Aerosol-generating device

Abstract

The utility model discloses an aerosol generating device, comprising: a microwave heating structure comprising a radio frequency source and an outer conductor defining a resonant cavity, the resonant cavity having an open end allowing an aerosol generating substrate to be inserted into the resonant cavity, the radio frequency source being used for emitting microwaves into the resonant cavity to heat the aerosol generating substrate; and the auxiliary heating structure is arranged on the outer wall of the outer conductor and is used for heating the resonant cavity. During use, the microwave heating structure is used for heating the aerosol generating substrate, and the auxiliary heating structure is used for heating the resonant cavity, so that the temperature difference between the generated aerosol and the inner wall of the resonant cavity can be reduced, and the situation that the generated aerosol is condensed and attached to the inner wall of the resonant cavity can be reduced. In addition, the auxiliary heating structure can assist the microwave heating structure in heating the aerosol generating substrate in a contact heat transfer mode, and the aerosol generating substrate can be heated more quickly and uniformly.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic atomization, in particular to an aerosol generating device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Currently, heating type aerosol generating devices (heat-not-burn cigarette appliances) mostly use resistance, infrared, or electromagnetic heating. The aerosol generating device using the above heating methods includes at least one heating element. The device provides power to control the temperature of the heating element. The heat energy is conducted to the aerosol generating substrate by contact heat transfer, so that the aerosol generating substrate reaches a temperature for continuously generating aerosol. However, the aerosol generating device using the above heating method has the following problems: 1. The heat transfer coefficient of the aerosol generating substrate is low, and the ignition point is low, so that the temperature of the heating element cannot be too high, thereby causing a long preheating time required when the aerosol generating device is used; 2. The temperature field of the aerosol generating substrate is not uniform when heated, thereby causing poor consistency of the taste when smoked.

[0003] Therefore, the related technology proposes an aerosol generating device using microwave heating to heat the aerosol generating substrate, which has the advantages of fast heating speed and uniform heating. Specifically, the microwave is fed into a metal cavity (resonant cavity) containing the aerosol generating substrate by using a feed structure. The polar molecules in the aerosol generating substrate oscillate and generate heat under the action of microwave energy. However, when the aerosol generating substrate is heated by using the microwave heating method, the microwave energy is mainly coupled into the aerosol generating substrate, so the temperature of the metal cavity is much lower than that of the aerosol generating substrate, thereby causing the generated aerosol to condense and adhere to the inner wall of the metal cavity after contacting the inner wall of the metal cavity. Not only will this cause pollution and affect the quality of the aerosol generating substrate, but it will also increase the difficulty of cleaning, and it is also easy to lose the matching with the rear-end radio frequency source in the heating process, thereby reducing the energy transmission efficiency. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL

[0004] The present application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present application proposes an aerosol generating device, which is beneficial to reducing the condensation and adhesion of the generated aerosol to the inner wall of the resonant cavity.

[0005] The aerosol generating device according to the embodiments of the present application comprises:

[0006] a microwave heating structure, the microwave heating structure comprising a radio frequency source and an outer conductor defining a resonant cavity, the resonant cavity having an open end for an aerosol generating substrate to be inserted into the resonant cavity, the radio frequency source being configured to emit microwaves into the resonant cavity to heat the aerosol generating substrate; and

[0007] An auxiliary heating structure is arranged on the outer wall of the outer conductor and used for heating the resonant cavity.

