Piezoelectric Olfactory Display with Venturi Fragrance Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional olfactory displays lack spatial and temporal control over fragrance presentation, leading to inefficient use of aromatic materials and potential lingering fragrances, and are often bulky due to complex structures and reliance on blower fans for air dispersion.

Innovation Solution

An olfactory display with a housing containing multiple fragrance chambers, each equipped with an airflow source using a piezoelectric diaphragm for precise air flow control, allowing for independent fragrance presentation and mixing, and a venturi tube structure to enhance fragrance directivity and prevent adhesion, enabling miniaturization and precise temporal and spatial control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If a blower fan is used for air dispersion, then fragrance can be distributed over a wide area, but the apparatus size increases and temporal control precision decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefragrance distribution areaVSAvoidapparatus size
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The internal space is divided into multiple fragrance chambers (first, second, third chambers) with separate airflow sources, allowing independent control of each fragrance component. This segmentation enables precise temporal control while maintaining a compact overall structure, replacing the need for a single large blower fan.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical blower fan system with piezoelectric actuators that generate acoustic waves to drive airflow. This substitution eliminates the need for rotating mechanical components, reducing apparatus size while improving temporal control precision through electronic signal management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If multiple fragrance chambers are introduced, then spatial control precision is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespatial control precisionVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple fragrance chambers are merged into a single integrated housing structure with a unified emitting port. The fragrance paths from different chambers converge and join before exiting, reducing the number of separate external components while maintaining internal spatial control precision through the chamber configuration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Duration of action of stationary object

If aromatic material is continuously diffused, then long-term fragrance presentation is achieved, but material efficiency decreases and lingering fragrance occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefragrance presentation durationVSAvoidaromatic material efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic fragrance emission by controlling the activation timing of different fragrance chambers. Instead of continuous diffusion, each chamber is activated in timed sequences or pulses, improving aromatic material efficiency by only releasing fragrance when needed while maintaining long-term presentation capability through repeated cycles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system allows for selective activation and deactivation of fragrance chambers, enabling the recovery and reuse of aromatic materials by preventing unnecessary continuous diffusion. Unused fragrance in each chamber can be preserved for later use, reducing overall material consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

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 solution allows for efficient, miniaturized fragrance presentation with high spatial precision, reducing material usage and minimizing lingering fragrances, while enabling the presentation of multiple scents and easy spatial control, thus enhancing user experience and reducing apparatus size.

Implementation Method 1

an airflow source provided in each of the plurality of fragrance chambers which sends an air from the air inlet into the fragrance chamber by using a diaphragm having a piezoelectric device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPiezoelectric effect: Piezoelectric Effect

Implementation Method 2

a venturi tube structure is formed at the joining portion of the plurality of fragrance paths, a velocity of the fragrance passing the joining portion can be sufficiently increased

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVenturi effect: Venturi Effect

Data Source

PatentEP2816544B1Olfactory display
Publication Date: 2021.12.15 NAT INST OF INFORMATION & COMM TECH
  • EP2816544B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2816544B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2816544B1 patent drawingFigure 5~7

AI summary

[Structure] An olfactory display 10 includes a housing 12 having an emitting port 22, and presents a fragrance within a range bounded in terms of time and space. Within the housing 12, a fragrance chamber 14 having an air inlet 26 and a fragrance outlet 24 which is communicated with the emitting port 22 is formed, and in the fragrance chamber 14, a solid-like fragrance source 20 is accommodated. Furthermore, in the fragrance chamber 14, there is provided with a airflow source 16 comprising a diaphragm 34 having a piezoelectric device 32. In presenting a fragrance, an air is sent into the fragrance chamber 14 from the air inlet 26 by the airflow source 16, and accordingly, the air within the fragrance chamber 14, which including a gas-like fragrance component volatilized from the fragrance source 20 is emitted from the emitting port 22 passing through the fragrance outlet 24.