automated gutter cleaner - uc drc home

Automated Gutter Cleaner

A Baccalaureate thesis submitted to the School of Dynamic Systems

College of Engineering and Applied Science University of Cincinnati

in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of

Bachelor of Science

in Mechanical Engineering Technology

by

Emmanuel Ivenso Jr.

April 2013

Thesis Advisor: Amir Salehpour

ii

ABSTRACT

With new homes being built every day, combined with home prices being at record lows

as well as loan interest rates, people are beginning to buy houses to live in with their families,

friends or even just themselves. Most new homeowners may know that if when spending

hundreds of thousands of dollars on something, it is best to take care of it. Having clean

gutters is a crucial part of owning a home and currently, whether the homeowner does it

themselves or hires an outside contractor to complete the job, this task is done by primarily

by hand. This is quite dangerous since one has go to higher elevations just to reach the gutter,

and this can soon become time consuming depending on the total length of gutter around the

house.

With a robotic device that is capable of doing all the hard work for the home owner, the

threat of falling off a ladder or roof while cleaning the gutters by hand is eliminated. The

device was designed to target specific customer needs and especially reduce the risk factor.

The device was designed to be hands free and easy to use to where even a pre-teen could

control and it.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................. II

TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................ III

LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ IV

LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. IV

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1

PROBLEM DEFINITION & BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................. 1 INTERVIEWS ....................................................................................................................................................... 2 RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY, & EXISTING PRODUCTS ........................................................................................... 3

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK ....................................................................................................... 7

CUSTOMER NEEDS, SURVEY, & WEIGHTED IMPORTANCE .................................................................................. 7 PRODUCT/ENGINEERING FEATURES & OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................... 8

CONCEPT DESIGN & SELECTION ...................................................................................... 9

SLOPE DESIGN .................................................................................................................................................... 9 AUGER DESIGN................................................................................................................................................. 10 ASSEMBLY DESIGN........................................................................................................................................... 10 BILL OF MATERIALS ......................................................................................................................................... 11 COMPONENT SELECTION .................................................................................................................................. 11 CALCULATIONS ................................................................................................................................................ 11

FABRICATION AND ASSEMBLY ...................................................................................... 12

PROGRESS ......................................................................................................................................................... 12

PROOF OF DESIGN .............................................................................................................. 14

TESTING ........................................................................................................................................................... 14

PROJECT MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................. 15

SCHEDULE ........................................................................................................................................................ 15 BUDGET ............................................................................................................................................................ 16

CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 17

RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 17

WORKS CITED ..................................................................................................................... 18

APPENDIX A - RESEARCH ................................................................................................... 1

APPENDIX B – CUSTOMER SURVEY AND RESULTS .................................................... 1

APPENDIX C – QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT ANALYSIS ............................... 1

APPENDIX D – PRODUCT OBJECTIVES ............................................................................ 1

APPENDIX E – SCHEDULE .................................................................................................. 1

APPENDIX F – BUDGET ....................................................................................................... 1

APPENDIX G – CONCEPT DESIGNS ................................................................................... 1

iv

LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Gutter Profiles ........................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2: Gutter Helmet ............................................................................................................ 4

Figure 3: Gutter Kit ................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 4: iRobot Looj 330......................................................................................................... 6 Figure 5: Concept Design - Slope ............................................................................................. 9 Figure 6: Concept Design - Auger .......................................................................................... 10 Figure 7: Device Full Assembly ............................................................................................. 10

Figure 8: The Drive System .................................................................................................... 12 Figure 9: The Auger End ........................................................................................................ 13 Figure 10: The Body ............................................................................................................... 13

Figure 11: Device in Gutter .................................................................................................... 14

LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Customer Requirements 7 Table 2: List of Objectives 8

Table 3: Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Analysis 1

Automated Gutter Cleaner Emmanuel Ivenso Jr.

1

Introduction

Problem Definition & Background

In order for the gutters to remain on the side of the house and do their job effectively,

they must remain clean and free of debris. Debris inside gutters weigh them down which can

over time pull them away from the house. Along with snow and ice during the winter

months, they can eventually fall off. And if they are not free of debris, such as leaves, twigs,

acorns, etc., it can stop the flow of water out to the street and eventually it will find its way

back to the foundation of the house. Depending on the amount of trees around a house, the

average homeowner may need to clean them two or more times a year and this are usually

done manually.

