Aerosol generating device and heater

Abstract

The present invention proposes an aerosol generating device and a heater for the aerosol generating device; wherein the aerosol generating device comprises: a magnetic field generator, a heater for heating a smokeable material; the heater comprises a sensing part and an infrared emitting part, the sensing part is penetrated by the magnetic field to generate heat and heats the smokeable material through heat conduction, and the infrared emitting part receives the heat of the sensing part and is excited by the heating to radiate infrared rays to heat the smokeable material. When the above aerosol generating device is in use, on the one hand, the sensing part is heated by induction heating and then directly heats the smokeable material by conduction, and on the other hand, the heat of the sensing part is used to excite the infrared emitting part to radiate infrared rays, thereby assisting in heating the smokeable material and improving the efficiency of heat utilization.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of heat-not-burn smoking articles, and in particular to an aerosol generating device and a heater. Background Art

[0002] Smoking articles (eg, cigarettes, cigars, etc.) burn tobacco during use to produce tobacco smoke. People have attempted to replace these tobacco-burning articles by creating products that release compounds without combustion.

[0003] An example of such a product is a heating device that releases a compound by heating rather than burning a material. For example, the material may be tobacco or other non-tobacco products that may or may not contain nicotine. As another example, there is a susceptor that heats a tobacco product by surrounding the tobacco product or inserting it into the tobacco product. As a known heating device, only part of the heat of the susceptor is received by the tobacco product, and the utilization efficiency of the heat is low. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the problem of low heat utilization rate of the heating device in the prior art, an embodiment of the present invention provides an aerosol generating device that improves the heat utilization rate of induction heating.

[0005] Based on the above, an aerosol generating device provided in one embodiment of the present invention is used to heat a smokeable material to generate an aerosol for inhalation, comprising:

[0006] a chamber for receiving a smokeable material;

[0007] a magnetic field generator configured to generate a changing magnetic field;

[0008] a heater configured to heat the smokeable material received in the chamber; the heater comprising:

[0009] a sensing portion configured to generate heat when penetrated by the changing magnetic field, thereby heating the smokeable material in the chamber; and

[0010] The infrared emitting portion is configured to be disposed close to the sensing portion and to receive heat from the sensing portion, and to heat the smokeable material by radiating infrared rays toward the chamber when heated by the sensing portion.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the infrared emitting part and the sensing part are in contact with each other, so that the infrared emitting part receives heat from the sensing part through contact conduction.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, at least a portion of the axial extension length of the sensing portion along the chamber overlaps with the extension length of the infrared emitting portion along the chamber.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the heater is configured as a pin or a blade extending at least partially along the axial direction of the chamber.

[0014] In a preferred implementation, the infrared emitting portion is configured to be located outside the sensing portion along a radial direction of the heater.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the heater comprises:

[0016] a base body configured to be in the shape of a pin extending at least partially along the axial direction of the chamber;

[0017] A hollow extending along the axial direction of the base body is provided in the base body, and the sensing part and the infrared emitting part are accommodated in the hollow.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the sensing portion is arranged to extend along the axial direction of the hollow;

[0019] The infrared emitting portion is an infrared emitting coating formed on the surface of the sensing portion, or an infrared emitting film wound on the surface of the sensing portion.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the sensing portion is configured as a pin or a blade extending at least partially along the axial direction of the chamber;

[0021] The infrared emitting part is a coating formed on the surface of the sensing part.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the heater further includes a protective layer formed on the surface of the infrared emitting portion.

[0023] In a preferred implementation, the heater is configured in a tubular shape extending along the axial direction of the chamber and surrounding the chamber.

[0024] In a preferred implementation, the infrared emitting portion is configured to be closer to the chamber than the sensing portion.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the sensing portion is configured to be tubular extending along the axial direction of the chamber and surrounding the chamber;

[0026] The infrared emitting portion is an infrared emitting coating formed on the inner surface of the sensing portion.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the heater comprises:

[0028] a base body configured in a tubular shape extending in the axial direction of the chamber and surrounding the chamber;

[0029] The infrared emitting part and the sensing part are sequentially arranged outwardly along the radial direction of the substrate.

[0030] In a preferred implementation, the infrared emitting portion is an infrared emitting coating formed on the outer surface of the substrate, or an infrared emitting film wound on the outer surface of the substrate.

