1. PERTINENT GATHERING INFORMATION - M-Division-2020-2021-Even/Repo_07 GitHub Wiki

NEED STATEMENT

Semi Automatic Shuttle Cock Throwing Machine.

1.1. INTRODUCTION FOR SHUTTLE COCK LAUNCHING DEVICE

Although there are very developed launchers/throwing devices that solve some problem, but most of them are very expensive. And for example, in order to train players during training, minimum two players are needed which is not possible at all the times. To overcome these situations, the players need a machine to train in these cases so the devices like shuttle cock throwing machines. The presently available machine is too costly which a training club or people sometimes cannot afford. And even the number of suppliers or machine making companies in the market is also less.

1.2. EXISTING SOLUTIONS FOR SHUTTLE COCK LAUNCHING DEVICE

1.2.A Exiting Solution 1 :

8 a

FIG 1

A shuttlecock launching apparatus comprising: a shuttlecock storage; first and second launching wheels; a transfer assembly for transferring a single shuttlecock from said shuttlecock storage to said launching wheels; said transfer assembly including a gripping device for holding and retaining a single shuttlecock; said transfer assembly being mounted on a vertically moveable base; said entire transfer assembly being horizontally and vertically movable relative to said launching wheels and said shuttlecock storage; a cam wheel and a cam follower; and said cam follower being connected to said transfer assembly to cause and guide said horizontal movement.

Data Sheet

9 a

FIG 2

Battery capacity: 3 to 5 hours of autonomy for plenty of fun training.

10 a

FIG 3

11 a

FIG 4

Fine adjustment, multi angle can be adjusted by remote control.

12 a

FIG 5

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus and more particularly, relates to a method and apparatus for the launching of shuttlecocks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many sports utilize machines for performing a competitive movement in order to provide practice for its players. Thus, for example, in baseball, pitching machines are widely used to provide practice for the batters. The use of the machines permits the batter to practice without requiring a pitcher to throw the balls. Similarly, in hockey, puck shooting machines can be utilized to provide practice to goalies. Tennis is another sport which utilizes a tennis ball launching machine in order to provide practice for the more inexperienced players.

SHUTTLE COCK TRANSMITTER WORKING

Full-automatic shuttlecock transmitter, it is characterized in that: comprise automatic collating unit and automatic launcher, described automatic collating unit comprises the ball-receiver that can move in a circle, described ball-receiver is provided with a plurality of holes of diameter between the diameter of shuttlecock two ends, described ball-receiver top is provided with funnel, described funnel top is provided with the conveyer belt vertically be in tilted layout, the upper end of described conveyer belt is positioned at the funnel top, the lower end of described conveyer belt is stretched in ball-collecter, described conveyer belt is provided with the baffle plate of a plurality of acclivitous protrusions, described ball-receiver below is provided with pounder, described pounder comprises the cylindrical rod that a plurality of length differs, described pounder below is provided with the storage bulb, be provided with two grippers that open and-shut mode is contrary in described storage bulb, described automatic launcher comprises carrier pipe, infrared inductor and the air pump machine of being controlled by described infrared inductor

Source:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US6752138B2/en

1.2.B Exiting Solution 2 :

A shuttlecock-throwing machine is provided to permit delivery of successive shuttlecocks at different frequencies, trajectories and speeds. The machine includes a shuttlecock dispenser, a feeding mechanism and an ejecting unit. The ejecting unit consists of two motors-driven recoiling counter rotating wheels being fed successively by the feeding mechanism therein gripping the shuttlecock's cap or nose and propelled the shuttlecock in the path of wheels plane. The shuttlecock dispenser comprising a pair of parallel or spiral bar, spaced apart and set at an incline to queue shuttlecocks with the noses side down over the feeding mechanism. The feeding mechanism consists of a motor-driven four-spoke rotor which draw the shuttlecocks from its dispenser and deliver one by one into the ejecting device.

