Heating assembly and aerosol-generating device

Abstract

The application provides a heating assembly and an aerosol generating device, and relates to the technical field of aerosol generation. The heating assembly comprises a base and an elastic heating element. The base has a mounting surface. The elastic heating element is assembled on the mounting surface and is tightly pressed against the mounting surface by its own elastic deformation. The elastic heating element and the base are assembled together by mechanical assembly. Since the elastic heating element is tightly pressed against the mounting surface by its own elastic deformation, the elastic heating element and the base can be tightly connected together despite deformation during heating, thereby solving the problem that the heating assembly is easily damaged during use in the prior art. The application of the heating assembly to the aerosol generating substrate can also solve the above problems.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of aerosol generation technology, specifically to heating components and aerosol generation devices. Background Technology

[0002] An aerosol generating device is a device that heats an aerosol generating matrix to convert it into inhalable aerosols. In related technologies, heating elements are typically used to heat the aerosol generating matrix. Existing elastic heating elements usually use resistance wires or thick-film printing technology to connect to the substrate. When the elastic heating element is heated for a prolonged period, both the elastic heating element and the substrate will expand in volume. Due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion between the elastic heating element and the substrate, their deformations will also differ. This can lead to localized delamination between the elastic heating element and the substrate, creating an open circuit, and ultimately damaging the heating element. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a heating element and an aerosol generating device to improve the problem that current heating elements are easily damaged during use.

[0004] On one hand, this application provides a heating component applied in an aerosol generating device. The heating component includes a substrate and an elastic heating element. The substrate has a mounting surface. The elastic heating element is assembled to the mounting surface, and the elastic heating element presses against the mounting surface by its own elastic deformation.

[0005] In one embodiment, the substrate is a cylindrical structure that encloses an atomizing space for inserting an aerosol generating matrix; the elastic heating element is a ring-shaped structure with a notch; the mounting surface is the inner surface of the substrate, or the mounting surface is the outer surface of the substrate and the substrate is a heat conductor for transferring heat to the aerosol generating matrix.

[0006] In one embodiment, the elastic heating element is a retaining spring, and the mounting surface is provided with a mounting groove, in which the elastic heating element is fitted.

[0007] In one embodiment, the substrate is a cylindrical structure, the elastic heating element is a retaining ring with a notch, the mounting surface is the inner surface of the substrate, and the substrate is provided with a wire hole penetrating the sidewall, the wire hole being at least for allowing the wire connecting the elastic heating element to pass through.

[0008] In one embodiment, the wire hole is filled with a thermal insulation element.

[0009] In one embodiment, the notch of the elastic heating element has a first connecting end and a second connecting end, and the heating component further includes: a positive electrode wire and a negative electrode wire, the positive electrode wire being connected to the first connecting end and passing through the wire hole to exit the substrate, and the negative electrode wire being connected to the second connecting end and passing through the wire hole to exit the substrate.

[0010] In one embodiment, the number of elastic heating elements is two or more, and each elastic heating element is arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the substrate.

[0011] In one embodiment, the mounting surface is provided with a mounting groove, and the elastic heating element is assembled in the mounting groove.

[0012] In one embodiment, the elastic heating element is insulated from the substrate.

[0013] On the other hand, this application also provides an aerosol generating device, including a housing and a heating component as described above, wherein the housing has a heating cavity and the heating component is disposed in the heating cavity.

[0014] According to the heating component in the above embodiments, the elastic heating element and the substrate are assembled together by mechanical assembly. Since the elastic heating element relies on its own elastic deformation to press against the mounting surface, the elastic heating element and the substrate can still be tightly connected even though they will deform during the heating process, thus solving the problem of easy damage to the heating component during use in the prior art. Applying the above heating component to an aerosol generating device can also solve the above problem. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a heating component provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a substrate in a heating component provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an elastic heating element, a positive electrode wire, and a negative electrode wire in a heating assembly provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0018] in:

[0019] 10. Heating element; 110. Substrate; 111. Mounting surface; 112. Atomization space; 113. Mounting groove; 114. Wire hole; 120. Elastic heating element; 121. Notch; 122. First connection end; 123. Second connection end; 130. Positive wire; 140. Negative wire. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. Similar elements in different embodiments are referred to by associated similar element reference numerals. In the following embodiments, many details are described to facilitate a better understanding of the present application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some features may be omitted in different situations, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, certain operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid obscuring the core parts of the present application with excessive description. For those skilled in the art, detailed description of these related operations is not necessary; they can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0021] Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments, and the operational steps involved in each embodiment can also be rearranged or adjusted in a manner that is obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the specification and drawings are only for clearly describing a particular embodiment and do not imply that they represent the necessary components and / or order.

