Aerosol generating device

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device, comprising: a housing, the housing having a receiving cavity for receiving an aerosol generating product; a heater, for inserting the aerosol generating product to heat the aerosol generating substance therein to generate an aerosol; and a cleaning unit, configured to physically contact the heater and wipe the heater during the process of separating the heater from the aerosol generating substance. In an embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning unit wipes the heater during the process of separating the heater from the aerosol generating substance, thereby reducing the contamination of residues on the heater and facilitating maintenance.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Heat-not-burn cigarettes are also called low-temperature cigarettes or new cigarettes. Their main feature is that they use external heat sources to heat tobacco instead of burning it. Since the heating temperature is much lower than the combustion temperature, it can effectively reduce the harmful components produced by thermal cracking and thermal synthesis of high-temperature combustion of tobacco, and greatly reduce the release of chemical components in mainstream smoke.

[0003] Insert-heated low-temperature cigarettes are a relatively common form. Usually, a long strip of heater is inserted into a cigarette similar in shape to ordinary cigarettes to achieve heating of the smoking substance. However, since natural tobacco leaf components and / or other smoking substances are used in the preparation of the smoking substance, a small amount of oily liquid substances including tar will overflow during the heating process. These liquid substances will remain in the cigarette holding cavity and heater of the smoking device. If they are not removed in time, deposits will form during repeated use, which will affect the heating performance of the heater and may decompose to produce odor substances, greatly affecting the subsequent smoking taste.

[0004] US Patent US2015282525A1 of Philip Morris Manufacturing Company discloses a method and apparatus for cleaning a heating element of an aerosol generating device, comprising the following steps: contacting the heating element with an aerosol-forming substrate; raising the temperature of the heating element to a first temperature to sufficiently heat the aerosol-forming substrate to form an aerosol; eliminating the contact between the heating element and the aerosol-forming substrate; and raising the temperature of the heating element to a second temperature higher than the first temperature to thermally release organic materials adhered or deposited on the heating element. This method has a better effect on substances with lower boiling points or poor stability by carbonizing and pyrolyzing organic substances at high temperatures, but has no significant effect on solid residues or residues that have been charred, and further increases the temperature resistance requirements for materials close to the heater. Summary of the invention

[0005] Based on this, it is necessary to provide an aerosol generating device.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention provides an aerosol generating device, comprising: a housing, wherein the housing is provided with a receiving cavity for receiving an aerosol generating product;

[0007] a heater for inserting into the aerosol-generating article to heat the aerosol-generating substance therein to generate an aerosol;

[0008] A cleaning unit is configured to physically contact the heater and wipe the heater during the process of separating the heater from the aerosol generating substance.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, an insertion port is provided on the cleaning unit, and the heater is inserted into the aerosol generating article through the insertion port.

[0010] In one embodiment of the invention, the heater pierces the cleaning unit when inserted into the aerosol-generating article.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, during the process of separating the heater from the aerosol generating substance, the cleaning unit and the heater generate relative motion.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the housing comprises a receiver, and a wall of the receiver defines the accommodating cavity.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the receiver comprises a side wall and a bottom wall, and the bottom wall is provided with holes for the heater to pass through.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, a base for fixing the heater is further included, and the cleaning unit is arranged at the bottom of the accommodating cavity or between the base and the bottom wall.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning unit is fixed on a surface of the bottom wall close to the base.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning unit is detachably fixedly connected to the bottom wall.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the receiver is a detachable sliding receiver.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the heater is fixedly connected to the housing, and the receiver is movably connected to the aerosol generating device.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further comprises a pushing mechanism, which is movably connected to the heater to push the heater to slide between a position extending into the accommodating cavity and a position withdrawn away from the accommodating cavity.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning unit is detachably fixedly connected to the housing, and the heater is inserted into the aerosol generating article through the cleaning unit.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, the material used to make the cleaning unit includes at least one adsorption material.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, the adsorption material is a porous material with a porosity ranging from 10% to 95%.

