Tubular Heating Elements With Retainers for Uniform Aerosol Heating

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing smoking alternatives, such as heat-not-burn products, face challenges in efficiently heating aerosolisable materials without combustion, particularly in ensuring effective retention and uniform heat distribution within heating elements.

Innovation Solution

A heating element with a tubular body and protruding retainers, designed for magnetic field penetration, which includes a tapering inlet and manipulatable retainers to restrain movement, utilizing induction and magnetic hysteresis heating to enhance heat concentration and retention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a heating element is designed with a simple structure for cost-effectiveness, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but retention capability and heat distribution uniformity deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidretention capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The heating element is segmented into distinct functional zones: a body portion for heat generation and a retainer portion for material retention. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently - the body can be simple and cost-effective while the retainer provides enhanced retention capability through its specific geometric features

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The retainer portion is designed with specific local geometric qualities including angled surfaces and protrusions that create mechanical interlocking with the heating material. These localized structural features enhance retention capability without requiring the entire heating element to be complex, thus maintaining cost-effectiveness while improving reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If heating material is used that is highly responsive to magnetic fields for efficient heating, then heating efficiency is improved, but control over heating profile becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating efficiencyVSAvoidcontrol over heating profile
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The heating element incorporates regions with different magnetic properties - the retainer portion has reduced magnetic permeability compared to the body portion. This local differentiation allows the body to efficiently respond to magnetic fields for rapid heating while the retainer region provides a buffer that prevents excessive heat generation, enabling better control over the heating profile

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

By varying the magnetic permeability parameter across different portions of the heating element, the system achieves both high heating efficiency in the body region and controlled heat distribution overall. The magnetic permeability gradient allows efficient energy transfer while preventing hot spots and enabling programmable heating profiles

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 provides improved heat transfer and uniform heat distribution, ensuring efficient volatilization of aerosolisable materials, while allowing for cost-effective design and control over heating profiles.

Implementation Method 1

the heating element comprises heating material that is heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectInduction heating: Induction Heating

Implementation Method 2

utilizing induction and magnetic hysteresis heating to enhance heat concentration and retention

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetic hysteresis: Magnetic Hysteresis

Data Source

PatentEP3937677B1Heating element
Publication Date: 2025.08.27 NICOVENTURES TRADING LTD
  • EP3937677B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3937677B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3937677B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

Disclosed is a heating element (1) for use with apparatus for heating aerosolisable material to volatilise at least one component of the aerosolisable material. The heating element (1) comprises a body (2) and at least one retainer (3). The body (2) is for forming a chamber for receiving the aerosolisable material. The at least one retainer (3) is for restraining movement of the heating element (1) relative to the apparatus when the heating element (1) is installed in the apparatus.