Planar Wick and Susceptor Holder for Efficient Aerosol Vaporization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerosol-generating systems face challenges in efficiently heating liquid aerosol-forming substrates and facilitating the manufacturing of susceptor elements within these systems.
Innovation Solution
A holder assembly design featuring a planar wicking element with a susceptor element extending around its central portion, positioned within an airflow channel defined by slots in the holder, which maximizes the wicking element's surface area and minimizes heat transfer to the holder, ensuring proper positioning and sealing to prevent leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the wicking element uses a conventional shape, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the surface area and vaporization efficiency are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The wicking element is divided into distinct functional zones: a central portion for susceptor element engagement and heating, and side portions for liquid supply. This segmentation allows the central portion to be optimized for heat transfer surface area while the side portions maintain simple structures for liquid wicking, resolving the contradiction between surface area and manufacturability.
Solution Approach 2:
The susceptor element is positioned to extend around the central portion of the wicking element, creating a nested configuration where the susceptor element surrounds the heated region of the wicking element. This nesting maximizes thermal coupling and surface area utilization while maintaining a compact, manufacturable assembly.
2Strength
If the susceptor element contacts the holder, then the structural support is improved, but the heat transfer to the holder increases reducing heating efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The susceptor element is extracted from direct contact with the holder by positioning it to extend around only the central portion of the wicking element, which is itself supported by the holder. This extraction prevents unwanted heat transfer to the holder while the wicking element structure provides indirect structural support, resolving the contradiction between structural support and heat loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The central portion of the wicking element acts as an intermediary between the susceptor element and the holder. It provides the necessary thermal coupling for efficient heating while preventing direct thermal contact between the susceptor element and the holder, thus reducing parasitic heat loss to the holder structure.
3Manufacturing precision
If the wicking element is positioned without slots, then the assembly is simpler, but the positioning precision and sealing are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Slots are pre-formed in the holder at specific positions and orientations to receive the side portions of the wicking element. This preliminary action establishes precise positioning features before assembly, ensuring correct alignment of the wicking element with the airflow channel and susceptor element, while the slot design itself remains simple to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The slots provide localized structural features only where needed for positioning and sealing the wicking element side portions. The rest of the holder structure remains simple and uncluttered, maintaining overall device simplicity while achieving precise positioning where required by the local slot geometries.
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 enhances the vaporization of liquid aerosol-forming substrates by increasing the wicking element's surface area and reducing heat transfer, while facilitating easy assembly and minimizing airflow resistance.
Implementation Method 1
Alternating current flow through the inductor coil generates a varying magnetic field that induces eddy currents in the susceptor element, thereby heating the susceptor element
Implementation Method 2
Alternating current flow through the inductor coil generates a varying magnetic field that induces eddy currents in the susceptor element, thereby heating the susceptor element
Implementation Method 3
Aerosol-generating systems configured to generate inhalable aerosol from a liquid aerosol-forming substrate are known in the art. It is also known for such systems to employ an inductive heating mechanism to generate heat for vaporising the aerosol-forming substrate
Implementation Method 4
Where the aerosol-forming substrate is a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a wicking element may be provided to convey liquid from a reservoir of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate towards the susceptor element
Implementation Method 5
An airflow passing over the susceptor element entrains the vapour. The entrained vapour cools and condenses to form an aerosol, for inhalation by a user
Data Source
AI summary
A holder assembly for a cartridge for an aerosol-generating system, the holder assembly including: a susceptor assembly including a wicking element having a planar shape and including a first side portion, a second side portion, and a central portion extending between the first side portion and the second side portion, and a susceptor element extending around at least a part of the central portion of the wicking element; and a holder defining an airflow channel, the holder including a first slot and a second slot opposite the first slot, and the first side portion of the wicking element being received within the first slot and the second side portion of the wicking element being received within the second slot so that the central portion of the wicking element and the susceptor element are positioned within the airflow channel.