Collapsible Combustion Container With Expandable Heat Output
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable combustion devices that utilize solid fuels face challenges in reducing size and bulk while maintaining effective heat output, as smaller combustion chambers limit heat production and cooking surface area, and existing solutions are either heavy, bulky, or dependent on finite fuel canisters.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible combustion container with vertically oriented panels joined by hinges and hinge pins that form a base and heating platform, allowing for adjustable size and fuel control through hinge pin actuation and fuel opening configuration to concentrate fuel combustion, enabling efficient heat production in a compact form.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the combustion chamber size is reduced to make the device smaller and more portable, then the device becomes more compact and lighter, but the heat production and energy output are greatly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into multiple collapsible panels that can be folded together to form a compact structure when not in use, and expanded to create a larger combustion chamber when needed. This segmentation allows the device to transition between small portable form and large functional form.
Solution Approach 2:
The combustion chamber volume is made dynamic and adjustable through collapsible panels connected by hinges. Users can expand the chamber to increase heat production when needed, and collapse it to reduce size for portability, making the volume adaptable to different operational requirements.
2Volume of moving object
If the combustion chamber size is reduced, then the device becomes more portable, but the cooking surface area is also reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking surface is formed by the expanded panels themselves, which segment the space to create both the combustion chamber and the cooking surface. When expanded, multiple panels provide both enclosure volume and surface area for cooking.
Solution Approach 2:
The collapsible panels utilize three-dimensional expansion to simultaneously provide both combustion chamber volume and cooking surface area. By expanding in multiple dimensions, the device generates sufficient surface area for cooking while maintaining portability when collapsed.
3Weight of moving object
If fuel canisters are used to provide fuel, then the device becomes lighter and more portable, but the fuel supply becomes finite and requires refilling
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed to accept multiple fuel types including wood, leaves, and other solid fuels that can be found in nature. This multi-fuel capability makes the device versatile and adaptable to different environments, eliminating dependence on specific fuel canisters while maintaining portability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables users to gather and use fuel from the natural environment around them, making the fuel supply self-renewing and perpetual. Users can continuously collect fuel from nature without requiring external refilling, making the system self-sufficient.
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
The solution provides a lightweight, compact device capable of producing significant heat and accommodating various solid fuels, offering a perpetual fuel source and adjustable cooking surface, addressing the limitations of traditional devices by enhancing heat output and portability.
Implementation Method 1
The hinge pins can be configured to form at least part of a base that supports the container, or at least part of a heating platform above the container, or both.
Implementation Method 2
portable devices which are capable of utilizing wood or other fuel sources present the advantage of being able to use a perpetual supply of fuel that can be found in nature
Implementation Method 3
collapsible combustion container devices that are capable of collapsing into a small (i.e. nearly flat) configuration for storage and portability
Data Source
AI summary
Collapsible combustion containers are disclosed and described. Such combustion containers generally include a plurality of vertically oriented panels joined by hinges. The hinges include hinge pins that can be configured to form at least part of a base that supports the container or at least part of a heating platform above the container or both. Further, the panels can contain one or more fuel openings which allow a user to control placement of fuel in the container inserted from each opening so as to select a point inside the container where the fuel will converge and combust.