Smoking Heater Tracks That Combine Heating and Temperature Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrically heated smoking systems are complex and require multiple components, making them difficult to manufacture and costly, with separate heating elements and temperature sensors adding to the complexity.
Innovation Solution
An electrically heated smoking system featuring electrically conductive tracks on an insulating substrate that function as both a resistive heater and a temperature sensor, integrated with electronic circuitry for power control and thermally insulating materials to reduce size and component count, allowing for flexible heat distribution and efficient temperature maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate heating elements and temperature sensors are used, then temperature control function is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heating element and temperature sensor into a single integrated component. The heating element includes a substrate with conductive traces that serve dual functions: generating heat through resistive heating and sensing temperature through resistance changes. This eliminates the need for separate heating and sensing components, directly resolving the contradiction between achieving temperature control and reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously. The conductive traces on the substrate not only generate heat when current passes through them but also detect temperature changes through their temperature-dependent resistance. This multi-functionality allows a single component to replace what would traditionally require separate heating and sensing elements, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliable temperature control.
2Reliability
If multiple components are used for heating and sensing, then functional requirements are met, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates heating and sensing functions into a single manufactured component. The substrate with conductive traces is produced as one unified structure, eliminating the need for separate manufacturing processes for heating elements and temperature sensors. This integration simplifies the manufacturing workflow, reduces assembly steps, and lowers production complexity while ensuring consistent temperature control performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive traces on the substrate are designed with specific electrical and thermal parameters that enable dual functionality. By carefully selecting the trace geometry, material properties, and substrate characteristics, the same physical structure exhibits both heating and temperature sensing capabilities. This parameter optimization allows a single manufacturing process to produce a component that meets both heating and sensing requirements without needing separate fabrication steps.
3Measurement precision
If separate sensors and heaters are used, then temperature monitoring is accurate, but system size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the temperature sensing function directly into the heating element structure. The conductive traces that generate heat also serve as the sensing element, eliminating the need for separate sensor components. This integration dramatically reduces the space required for temperature monitoring functionality while maintaining accurate temperature detection through the traces' resistance changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element uses a thin substrate with conductive traces that can be flexed to conform to different geometries. This thin-film construction allows the integrated heating and sensing component to occupy minimal volume while maintaining its dual functionality. The flexible nature of the thin substrate enables compact system design without compromising temperature sensing accuracy or heating performance.
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 simplifies the manufacturing process, reduces the number of components, and allows for a more compact design while maintaining precise temperature control without the need for separate sensors, enhancing the smoking experience by enabling customizable heating profiles.
Implementation Method 1
the one or more electrically conductive tracks having temperature coefficient of resistance characteristics such that the one or more electrically conductive tracks can act as both a resistive heater and as a temperature sensor
Implementation Method 2
the one or more electrically conductive tracks having temperature coefficient of resistance characteristics such that the one or more electrically conductive tracks can act as both a resistive heater and as a temperature sensor
Implementation Method 3
the heater comprises one or more electrically conductive tracks on an electrically insulating substrate
Data Source
Figure 1a~1d(iii)
Figure 2a~2e(iii)
Figure 3a~3f
AI summary
There is provided an electrically heated smoking system for receiving an aerosol-forming substrate (407). The system comprises at least one heater (400) for heating the aerosol-forming substrate (407) to form the aerosol, and a power supply for supplying power to the at least one heater. The at least one heater comprises one or more electrically conductive tracks (403) on an electrically insulating substrate (401). In one arrangement, the one or more electrically conductive tracks (403) have temperature coefficient of resistance characteristics such that the one or more electrically conductive tracks (403) can act as resistive heaters and as a temperature sensor. In another arrangement, the electrically heated smoking system further comprises a thermally insulating material for insulating the at least one heater (400) from the outside of the electrically heated smoking system.