13 a

FIG 6

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The basic concept of this invention employs a pair of articulated counter rotating wheels for gripping and propelling the shuttlecock nose or cap member, a shuttlecock dispenser which positions shuttlecocks led in queue and a loading mechanism which simply pushes the queue shuttlecock into the gap of the rotating wheels thereby causing contact between the shuttlecock cap and the ejecting wheels. This invention provides a highly versatile shuttlecock launcher avoiding the foregoing and other shortcomings and disadvantages of prior constructions. Accordingly, it is also the objective of the present invention to provide a launcher that is capable of simulating most of the shuttlecock trajectories experienced in the actual playing of badminton. To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a shuttlecock-throwing machine is provided to permit delivery of successive shuttlecocks at different frequency, trajectory and speed in a desired direction of a player's court and which is of relatively simplified construction for economical manufacture and minimum cost of maintenance and repair. The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the cited claims and the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment.

The present invention relates to the automatic launching of badminton shuttlecocks at different frequencies, trajectories and speeds to a desired direction relative to a player. More particularly, this invention relates to the simplicity and reliability for launching shuttlecocks notwithstanding the varying quality and condition of the shuttle, for purposes of recreation, training aid or shuttlecock speed testing. A wide variety of ball throwing machines employing counter rotating wheels have been used in the past for activities such as tennis, ping pong, baseball and volley ball practice. These machines propel spherical objects or the like such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,350 and WO9411069. They are not suitable for propelling a non spherical object such as a shuttlecock. Although mention is made for the use in the game of badminton in these patents, an adaptation of the device for that purpose is neither shown nor a claim sought. Moreover, applying a pair of concave rotating wheels to propel a shuttlecock through a gap formed between two concave wheels is not viable due to the lack of surface contact available on a conical shape projectile such as a shuttlecock. Additionally, the mechanism for the delivery of the shuttlecock into the gap formed between the two concave wheels would require a high degree of mechanical complexity.

A shuttlecock launcher, comprising:

a) a shuttlecock dispenser having a pair of bars spaced apart smaller than the maximum diameter of a shuttlecock, said dispenser capable of housing a plurality of shuttlecocks for dispensing in a queued manner; b) a shuttlecock loading mechanism for retrieving shuttlecocks from said shuttlecock dispenser and feeding the shuttlecocks one at a time to a desired launching position and; c) an ejecting wheel assembly comprising a pair of ejecting wheels for gripping and propelling a shuttlecock cap by friction at said launching position thereby launching the shuttlecocks fed by said loading mechanism, each said wheel defining a respective wheel plane, said ejecting wheels assembly including means for selectively indexing the pitch of the wheel plane about a wheel horizontal axis; andrecoiling means for permitting said ejecting wheels to recoil laterally at various wheels planes.

Source –

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US6752138B2/en&ved=2ahUKEwjGhpy60dLwAhWwzTgGHXJMD3YQFjAPegQIBxAC&usg=AOvVaw0THPuji6UGQ071vpHSBSFS&cshid=1621322853357

1.2.C Exiting Solution 3 :

4-Figure6-1

FIG 7

Manufacturing and assembly

The launcher consists of two main features: gripping and launching mechanisms. These components were manufactured separately and eventually combined together with a camera tripod.
The gripping mechanism consists of the actual gripping claws powered by a hobby servo motor, the vertically moving base plate for the gripping claws, a stepper motor as well as the supporting structure for the mechanism. One gripping claw is driven by the servo motor and the other is connected to it via a gear wheel. The gear wheels were first designed as separate parts but in the end the gearing was designed directly on the claws. This reduced the part count and the added complexity of the parts didn’t make manufacturing any more complicated due to 3D printing of these parts. Also the base plate for the servo motor was manufactured with a 3D printer along with the bearing clamps. The supporting structure was manufactured using plywood except for the base plate of the structure that was 3D printed. The supporting structure was assembled using angle brackets to gain the needed stability and strength in use. The base plate of the gripping claws is powered by a stepper motor located on top of the supporting structure. The motor is connected to the gripper base plate with a lead screw allowing the gripper plate to move vertically in the structure. The gripper plate is anchored to the supporting structure with two smooth rods and linear bearings so that the vertical movement of the plate is as smooth as possible.

