Aerosol Heater Priming for Consistent Initial Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Non-combustible aerosol provision systems often experience reduced aerosol generation performance on initial activation, leading to unsatisfactory delivery for users.
Innovation Solution
An aerosol provision system with a heater element and control circuitry that determines the need for priming, applying a priming power signal with reduced duration and/or magnitude to alter the properties of the aerosol-generating material, such as viscosity or state, without generating aerosol.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a full power signal is applied to the heater element upon initial activation, then the heater element reaches operational temperature quickly, but the aerosol-generating material viscosity is insufficiently reduced leading to poor aerosol generation performance
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuitry applies a priming power signal to the heater element before the main heating phase to preliminarily warm the aerosol-generating material. This preliminary action reduces the material's viscosity in advance, ensuring that when the main heating occurs, the material is ready for effective aerosol generation. The priming phase addresses the initial viscosity issue without requiring full power heating, thus resolving the contradiction between immediate productivity and time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating process is divided into distinct periodic phases: a priming phase with reduced power signal duration, followed by a main heating phase with full power. This periodic action allows the system to first address the viscosity problem with minimal heating, then proceed to full aerosol generation. The temporal separation of these functions resolves the contradiction by ensuring proper material preparation before demanding high productivity.
2Reliability
If a long duration power signal is applied to ensure adequate heating, then the heater element reaches operational temperature, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The priming power signal performs a preliminary heating function that prepares the aerosol-generating material with minimal energy input. By addressing the viscosity issue in advance with reduced power, the system avoids the need for prolonged full-power heating, thus maintaining reliable operational temperature while significantly reducing total energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The control circuitry changes the power signal parameters (duration and magnitude) based on the heating phase. During priming, the power signal has reduced magnitude and shorter duration compared to main operation. This parameter adjustment allows the system to achieve the necessary material preparation with lower energy input while maintaining reliability during the actual aerosol generation phase.
3Productivity
If the heater element is heated to operational temperature immediately, then aerosol can be generated, but the aerosol-generating material properties are not adequately prepared resulting in inconsistent delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuitry implements a priming phase that preliminarily conditions the aerosol-generating material by reducing its viscosity through controlled heating. This preliminary action ensures consistent material properties before main aerosol generation, improving delivery consistency. The added control complexity is minimal, involving only a timed reduced-power phase before normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic control signals with different characteristics for priming versus main operation. The priming phase uses a specific duration and magnitude power signal, followed by the standard operational signal. This periodic differentiation ensures consistent material preparation without requiring complex continuous control, achieving reliable aerosol delivery with manageable device complexity.
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
Enhances aerosol generation performance by preparing the heater element effectively, ensuring consistent and satisfactory aerosol delivery.
Implementation Method 1
a heater element configured to generate heat for aerosolising an aerosol-generating material
Implementation Method 2
applying a priming power signal causes the viscosity of the aerosol-generating material to decrease
Implementation Method 3
the aerosol generated is a condensation aerosol whereby an aerosol-generating material is first vaporised and then allowed to condense into an aerosol
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Described is an aerosol provision system (10) configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material (200). The aerosol provision system (10) includes: a heater element configured to generate heat for aerosolising an aerosol-generating material (200); and control circuitry configured to supply a first power signal to the heater element to cause heating of the heater element to generate aerosol from an aerosol-generating material (200). The control circuitry is configured to determine whether the heater element requires priming with aerosol-generating material (200), and in response to determining the heater element requires priming, the control circuitry is configured to apply a priming power signal to the heater element, wherein the priming power signal is set such that a duration and/or magnitude of the priming power signal is less than a duration and/or magnitude of the first power signal. Also described is an aerosol provision device (20), and a method of operation.