Aerosol-generating device

Abstract

The present application proposes an aerosol-generating device comprising a housing within which at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article is removably received; the housing is internally provided with: a heater; a holder for holding the second end; a driven gear is arranged on the retainer; the rotating part is provided with a driving gear, and the driving gear comprises a first tooth-missing gear and a second tooth-missing gear which are in meshing transmission with the driven gear; the driving part is provided with an output shaft connected with the rotating part; the driving part is configured to drive the output shaft to rotate in the first circumferential direction so as to drive the rotating part to rotate, so that the driving gear moves in the first circumferential direction, and the holding part and the heater are driven to move together in the first circumferential direction or the second circumferential direction. According to the aerosol generating device, adhesion or bonding generated by heating between the heater and the aerosol generating product is reduced through rotation of the heater relative to the aerosol generating product, and the aerosol generating device is beneficial for a user to pull out the aerosol generating product from the device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of aerosol generation, and particularly to an aerosol generation device. Background Art

[0002] During the use of tobacco products (such as cigarettes, cigars, etc.), tobacco is burned to generate tobacco smoke. People have tried to replace these tobacco-burning products by manufacturing products that release compounds without burning. Examples of such products are heat-not-burn devices, which release compounds by heating rather than burning materials. For example, the material can be tobacco or other non-tobacco products, and these non-tobacco products may or may not contain nicotine.

[0003] In a known heat-not-burn device, the heater is inserted into the aerosol generation article for heating. Since the material in the article is likely to adhere or bond to the heater under high temperature conditions, when the article is pulled out after suction, the article is prone to breakage. Even if the article is pulled out, the material remaining on the heater or in the device is not easy to clean. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] The present application aims to provide an aerosol generation device, so that the heater is separated from the aerosol generation article, and it is easy to pull out the aerosol generation article from the device, reducing the residue on the heater or in the device.

[0005] An aerosol generation device provided by the present application includes a housing, and at least a part of the aerosol generation article is removably received in the housing; the following are provided in the housing:

[0006] A heater for heating the aerosol generation article to generate an aerosol; the heater has a first end inserted into the aerosol generation article and a second end opposite to the first end;

[0007] A holding member for holding the second end; a driven gear is provided on the holding member;

[0008] A rotating member, a driving gear is provided on the rotating member, and the driving gear includes a first toothless gear and a second toothless gear for meshing and driving with the driven gear;

[0009] A driving member having an output shaft connected to the rotating member; the driving member is configured to drive the output shaft to rotate in a first circumferential direction, so as to drive the rotating member to rotate, thereby causing the driving gear to move in the first circumferential direction;

[0010] Wherein, during the movement of the driving gear in the first circumferential direction:

[0011] When the first toothless gear meshes with the driven gear while the second toothless gear does not mesh with the driven gear, the driving gear drives the driven gear to move in the first circumferential direction, thereby driving the holding member and the heater to move together in the first circumferential direction;

[0012] When the first toothless gear does not mesh with the driven gear while the second toothless gear meshes with the driven gear, the driving gear drives the driven gear to move in a second circumferential direction opposite to the first circumferential direction, thereby driving the holding member and the heater to move together in the second circumferential direction.

[0013] In one example, the rotating member includes a first part rotating member and a second part rotating member located within the first part rotating member;

[0014] The first toothless gear is formed on the inner wall of the first part rotating member, and the second toothless gear is formed on the outer wall of the second part rotating member.

[0015] In one example, the rotating member further includes a connecting column for connecting the first part rotating member and the second part rotating member, and the connecting column is connected to the output shaft.

[0016] In one example, half of the outer circumferences of the first toothless gear and the second toothless gear are toothless, and the entire outer circumference of the driven gear is toothed.

[0017] In one example, the driving member is configured to drive the output shaft to rotate only in the first circumferential direction.

[0018] In one example, a tubular member is further included;

[0019] The tubular member is configured to removably receive at least a part of the aerosol-generating article, and the first end can extend into the tubular member and then be inserted into the aerosol-generating article.

[0020] In one example, the holding member is fixed to the tubular member by a fixing connection member, so that the tubular member moves together with the holding member and the heater.

[0021] In one example, the holding member includes a flange and a fixing plate. The flange is used to hold the second end, and the driven gear is arranged on the fixing plate; the flange and the fixing plate are fixed to the tubular member together by the fixing connection member.

