Integrated Rotary Actuator and Pivoting Cover for Aerosol Chamber Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing smoking alternatives, such as heating devices, struggle to provide a convenient and efficient method for delivering aerosol from aerosol-generating materials without the need for complex mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
An aerosol provision device featuring a body with a chamber, an actuating member that rotates about the body, and a cover member that pivots between open and closed positions to allow or prevent access to the chamber, thereby controlling the insertion and removal of aerosol-generating material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a cover member is added to control access to the chamber, then user convenience and device functionality are enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuating member and cover member are combined into a single integrated component. The actuating member functions both as the cover that closes the opening and as the actuating mechanism itself, eliminating the need for separate cover and actuator components. This merging reduces overall device complexity while maintaining the ability to control chamber access.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuating member serves multiple functions: it acts as the cover for the opening, the actuating mechanism for the cover, and provides structural support. This multi-functionality allows a single component to fulfill multiple roles that would traditionally require separate parts, thereby enhancing user convenience without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If a cam arrangement with guide element and elongate guide surface is used to cause cover member to pivot, then control precision over cover movement is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cam arrangement is integrated directly into the actuating member structure. The elongate guide surface is formed as part of the actuating member's geometry, and the guide element is incorporated into the cover member. This integration eliminates the need for separate cam mechanisms and reduces the number of discrete components while maintaining precise control over cover pivoting motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The elongate guide surface is designed with a curved or arcuate geometry that naturally guides the guide element through the desired pivoting motion. This curved surface profile provides precise control over the cover member's rotation path without requiring complex mechanical linkages or multiple adjustment mechanisms, thereby achieving control precision with simpler structure.
3Reliability
If the cover member surface area is made greater than the opening surface area to ensure full coverage, then sealing and protection are improved, but device complexity and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cover member is designed with a larger surface area than the opening to ensure complete coverage when closed. The excess material provides overlap that can accommodate variations in positioning and ensures reliable sealing. The dynamic pivoting motion allows the cover to transition smoothly between fully open and fully closed positions, maintaining sealing effectiveness throughout the range of motion without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.
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 device provides a simple and effective mechanism for controlling the insertion and removal of aerosol-generating material, enhancing user convenience and device functionality.
Implementation Method 1
an actuating member arranged to rotate about the body
Implementation Method 2
rotation of the actuating member relative to the body causes the cover member to pivot between an open position and a closed position
Data Source
AI summary
An aerosol provision device includes a body and a chamber for receiving at least a portion of an article including aerosol generating material. The body has an opening communicating with the chamber. An actuating member is arranged to rotate about the body, and a cover member is arranged to pivot about the body. Rotation of the actuating member relative to the body causes the cover member to pivot between an open position in which the at least a portion of an article is able to pass through the opening and a closed position in which the opening is fully covered.