A robotic device that could clean gutters without putting people in harm’s way of

climbing a ladder onto the roof of a house would an ideal solution. That is why an automated

gutter cleaner would be a great tool for everyone who owns a home to own.


2

Interviews

A home owner, such as Chris Macklin (1), will either go up on the roof themselves with

the help of a ladder, or pay someone to do it, and then take out all of the debris in the gutters

by hand. This job can take a long time and become tedious from climbing up and down the

ladder just to move it around the house before beginning to clean again. It is also a very

dangerous job because the ladder may lose its footing especially for higher story buildings on

a windy day. After many years of owning a home, this becomes a problem especially for the

elderly or the disabled. A solution to this is to have a robot clean the gutter eliminating the

hazard of climbing up a ladder and freeing up time that could be spent with the family or

doing other household chores. He says that for added assistance with cleaning the gutters,

attachments should be provided to aid in the different types of clearing of debris.

See APPENDIX A - Research for the full list of research items.


3

Research, Technology, & Existing Products

There are many styles of gutters made out of many different materials such as aluminum

or vinyl. Different styles have been created over time where only the exterior shape of the

gutter change just to make it appealing to someone looking up at it. See Figure 1: Gutter

Profiles (2). Other than that, the sizes of the gutters are all the same. Depending on the house

you may have a large gutter with about a 6 inch opening, or even a small opening at just

about 4 inches.

Figure 1: Gutter Profiles


4

After speaking with Eddie Allen (3), an industry expert, he said that a 5” K-style Ogee

opening is used the most on houses. This made it easy for new inventions to arise to help

keep gutters clean and functioning properly.

Currently there are a few ways that people have come up with to try and solve this issue

of clogged gutters. The main one is to put some sort of a shield on top of the gutter which

blocks out the debris but still allows the rain through. One product out now is the gutter

helmet which can be seen in Figure 2: Gutter Helmet (4). This is generally done by placing a

plastic cover over the gutter that has a bunch of holes in them for the rain water to get in. But

these only work part of the time. Debris is still able to get inside the holes at time since they

are fairly large in diameter in order to collect majority of the water and if the holes are too

small than only some of the water will be collected, leaving the rest to drop to the ground and

again damage the foundation which will cause major problems in the future. Also leaves can

get stuck on top of the cover blocking the holes leaving no place for water to flow in so the

home owner will eventually have to clean it anyway.

Figure 2: Gutter Helmet

Gutter

Gutter

Helmet

Roof

Leaves


5

Other than attempting to stop gutters from getting clogged at all, gutters can be cleaned

automatically by use of a robot, such as the Looj 330 (5) made by iRobot or manually, either

by hand with a person on the roof or on a ladder, or by use of a long pole attached to an

industrial vacuum or leaf blower such as the one in Figure 3: Gutter Kit (6).

Figure 3: Gutter Kit


6

There are a few problems with this. The first is that a person has to already have a

wet/dry vacuum in order to attach the poles to it. These vacuums are pretty big in size which

could get in your way as your dragging it all around the house when cleaning. This also uses

up quite a bit of electricity. Not only does this device not clear out all the debris effectively,

the pole used to suck up the leaves which can from time to time get clogged up as well so one

must constantly clear out the poles to ensure maximum suction power is being used. Lastly

this job gets pretty hard to do when working with arms raised above your head for a long

period of time especially on a 2 or 3 story houses.

With this being said, there is the iRobot Looj 330, pictured in Figure 4: iRobot Looj 330

is so far the most efficient way of cleaning gutters so far.

Figure 4: iRobot Looj 330


7

Customer Feedback

Customer Needs, Survey, & Weighted Importance

A survey was given to 20 people. The survey along with results can be found in

APPENDIX B – Customer Survey and Results. The survey showed that most people did not

care much for a product that was appealing. Nor did they want to have to operate it manually.

Majority of the people did however want the device to be as safe as possible, easy to use and

reliable. The weights of the functions are shown in Table 3: Quality Function Deployment

(QFD) Analysis in APPENDIX C – Quality Function Deployment Analysis on the far right

column of the quality function deployment analysis table. Also on average, more people

determined that a price range from $100 - $200 would be fair for a purchase price of this

device.