[0022] In one example, a bracket is further included for supporting the tubular member; at least a part of the bracket is arranged between the housing and the tubular member.

[0023] In one example, a heat insulation member is further included and is disposed between the housing and the tubular member.

[0024] The above aerosol generating device reduces adhesion or bonding generated by heating between the heater and the aerosol generating article by rotating the heater relative to the aerosol generating article, which is beneficial for a user to pull out the aerosol generating article from the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] One or more embodiments are exemplarily illustrated by pictures in the corresponding drawings. These exemplary illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are represented as similar elements, unless otherwise stated. The drawings in the figures do not constitute a scale limitation.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the aerosol generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the aerosol generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a partially enlarged schematic diagram;

[0029] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of some components of the aerosol generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 5 is Figure 4 a schematic diagram of another perspective;

[0031] Figure 6 is Figure 4 an exploded schematic diagram;

[0032] Figure 7 is Figure 4 another exploded schematic diagram;

[0033] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the driving member provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the fixing plate provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the rotating member provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the driving gear driving the driven gear to move in the clockwise direction provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 12It is a schematic diagram showing the driving gear driving the driven gear to move counterclockwise according to an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0038] For the convenience of understanding the present application, the present application will be described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation manners.

[0039] Please refer to Figures 1 - 10 As shown, an aerosol generating device 100 provided by an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0040] A housing, which can be composed of multiple parts. For example, the housing can be composed of a top cover 101, a housing 102, and a bottom cover 103. The top cover 101 is disposed at the top or upper end of the housing 102, and the top cover 101 defines the top wall of the housing. The bottom cover 103 is disposed at the bottom or lower end of the housing 102, and the bottom cover 103 defines the bottom wall of the housing. A receiving space is formed inside the housing for receiving components such as a heater 104, a tubular member 105, an electric core 106, a circuit 107, a driving member 108, etc.

[0041] The housing is generally in a cuboid shape, that is, it has dimensions in the length direction, width direction, and thickness direction. The dimensions in the length direction, width direction, and thickness direction decrease in sequence. The dimension in the length direction is much larger than the dimension in the width direction, and the dimension in the width direction is slightly larger than the dimension in the thickness direction.

[0042] The top cover 101 is provided with an insertion port 101a communicating with the receiving space. At least part of the aerosol generating article 200 can be removably inserted into or received in the aerosol generating device 100 through the insertion port 101a, that is, inserted into the housing. In a further implementation, a covering assembly (not shown) may also be provided on the top cover 101. The covering assembly has a sliding cover that can slide left and right relative to the top cover 101. The insertion port 101a can be opened or closed by the movement of the sliding cover. In a further implementation, a plurality of spaced bumps (not shown) may also be provided on the inner wall of the insertion port 101a. The bumps contact the aerosol generating article 200 to clamp the aerosol generating article 200. External air can flow into the heating chamber A through the gaps between adjacent bumps or the gaps between the aerosol generating article 200 and the inner wall of the insertion port 101a.

[0043] The bottom cover 103 is provided with a through hole (not shown) communicating with a charging interface (not shown). An external charging device can be connected to or disconnected from the charging interface through this through hole.

[0044] Heater 104 is used to heat the puffable material in the aerosol-generating article 200 to generate an inhalable aerosol. The heater 104 is configured to be inserted into the aerosol-generating article 200 for heating, which is generally referred to as central heating or internal heating. The heater 104 is configured in a pin-like structure or a blade-like structure. The heater 104 has a first end 104a inserted into the aerosol-generating article 200 and a second end 104b opposite to the first end 104a. In one example, the heating method of the heater 104 can be at least one of resistance heating, infrared heating, electromagnetic induction heating, air heating, etc.

