Housing, antenna, and aerosol generating device

Abstract

The invention discloses a shell, an antenna and aerosol generating equipment. Wherein the shell is a conductor and is used for the aerosol generating equipment, the shell is provided with a hollow target area, and under the condition that the shell is connected with the external functional module, the target area is covered by the external functional module; the shell is also provided with an antenna, and the antenna is used for enabling the aerosol generating equipment to support a wireless communication function; and under the condition that the external function module is connected with the shell, the antenna is covered by the external function module. According to the shell in the embodiment of the invention, on the basis of ensuring that the appearance of the external functional module and the whole machine of the aerosol generating equipment conforms to the use habits and appearance characteristics of a user, the antenna capable of performing wireless communication with an external electromagnetic environment is configured at a position which cannot be reached by the user during normal use; and meanwhile, the wireless communication effect can be optimized by adjusting the antenna and the feed mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of aerosol generating devices, and in particular to a shell, an antenna and an aerosol generating device. Background Art

[0002] At present, in order to set more functions on aerosol generating devices that enable users to manage aerosol generating devices, or to allow aerosol generating devices to have richer entertainment and information processing capabilities, it is generally necessary to introduce wireless communication functions into aerosol generating devices, so that aerosol generating devices can communicate with wireless routers to connect to the Internet, or communicate with mobile smart devices such as mobile phones, or interconnect with mobile cellular networks through wireless communication. In particular, for miniaturized or handheld aerosol generating devices, such as aerosol generating devices, USB dongles, wireless headphones, mobile phones and other devices, the above-mentioned demand is particularly strong.

[0003] In order to realize the wireless communication function of aerosol generating equipment and improve the communication effect, it is generally necessary to set an antenna on the aerosol generating equipment. However, considering the high-end industrial design appearance of aerosol generating equipment, the shells of various types of aerosol generating equipment are mostly made of metal. This leads to many restrictions on the wireless communication effect of aerosol generating equipment. How to balance the wireless communication effect and industrial design appearance of aerosol generating equipment is a difficult problem in the industry, among which the challenge of antenna design is particularly prominent. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a shell, an antenna and an aerosol generating device.

[0005] The shell involved in the embodiment of the present application is a conductor and is used for an aerosol generating device, and the shell is provided with a hollow target area. When the shell is connected to an external functional module, the target area is covered by the external functional module;

[0006] The housing is also provided with an antenna, and the antenna is used to enable the aerosol generating device to support a wireless communication function;

[0007] When the external functional module is connected to the housing, the antenna is covered so as to be invisible to the user.

[0008] In some embodiments, a support area is provided at the boundary edge between the shell and the target area, and the external functional module is connected to the shell through the support area;

[0009] In the case where the external functional module and the housing are connected to the support area, the external functional module covers the target area and the support area, and the external functional module and the housing together form a surface of the aerosol generating device for use by a user;

[0010] The antenna is arranged in the supporting area.

[0011] In some embodiments, a slot of preset size is provided along the boundary edge between the shell and the support area, and the size of the slot at a first position and the preset size of the support area satisfy a first condition so that the first position serves as an open end of the antenna.

[0012] In some embodiments, the size of the second position of the empty slot and the preset size of the support area satisfy a second condition, so that the second position serves as the ground return end of the antenna;

[0013] The portion of the support region starting from the first position and ending at the second position serves as an antenna radiator of the antenna.

[0014] In some embodiments, one first position is configured in the support area, so that a group of antennas are configured in the support area, wherein the antenna radiator of the antenna is in a ring shape with a notch.

[0015] In some embodiments, a plurality of the first positions and a corresponding plurality of the second positions are configured in the support area, so that a plurality of groups of the antennas are configured in the support area.

[0016] In some embodiments, an excitation port is provided at a third position of the antenna radiator, and the excitation port is configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the outside or to emit electromagnetic waves to the outside.

[0017] In some embodiments, a transceiver circuit board is configured inside the shell, and the transceiver circuit board includes at least an electrically connected transceiver chip and a connector, the connector is electrically connected to the antenna radiator, and the transceiver circuit board is fixedly disposed in the internal space of the shell.

[0018] In some embodiments, the transceiver circuit board is electrically connected to the housing.

[0019] In some embodiments, a contact point is configured inside the shell, and the contact point is connected to a coaxial signal line, and only the inner conductor of the coaxial line is arranged at one end of the coaxial signal line close to the contact point; the coaxial signal line is electrically connected to a signal transceiver system through an end away from the contact point, and the signal transceiver system is used to receive electromagnetic waves from the outside or emit electromagnetic waves to the outside.

