Porous Bead Wick-Heater Layout for Burnt Taste Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wick-heater assemblies experience abnormal overheating and burnt taste due to uneven liquid aerosol-generating substrate movement, leading to localized heating and carbonization issues.
Innovation Solution
A wick-heater assembly design with alternating horizontal and vertical heating patterns, where the spacing between vertical patterns exceeds the diameter of porous beads, allowing smooth substrate movement through capillary action, preventing overheating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the heater is dented only as much as its thickness on the wick surface, then the production cost is reduced and aerosol generation increases, but the liquid substrate does not move smoothly to the heater surface causing abnormal overheating and burnt taste
Solution Approach 1:
The heater surface is segmented into multiple heating patterns with spaced intervals, allowing liquid substrate to flow between patterns through capillary action in the porous wick, ensuring uniform heat distribution and preventing localized overheating
Solution Approach 2:
The wick material is designed with specific porosity and hydrophobicity characteristics in different regions to control liquid flow distribution, ensuring smooth substrate movement to all heater surfaces including those exposed to air
2Ease of operation
If porous beads are inserted into the space between heating patterns to form voids, then liquid substrate can move through the path, but the liquid takes time to return to the heater surface causing cooling effect loss and liquid carbonization
Solution Approach 1:
The wick is pre-saturated with liquid substrate through capillary action before heating begins, ensuring continuous liquid supply to the heater surface and preventing temperature spikes during operation
Solution Approach 2:
The porous wick acts as an intermediary medium that maintains constant liquid flow between the liquid reservoir and heater surface, regulating heat transfer and preventing both overheating and cooling effect loss
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
Prevents abnormal overheating and burnt taste by ensuring consistent liquid transfer to the heater surface, maintaining optimal heating conditions and reducing carbonization.
Implementation Method 1
a porous wick for absorbing a liquid aerosol-generating substrate... the liquid aerosol-generating substrate may be moved from the porous wick to one surface of the heater in contact with air
Implementation Method 2
a heater for heating the absorbed liquid aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol... the heating element is operable to heat the wicking element thereby vaporising at least a portion of the liquid
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3(a)~3(b)
Figure 4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a wick-heater assembly comprising a porous wick for absorbing a liquid aerosol-generating substrate, wherein the porous wick comprises a plurality of porous beads; and a heater for heating the absorbed liquid aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol, wherein the heater is located embedded in one side of the porous wick or in the porous wick, and comprises a flat heating pattern in which a horizontal pattern and a vertical pattern are alternately repeated and connected, and wherein the spacing (A) between the vertical patterns in the heating pattern is greater than the diameter (B) of the porous bead; and an aerosol-generating device comprising the same.