Table 1: Customer Requirements


8

Product/Engineering Features & Objectives

Based off the customer needs collected, the product features were then determined.

These features needed to be implemented into the design of the device and satisfy the key

requirements of the customer. Features such as the life of the battery, the size and weight of

the device, as well as the overall purpose for the device were taken into consideration. The

full list of the product features and how they relate to the customer requirements can be

found on the quality function deployment (QFD) analysis table in APPENDIX C – Quality

Function Deployment Analysis.

In APPENDIX D – Product Objectives, it shows what the objective would be to ensure

that the needs of the customer have been met. The results of the objectives were tabulated

from the QFD. As can be seen below in Table 2: List of Objectives having a safe, easy to use

and reliable device was the most important to the customers, and having an appealing device

that could be operated automatically or manuall was the least impoertant.

Safe = 15%

Easy to Use = 13%

Reliable = 12%

Durable = 10%

Lightweight = 9%

Easy to Maintain = 9%

Compact = 7%

Affordable = 7%

Environmentally Friendly = 6 %

Easy to Store = 6%

Manual & Automatic Operation = 3 %

Appealing = 2%

Table 2: List of Objectives


9

Concept Design & Selection

Slope Design

The first concept design chosen incorporated a slope so that all the debris could travel up

it and out of the gutter. A prototype model can be seen in Figure 5: Concept Design - Slope.

In theory, this was to be done by the simple force of the device moving forward and adding

brushes to the ramp it to help guide the debris out of the gutter. There were a few issues with

that that prohibited it from working as planned. After making a few refinements, such as

making a longer, steeper slope and allowing the bristles to pivot in a sweeping motion to

knock all the debris out of the gutters, we found that this design was still unsuccessful at

clearing out the gutter. Concept drawing for this design, along with others can be found in

Appendix G.

Figure 5: Concept Design - Slope


10

Auger Design

The second design, which is the one that was selected, uses an auger to collect the debris

and extrude it to the rear of the device where a number of bristles fling the debris out the

gutter. A prototype can be seen in Figure 6: Concept Design - Auger. This prototype

supported the theory and proved that this design would work.

Assembly Design

For the final assembly, seen in Figure 7: Device Full Assembly, for the device, the base

of a remote control tank was used mainly because of its size and track style wheels. The

auger and brushes are both on a shaft that rotates by a motor inside the tank body. These sit

on a base to allow for a steady straight path of travel for the device down the gutter. The tool

head will be custom made to meet the need of debris collection.

Figure 7: Device Full Assembly

Figure 6: Concept Design - Auger


11

Bill of Materials

Component Selection

The RC tank that was purchased came with majority of the needed components for this

device. A new top for the tank did have to be made to fit the acquired motor for the auger.

The bristles were carefully chosen as to not be so heavy to damage the gutter and/or get stuck

when cleaning the gutter. A flimsy yet durable material was desired to left all the debris out

of the gutter while accomplishing its full 360o rotation. No coupler was needed as the dowel

rod fit snuggly into the socket opening for the motor.

Calculations

It was found that the needed power for lifting and discharging the debris was not a lot. A

calculated amount of 1/10 to 1/12 horsepower was needed. This was found by using the

equation:

.

HP being the power needed, T being the amount of torque, and RPM being the rotational

speed. A minimum torque of 40 in-Lbs. was needed to lift the leaves at a speed of 150 RPM.

The motor used was rated at 180 RPM with 45 in-Lbs. of torque which resulted in more than

1/8 HP which is more than sufficient enough to remove the leaves from the gutter.


12

Fabrication and Assembly

Progress

The drive system for the device was acquired first. Used was a remote control (RC)

battle tank that came fully assembled and ready to be modified to fit the needs of the device.

The top portion of the RC tank was chopped off and a new top was put into place to make

room for the battery, along with charging port, and motor used to power the rest of the

device. These can be seen in Figure 8: The Drive System. Also a single throw single pole

push button was applied to the system to allow for hands free motion of the auger along with

LED lights to depict whether the device is on or off. Also attached to the tank is the wooden

base that supports the auger.