[0020] In some embodiments, the empty groove is filled with a preset insulating material.

[0021] In certain embodiments, the external functional module is configured to implement extended functions of the aerosol generating device to enhance the convenience for users in using the aerosol generating device.

[0022] In some embodiments, the external functional module includes at least one of a display screen module, a touch screen module, a wireless charging module, and a key panel module.

[0023] In this way, the shell in the embodiment of the present application can, on the basis of ensuring that the external functional module of the aerosol generating device and the appearance of the whole device conform to the user's usage habits and appearance characteristics, be configured with an antenna that can communicate wirelessly with the external electromagnetic environment at a position that is out of reach of the user during normal use. At the same time, the wireless communication effect can be optimized by adjusting the antenna and the feeding method.

[0024] The antenna in the embodiment of the present application is adapted to an aerosol generating device, wherein the aerosol generating device is provided with a shell as described above, and the antenna is configured on the shell.

[0025] The aerosol generating device in the embodiments of the present application includes the housing as described above; or the aerosol generating device is configured with the antenna as described above.

[0026] Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of the present application will be given in part in the description below, and in part will become apparent from the description below, or will be learned through the practice of the embodiments of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and easily understood from the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the first appearance of the housing in the embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a second appearance of the housing in the embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a first structure of an empty slot and an antenna in a support area in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a second structure of an empty slot and an antenna in a support area in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a third structural schematic diagram of the empty slot and the antenna in the support area in the implementation manner of the present application;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a fourth structural schematic diagram of the empty slots and antennas in the support area in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 7 The antenna performance curve diagram of the antenna determined by simulation in the implementation manner of the present application;

[0035] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of a transceiver circuit board in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the configuration of the coaxial signal line in an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Among them: 10, shell; 11, support area; 111, empty slot; 112, first position; 113, second position; 114, antenna radiator; 1141, antenna radiator A; 1142, antenna radiator B; 115, excitation port; 116, contact point; 120, transceiver circuit board; 121, transceiver chip; 122, connector; 123, metal routing; 1231, coaxial cable inner conductor; 1232, coaxial cable outer conductor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions from beginning to end. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the embodiments of the present application, and cannot be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present application.

[0039] See also Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 , the housing 10 in the embodiment of the present application is a conductor and is used for an aerosol generating device, the housing 10 is provided with a hollow target area, and when the housing 10 is connected to the external functional module, the target area is covered by the external functional module;

[0040] The housing 10 is also provided with an antenna, which is arranged in the supporting area 11, and the antenna is used to enable the aerosol generating device to support wireless communication function;

[0041] When the external functional module is connected to the housing 10 , the antenna is covered by the external functional module.

[0042] Specifically, it should be noted that the housing 10 in the embodiment of the present application is used as the shell of the aerosol generating device. It should be noted that the aerosol generating device includes the shell of a heat-not-burn electronic cigarette, a steam electronic cigarette, and other devices that can generate aerosols for human inhalation, and the material thereof is generally metal or other conductors with strong conductive properties. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The situation shown is an example. The shell 10 in the above example is a hollow cylinder with a straight-sided elliptical bottom surface. The specific shape of the shell 10 can be adjusted according to different product designs. The above example is only for reference and not a specific limitation.

[0043] Furthermore, a hollow target area is provided on the housing 10. The main function of the target area is to accommodate some components of the external functional module into the internal space of the housing 10 when the housing 10 is connected to the external functional module used in conjunction with the aerosol generating device.

[0044] At the same time, the shell 10 is also provided with an antenna for wireless communication between the aerosol generating device and the external environment. The antenna is invisible to the user when the aerosol generating device is assembled and the user is using it normally, that is, the antenna will not affect the user's cognitive habits and usage habits of the appearance of the aerosol generating device. That is, when the external functional module is connected to the shell 10, the antenna will be covered below the surface of the aerosol generating device for the user to use, and the user will not be aware of the existence of the antenna when using the aerosol generating device. In this way, the setting of the antenna can not only maintain the appearance of the aerosol generating device, but also maintain the user's habits of using the device, so that the aerosol generating device can realize the wireless communication function with the external environment. Among them, the wireless communication methods that the above antenna can support include but are not limited to 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G cellular mobile communications, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Star Flash, NFC, UWB, GNSS, satellite communications, NB-IoT, etc.

[0045] In some embodiments, the external functional module is configured to implement extended functions of the aerosol generating device.

[0046] In some embodiments, the external functional module includes at least one of a display screen module, a touch screen module, a wireless charging module, and a key panel module.

