E-cigarette Cartridge Filling Nozzle Drip Prevention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing e-cigarette filling devices experience issues with liquid drip after the filling nozzle is retracted, leading to contamination and liquid loss.
Innovation Solution
Creating an underpressure in the discharge conduit at the end of the filling stroke using an expansion device, which expands the volume of a dead-end section to suck back any droplets, preventing drip and maintaining a simple and reliable mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the discharge nozzle is retracted from the cartridge after filling, then the filling operation is completed, but liquid droplets drip from the discharge nozzle causing contamination and liquid loss
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion device creates underpressure in the discharge conduit before liquid drip can occur from the retracted nozzle. By expanding the volume of the dead-end section during the retraction phase, the system proactively prevents drip formation by reversing the pressure gradient that would otherwise cause liquid to fall from the nozzle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the pressure parameter in the discharge conduit by expanding the dead-end section volume. This volume expansion creates a pressure differential (underpressure) that actively draws back any liquid that may have accumulated at the nozzle, transforming the pressure state to prevent harmful drip.
2Loss of substance
If an expansion device is added to prevent drip, then liquid loss is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion device is integrated into the existing discharge conduit structure by utilizing a dead-end section. This merging approach allows the drip prevention function to be added without requiring a completely separate system, as the expansion device shares the conduit infrastructure and works in conjunction with the existing filling mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The dead-end section of the discharge conduit serves dual purposes: it acts as part of the normal liquid delivery path during filling, and simultaneously functions as an expansion chamber for drip prevention. The same structural element provides both filling support and anti-drip functionality, eliminating the need for entirely separate components.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the volume of the discharge conduit is increased to create underpressure, then drip is prevented, but the filling stroke efficiency may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion device operates periodically during the filling cycle, specifically during the retraction phase when the nozzle is withdrawn from the cartridge. This timing ensures that the volume expansion and underpressure creation occur only when needed for drip prevention, without interfering with the primary filling stroke efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion device is activated in advance during the retraction phase, before any drip can occur. By creating the underpressure condition beforehand during nozzle withdrawal, the system ensures that when the nozzle is fully retracted, liquid is already being drawn back into the conduit, preventing drip without delaying the filling operation.
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
Effectively mitigates drip during e-cigarette cartridge filling, keeping the filling line and cartridges clean while minimizing liquid waste.
Implementation Method 1
the expansion device being configured for increasing a volume in the discharge conduit between the pumping means and the discharge nozzle at the end of the filling stroke for preventing any drip to occur from the discharge nozzle
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device (10) for filling cartridges (12) of e-cigarettes with a liquid, the device comprising: -a supply conduit (16) connected to a source (12) of liquid, -a plunger pump (14) having an inlet (15) which is connected to the supply conduit, and an outlet (24), the plunger pump configured to pump a volume of liquid during a filling stroke, -a discharge conduit (26) connected to the outlet (24) of the plunger pump, -a discharge nozzle (28) connected to a downstream end (29) of the discharge conduit, the discharge nozzle being configured to be moved into an upwardly facing opening of the cartridge, -an expansion device (30) which is connected to the discharge conduit, the expansion device being configured for increasing a volume (V) in the discharge conduit between the second non-return valve and the discharge nozzle, wherein the expansion of the discharge conduit is carried out directly after the plunger pump ends its filling stroke for preventing any drip to occur from the discharge nozzle after the filling stroke of the plunger pump has ended.