Figure 8: The Drive System

Then came the construction of the auger, which is considered to be the collector of

debris as it would be doing majority of the work to clear out the gutter. There were a few

complications with this. While being printed out in 3D on the rapid prototyping machine

provided by the school, the piece came out unfinished and missing a large portion which

called for a remake of the same part. This unforeseen event resulted in a delay of assembly of

roughly five days. After acquiring the part, it was quickly implemented into the device and

testing was able to begin. The final design uses only a semi-circle housing mad out of PVC,

rather than a full circle housing stated earlier in the design section. As can be seen in Figure

9: The Auger End, the part was strapped into place using Velcro strapping to restrict any

movement off center and out of the gutter as well as a sloped front end made out of sheet

metal.


13

Figure 9: The Auger End

Lastly came the fabrication of the body, which is considered to be the ejector of debris.

This unit was simply made by notching out an area within a 5/8” dowel rod and attaching

brush bristles made out of white Tampico fibers to it by use of a hot glue gun. This can be

seen below in Figure 10: The Body. This part was attached to the auger via a screw and then

attached to the motor using super glue and duct tape.

Figure 10: The Body


14

Proof of Design

Testing

The best way to test the device was to put it in the environment where it would be most

comfortable. A 10’ gutter was acquired and a large quantity of leaves was place inside it. The

Gutter Cleaner was then placed inside the gutter and turned on. By use of the a handheld

radio (remote control) that came with the RC tank, the device was able to successfully travel

down the gutter and clear out the leaves, all while passing underneath the gutter spikes. The

setup is shown below in Figure 11: Device in Gutter

Figure 11: Device in Gutter


15

Project Management

Schedule

The proposed schedule can be found in APPENDIX E – Schedule. This shows the route

that will be taken to complete this project. There will be weekly meetings with the design

advisor to discuss the progress of the device. There will be a few design freezes due to

scheduled semester breaks. The project will last 19 weeks with an expected completion date

of April 20, 2012. Below is the actual schedule that was taken during the course of this

project.

Automatic Gutter Cleaner Start End Proof of Design to Advisor 10/23/2012 10/23/2012

Concept Sketches to Advisor 10/14/2012 11/8/2012

Choose best design concept 11/8/2012 11/8/2012

3D Model (Body) 11/8/2012 11/20/2012

3D Model (Drive System) 11/20/2012 11/29/2012

3D Model (Tool Head) 11/29/2012 12/6/2012

Design Analysis 11/8/2012 12/6/2012

Refinements 12/6/2012 12/14/2012

Design Freeze 12/15/2012 1/6/2013

Bill of Materials 1/8/2013 1/8/2013

Order Components 1/8/2013 1/8/2013

Report to Advisor 1/18/2013 1/18/2013

Oral Presentation 1 1/25/2013 1/25/2013

Fabrication Process 2/13/2013 3/10/2013

Assembly 3/2/2013 3/10/2013

Testing 3/10/2013 3/24/2013

Refinements 3/24/2013 4/20/2013

Demonstration to Advisor 2/13/2013 4/3/2013

Tech Expo 4/4/2013 4/4/2013

Oral Presentation 2 4/18/2013 4/18/2013

Final Report 4/22/2013 4/22/2013


16

Budget

The proposed budget can be found in APPENDIX F – Budget. This shows the estimated

amount needed to build this device. It has a rough estimate on the amount of miscellaneous

parts including but not limited to, fastening hardware such as nuts, bolts & screws, wiring, &

material for some parts that will be manufactured rather than bought from a third-party.

Below is the actual budget used to fund this prototype.

Materials/

Components Cost

Tank $ 40.00

Wood $ 10.00

Auger $ 50.00

Dowel Rod $ 1.50

Brushes $ 6.00

PVC Piping $ 7.00

motor $ 10.00

Misc $ 45.00

Total $ 169.50


17

Conclusion

In today’s economy, people are losing their house to foreclosure left and right. It would

be a shame to have to lose your home due to lack of maintenance. With this automated gutter

cleaner and homeowner doesn’t have to work hard at saving their home. Simply set the

device within the debris filled gutters and with a push of a button they can watch the magic

happen from the safety of the ground. It is so easy to use this device that even a young child

can use it. It can be considered a toy and allow them to make hard work fun.

