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CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY AND COMPONENTS

This chapter will be provided the methodology of the metal/non-metal

detection with pick and place robot arm and descriptions of the components that are
used in the control system of the robot arm. In methodology, block diagram of the
robot arm is described.
After that, Arduino Uno microcontroller is selected to control the robot
system, the easy motor driver is used to provide the required ampere to the motor
from the Arduino Uno, the stepper motor is chosen to control the robot arm, the IR
sensor is used to know the desired object in desired position and the inductive sensor
is used to detect the metallic object. All of these components are explained in this
chapter.

3.1. Methodology for Metal/Non-metal Detection with Pick and Place Robot Arm
Nowadays, pick and place robot arm is applied to industrial applications.
Methodology for pick and place robot arm can be provided by block diagram describe
as below.

Driver 1

M1
IR sensor
Driver 2

Controller M2
Inductive
sensor
Driver 3

M3

Figure 3.1. Block Diagram for Metal/Non-metal Detecting with

Pick and Place Robot Arm
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In Figure 3.1, block diagram of the metal/non-metal detection with pick and
place robot arm is described. Power supply is the main power source of the system to
provide 5 V DC to Arduino Uno. Infrared sensor is used to detect the object present or
absent in desired position. To sense the metallic object, inductive sensor is applied in
the system. These sensors are analog sensors and they are connected to the analog
pins of Arduino. This system consists of three stepper motors which are driven by
three easy motor drivers to get the require ampere.

3.2. Components Selection

In pick and place robot arm to detect metal/non-metal, many electronic
equipment are selected. They are Arduino Uno, easy motor driver, stepper motor,
infrared sensor, inductive proximity sensor.

3.2.1. Arduino Uno

To control the motor activation and deactivation operations and also read
sensor signals, microcontroller is used [24]. A microcontroller is a high integrated
functional computer system on a chip. It is contained an integrated memory and
programmable input/output peripherals.
The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. It has
14 digital input/output pins (of which six can be used as PWM outputs), six analog
inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header
and a reset button. The Arduino Uno can be powered via the USB connection or with
an external power supply. The power source is selected automatically. External (non-
USB) can come either from an AC to DC adapter or battery. The board can operate an
external supply of 6 to 20 volts, if supply with less than 7 V, however, the 5 V pin
may supply less than five volts and the board may be unstable. If using more than 12
V, the voltage regulator may overheat and damage the board. The recommended
range is 7 to 12 volts. The power pins are as follow.
Vin is the input voltage to the Arduino board when it is using an external
power source (as opposed to five volts from the USB connection or other regulated
power source). 5 V is the regulated power supply used to power the microcontroller
and other components on the board. This can come either from Vin via and on-board
regulator, or be supplied by USB or another regulated 5 V supply. 3V3 is a 3.3 volt
supply generated by the on board regulator. Maximum current draw is 50 mA. GND
means ground pin of Arduino Uno.
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Reset Button TX/RX LED Digital I/O Pins

USB Jack

Power LED

USB to Serial IC ICSP Header

16 MHz Crystal
Resettable Fuse Atmel
Atmega328
DC Power
Jack

3.3 V Voltage Regular Power Pins Analog I/O Pins

Figure 3.2. Construction of Arduino Uno [13]

The ATmega328 has 32 kB of flash memory for storing code; it has also 2 kB
of SRAM and 1 kB of EEPROM. They operate at five volts. Each pin can provide or
receive a maximum of 40 mA and has an internal pull up resistor of 20-50 kilo ohms.
In addition, some pins have specialized functions:
External interrupts: 2 and 3. These pins can be configured to trigger an
interrupt on a low value, a rising or falling edge, or a change in value. Serial: 0(RX)
and 1(TX). Use to receive (RX) and transmit (TX) TTL serial chip. There is a built-in
LED connected to a digital pin 13. When the pin is HIGH value, the LED is on, when
the pin is LOW value, the LED is off.

