A heat-not-burn cigarette and a cigarette identification device

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of tobacco, and discloses a heat-not-burn cigarette, which comprises a tobacco section (2), a heating body (3) and a bottom blocking disc (4). The tobacco section (2) comprises granular tobacco and a smoke pipe (21) wrapping the granular tobacco. The heating body (3) is a soft magnetic material capable of electromagnetic induction heating. The blocking disc (4) is a non-ferromagnetic metal material. The present application also discloses a cigarette identification device used in combination with the heat-not-burn cigarette. The cigarette blocking disc and the cigarette identification device are used in combination, and the heat-not-burn cigarette can be specifically identified.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of tobacco technology, specifically relating to a heated non-combustible cigarette and a cigarette identification device for the same. Background Technology

[0002] Compared to combustible cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs) operate at lower temperatures and produce fewer harmful substances, particularly a significant reduction in particulate matter. Consequently, HTPs and related devices have experienced rapid development in recent years. The non-contact, rapid heating, and easily adjustable power characteristics of electromagnetic induction heating have led to the rapid development of HTP devices.

[0003] Depending on the shape of the tobacco core, heated tobacco products mainly include sheet tobacco and pellet tobacco. Sheet tobacco is made by cutting or agglomerating tobacco into thin sheets using a specific process; pellet tobacco is made by pulverizing tobacco and then granulating it. Compared to sheet tobacco, pellet tobacco has a smaller particle size and a larger surface area, allowing it to fully integrate with added flavoring components and resulting in faster heat and mass transfer rates. Therefore, it can more quickly and evenly atomize and release flavoring substances and nicotine during heating. Pellet heated tobacco has gained significant attention due to these advantages. However, because pellet tobacco is difficult to fix in the tube, an additional breathable membrane is usually required to seal the end of the tube.

[0004] Heating elements are crucial components for electromagnetic induction heating of tobacco, and numerous patents have described them, such as a heating sheet for low-temperature cigarettes and its uses (CN202310221221.0) and an electronic cigarette with a metallic medium (CN201820801976.2). However, there have been no reports on heating elements specifically designed for use in granular heated non-combustible cigarettes that can be uniquely identified.

[0005] This invention is proposed for this purpose. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This patent designs a novel heated non-combustible cigarette and a matching cigarette identification device. The heating element of the heated non-combustible cigarette is an electromagnetic induction heating element, the tobacco segment is granular, and a sealing disc at the bottom is used to seal the ends of the granular heated non-combustible tobacco and to allow it to be identified by the cigarette identification device.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0008] The first aspect of the present invention discloses a heated non-combustible cigarette, which includes a tobacco segment 2, a heating element 3 and a bottom sealing plate 4; the tobacco segment 2 includes granular tobacco and a cigarette tube 21 enclosing it; the heating element 3 is a soft magnetic material capable of electromagnetic induction heating; and the sealing plate 4 is a non-ferromagnetic metal material.

[0009] Preferably, the heating element 3 is located on the central axis of the tobacco pipe 21 and perpendicular to the sealing disc 4, and the two are connected together by welding (such as laser welding, spot welding), hot pressing or other processes; the heating element 3 is a soft magnetic material that can be electromagnetically heated, such as permalloy, nickel alloy, iron alloy, magnetic stainless steel, etc.; the heating element 3 can be a vertical thin sheet, which generates high heat under the action of the induction heating coil, thereby heating the tobacco particles.

[0010] Preferably, the sealing disc 4 is disc-shaped with a skirt around its perimeter. The skirt has several pleats 41 with gaps smaller than the particle size of the tobacco granules, used for ventilation to allow external airflow into the cigarette. The disc wall has several through holes 42 with diameters smaller than the tobacco granules, also used for ventilation to allow external airflow into the cigarette. The sealing disc 4 is made of a non-ferromagnetic metal material, such as aluminum, copper, or non-magnetic stainless steel, to avoid excessively high temperatures. The sealing disc 4 is generally 2 mm to 10 mm in diameter and 10 micrometers to 3000 micrometers thick. The number and diameter of the pleats 41 and through holes 42 are adjusted according to the cigarette's draw resistance; however, the diameter must be smaller than the tobacco granule diameter. The sealing disc 4 fits tightly with the cigarette tube 21 to achieve end sealing and prevent the tobacco granules from falling out.

[0011] The second aspect of the present invention discloses a cigarette identification device for identifying the above-mentioned heated non-combustible cigarettes, comprising the following components: a parallel resonator 51, a signal amplifier 52, an ADC converter 53, and an MCU intelligent identification device 54.

[0012] Preferably, the parallel resonator 51 includes a coil 511 and a capacitor; the coil 511 adopts a multilayer PCB design, and the layers of the coil 511 are connected by vias; the inductance of the coil 511 is selected in the range of 1uH to 1mH.

[0013] Preferably, the cigarette identification device 5 is rectangular.

[0014] Preferably, the heated non-combustible cigarette stick 1 is arranged directly above the coil 511 of the parallel resonator 51, and the distance between the sealing plate 4 and the coil 511 is no more than 2mm.

