One of the greatest issues plaguing young people today is self-inflicted starvation, resultant from a large majority of students skipping the most important meal of the day: breakfast, as determined in out research upon the subject. The main reason for this is that the process of cooking is often too time intensive for the student that runs right out the door as soon as they wake to get to class on time. Unfortunately for this kind of student, research shows that eating breakfast correlates with a higher grade earned on exams [1].
We set out to make it easier for students to eat in the morning, allowing them to perform as optimally as possible during their classes.
To start our design, we created a few constraints that we will use to consider our design successful. The constraints are:
It must not take more than 5 minutes to cook a piece of food.
It must be versatile enough to cook different kinds of foods.
It must be safe enough to use by even the least qualified individual.
USDA, minimum safe internal temperature of foodIt must be easy and straightforward to use.
It must effectively communicate when the food is ready.
It must cook the food consistently.
Temperature Probe (Thermistor) Resistance Formula
After determining our constraints, we did research on USDA regulations; more specifically, the minimum safe internal temperatures of food; as well as how we were going to implement the non-Arduino-made temperature sensor. The USDA temperature table is seen to the right and the formula to determine the resistance of the temperature probe at a certain temperature is below that. R0 and T0 are a reference temperature and resistance pair as determined through testing and is set by the properties of the probe itself. B is another property constant, but is generally 4000 for commercially-made sensors.
We then came up with a few ideas that could meet the constraints, including designs such as: an automated toaster, using a heat light bulb, and turning on an actual oven. Some of these ideas were dismissed due to many reasons (i.e. the very obvious safety concerns for the oven).
In the end, we agreed upon the hotplate controller.
The main function of the hotplate controller is to turn a heating element on periodically, whenever a set of conditions is met, as monitored by the sensors.
In total there are 4 sensors: temperature, proximity, time, and infrared; and 4 actuators: a relay switch, Bluetooth chip, LCD display, and servo motor.
The sensors are responsible for as follows:
The temperature probe(thermistor) monitors real time food temperature.
The proximity sensor detects if there is something on the stovetop.
The timer counts down when dealing with water-based (soups, pasta, etc.) dishes that cannot be measured using the temperature sensor.
The infrared sensor detects input from a IR remote that sets the timer.
The actuators' functions are:
The LCD displays important information to the user such as real time temperature, desired temperature, and time left.
The Bluetooth app on the phone pairs with a HM-10 chip on the device that allows the user to set the desired cooking temperature.
The Relay controls the current flowing into the stovetop; the stovetop will only turn on when the relay is closed (when all conditions are met within the code).
The servo stirs the contents of the pot to allow even heat distribution.
The action flow of the device is described in the chart to the right. It starts off by accepting a user input from the Bluetooth and IR sensor, and turns on the stovetop if all other conditions are met (i.e. there is something on the stove and its cooler than the desired temperature).
File:Tinkercad Simulation.mp4
To test our device without physically building it, a pre-test was done using an online application: TinkerCAD. On this application, we created a virtual Arduino board, added the input and output devices, and coded the board to do what was needed. The result was a success, so we began the physical build.
In order to make the physical device, a special component is needed: an Arduino Shield. To create this item, another computer application was used: Autodesk EAGLE. On here, a schematic was created and PCB produced. From here the sensors and actuators can be soldered to the board and connect to the pins on the Arduino.
Using a variety of other user-made code and ideas, we were able to make our device. A video showcasing the prototype can be seen here. This project is an example of open-source work, since we used a lot of different ideas found on blogs and sites made by other users. The result is a conglomeration of many cool ideas that seamlessly work together to comprise an automated cooker that meets all preliminary criterium.
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[5] C. Watson, "How long does it take to eat breakfast [average times]," n.d.. [Online]. Available: https://eatforlonger.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-eat-breakfast/ .
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[13] StackExchange, "Voltage - How do I find Nichrome Temperature," 2014. [Online]. Available: https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/84516/how-do-i-find-nichrome-temperature.
[14] Amazon, "Salton Single Coil Portable Electric Cooktop with Large Burners, Variable Temperature Control and Dual Indicator Lights, Perfect for Camping, 1000 Watts, Black (HP1940)," 02 03 2022.
[17] M. Eaton, "Getting started with the HM-10: Easy Arduino Bluetooth integration for iOS and Android!," AnyoneCanBuildRobots.com, 31 03 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.anyonecanbuildrobots.com/post/getting-started-with-the-hm-10-easy-arduinobluetooth-integration-for-ios-and-android. [Accessed 14 03 2022].
[18] InstructablesCircuits, "Ultrasonic Distance Sensor in Arduino With Tinkercad," n.d.. [Online]. Available: https://www.instructables.com/Ultrasonic-Distance-Sensor-Arduino-Tinkercad/. [Accessed 09 03 2022].
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