3D Model

3D shuttle machine a

FIG 8

ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENTS REFERED

Our design used 2 large 24 V DC motors, a hobby servo motor and a NEMA 17 stepper motor to automate the machine. The machine is triggered with a push button. Simple electronics was used to control the motors and detect the button press. For easy adjustability, a laboratory power supply was used for powering the drive wheels. The rest of the components were powered by a 12 V power supply that was regulated to 5V for the servo motor. The stepper motor was controlled with a DRV8825 stepper driver. Arduino Nano controlled the stepper driver and the servo motor when it detected a button press. All of the components were soldered onto a prototyping board for better durability. The board was screwed onto the side of the machine. Hot glue was used for securing the connector so the connection stays solid even with high vibrations. A limit switch would have been a good addition to make the homing of the stepper motor easier. As the electronics didn’t get much attention during the design phase, no mounting point for a limit switch was designed in CAD. To home the vertical axis on startup we decided to just drive the axis upwards and let it hit the top plate that prevents it from moving. As the system doesn't know when to stop it just keeps on going until the axis must have hit the top most position. The stepper motor starts to lose steps when the top position is reached which limits the torque generated by the motor to a low level that doesn’t damage the mechanism. This solution is not very elegant and sounds quite bad during startup but it works reliably. containing the electronic components was screwed onto the side of the supporting structure and the motors were connected to it.

3D shuttle machine 1 a

FIG 9

One of the two launching mechanism wheels being milled to fit the modified shaft of the DC motor. After the machining the motors and wheels were connected with bolted joints using the original shafts of the motors.

Source : https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Optimized-Shuttlecock-Propulsion-Machine-to-Aslam-Bashir/12badd16c351f9479fc9bd040c291687cf6bc0b6

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n7NWDvyfS5r9suAHYqp7zvVqkKHslrm9/view

1.2.D Exiting Solution 4 :

Model4 a

FIG 10

The shuttlecock storage is preferably a vertical tube wherein the shuttlecocks are store in a nested position as is known in the art. The inside of the tube is configured such that the lower most shuttlecock will drop into position with the base thereof being outside the tube such that it can be grasped. The remaining shuttlecocks are held in position due to the feathers. The launching wheels may be of any suitable size and structure. Such launching wheels are known in the art. They may have a suitable gripping material extending about the periphery thereof. Each of the launching wheels is preferably given by a separate motor such that, as desired, different speeds may be utilized in order to impart a desired trajectory to the shuttlecock. The launching wheels are also mounted (with their motor) such that they may pivot slightly when the shuttlecock is inserted between the wheels. A return means such as a spring member may be utilized. The shuttlecock launching apparatus includes a transfer assembly which is designed to grip a single shuttlecock from the storage chamber and transfer the shuttlecock to a position where it is placed between the rotating launching wheels. To do this, there are two components—a horizontal component and a vertical component which operate to effect the transfer. Preferably, the vertical movement is guided by one or more guide poles with the horizontal movement being affected by a cam and cam follower arrangement. Preferably, both the horizontal and the vertical movements are driven by a single drive means which can use a belt to effect one of the drives

Model4 1 a

FIG 11

Here it has feature of touch screen in which we can control the height of the machine by raising it up and down. And even we can change the angle of the Shuttle cock to be lauched even with changing the speed of the cock. And we can throw 2-3 cocks at a time without much difficulty which makes this device special from other devices. And The transfer device includes a gripping device which is designed to grasp a shuttlecock at the shuttlecock storage. To accomplish the same, a pair of gripper elements may have a configuration such that they are moved from a normally closed position to an opened position. Means for biassing the gripping elements towards a closed position may be utilized.

Source : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A9s2fgrcPo&t=39s https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrPgxDOwq9gbn4AN0K7HAx.;_ylu=Y29sbwNzZzMEcG9zAzQEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1622160206/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.freepatentsonline.com%2fy2009%2f0283088.html/RK=2/RS=9DCWRGsRmUD3AUmKQfEzbM.Aom8- https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrPgxDOwq9gbn4AOkK7HAx.;_ylu=Y29sbwNzZzMEcG9zAzUEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1622160206/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.freepatentsonline.com%2f6752138.html/RK=2/RS=kOCV6VqQqdHpc9R3MQqPKm9fGRo- https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrPgxDOwq9gbn4AJ0K7HAx.;_ylu=Y29sbwNzZzMEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1622160206/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fpatents.google.com%2fpatent%2fUS8261729B2%2fen/RK=2/RS=ptAlyS25XdGhn98xLx4mKvxZ4pA-

1.3 SOME DIY PROJECTS

#1.