[0023] The embodiment of the present invention is particularly provided with a cleaning unit, which wipes the heater during the process of separating the heater from the aerosol generating substance, thereby reducing the pollution of the residue on the heater and facilitating maintenance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an aerosol generating device in a working position provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an aerosol generating device in a separation position provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of an aerosol generating device in a working position provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of an aerosol generating device in a separation position provided in another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0029] In the invention, when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may also be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. On the contrary, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" another element, there is no intermediate element. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it is the elements that are connected to each other to realize the function of the machine, including both dynamic and static connections. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only. The various objects in the drawings of the embodiments are drawn in proportions that are convenient for enumeration and description, rather than in proportions of actual components.

[0030] The "aerosol-generating substance" referred to in the embodiments of the present invention refers to a smoking substance, which is a substance that can produce odor and / or nicotine and / or smoke after heating or burning, that is, a substance that can be atomized, that is, a smoking material. The smoking material can be solid, semi-solid and liquid. Solid smoking materials are often processed into thin sheets due to considerations such as air permeability, assembly and production, so they are also commonly called thin sheets, and filamentary thin sheets are also called thin sheet filaments. The smoking materials discussed in the embodiments of the present invention can be natural or synthetic smoking liquids, smoking oils, smoking glues, smoking pastes, tobacco shreds, tobacco leaves, etc. For example, synthetic smoking materials contain glycerin, propylene glycol and nicotine. The smoking liquid is liquid, the smoking oil is oily, the smoking glue is gel-like, the smoking paste is paste-like, the tobacco shreds include natural or artificial or extracted tobacco shreds, and the tobacco leaves include natural or artificial or extracted tobacco leaves. The tobacco material can be heated in a form sealed by other substances, such as stored in a thermally degradable package, such as a microcapsule, and after heating, the desired volatile substances are extracted from the degradable or porous sealing package.

[0031] The tobacco material described in the embodiment of the present invention may contain nicotine or may not contain nicotine. The tobacco material containing nicotine may include natural tobacco leaf products, at least one of the tobacco liquid, tobacco oil, tobacco glue, tobacco paste, tobacco shreds, tobacco leaves, etc. made from nicotine as raw materials. The tobacco liquid is water-like, the tobacco oil is oily, the tobacco glue is gel-like, the tobacco paste is paste-like, the tobacco shreds include natural or artificial or extracted tobacco shreds, and the tobacco leaves include natural or artificial or extracted tobacco leaves. The tobacco material without nicotine mainly contains flavor substances, such as spices, which can be atomized to simulate the smoking process and to help people quit smoking. In one embodiment, the spices include mint oil. The tobacco material may also include other additives, such as glycerin and / or propylene glycol.

[0032] The "aerosol generating product" described in the embodiments of the present invention refers to a product containing tobacco material and capable of generating aerosol, such as smoke or mist, by heating, such as a cigarette, a cigarette cartridge or a cigarette stick, preferably a disposable product. The aerosol generating product itself cannot provide electrical energy.

[0033] The "aerosol generating device" described in the embodiments of the present invention refers to a device used to provide electrical energy to an aerosol generating product, such as a smoking device.

[0034] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2This embodiment provides an aerosol generating device 100 for heating an aerosol generating product (in order to more clearly reflect the structure of the aerosol generating device 100, the aerosol generating product is not shown) to generate an aerosol for the user to inhale. The aerosol generating device 100 includes a shell 110, a heater 120 and a cleaning unit 130. The shell 110 is used to receive the aerosol generating product and to place various accessories. When in use, the heater 120 extends into the accommodating cavity 111 of the shell 110. The aerosol generating product is inserted into the accommodating cavity 111 of the shell 110 and can be heated to generate an aerosol. After the heating is completed, the heater 120 is separated from the aerosol generating substance. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The process of separation of the two is shown, during which the cleaning unit 130 in physical contact with the heater 120 will wipe the heater 120, thereby cleaning the heater 120. Preferably, the aerosol generating device 100 of this embodiment further includes a control unit 140 and a battery unit 150 for supplying electric energy.