3.2.2. Easy Driver Stepper Motor Driver

In order to provide the required ampere to the motor using the low current
signal from the Arduino Uno, motor driver circuit is used [25]. A motor driver is a
device or group of devices that serves to govern in some predetermined manner the
performance of an electric motor. A motor driver might include a manual or automatic
means for starting and stopping the motor, selecting forward or reverse rotation,
selecting and regulating the speed, regulating or limiting the torque, and protecting
against overloads and faults.
The Easy Driver stepper motor driver is a simple to use stepper motor driver,
compatible with anything that can output a digital 0 to 5 V pulse. Easy Driver
requires a 6 V to 30 V supply to power the motor and can power any voltage of
stepper motor. The Easy Driver has an on board voltage regulator for the digital
 26

interface that can be set to 5 V or 3.3 V. Connect a four wire stepper motor and a
microcontroller. Easy Driver drives bipolar motors, and motors wired as bipolar (i.e.
four, six, or eight wire stepper motors).

Figure 3.3. Easy Driver Stepper Motor Driver [14]

The features of easy driver stepper motor driver are described as below:

 A3967 micro stepping driver

 MS1 and MS2 pins broken out to change micro stepping resolution to full,
half, quarter and eighth steps (default to eighth)
 Compatible with four, six, and eight wire stepper motors of any voltage
 Adjustable current control from 150 mA /phase to 700 mA /phase.

 Power supply voltage from 6 V to 30 V. The higher the voltage, the higher
the torque at high speeds
The A3967 is a complete micro stepping motor driver with built-in translator.
It is designed to operate bipolar stepper motors in full-, half-, quarter-, and eighth-step
modes, with output drive capability of 30 V and (+,-) 750 mA. The A3967 includes a
fixed off-time current regulator that has the ability to operate in slow, fast, or mixed
current-decay modes.
The current decay control scheme results in reduced audible motor noise,
increased step accuracy, and reduced power dissipation. The translator is the key to
the easy implementation of the A3967. Internal circuit protection includes thermal
shutdown with hysteresis, under voltage lockout (UVLO) and crossover current
protection. The A3967 is supplied in a 24 pin SOIC with four internally fused pins
for enhanced thermal dissipation.

3.2.3. Introduction of Motor

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Motor is a machine, especially one powered by electricity or internal

combustion that supplies motive power for a vehicle or for another device.

Types of
motors

DC motors AC motors

Brushless Brushed Synchronous Induction(As

ynchronous)

Series
wound
Shunt Compound Permanent Single Three
wound wound magnet phase phases

Figure 3.4. Types of Motors [15]

3.2.3.1. Stepper motor

A stepper motor is a type of DC motor that works in discrete steps [26]. It is a
synchronous brushless motor where a full rotation is divided into a number of steps.
Ball bearings
Shaft
Coil
(winding)
Rotor
(steel core)
Stator
Magnet
(Permanent magnet)
Flange
(Aluminum die cast)

Figure 3.5. Construction of Stepper Motor [16]

The rotor is the rotating shaft and the stator consists of electromagnets that
form the stationary part of the motor.
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Stepper motors are a class of widely used engines in many applications such
as 3D printers. They are also widely used in robotics. They convert an electrical pulse
in a defined angular movement called steps. The stepper motors do not require
feedback loop to ensure precise movement.

3.2.3.2. Types of stepper motor

There are three main types of stepper motor; they are permanent magnet
stepper motor, variable reluctance stepper motor and hybrid synchronous stepper
motor.

3.2.3.3. Permanent magnet stepper motor

Permanent magnet stepper motors use a permanent magnet (PM) in the rotor.
It operates the attraction or repulsion between the rotor (PM) and the stator
electromagnets.

3.2.3.4. Variable reluctance stepper motor

Variable reluctance stepper motors have a plain rotor and operate based on the
principle that minimum reluctance occurs with minimum gap, hence the rotor points
are attracted toward the stator magnet poles.

