Overall goal: Implement access control for my dog by motorizing a small, hinged doggie door. An earlier post on reddit steered me towards an Arduino Uno + servo setup.
My system uses a touchpad as the inside trigger and an RFID tag reader as the outside trigger. When triggered by either sensor, the servo should fully open the doggie door for a period of time, then close it again. Code, sensors, and servo work as expected.
I'm a newbie at the mechanical stuff, so I'm seeking guidance for translating the rotational servo movement into a force that can operate this door. Pics for context:
Inside view with the door in resting (closed) position. Hinge is on the right, and that lock in the picture (left side) won't be used once my project is finished.
Movement of the door. Door swings horizontally 95° to 100° in each direction, though I only want it to open outward, as shown below.
Outside view. Hinge is on the left; door moves horizontally.
The pupper in question. She loves broccoli.
The plastic (plexiglass?) door is 185mm x 185mm x 5mm (7.25" x 7.25" x 0.20"), including the hinged portion on the right side. The hinged portion is ~19mm (0.75") wide, spanning the full height of the door.
I have a Hitec HS-311 servo, which should provide sufficient torque for this job.
Guessing I'll need to attach a controlling plate of sorts near the hinge on the plastic door, then connect that to something translating that motion to the servo's rotation (ball link + pushrod?). Found a few online videos that look perfect, but I'm not really knowledgeable enough to know if that particular design is good or bad for this scenario.
The best solution will be minimally intrusive into the overall opening so my dog has plenty of room to go in/out without hitting the mechanism that moves the door. How should I approach this?