[0035] In another embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning unit 130 may be provided with an insertion port, and the heater 120 may be inserted into the aerosol generating product through the insertion port. This method is suitable for a whole piece of material with relatively high strength and not easy to be punctured. In another case, the heater 120 punctures the anti-cleaning unit 130 when inserted into the aerosol generating product. In this case, the cleaning unit 130 is prepared for materials that are easy to penetrate, such as paper and flocculent fibers. The cleaning unit 130 is preferably in the form of a sheet or block, close to the air inlet end of the aerosol generating product. When the heater 120 is inserted into the aerosol generating product from the air inlet end, it passes through the cleaning unit 130; when the heater 120 is separated from the aerosol generating product, the cleaning unit 130 and the heater 120 generate relative movement and move away from each other, wiping the heater 120 to achieve the purpose of cleaning. The relative movement may be that the cleaning unit 130 is fixed and the heater 120 moves, or that the cleaning unit 130 moves and the heater 120 is fixed, or that the cleaning unit 130 and the heater 120 move in opposite directions. During the relative movement between the cleaning unit 130 and the heater 120, the two may move away from each other in a linear manner until the heater 120 is separated from the aerosol generating product, or they may move away gradually by rotating or S-shaped motion, for example, the cleaning unit 130 is fixedly connected to the housing 110, and the heater 120 gradually moves backward by rotating to achieve separation. Of course, as described above, the heater 120 may be fixed and the cleaning unit 130 may rotate upward and move away from the heater 120. The cleaning unit 130 may act as a brush, a scraper, an adsorbent, etc. to clean the surface of the heater 120.

[0036] In another embodiment of the present invention, the housing 110 includes a receiver 112, which is preferably cylindrical in shape, and the wall of the receiver 112 defines a receiving chamber 111 for receiving and containing the aerosol generating product. The wall of the receiver 112 may include a side wall 113 and a bottom wall 114, which are connected to each other to form a cup-shaped structure for defining the receiving chamber 111. Preferably, the shape of the receiving chamber 111 is adapted to the shape of the aerosol generating product, and the aerosol generating product will not be easily taken out by the mouth when inserted into the receiving chamber 111, nor will the aerosol generating product be squeezed to cause excessive deformation to increase the inhalation resistance. The bottom wall 114 is provided with holes for the heater 120 to pass through, so as to prevent the high-temperature heater 120 from directly contacting the bottom wall 114. In addition, air enters the aerosol generating product through the holes on the bottom wall 114, passes through the aerosol generating substance and flows adjacent to the aerosol generating substance, so the size and shape of the holes can be used to manage the air flow, and thus manage the characteristics of the aerosol.

[0037] In another embodiment of the present invention, the aerosol generating device 100 further includes a base 121 for fixing the heater 120. The heater 120 assembly includes a heater 120 and a base 121 for fixing the heater 120. The base 121 can fix the heater 120 by embedding, clamping, etc., or can be integrally formed, for example, by injection molding or ceramic sintering.

[0038] The heater 120 is used to be inserted into the aerosol generating product to heat the aerosol generating substance therein to generate an aerosol; the heater 120 includes one or more electric heating elements, which are preferably made of a resistor material. After being energized, the electric heating element converts electrical energy into thermal energy to generate heat so that the aerosol generating substance can generate an aerosol by heating. The electric heating element is preferably compounded with an insulating material such as ceramic to form a needle-shaped, rod-shaped or sheet-shaped heater 120 with a certain strength. The heater 120 is used to be at least partially inserted into the aerosol generating substance of the aerosol generating product.

[0039] Preferably, the cleaning unit 130 is arranged at the bottom of the accommodating cavity 111, or between the base 121 and the bottom wall 114. In this way, the cleaning unit 130 is fixedly connected to the receiver 112, and during the separation of the heater 120 from the aerosol generating substance, there will be no relative movement between the cleaning unit 130 and the aerosol generating product, but no matter the movement of the receiver 112 or the movement of the heater 120 drives the heater 120 to separate from the aerosol generating substance, the cleaning unit 130 can wipe the heater 120. For example, the cleaning unit 130 is fixed on the surface of the bottom wall 114 close to the base 121, which can be installed very conveniently. If the receiver 112 can be used multiple times and the cleaning unit 130 needs to be replaced after a period of use, the cleaning unit 130 and the bottom wall 114 are connected by a detachable fixed connection, including Velcro, card, adhesive, magnetic suction, etc., which can be used for convenient disassembly and replacement. In an alternative embodiment, the cleaning unit 130 can directly replace the bottom wall 114 of the receiver 112 to define the accommodating chamber 111, and at the same time support the aerosol generating substance during the separation process of the heater 120 and the aerosol generating substance to prevent the aerosol generating substance from being carried out.