Recommendations It is recommended to better design the auger. It was found that during the collection

process, not all of the debris was being funneled through the auger and straight to the brushes

as desired. Instead the debris would bunch up above the auger and get pushed down the

gutter, sometimes even past the gutter spikes, and stay at the end of the gutter where someone

would have to remove it by hand. Although this is not ideal, it does not pose to be a major

issue.

Also some sort of stopper or backing plate should be implemented near the rear of the

device close to the motor for the auger. A very minimal amount of debris was able to get past

the motor and reach this are and to prevent any future damage to the drive system it would be

best to have some sort of stopper in place. Lastly different material for the ejectors may

serve better when dealing with different types of debris. The gutter cleaner may at some time

encounter anything from pine cones and acorns, to small twigs and wet leaves. The bristles

would need to be more versatile to work under all conditions.


18

Works Cited 1. Macklin, Chris. Homeowner. [interv.] Emmanuel Ivenso, Jr. Cincinnati, September 19,

2012.

2. Rutland Architectural Blog. Rain Gutter Styles - Guttering Profile Types. [Online] July 12,

2011. [Cited: 11 2, 2012.] http://www.rutlandguttersupply.com/blog/default.aspx.

3. Allen, Eddie. Industry Expert. [interv.] Emmanuel Ivenso, Jr. Cincinnati, September 20,

2012.

4. Gutter Helmet. www.gutterhelmet.com. [Online] Gutter Helmet. [Cited: September 25,

2012.] http://www.gutterhelmet.com/.

5. iRobot Robots Looj. iRobot.com. [Online] iRobot. [Cited: September 15, 2012.]

http://www.irobot.com/en/us/robots/home/looj.aspx.

6. American Gutter Company. Products. [Online] [Cited: 11 3, 2012.]

http://www.americanguttercompany.com/.

7. Gutter Clutter Buster Our Product. https://www.gutterclutterbuster.com/. [Online] Gutter

Clutter Buster. [Cited: September 25, 2012.] https://www.gutterclutterbuster.com/.

8. Rain Gutter Guide. Types of Gutters. [Online] [Cited: 5 11, 2012.] http://www.rain-gutter-

guide.com/.

9. M&M Gutters. Rain Gutter. [Online] [Cited: 10 29, 2012.] http://mandmgutter.com/.

Appendix A1

APPENDIX A - Research

Interview with industry expert: Eddie Allen of EMA Construction LLC.

Interviewed Thursday September 20, 2012

Has 20+ years in the gutter and roofing industry

Unaware of a similar product that already exists

Familiar with a sort of similar product where you attach a pole to a pole and the person

can stand on the ground and put the tip of the pole in the gutter and blow all the debris out.

Says this is time consuming and hard to be sure if everything is out of the gutter since you

can’t see in it and it gets messy

The way they clean gutters now is to carry a blower back pack up a ladder and still

manually clean it out

Is very interested in product if it is feasible

Adds that for it to be effective, it needs to be able to unclog gutters as well as the down

spout

Factors to keep in mind:

The splices and seams in gutters that would prohibit continuous use. Also need to be

able to get around corners and gutter spikes/hangars. Take into consideration the dry

debris weight vs. the wet debris weight

People generally get gutters cleaned many times a year to prevent water damage to

foundation and interior of house due to standing water in gutters, so there is a market for it

Said it would be nice if it had other uses such as window cleaner, roof cleaner, gutter

exterior cleaner, etc.

Interview with adult male neighbor who cleans his own gutters: Chris Macklin

Interviewed Wednesday September 19, 2012

Works as a mechanic at Mercedes and says to think of a gutter and its downspout as a

cylinder and then think of ways to clean it

Compares it to how plumbers unclog drains in houses with the use of plumbers’

auger/sewer snake. Or how they clean out some hard to reach places in hoses of cars

Clogs usually occur in downspout and most people never get inside it cleaned and some

houses now have gutter cover so it should be able to also clean out downspouts

It would be ideal if it had other uses as well and/or add-on attachments

Says while he was in the army his family had to take care of the house so my product

would have to be able to fit the needs of the average homeowner not just a grown man