[0045] The tubular member 105 has a tubular structure. The hollow part inside the tubular member 105 defines at least part of the heating chamber A. At least part of the aerosol-generating article 200 is removably received in the heating chamber A through the insertion opening 101a. The first end 104a of the heater 104 can extend into the heating chamber A through the bottom of the tubular member 105 and then be inserted into the aerosol-generating article 200 received in the heating chamber A. In a further implementation, a holding member is also provided inside the housing. The holding member includes a flange 109 and a fixing plate 110. The flange 109 is used to hold the second end 104b of the heater 104. The flange 109 and the fixing connecting member 111 are fixedly connected to the tubular member 105 through the fixing plate 110, so that the heater 104, the tubular member 105, the flange 109, the fixing plate 110 and the fixing connecting member 111 form a modular heating assembly. Specifically, the fixing connecting member 111 can be a screw. The flange 109 has a corresponding through hole 109a and the fixing plate 110 has a corresponding through hole 110a. The tubular member 105 is provided with a fixing hole 105a. The screw passes through the through hole 109a and the through hole 110a and is then fixed in the fixing hole 105a.

[0046] The battery cell 106 is used to provide power. The battery cell 106 can be a rechargeable battery cell or a disposable battery cell.

[0047] The circuit 107 includes a plurality of components, such as transistors, a control unit (such as a microcontroller MCU), etc., to achieve overall control of the aerosol-generating device 100. The circuit 107 not only controls the operations of the battery cell 106 and the heater 104, but also controls the operations of other components in the aerosol-generating device 100. For example: The circuit 107 obtains the temperature information of the heater 104 and controls the power provided by the battery cell 106 to the heater 104 according to this information.

[0048] The driving member 108 is disposed near the bottom of the heating assembly, that is, near the fixing plate 110. The driving member 108 includes a motor 108a and an output shaft 108b.

[0049] In one example, a rotating member 112 is disposed between the driving member 108 and the fixing plate 110. The rotating member 112 includes a first part rotating member 112a and a second part rotating member 112b. The first part rotating member 112a has a tubular structure, and the second part rotating member 112b is located inside the first part rotating member 112a. The first part rotating member 112a and the second part rotating member 112b are connected by a connecting column 112c.

[0050] A first toothless gear 112a1 is formed on the inner wall of the first part rotating member 112a, and a second toothless gear 112b1 is formed on the outer wall of the second part rotating member 112b. Thus, the first toothless gear 112a1 is disposed around the second toothless gear 112b1 in an enclosing posture. Half of the outer circumferences of the first toothless gear 112a1 and the second toothless gear 112b1 do not have teeth, while the entire outer circumference of the driven gear 110b has teeth.

[0051] One side of the connecting column 112c close to the driving member 108 has a fixing hole 112c1, and the output shaft 108b is fixed in the fixing hole 112c1. A driven gear 110b is disposed on the surface of the fixing plate 110 facing the rotating member 112. After assembly, the driven gear 110b is located between the inner wall of the first part rotating member 112a and the outer wall of the second part rotating member 112b, and thus meshes and transmits with the first toothless gear 112a1 or the second toothless gear 112b1.

[0052] The motor 108a can drive the output shaft 108b to rotate, for example, clockwise or counterclockwise, under the control of the circuit 107, such as a control unit.

[0053] In the example shown in the figure, when the motor 108a drives the output shaft 108b to rotate only in the clockwise direction, it can drive the rotating member 112 to rotate, so that the driving gear moves in the clockwise direction. During the process of the driving gear moving in the clockwise direction,

[0054] Please refer to Figure 11 for understanding. When the first toothless gear 112a1 meshes with the driven gear 110b and the second toothless gear 112b1 does not mesh with the driven gear 110b, the driving gear drives the driven gear 110b to move in the clockwise direction (the red arrow in the figure is the movement direction of the driving gear, and the blue arrow is the movement direction of the driven gear 110b), thereby driving the holding member and the heater 104 to move in the clockwise direction relative to the aerosol-generating article 200. Since the tubular member 105 is fixedly connected to the holding member, the tubular member 105 also follows the holding member and the heater 104 to move in the clockwise direction relative to the aerosol-generating article 200.

[0055] Please refer to Figure 12It can be understood that when the first toothless gear 112a1 is not engaged with the driven gear 110b and the second toothless gear 112b1 is engaged with the driven gear 110b, the driving gear drives the driven gear 110b to move counterclockwise, thereby driving the holder and the heater to move counterclockwise relative to the aerosol generating article together. The tubular member 105 also follows the holder and the heater 104 to move counterclockwise relative to the aerosol generating article 200.

