Small Scale Automatic Tricycle Design and Fabrication

Abstract: –

Solar plays a vital role in our day to day life. We have decided to work on the solar tricycle especially for handicapped person. In this project it is discussed that how solar tricycle will help to reduce the effort of handicapped person. Comfort of the person in the tricycle is an important and we have given importance to it. The main content of the tricycle is Solar PV panel, Brushless PMDC motor, Charge controller and battery. This report will discuss about the main idea of this project and to get a larger picture on what is the problem in the current technologies, what that I want to achieve in this project and the area that will cover on this project. Tricycle is a widely used vehicle for transportation throughout in all around the world. The basic Tricycle is a three-wheeled design, pedalled by disabled persons in the side and seat in the middle for sitting arrangement. Manual drive tricycle is more affordable than hand driven. In this project report, I have discussed how to utilize solar power though the solar panel or photovoltaic cell and drive the battery, controller and the tricycle as well. 

Overview: –

Solar based tricycles, which use 100% solar energy power when the sun is shining. On other side electric vehicles, which use 100% electric power, use electric motors instead of an internal combustion engine to provide motive force. Moreover, in this types of solar vehicles use PV cells for converting sunlight into electricity. In that case the electricity uses directly by electric tricycle for running it or it can be stored in storage battery. One big thing is that the PV cells produce the electricity when only the sun is shining. If there is no sunlight in the sky the tricycle is depending on electricity which is stored in battery.   

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Since the 1970s, inventors, government and industry have helped develop solar-powered cars, boats, bicycles and aircraft.  In 1974, two brothers, Robert and Roland Boucher, flew less than 300 feet of aircraft in an extremely lightweight, remotely controlled, pilot-less aircraft.  It was powered by PV array on the wings.  The first solar powered car was made in 1977.  It was small, light and relatively small.  Practical SPVs equipped with advanced SPVs have been built with the support of major auto manufacturers including General Motors, Ford and Honda.  After seeing all the inventions for making automatic tricycles based on solar systems.  So, we decided to make solar tricycles. [1]

Research papers: –

• AN Daniel Dutarte, David Sandberg, Tolu Ondupi, presents a paper on “Electric Tricycle: Approach Mobility”: The project aims to provide current hand-operated tri-cycles to tricycle users with mobility levels.  The control requires a simple and inexpensive design for design purposes, a design that is required to be reliable, durable and functional, acceptable the design of an electric tricycle, with minor modifications to existing hand-operated tricycles.  Ho.  Designs include electric motors, drive systems, motor and steering controls, and power supplies. [2]
• Abdul Qadir Baba Hasan presents a paper on the design and construction of a motorized project for people with disabilities, the project design is put on a motorcycle tricycle for the disabled.  The tricycle was designed specifically for people with healthy upper torso wheelchairs, from the pelvis to the rest of the foot.  It is designed to conform to commonly available wheel chairs.  The level of relationships between people with disabilities in the society is very dangerous. This project was therefore designed to correct the difficulties in the mobility of wheelchair users.  The main purpose of the project’s design is to reduce the mobility of physically handicapped people and provide them adequate rest as they wish. [3]
• Present a paper on AK Lakiswaran A / L Summergame, “Development of Battery Power Trials”.  The main objective of this project is to develop a battery powered electric motor tricycle which can be used for easy transportation and economy reasons, for the development of battery powered electric motor tricycles which can be used for easy transportation and economy reasons.  A motorized tricycle is a three-wheel bicycle used to help paddle with an attached motor.  Commonly considered as a vehicle, tricycles are usually powered by electric motors or small internal combustion engines and act as electric bicycles. [4]

Upper all notes show the information of the previous research on solar tricycle. They might get some achievements and they may not. So, after all research we are deciding to fabricate this type of tricycle. In this project I am working on solar energy and tricycle breaking system and rear camera fitting system.

Objectives: –

To overcome the problem and the weakness, this project need to do some research and studying to develop better technology. To make it success there are several things that we need to know such as what will be the prime mover, how to stored it and the advantages of this new tricycle. In that case, these are the list of the objective to be conduct before continue to proceed on this project

•          To develop a tricycle that use renewable energy, environmentally friendly.