Would like it if could clean from the ground up, eliminating the use of a ladder. Should be

able to be operated manually with a joystick of some sort just in case electricity is

unavailable or batteries die

Should have a basic version as well an upgraded version for commercial or industrial use,

depending on target audience

Still needs to be able to see inside gutters to ensure it is fully cleaned out

A camera on it would be nice as long as it remains affordable

It needs to have a “catchy” name

Appendix A2

iRobot Looj 330

Specifications

o 2.77 lbs

o 15.63”X2.93”X1.99”

o 2600mAh Lithium ion rechargeable

battery

Gutter Cleaning Robot

Dual Purpose

o Blasts away leaves, dirt, and clogs

o Brushes gutters clean

Travels down gutter on its own

Makes gutter cleaning easier & faster

Operated by remote control

Able to move forward and backwards

Waterproof up to 8” deep

Has manual & auto-clean mode

Has belt clip attachment for hands-free ladder

climbing

$299.99 USD

Wet or dry Debris flies all

over

Person has to climb up

ladder and place in gutter

each time

Clean-up still needed at

the end

Must remain on ladder to

see location of Looj and if

all work has been

completed

http://www.irobot.com

/en/us/robots/home/lo

oj.aspx

09-15-12

http://www.irobot.com/en/us/robots/home/looj.aspx



Appendix A3

Gutter Vacuum

https://www.gutterclutter

buster.com/

09-25-12

$39.99 USD

Requires external power

source which could add to

your electric bill

Loose wires lying around

which could be a potential

trip hazard

Requires for the owner to

do work

Unable to see inside

gutters to know what

you’re cleaning

Unable to get out tough

clogs

Can’t get inside

downspouts

Only attachments,

Wet/Dry Vacuum not

included

Gutter Clutter Buster

Able to clean gutters from the ground

No need to climb up dangerous ladders

Able to have different attachment heads added to

it for multi-purpose use

Reaches up to 60” and extensions are available

for purchase

Able to blow or suck debris

Weighs less than 3lbs

https://www.gutterclutterbuster.com/assets/images/Primary_black_full.

Appendix A4

Gutter Helmet

$5.50 USD / foot

May get costly if you

have a large house with

multiple levels and bay

windows, etc

Takes time to install

Debris needs to be

cleaned off roof or

ground many times

http://www.gutterhelmet.c

om/

09-25-12

Gutter Helmet

Stops any debris from getting in gutters while still

allowing in rainwater to flow in

A more permanent solution to cleaning gutters

Keeps gutters clean

Appendix B1

APPENDIX B – Customer Survey and Results Automated Gutter Cleaner

CUSTOMER SURVEY

The purpose of this survey is to provide a valuable customer feedback that will aid in

designing an automated gutter cleaner. This survey will pinpoint the most important key

features to keep in mind during the entire design process.

How important is each feature to you for the design of an automated gutter

cleaner?

Please circle the appropriate answer. 1 = low importance 5 = high importance

Affordable 1(0) 2(2) 3(4) 4(7) 5(7) N/A(0)

Easy to Use 1(0) 2(0) 3(0) 4(8) 5(12) N/A(0)

Manually Powered 1(5) 2(4) 3(6) 4(3) 5(0) N/A(2)

Reliable 1(0) 2(1) 3(0) 4(3) 5(16) N/A(0)

Environmentally Friendly 1(0) 2(3) 3(6) 4(5) 5(6) N/A(0)

Compact 1(0) 2(3) 3(4) 4(6) 5(7) N/A(0)

Easy to Maintain 1(0) 2(0) 3(1) 4(12) 5(7) N/A(0)

Durable 1(0) 2(0) 3(1) 4(2) 5(17) N/A(0)

Easy to Store 1(0) 2(2) 3(5) 4(7) 5(6) N/A(0)

Appealing 1(7) 2(6) 3(5) 4(0) 5(2) N/A(0)

Lightweight 1(0) 2(2) 3(4) 4(6) 5(8) N/A(0)

Safe 1(0) 2(0) 3(0) 4(5) 5(15) N/A(0)

How satisfied are you with the current gutter cleaning process?