[0031] In a preferred implementation, the sensing portion is a sensing coating formed on the infrared emitting portion; or, the sensing portion is constructed as a rigid tube abutting against the infrared emitting portion.

[0032] One embodiment of the present invention further provides a heater for an aerosol generating device, which is used to heat a smokeable material to generate an aerosol for inhalation, comprising:

[0033] a sensing portion configured to generate heat due to penetration of the changing magnetic field and to heat the smokeable material by heat conduction; and,

[0034] The infrared emitting portion is configured to be disposed close to the sensing portion and to receive heat from the sensing portion, and to heat the smokeable material by radiating infrared rays when heated by the sensing portion.

[0035] When the above aerosol generating device is in use, on the one hand, the sensing part is heated by induction heating and then directly heats the smokeable material by conduction; on the other hand, the heat of the sensing part is used to stimulate the infrared emitting part to radiate infrared rays, thereby assisting in heating the smokeable material and improving the utilization efficiency of heat. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] One or more embodiments are exemplarily described by pictures in the corresponding drawings, and these exemplified descriptions do not constitute limitations on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings represent similar elements, and unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings do not constitute proportional limitations.

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an aerosol generating device provided by an embodiment;

[0038] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the aerosol generating device;

[0039] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the central heating mechanism from one perspective;

[0040] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the heating mechanism;

[0041] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the exploded view of the various parts of the heating mechanism before assembly;

[0042] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the decomposition of the receptor from another perspective;

[0043] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another proposed sensor;

[0044] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a heating mechanism provided in yet another embodiment;

[0045] Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the heating structure;

[0046] Fig.10 is a schematic structural diagram of a heater proposed in yet another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention is described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0048] One embodiment of the present invention provides an aerosol generating device that heats, rather than burns, a smokeable material such as a cigarette, thereby causing at least one component of the smokeable material to volatilize or release to form an aerosol for inhalation.

[0049] The structure of the aerosol generating device according to one embodiment of the present invention can be seen in Figure 1 to Figure 2 As shown, the overall appearance of the device is roughly constructed in the shape of a flat cylinder, and the external components of the aerosol generating device include:

[0050] The housing 10 is hollow inside, thereby forming an assembly space for necessary functional components such as infrared radiation;

[0051] The upper cover 11 is located at the upper end of the shell 10 in the length direction; on the one hand, the upper cover 11 can cover the upper end of the shell 10 to make the appearance of the aerosol generating device complete and beautiful; on the other hand, it can be removed from the upper end of the shell 10, so as to facilitate the installation, removal and replacement of various functional components in the shell 10.

[0052] Further from Figure 1 and Figure 2 It can be seen that the upper cover 11 has an opening 12 , through which the smokeable material A can be at least partially received in the housing 10 along the length direction of the housing 10 to be heated, or can be removed from the housing 10 through the opening 12 .

[0053] The housing 10 is also provided with a switch button 13 on one side along the width direction. The user can manually actuate the switch button 13 to control the start or stop of the aerosol generating device.

[0054] See also Figure 2 As shown, the housing 10 is provided with:

[0055] A power supply cell 14;

[0056] A control circuit board 15 with integrated circuits for controlling the operation of the aerosol generating device;

[0057] The charging interface 16 for charging the battery cell 14 , such as a USB type-C interface, a Pin interface, etc., can charge the battery cell 14 after being connected to an external power source or an adapter.

[0058] See also Figures 2 to 5 In the embodiment shown, in order to heat the smokeable material A, a heating mechanism is provided in the housing 10. The assembled shape and structure of the heating mechanism can be seen in Figure 3. Specifically, the heating mechanism includes:

[0059] A tubular support 20, wherein at least a portion of the tubular hollow of the tubular support 20 forms a chamber 21 for receiving the smokeable material A;

[0060] The induction coil 30 is wound outside the tubular support 20 along the axial direction of the tubular support 20 and is used to generate a changing magnetic field when an alternating current is provided; Figure 5 As can be seen in the figure, the induction coil 30 has a first conductive connection portion 31 and a second conductive connection portion 32, which can be subsequently connected to the control circuit board 15 through the first conductive connection portion 31 and the second conductive connection portion 32 to provide an alternating current to the induction coil 30;

[0061] The heater 60, which is in the form of a pin or a blade and extends at least partially along the axial direction of the chamber 21, can be as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown inserted into smokeable material A.