[0008] The aerosol generating device according to the embodiments of the present application has at least the following beneficial effects: during use, the radio frequency source of the microwave heating structure emits microwave energy of a preset power into the resonant cavity, the microwave energy is coupled into the aerosol generating substrate received therein and heats the aerosol generating substrate, thereby generating aerosol for a user to smoke. The outer wall of the outer conductor is provided with an auxiliary heating structure, and the auxiliary heating structure is used for heating the resonant cavity, thereby reducing the temperature difference between the generated aerosol and the inner wall of the resonant cavity, and further reducing the condensation and adhesion of the generated aerosol on the inner wall of the resonant cavity. In addition, the auxiliary heating structure can also assist the microwave heating structure in heating the aerosol generating substrate through contact heat transfer, thereby facilitating faster and more uniform heating of the aerosol generating substrate.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present application, the auxiliary heating structure comprises a heating body, and the heating body comprises at least one of a conductive coating, a heating film, a heating sheet, and a heating wire.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present application, the aerosol generating device further comprises a temperature measuring structure for detecting the temperature of the outer wall of the resonant cavity.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present application, the temperature measuring structure is integrated with the auxiliary heating structure, or the temperature measuring structure is independent of the auxiliary heating structure.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present application, the temperature measuring structure comprises a thermistor integrated with the auxiliary heating structure.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present application, the temperature measuring structure comprises a temperature measuring sensor independent of the auxiliary heating structure.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present application, the microwave heating structure further comprises an inner conductor arranged in the resonant cavity, the inner conductor has a fixed end in ohmic connection with the outer conductor and a free end arranged opposite to the fixed end, and the free end and the outer conductor define an installation space at least partially used for receiving the aerosol generating substrate.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present application, the resonant cavity has a closed end arranged opposite to the open end, the fixed end is in ohmic contact with the closed end, the free end extends towards the open end, the installation space is formed between the free end and the open end, and the auxiliary heating structure is arranged corresponding to the installation space.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present application, the inner conductor is provided with a pin for inserting into the inside of the aerosol generating substrate on the free end.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present application, the radio frequency source comprises at least one of a radio frequency oscillation circuit, a radio frequency amplification circuit, and a self-excitation circuit.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present application, the aerosol generating device further comprises:

[0019] a puff detector for identifying a puffing action and / or instruction of a user;

[0020] a power supply for independently supplying power to the microwave heating structure and the auxiliary heating structure, respectively;

[0021] a controller electrically connected with the puff detector and the power supply.

[0022] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and be readily appreciated from the following description, including the appended drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is a partial enlarged view of A in FIG. 1;

[0026] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 4 is Figure 3 is a partial enlarged view of B in FIG. 2.

[0028] REFERENCE NUMERALS:

[0029] aerosol generating substrate a;

[0030] radio frequency source 110, outer conductor 120, resonant cavity 121, inner conductor 130, pin 140;

[0031] heating element 210, temperature measuring structure 220;

[0032] puff detector 300, power supply 400, controller 500. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The embodiments of the present application are described below in detail, examples of which are shown in the drawings, wherein the same or similar notations represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are exemplary only, for the purpose of explanation of the present application, and are not to be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0034] In the description of the present application, it needs to be understood that, if the orientation description is involved, for example, the orientation or position relationship indicated by the up, down, front, back, left, right, etc. is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the purpose of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and is not to indicate or imply that the device or element indicated must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0035] In the description of the present application, if the words such as several, more than, less than, exceed, above, below, within, etc. appear, wherein the meaning of several is one or more, the meaning of more than is two or more, more than, less than, exceed, etc. are understood as not including the number, above, below, within, etc. are understood as including the number.

[0036] In the description of the present application, if the words such as first, second, etc. appear, they are only used for the purpose of distinguishing technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of indicated technical features.

[0037] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly limited, the words such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be broadly understood, and the person skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above words in the present application in combination with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0038] Referring to Figures 1 to 4 , the aerosol generating device according to the embodiments of the present application includes a microwave heating structure and an auxiliary heating structure.

[0039] Specifically, the microwave heating structure includes a radio frequency source 110 and an outer conductor 120 defining a resonant cavity 121, the resonant cavity 121 having an open end for inserting an aerosol generating substrate a into the resonant cavity 121, the radio frequency source 110 being configured to emit microwaves into the resonant cavity 121 to heat the aerosol generating substrate a, and the auxiliary heating structure being disposed on an outer wall of the outer conductor 120, the auxiliary heating structure being configured to heat the resonant cavity 121.

[0040] Specifically, the outer conductor 120 is made of a metal material with good electrical conductivity, such as copper or aluminum.

[0041] It should be noted that the auxiliary heating structure is located outside the electromagnetic wave field of the microwave heating aerosol generating substrate a, so that the auxiliary heating structure does not affect the electric field distribution of microwave heating.

[0042] In use, the radio frequency source 110 of the microwave heating structure emits microwave energy of a preset power into the resonant cavity 121, and the microwave energy is coupled into the contained aerosol generating substrate a and heats the aerosol generating substrate a, thereby generating aerosol for the user to smoke. Wherein, the outer wall of the outer conductor 120 is provided with an auxiliary heating structure, and the auxiliary heating structure is used to heat the resonant cavity 121, so as to reduce the temperature difference between the generated aerosol and the inner wall of the resonant cavity 121, thereby facilitating the reduction of the situation that the generated aerosol condenses and adheres to the inner wall of the resonant cavity 121. In addition, the auxiliary heating structure can also assist the microwave heating structure in heating the aerosol generating substrate a by means of contact heat transfer, which is conducive to more quickly and uniformly heating the aerosol generating substrate a.

