Aerosol System Pump Flow Rate Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerosol-generating systems face challenges in controlling dose delivery, as it depends on puff frequency and capillary wick properties, making it difficult to maintain consistent nicotine delivery across varying puffing regimes.
Innovation Solution
An aerosol-generating system with a puff sensor and controller that adjusts the delivery flow rate and heating element power in response to sensed puff intensity, ensuring consistent aerosol composition independent of inhalation intensity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a constant micropump flow rate is used to actively pump e-liquid to the vaporizer, then homogenous nicotine delivery is achieved, but the system cannot adapt to varying puff intensities and user preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The micropump flow rate is changed from constant to dynamically adjustable based on detected puff intensity. The system measures actual puff characteristics and modifies the pump delivery rate accordingly, allowing adaptation to different user puffing patterns while maintaining controlled nicotine delivery through active feedback adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a puff sensor that detects puff intensity and provides feedback to the controller. The controller uses this feedback information to adjust the micropump flow rate in real-time, creating a closed-loop control system that adapts to varying puff intensities while maintaining reliable nicotine delivery
2Device complexity
If a wick-and-coil arrangement is used for vaporization, then simple structure is achieved, but dose delivery control becomes difficult due to dependence on puff frequency and capillary properties
Solution Approach 1:
The passive capillary wick system is replaced with an active micropump mechanical delivery system. This substitution provides precise control over e-liquid flow rate to the heating element, eliminating dependence on capillary properties and puff frequency variations, thereby improving dose delivery reliability while maintaining acceptable structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system actively adjusts the micropump flow rate parameter based on detected puff intensity characteristics. By dynamically changing the delivery rate parameter rather than relying on fixed capillary properties, the system achieves reliable dose control while working with a relatively simple heating element structure
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
The system provides consistent aerosol composition and enhanced user experience by adjusting flow rate and heating power based on puff intensity, maintaining aerosol quality and user satisfaction across different puffing patterns.
Implementation Method 1
the puff sensor is one of a pressure sensor or an airflow sensor
Implementation Method 2
the puff sensor is one of a pressure sensor or an airflow sensor
Implementation Method 3
vaporizer configured to vaporize an aerosol-forming substrate, the vaporizer including, a heating element
Implementation Method 4
a pump configured to deliver the aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion to the vaporizer
Data Source
AI summary
A method of generating an aerosol in an aerosol-generating system includes storing liquid aerosol-forming substrate in a liquid storage portion and delivering via a pump a liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion to an atomizer. The method also includes sensing a puff via a a puff sensor in an airflow path of the aerosol-generating system and determining a puff intensity during the puff via a controller. The delivery flow rate of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the atomizer is adjusted in response to the determined puff intensity.