Problem Justification
Element A: Presentation and Justification of the Problem
Coffee is a widely loved beverage that can be enjoyed at any time of day. Coffee is great in the morning, on the go, or even at night after desert. Although coffee is a universally loved commodity across many cultures, it does have it’s downfalls. Those who prefer to drink their coffee over a longer period of time can only enjoy a steaming hot cup of coffee for a few minutes. We hope to solve this problem by designing a modular mug that can both heat and cool any beverage to the perfect temperature.
Element B: Documentation and Analysis of Prior Solution Attempts
Previous attempts to solve this problem are: coffee mugs that heat up, stirrers that heat up or cool down when twisted a certain way, coffee mugs with fans in them, etc.
http://www.tuvie.com/attemper-stir-stick-keeps-your-drink-hot-or-cold-all-the-time/
http://inventorspot.com/articles/vertigo_travel_mug_heats_itself_25640
http://www.businessinsider.com/travel-mug-plugs-in-keeps-drinks-warm-2013-6
These products solve the problem, but there are many drawbacks and improvements that can be made. For instance, some of these mugs that heat up can only work when plugged into an outlet, and cannot work when walking around or not near an outlet. These products are very expensive.
http://www.google.com/patents/US6338570 This is a patent of a stirrer that cools down drinks and other liquids. We found our information using Google. We searched many different keywords, leading us to many different results. There are many different types of products and systems being produced to try and solve this problem, so we tried to research the broadest spectrum of products that we could.
Element C: Presentation and Justification of Solution Design Requirements
The design must be a travel mug that heats up and cools down. It should be a reasonable and portable size. The design should fit into a cup holder in a car. It must be lightweight enough to carry around without straining the consumers’ arms.
For design purposes, we are considering using a thermocouple to regulate the heating and cooling of the water by measuring the temperature of the water, and blue and red LEDs to indicate when the water is being cooled/heated.
This design could be very useful to people of all ages who drink liquids that should stay hot or cold. This is a convenient product for commuters who drink coffee on their way to work.This is also helpful for people who cannot refill their coffee after it gets cold. Construction workers who cannot warm up their coffee during the day can make very good use out of a product such as the one we are designing.
The biggest component of our design is the peltier element. Although this is the most inexpensive solution to our heating/cooling challenge, we will probably encounter several design and functionality issues if we use this thermoelectric device. a peltier element requires a heatsink and a fan to help diffuse extra heat once voltage is applied across the element. This will add extra weight and noise to our device, and the fan will require additional energy to power. Due to its high power usage, a peltier element system will not be very eco-friendly or energy efficient. Furthermore, when the peltier element is cooling liquid, there tends to be a bit of condensation in the system. this occurs because the peltier element is cooling other elements below the environment’s “ambient temperature”. Ambient temperature is the ideal temperature for functioning computer electronics and equipment, and it ranges from 60 to 75 degrees fahrenheit.
Element E: Application of STEM Principles and Practices
There are three major components to our design: the heating module, the cooling module, and the body of the mug. The heating and cooling modules are interchangeable, and have two systems that operate separately. We decided to use thermoelectric cooling technology in the cooling component. This system could include a small peltier tile, a heatsink, and a fan. When a voltage is applied across a peltier tile, one side of the tile becomes hot, while the other becomes cold. In order to remove the thermal energy from the cooling module, we need to incorporate a heatsink and a fan into the system. The heatsink will channel the heat from the peltier tile to the fan, and the fan will will blow the hot air out of the sides of the module through vents. The body/casing of the cooling module will have several openings/holes for hot air to escape through.
The heating module, on the other hand, will not have a perforated casing. We plan on using electromagnetic induction to heat the metal cup that contains the water. When current is applied through a copper wire that is wound in a spiral around a metal, the varying magnetic field that is induced by the current in the wire meets resistance in the metal cup, causing the metal cup to heat up. We are going to place the insulated copper wire and power input in the heating component of the mug, so that when the module is attached, the wire will surround the metal cup and heat it up.
