Aerosol Heater Preheating and Compensation for Stable Temperature

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing aerosol generators face challenges in rapidly heating the heater to a suitable temperature for aerosol generation and maintaining it consistently during smoking, leading to degradation in smoking quality due to temperature fluctuations.

Innovation Solution

An aerosol generator with a controller that adjusts electric power to the heater to reach and maintain a reference temperature between 240°C and 360°C, compensating for temperature drops by adjusting the target temperature based on accumulated differences between the heater's temperature and the reference temperature.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If the heater is heated to a high temperature within a short period of time, then the preparation time for aerosol generation is reduced, but the temperature of the heater tends to fall below the reference temperature as smoking proceeds, causing degradation in smoking quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepreparation timeVSAvoidtemperature stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The controller performs preliminary heating at a high temperature (higher than the reference temperature) for a predetermined time period before the user starts smoking. This preliminary action ensures that the heater reaches the required temperature quickly, reducing preparation time. After the preliminary heating phase, the controller switches to maintaining the reference temperature during the smoking phase, thus preventing temperature drops and ensuring stable smoking quality throughout the cigarette's consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Stability of the object's composition

If the temperature of the heater is maintained at a certain temperature, then uniform aerosol supply is provided, but the user has to standby before smoking due to slow heating

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaerosol uniformityVSAvoidstandby time

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The controller performs preliminary heating at a high temperature (higher than the reference temperature) for a predetermined time period before the user starts smoking. This preliminary action ensures that the heater reaches the required temperature quickly, reducing preparation time. After the preliminary heating phase, the controller switches to maintaining the reference temperature during the smoking phase, thus preventing temperature drops and ensuring stable smoking quality throughout the cigarette's consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Speed

If the heater temperature is rapidly increased, then heating speed is improved, but temperature control precision deteriorates due to temperature overshoot and subsequent drops

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheating speedVSAvoidtemperature control precision

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The controller performs preliminary heating at a high temperature (higher than the reference temperature) for a predetermined time period before the user starts smoking. This preliminary action ensures that the heater reaches the required temperature quickly, reducing preparation time. After the preliminary heating phase, the controller switches to maintaining the reference temperature during the smoking phase, thus preventing temperature drops and ensuring stable smoking quality throughout the cigarette's consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The controller dynamically adjusts the heating strategy in two distinct phases: (1) During the pre-smoking phase, it applies high-power heating to rapidly increase temperature; (2) During the smoking phase, it switches to a maintenance mode that precisely controls the temperature at the reference level. This dynamic switching of control strategies allows the system to achieve both rapid heating and precise temperature control at different stages of the process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

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

This solution reduces preparation time for aerosol generation, ensures a consistent aerosol supply, and prevents temperature-related degradation in smoking quality by maintaining the heater at a stable reference temperature.

Implementation Method 1

a heater for heating a cigarette accommodated in the aerosol generator, a battery for supplying electric power to the heater

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectJoule heating: Joule Heating

Data Source

PatentEP3818860B1Method for controlling temperature of heater and aerosol generating device performing same method

Publication Date: 2024.03.06 KT&G CO LTD

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AI summary

An aerosol generator includes a heater for heating a cigarette accommodated in the aerosol generator, a battery for supplying electric power to the heater, and a controller configured to: control the electric power supplied to the heater to increase a temperature of the heater to a reference temperature or greater, the reference temperature being set to be suitable for generating aerosol from the cigarette, set a target temperature of the heater, control the electric power supplied to the heater based on the target temperature such that the temperature of the heater is maintained at the reference temperature, and adjust the target temperature to compensate for the temperature of the heater when the temperature of the heater decreases below the reference temperature.