3.2.3.5. Hybrid synchronous stepper motor

Hybrid stepper motors are named because they use a combination of
permanent magnet (PM) and variable reluctance (VR) techniques to achieve
maximum power in a small package size.
Permanent magnets cannot produce a high flux density as that as an externally
supplied shunt field does. Therefore, a PMDC motor has a lower induced torque per
ampere turns of armature current then a shunt motor of the same rating.
PM stepper VR stepper Hybrid stepper

Figure 3.6. Types of Stepper Motor Construction [17]

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There is a risk of demagnetization of the poles which may be caused by large

armature currents. Demagnetization can also occur due to excessive heating and also
when the motor is overloaded for a long period of time. The magnetic field of PMDC
motor is present at all time, even when the motor is not being used. Extra ampere
turns cannot be added to reduce the armature reaction.
Disadvantage of VR stepper motor is low torque. But here are some
advantages of Hybrid stepper motor. The length of the step is smaller. It has greater
torque. Provides detent torque with the de-energized windings. It has higher
efficiency at lower speed and lower stepping rate.

3.2.3.6. Stepping modes of stepper motor

There are four stepping modes of stepper motor.
 Wave drive
 Full step drive
 Half stepping
 Micro stepping

3.2.3.7. Micro stepping

 Since cosine micro stepping most common but other can be used.
 Regardless of the waveform used.
 As the micro steps become smaller, motor operation becomes smoother.
 Reduced resonance in any parts of connection/motor itself.

Table 3.1. Micro Stepping Resolution [18]

Micro step Steps/rev.(for1.8˚ motor) SW5 SW6 SW7 SW8

2 400 ON ON ON ON
4 800 ON OFF ON ON
8 1600 ON ON OFF ON
16 3200 ON OFF OFF ON
32 6400 ON ON ON OFF
64 12800 ON OFF ON OFF
128 25600 ON ON OFF OFF
256 51200 OFF OFF OFF OFF
5 1000 OFF ON ON ON
10 2000 OFF OFF ON ON
25 5000 OFF ON OFF ON
50 10000 OFF OFF OFF ON
125 25000 OFF ON ON OFF
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250 50000 OFF OFF ON OFF

Direction

Step

A1

A2

B1

B2

Figure 3.7. Micro Stepping Waveform

3.2.3.8. Operation of hybrid stepper motor

Phase A Phase A

Phase B Phase B Phase B Phase B

Step 1 Step 2

Phase A Phase A
Phase A Phase A

Phase B Phase B Phase B Phase B

Step 3 Step 4

Phase A Phase A

Figure 3.8. Construction of Hybrid Stepper Motor [19]

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At both the end of the axial magnet the end caps are provided, which contains
an equal number of teeth which are magnetized by the magnet. The Figure of the
cross section of the two end caps of the rotor is shown below.
A B

A1 B1
Figure 3.9. The Cross Section of the Two End Caps of Rotor [20]

The stator has eight poles, each of which has one coil and five numbers of
teeth. There are 40 poles on the stator, and each end cap has 50 teeth. As the stator
and rotor teeth are 40 and 50 respectively, the step angle is expressed as shown below.
(No of stator teeth−No of rotor teeth)×One revolution
step angle=
No of stator teeth×No of rotor teeth
(50−40 )×360∘
= =1 . 8∘
50×40
The rotor teeth are perfectly aligned with the stator teeth. The teeth of the two
end caps are displaced from each other by half of the pole pitch. As the magnet is
axially magnetized, all the teeth on the left and right end cap acquire polarity as south
and north pole respectively.
The coils on poles 1, 3, 5 and 7 are connected in series to form phase A.
Similarly, the coils on the poles 2, 4, 6 and 8 are connected in series to form phase B.
When phase is excited by supplying a positive current, the stator poles 1 and 5
becomes south poles and stator pole 3 and 7 becomes north poles.
4
Now, when the phase A is de-energized, 3 the rotor will
and phase B is excited,
turn by a full step angle of 1.8˚ in the anticlockwise direction. The phase A is now
energized negatively; the rotor moves further by 1.8˚ in the same anti-clockwise
direction. Further rotation of the rotor requires phase B to be excited negatively.
Thus, to produce anticlockwise motion of the rotor the phases are energized in
the following sequence +A, +B, -A, -B, +B, +A… For the clockwise rotation, the
sequence is +A, -B, +B, +A…
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One of the main advantages of the hybrid stepper motor is that, if the
excitation of the motor is removed the rotor continues to remain locked in the same
position as before the removal of the excitation. This is because of the detent torque
produced by the permanent magnet. Hybrid stepper motor is used as unipolar or
bipolar.