[0047] Specifically, based on the above implementation, the external functional module can be a display screen, touch screen, wireless charging, key panel and other functional modules, whose main function is to provide functional expansion for the aerosol generating device, improve the user experience, and provide convenience for users to use the aerosol generating device. The specific functional module type and functional characteristics can be adjusted according to different product design schemes, and this application does not make specific restrictions. Please refer again Figure 1 and Figure 2 , depending on the external functional module, the location of the target area on the outer surface of the housing 10 is also different, for example Figure 1 The external functional module corresponding to the target area in is the touch screen module. Figure 2 The external functional module corresponding to the target area in the example is a wireless charging module or a touch screen.

[0048] In some embodiments, a support area 11 is provided at the boundary edge between the housing 10 and the target area, and the external functional module is connected to the housing 10 via the support area 11;

[0049] In the case where the external functional module and the housing 10 are connected to the support area 11, the external functional module covers the target area and the support area 11, and the external functional module and the housing 10 together form a surface of the aerosol generating device for use by the user;

[0050] The antenna is disposed in the supporting area 11 .

[0051] Specifically, on the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, in order to facilitate the connection between the external functional module and the housing 10, a support area 11 is provided at the boundary edge between the hollow target area and the housing 10. For details, please refer to Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 The shaded part shown in the figure, the function of the support area 11 is to fix the shell 10 and the external functional module additionally provided on the aerosol generating device through bonding, snap connection or other methods. The specific fixed connection method can be adjusted according to different product design schemes.

[0052] In order to adapt to the user's habits of appearance and use of the aerosol generating device, the size of the support area 11 can be such that it forms a step shape with the outer surface of the shell. When the external functional module is fixedly connected to the shell 10 through the support area 11, the surface of the external functional module and the surface of the shell 10 can jointly form the surface of the aerosol generating device for the user to use. For example, referring to Figure 1In the example shown, assuming that the outer surface of the shell without the hollowed-out target area and the support area 11 is the reference curved surface, then when the external functional module is connected to the shell 10 through the support area 11, the curved surface formed by the outer surface of the external functional module and the outer surface of the shell should coincide with the above-mentioned reference curved surface. Furthermore, the edge of the external functional module and the shell 10, that is, the boundary edge between the shell 10 and the support area 11, may not completely coincide and there may be a very small gap, but the above-mentioned gap is within an acceptable range without affecting normal use. The above-mentioned reference curved surface is the surface of the aerosol generating device designed for users to use.

[0053] Furthermore, in order to simplify the antenna setting method and maximize the communication performance of the antenna, illustratively, the antenna in the above embodiment is directly configured in the supporting area 11. On the one hand, when the external functional module is connected to the shell 10, the external functional module can cover the antenna while covering the supporting area 11, thereby making the above antenna invisible to the user, and can also make the antenna as close as possible to the surface of the aerosol generating device for user use, thereby ensuring the communication performance of the antenna as much as possible.

[0054] See also Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 In some embodiments, a slot 111 of a preset size is provided along the boundary edge between the shell 10 and the supporting area 11, and the size of the first position 112 of the slot 111 and the preset size of the supporting area 11 satisfy a first condition so that the first position 112 acts as an open end of the antenna.

[0055] In some embodiments, the size of the second position 113 of the empty slot and the preset size of the support area 111 satisfy the second condition, so that the second position 113 serves as the ground return end of the antenna;

[0056] The portion of the support region 11 starting from the first position 112 and ending at the second position 113 serves as an antenna radiator 114 of the antenna.

[0057] Specifically, based on the above implementation, since the material of the housing 10 is a conductor such as metal, the antenna can be set by mechanically processing the support area 11 to remove the material. The above mechanical processing method generally includes cutting or other processing methods, which can be adjusted according to the specific process design, and this application does not make specific restrictions. For the convenience of explanation, in the following examples, the antenna setting method defaults to cutting and removing the support area.