[0062] To further facilitate the installation and fixation of the heating mechanism in the housing 10, the heating mechanism further includes:

[0063] The upper support member 40 is disposed at the upper end of the tubular support 20. The upper support member 40 is in an annular shape coaxial with the tubular support 20 and is provided with a fixing structure 41 for connecting and fixing with the housing 10, thereby fixing and holding the upper end of the heating mechanism in the housing 10. Figure 2 and Figure 4 It can be seen from the figure that the fixing structure 41 is a plurality of protrusions, and the corresponding housing 10 is provided with grooves adapted to the protrusions, thereby cooperating to fix the upper end of the heating mechanism.

[0064] Of course, the central hole of the upper support member 40 is used for the smokeable material A to pass through and then be received into the chamber 21 or removed.

[0065] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, a fixing seat 50 is provided near the lower end of the tubular support 20, and the fixing seat 50 is used to form a portion with a reduced inner diameter of the inner chamber 21 of the tubular support 20, so that the smokeable material A can abut against the fixing seat 50 to provide a stop. Figure 4 As shown, the fixing seat 50 is penetrated by the heater 60 and abuts against the fixing seat 50 , so that the heater 60 can be stably installed or maintained in the tubular support 20 .

[0066] See Figure 5 As shown, the fixing seat 50 has a central hole 51 penetrating along the axial direction, and the central hole 51 is a mounting hole for the heater 60 to penetrate.

[0067] Further in Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the preferred embodiment shown, a lower end cover 22 is further provided at the lower end of the tubular support 20 , and the lower end cover 22 is used to seal the lower end of the tubular support 20 , thereby allowing the fixing seat 50 and the heater 60 to be stably installed in the tubular support 20 .

[0068] In a preferred embodiment, the tubular support 20, the fixing base 50 and the lower end cover 22 can all be made of high temperature resistant organic polymer materials such as PEEK, polycarbonate, polytetrafluoroethylene, etc., or inorganic ceramic materials with good temperature resistance such as zirconia ceramics.

[0069] In the implementation of the present invention, the heater 60 is a heater 60 that heats the smokeable material A simultaneously by electromagnetic induction and infrared radiation. Figure 6 As shown, in a preferred implementation, the shape and structure of the heater 60 include:

[0070] The substrate 61 is made of a rigid infrared-transmissive quartz, glass or ceramic material and is configured to be in the shape of a pin for insertion into the smokeable material A. Of course, in order to facilitate the installation and fixation of the heater 60, a base portion 62 is provided on the substrate 61 for abutting against and fixing the fixing seat 50. The substrate 61 has a hollow 63 inside for receiving a heating element 64. The heating element 64 is encapsulated or contained in the substrate 61 to emit heat and radiate infrared rays.

[0071] Specifically, the heating element 64 includes a slender rod-shaped or bar-shaped sensing body 641, which is made of a metal material with appropriate magnetic permeability that is inductively coupled with an alternating magnetic field, and can be penetrated by the changing magnetic field to generate heat; the heat generated by it is transmitted to the smokeable material A through the infrared emitting coating 642 and the substrate 61 in the radial direction, and then the smokeable material A can be heated by conduction; and a thermal infrared emitting coating 642 formed on the sensing body 641, or a thermal infrared emitting film wound on the sensing body 641; the infrared emitting coating 642 of the heating element 64 can be excited while receiving the heat of the sensing body 641, and then radiate far infrared rays with a heating effect, such as far infrared rays of 3μm to 15μm. When the wavelength of the infrared rays matches the absorption wavelength of the volatile components of the smokeable material A, the energy of the infrared rays is easily absorbed by the smokeable material, and then the smokeable material A is heated.

[0072] The susceptor 641 can be made of grade 430 stainless steel (SS430), grade 420 stainless steel (SS420), and alloy materials containing iron and nickel (such as J85 / J66 Permalloy), which have relatively good magnetic permeability and heat up quickly under an alternating magnetic field.

[0073] The infrared emitting coating 642 is made of a thermally induced infrared emitting material; specifically, it includes a coating made of a ceramic material such as zirconium, or a Fe-Mn-Cu system or a tungsten system material.

