Smart cup holder in the vehicle
OwnerDavid Alberto Urbina Valencia, Carlos Mendez Estrada +1inventors
InventorsDavid Alberto Urbina Valencia, Carlos Mendez Estrada, Juan Carlos Rivera Cruz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Temperatures of beverages held in a vehicle cup holder are maintained by a Peltier device that is thermally coupled to the beverage holder in a conventional cup holder. A controller operatively coupled to the temperature sensor and the Peltier device receives a temperature signal from the temperature sensor, determines whether the beverage holder has a temperature greater or less than a predetermined value and provides an appropriate voltage to the Peltier device to attempt to hold the temperature.
Claims8
A smart cup holder for a vehicle, the smart cup holder comprising:
- a cup holder;
- a temperature sensor configured to determine the temperature of an object in the cup holder and configured to provide a temperature signal representative of said temperature of said object in the cup holder;
- a Peltier device in the cup holder;
- a controller operatively coupled to the temperature sensor and the Peltier device, the controller being configured to:
- receive the temperature signal from the temperature sensor;
- determine from the temperature signal whether the object in the cup holder has a temperature greater or less than a predetermined value;
- and
- apply a first predetermined voltage to the Peltier device responsive to a determination that the object's temperature is greater than the predetermined value;
- and
- apply a second and different predetermined voltage to the Peltier device responsive to a determination that the object's temperature is less than the predetermined value.
A method of automatically maintaining the temperature of an object in a vehicle cup holder, the method comprising:
- determining the temperature of the object;
- if the temperature of the object is less than a predetermined threshold temperature, applying a first voltage to the Peltier device, which causes a first predetermined side of the Peltier device to cool;
- and
- if the temperature of the object is greater than a predetermined threshold temperature, applying a second voltage to the Peltier device, which causes the first predetermined side of the Peltier device to warm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.