Aerosol Heater Assembly With Direct PCB-to-Heater Soldering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerosol-generating devices face challenges with complex manufacturing processes and fragile electrical connections due to small diameter wires between the printed circuit board and the heater, leading to potential wire breakage and unreliable power supply.
Innovation Solution
A heater assembly with an elongate electrical heater directly soldered to a connection portion of a printed circuit board, eliminating intervening wires and providing a more robust electrical connection through increased surface area and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If electrical wires are used to connect the printed circuit board and the heater, then the manufacturing process becomes complex, but the electrical connection is fragile and prone to breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electrical connection function directly into the printed circuit board by forming a connection portion that extends from the board and is directly soldered to the heater. This eliminates the need for separate electrical wires and intervening connection components, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process while improving the reliability of the electrical connection through direct soldering.
2Length of moving object
If small diameter wires are used in handheld devices, then the device size is reduced, but the wires are susceptible to mechanical stresses and may break
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the fragile wire component entirely by forming a direct electrical connection through a connection portion of the printed circuit board that is soldered directly to the heater. This removes the weak link (wire) from the system while maintaining the necessary electrical connectivity, thereby solving the problem of wire breakage under mechanical stress.
3Reliability
If direct soldering is used to connect the heater to the printed circuit board, then the electrical connection is more robust, but the manufacturing process requires precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a connection portion as an integral part of the printed circuit board during the board manufacturing process. This preliminary action ensures that the connection portion is pre-formed with the correct geometry and positioning, thereby facilitating precise and reliable direct soldering to the heater without requiring complex alignment procedures during final assembly.
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 design reduces electrical resistance, enhances mechanical robustness, and simplifies assembly, ensuring reliable power delivery to the heater while accommodating mechanical stresses.
Implementation Method 1
the connection portion is directly soldered to the first end of the elongate electrical heater
Data Source
AI summary
A heater assembly for an aerosol-generating device is provided, the heater assembly including an elongate electrical heater having a first end and a second end; and a printed circuit board including a main portion and a connection portion extending from the main portion, the connection portion overlapping the first end of the elongate electrical heater and being directly soldered to the first end of the elongate electrical heater, at least part of the connection portion being flexible, and the main portion being rigid.