[0015] This invention relates to a cigarette identification device, which is an integrated LC resonant cigarette identification sensing system based on a printed circuit board (PCB). Its structure comprises several components, including a parallel resonator 51, a signal amplifier 52, an ADC converter 53, and an MCU intelligent identification device 54, all housed within a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped device. The device can also be of other shapes as needed. The parallel resonator includes a coil 511 and a fixed capacitor C. The coil 511 forms an inductance L, which, together with the fixed capacitor C, constitutes the LC parallel resonator 51. Figure 8 As shown. When the heated non-combustible cigarette 1 and the cigarette identification device 5 are installed, the plane of the cigarette identification device 5 is perpendicular to the heated non-combustible cigarette 1, that is, the upper surface of the cigarette identification device 5 is parallel to or in contact with the bottom surface of the sealing plate 4 of the heated non-combustible cigarette 1. The heated non-combustible cigarette 1 is arranged directly above the coil 511 of the parallel resonator 51, and the distance between the sealing plate 4 and the coil 511 is no greater than 2mm; Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown.

[0016] When the cigarette identification device 5 of this invention identifies a heated non-combustible cigarette 1, an AC signal (ACsignal) is applied to the parallel resonator 51. When a cigarette is inserted into the smoking device, eddy currents are generated in the metal of the sealing plate 4, which changes the effective value of the inductance L of the cigarette identification device through mutual inductance, thereby changing the position of the LC resonance peak. Since different sealing plate 4 metal materials and structures are different, the change in inductance L varies. Therefore, the MCU intelligent identification device 54 can obtain the material and structural information of the sealing plate 4 by calculating the position of the LC resonance peak. In actual operation, by designing a dedicated sealing plate material, when a cigarette is inserted, the output signal of the LC parallel resonator is amplified and converted into a digital signal by the ADC converter 53, which is then sent to the MCU intelligent identification device 54. The MCU intelligent identification device 54 analyzes and calculates the signal to determine whether the cigarette is a dedicated cigarette; if it is a dedicated cigarette, the electromagnetic induction heating system of the smoking device is activated; if it is not a dedicated cigarette, the operation stops.

[0017] The advantages of the heated non-combustible cigarette and the matching cigarette identification device of the present invention are as follows:

[0018] 1. The heating element and bottom sealing plate of the heated non-combustible cigarette of the present invention adopt a bimetallic structure, which simultaneously realizes induction heating and sealing of granular tobacco, and the structure is simple and reliable.

[0019] 2. When the cigarette sealing disc and cigarette identification device of the present invention are used together, they can realize the specific identification function of heated non-combustible cigarettes.

[0020] 3. All components of the cigarette identification device of the present invention are manufactured on a single PCB, resulting in high integration and eliminating the need for complex assembly. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the combined state of the heating element and the sealing plate of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sealing disc of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the combined state of the heating element, sealing plate, and flue of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the combination of the sealing disc and the flue pipe of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the heated non-combustible cigarette of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the component relationships of the cigarette identification device of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the coil in the LC parallel resonator of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the LC parallel resonator of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 9 This is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the cigarette identification device of the present invention and a heated non-combustible cigarette.

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the cigarette identification device of the present invention and the heated non-combustible cigarette.

[0031] The attached diagram is labeled as follows: 1. Cigarette stick; 2. Tobacco segment; 21. Cigarette tube; 3. Heating element; 4. Sealing plate; 41. Pleats; 42. Through hole; 5. Cigarette stick identification device; 51. Parallel resonator; 511. Coil; 52. Signal amplifier; 53. ADC converter; 54. MCU intelligent identification device. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the objectives and technical solutions of this invention clearer, a detailed description is provided in conjunction with the following embodiments and accompanying drawings. These embodiments are intended to illustrate the content of this invention and not to further limit the scope of protection of this invention. Unless otherwise stated, all technical terms and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. However, in the event of any conflict, the specification containing the definitions shall prevail.

[0033] Example

[0034] like Figure 5 and Figure 10 As shown, a heated non-combustible cigarette of the present invention includes a tobacco segment 2, a heating element 3 and a bottom sealing plate 4; the tobacco segment 2 includes granular tobacco and a cigarette tube 21 enclosing it.

[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the heating element 3 is located on the central axis of the tobacco pipe 21 and perpendicular to the sealing disc 4. The two are connected together by welding, hot pressing, or other processes. The heating element 3 is a soft magnetic material capable of electromagnetic induction heating, such as permalloy, nickel alloy, iron alloy, or magnetically conductive stainless steel. The heating element 3 can be a vertical thin sheet that generates high heat under the action of the induction heating coil, thereby heating the tobacco particles. In the attached drawings, the induction heating coil and other components of the smoking device are not shown.

