4. Concept Generation

4.1 ESTABLISHING FUNCTIONS

S.No.	Functions from User Perspective	Functions from Designer Perspective
1	Emergency halt or Stop Operation	Can provide a connected emergency push button to provide safety concerns
2	*Prevent ball jamming or Clear jams	The pathway between the launcher and the ball hopper must be spacious enough to prevent jamming and maintain continuous flow of balls.
3	Auditory safety or launch alert	Connect a buzzer to sound a quick beep before releasing each ball.
4	Adjust launch speed or Distance	Implement Microcontroller chip to vary the DC motor's RPM
5	Control ball launch angle or Trajectory	Mount the launcher on the motor platform for precise tilt control.
6	Set ball release interval	Use of microcontroller to set the ball launchers interval.
7	Low maintainance	Durable and replaceable components that reduces the maintainance expenses
8	Portability	Made of lightweight material and have compact structure.
9	Easy to operate	Simple controls and interface.
10	Affordable machine.	Ensuring the final system is final system is financially accessible without compromising structural safety or operational reliability.
11	Soundless during ball launch	Use of suitable motors,bearing and vibration-damping materials.
12	Over heat or over current protection	By adding a basic fuse or thermal cut off circuit to protect DC motors and electronics from over heating
13	Weather or outdoor resistance	Using arcylic or plastic enclosures to sheild electronic circuit boards and wiring from dust or light drops
14	To detect low battery	The machine should be energy efficient
15	Automatically stop when balls are empty.	Use of sensor to atomatically detect the ball as to stop the machine.
16	Strong base so that machine is stable	Use of rubber and wide base so to prevent slipping and vibration .
17	Visual status indication	Add LED lights( red or green ) to show whether the system is safely armed,loading,or ready to fire
18	Easy power management	Use of ON/OFF master toggle switch and rechargable battery or power bank adapter.
19	Power status monitoring	Add a simple voltage indicator module or LED display to show remaining battery percentage during operation
20	Motor fault or overload detection to prevent damage .	Inline current sensing resistor monitoring motor stall current to trigger an immediate soft stop.

4.2 FUNCTION TREE

4.3 MORPHOLOGICAL CHART

Serial No.	Subfunctions	Means 1	Means 2	Means 3	Means 4	Means 5
1	STABILITY[BASE]	TRIPOD BASE	WHEELED BASE	FLAT METAL RECTANGULAR BASE	FOUR LEGGED HEAVY METAL STAND	VACUUM SUCTION CUP MOUNT
2	DC MOTORS	DC MOTOR[BRUSHED]	DC GMOTOR[GEARED]	PLANETARY GEARED MOTOR	DC INDUCTION MOTOR	NEMA STEPPER MOTOR
3	BALL HOPPER	SPIRAL BALL FEEDER	BUCKET HOPPER	DUAL ROLLER LAUNCHER HEAD	FUNNEL SHAPED HOPPER	INCLINED BALL HOPPER
4	TRAJECTORY	CAM MECHANICAL LINKAGE	VERTICAL PITCH MECHANISM	DUAL ROLLER LAUNCHER HEAD	CURVED DEFLECTOR PLATE	SPRING MECHANISM
5	SWITCH ON/OFF	ROCKER SWITCH	ROTATORY SWITCH	DUAL SWITCH [PUSH BUTTON]	TOGGLE SWITCH	KEY LOCK SWITCH
6	BUZZERS	ACTIVE/PASSIVE BUZZER	BUZZER MODULE BOARD	ENCLOSED PIEZOELECTRIC BUZZER	SURFACE MOUNT BUZZER	BOXED ALARM BUZZER
7	SENSOR	ULTRA SONIC SENSOR	IR SENSOR	LINE TRACKING	ROTARYANGLE	LIGHT SENSOR