Design and control of an autonomous arena ice making vehicle

This paper is intended to demonstrate that through design and development it is possible to autonomously create an ice surface for recreational activity in the confmed area of an arena ice rink surface. The proposed method is comprised of an autonomously navigated vehicle which will lay a very thin layer of ice on a pre existing smoothed ice surface. Through repetition, required ice thicknesses can be obtained. An algorithm to navigate the vehicle has been developed and tested through Lego prototyping, demonstrating even water dispersion across an ice surface. Water and power supply for an electric vehicle will be supplied via a spring loaded tether system which will outstretch from the roof of an arena to accommodate the vehicle as the outer parameters of a rink are reached, this is done so while also ensuring that entanglement with the water and power supply lines are minimized. Hot water will be used to create favorable ice conditions due to its tendency to contain less oxygen and will be deposited using a fine evenly distributed spray across the ice surface. By using existing hot water boilers and in house pressure available at most arenas, significant simplification can be made to existing patents. Also, by establishing autonomous control of a vehicle, even water distribution can be accomplished with minimal effort.