FIG 12

2. FIG 13

Reference links for DIY projects:

1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKo61Sa-x2Y

2]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPuNRoZUZjc

3]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu46ZVaBCFA

4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-s0Z8K5ojY

5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwg-Ge4gu9g&t=11s

6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWXNxP7SBQk

7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvGgPDdLS_0

8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvGgPDdLS_0

9]https://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/index.php?threads/home-build-shuttlecock-launching-machine.168603/

10] https://www.scribd.com/document/356994154/Shuttlecock-Launcher-24-Pages

11] https://patents.google.com/patent/US6752138B2/en

12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aRCU1ZyTPs

13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A9s2fgrcPo

14] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG0hKPA2JF0

1.4 WHAT ALL COMPONENTS AND SUB-COMPONENTS DO YOU FEEL ARE NEEDED FOR YOUR PROJECT?LIST OUT EACH COMPONENTS WITH DETAILS YOU HAVE FOUND OUT(DETAILS CAN INCLUDE WORKING PRINCIPLE,CONSTRUCTIONS AND INTERACTION ASPECTS).

S.no	Components/Parts used	Mechanism/Principle identified	Links
1	Arduino Board	Arduino interacts with LED’s, sensors, switches and makes machine to launch a item by one at a time with proper intervals of time	https://www.arduino.cc/en/guide/introduction
2	Speed Regulator	To regulate Speed of the item to be launched	https://www.instructables.com/Use-a-Treadmill-DC-Drive-Motor-and-PWM-Speed-Contr/
3	Push Button	Used to turn ON/OFF machine(Regulator)	https://www.quisure.com/blog/faq/what-is-the-principle-of-the-push-button-switches
4	DC Motor Wheel	Assist the item to move forward for launching	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPuNRoZUZjc
5	High Speed DC motor	Helps in Rotating the item for making it to move for longer distance	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1cHrtoNzZ4
6	Bread board	Used to connect switches, regulators etc	https://www.instructables.com/Breadboard-How-To/
7	IR sensor	Detects the item	https://robu.in/ir-sensor-working/
8	LED Light	Used to alter/Blinks when the throwing item is empty.	https://www.fiberlabs.com/glossary/about-led/

Table 1

1.5 HINTS AND IDEAS FOR THROWING MACHINE

1.5.A Two Roller Arrangement.

FIG 14

FIG 15

The toy which is chosen for launch for an example a shuttlecock or a tennis ball sent in between them. Those rollers will be rotating in such a fashion that they suck the ball in and projects out with a great force.

1.5.B Speed Controller.

3 2

FIG 16

This device takes the input from the battery and sends it to the motors used in the model as programmed .The speed is programmed based on various activities for example to shoot/launch the motor should be in its maximum working condition.

1.5.C Rotatable Neck.

4 1

FIG 17

This type of flexible arrangement is required in the machine to launch/project the toy according to our requirements. In simple words it helps us to get the toy in desired projectile. We can rotate the neck and keep it with at a suitable angle to get a required range. To obtain maximum range it should be at 45 degrees.

5 1

FIG 18

1.5.D Snooker Type Launcher.

6 1

FIG 19

Here the toy(specifically the ball) is kept at the end of the long tube. In the same there will a stick which is connected elastically in such a way that when it is pulled in the opposite way of projectile using motors for some distance the elastic force generated pushes the stick and the stick hits the ball with greater force and the ball project forwards.

1.5.E Catapault Launching.

7 1

FIG 20

Here the ball place in a bowl like structure which is connected by an arm. The arm at the end tied a elastic band or a spring which produces elastic force when it is pulled opposite direction of required projectile. Here elastic force and centrifugal force are in action during the procedure. The ball looses it's contact with the bowl like structure and goes swiftly in the air like a projectile.

1.6 COMPONENTS REQUIRED.

SL.NO	COMPONENTS	COST
1.	Speed controller	250-350 Rs
2.	PMDC motors(4-5pieces)	400-800Rs
3.	Wheels(4-6pieces)	80-250Rs
4.	Battery(2000-3000mah)	800-1200Rs
5.	Arduino board	400-700Rs
6.	Stepper motor	250-300Rs
7.	Buck converter	150-200Rs
8.	Wires	100-150Rs
9.	Thermocol sheet	150-200Rs
10.	start/stop button(2 pieces)	40-50Rs
11.	LCD screen	200-400Rs
12.	Microcontroller	100-200Rs
	Overall estimated cost for the project	2920-4800Rs