[0058] by Figure 3 The cases shown are examples. Figure 3A method of performing mechanical processing on the support area 11 to configure the antenna is shown, wherein the shaded portion in the support area 11 indicates that the portion is hollowed out after removal processing to form an empty slot 111. At the first position 112 of the above-mentioned empty slot 111, the shell material of the corresponding support area 11 is cut off due to the removal processing (the size of the first position 112 corresponding to the empty slot 111 and the preset size of the support area 11 meet the first condition). Except for the above-mentioned first position 112, the above-mentioned empty slot 111 is obtained by performing mechanical processing on the shell material of the corresponding support area 11 along the distribution direction of the support area 11 according to a predetermined size ratio, and finally ending at the second position 113. After performing mechanical processing to remove materials to form the empty slot 111, the shell material retained between the first position 112 and the second position 113 is located at the edge of the support area 11 close to the target area, and the width of the above-mentioned retained shell material has the above-mentioned size ratio with the width of the shell material of the support area 11, especially at the second position 113, the above-mentioned size ratio is also maintained (the size of the second position 113 corresponding to the empty slot and the preset size of the support area 11 meet the second condition). In this way, Figure 3 In the case shown, starting from the first position 112 and ending at the second position 113, the shell material retained in the support area 11 forms the antenna radiator 114 of the antenna, the first position 112 forms the open end of the antenna, and the second position 113 forms the ground return end of the antenna.

[0059] Next, Figure 4 The cases shown are examples. Figure 4 A method of performing mechanical processing on the support area 11 to configure the antenna is shown, wherein the shaded portion in the support area 11 indicates that the portion is hollowed out to form a hollow groove 111 after removal processing. Figure 3 The example shown differs in that Figure 4 In the example shown, two groups of antenna radiators 114 with a common open end are provided in the support area 11 based on the distribution direction of the support area 11 on the housing 10. Figure 4In the case shown, at the first position 112 of the above-mentioned empty slot 111, the shell material of the corresponding support area 11 is cut off due to the removal process (the removal size corresponding to the first position 112 of the empty slot 111 and the preset size of the support area 11 meet the first condition), and except for the above-mentioned first position 112, the above-mentioned empty slot 111 is obtained by mechanically removing the shell material of the corresponding support area 11 along the distribution direction of the support area 11 according to a predetermined ratio, and finally terminating at two different second positions 113 respectively. After the mechanical processing is performed to remove the material to form the empty slot 111, the shell material of the support area retained between the first position 112 and each second position 113 is located at the edge of the support area 11 close to the target area, and the width of the above-mentioned retained shell material and the width of the shell material of the support area 11 have the above-mentioned size ratio, especially at the second position 113, the above-mentioned size ratio is also maintained (the removal size corresponding to the second position 113 of the empty slot and the preset size of the support area 11 meet the second condition). In this way, at Figure 4 In the case shown, starting from the first position 112 and ending at the two second positions 113, the shell parts retained in the support area respectively form the antenna radiator A 1141 and the antenna radiator B 1142 of the antenna, and each second position 113 serves as the ground return end of the corresponding antenna radiator 114. In this way, compared with Figure 3 The situation shown, Figure 4 The example shown can improve the radiation aperture of the antenna by increasing the empty slot 111, thereby improving the signal receiving and transmitting performance of the antenna.

[0060] In some examples, a first position is configured in the support area so that a group of antennas are configured in the support area, and the antenna radiator of the antenna is in a ring shape with a notch.

[0061] Specifically, the following Figure 5 The cases shown are examples. Figure 5 A method of performing mechanical processing on the support area 11 to configure the antenna is shown, wherein the shaded portion in the support area 11 indicates that the portion is hollowed out to form a hollow groove 111 after removal processing. Figure 3 The example shown differs in that Figure 5 In the example shown, the boundary edges of the support area 11 and the shell 10 are hollowed out to form an annular slot 111, and at the same time, the shell material of the support area 11 corresponding to the first position 112 of the slot 111 is cut off due to the removal process (the removal size corresponding to the first position 112 of the slot 111 and the preset size of the support area 11 meet the first condition). In this way, Figure 5In the case shown, the antenna radiator 114 in the antenna is in a ring shape with a gap, and the first position 112 of the above-mentioned empty slot 111 corresponds to the above-mentioned gap. For the above-mentioned antenna radiator 114, the first position 112 of the above-mentioned empty slot 111 corresponds to the open end of the antenna radiator 114, and the antenna radiator 114 starts at the first position 112 of the empty slot 111 and ends at the above-mentioned first position 112. It should be noted that due to Figure 5 The slot 111 shown is annular, and the housing 10 is a conductor, so Figure 5 In the case shown, the antenna radiator 114 is separated from the housing 10. In order to fix the antenna radiator 114 to the housing 10, for example, an insulating connecting material can be filled in the annular groove 111 to fix the antenna radiator 114 to the housing 10 while ensuring that the antenna radiator 114 is separated from the housing 10. Figure 4 The situation shown, Figure 5 In the example shown, the empty slot 111 can be further enlarged to increase the radiation aperture of the antenna, which is beneficial to improving the signal receiving and transmitting performance of the antenna and also beneficial to adjusting the working frequency band of the antenna to a lower frequency band to adapt to various communication systems.