[0043] Specifically, the auxiliary heating structure can heat the resonant cavity 121 to an aerosol atomization temperature, so that the auxiliary heating structure can better transfer heat to the aerosol generating substrate a, thereby better assisting the microwave heating structure in heating the contained aerosol generating substrate a, and thus the aerosol generating device of the present application can combine the advantages of microwave heating and contact heat transfer.

[0044] In some embodiments, the heating method of the auxiliary heating structure is different from the heating method of the microwave heating structure, that is, the auxiliary heating structure can use a non-microwave heating method. Specifically, the auxiliary heating structure can include at least one of resistance heating, infrared heating, and electromagnetic induction heating.

[0045] Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 4 In some embodiments, the auxiliary heating structure includes a heating body 210, and in use, the heating body 210 is powered to heat the resonant cavity 121.

[0046] Specifically, the heating body 210 includes at least one of a conductive coating, a heating film, a heating sheet, and a heating wire.

[0047] The heating body 210 can partially cover the outer wall of the resonant cavity 121, or can completely cover the outer wall of the resonant cavity 121, which is not limited herein.

[0048] Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 4In some embodiments, the aerosol generating device further comprises a temperature measuring structure 220 configured to detect the temperature of the outer wall of the resonant cavity 121. In use, the temperature measuring structure 220 cooperates with the control system to provide real-time feedback of the temperature of the outer wall of the resonant cavity 121, which helps to prevent the temperature of the outer wall of the resonant cavity 121 from being too low or too high.

[0049] It should be noted that the temperature measuring structure 220 is located outside the electromagnetic field for heating the aerosol generating substrate a by microwaves, so that the temperature measuring structure 220 does not affect the electric field distribution of the microwave heating.

[0050] In some embodiments, the temperature measuring structure 220 is integrated with the auxiliary heating structure.

[0051] Specifically, in some embodiments, the temperature measuring structure 220 comprises a thermistor integrated with the auxiliary heating structure. In use, the resistance of the thermistor changes with temperature, so that the temperature of the outer wall of the resonant cavity 121 can be indirectly measured by the change in resistance of the thermistor, and the resonant cavity 121 can be heated by the heat generated by the thermistor when it is powered on.

[0052] It should be noted that in some other embodiments, the temperature measuring structure 220 is independent of the auxiliary heating structure.

[0053] Specifically, in some embodiments, the temperature measuring structure 220 comprises a temperature measuring sensor, such as an infrared sensor, a thermistor sensor, a thermocouple, etc., which is independent of the auxiliary heating structure. The temperature measuring sensor has a simple structure and is easy to implement.

[0054] Referring to Figures 1 to 4 In some embodiments, the resonant cavity 121 has a coaxial cylindrical structure, which has a simple structure and is easy to implement.

[0055] Referring to Figure 1 And Figure 2 In some embodiments, the microwave heating structure further comprises an inner conductor 130 disposed in the resonant cavity 121. The inner conductor 130 has a fixed end in ohmic connection with the outer conductor 120 and a free end disposed opposite to the fixed end. The free end of the inner conductor 130 and the outer conductor 120 define an installation space at least partially for accommodating the aerosol generating substrate a.

[0056] Referring to Figure 1 And Figure 2In some embodiments, the resonant cavity 121 has a closed end opposite to the open end, the fixed end of the inner conductor 130 is in ohmic contact with the closed end of the resonant cavity 121, the free end of the inner conductor 130 extends towards the open end of the resonant cavity 121, and the mounting space is formed between the free end of the inner conductor 130 and the open end of the resonant cavity 121, and the auxiliary heating structure is arranged corresponding to the mounting space.

[0057] Specifically, the inner conductor 130 is a solid columnar structure.

[0058] It should be noted that in some other embodiments, the inner conductor 130 can also be a hollow columnar structure, and in this case, the fixed end of the inner conductor 130 can be in ohmic contact with the open end of the resonant cavity 121, and specifically, the free end of the inner conductor 130 extends towards the closed end of the resonant cavity 121, and at least part of the mounting space is formed inside the inner conductor 130.

[0059] It should be noted that during the process of microwave heating, since heat will be concentrated at the inner conductor 130, the generated aerosol will not form condensate on the inner conductor 130.