[0040] In another embodiment of the present invention, the receiver 112 is a detachable sliding receiver 112. The cylindrical tube wall on the housing 110 is used to accommodate the sliding receiver 112. By removing the sliding receiver 112, the space inside the housing 110 can be exposed, which is convenient for cleaning. Of course, the process of the sliding receiver 112 moving along the housing 110 can also be used as a process to assist the separation of the aerosol generating product. For example, the heater 120 is fixedly connected to the housing 110, and the receiver 112 is movably connected to the aerosol generating device 100. The cylindrical tube wall is used to accommodate the receiver 112, and the sliding receiver 112 can slide along the tube wall. After the heating is completed, the heater 120 assembly is withdrawn from the accommodating chamber 111 using a pushing mechanism, while the aerosol generating product is still placed in the accommodating chamber 111, thereby realizing the separation of the heater 120 and the aerosol generating product, avoiding the adhesion between the heater 120 and the heated aerosol generating substance, and facilitating the removal of the aerosol generating product. When the receiver 112 is installed on the shell 110, the heater 120 extends into the accommodating cavity 111, and the aerosol generating product can be inserted into the accommodating cavity 111 and heated to generate an aerosol; after the heating is completed, the receiver 112 is pushed to move away from the heater 120, while the aerosol generating product is still placed in the accommodating cavity 111, thereby realizing the separation of the heater 120 and the aerosol generating product.

[0041] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4This embodiment provides an aerosol generating device 100, which is different from the previous embodiment in that a pushing mechanism (not shown in the figure) is used to push the heater 120 to withdraw from the accommodating cavity 111. The pushing mechanism is movably connected to the heater 120, and pushes the heater 120 to slide between a position extending into the accommodating cavity 111 and a position withdrawn from the accommodating cavity 111. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The process of separating the two is shown. The aerosol generating product is placed in the accommodating cavity 111. After the heating is completed, the pushing mechanism is used to withdraw the heater 120 assembly from the accommodating cavity 111, while the shell 110 relative to the aerosol generating product does not move and the aerosol generating product is still placed in the accommodating cavity 111, thereby realizing the separation of the heater 120 and the aerosol generating product, avoiding the adhesion between the heater 120 and the heated aerosol generating substance, and facilitating the removal of the aerosol generating product. The cleaning unit 130 is fixedly connected to the shell 110 or detachably fixedly connected, and the heater 120 is inserted into the aerosol generating product through the cleaning unit 130. In this embodiment, a receiver 112 with a accommodating cavity 111 can be provided as in the aforementioned embodiment. During the withdrawal of the heater 120, the bottom wall 114 of the receiver 112 supports the aerosol generating substance to prevent the aerosol generating substance from being carried out. Of course, the accommodating cavity 111 can be filled with Figure 3 and Figure 4 The aerosol generating product is directly defined by the tube wall of the housing 110, and after being inserted, it directly abuts against the cleaning unit 130, and supports the aerosol generating substance during the separation process between the heater 120 and the aerosol generating substance, so as to prevent the aerosol generating substance from being carried out. Preferably, the aerosol generating device 100 of this embodiment further includes a control unit 140 and a battery unit 150 for realizing power supply.