[0022] The serial numbers assigned to components in this document, such as "first" and "second," are used only to distinguish the described objects and have no sequential or technical meaning. The terms "connection" and "linkage" used in this application, unless otherwise specified, include both direct and indirect connections (linkages).

[0023] Please also refer to Figures 1-3 This application provides a heating component 10, which can be applied to an aerosol generating device to heat the aerosol generating matrix to generate aerosol.

[0024] Please refer to the details. Figure 1 The heating component 10 provided in this application embodiment includes: a base 110 and an elastic heating element 120, wherein the elastic heating element 120 is assembled to the base 110 by mechanical assembly.

[0025] Please also refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2In this embodiment, the substrate 110 serves as the supporting structure for the elastic heating element 120. This application does not limit the specific form of the substrate 110. In some embodiments, the substrate 110 can be made of non-metallic materials such as glass and ceramics, for example, quartz glass, silicate glass, phosphate glass, aluminum nitride, alumina, ZTA zirconia-reinforced alumina, zirconia, yttrium oxide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, quartz, sapphire, etc. In other embodiments, the substrate 110 can also be made of metallic or alloy materials, such as low-carbon steel, cast iron, stainless steel (304, 316, 430, 444, etc.), Kovar alloy, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, etc. In still other embodiments, the substrate 110 can also be a composite of the above materials, such as a metal-to-metal composite, a metal-to-glass-ceramic composite, or a glass-ceramic-to-glass-ceramic composite, which can be specifically configured according to actual conditions.

[0026] Furthermore, the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific structure of the substrate 110. For example, in one embodiment, the substrate 110 can be configured as a cylindrical structure, and the substrate 110 can form an atomization space 112 for inserting the aerosol generating matrix. This facilitates the insertion of the aerosol generating matrix into the atomization space 112 and its heating and atomization. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific axial length of the substrate 110. For example, in some embodiments, the axial length of the substrate 110 can be set to be the same as the length of the smoke-generating section of the aerosol generating matrix.

[0027] In this embodiment, the base 110 has a mounting surface 111 for mechanical assembly of the elastic heating element 120. This embodiment does not limit the specific location of the mounting surface 111; as mentioned above, the description is based on the base 110 having a cylindrical structure. The mounting surface 111 can be either the inner or outer surface of the base 110. When the mounting surface 111 is the inner surface of the base 110, the elastic heating element 120 has an outwardly expanding elastic force, allowing the elastic heating element 120 to press against the mounting surface 111 by its own elastic deformation. When the mounting surface 111 is the outer surface of the substrate 110, the elastic heating element 120 has an inward contraction elastic force, so that the elastic heating element 120 can press against the mounting surface 111 by its own elastic deformation. When the mounting surface 111 is the outer surface of the substrate 110, the substrate 110 is also used to transfer the heat emitted by the elastic heating element 120 to the atomization space 112 to heat the aerosol generation matrix located in the atomization space 112. That is, in this embodiment, the substrate 110 is a heat conductor with a thermal conductivity. For ease of explanation, the following description will take the example of the elastic heating element 120 being assembled on the inner surface of the substrate 110, that is, taking the mounting surface 111 of the substrate 110 as the inner surface of the substrate 110.

[0028] Furthermore, considering that the elastic heating element 120 and the base 110 may detach from each other due to the limitation of the elastic heating element 120 and the base 110 by friction alone, in some embodiments, the elastic heating element 120 and the base 110 may have a reinforced connection structure to strengthen the connection between them. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific form of the reinforced connection structure. For example, in one embodiment, the reinforced connection structure may be a rough structure on the contact surface between the elastic heating element 120 and the base 110. In another embodiment, the mounting surface 111 may be provided with a mounting groove 113, and the elastic heating element 120 may be assembled in the mounting groove 113. In this embodiment, the reinforced connection structure is the mounting groove 113.

