Drinking Vessel With Convective Cooling Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Typical ceramic, glass, and metal mugs have a low thermal mass, leading to hot drinks being too hot initially and quickly cooling to an undesirable temperature, making them less palatable.
Innovation Solution
A drinking vessel with an inner and outer liquid-filled chamber separated by a thermally insulating layer, featuring channels and user-operable valves to control convective heat transfer between the chambers, allowing for adjustable temperature regulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a typical ceramic, glass or metal mug is used, then the vessel structure is simple, but the thermal mass is low causing hot drinks to cool too quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The vessel is divided into multiple chambers (inner drink chamber, intermediate chamber, outer chamber) separated by thermally insulating walls. This segmentation allows each chamber to serve a specific thermal function: the inner chamber holds the drink, the intermediate chamber provides insulation, and the outer chamber can be filled with liquid for additional thermal mass or insulation control.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediate chamber is introduced between the inner drink chamber and outer chamber. This intermediate chamber acts as a thermal buffer and insulation layer, reducing heat transfer between the drink and the external environment while still allowing controlled thermal interaction through connection channels.
2Loss of energy
If the drink chamber wall is thin for simplicity, then manufacturing is easier, but thermal insulation performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of simply thickening the wall in one dimension, the invention adds a new spatial dimension by introducing an intermediate chamber between the inner and outer chambers. This creates a multi-layered thermal barrier that provides superior insulation without requiring excessively thick single walls.
3Speed
If convective cooling is enabled to cool hot drinks rapidly, then cooling speed increases, but temperature control becomes less stable
Solution Approach 1:
The connection channels between chambers are designed to be adjustable rather than fixed. Users can open or close channels depending on the drink temperature, dynamically switching between rapid convective cooling (channels open) and stable temperature maintenance (channels closed). This dynamic control allows optimization of both cooling speed and temperature stability based on real-time needs.
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
Enables rapid cooling of hot drinks to a drinkable temperature and maintains the temperature for a longer period by controlling convective heat transfer.
Implementation Method 1
controlling circulation of liquid in a convective loop flowing through the upper channel and the lower channel, through the thermal insulation layer between the inner liquid filled chamber and the outer liquid filled chamber by a convection current
Implementation Method 2
an intermediary thermally insulating layer and an outer liquid filled chamber that is thermally insulated from the inner liquid filled chamber by the intermediary thermally insulating layer
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B~1C
Figure 1D~2B
AI summary
A drinking vessel (100) having a drink chamber (D)with an opening for receiving a drinking liquid, wherein the drink chamber is defined by a drink chamber wall (110), wherein the drinking vessel has an inner liquid filled chamber (120) for receiving heat from a drinking liquid in the drink chamber through the drink chamber wall, the drinking vessel has an intermediary thermally insulating layer (140) and an outer liquid filled chamber (130) that is thermally insulated from the inner liquid filled chamber by the intermediary thermally insulating layer, the drinking vessel has an upper channel (141) and a lower channel (142) for providing fluid communication through the intermediary thermally insulating layer between the inner liquid filled chamber and the outer liquid filled chamber, and the drinking vessel has a user operable valve (150) for opening and closing at least one of the upper channel and lower channel for controlling circulation of liquid between the inner liquid filled chamber and the outer liquid filled chamber by a convection current.