Heater Assembly Microwave Resonator Adaptive Aerosol Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerosol generating devices using resistance or inductive heating methods are inefficient and lack adaptability to varying shapes and sizes of aerosol generating articles.
Innovation Solution
A heater assembly utilizing a dielectric heating method, comprising an oscillator to generate microwaves, a resonator with a case and spaced plates to create an electric field, and a coupler to transmit microwaves, allowing for adaptive heating of aerosol generating articles of different shapes and sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If resistance heating or inductive heating methods are used, then the heating process is simple, but heating efficiency is low and adaptability to varying shapes and sizes is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dielectric heating using microwaves at specific frequencies (2.45 GHz) to change the heating mechanism from resistance/inductive to dielectric heating. This parameter change enables efficient and uniform heating of aerosol generating articles with varying shapes and sizes by heating the dielectric material directly throughout its volume rather than through surface or localized heating
Solution Approach 2:
The resonator cavity is designed with adjustable elements (movable walls, adjustable coupling coefficients) that allow it to adapt to different aerosol generating article configurations. This makes the heating system universal, capable of efficiently heating various shapes and sizes of articles containing dielectric material
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed resonator structure is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but it cannot adaptively respond to various shapes and sizes of aerosol generating articles
Solution Approach 1:
The resonator incorporates movable walls and adjustable coupling elements that can be dynamically repositioned to match different aerosol generating article dimensions. The coupling coefficient between the resonator and microwave source can be adjusted to optimize heating for different configurations, providing adaptability without requiring a completely different resonator for each article type
Solution Approach 2:
The resonator is divided into adjustable segments or sections (movable walls, separable components) that can be reconfigured independently. This segmentation allows the resonator to adapt its internal geometry to accommodate various article shapes and sizes while maintaining the overall resonant frequency and heating efficiency
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 dielectric heating method efficiently generates aerosols by uniformly heating aerosol generating articles, improving heating efficiency and adaptability to various article configurations.
Implementation Method 1
an aerosol generating device using a dielectric heating method, which heats an aerosol generating material by using microwaves
Implementation Method 2
generate microwaves in a specific frequency band
Implementation Method 3
a resonator configured to generate an electric field by resonating the microwaves
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
A heater assembly includes an oscillator configured to generate microwaves in a specific frequency band, a resonator configured to generate an electric field by resonating the microwaves, and a coupler configured to transmit the generated microwaves to the resonator. The resonator includes a case including an accommodating space accommodating an aerosol generating article and a first opening into which the aerosol generating article is insertable, a plurality of plates spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction of the aerosol generating article accommodated in the accommodating space, and a connector connecting the plurality of plates and the case and including a second opening corresponding to the first opening, at a location facing the first opening.