Aerosol generating device

Abstract

Aerosol generating device (10) configured to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user, comprising as its main components a heater (20) having a heating compartment adapted for receiving an article containing a consumable, a battery (18), and a PCBA, wherein each of the heater (20), battery (18), and PCBA has a shape having a thickness that is significantly smaller than both its width and length, and at least two of the heater (20), battery (18), and PCBA (22) overlap in a line of sight (A) perpendicular to their thickness.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device.

[0002] An aerosol generating device is generally an inhalation device that continuously replaces conventional cigarettes and usually has a heater for heating an article containing a consumable substance such as a heated liquid or tobacco. The device usually has a battery for supplying power to the heater. Finally, a printed circuit board assembly (hereinafter referred to as PCBA) is usually provided to house various electrical components such as an MPU and memory components mounted thereon, and to provide electrical connections between the heater and the battery, and between additional components such as switches and / or display means, charging connections, etc.

Background Art

[0003] WO 2022 / 025573 A1 relates to an aerosol generating device having a printed circuit board arranged in parallel with a flat battery substantially aligned with a tubular heater.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The underlying object of the present invention is to provide a compact aerosol generating device that provides an efficient opportunity to access the various components of the device, for example to repair or replace them, despite being compact.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] This object is solved by the aerosol generating device according to claim 1.

[0006] Therefore, the device is configured to generate an aerosol for inhalation by the user end and includes, but is not limited to, a heater, a battery, and a PCBA as its main components. The heater has a heating compartment adapted to accept an article containing a consumable, such as a tobacco stick, or a cartridge containing a liquid. However, the article containing the consumable may also be a flattened rectangular prism shape similar to a card that can be inserted into a mobile phone.

[0007] The heater, battery, and PCBA are essentially flattened, which essentially means their thickness is significantly less than both their width and length. At least two of the heater, battery, and PCBA overlap in a line of sight perpendicular to their thickness. In other words, they are essentially located in the same plane extending perpendicular to their thickness, at least partially. This also means that the overlapping main components essentially have a thickness direction parallel to each other.

[0008] Furthermore, the heater comprises two parts, each having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a thickness significantly smaller than both its width and length, and these two parts are substantially parallel and coincide in a line of sight parallel to their thickness. These parts can be separated. Furthermore, these parts may be mounted on a flexible heater, such as a film heater, which can be wrapped around a structure such as a flattened cup adapted to contain consumables. Such a flexible heater can form two heating regions or parts molded and / or arranged as described above.

[0009] Therefore, the heater may include two flat plates, sections, or regions, allowing the heater to have a thickness of 1.7 mm or less, and especially about 1.4 mm for card-type consumables, while a heater adapted to accept stick-type consumables typically has a thickness of at least 7 mm.

[0010] By arranging two or more main components in the same plane, they become more easily accessible for repair or replacement.

[0011] Particularly preferred embodiments are described in further claims.

[0012] In particular, both the heater and the battery are easily accessible when these two main components overlap in a line of sight perpendicular to their thickness, in other words, when they are essentially aligned with each other in the same plane.

[0013] A compact size can be maintained for an aerosol generating device if a third main component, which is located in a different plane from the other main components, has a thickness direction oriented substantially parallel to the thickness of the others; in other words, if the non-overlapping main components are located in a second parallel plane.

[0014] Providing the entire device in a compact size is further supported by measures such as having a main component, typically a PCBA, that overlaps with others in a line of sight parallel to its thickness, or in a line of sight perpendicular to its thickness—in other words, in a second plane. In other words, the space required for the three main components mentioned above is essentially defined by the size of the largest of these main components, typically the PCBA, especially its length and width.

[0015] If the heater has a flat, cup-shaped structure, its size in the thickness direction can be kept particularly small.

[0016] To allow access to the main components described above, the device preferably has at least one cover having a thickness significantly smaller than both its width and length, in other words, a flattened shape, which is secured to the body of the device by at least one screw and / or clip connection.

