Computational Tobacco Product Design System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing combustible tobacco products efficiently to match specific sensory attributes and chemical deliveries while reducing development time and costs is challenging due to the complexity of selecting tobacco blends, dimensions, and other parameters.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for designing combustible tobacco products using computational tools to calculate design parameters based on input parameters, including tobacco blend composition, sensory attributes, and physical properties, employing optimization procedures and stored product descriptors to derive a target product descriptor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional methods of designing combustible tobacco products are used, then product development can proceed with manual selection of parameters, but the development time and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual digital twin of the combustible tobacco product that replicates physical product behavior. This digital model allows designers to simulate and evaluate product performance without manufacturing physical prototypes, thereby reducing development time and costs while maintaining design accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary computational simulations and optimizations before physical product manufacturing. By calculating design parameters and evaluating performance characteristics in advance through computer-based models, the system eliminates the need for multiple iterative physical prototyping cycles.
2Manufacturing precision
If extensive consumer testing and physical prototyping are conducted to achieve desired sensory attributes, then product quality can be validated, but the costs and time required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical mechanical testing and consumer panel testing with computer-based simulation systems. The virtual model calculates and predicts sensory attributes, chemical deliveries, and product performance through computational algorithms, substituting physical prototyping and human testing with automated digital evaluation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-evaluation of product design parameters through automated computational models. The digital twin independently assesses sensory attributes, chemical deliveries, and performance characteristics without requiring external consumer testing, allowing designers to iteratively optimize products through self-contained simulation feedback.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple physical prototypes are manufactured for testing different tobacco blends and formats, then design options can be evaluated, but resource consumption and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual replicas of different tobacco blends, cigarette formats, and product configurations in the digital model. Designers can instantiate multiple design variants in the virtual environment without consuming physical tobacco materials, allowing extensive design exploration and comparison while eliminating material waste associated with physical prototyping.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables rapid modification of design parameters such as tobacco blend composition, cigarette dimensions, filter properties, and ventilation characteristics within the digital model. By changing numerical parameters in the virtual simulation rather than physically reformulating and remanufacturing prototypes, the system achieves design versatility without material consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of designing a target combustible tobacco product, the method comprising receiving respective values for a plurality of input parameters (101); calculating respective values for a plurality of design parameters (130) for the combustible tobacco product based on the received values for the plurality of input parameters, and providing the calculated values as an output. The plurality of design parameters comprise at least two parameters selected from: a tobacco blend composition; tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide deliveries; a smoke sensory attribute; a number of puffs associated with the combustible tobacco product; combustible tobacco product dimensions; tobacco weight; tobacco rod and/or filter density; tobacco rod and/or filter firmness; open and/or closed combustible tobacco product pressure drop; filter pressure drop; cigarette paper porosity; and ventilation level.