[0060] In some embodiments, the inner wall of the outer conductor 120 corresponding to the mounting space is provided with a condensate adsorption structure, and during the process of heating and atomizing the aerosol generating substrate a, even if the generated aerosol condenses and adheres to the inner wall of the resonant cavity 121, the formed condensate can be adsorbed by the condensate adsorption structure, and since the condensate adsorption structure is arranged corresponding to the mounting space, and the auxiliary heating structure is also arranged corresponding to the mounting space, the condensate adsorbed by the condensate adsorption structure can be quickly heated and atomized by the auxiliary heating structure.

[0061] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the condensate adsorption structure can include a rough surface formed by carving or etching on the inner wall of the outer conductor 120, that is, the surface roughness of the part of the inner wall of the outer conductor 120 corresponding to the mounting space (the part close to the open end of the resonant cavity 121) is greater than the surface roughness of other parts of the inner wall of the outer conductor 120 (the part close to the closed end of the resonant cavity 121).

[0062] It should be noted that in some other embodiments, the condensate adsorption structure can also include arrayed recessed structures or protruding structures formed on the inner wall of the outer conductor 120, which are not limited here.

[0063] It should be noted that in some other embodiments, the inner wall of the outer conductor 120 is provided with an anti-condensation coating for isolating the aerosol from the inner wall of the outer conductor 120. Specifically, the anti-condensation coating can be formed by a coating or a nested thin layer of silicone rubber or polytetrafluoroethylene on the inner wall of the outer conductor 120. The thickness of the anti-condensation coating can be 0.3mm-1mm, such as 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm, 0.6mm, 0.7mm, 0.8mm, 0.9mm, 1mm, etc.

[0064] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the inner conductor 130 is provided with a pin 140 for inserting into the aerosol generating substrate a at the free end thereof, and the distribution of the electric field is guided by the pin 140 to uniformly and intensively heat the aerosol generating substrate a.

[0065] Specifically, the pin 140 can be a metal structure or a non-metal structure coated with a metal coating, which is not limited here.

[0066] Referring to Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some other embodiments, the inner conductor 130 and the pin 140 described above can also not be provided in the resonant cavity 121, which is not limited here.

[0067] Specifically, since the aerosol generating substrate a is usually cylindrical, in some embodiments, the mounting space is cylindrical to enable the aerosol generating substrate a to be in close contact with the resonant cavity 121 to improve heat transfer efficiency, thereby facilitating faster and more uniform heating of the aerosol generating substrate a.

[0068] It should be noted that in some other embodiments, the resonant cavity 121 can also be a non-coaxial special-shaped structure, which is not limited here.

[0069] In some embodiments, the radio frequency source 110 includes at least one of a radio frequency oscillation circuit, a radio frequency amplification circuit, and a self-excitation circuit, and the radio frequency source 110 can emit a certain point frequency or frequency range within 100MHz-20GHz.

[0070] Referring to Figures 1 to 4 In some embodiments, the aerosol generating device of the present application further includes a puff detector 300, a power supply 400, and a controller 500.

[0071] Specifically, the puff detector 300 is used to identify the puffing action and / or instructions of the user, the power supply 400 is used to independently supply power to the microwave heating structure and the auxiliary heating structure, and the controller 500 is electrically connected with the puff detector 300 and the power supply 400.

[0072] The suction detector 300 can be a pressure sensor for sensing air pressure changes to identify a suction action, a control switch such as a button activated according to a user operation instruction, a gravity sensor, a contact sensor, or the like for sensing a user's tapping or gesture, without being limited herein.

[0073] The power supply 400 can be a battery pack integrated with a voltage-lifting circuit and a voltage-stabilizing circuit to ensure stability of the power supply 400 when providing power.

[0074] The controller 500 can be a circuit board that controls start and stop of the radio frequency source 110, microwave frequency, microwave power, and the like.