[0017] This type of connection is also preferable for fastening the PCBA to the device chassis, as it allows for easy removal of the PCBA.

[0018] This also applies to heaters and / or batteries, for which clip connections are preferred for mounting to the device chassis. Therefore, these main components can be removed, similar to the battery in a mobile phone.

[0019] In accordance with the flattened shape of the main components described above, it is also preferable that the entire device, excluding the mouthpiece, has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a thickness that is significantly smaller than both its width and length; in other words, it may also have a substantially flattened shape.

[0020] To enable device switching, battery charging, user feedback, and / or information display, it is even more preferable to provide a variety of further functional components, including at least one hardware interface such as a charging interface and / or a wireless communication module (WCM), at least one user interface such as at least one button, at least one tactile feedback means such as a vibration motor, and / or at least one display, all mechanically and / or electrically connected to the PCBA. These are all optional. The display can be as simple as providing one or more lights, in particular LEDs adapted to emit light of different colors, depending on the case.

[0021] In this context, any further functional components that overlap with at least one of the heater, battery, and PCBA in a line of sight perpendicular to the thickness direction, in other words, that are located in the same plane as at least one of the battery, heater, and PCBA, further help in miniaturizing the device in the thickness direction.

[0022] As already mentioned above, the advantages of the present invention can be particularly used when the heater has a thickness of 1.7 mm or less, and especially about 1.4 mm.

[0023] In the overview of the above main components having a thickness significantly smaller than both its width and length, the footprint of the main components can have any desired shape, but it is preferred that at least two of the heater, battery, and PCBA have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0024] The arrangement within the device is particularly easy to overlook when at least two of the heater, battery, and PCBA are oriented such that their width directions and / or length directions are parallel.

[0025] As described above, the present invention provides access to the interior of the inhalation device. Nevertheless, if at least one screw for fixing the cover and / or at least one of the above main components is not of a common type such as Phillips, hexagon, or Torx head (registered trademark), but is a specially designed one, advantageously, unauthorized access can still be prevented.

[0026] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. <*

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] [Figure 1] Shows a plan view of the aerosol generating device. [Figure 2] Shows a side view thereof. [Figure 3] Shows a top view thereof. [Figure 4] Shows a plan view of the interior thereof. [Figure 5] Shows another plan view of the interior thereof. [Figure 6] Schematically shows a sectional view thereof.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0028] As can be seen from the plan view in Figure 1, the aerosol generating device type 10 is essentially rectangular in the plan view and, except for the mouthpiece 12, has the shape of a flattened rectangular parallelepiped. As can be seen further from Figure 2, the aerosol generating device 10 has a removable cover 14 on one or both of its large sides, and the removable cover 14 is secured in the illustrated embodiment by screws 16 which are essentially located at each corner of the cover 14.

[0029] As can be seen from the combination of Figures 1 and 2, the aerosol generating device 10 is essentially flattened, meaning that its thickness, extending from left to right in Figure 2, is significantly smaller than both its length and width as seen in the vertical and horizontal directions in Figure 1. The flattened shape is further evident from the top view in Figure 3.

[0030] Furthermore, the flattened shape described applies to the main internal components of the aerosol generating device 10 shown in Figure 4, in particular the battery 18, the heater 20, and the PCBA 22 shown in Figures 5 and 6. The heater 20 may include a pair of substrate plates, such as ceramic plates, each of which has a resistance heating track embedded or mounted. These plates form a heating chamber between which consumables are housed.

[0031] The consumables, in particular in this case, may be flattened cigarette articles, for example, having a flattened rectangular parallelepiped shape, extending along the article axis and having external dimensions LxWxD. In a typical example, the length L of the consumable along the article axis is substantially equal to 33 mm, and its width W and depth or thickness D are substantially equal to 12 mm and 1.2 mm, respectively.