[0062] In some examples, a plurality of first positions and a corresponding plurality of second positions are configured in the support region, so that a plurality of antenna groups are configured in the support region.

[0063] Next, Figure 6 The cases shown are examples. Figure 6 A method of performing mechanical processing on the support area 11 to configure the antenna is shown, wherein the shaded portion in the support area 11 indicates that the portion is hollowed out to form a hollow groove 111 after removal processing. Figure 3 The example shown differs in that Figure 6 In the example shown, two groups of antenna radiators 114 are provided in the support area 11 based on their distribution on the housing 10, and the two groups of antenna radiators 114 do not have a common open-circuit end. Figure 3 The example shown is similar to that Figure 6 The processing method of each group of antenna radiators 114 shown in Figure 3 In this way, by separately setting different antenna radiators 114, different antenna radiators 114 can support different working frequency bands respectively, and the reliability of the signal receiving and sending process in wireless communication and the signal receiving and sending performance of the antenna can also be improved through redundant configuration, that is, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system is realized.

[0064] Based on the above examples, the length of the antenna radiator 114 is related to the operating frequency of the corresponding antenna. The higher the operating frequency, the shorter the length of the corresponding antenna radiator 114. Conversely, the lower the operating frequency, the longer the length of the corresponding antenna radiator 114. Therefore, when the antenna radiator 114 is formed by mechanical processing, the required length of the antenna radiator 114 can be determined according to the actual operating frequency of the aerosol generating device in the product design, and then the size and other data required for material removal during mechanical processing can be determined.

[0065] In some embodiments, an excitation port 115 is disposed at a third position of the antenna radiator 114 , and the excitation port 115 is configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the outside or to emit electromagnetic waves to the outside.

[0066] Specifically, on the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, when the above-mentioned slot 111 and the antenna radiator 114 are formed by removing materials through mechanical processing, in order to realize the function of transmitting and receiving signals, exemplarily, an excitation port 115 is also provided at the antenna radiator 114, and the above-mentioned excitation port 115 is generally configured to connect to a signal transceiver system that can support electromagnetic wave transmission and reception.

[0067] Further, in some examples, the configuration position of the excitation port 115 is generally placed at any position between the open end and the ground return end of the antenna, and needs to maintain electrical connection with the antenna radiator 114. The configuration position of the excitation port 115 can be specifically referred to Figure 3 , 4 , 5, and 6 are black cones marked with 115. Specifically, the above-mentioned excitation port 115 is generally arranged in the empty slot 111, while maintaining an electrical connection with the antenna radiator 114. In the case where the excitation port 115 is set between the open end and the ground return end, the change of its setting position will directly affect the overall input impedance of the antenna. In general, the impedance of the antenna should be basically equal to the impedance of the signal transceiver system connected to the excitation port 115, and the example value is generally 50Ω. If in some special design situations, the position of the excitation port 115 causes a large difference between the impedance of the antenna and the impedance of the signal transceiver system, the input impedance of the antenna can be adjusted by additionally setting an impedance matching circuit. The above-mentioned impedance matching circuit may include components or integrated circuit components such as capacitors, inductors, resistors, magnetic beads, antenna switches, antenna adjusters, etc. The specific configuration method can be adjusted according to the product design, and this application does not make specific limitations.

[0068] In particular, for Figure 4 In the example shown, the excitation port 115 can be disposed between one of the antenna radiators 114 and the housing 10. For example, the excitation port 115 is disposed between Figure 4In this case, the antenna radiator A 1141 is used as a parasitic radiator of the antenna radiator B, and vice versa. This arrangement can effectively improve the overall external input impedance characteristics of the two sets of antenna radiators. Figure 4 In the example shown, an excitation port 115 can be set for each group of antenna radiators 114. By adjusting the excitation amplitude and phase of the two excitation ports 115, the two groups of antenna radiators 114 can simultaneously transmit and receive electromagnetic waves, thereby improving the overall signal transmission and reception performance of the antenna, and further improving the communication performance of the aerosol generating device.

[0069] For example, see Figure 7 , Figure 7 An aerosol generating device is shown in FIG. Figure 4 The antenna design scheme shown and the antenna performance curve obtained through simulation show that the return loss of the aerosol generating device in the Bluetooth operating frequency band (2.4GHz~2.4835GHz) is above -4.7dB. Correspondingly, the total radiation efficiency of the antenna is above -10.3dB, which can meet the communication needs of the aerosol generating device in most working scenarios.

