Heating Element Modified Surface Capillary Liquid Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic smoking devices face challenges in efficiently increasing heat transfer using standard heating wires, which are often cost-intensive or require additional manufacturing steps.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a heating element with a modified surface featuring structures that provide capillary forces, such as cavities, grooves, or other shapes, to enhance liquid transport and vaporization, achieved through mechanical or chemical treatments like sand-blasting, grinding, or etching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If standard heating wires or coils are used to increase heat transfer, then heating capacity may be improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase due to additional manufacturing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element surface is modified to have a porous structure with multiple cavities that enable capillary action for liquid transport. This porous structure increases the effective surface area for heat transfer while maintaining a simple wire-based heating element that can be manufactured using standard processes without adding complex manufacturing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The surface properties of the heating element are changed through physical or chemical treatment to create a modified surface with enhanced capillary characteristics. This parameter change allows the same heating wire to provide both heating and liquid transport functions without requiring additional manufacturing complexity.
2Power
If additional heating elements or wires are provided to increase heat transfer, then heating capacity improves, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides heating through resistive heating and enables liquid transport through capillary action in its porous surface structure. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate liquid transport components, reducing device complexity while maintaining or enhancing heating capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating function and liquid transport function are merged into a single heating element component. The modified surface of the heating wire combines thermal generation and capillary liquid delivery, reducing the total number of components needed in the atomizer assembly.
3Ease of manufacture
If heating wires with smooth surface are used, then manufacturing is simple, but liquid transport efficiency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The heating wire surface is transformed into a porous material structure through treatment processes that create cavities and channels. This porous structure provides capillary forces for efficient liquid transport while the treatment can be applied to standard heating wires, maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The smooth surface is replaced with a physically or chemically treated surface that provides capillary action. This substitution uses surface physics rather than complex mechanical structures to achieve efficient liquid transport, keeping manufacturing simple while improving productivity.
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
This approach improves liquid transport and vapor generation, increasing the surface area of the heating element, leading to more efficient heat transfer and vapor production without the need for additional materials or complex manufacturing processes.
Implementation Method 1
The heating element has a modified surface that comprises a plurality of structures adapted to provide a capillary force on liquid of the liquid reservoir when applied onto the heating element
Implementation Method 2
The atomizer vaporizes or atomizes liquid supplied from a reservoir and provides vaporized or atomized liquid as an aerosol via a heating element
Data Source
AI summary
It is provided an electronic smoking device (10) which comprises a liquid reservoir (34), a battery (18) and a heating element (28) adapted to atomize liquid of the liquid reservoir (34). The heating element (28) has a modified surface (50) that comprises a plurality of structures (51) adapted to provide a capillary force on liquid of the liquid reservoir (34) when applied onto the heating element (28).