The development of automation system is done with the help of robots and smart intelligence technology where the entire process from coconut hard shell removing to its powder form with the help of an armed robot with customized design end effectors and intelligent conveyor system for the easy movement of the coconut. This can be utilized to improve the efficiency, reduction in production cost and labor issues.

1. AUTOMATION IN COCONUT POWDER MAKING:
A CONCEPT
Kiran R Nayak
Nitheesh D Nayak Rohith P
Ranjith R Kamath
Under the Guidance Of
Mr. Grynall D’Mello
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering

2. CONTENT
• Introduction
• Manual Method
• System Design
• Basic Design of Robot
• Container with Timer Plates
• Design of Conveyor System
• Bucket and Track System
• Complete Design
• Advantages, Disadvantages & Applications
• Conclusion
28/3/2017

3. INTRODUCTION
• The coconut plant with reverence as “Kalpavriksha”,
because of its manifold virtues.
• Coconut is grown in more than 90 countries across the
world in an area of 14.231 million hectares producing
about 10.52 million tones of copra.
• The most important and economically valuable produce of
coconut palm is its fruit popularly known as ‘nut’.
• The best method of using coconut (copra) is making it in
power form which can be stored for longer period.
• The human resource availability is the major problem
faced by the coconut powder making industries.
• The proposed machine will replace the human work
completely by using armed robots with intelligent machines
for operation.
• The armed robots are operated with the help of motors
and sensors and are controlled by Arduino Mega 2560
microcontroller.
• Conveyor System, Container with Timer Plates, Bucket
and Track System are also used in proposed design.
38/3/2017

4. SYSTEM DESIGN
Computer hardware and software
• The entire system operates on
computers.
• It receives the data from the sensors and
processes these data and compute control
signals for the actuator.
• The Aurdino Mega 2560 can be used as
the control unit which can be programmed
easily to obtain required output.
Sensors
• Proximity/Ultrasonic sensor can be used
which sense the presence of the coconut and
for proper positioning of the arm.
• Ultrasonic sensors generate high frequency
sound waves and evaluate the echo which is
received back by the sensor.
• Sensors calculate the time interval between
sending the signal and receiving the echo to
determine the distance to an object.
Conveyor actuators and control
• Actuators are the hardware unit which takes the input from the control unit and perform
the actuation.
• The controllers are the program in computer, which posses the sensor and compute
control signal for actuators.
48/3/2017

5. Basic Design of Robot
• Proposed robot is six degree of freedom system.
• The robot has six axes - three swings being JI, J3 and J4, and
three rotations being J2, J5 and J6.
• The dimensions are based on approximate scale of the
reference robot available.
• In order to control the shape of such a device (motion of the
robot) each element needs an actuator and sensors.
• It is preferred to use multiple sensors to estimate the
position and presence of the coconut.
Proposed Design of End Effecter
• End Effecter is an additional linkage with link 2,
mounted on the joint 3 of the robot.
• The end effecter consists of a rotor which is free to
rotate in its axis in a direction opposite to that of
cutter.
• The end effecter has identical actuating arm in
opposite direction, and the gripper which are
attached on the bearing for the rotation.
• The proximity sensors are provided on the grippers
which give the input data of sensing to controller.
58/3/2017

6. Container with Timer Plates
• It has a large container in which shell removed coconuts from the sources are
stored.
• Few cross plates are provided as a timer plate.
• Extra expenses on sensor to send coconut in time interval are avoided.
• Which further moves on the belt conveyor.
68/3/2017

7. Design of Conveyor System
• It has two rollers, one of which is driven
by a motor.
• On the roller the belt which has cup
sections in it are wrapped.
• Cup sections are provided with FSRs
sensors that allow detecting physical
pressure and weight.
• The whole system is supported by the
base. 78/3/2017

8. Bucket and Track System
• A four wheel-arm mobile robot system with two driving wheels and four bar
steering mechanism is designed.
• The designed robotic modules have advanced locomotion and manipulation
ability, and are capable of better locomotion stability on track.
• Tracks are provided with black line throughout the track which works on the
principle of line follower robot.
• Mobile robot has the infrared sensor at its bottom which senses and sends input
to the controller and moves as commanded. 88/3/2017

9. COMPLETE PROPOSED DESIGN
98/3/2017

10. Advantages Disadvantages Applications
Time saving and increases
productivity.
Less manual work and interruption.
Accurate and précised cutting .
Cost of labour work is less.
Avoid experienced labour.
Area required for complete process is
reduced.
Initial cost of the system is high.
Regular inspection is required.
Maintenance and maintenance cost.
 Complete coconut powder making industry is automated.
It can be used for the further extension of the industries.108/3/2017

11. Conclusion
This paper we discussed automation of the coconut powder
making industry. This system can completely avoid the human work in
the powder making industry by having a armed robot which can remove
the hard shell of the coconut where the coconut nut is passed though
the conveyors which is controlled by intelligence technology hence the
problem of labor scarcity can be addressed and labor safety concern is
solved. A plantation can be neatly maintained. Since the machines do
not tier and can work any amount of time irrespective of the climate
condition production rate will be dramatically increased.
118/3/2017

12. QUESTIONS ?????
128/3/2017

13. THANK YOU
138/3/2017