[0070] In particular, for Figure 5 In the example shown, the slot 111 obtained by machining is annular, and the antenna radiator 114 obtained is annular with a notch. On this basis, there is no specific restriction on the position of the excitation port 115, which only needs to be adjusted according to the overall input impedance, resonant frequency, radiation efficiency and other performance of the antenna. Figure 5 The positions shown are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting.

[0071] See also Figure 8 In some embodiments, a transceiver circuit board 120 is configured inside the shell 10. The transceiver circuit board 120 includes at least a transceiver chip 121, a metal trace 123 and a connector 122. The transceiver chip 121 is connected to the antenna radiator 114 through the metal trace 123 and the connector 122. The transceiver circuit board 120 is fixedly disposed in the internal space of the shell 10.

[0072] In some embodiments, the transceiver circuit board 120 is electrically connected to the housing 10 .

[0073] Specifically, based on the above implementation, for the above signal transceiver system, in some examples, refer to Figure 8, the signal transceiver system is specifically manifested as a transceiver circuit board 120. First, the above-mentioned transceiver circuit board 120 is generally a PCB board. In order to ensure the product appearance of the aerosol generating device and the user's usage habits, the above-mentioned transceiver circuit board 120 is generally arranged in the hollow space inside the shell, and its specific shape, placement position and orientation can be adjusted according to the actual product design. Secondly, the transceiver circuit board 120 generally includes at least two parts, a transceiver chip 121 and a connector 122, and the above-mentioned two parts are electrically connected by arranging a metal trace 123 on the PCB board. When the above-mentioned PCB board is placed close to the antenna radiator 114, it is beneficial to reduce the size of the connector 122, thereby reducing the occupancy of the PCB board in the hollow space inside the shell. The above-mentioned connector 122 can be manifested as a metal sheet fixedly connected to the PCB board, which can be electrically connected to the antenna radiator 114 through a pre-designed assembly relationship, so as to realize the feeding excitation for the antenna radiator 114 together with the metal trace 123 on the PCB board. The connector 122 may be a standard component that has been formed, or a component that is customized for the internal space of the housing 10. The material may be a metal conductor such as stainless steel or copper. The fixed connection method with the PCB board includes welding, snap-fit, mortise and tenon, screw locking, bonding, etc. It may have elastic characteristics or not. The types of the metal traces 123 include, but are not limited to, radio frequency transmission lines such as microstrip lines, coplanar waveguides, strip lines, slot lines, and coaxial lines.

[0074] In addition, one or more transceiver chips 121 are provided on the PCB board, which are mainly used to generate electromagnetic wave signals to be sent and to obtain electromagnetic wave signals received from the outside world from the antenna. In addition, various components such as capacitors, inductors, resistors, connectors, foams, MCUs, filters, sensors, power chips, etc. are placed on the PCB board according to different product designs. Corresponding metal traces 123 are also set on the PCB board for the above components. According to the actual functional requirements and circuit design of the aerosol generating device, each device is connected to ensure the normal operation of the aerosol generating device. It should be emphasized that Figure 8 The transceiver circuit board 120 shown is only a schematic diagram and is not limiting. The arrangement of components and metal traces on the actual PCB board can be adjusted according to the actual product design.

[0075] Furthermore, the PCB board and the housing 10 may be insulated. In other examples, the PCB board and the housing 10 may also be electrically connected. The purpose of the electrical connection between the two is to form a more stable reference ground, so that the signal receiving and sending process is more stable. The electrical connection between the PCB board and the housing 10 may be interference fit, welding, snap, mortise and tenon, screw lock, bonding, etc., which is not specifically limited in this application. And the position and number of connection points between the two can be adjusted and determined according to the product design of the aerosol generating device. Generally speaking, the more electrical connection positions are set and the more points corresponding to the reference ground, the more positive the impact on the stability of signal transmission. However, since the number of electrical connection positions increases, the occupation of the internal space of the housing will also increase, which may have an adverse effect on other functional modules or components of the aerosol generating device. Therefore, when setting the electrical connection position between the PCB board and the housing 10, it is also necessary to comprehensively consider the space inside the housing 10. In addition, in addition to the PCB board, the above-mentioned transceiver circuit board 120 can also adopt other materials, substrates or substrate process solutions, such as ceramic substrates, carriers, LTCC, HTCC, FPC, etc.

[0076] In addition, the signal transceiver system may also be represented by at least two transceiver circuit boards 120, one of which is as follows: Figure 8 The arrangement is shown in the example, and other transceiver circuit boards 120 need to be connected with the above-mentioned transceiver circuit board 120 to realize signal interconnection between PCB boards. The specific signal interconnection method can be adjusted according to actual conditions.

