Autonomous Arena Grader

Abstract

The Autonomous Arena Grader is a project vehicle that maintains the surface floor of a designated area (e.g., Horse Arenas), to reduce the risk of injuries or accidents. The Autonomous Arena Grader shuffles the earth to reduce clumps, smooths the ground material, and levels the surface floor. The primary function is executed by a combination of two attachments at the rear of the machine: a rake and a smoother. The rake is used to loosen the ground material. The smoother spreads the loosened ground material to level the surface floor. As the Autonomous Arena Grader vehicle drives, the area underneath is to be raked and smoothened. The vehicle is powered by two 12V car batteries (connected in series). The power is supplied to the two DC motors that are mounted in the center of the chassis. The motor power is distributed via a sprocket attached to the motor shaft which is then driven to the sprocket attached to each wheel via a #41 roller chain. This allows for better performance on terrain of tougher situations. To control the vehicle, the Autonomous Arena Grader is equipped with a microcontroller, motor drivers, and sensors (which control the output of the motor and the positioning and location of the machine).