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Auto Dispensing Cooler

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Conference

2023 ASEE North Central Section Conference

Location

Morgantown, West Virginia

Publication Date

March 24, 2023

Start Date

March 24, 2023

End Date

March 25, 2023

Page Count

33

DOI

10.18260/1-2--44918

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/44918

Download Count

177

Paper Authors

biography

Grant Heileman Ohio Northern University

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Senior mechanical engineering student at Ohio Northern University. Three year varsity letterman on the Ohio Northern University mens basketball team competing in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

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Abstract

The purpose of this project is to design a cooler that can dispense drinks at any event, while remaining easy to use for everyone. To cool down, people need ice cold beverages kept in a cooler where they are hanging out, but all too often they run into inconveniences with the standard cooler design. The motivation behind this engineering design capstone project is to design a cooler that solves these problems. In order to successfully do that, market research was needed which was performed in the shape of a survey. From the results found in the survey and other research, a governing list of constraints and evaluation metrics was generated which heavily influenced the design generation and evaluation. Paired with the market research, research into the background and the current state of the art was conducted on the coolers that exist currently. With the research obtained the design concepts were then able to be generated to meet the criteria determined. The generated designs were evaluated within a weighted Pugh's method structure to determine the most viable solution. From the evaluation a design strategy was selected and has been expanded upon. This project has been developed into a backpack style cooler that uses electrical components to dispense the beverages. By implementing the backpack option it will make transportation of the cooler and the beverages inside easier than it would be if it were the typical ice chest style cooler. The electrical components are used to implement an auto dispensing method for the dispersal of the drinks. Rather than taking the backpack off, opening the large top pocket, and rummaging around for the drink, one of three buttons will be pressed which will prompt the corresponding motor to rotate and drop the drink out onto the dispensing ramp. From the ramp the drink will roll down to a velcro pocket on the side of the bag where the user can simply reach back and open the pocket to retrieve their drink. This design will fill the customer's need for an easier method of transportation, as well as easier dispensing while also limiting the heat transfer into the cooler.

Heileman, G. (2023, March), Auto Dispensing Cooler Paper presented at 2023 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Morgantown, West Virginia. 10.18260/1-2--44918

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