Battery Powered Insect Repellent Dispenser with Wireless Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mosquito repellent devices rely on hydrocarbon combustion, which is undesirable, necessitating a battery-powered alternative for portable and easy operation.
Innovation Solution
A battery-powered dispensing device with a heating plate made of thermally conductive materials, such as ceramic or PTC ceramic elements, that volatilizes insect repellent when heated, eliminating the need for combustion and allowing for remote control and adjustable temperature settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If hydrocarbon combustion is used to heat the volatile substance, then heating efficiency is improved, but safety and environmental harm worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/chemical combustion system with an electrical heating system. A heating element powered by a battery provides thermal energy to volatilize the mosquito repellent, eliminating the need for butane cartridges and open flame combustion while maintaining effective heating capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates the harmful aspect of hydrocarbon combustion by substituting it with electrical energy from batteries, which produces no combustion byproducts. The electrical heating element provides the necessary thermal energy without the harmful emissions, smoke, or fire hazards associated with burning hydrocarbons
2Reliability
If battery-powered heating is used instead of combustion, then safety is improved, but heating power worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the electrical heating parameters by selecting appropriate voltage, current, and resistance values for the heating element to achieve the required temperature for volatilization. The battery voltage and heating element resistance are carefully chosen to provide sufficient heating power while maintaining safety
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element is designed to rapidly reach the required temperature for volatilization, quickly overcoming the power limitation concern. The system achieves effective heating in a short time period, demonstrating that battery-powered heating can be both safe and sufficiently powerful
3Duration of action of moving object
If temperature control is added to extend mat life, then duration of action is improved, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements adjustable temperature control that allows the user to dynamically adjust the heating intensity. By lowering the temperature when full volatilization is not needed, the mat lasts longer. This dynamic control feature extends the duration of action while adding only moderate complexity through simple temperature adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The heating system can operate in periodic cycles, heating the mat intermittently rather than continuously. This periodic heating approach extends mat life by reducing overall thermal exposure while still maintaining effective repellent dispersion during active heating periods, balancing duration extension with controlled complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides a portable, efficient, and safe method for dispensing mosquito repellents without hydrocarbon combustion, offering remote control capabilities and extended mat life through adjustable temperature control.
Implementation Method 1
When the plate is sufficiently heated, the insect repellent is volatilized and thereby dispensed
Implementation Method 2
a butane cartridge supplies fuel to uniformly heat a thermally conductive plate upon which a mat containing volatile insect repellent is positioned
Data Source
AI summary
A battery powered insect repellent device capable of the battery being separated from the volatile dispenser element and further including wireless communication facilities between a smartphone and the repellent device enabling electronic monitoring of the status of the various elements in the device as well as displaying the same to the user.