[0032] In different embodiments, the values ​​L, W, and D can be selected within, for example, a range of + / - 40%. The depth D of the consumable is formed by a pair of parallel walls, hereafter referred to as the narrow wall, and the width W of the consumable is formed by a pair of parallel walls, hereafter referred to as the wide wall. In some embodiments, the edges between the wide wall and the narrow wall may be rounded. In other embodiments, the consumable may have any other suitable flattened shape and / or external dimensions. In yet another embodiment, the consumable may exhibit any other suitable shape, such as a stick shape.

[0033] The consumable includes a base portion and a downstream portion positioned along the article axis. The base portion may be, for example, slightly longer than the downstream portion. For example, the length of the base portion along the article axis may be substantially equal to 18 mm, and the length of the downstream portion along the article axis may be substantially equal to 15 mm. The base portion defines the contact end of the consumable, and the downstream portion defines the proximal end of the consumable. The downstream portion may be configured to form a void for cooling the generated aerosol and / or to provide mechanical strength to the entire consumable. The downstream portion may also function as a mouthpiece segment that can be held in the user's mouth when the device does not have a mouthpiece component.

[0034] The base portion and the downstream portion may be secured to each other by a wrapper extending around the base axis. The wrapper forms the narrow and wide walls of the consumable. In some embodiments, the wrapper is formed from the same packaging sheet. In some other embodiments, the wrapper is formed from separate packaging sheets that package these parts separately in all configurations and are secured to each other by any other suitable means. The wrapper may include, for example, paper and / or nonwoven fabric and / or aluminum foil. The wrapper may be porous or air-impermeable and form multiple airflow channels extending between the abutment end and the mouth end inside the consumable.

[0035] Alternatively, the heater may include a heat-conducting cup or tube forming a chamber for housing, for example, a stick-shaped consumable, and a heating element attached to the chamber. The heating element may be a flexible heater that includes an insulating substrate and a resistance heating track and is wound around the chamber. The heater may also include a susceptor material that can be inductively heated under the influence of an alternating magnetic field.

[0036] As can be seen particularly in Figure 6, in the illustrated embodiment, the thickness direction extending vertically in Figure 6 is substantially parallel to all three main components 18-22. Furthermore, the battery 18 and heater 20 are essentially located in the same plane indicated by reference numeral 38, and the PCBA 22 is located in a second parallel plane indicated by reference numeral 40 in Figure 6. In the illustrated embodiment, two or more main components located in the same plane means that these main components are located side by side, and as a result, there exists a common plane defined perpendicular to the thickness direction passing through these main components, such as plane 38 in Figure 6. Typically, these main components have either their top or bottom surfaces or their thickness-direction centers aligned with each other in the thickness direction.

[0037] As can be seen in Figure 4, additional functional components such as the button 24 constituting the switch, the tactile feedback means 26, the wireless communication module (WCM) 32, the charging interface 34, and the LED indicator 36 can optionally be provided additionally on the chassis 28 of the aerosol generating device 10. Some or all of these additional functional components may be arranged in the same plane as at least one of the heater 20, the battery 18, and the PCBA 22. In the examples of Figures 4 and 6, some or all of the additional functional components 24, 26, 32, 34, 36 may be arranged in the same plane 38 as the heater 20 and the battery 18, and as a result the device can be kept small in the thickness direction even with those additional functional components.

[0038] As can be seen from comparing Figure 4 and Figure 1, once the cover 14 is removed, all the components visible in Figure 4 are accessible for repair and / or replacement. In other words, by removing the screws 16 and removing the cover 14, the battery 18, heater 20, button 24 and haptic feedback means 26, and any further functional components located on the same side of the PCBA 22 can be accessed and, if necessary, repaired or replaced after removal. In particular, the heater 20 and / or battery 18 can be removed from the PCBA 22 by clipping them out, similar to how battery clips are removed from older mobile phones.

[0039] As can be seen in Figure 5, the same applies to the PCBA 22 when the other cover 14 is removed. In particular, the cover that has already been removed in the situation shown in Figure 5 can be released from its clip fasteners. In other words, one or more clip connections can be released, thereby providing access to the PCBA 22 and any further functional components located on the surface of the PCBA 22 as seen in Figure 5.