[0029] It is understandable that, since the mounting surface 111 of the substrate 110 is the inner surface of the substrate 110, that is, in this embodiment, the elastic heating element 120 is located in the atomization space 112. In a preferred embodiment, the depth of the mounting groove 113 can be set to be greater than the cross-sectional dimension of the elastic heating element 120. That is, when the elastic heating element 120 is assembled in the mounting groove 113, the surface of the elastic heating element 120 is at most flush with the opening of the mounting groove 113. This can avoid or reduce the possibility of the elastic heating element 120 detaching or the aerosol generating matrix being damaged when it is inserted into the atomization space 112.

[0030] Please also refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 The elastic heating element 120 is a structure used to heat the aerosol generation matrix. This application embodiment does not limit the specific form of the elastic heating element 120. In some embodiments, the material of the elastic heating element 120 may be selected from at least one of the following materials or a composite material selected from the following materials:

[0031] Titanium (TA1, TA2, TC4, etc.), FeNi50 (or other iron-nickel alloys with iron content), Monel nickel-copper alloys (Monel 400, 500, etc.), Inconel nickel-chromium-based superalloys (Inconel 600, 625, 718, etc.), stainless steel (SUS316 or SUS904, etc.), 30W4Cr2VA high-temperature spring steel, and non-magnetic spring steel (Mn18Cr18N). The following is a comparison table of parameters for several materials.

[0032]

[0033]

[0034] Based on the table above, different elastic heating element 120 materials can be selected according to the actual situation to meet the actual needs.

[0035] Furthermore, this application does not limit whether the surface of the elastic heating element 120 is protected. It can be set according to the actual situation. In a preferred embodiment, the surface of the elastic heating element 120 is protected. This can avoid or reduce the risk of the elastic heating element 120 being contaminated and corroded by aerosols, resulting in a reduced service life. In some disposable atomizing devices, the surface of the elastic heating element 120 may not be protected in order to reduce costs.

[0036] It should be noted that, in one embodiment, the elastic heating element 120 can be a hollow structure or a solid structure, which can be set according to the actual situation. It can be understood that when the elastic heating element 120 is a hollow structure, the wire diameter of the elastic heating wire can be appropriately increased to ensure that the elastic heating wire has sufficient elasticity, thereby ensuring that the elastic heating wire can press against the mounting surface 111 of the base 110 through its own elastic deformation.

[0037] Furthermore, when the material selected for the elastic heating element 120 has a large temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), for example, when its temperature coefficient of resistance is greater than 900 ppm / ℃, the temperature can be controlled by the TCR and resistance value. When the material selected for the elastic heating element 120 has a small TCR, a thermocouple can be used for auxiliary temperature control to ensure that the temperature emitted by the elastic heating element 120 can meet the temperature required for the aerosol generation matrix to generate aerosols.

[0038] The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific structure of the elastic heating element 120. For example, in one embodiment, the elastic heating element 120 can be configured as a filament structure, and in another embodiment, the elastic heating element 120 can also be configured as a mesh structure.

[0039] Taking the elastic heating element 120 as an example of a filamentous structure, the wire diameter of the elastic heating element 120 can be set to 0.15-0.5 mm, preferably 0.20-0.40 mm. This can avoid the elastic heating element 120 occupying too much volume, thereby avoiding the entire heating component 10 from being too large, and ultimately helping to reduce the volume of the entire aerosol generating device, so that it is easy for users to carry and use.

[0040] Please see Figure 3In a more specific embodiment, the elastic heating element 120 is a retaining ring, which can be snapped into the mounting groove 113. It should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific form of the elastic heating element 120. For example, it can be an E-shaped retaining ring or a C-shaped retaining ring. The specific form can be set according to the actual situation. This application uses a C-shaped retaining ring as an example for explanation.

[0041] As mentioned above, the mounting surface 111 is the inner surface of the base 110. In this embodiment, the elastic heating element 120 is a retaining ring with a notch 121, that is, the elastic heating element 120 provided in this application embodiment is a C-shaped retaining ring structure. The base 110 is also provided with a wire hole 114 that penetrates the sidewall. The wire hole 114 is at least used to allow the wire connecting the elastic heating element 120 to pass through.

[0042] Specifically, in this embodiment, the notch 121 of the elastic heating element 120 has a first connecting end 122 and a second connecting end 123. The heating component 10 may also include a positive electrode wire 130 and a negative electrode wire 140. The positive electrode wire 130 is connected to the first connecting end 122, and the negative electrode wire 140 is connected to the second connecting end 123. Both the positive electrode wire 130 and the negative electrode wire 140 pass through the wire hole 114 and out of the base 110.

