Developing a solution for cooling an intercom unit

Abstract: This master thesis was carried out at the Department of Design Sciences at Lunds Tekniska Högskola. The goal was to investigate and develop one or more solutions for cooling a door intercom device. A door intercom is a standalone voice communication system used mainly in buildings for access control, surveillance or to let residents communicate with visitors at the entrance. At the start of the project, a reference intercom device was fitted with eight temperature probes and subjected to three different ambient temperatures in heat chamber. Concurrently, the device was set to maximize its power usage to map the temperature development in the device during a worst-case scenario. After obtaining the reference measurements, different cooling concepts were explored, and one final concept was chosen for further development - a sunlight cover with an integrated fan setup powered by a solar panel. The solutions were refined by testing different air channels that guide air around the intercom device and targeting the most critical areas to be cooled. The project's results demonstrated the average temperature drop of the intercom when using the designed external accessory. The findings also revealed that the sides of the reference intercom were the most significant area to target to maximize the cooling efficiency of critical components. The results were then compared to the reference measurements obtained previously. The data and design from this project can be used to provide inspiration for similar problems and compare the effectiveness of other solutions with this specific accessory.