[0040] Furthermore, the PCBA22 can therefore be removed by unscrewing the screws indicated by reference number 30 that secure the PCBA22 to the chassis 28. Alternatively, the clip fasteners of the clip connections that connect the PCBA22 to the chassis 28 can be removed.

[0041] As can be seen from Figures 4 and 5, an orderly arrangement is achieved by having the width and length directions of the main components 18-22 parallel to each other. The figures also show that both the aforementioned main components 18-22 and the aerosol generating device 10 as a whole may have rounded corners, which contributes to the good appearance and comfortable handling of the main components 18-22 and / or the aerosol generating device 10.

[0042] Figure 6 specifically shows the battery 18 and heater 20 overlapping or, in the illustrated embodiment, essentially coinciding when viewed from the left or right side perpendicular to their thickness direction, i.e., in the direction of arrow A shown in Figures 4 and 6, according to Figure 6. Furthermore, when viewed in the thickness direction, i.e., vertically in Figure 6, the PCBA 22 significantly overlaps the battery 18 and heater 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the PCBA 22 is the largest main component in the plan view and essentially covers both the battery 18 and heater 20.

[0043] Furthermore, other and further embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by considering this specification and can be devised without departing from the basic scope of the invention as determined by the subsequent claims.

Claims

1. Aerosol generating device (10) configured to generate an aerosol for user inhalation, comprising as its main components a heater (20) having a heating compartment adapted for receiving an article containing a consumable, a battery (18), and a PCBA (22), wherein each of the heater (20), the battery (18), and the PCBA (22) has a shape having a thickness significantly smaller than both its width and length, and at least two of the heater (20), the battery (18), and the PCBA (22) overlap in a line of sight (A) perpendicular to their thickness, and the heater (20) comprises two parts, each part having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having a thickness significantly smaller than both its width and length, and the two parts are substantially parallel and coincide in a line of sight (A) parallel to their thickness.

2. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the heater (20) and the battery (18) are overlapping.

3. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the heater (20), the battery (18), and the PCBA (22), which does not overlap with any of the others, has a thickness oriented substantially parallel to the thickness of the others.

4. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, wherein one of the heater (20), the battery (18), and the PCBA (22), which does not overlap with any of the others, overlaps with at least one of the others in a line of sight parallel to its thickness.

5. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, wherein one of the overlapping main components completely overlaps at least one other main component in the line of sight direction (A) perpendicular to or parallel to the thickness direction.

6. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the heater (20) has a flattened cup-shaped structure, and / or the two parts of the heater (20) are separated, or the two parts are provided on a flexible heater, such as a film heater, which is wrapped around a structure such as a flattened cup adapted to accommodate consumables.

7. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, further comprising at least one cover (14) having a thickness significantly smaller than both its width and length, wherein the at least one cover (14) is secured to the body of the aerosol generating device (10) by at least one screw (16) and / or clip connection.

8. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the PCBA (22) is fixed to the chassis (28) of the aerosol generating device (10) by at least one screw (16) and / or clip connection.

9. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the heater (20) and / or the battery (18) are fixed to the chassis (28) of the aerosol generating device (10) by at least one clip connection.

10. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the entire aerosol generating device (10), excluding the mouthpiece (12), has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a thickness that is significantly smaller than both its width and length.

11. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, further comprising one or more functional components including at least one hardware interface (32, 34) mechanically and / or electrically connected to the PCBA (22), at least one user interface such as a button (24), at least one tactile feedback means (26) such as a vibration motor, and / or at least one display (36).

12. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 11, wherein one or more functional components (24, 26, 32, 34, 36) are arranged in the same plane as at least one of the heater (20), the battery (18), and the PCBA (22).

13. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the heater (20) has a thickness of 1.7 mm or less, and particularly about 1.4 mm.

14. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the heater (20), the battery (18), and the PCBA (22) are substantially rectangular parallelepipeds.

15. The aerosol generating device (10) according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the heater (20), the battery (18), and the PCBA (22) are oriented such that their width and / or length directions are parallel.

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