[0077] See also Fig. 9 In some embodiments, a contact point 116 is configured inside the shell 10, and the contact point 116 is connected to a coaxial signal line. Only a coaxial line inner conductor 1231 is provided at one end of the coaxial signal line close to the contact point 116; the coaxial signal line is electrically connected to a signal transceiver system through an end away from the contact point 116, and the signal transceiver system is used to receive electromagnetic waves from the outside or transmit electromagnetic waves to the outside.

[0078] Specifically, in addition to the above-mentioned solution of setting up a transceiver circuit board to realize feeding the antenna, please refer to Fig. 9 , it needs to be explained in advance that, Fig. 9The perspective is the perspective of observing from the inside of the shell to the outside. In some examples, the signal transceiver system is specifically manifested as a transceiver chip 121 (not shown in the figure) arranged in the hollow space inside the shell 10, a metal trace 123 and a matching functional circuit. The antenna radiator 114 is stimulated by setting a contact point 116, and the above-mentioned contact point 116 is electrically connected to the above-mentioned coaxial signal line inner conductor 1231. The electrical connection between the contact point and the coaxial signal line can be achieved by interference fit, welding, locking screws, snaps, mortise and tenon, bonding, etc. or a combination of multiple methods, and the present application does not make specific restrictions. In particular, at one end of the coaxial signal line close to the above-mentioned contact point 116, the coaxial signal line is only provided with a coaxial line inner conductor 1231, and the coaxial line outer conductor 1232 and the insulation layer are removed. The end of the coaxial signal line away from the contact point 116 is connected to the signal transceiver system, and the coaxial line outer conductor 1232 and the insulation layer are retained. Typical connection methods include board-to-board connectors (BtB), which are not specifically limited in this application.

[0079] Such a setting can effectively improve the stability and flexibility of the electromagnetic wave signal transceiver process. For example, when emitting an electromagnetic wave signal outward, the signal transceiver system can send the electromagnetic wave signal to be emitted to the antenna radiator 114 through the coaxial signal line. In the path where the electromagnetic wave signal is transmitted through the coaxial signal line, the electromagnetic wave signal uses the coaxial line outer conductor 1232 as the reference ground and can be protected by the coaxial line outer conductor 1232. Then, similar to the above-mentioned setting of the transceiver circuit board 120, the above-mentioned coaxial line outer conductor 1232 and the housing 10 can also be connected by electrical connection to improve the stability of the reference ground, thereby improving the stability of the signal transmission process. The electrical connection between the coaxial line outer conductor 1232 and the housing 10 can be interference fit, welding, snap fit, mortise and tenon, screw lock, bonding, etc., which is not specifically limited in this application. Moreover, the position and number of connection points between the two can be adjusted and determined according to the product design of the aerosol generating device. Generally speaking, the more electrical connection positions there are and the more points corresponding to the reference ground, the more positive the impact on the stability of signal transmission. However, as the number of electrical connection positions increases, the occupancy of the internal space of the shell 10 will also increase, which may have an adverse effect on other functional modules or components of the aerosol generating device. Therefore, when setting the electrical connection position between the coaxial outer conductor 1232 and the shell 10, the space inside the shell needs to be comprehensively considered.

[0080] In addition, in addition to the feeding schemes mentioned in the examples in the above implementation modes, other feeding methods such as FPC metal routing, LDS, PDS and various surface metallized routings can also be used. The specific settings can be adaptively adjusted according to the product design, and this application does not make specific limitations.

[0081] In some embodiments, the empty slot 111 is filled with a preset insulating material.

[0082] Specifically, on the basis of the above-mentioned embodiments, in order to improve the overall structural strength of the shell 10 and the aerosol generating device while ensuring the function of the antenna, to ensure that the support area 11 and the external functional module can be stably connected, and to ensure that the aerosol generating device is structurally complete and stable after assembly, in some examples, after mechanical processing is performed in the support area 11 to remove materials to form the empty groove 111, it is also necessary to fill the empty groove 111 with a filler having insulating properties. Exemplarily, insulating plastic can be filled into the formed empty groove 111, which can, on the one hand, form a fixed connection between the antenna radiator 114 and the shell 10, so as to expand the surface area of ​​the support area 11 so that the external functional module is more firmly fixed on the support area 11, and on the other hand, it can maintain the insulation of the empty groove 111, thereby ensuring the function of the antenna. The present application does not limit the implementation method of filling the empty groove 111 with a filler having insulating properties, and a typical implementation method includes a nano injection molding process.

