Vapor Device Wick Reservoir Immersion Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vapor emitting devices with wicks experience inconsistent vapor emission due to changes in fluid volume, leading to reduced performance as the wick's contact with the fluid decreases.
Innovation Solution
The device incorporates a reservoir structure with a wick reservoir and a material reservoir, where the wick reservoir maintains a controlled liquid surface level, ensuring consistent wick immersion and fluid uptake through capillary action, even as the fluid volume changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the wick is placed in a volume of fluid material contained in a reservoir, then the material is drawn up through the wick by capillary action and released into the environment, but the amount of wick contacting the material changes as the fluid is drawn up, resulting in decreased performance and inconsistent vapor delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir is divided into two separate chambers: a material reservoir for holding the bulk volatilizable material and a wick reservoir for holding the wick and maintaining controlled fluid level. This segmentation allows the fluid level in the wick reservoir to be independently controlled, ensuring consistent wick immersion throughout operation.
Solution Approach 2:
An air gap is introduced as an intermediary element between the material reservoir and the wick reservoir. This air gap acts as a mediator that allows pressure equalization and controlled fluid transfer while preventing direct contact between the bulk material and the wick, thereby maintaining stable immersion conditions.
2Device complexity
If the wick extends into the material reservoir without a controlled immersion mechanism, then the device structure is simple, but the wick immersion level changes as fluid volume decreases, leading to reduced fluid uptake rate
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir is divided into two separate chambers: a material reservoir for holding the bulk volatilizable material and a wick reservoir for holding the wick and maintaining controlled fluid level. This segmentation allows the fluid level in the wick reservoir to be independently controlled, ensuring consistent wick immersion throughout operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a vertical dimension control mechanism by creating a wick reservoir that extends from the inlet through the material reservoir toward the base surface. This dimensional arrangement allows the wick to maintain a specific immersion depth regardless of the overall fluid volume in the material reservoir.
3Volume of stationary object
If the reservoir is shaped to maximize volume with small surface level changes, then the fluid capacity is increased, but maintaining consistent wick immersion becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir is divided into two separate chambers: a material reservoir for holding the bulk volatilizable material and a wick reservoir for holding the wick and maintaining controlled fluid level. This segmentation allows the fluid level in the wick reservoir to be independently controlled, ensuring consistent wick immersion throughout operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The wick reservoir is pre-configured with a specific geometry and position before operation begins. This preliminary arrangement ensures that as fluid is consumed from the material reservoir, the level in the wick reservoir remains within the optimal immersion range for the wick, maintaining consistent performance throughout the device's operational life.
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 configuration maintains a consistent vapor emission rate by ensuring a controlled wick immersion level, thereby enhancing the performance and reliability of vapor emitting devices.
Implementation Method 1
The material is drawn up through the wick by capillary action
Implementation Method 2
The vacuum volume supports at least a partial vacuum which may be at a predetermined level relative to fluid contained within the material reservoir
Implementation Method 3
the released into the environment through various means, such as convection, forced convection, evaporation, and/or heat-aided volatilization
Implementation Method 4
the released into the environment through various means, such as convection, forced convection, evaporation, and/or heat-aided volatilization
Data Source
AI summary
A vapor emitting device has a main body with a wick. The main body includes a material reservoir and a wick reservoir. The material reservoir is configured to contain a volatilizable material and a vacuum volume. The vacuum volume supports at least a partial vacuum at a predetermined level. The material reservoir has a base surface surrounded by reservoir walls with a top surface including an inlet formed on the top surface. The wick reservoir extends from the inlet through the material reservoir and towards the base surface. The wick reservoir has a first end and a second end. The first end is adjacent to the inlet and includes an inlet orifice. The second end is adjacent to the base surface and has a material orifice. The wick is disposed through the inlet and the wick reservoir with an air gap formed between the wick and the wick reservoir.