[0043] This application does not limit the specific form of the wire hole 114. For example, in one embodiment, the wire hole 114 can be set as a strip-shaped hole extending along the circumferential direction of the substrate 110. This facilitates the connection of the wires (including the positive wire 130 and the negative wire 140) to the elastic heating element 120 from the same height of the substrate 110, making it more convenient to connect the elastic heating element 120 to the wires in the future.

[0044] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the extension direction of the wire hole 114 can also be configured as a strip-shaped hole extending along the axial direction of the base 110. This facilitates the electrical connection of multiple elastic heating elements 120 through a single wire hole 114 when multiple elastic heating elements 120 are provided. It should be noted that when there are two or more elastic heating elements 120, each elastic heating element 120 is arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the base 110, and the notch 121 of each elastic heating element 120 corresponds to the wire hole 114, so as to facilitate the electrical connection of each elastic heating element 120 to a wire.

[0045] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the wire hole 114 is filled with a heat-insulating component. This component seals the gap between the inner wall of the wire hole 114 and the wire, thereby enclosing the substrate 110 and forming a sealed structure circumferentially. This improves the structural strength of the entire substrate 110 and also secures the wire. It should be noted that this application does not limit the specific material of the aforementioned heat-insulating component. For example, in one embodiment, the heat-insulating component can be made of the same material as the substrate 110. That is, when the substrate 110 is made of ceramic, the heat-insulating component can also be made of ceramic. Since the heat-insulating component and the substrate 110 are made of the same material, heat concentration will not occur at the contact points between the heat-insulating component and the substrate 110 due to material differences, thus improving the overall reliability of the substrate 110.

[0046] It should be noted that this application does not limit the electrical connection method of each elastic heating element 120, such as parallel or series connection. Similarly, this application does not limit the number of loops formed between multiple elastic heating elements 120 and the wires. For example, in one embodiment, multiple elastic heating elements 120 and the wires can form a single loop, which facilitates overall control of the elastic heating elements 120. In another embodiment, multiple elastic heating elements 120 and the wires can form multiple loops, which facilitates individual control of each elastic heating element 120. The specific configuration can be adjusted according to actual needs. It is understood that when multiple elastic heating elements 120 and the wires form a single loop, the required wire length is less than the length of multiple loops. However, forming multiple loops allows for more precise temperature control of different areas of the atomization space 112.

[0047] In one embodiment, the substrate 110 and the elastic heating element 120 can be insulated from each other to avoid or reduce the possibility of a short circuit in the entire heating assembly 10. This application does not limit the specific method of insulation connection. For example, in one embodiment, the substrate 110 can be made of a non-metallic material. In another embodiment, an insulating layer can be provided on the mounting surface 111 of the substrate 110. Specifically, at least the mounting groove 113 on the inner wall of the substrate 110 can be covered with an enamel layer, a glass layer, or other insulating material. Furthermore, the mounting surface 111 of the substrate 110 can also be oxidized or nitrided to form an insulating layer.

[0048] The above describes the method of processing the substrate 110 to achieve an insulating connection between the substrate 110 and the elastic heating element 120. Similarly, the embodiments of this application can also process the surface of the elastic heating element 120 to achieve an insulating connection between the substrate 110 and the elastic heating element 120. For example, in one embodiment, an insulating layer coating can be covered, sprayed, or sputtered on the surface of the elastic heating element 120. In another embodiment, the surface of the elastic heating element 120 can be oxidized or nitrided to generate an insulating layer. In yet another embodiment, a fiberglass insulating sleeve can be fitted onto the surface of the elastic heating element 120 to achieve an insulating connection between the substrate 110 and the elastic heating element 120. The specific configuration can be adjusted according to actual conditions and is not limited here.

[0049] The following is the assembly process of the heating component 10 provided in the embodiment of this application, taking the assembly of an elastic heating element 120 into the base 110 as an example:

[0050] First, prepare the base 110, the elastic heating element 120, and the wires. Then, solder the elastic heating element 120 to the wires to achieve electrical connection between the elastic heating element 120 and the wires (including the positive wire 130 and the negative wire 140). Next, assemble the elastic heating element 120 together with the wires into the base 110, so that the elastic heating element 120 is locked in the mounting groove 113 of the base 110. Pass the wires through the wire holes 114 of the base 110 to complete the assembly of the heating component 10.

