yard-grading#:~:text=Ideally%2C%20your%20lawn%20around%20your%20house%20would%20have,between%203%25%20and%2025%25%20are%20usually%20considered%20acceptable.
Chris Woodford. Last updated: March 19. “How Gas Springs Work.” Explain That Stuff, 19 Mar. 2022, www.explainthatstuff.com/gassprings.html#:~:text=In%20a%20gas%20spring%2C%20fluid%20at%20equal%20pressure,the%20outside%E2%80%94giving%20a%20net%20outward%20or%20%22output%22%20force.
“What You Need to Know about Auto Leveling System for Rvs.” Mortons on the Move, Mortons on the Move, 24 May 2023, www.mortonsonthemove.com/auto-leveling-system-rvs/#:~:text=These%20systems%20utilize%20powerful%20jacks%20that%20extend%20and,levels%20and%20will%20adjust%20the%20jacks%20as%20needed.
“Best RV Leveling System + Levelmatepro & Pro+ Discount!” The RVgeeks, The RVgeeks, 14 Apr. 2022, www.thervgeeks.com/rv-leveling-system/.
Ballister, Tucker. “Camping World’s Guide to RV Leveling Systems.” Camping World Blog, Camping World, 14 June 2023, blog.campingworld.com/learn-to-rv/camping-worlds-guide-to-rv-leveling-systems/.