Date of Award

2022

Degree Type

Capstone Project

First Advisor

Dr. Bahram Nassersharif

Abstract

Team 13 was given a simple problem to solve: invent a design solution to a broad need for application. The purpose of this project as one of the invention teams was to design and produce an invention that has a large current day application and relativity. First was establishing the area of application that the group wanted to focus on. Collectively, a focus on portable sanitation was decided to be the route of most relevance and desire. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there has never been a more important time to keep yourself and the objects you frequently touch sanitary. To accomplish such a task, extensive research and development had to be conducted. After looking through literature, searching through patents, and deliberating as a group, a collective 120 concepts were generated and evaluated. They were evaluated using Pugh Analysis which eventually allowed for that 120 to be narrowed down to 3.

In order to then potentially separate an isolated winner, a Quality Function Development analysis was completed with the 3 final innovative ideas along with a few potential competitors. Ultimately, the winning invention was a phone case with integrated UV-C sanitation to conveniently clean a credit card of standard size. The design includes an internal power source that powers an arduino board and several UV-C LED lights. With a built-in rail system, the door to access the system, as well as the built-in tray that the card sits on, easily slides out for the desired card to be placed on. The case is a 2 piece ensemble, a polymer based, thin, inner shell and an PLA outer shell that contains the sanitation apparatus. This allows for the user to take the sanitation apparatus off if desired and still have a polymer case underneath for phone safety.

This full design was specked, drawn, generated 3 dimensionally, and finally prototyped. By generating 3-D renditions of the case, it was able to be printed and assembled in order to prove it physically met several design specifications the group had to meet. This ensured the case would not only be an effective form of sanitation for the desired need, but also maintained a desired aesthetic and size. Additional work was completed in the form of coding and electrical wiring. The UV-C LED chips were soldered to the PCB boards and successfully connected to the Arduino Nano which was properly coded to run the system for 60s. From there the 3 circuit boards were attached to the housing and connected to the power source, thus, the GermBurner was born.

Comments

Team Name: Team 13, MechTech Company Limited

Sponsor: Professor Bahram Nassersharif

Document Reference: URI-MCE-CAP-FDR-2022-13

Download

Share

COinS