[0042] Under the action of external force, the pushing mechanism pushes the heater 120 assembly to slide between the heating position and the separation position. The heating position is the position where the heater 120 is fully inserted into the aerosol generating product, and is the deepest position where the heater 120 extends into the accommodating cavity 111. At this time, as long as the aerosol generating product is received in the accommodating cavity 111, it can be heated to generate an aerosol; the separation position is the position where the heater 120 has completely withdrawn from the accommodating cavity 111, and is the farthest position where the heater 120 withdraws from the accommodating cavity 111, and the heater 120 is no longer in contact with the aerosol generating product in the accommodating cavity 111. A pushing mechanism is movably connected to the heater 120 assembly to push the heater 120 assembly to slide between the position extending into the accommodating cavity 111 and the position withdrawn from the accommodating cavity 111. The simple push and pull operation of the pushing mechanism can realize the separation of the aerosol generating product and the heater 120. The entire operation process can be completed with one finger. The method is simple and easy to implement.

[0043] Preferably, the heating position is the position where the heater 120 heats the aerosol generating product. When the heater 120 component is located at this position, the aerosol generating product is waiting to be inserted into the accommodating cavity 111, or an aerosol generating product has been inserted into the accommodating cavity 111 and is waiting to be heated or is being heated. This position can also be called a working position. The separation position is the position where the heater 120 is completely separated from the aerosol generating product. When the heater 120 component is located at this position, it means that the heater 120 and the aerosol generating product have been completely separated, and the aerosol generating product can be directly removed. After the heated aerosol generating product is removed, the heater 120 component needs to be pushed back to the position extending into the accommodating cavity 111, waiting for the next work.

[0044] Preferably, the power of the pushing mechanism can come from manual operation, such as transmitting the thrust to the heater 120 component through a push-twist and transmission mechanism, or it can be other forms of driving force. For example, other forms of pushing mechanisms include but are not limited to motors, pneumatic pumps, hydraulic pumps, electromagnets, etc., to push the heater 120 component to slide between a position extending into the accommodating cavity 111 and a position withdrawn from the accommodating cavity 111, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0045] In another embodiment of the present invention, the material for preparing the cleaning unit 130 includes at least one adsorbent material. The adsorbent material can remove oily liquid substances such as tar and solid residues on the heater 120 to prevent them from remaining on the heater 120 and affecting the subsequent smoking taste. A foamed material made of fiber or heat-resistant plastic is used as the adsorbent material. For example, a foamed material made of an organic polymer material after foaming can be made into a shape similar to a sponge block, or a fiber material (such as natural cellulose, artificial fiber) spun from an organic polymer material can be made into paper, fiber balls, textiles, etc. The adsorbent material is preferably a porous material with a porosity ranging from 10% to 95%.

[0046] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0047] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device, characterized in that: include: A housing, wherein the housing is provided with a receiving cavity for receiving the aerosol generating product, the housing comprising a receiver, the walls of the receiver comprising a side wall and a bottom wall for defining the receiving cavity; a heater for inserting into the aerosol-generating article to heat the aerosol-generating substance therein to generate an aerosol; a cleaning unit, the cleaning unit being detachably fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the receiver and configured to physically contact the heater and wipe the heater during the separation of the heater from the aerosol generating substance; A base, used to fix the heater, wherein the cleaning unit is arranged between the base and the bottom wall; The aerosol generating device further comprises a control unit and a battery unit for realizing electric energy supply.

2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning unit is provided with an insertion port, and the heater is inserted into the aerosol generating article through the insertion port.

3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heater pierces the cleaning unit when inserted into the aerosol-generating article.

4. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the separation of the heater from the aerosol generating substance, the cleaning unit and the heater generate relative motion.

5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom wall is provided with holes for the heater to pass through.

6. The aerosol generating device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The cleaning unit is fixed on a surface of the bottom wall close to the base.

7. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The receiver is a detachable sliding receiver.

8. The aerosol generating device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The heater is fixedly connected to the housing, and the receiver is movably connected to the aerosol generating device.

9. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: It also includes a pushing mechanism, which is movably connected to the heater and pushes the heater to slide between a position extending into the accommodating cavity and a position withdrawn away from the accommodating cavity.

10. The aerosol generating device according to claim 9, characterized in that The cleaning unit is detachably fixedly connected to the shell, and the heater is inserted into the aerosol generating article through the cleaning unit.

11. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material used to prepare the cleaning unit includes at least one adsorption material.

12. The aerosol generating device according to claim 11, characterized in that The adsorption material is a porous material with a porosity ranging from 10% to 95%.

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