[0051] It should be noted that the following assembly methods can also be used:

[0052] First, prepare the base 110, the elastic heating element 120, and the wires. Then, assemble the elastic heating element 120 into the base 110, so that the elastic heating element 120 is locked in the mounting groove 113 of the base 110. Next, pass the wires (including the positive wire 130 and the negative wire 140) through the wire hole 114 of the base 110, and weld the wires to the elastic heating element 120 to realize the electrical connection between the elastic heating element 120 and the wires, so as to complete the assembly of the heating component 10.

[0053] The heating component 10 provided in this application embodiment assembles the elastic heating element 120 and the base 110 together by mechanical assembly. Since the elastic heating element 120 relies on its own elastic deformation to press against the mounting surface 111, the elastic heating element 120 and the base 110 can be tightly connected together even though they will deform during the heating process, which solves the problem that the heating component 10 is easily damaged during use in the prior art.

[0054] This application embodiment also provides an aerosol generating device (not shown in the figure), which includes a heating component 10 as described above and a housing, wherein the heating component 10 is disposed inside the housing, and the housing has a heating chamber, and the heating component 10 is specifically disposed inside the heating chamber.

[0055] Since the aerosol generating device provided in this application uses the heating component 10 described above, the aerosol generating device provided in this application can also solve the problem that the heating component 10 is easily damaged during use in the prior art.

[0056] In one embodiment, after the heating element 10 is disposed in the heating chamber, the substrate 110 has a region near the heating chamber insertion port and a region away from the heating chamber insertion port. In another embodiment, the elastic heating element 120 can be disposed in the region away from the heating chamber insertion port, which can avoid or reduce the possibility of the user burning their mouth during use. It should be noted that the above description is based on the example of one elastic heating element 120. In other embodiments, multiple elastic heating elements 120 can be disposed. In this embodiment, multiple elastic heating elements 120 can be disposed unevenly within the substrate 110, and the spacing between multiple elastic heating elements 120 in the region of the substrate 110 near the heating chamber insertion port can be greater than the spacing between the regions of the substrate 110 away from the heating chamber insertion port. This ensures that the aerosol generating matrix can be quickly heated to generate aerosol after being inserted into the atomization space 112 of the substrate 110, and also avoids or reduces the possibility of the user burning their mouth during use.

[0057] Furthermore, when multiple elastic heating elements 120 are provided, they can be placed on two or more circuits, with at least one elastic heating element 120 on each circuit. During the suction process, the elastic heating element 120 located near the heating chamber insertion port is heated first, which can also achieve the effect of quickly generating aerosol without burning the mouth.

[0058] The above examples illustrate this application only to aid understanding and are not intended to limit its scope. Those skilled in the art to which this application pertains can make various simple deductions, modifications, or substitutions based on the ideas presented.

Claims

1. A heating element used in an aerosol generating device, characterized in that, The heating component includes: A substrate having a mounting surface; and An elastic heating element is assembled on the mounting surface, and the elastic heating element presses against the mounting surface by its own elastic deformation.

2. The heating component as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate is a cylindrical structure, and the substrate encloses an atomization space for the aerosol generating matrix to be inserted; the elastic heating element is a ring structure with a notch, the mounting surface is the inner surface of the substrate, or the mounting surface is the outer surface of the substrate and the substrate is a heat conductor for transferring heat to the aerosol generating matrix.

3. The heating component as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting surface is provided with a mounting groove, and the elastic heating element is assembled in the mounting groove.

4. The heating component as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The elastic heating element is a retaining spring, which is snapped into the mounting groove.

5. The heating component as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate is a cylindrical structure, the elastic heating element is a retaining spring with a notch, the mounting surface is the inner surface of the substrate, and the substrate is provided with a wire hole that penetrates the side wall. The wire hole is at least used to allow the wire connecting the elastic heating element to pass through.

6. The heating component as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The wire hole is filled with heat-insulating material.

7. The heating component as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The notch of the elastic heating element has a first connecting end and a second connecting end. The heating component further includes a positive electrode wire and a negative electrode wire. The positive electrode wire is connected to the first connecting end and passes through the wire hole to exit the substrate. The negative electrode wire is connected to the second connecting end and passes through the wire hole to exit the substrate.

8. The heating component as described in claim 2 or 5, characterized in that, The number of elastic heating elements is two or more, and each elastic heating element is arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the substrate.

9. The heating component according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The elastic heating element is insulated from the substrate.

10. An aerosol generating device, characterized in that, It includes a housing and a heating component as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the housing has a heating cavity and the heating component is disposed within the heating cavity.

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