[0074] In a preferred embodiment, the infrared emitting coating 642 includes but is not limited to the following materials: carbon materials (amorphous carbon film, DLC film, graphene, carbon nanotubes, etc.), oxides (Fe2O3, Al2O3, Cr2O3, In2O3, La2O3, Co2O3, Ni2O3, Sb2O3, Sb2O5, TiO2, ZrO2, MnO2, CeO2, CuO, ZnO, MgO, CaO, MoO3, etc.), carbides (such as SiC, etc.), nitrides (such as TiN, CrN, AlN, Si3N4, etc.), or a combination of two or more of the above substances. When the infrared emitting coating 642 is heated to an appropriate temperature by the sensor 641, it will radiate the above far infrared rays with heating effect; the thickness of the infrared emitting coating 642 can preferably be controlled to be 30μm~50μm; the method of forming it on the surface of the sensor 641 can be to spray the above material on the outer surface of the sensor 641 by atmospheric plasma spraying and then solidify it.

[0075] When the above heater 60 is in use, on the one hand, it heats the sensor 641 by induction heating and then directly heats the smokeable material A by conduction. On the other hand, it also uses the heat of the sensor 641 to stimulate infrared radiation, thereby assisting in heating the smokeable material A and improving the utilization efficiency of heat.

[0076] It can be further seen from the above embodiments that when the heater 60 is inserted into the inhalable material A for heating, the infrared emitting coating 642 is surrounded by the outside of the sensor 641, which can ensure that the infrared rays emitted by the infrared emitting coating 642 are not blocked and can be smoothly radiated to the inhalable material A.

[0077] And from the above Figure 6 In the preferred embodiment shown, the axial extension length of the susceptor 641 along the heater 60 is greater than the length of the infrared emission coating 642, so that the susceptor 641 can be maximized by the infrared emission coating 642 in the heat transfer path or direction to stimulate infrared light.

[0078] Further in Figure 7 In another variation of the heater 60a shown, the heater 60a includes a pin-shaped or blade-shaped induction heating portion 61a, and an infrared emitting coating 62a formed on the outer surface of the induction heating portion 61a. In use, the induction heating portion 61a is penetrated by the changing magnetic field and generates heat, and at the same time, the heat-induced infrared emitting coating 62a is heated and excited to radiate infrared rays; when the heater 60a is inserted into the smokeable material A, it can transfer heat to the smokeable material A by contact conduction, and can also radiate infrared rays to heat the smokeable material A.

[0079] Of course, in a more preferred implementation, Figure 7 The heater 60a shown may further have an additional or formed infrared-transmissive protective layer such as glass outside the infrared emitting coating 62a (not shown in the figure).

[0080] In yet another variant implementation, see Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the heating mechanism includes a tubular heater 60b, and an induction coil 30b surrounding the heater 60b and inductively coupled to the heater 60a, for generating a changing magnetic field;

[0081] The tubular hollow of the heater 60b forms a chamber 63b for containing and heating the smokeable material A;

[0082] See also Fig. 9 , the heater 60b comprises:

[0083] The induction heating part 61b is arranged in a tubular shape and can be penetrated by the changing magnetic field to generate heat;

[0084] And a heat-induced infrared emitting coating 62b formed on the inner surface of the induction heating portion 61b, the infrared emitting coating 62b can be heated by the induction heating portion 61b and then radiate infrared rays to the smokeable material A in the chamber 63b.

[0085] In yet another optional embodiment, the construction of the heater 60c can be seen in Fig.10 As shown, including:

[0086] The tubular base 61c is hollow inside to form a chamber 64c for accommodating and receiving the smokeable material A; the material thereof is made of infrared-transmissive quartz, glass or ceramic;

[0087] forming an infrared emitting coating 62c on the outside of the tubular substrate 61c;

[0088] A heat-sensing coating 63c is further formed outside the infrared emitting coating 62c; the heat-sensing coating 63c is made of an inductive metal material that senses heat and can be penetrated by a changing magnetic field to generate heat, thereby heating the infrared emitting coating 62c so that the infrared emitting coating 62c radiates infrared rays into the chamber 64c, thereby heating the inhalable material A.

[0089] In other variable implementations, the above infrared emitting coating 62c can also adopt an infrared emitting film, such as a zinc oxide film, a graphene film, or an indium oxide film doped with a rare earth metal, or a composite film formed with an infrared emitting material on a flexible film substrate such as polyimide, ceramic paper, or flexible glass; and the corresponding heat-sensing coating 63c can be correspondingly changed to the form of a rigid tube made of a magnetic conductive metal or alloy.

