Automatic Pet DoorsAdding Safety and Convenience to Your Pet’s

Entrance 

 

Automatic Pet DoorsAdding Safety and Convenience to Your Pet’s Entrance 

Meet The Project Team

Zack Butler Andrew Hitchen Liz Drover Shanna Nolan

Automatic Pet DoorsAdding Safety and Convenience to Your Pet’s Entrance 

Abstract – Introduction

Problem to be Solved

• Millions of homes in North America have pets which require a route in and out of the home for various reasons

• Existing pet doors have flaws that we have endeavoured to overcome with our design

Automatic Pet DoorsAdding Safety and Convenience to Your Pet’s Entrance 

• System will allow the pet to independently open the door for entering and exiting the home

• System must be able to lock when not in use

• System must fit in the dimensions of a standard exterior door

• System must be internally powered by batteries

• System must be aesthetically appealing

Project Objectives

Automatic Pet DoorsAdding Safety and Convenience to Your Pet’s Entrance 

Initial Design Review

•Weight activated sensors

• Tedious installation

• Difficult for weather proofing

• Obstructions created by door

Automatic Pet DoorsAdding Safety and Convenience to Your Pet’s Entrance 

Early Revisions In Design

• Horizontally mounted stepper No longer attached to door

• Weather proofing

• Mounted sensors

• Battery operated

• Easy installation

• Eliminated obstructions

Automatic Pet DoorsAdding Safety and Convenience to Your Pet’s Entrance 

Final Design

• 12” x 15” pet door dimensions

• Spring loaded solenoid lock Door locks when system is off

• Easy access for battery replacement

• Weather proofed

Overview of Final System

Hardware

• Assorted Lumber

• ½” Wooden Dowel

• Vinyl Sheet

• Weather Stripping

• Rubber Matting

• Wires

• Terminal strips

• Various Fasteners

• Accessories

Electronics

• Normally open buttons

• Solenoid

• 6 x 1.5V D-Cell Batteries

• PIC 16F877 Microcontroller

• Lin Engineering Bi-Polar Stepper Motor

Software

• C-Language Code

• PIC Downloader

• Microchip MPLAB Project Builder

Automatic Pet DoorsAdding Safety and Convenience to Your Pet’s Entrance 

Wiring Schematic

Programming Flowchart

Automatic Pet DoorsAdding Safety and Convenience to Your Pet’s Entrance 

Demonstration

Automatic Pet DoorsAdding Safety and Convenience to Your Pet’s Entrance 

Obstacles & Trade-Offs

Modeling of Motor

Recommendations

• A microcontroller circuit designed specifically for a stepper motor would take up less space. This would allow better fit into a standard exterior door.

• A stepper motor with smaller dimensions and more torque would completely fit inside an exterior door, while being able to lift a pet door that was made of a heavier, sturdier material.

• Place bearings on the contact points of the lifting shaft. This would maintain adequate support, but would facilitate motor rotation with less friction, thereby increasing efficiency of the system.

Conclusions

Technical and Professional Skills Acquired

• Programming• Circuit design and wiring• Design for constructability• Organization and documentation

Goals Accomplished

• Designed a pet door system that allows a pet to independently enter and exit the home by touching a sensor pad with their paw

• The system was implemented within the standard dimensions of an exterior door

• The system features a lock for safety and security

Automatic Pet DoorsAdding Safety and Convenience to Your Pet’s

Entrance 

 

www.engr.mun.ca/~hitchenu