[0075] The heating method according to the embodiments of the present application is applied to the aerosol generating device described above, and includes the following steps:

[0076] The aerosol generating substrate a is inserted into the resonant cavity 121, and the controller 500 acquires a feedback signal of the inserted aerosol generating substrate a, thereby starting a heating program to control the power supply 400 to supply power to the microwave heating structure and the auxiliary heating structure;

[0077] After the aerosol generating substrate a reaches an aerosol atomization temperature, the controller 500 controls the preset indication structure to prompt the user to perform a suction action;

[0078] After the suction detector 300 detects that the user ends the current suction action, the controller 500 controls the power supply 400 to stop supplying power to the microwave heating structure;

[0079] During a service life (usually 2-8 minutes) of the currently accommodated aerosol generating substrate a, the power supply 400 continuously supplies power to the auxiliary heating structure to continuously heat the resonant cavity 121. Specifically, the service life of the aerosol generating substrate a can be embodied as a preset time or a preset number of suction actions. When the currently accommodated aerosol generating substrate a reaches the service life, the controller 500 controls the power supply 400 to stop supplying power to the auxiliary heating structure;

[0080] During the period in which the power supply 400 continuously supplies power to the auxiliary heating structure, the controller 500 controls the power supply 400 to supply power to the microwave heating structure each time the suction detector 300 identifies a suction action of the user, that is, the microwave heating structure intermittently works with the start and end of the suction action.

[0081] Specifically, when the heating program is started, the controller 500 controls the heating structure with the assistance of the feedback of the temperature measuring structure 220, so that the resonant cavity 121 is heated to the critical temperature of the aerosol generating substrate a to generate aerosol, i.e. 200-300°C, and the heating time is 5-40 seconds. The temperature of the outer wall of the resonant cavity 121 is higher than that of the aerosol generating substrate a, so that heat is transferred to the aerosol generating substrate a. At this time, the generated aerosol cannot condense after contacting the inner wall of the resonant cavity 121.

[0082] It should be noted that in the above steps, after the aerosol generating substrate a is inserted into the resonant cavity 121, the controller 500 can obtain the feedback signal of the inserted aerosol generating substrate a through the position sensor, microwave / radio frequency recognition or user operation button action.

[0083] It should be noted that in the above steps, after the aerosol generating substrate a reaches the aerosol atomization temperature, the controller 500 can control the preset indicating structure such as the indicating light and the vibration motor to prompt the user to smoke.

[0084] In the description of the present specification, if the description involves the description of the terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiment", "example", "specific example" and "some examples", it means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are contained in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present specification, the exemplary description of the above terms does not necessarily mean the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the described specific features, structures, materials or characteristics can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0085] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, replacements and variations can be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and purposes of the present application, and the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating device, characterized by, The microwave heating structure comprises a radio frequency source and an outer conductor defining a resonant cavity having an open end for insertion of an aerosol generating substrate into the resonant cavity, the radio frequency source being configured to emit microwaves into the resonant cavity for heating the aerosol generating substrate; and The auxiliary heating structure is arranged on an outer wall of the outer conductor and is configured to heat the resonant cavity. The auxiliary heating structure comprises a heating body comprising at least one of a conductive coating, a heating film, a heating sheet, and a heating wire.

2. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein, The aerosol generating device further comprises a temperature measuring structure configured to detect a temperature of an outer wall of the resonant cavity. 3.The aerosol-generating device of claim 2, wherein, The temperature measuring structure is integrated with the auxiliary heating structure, or the temperature measuring structure is independent of the auxiliary heating structure.

4. The aerosol-generating device of claim 3, wherein, The temperature measuring structure comprises a thermistor integrated with the auxiliary heating structure.

5. The aerosol-generating device of claim 4, wherein, The temperature measuring structure comprises a temperature measuring sensor independent of the auxiliary heating structure. 6.The aerosol generating device of claim 4, wherein, The microwave heating structure further comprises an inner conductor arranged in the resonant cavity, the inner conductor having a fixed end in ohmic connection with the outer conductor and a free end arranged opposite to the fixed end, the free end and the outer conductor defining an installation space at least partially for accommodating the aerosol generating substrate. 7.The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein, The resonant cavity has a closed end arranged opposite to the open end, the fixed end is in ohmic contact with the closed end, the free end extends towards the open end, the installation space is formed between the free end and the open end, and the auxiliary heating structure is arranged corresponding to the installation space.

8. The aerosol-generating device of claim 7, wherein, The inner conductor is provided with a needle at the free end for insertion into the aerosol generating substrate. 9.The aerosol-generating device of claim 7, wherein, The radio frequency source comprises at least one of a radio frequency oscillation circuit, a radio frequency amplification circuit, and a self-excitation circuit. 10.The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising:

11. The aerosol-generating device of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein, a puff detector configured to identify a puffing action and / or an instruction of a user; a power supply configured to independently supply power to the microwave heating structure and the auxiliary heating structure, respectively; a controller electrically connected with the puff detector and the power supply. ​

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