[0090] Further from Figures 7 to 10 It can be seen in the illustrated embodiment that when the heater is tubular surrounding the smokeable material A, the infrared emitting portion is located within the inductive heating portion and is closer to the smokeable material A, so that the infrared rays emitted by the infrared emitting portion can be radiated into the smokeable material A without being blocked or absorbed by the inductive heating portion.

[0091] It should be noted that the preferred embodiments of the present invention are given in the specification and drawings of the present invention, but are not limited to the embodiments described in the specification. Furthermore, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that improvements or changes can be made based on the above description, and all such improvements and changes should fall within the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present invention.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device for heating a smokeable material to generate an aerosol for inhalation, characterized in that: include: a chamber for receiving a smokeable material; a magnetic field generator configured to generate a changing magnetic field; a heater configured to heat the smokeable material received in the chamber; the heater comprising: a sensing portion configured to generate heat due to penetration of the changing magnetic field and to heat the smokeable material in the chamber by heat conduction; as well as, The infrared emitting portion formed on the sensing portion is configured to be disposed close to the sensing portion and to receive heat transferred from the sensing portion, and to radiate infrared rays with a wavelength of 3 μm to 15 μm to the chamber to heat the smokeable material when heated by the sensing portion; the sensing portion and the infrared emitting portion are in contact with each other, so that the sensing portion transfers heat to the infrared emitting portion through contact conduction; The sensing portion and the infrared emitting portion of the heater heat the smokeable material simultaneously.

2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that At least a portion of the axial extension length of the sensing portion along the chamber overlaps with the extension length of the infrared emitting portion along the chamber.

3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The heater is configured in the shape of a pin or a blade extending at least partially in the axial direction of the chamber.

4. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3, characterized in that The infrared emitting portion is configured to be located outside the sensing portion in a radial direction of the heater.

5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The heater comprises: a base body configured to be in the shape of a pin extending at least partially along the axial direction of the chamber; A hollow extending along the axial direction of the base body is provided in the base body, and the sensing part and the infrared emitting part are accommodated in the hollow.

6. The aerosol generating device according to claim 5, characterized in that The sensing portion is arranged to extend along the axial direction of the hollow; The infrared emitting portion is an infrared emitting coating formed on the surface of the sensing portion, or an infrared emitting film wound on the surface of the sensing portion.

7. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The sensing portion is configured to be in the shape of a pin or a blade extending at least partially along the axial direction of the chamber; The infrared emitting part is a coating formed on the surface of the sensing part.

8. The aerosol generating device according to claim 7, characterized in that The heater further includes a protection layer formed on a surface of the infrared emitting portion.

9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The heater is configured in a tubular shape extending in an axial direction of the chamber and surrounding the chamber.

10. The aerosol generating device according to claim 9, characterized in that The infrared emitting portion is configured to be closer to the chamber than the sensing portion.

11. The aerosol generating device according to claim 9, characterized in that The sensing portion is configured to be in a tubular shape extending along the axial direction of the chamber and surrounding the chamber; The infrared emitting portion is an infrared emitting coating formed on the inner surface of the sensing portion.

12. The aerosol generating device according to claim 9, characterized in that The heater comprises: a base body configured in a tubular shape extending in the axial direction of the chamber and surrounding the chamber; The infrared emitting part and the sensing part are sequentially arranged outwardly along the radial direction of the substrate.

13. The aerosol generating device according to claim 12, characterized in that The infrared emitting portion is an infrared emitting coating formed on the outer surface of the substrate, or an infrared emitting film wound on the outer surface of the substrate.

14. The aerosol generating device according to claim 13, characterized in that The sensing portion is a sensing coating formed on the infrared emitting portion; or, the sensing portion is configured as a rigid tube abutting against the infrared emitting portion.

15. A heater for an aerosol generating device, characterized in that: include: a sensing portion configured to generate heat by being penetrated by a changing magnetic field and to heat the smokeable material by heat conduction; as well as, The infrared emitting portion formed on the sensing portion is configured to be disposed close to the sensing portion and to receive heat from the sensing portion, and to heat the smokeable material by radiating infrared rays having a wavelength of 3 μm to 15 μm when heated by the sensing portion; the sensing portion and the infrared emitting portion are in contact with each other so that the sensing portion transfers heat to the infrared emitting portion through contact conduction; The sensing portion and the infrared emitting portion of the heater heat the smokeable material simultaneously.

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