Micro Pump Gas Cell for Electronic Smoking Article Aerosol Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional smoking devices lack efficient mechanisms for delivering aerosols, particularly in electronic cigarettes, which require a reliable and consistent method to vaporize and mix liquid materials with air to produce inhalable aerosols.
Innovation Solution
The use of a micro pump system and a heatable capillary in electronic smoking articles, where a micro pump system, powered by a battery, delivers liquid material through a capillary that is heated to volatilize the liquid, mixing it with air to form an aerosol, utilizing a gas cell to generate gas and expand the liquid supply reservoir, ensuring consistent aerosol production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a micro pump system is introduced to deliver liquid material consistently, then aerosol production consistency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into distinct functional modules: a liquid reservoir, a micro pump system with gas cell, a heating arrangement, and an aerosol generation chamber. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, with the micro pump system independently controlling liquid delivery to ensure consistent aerosol production without complicating the overall device architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
A gas cell is introduced as an intermediary component between the power supply and the liquid material. The gas cell receives electrical power, generates gas through electrochemical reactions, and uses this gas to drive the liquid material through the capillary. This intermediary mechanism enables precise control of liquid flow and consistent aerosol generation while maintaining relatively simple device structure.
2Reliability
If heating arrangement is used to volatilize liquid material, then aerosol formation is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating arrangement applies heat locally and temporarily to the liquid material only when aerosol generation is required. The micro pump system delivers liquid material through a capillary that is heated only during the aerosol generation phase, avoiding continuous heating and reducing overall energy consumption while ensuring reliable aerosol formation when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating arrangement utilizes phase transition of the liquid material from liquid to vapor state. By controlling the heating to achieve just enough temperature for volatilization, the system efficiently transforms the liquid material into vapor that mixes with air to form aerosol, minimizing energy input required for the phase change while ensuring complete aerosol formation.
3Manufacturing precision
If capillary dimensions are optimized for liquid delivery, then aerosol particle size control is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The capillary structure is merged with the heating arrangement, forming an integrated component where the capillary serves both as a liquid delivery conduit and as part of the heating assembly. This integration allows the capillary dimensions to be optimized for aerosol particle size control while simplifying manufacturing, as the heated capillary can be formed as a single piece or pre-assembled unit, reducing the need for separate precision manufacturing of multiple components.
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 solution enables the production of a consistent and inhalable aerosol with controlled particle size, improving the user experience by ensuring efficient vaporization and mixing of the liquid material with air, enhancing the performance of electronic smoking devices like electronic cigarettes and cigars.
Implementation Method 1
a power supply operable to apply voltage to the micro pump gas cell to generate a gas to drive the liquid material out of the liquid supply reservoir
Implementation Method 2
a heating arrangement operable to heat the capillary to a temperature sufficient to at least initially volatilize the liquid material contained within the capillary
Implementation Method 3
whereby air is mixed with the volatilized material to form an aerosol
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic smoking article is disclosed, which includes an outer housing extending in a longitudinal direction; a micro pump system configured to pump a liquid material contained within a liquid supply reservoir through an outlet of the supply reservoir into a capillary; the capillary having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet in communication with the outlet of the liquid supply reservoir; a heating arrangement operable to heat the capillary to a temperature sufficient to at least initially volatilize the liquid material contained within the capillary; a power supply operable to apply voltage to the micro pump gas cell to generate a gas to drive the liquid material out of the liquid supply reservoir into the inlet of the capillary; at least one air inlet; and whereby air is mixed with the volatilized material to form an aerosol.