[0036] like Figure 1-4 As shown, the sealing disc 4 is disc-shaped with a skirt around its perimeter. The skirt has several pleats 41 with gaps smaller than the particle size of the tobacco granules, used for ventilation to allow external airflow into the cigarette. The disc wall also has several through holes 42 with diameters smaller than the tobacco granules, also for ventilation to allow external airflow into the cigarette. The sealing disc 4 is made of a non-ferromagnetic metal material, such as aluminum, copper, or non-magnetic stainless steel, to avoid excessively high temperatures. The sealing disc 4 is generally 2 mm to 10 mm in diameter and 10 micrometers to 3000 micrometers thick, but other specifications can be used depending on the design. The number and diameter of the pleats 41 and through holes 42 are adjusted according to the cigarette's draw resistance; however, the diameter must be smaller than the tobacco granule diameter. The sealing disc 4 fits tightly with the cigarette tube 21 to achieve end sealing and prevent the tobacco granules from falling out.

[0037] like Figure 6 As shown, the cigarette identification device 5 of the present invention for identifying the above-mentioned heated non-combustible cigarette includes the following components: parallel resonator 51, signal amplifier 52, ADC converter 53 and MCU intelligent identification device 54.

[0038] like Figure 8 As shown, the parallel resonator 51 includes a coil 511 and a capacitor; the coil 511 adopts a multi-layer PCB design, and the layers of the coil 511 are connected by vias, such as... Figure 7 As shown; the inductance range of the coil 511 is 1uH to 1mH.

[0039] like Figures 9-10As shown, the cigarette identification device 5 is rectangular; however, it can also be other shapes depending on the design. When the heated non-combustible cigarette 1 is used in conjunction with the cigarette identification device 5, the heated non-combustible cigarette 1 is arranged directly above the coil 511 in the cigarette identification device 5, and the distance between the sealing plate 4 and the coil 511 is no more than 2 mm.

[0040] This invention relates to a cigarette identification device, which is an integrated LC resonant cigarette identification sensing system based on a printed circuit board (PCB). Its structure comprises several components, including a parallel resonator 51, a signal amplifier 52, an ADC converter 53, and an MCU intelligent identification device 54, all housed within a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped device; the device can also have other shapes. The coil 511 of the parallel resonator 51 forms an inductor L, which, together with a fixed capacitor C, constitutes an LC parallel resonator. Figure 8 As shown. When the heated non-combustible cigarette 1 and the cigarette identification device 5 are installed and used together, the plane of the cigarette identification device 5 is perpendicular to the heated non-combustible cigarette 1. That is, the upper surface of the cigarette identification device 5 is parallel to or in contact with the bottom surface of the sealing plate 4 of the heated non-combustible cigarette 1, and the heated non-combustible cigarette 1 must be directly above the coil 511. Figure 10 As shown.

[0041] When the cigarette identification device 5 of this invention identifies a heated non-combustible cigarette 1, an AC signal (ACsignal) is applied to the parallel resonator 51. When a cigarette is inserted into the smoking device, eddy currents are generated in the metal of the sealing disc 4, which changes the effective value of the inductance L of the cigarette identification device 5 through mutual inductance, thereby changing the position of the LC resonance peak. Since different sealing disc 4 metal materials and structures result in different changes in inductance L, the MCU intelligent identification device 54 can obtain the material and structural information of the sealing disc 4 by calculating the position of the LC resonance peak. This invention utilizes a specially designed sealing disc. When a heated non-combustible cigarette is inserted, the output signal of the LC parallel resonator 51 is amplified and converted into a digital signal by the ADC converter 53, which is then sent to the MCU intelligent identification device 54. The MCU intelligent identification device 54 analyzes and calculates the signal to determine whether the cigarette is a specially designed heated non-combustible cigarette. If it is, the electromagnetic induction heating system of the device (not shown in the figure) is activated to heat the cigarette with the heating element 3; otherwise, the device stops working.

[0042] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of implementation methods of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this invention patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A heat-not-burn cigarette, characterized in that, It includes a tobacco segment (2), a heating element (3), and a bottom sealing plate (4); the tobacco segment (2) includes granular tobacco and a tobacco tube (21) that wraps it; the heating element (3) is a soft magnetic material that can be heated by electromagnetic induction; the sealing plate (4) is a non-ferromagnetic metal material; the heating element (3) is located on the central axis of the tobacco tube (21) and perpendicular to the sealing plate (4); the sealing plate (4) is disc-shaped, with a skirt on the periphery of the disc, and several folds (41) with gaps smaller than the particle size of the granular tobacco on the skirt; the bottom wall of the plate has several through holes (42) with a diameter smaller than the particle size of the granular tobacco.

2. A cigarette identification device for identifying a heated non-combustible cigarette according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device includes the following components: a parallel resonator (51), a signal amplifier (52), an ADC converter (53), and an MCU intelligent identification device (54); the parallel resonator (51) includes a coil (511) and a capacitor; the coil (511) adopts a multi-layer PCB design, and the layers of the coil (511) are connected by vias; the inductance of the coil (511) is selected in the range of 1uH to 1mH; the cigarette identification device (5) is cuboid; the heated non-combustible cigarette (1) is arranged directly above the coil (511) of the parallel resonator (51), and the distance between the sealing plate (4) and the coil (511) is no more than 2mm.

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