Please circle the appropriate answer. 1 = very UNsatisfied 5 = very satisfied

Affordable 1(1) 2(3) 3(2) 4(2) 5(7) N/A(5)

Easy to Use 1(6) 2(7) 3(0) 4(2) 5(1) N/A(4)

Manually Powered 1(6) 2(3) 3(3) 4(2) 5(3) N/A(3)

Reliable 1(2) 2(3) 3(6) 4(3) 5(2) N/A(4)

Environmentally Friendly 1(0) 2(1) 3(2) 4(4) 5(8) N/A(5)

Compact 1(2) 2(1) 3(3) 4(2) 5(0) N/A(9)

Easy to Maintain 1(1) 2(2) 3(4) 4(4) 5(1) N/A(8)

Durable 1(0) 2(1) 3(4) 4(6) 5(1) N/A(8)

Easy to Store 1(0) 2(0) 3(5) 4(6) 5(0) N/A(9)

Appealing 1(1) 2(3) 3(4) 4(1) 5(2) N/A(9)

Lightweight 1(3) 2(2) 3(4) 4(1) 5(1) N/A(9)

Safe 1(6) 2(4) 3(2) 4(1) 5(1) N/A(6)

How much would you be willing to pay for a device like this?

$50-$100 $100-$200 $200-$500 $500-$1000 $1000-$2000

Thank you for your time.

Avg.

3.95

4.60

2.39

4.70

3.70

3.85

4.30

4.80

3.85

2.20

4.00

4.75

Avg.

3.73

2.06

2.59

3.00

4.27

2.73

3.17

3.58

3.55

3.00

2.55

2.07

Appendix C1

APPENDIX C – Quality Function Deployment Analysis

Table 3: Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Analysis

Batt

ery

Life

Contr

olle

r S

ignal R

ange

Cost

to M

anufa

ctu

re

Mate

rial

Wate

r R

esis

tant

Siz

e

Weig

ht

Recycla

ble

Part

s

Sta

ndard

Com

ponents

Setu

p T

ime

Inte

rchangeable

tool heads

Functional P

urp

oses

Non-T

oxic

Pain

t

Fits m

ost

gutt

er

pro

file

s

Custo

mer

import

ance

Curr

ent

Satisfa

ction

Pla

nned S

atisfa

ction

Impro

vem

ent

ratio

Modifie

d I

mport

ance

Rela

tive w

eig

ht

Rela

tive w

eig

ht

%

Affordable 9 3 1 1 3 3 1 4.0 3.7 4.0 1.1 4.2 0.07 7%

Easy to Use 3 9 3 1 1 4.6 2.1 3.5 1.7 7.8 0.13 13%

Allow for Manually & Automatic Operation 3 3 1 2.4 2.6 2.0 0.8 1.8 0.03 3%

Reliable 9 3 1 4.7 3.0 4.5 1.5 7.1 0.12 12%

Environmentally Friendly 9 9 3.7 4.3 4.3 1.0 3.7 0.06 6%

Compact 9 3 3 3.9 2.7 3.0 1.1 4.2 0.07 7%

Easy to Maintain 3 3 3 4.3 3.2 4.0 1.3 5.4 0.09 9%

Durable 9 1 1 1 3 3 4.8 3.6 4.3 1.2 5.7 0.10 10%

Easy to Store 3 3 1 3.9 3.6 3.5 1.0 3.8 0.06 6%

Appealing 9 1 2.2 3.0 1.8 0.6 1.3 0.02 2%

Lightweight 9 9 9 1 4.0 2.6 3.5 1.4 5.5 0.09 9%

Safe 1 3 1 1 1 4.8 2.1 4.0 1.9 9.2 0.15 15%

Abs. importance 1.06 0.99 0.64 1.04 1.59 1.82 1.29 0.72 0.49 1.64 0.79 0.83 0.90 0.68 14.5 59.7 1.0 1.0

Rel. importance 0.07 0.07 0.04 0.07 0.11 0.13 0.09 0.05 0.03 0.11 0.05 0.06 0.06 0.05 1.0

Emmanuel Ivenso Jr.Automated Gutter Cleaner9 = Strong3 = Moderate1 = WeakBlank = No Relation

Appendix D1

APPENDIX D – Product Objectives

OBJECTIVES

Based on the survey, the product objectives are the list of features that are taken into

consideration. The following is a list of product objectives and how they will be obtained or

measured to ensure that the goal of the project was met.