[0083] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, in addition to using mechanical processing to remove materials to form the above-mentioned structural features such as the shell 10, the supporting area 11, the empty slot 111, the antenna radiator 114, etc., the above-mentioned features can also be formed by casting methods such as die casting or additive manufacturing methods for conductor materials. It is only necessary to ensure that the dimensions and geometric relationships of the corresponding features are consistent, and this application does not make specific limitations.

[0084] In this way, the shell in the embodiment of the present application can be configured with an antenna that can wirelessly communicate with the external electromagnetic environment on the basis of ensuring that the external functional module of the aerosol generating device and the appearance of the whole machine conform to the user's usage habits and appearance characteristics. At the same time, the wireless communication effect can be optimized by adjusting the antenna and the feeding method.

[0085] The antenna in the embodiment of the present application is adapted to an aerosol generating device. The aerosol generating device is provided with a shell 10 in the above embodiment, and the antenna is configured on the shell 10 .

[0086] The aerosol generating device in the embodiment of the present application includes the housing 10 as in the above embodiment; or the aerosol generating device is configured with the antenna in the above embodiment.

[0087] In the description of this specification, the descriptions with reference to the terms "certain embodiments", "in an example", "exemplarily", etc., mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiments or examples are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0088] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and cannot be understood as limitations on the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A housing, characterized in that: The shell is a conductor and is used for an aerosol generating device, and the shell is provided with a hollow target area. When the shell is connected to an external functional module, the target area is covered by the external functional module; The housing is also provided with an antenna, and the antenna is used to enable the aerosol generating device to support a wireless communication function; When the external functional module is connected to the shell, the antenna is covered by the external functional module.

2. The housing according to claim 1, characterized in that A support area is provided at the boundary edge between the shell and the target area, and the external functional module is connected to the shell through the support area; In the case where the external functional module and the housing are connected to the support area, the external functional module covers the target area and the support area, and the external functional module and the housing together form a surface of the aerosol generating device for use by a user; The antenna is arranged in the supporting area.

3. The housing according to claim 2, characterized in that: An empty slot of preset size is arranged along the boundary edge between the shell and the supporting area, and the size of the empty slot at a first position and the preset size of the supporting area satisfy a first condition so that the first position serves as an open end of the antenna.

4. The housing according to claim 3, characterized in that: The size of the second position of the empty slot and the preset size of the supporting area meet a second condition, so that the second position serves as the ground return end of the antenna; The portion of the support region starting from the first position and ending at the second position serves as an antenna radiator of the antenna.

5. The housing according to claim 3, characterized in that: The supporting area is provided with a first position so that a group of the antennas are arranged in the supporting area, wherein the antenna radiator of the antenna is in a ring shape with a notch.

6. The housing according to claim 4, characterized in that A plurality of the first positions and a corresponding plurality of the second positions are arranged in the supporting area, so that a plurality of groups of the antennas are arranged in the supporting area.

7. The housing according to claim 4, characterized in that An excitation port is provided at a third position of the antenna radiator, and the excitation port is configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the outside or to emit electromagnetic waves to the outside.

8. The housing according to claim 7, characterized in that A transceiver circuit board is disposed inside the shell, and the transceiver circuit board at least includes an electrically connected transceiver chip and a connector, the connector is electrically connected to the antenna radiator, and the transceiver circuit board is fixedly disposed in the internal space of the shell.

9. The housing according to claim 8, characterized in that The transceiver circuit board is electrically connected to the housing.

10. The housing according to claim 7, characterized in that A contact point is arranged inside the shell, and the contact point is connected to a coaxial signal line. Only the inner conductor of the coaxial line is arranged at one end of the coaxial signal line close to the contact point. The coaxial signal line is electrically connected to a signal transceiver system through one end away from the contact point. The signal transceiver system is used to receive electromagnetic waves from the outside or emit electromagnetic waves to the outside.

11. The housing according to any one of claims 3 to 10, characterized in that: The empty slot is filled with a preset insulating material.

12. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The external functional module is configured to implement the extended functions of the aerosol generating device.

13. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The external functional module includes at least one of a display screen module, a touch screen module, a wireless charging module and a key panel module.

14. An antenna, characterized in that: The antenna is adapted to an aerosol generating device, wherein the aerosol generating device is provided with a shell as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, and the antenna is configured on the shell.

15. An aerosol generating device, characterized in that: The device comprises the housing according to any one of claims 1 to 13; or the device is configured with the antenna according to claim 14.

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