Wave Swing DSID 124-2017 Team NRG (Nancy Nguyen, Ruttapon Ritprasert, Kenneth Gordon)
NANCY NGUYEN RANDY RITPRASERT KENNY GORDON
PROJECT OVERVIEW
FOUNTAIN ALLEY ACTIVATION
FOUNTAIN ALLEY OBSERVATIONS View of Fountain Alley from 1st street facing toward 2nd street.
BANK OF ITALY TOWER LIGHT RAIL PHYLUM OF THE FREE CLUB LIDO HOMELESS LOITER IN THIS AREA PARKING LOT LIGHT RAIL FOUNTAIN ALLEY
FOUNTAIN ALLEY OBSERVATIONS REGULAR VISITORS Some of the regular loiterers that are usually present around the south east end of Fountain Alley toward 2nd street.
PHYLUM OF THE FREE Features scientists examining a space capsule, several giraffes, and surfers. Mural by Jeff Hemming. Fall 2015.
4 WAYS TO REVITALIZE THE SPACE GARDENS & WIND CHIMES An array of garden elements develop downtown San Jose s identity to become more sustainable. SEATING Seating invites people to stop and rest, and spend more time in the space for a longer duration.
MOBILE SOLAR HUB Off-grid, movable docking stations offer a new place to connect. PARKLETS Creates the feeling of a room outdoors. Promotes social gathering.
IDEATION
INITIAL EXPLORATION GARDENS & WIND CHIMES We played with combining seating and gardening together as a concept. SEATING Since the Alley is sandwiched between two light rail stations we designed something for commuters. The concept above is an umbrella sharing storage bench.
MOBILE SOLAR HUB One of our eary concepts consisted of over hang solar powered lights that run through the alley. The lights would rotate based on the sun s position to maximize the amount of energy gathered. PARKLETS We started off with some wild parklet concepts. One of the many was a grill in the middle of the alley for public use.
MAKING A DECISION CHOOSE 1 of 4 CATEGORIES Although we explored all 4 categories which include gardens, seating, mobile solar hubs, and parklets we ultimately had to decide on a single category to further pursue.
DECISION: MOBILE SOLAR HUB After some brainstorming and active debating we decided to further explore solar hubs. Our decision was mainly based on the fact that the majority of our concepts that gained attention were mobile solar hubs.
CO-DESIGN WORKSHOP
A rare opportunity to design with and for the community. Team NRG sat down with community members and brainstormed ideas for a Fountain Alley mobile solar hub. Community members were provided with a variety of materials to build and evolve some of our existing concepts. To the left is what some of the community members came up with.
WILD MOBILE SOLAR HUB CONCEPTS Pin-up of our concepts after the co-design workshop.
Lighting was something we wanted to incorporate in our final mobile solar hub design.
FULL SCALE MOCK UP
FULL SCALE MOCK UP FUSION Our mockup consisted of combining two concepts, and merging them together. We took the wave bench, and the solar swing to create a solar wave swing. By combining these two concepts, we were able to add the best of both concepts. The solar swings are designed to be individual, but the wave bench is large enough to seat multiple people. By taking the shape of the wave, and adding the swinging interation, we were able to create the Wave Swing
CONSTRUCTION Our full scale mock up was made with foam and PVC pipe, with canvas on the top with black taped duct tape. The model comes out to be 10 feet wide, and 6.5 feet tall.
FULL SCALE MOCK UP SKETCH Our sketch rendering of what the swing might look like, included a wave with an arc at the top and a curved solar panel. The seats are able to sit two people each, and has a total of 2 seats. These seats have cables that run down the swing arms to charge a person s phone.
SOLAR PANEL CHARGING WIRE
RESEARCH
SOLAR & SUN STUDY SOLAR STUDY By studying how solar energy is converted into power, we can analyze what source of energy storage we need to integrate into our project. Sunlight enters solar panels, and excite silicone cells using photons emitted from the sun. A charge controller can change the rate of current of electricity to regulate the flow of energy directed into the battery. SUN STUDY Sun studies also helped us analyze where most sunlight hits Fountain Alley. On the right, our team decided that sunlight radiates more towards Second Street during Vernal and Summer Solstice.
Our selected swing location
SOLAR & SUN STUDY SOLAR LOAD EVALUATION CALCULATOR To determine how much power we need for a solar panel to power the cell phones, we needed to calculate the watt hours per day. After the calculations, the swing needed 4 12V 35Ah batteries, which would be suitable for the swing.
BATTERIES The Duracell Ultra 35AH Deep Cycle Battery is a good fit for this project. This battery is best used for solar, pumps, refrigeration, and wind generation, with a long battery life. AMP SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER A controller is needed to regulate the amperage of the electric current being drawn into the battery. This helps prevent overheating and battery degredation.
SECOND PHASE REFINEMENT
SECOND PHASE REFINEMENT THE DESIGN The design of the second phase refinement reflects sun rays in the side panels of the frame. Initially, our team thought about using a wooden frame to build the structure, but we later decided to change the material to 6061-T6 lightweight aluminum, with the chairs still made from wood. COLOR Our team decided that the color of the swing should have a blue color, to match the mural Phylum of the Free, painted on the parking lot wall of Fountain Alley, resembling the waves and ocean with the surfboarders.
SECOND PHASE REFINEMENT DETAILS Initially, we selected wood for the side panels, and created an exploded view of the components. The battery is located under the solar panel, and an aluminum bar and lower plate holds all the components together.
CLOSE UP The user of the swing has the option to select a built in phone connector by rotating the dial located on the chair. After rotating to the correct connector, the user can dock the phone in a groove indented into the seat. USB Phone Dock Solar Panel Rotate to select connector Battery
SECOND PHASE REFINEMENT SWING ARM RELOCATION After trying to obtain the shape of the swing with the swing arms connected to the upper bar of the swing frame, we realized it would be difficult to construct the wave shape with the swing. Users should also not be able to rigorously swing like a playground chain swing. The swing would meant to be kind of like a porch swing, or a rocking chair. We decided to lower the swing arm location to about 4 feet. NEW SWING ARM LOCATION
A-FRAME CONSTRUCTION The lowered swing arm location would connect directly to the frame. We decided to change the frame material to steel so we would be able to weld. For prototype purposes, an A-Frame would be required to keep the swing stable. For the design, the swing arm should connect directly to the side panel.
FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE
FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE CONSTRUCTION The construction of the functional prototype includes cutting wooden 2x4 planks into 15 degree angles, with the total A-Frame height set at 4 feet. The swing arms are held on my a half inch nut and bolt, which allows the seat to swing. This functional prototype resembles only one of the two chairs from the previous 3D CAD rendering of the swing.
FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE
FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE DETAILS The charging port of the swing is located at the side of the A-Frame. In this prototype, the user must bring their own USB wire to charge their own phone. The battery would be located under the charging ports under a panel where the components would hide. Our innovative USB charging port
Low Profile Swing Arm
FINAL DESIGN
PHONE REST USB 3.0 PORT
SOLAR PANEL CNC ROUTED REDWOOD 1X3 STEEL TUBE WATER JET CUT SHEET METAL GA 5 SHEET METAL CNC ROUTED REDWOOD 15/16 OD STEEL PIPE 1X3 STEEL TUBE 1X3 STEEL TUBE CHARGE CONTROL CIRCUIT DEEP CYCLE SEALED-LEAD ACID BATTERIES
BILL OF MATERIALS
FOUNTAIN ALLEY EXHIBITION