[0056] It can be understood that when the motor 108a drives the output shaft 108b to rotate only counterclockwise, the moving directions of the driving gear, the driven gear 110b, the tubular member 105, the holder and the heater 104 are similar thereto.

[0057] As can be seen from the above, the rotation direction of the motor 108a remains unchanged in one direction all the time, but it can make the heater 104 move back and forth relative to the aerosol generating article 200 in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions. Thus, on the one hand, it is beneficial to relieve the tight adhesion or bonding between the aerosol generating article 200 and the surface of the heater 104, and it is also beneficial for the user to smoothly remove the aerosol generating article 200 from the tubular member 105; on the other hand, it is beneficial to improve the service life of the motor 108a.

[0058] In some embodiments, the rotation speed of the heater 104 relative to the aerosol generating article is between 0.5 and 5 revolutions per second. And, the rotation speed is basically uniform or constant. Or in some other embodiments, the rotation speed of the heater 104 relative to the aerosol generating article is variable, such as gradually increasing or gradually decreasing, which is beneficial to relieve the tight adhesion or bonding between the aerosol generating article 200 and the surface of the heater 104.

[0059] In a further embodiment, a bracket 113 is further provided in the housing to support the tubular member 105 and the like. The bracket 113 is at least partially disposed between the housing and the tubular member 105, and a heat insulation member 114, such as aerogel, is further disposed between the housing and the tubular member 105, so as to avoid the housing temperature being too high and improve the user experience. It can be understood that the bracket 113 can be composed of multiple components or can be integrally formed.

[0060] It should be noted that the description and drawings of the present application give preferred embodiments of the present application, but are not limited to the embodiments described in this specification. Further, for those of ordinary skill in the art, improvements or transformations can be made according to the above description, and all such improvements and transformations should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims of the present application.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device comprising a housing, at least a portion of an aerosol generating article removably received within said housing; characterized in that, Inside the housing are provided with: A heater for heating the aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; the heater has a first end inserted into the aerosol-generating article and a second end opposite to the first end; A holder for holding the second end; a driven gear is provided on the holder; A rotating member, on which a driving gear is provided, and the driving gear includes a first toothless gear and a second toothless gear for meshing and driving with the driven gear; A driving member having an output shaft connected to the rotating member; the driving member is configured to drive the output shaft to rotate in a first circumferential direction to drive the rotating member to rotate, so that the driving gear moves in the first circumferential direction; Wherein, during the movement of the driving gear in the first circumferential direction: When the first toothless gear meshes with the driven gear and the second toothless gear does not mesh with the driven gear, the driving gear drives the driven gear to move in the first circumferential direction, so as to drive the holder and the heater to move together in the first circumferential direction; When the first toothless gear does not mesh with the driven gear and the second toothless gear meshes with the driven gear, the driving gear drives the driven gear to move in a second circumferential direction opposite to the first circumferential direction, so as to drive the holder and the heater to move together in the second circumferential direction.

2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating member includes a first part rotating member and a second part rotating member located inside the first part rotating member; The first toothless gear is formed on the inner wall of the first part rotating member, and the second toothless gear is formed on the outer wall of the second part rotating member.

3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 2, wherein, The rotating member further includes a connecting column for connecting the first part rotating member and the second part rotating member, and the connecting column is connected to the output shaft.

4. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Half of the outer circumferences of the first toothless gear and the second toothless gear are toothless, and the entire outer circumference of the driven gear is toothed.

5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein, The driving member is configured to drive the output shaft to rotate only in the first circumferential direction.

6. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also included is a tubular member; The tubular member is configured to removably receive at least a part of the aerosol-generating article, and the first end can extend into the tubular member and then be inserted into the aerosol-generating article.

7. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6, wherein The holder is fixed to the tubular member by a fixing connector, so that the tubular member moves together with the holder and the heater.

8. The aerosol generating device according to claim 7, wherein, The holder includes a flange and a fixing plate, the flange is used to hold the second end, and the driven gear is arranged on the fixing plate; the flange and the fixing plate are fixed to the tubular member together by the fixing connector.

9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6, wherein, Also included is a bracket for supporting the tubular member; at least a part of the bracket is arranged between the housing and the tubular member.

10. The aerosol generating device according to claim 9, characterized in that, Also included is a heat insulation member arranged between the housing and the tubular member.

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