•          To develop tricycle that can charge the battery when it is not in used.

•          To ride tricycle via solar energy without any additional fuel

Applications: –

• Travel for free with the power of the sun.
• Provides free, ‘green’ transportation for short distances (<10 miles), thus it must never plug into a wall socket, or emit any pollutants.
• Charges while at work.
•  Is cheap, simple, and low maintenance.

Project Scope: –

The scope of this project is very necessary in all around the world because it is specially fabricating for mobility persons and using this type of solar tricycle they can easily charge it and use it. It is totally based on solar so there is no need of any type of fuel so its cost is low as compare to other vehicles. Moreover, in that tricycle I am putting many good things like rear camera, solar panel for running this tricycle and many other things. The basic functions are totally automated and easy to operate. In New Zealand there are many disable people are using the tricycle which is provide by the NZ government so as specially in Auckland there are much demand of automatic tricycle as compare to other cities. We can see the Lime automatic scooters in all streets so this tricycle is working on same principle like automatic but the tricycle is more safe than lime bicycle as specially in balancing and safety purpose. 

Figure (1) Work breakdown structure of the project

Project methodology and requirements: –

Components

• Solar panel
• Battery
• Controller
• Battery charger
• Solar Charge controller

Figure (2) Expected model design of fabrication solar tricycle in CAD [5]

Solar Panel: – A photovoltaic module or photovoltaic panel is an interconnected assembly of photovoltaic cells, also known as solar cells.  Photovoltaic modules, commonly known as solar panels, are then used as components in a large photovoltaic system to provide electricity for commercial and residential applications.  One of the primary difficulties of solar energy and its cousin wind power is efficiency.  There is more than enough energy to hit the earth in the form of solar radiation to meet our species’ electricity needs.  Transition estimates that wind power is four times more available to us as species use each year.  Solar energy is even more dramatic, with the sun showing more planets every day than we use in a year.  So the difficulty has never been the availability of sun and wind, they are readily available

Figure (3) Solar panel 20 watt [6]

Solar charge controller: – Solar battery chargers are a cheap, environmentally friendly and convenient way to ensure that your battery is always fully charged and ready to run at all times.  The problem is with the Sun charging the battery from the solar panel.  It does not shine all the time and clouds merge along the way.  Our eyes adjust to the variation in the power of the sun but the solar panel behaves differently.  As the sun loses its intensity, the output from the solar panel goes down significantly.  Not only the output current decreases, but the output voltage also decreases.  Many solar panels fall below the 13.6v required to charge a 12.6 battery, and as this happens, the charging current becomes zero.  This means that they disappear as soon as the sun shines.

Figure (4) Solar charge controller [7]

Battery: – In a separate system away from the grid, batteries are used to store more solar energy converted to electrical energy.  The only exceptions, such as irrigation pumps or drinking water supplies for storage, are splashed with incense.  In fact, for smaller units produced less than one kilowatt.  The battery seems to be the only technically and economically available storage device.  Both the photo-voltaic system and the battery increase capital costs.  It is important that the overall system is optimized with respect to available energy tariffs and local demand patterns.  A special combination of properties requires a battery to be economically attractive for storage of solar energy.

Figure (5) Battery [8]

Upper all description I write overview of some equipment which will use in this project.

Table (1) Assume cost of components [9]

Upper table shows the approximate cost of my parts. If some parts are collected by my group members for doing their work, then after we will assemble the whole project.

In future maybe many risks come through the project like, maybe I would not get any parts in New Zealand so I need to order it from overseas. Might be it costs is low as compare to New Zealand.

For overall, cost maybe $500 approximately and my group members approximately cost will be $900 so, the whole project will become $1400 approximately.

Project plan and schedule: –

Figure (6) Project plan of whole project in activity sheet [10]

Figure (7) Gantt chart of the project [10]

Figure (8) Network diagram of the project [10]

Upper whole work done in project liber software. Some activities is not clearly seen in the report so I e-mail soft copy to my teacher to Dr. Mustafa.

Bibliography