1. Safe 15%

a. Remains in gutter

b. Doesn’t eject harmful debris such as sticks & rocks

c. Won’t harm interior of gutters

2. Easy to Use 13%

a. Less than 15 minute Out-of-the-box setup time

b. Tool heads are interchangeable by snapping on and off with just the push of a

button

c. Controls on the remote are labeled

3. Reliable 12%

a. Maximum use of the tool heads before replacing

b. Can maneuver back & forth inside the gutter without getting stuck with help

from the tool heads

c. Functionality of the major components

i. Buttons on the controller remain doesn’t stick throughout life of device

ii. Wheels don’t get locked up & rotate when necessary

iii. Tires Spin without slipping due to gutter condition

iv. Motor does not get burned out

v. Tool heads rotate to remove clogged area blocking its path

4. Durable 10%

a. Total device is water resistant

b. Use of rust resistant materials and paint

c. Protected from light wear & tear from debris in gutters

d. Battery life will last for entire duration of cleaning

5. Lightweight 9%

a. Weight not to exceed 10 lbs.

b. Able to be carried with just one hand up ladder if needed

6. Easy to Maintain 9%

a. Device & accessories are cleaned with just water

b. Battery can be taken out & inserted back into the device with the push of a

button after removing protective cover

7. Compact 7%

a. Shape & size allows it to fit into more than one type of gutter profiles

b. Able to be transported only by hand

8. Affordable 7%

a. Retail cost less than $500

Appendix D2

9. Environmentally Friendly 6%

a. No toxic fumes to pollute the air

b. Reusable bag for debris collection

10. Easy to Store 6%

a. Small enough to be stored without taking apart

b. Every loose/detachable part has its specified compartment so they don’t get

lost

c. Sack for multiple tool heads

11. Allow for manually & automatic operation 3%

a. Capable of being operated manually

i. Able to still clean gutters by hand with the help of the device

b. Capable of being operated automatically

i. Able to be powered and controlled by a remote control

ii. Controller has a signal range of 100 ft. or more

12. Appealing 2%

a. Paint scheme & overall design

b. Current position in gutter can be visible from ground

Appendix E1

APPENDIX E – Schedule

TASKS Oct

14

-20

Oct

21

-27

Oct

28

- N

ov

3

No

v 4

- 1

0

No

v 1

1 -

17

No

v 1

8 -

24

No

v 2

5 -

Dec

1

Dec

2 -

8

Dec

9 -

15

Dec

16

- 2

2

Dec

23

- 2

9

Dec

30

- J

an 5

Jan

6 -

12

Jan

13

- 1

9

Jan

20

- 2

6

Jan

27

- F

eb 2

Feb

3 -

9

Feb

10

- 1

6

Feb

17

- 2

3

Feb

24

- M

ar 2

Mar

3 -

9

Mar

10

- 1

6

Mar

17

- 2

3

Mar

24

- 3

0

Mar

31

- A

pr

6

Ap

r 7

- 1

3

Ap

r 1

4 -

20

Ap

r 2

1 -

27

Proof of design to advisor 18

Concept sketches to advisor 25

Choose best design concept 30

3D Model - (Body)

3D Model - (Drive Sytstem)

3D Model - (Tool Head)

Design Analysis

Refinements

Design Freeze 15

Bill of Materials

Order Components

Report to Advisor 6

Oral Presentation I 14

Fabrication Process

Assembly

Testing

Refinement

Demonstration to Advisor 25

Tech Expo 4

Oral Report II 8

Final Report 15

Emmanuel Ivenso JrAutomated Gutter Cleaner

Appendix F1

APPENDIX F – Budget

Materials/Components Description Vendor Cost

Miscellaneous Parts (Nuts & Bolts, Screws,wiring, etc.) 100.00$

RC Reciever Receives information/Transmits commands Hobby Lobby 30.00$

RC Battery Powers the device Hobby Lobby 20.00$

RC Battery Charger Charges the battery Hobby Lobby 10.00$

RC Servo To power the rotational motion of the tool head RC Superstore 40.00$

RC Transmitter Remote Control for the user RC Superstore 30.00$

Tool Head Used to Unclog gutter 20.00$

Wheels/Motor What the device will move with Let's Make Robots 40.00$

Carrying Case To hold all parts of the device 40.00$

Total 330.00$

Appendix G1

APPENDIX G – Concept Designs

Appendix G2

Appendix G3

Appendix G4

Appendix G5

Appendix G6

Appendix G7

automated gutter cleaner - uc drc home

Documents