Coffee is a widely loved beverage that can be enjoyed at any time of day. Coffee is great in the morning, on the go, or even at night after desert. Although coffee is a universally loved commodity across many cultures, it does have it’s downfalls. Those who prefer to drink their coffee over a longer period of time can only enjoy a steaming hot cup of coffee for a few minutes. We hope to solve this problem by designing a modular mug that can both heat and cool any beverage to the perfect temperature.
Element B: Documentation and Analysis of Prior Solution Attempts
Previous attempts to solve this problem are: coffee mugs that heat up, stirrers that heat up or cool down when twisted a certain way, coffee mugs with fans in them, etc.
http://www.tuvie.com/attemper-stir-stick-keeps-your-drink-hot-or-cold-all-the-time/
http://inventorspot.com/articles/vertigo_travel_mug_heats_itself_25640
http://www.businessinsider.com/travel-mug-plugs-in-keeps-drinks-warm-2013-6
These products solve the problem, but there are many drawbacks and improvements that can be made. For instance, some of these mugs that heat up can only work when plugged into an outlet, and cannot work when walking around or not near an outlet. These products are very expensive.
http://www.google.com/patents/US6338570 This is a patent of a stirrer that cools down drinks and other liquids. We found our information using Google. We searched many different keywords, leading us to many different results. There are many different types of products and systems being produced to try and solve this problem, so we tried to research the broadest spectrum of products that we could.
Element C: Presentation and Justification of Solution Design Requirements
The design must be a travel mug that heats up and cools down. It should be a reasonable and portable size. The design should fit into a cup holder in a car. It must be lightweight enough to carry around without straining the consumers’ arms.
For design purposes, we are considering using a thermocouple to regulate the heating and cooling of the water by measuring the temperature of the water, and blue and red LEDs to indicate when the water is being cooled/heated.
This design could be very useful to people of all ages who drink liquids that should stay hot or cold. This is a convenient product for commuters who drink coffee on their way to work.This is also helpful for people who cannot refill their coffee after it gets cold. Construction workers who cannot warm up their coffee during the day can make very good use out of a product such as the one we are designing.
The biggest component of our design is the peltier element. Although this is the most inexpensive solution to our heating/cooling challenge, we will probably encounter several design and functionality issues if we use this thermoelectric device. a peltier element requires a heatsink and a fan to help diffuse extra heat once voltage is applied across the element. This will add extra weight and noise to our device, and the fan will require additional energy to power. Due to its high power usage, a peltier element system will not be very eco-friendly or energy efficient. Furthermore, when the peltier element is cooling liquid, there tends to be a bit of condensation in the system. this occurs because the peltier element is cooling other elements below the environment’s “ambient temperature”. Ambient temperature is the ideal temperature for functioning computer electronics and equipment, and it ranges from 60 to 75 degrees fahrenheit.
Element E: Application of STEM Principles and Practices
There are three major components to our design: the heating module, the cooling module, and the body of the mug. The heating and cooling modules are interchangeable, and have two systems that operate separately. We decided to use thermoelectric cooling technology in the cooling component. This system could include a small peltier tile, a heatsink, and a fan. When a voltage is applied across a peltier tile, one side of the tile becomes hot, while the other becomes cold. In order to remove the thermal energy from the cooling module, we need to incorporate a heatsink and a fan into the system. The heatsink will channel the heat from the peltier tile to the fan, and the fan will will blow the hot air out of the sides of the module through vents. The body/casing of the cooling module will have several openings/holes for hot air to escape through.
The heating module, on the other hand, will not have a perforated casing. We plan on using electromagnetic induction to heat the metal cup that contains the water. When current is applied through a copper wire that is wound in a spiral around a metal, the varying magnetic field that is induced by the current in the wire meets resistance in the metal cup, causing the metal cup to heat up. We are going to place the insulated copper wire and power input in the heating component of the mug, so that when the module is attached, the wire will surround the metal cup and heat it up.
Reverse Engineering Photo Gallery
Reverse Engineering Time Lapse
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