Conductive Layer Coating for Uniform Inductive Heating in Tobacco Rods
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for producing rod-shaped tobacco articles, such as Heat-Not-Burn (HNB) products, face challenges in achieving homogeneous heating of aerosol-forming substrates, leading to uneven evaporation of aroma and ingredients due to inhomogeneous heat distribution.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a provision device for a flat web of aerosol-forming tobacco material, a coating device to apply an electrically conductive layer on the surface, and a separating device to form strips, allowing for inductive heating of individual strips via the conductive layer, ensuring uniform heat distribution and efficient evaporation of flavors and ingredients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a heating blade is used to heat the aerosol-forming substrate from the center, then heating can be achieved, but the heat distribution becomes inhomogeneous leading to uneven evaporation of aroma and ingredients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical heating blade system with an electromagnetic induction heating system. The conductive layer on the wrapping material strip is exposed to an alternating magnetic field, which induces currents that generate heat directly in the conductor track and surrounding substrate, eliminating the mechanical contact and inhomogeneous heat distribution of the blade system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an electrically conductive layer as an intermediary between the alternating magnetic field and the aerosol-forming substrate. This conductive layer (applied to the wrapping material strip) acts as a mediator that converts electromagnetic energy into thermal energy, which then heats the substrate uniformly from the outside
2Temperature
If the aerosol-forming substrate is heated from the outside via the wrapping material, then heat distribution is more homogeneous, but areas of greater or lesser heating still exist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating closed conductor tracks at specific locations on the wrapping material strip. These conductor tracks are strategically positioned to ensure that when exposed to the alternating magnetic field, they generate heat locally in areas that collectively provide uniform heat distribution across the entire aerosol-forming substrate when heated from the outside
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 solution enables homogeneous heating of the aerosol-forming tobacco material, resulting in efficient and uniform evaporation of aroma and ingredients, enhancing the utilization of tobacco material in HNB products.
Implementation Method 1
a coating device configured to arrange an electrically conductive layer on a surface of the flat web, at least in sections, and to bond it to the flat web
Implementation Method 2
These conductor tracks are exposed to an alternating magnetic field to heat the substrate during operation of the HNB device. Currents are induced in the closed conductor tracks by this alternating field. The resulting losses heat the conductor track and its surroundings.
Implementation Method 3
Currents are induced in the closed conductor tracks by this alternating field. The resulting losses heat the conductor track and its surroundings.
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5~7
Figure 8~9
AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus (40) and a method for producing a rod (42) in the tobacco-processing industry. The apparatus (40) comprises a supply device (44), a separating device (32), and a rod-shaping device (70). The supply device (44) is designed to supply a flat web (10) of an aerosol-forming tobacco material and to feed said flat web to the separating device (32) arranged downstream of the supply device (44). The separating device (32) is designed to separate the flat web (10) into a plurality of strips (4), and the rod-shaping device (70) arranged downstream of the separating device (32) is designed to shape a rod (42) from the plurality of strips (4). The apparatus (40) is improved by a coating device (52) which is designed to apply an electrically conductive layer (8) to at least sections of a surface (12) of the flat web (10).