Table 3.2. 23KM-K213-G8V Stepper Motor (Bipolar) [21]

Symbol Description
23 Motor size ; 2.3 inches
K Precision, Hybrid
M Step angel ; 1.8˚
K 2 and 4 phases
2 Motor length ; 2 inches
13 Windings
G8V With gear

Figure A
Red
Black
Yellow

Blue White Orange

Figure 3.10. 23KM-K213-G8V Hybrid Stepper Motor [22]

General Specifications for 23KM-K213-G8V Stepper motor (Bipolar)

 Step angle
 Step angle accuracy
 Temperature rise
 Ambient temperature range
 Insulation resistance
 Dielectric strength
 Radial play
 End play
1.8⁰
+/_1.5
80 C Max
_20 de to +50 de C
100 mega ohm Min, 500 VDC
500 VAC for 1 min
0.02 mm Max (450 g-load)
0.08 mm Max (450 g-load)

3.2.4. IR Sensor (Infrared Radiation Sensor)

To receive desired objects in desired direction, an IR sensor is used in pick
and place robot arm [27]. IR sensor is worked with one, zero signal. It has two LED;
 33

infrared transmitter LED and IR receiver LED. IR transmitter LED produces infrared
ray to IR receiver LED. Therefore, IR sensor is used for detecting object to start the
robot program. If IR sensor detects the object, signal LED on. And then sends the
signal to Arduino Uno. IR LED will be continuously transmitted whenever an object
appears IR light is reflected back and this is sensed by a sensor which in turn signals
Arduino Uno to take necessary action.
An infrared sensor is an electronic device, that emits in order to sense some
aspects of the surroundings. The heat of an object can be measured by an IR sensor as
well as detects the motion. An IR sensor can be used to detect the objects and this is
the one of the common applications in real time.
IR sensor is provided secured communication due to line of sight or point-to-
point mode of communication. IR sensor has long duration due to low power
consumption. Infrared motion sensors can detect daytime and nighttime. IR sensor
does not require any contact with the product to be sensed. Response time of IR
sensor is faster than thermocouple. IR sensor provides good stability over time. No
corrosion and oxidation can affect the accuracy of sensor. IR sensor delivers high
repeatability. If IR sensor does not detect the object, the program will not be start.

Figure 3.11. IR Sensor [23]

No object present – no IR Object present – refelected

Light detected by sensor IR light detected by sensor

Figure 3.12. Operation of IR sensor [24]

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3.2.5. Proximity Sensors

Proximity sensors are devices that are used to sense to present of an object
without physical contact [28]. These are used different principles to sense object. It
can be seen easily in smartphones. If you make a call and put near the ear, the screen
will be locked. It is the use of proximity sensor.

3.2.5.1. Inductive proximity sensor

Inductive proximity sensor uses to detect metallic object. Inductive sensor
operates under the electrical principle of inductance, where a fluctuating current
induces an electromotive force (emf) in target object. Inductive sensor uses the
oscillator circuit to generate a high frequency electromagnetic field.

Figure 3.13. Inductive Proximity Sensor [25]

Electrical field
Shield
Sensor electrodes

Adjustment RC oscillator
potentiometer
Signal
conditioning

Output stage

Figure 3.14. Construction of Inductive Proximity Sensor [26]

When a metallic object comes to contact with the field, an eddy current will
produce at the object surface. The eddy currents on the object absorb some of the
radiated energy from the sensors, resulting in a loss of energy and change of strength
of the oscillator. This way can know easily metal and non-metal object. Accurate
 35

compared to other technologies. Inductive proximity sensor has switching mode and
can work in harsh environment condition.