Inductive Heating Coil with Tapped Segments for Uniform Aerosol Substrate Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inductive heating devices for aerosol-forming substrates with a susceptor suffer from non-uniform heating due to varying coil properties, leading to inconsistent aerosolization of flavor compounds, resulting in a non-uniform consumer experience.
Innovation Solution
A single coil with multiple connection taps is used, allowing for individual control of alternating current to each segment, ensuring uniform heating by minimizing variations in coil properties and enabling sequential or simultaneous heating of aerosol-forming substrate segments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If multiple individual separate coils are used to heat different segments of the aerosol-forming substrate, then sequential heating of substrate segments is enabled, but non-uniform heating occurs due to varying coil properties
Solution Approach 1:
The single coil is divided into multiple independently controllable coil segments through connection taps, allowing sequential activation of different segments to heat different portions of the aerosol-forming substrate while maintaining uniform heating characteristics across all segments
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple coil segments that would traditionally be separate coils are merged into a single coil structure with shared characteristics, ensuring uniform heating properties while retaining the ability to independently control each segment through connection taps
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple individual separate coils are arranged precisely axially aligned, then homogeneous alternating magnetic fields are generated, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple separate coils are merged into a single coil with multiple connection taps, simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining the ability to generate homogeneous alternating magnetic fields in different spatial zones through selective activation of coil segments
3Productivity
If the entire tobacco-laden substrate is heated during the whole consuming run, then continuous aerosol generation is maintained, but flavor compounds near the susceptor are depleted first leading to non-uniform consuming experience
Solution Approach 1:
The heating process is segmented into different coil segments that can be activated sequentially or simultaneously, allowing different portions of the aerosol-forming substrate to be heated in a controlled manner to ensure uniform flavor compound aerosolization throughout the consuming run
Solution Approach 2:
Coil segments are activated in periodic or sequential patterns during the consuming run, ensuring that different portions of the substrate are heated at appropriate times to maintain uniform flavor delivery throughout the entire consumption period
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 approach ensures uniform aerosolization of flavor compounds, providing a consistent consumer experience by maintaining consistent heating across the aerosol-forming substrate.
Implementation Method 1
an alternating magnetic field generated by an induction source, for example a coil, so that an alternating magnetic field is induced in the susceptor
Implementation Method 2
This induced alternating magnetic field generates heat in the susceptor, and at least some of this heat generated in the susceptor is transferred from the susceptor to the aerosol-forming substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An inductive heating device for heating an aerosol-forming substrate including a susceptor includes a device housing having a cavity with an internal surface shaped to accommodate at least a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, a coil arranged to surround at least a portion of the cavity, an electrical power source, and power supply electronics connected to the electrical power source and to the coil, for supplying an alternating current to the coil. The coil is a single coil having a plurality of connection taps arranged at different locations along the coil length to divide the single coil into a plurality of individual coil segments. The power supply electronics individually supply the alternating current to each individual coil segment.