Cigarette cartridge of gas-heated smoking article and smoking articles thereof

Abstract

A cigarette cartridge for a gas-heated smoking article, comprising: a housing(104); a combustion gas inlet (101) located at one end of the housing (104)in the axial direction; a combustion gas inlet (101) located at one end of the housing(104) in the axial direction; a vapor generation component located downstream of the combustion gas inlet (101) in the cavity of the housing, the vapor generation component includes a gas-thermal smoke column(108), the gas-thermal smoke column (108) is formed into a column with a cylinder with a plurality of through-through endothermic channels(109), a vapor outlet (111) located downstream of the vapor generation assembly and at the opposite end of the axial direction of the housing (104). The cigarette cartridge does not have a heat source. Through the configuration of the gas-thermal smoke column (108), the material in the column is fully and uniformly heated.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to smoking products, in particular to a gas heated smoking article cartridge and its smoking article.BACKGROUND

[0002] Ordinary smoking products, such as cigarettes or tobaccos, are made of cigarette paper rolling tobacco to form a stick shape or rod. Usually, the cigarette's nozzle (smoking end) also has a filter, such as a filter made of cellulose acetate. When a smoker lights a cigarette and makes an inhalation action, the tobacco filament in the cigarette burns and carbonizes to form a hot burning zone without flame, and this gradually backward blazing burning zone produces a high-temperature air flow to dry the adjacent tobacco filament , and evaporates the volatile substances in the tobacco filament and forms visible white and light blue smoke under the cooling of the inhaled air. However, the decomposition reaction and metathesis reaction of a variety of chemicals derived from tobacco during combustion will produce a large amount of tar and a variety of harmful substances, so enjoying the pleasure of low-harm nicotine and reducing tar and harmful substances has become a problem for tobacco manufacturers. In order to significantly improve the public health environment, reduce the harm of tobacco and the resulting legal conflicts, related technological improvements and scientific inventions are improving this situation.

[0003] To this end, after a large number of experiments and research, various types of electronic cigarettes and electrically heated cigarette products have been developed. In the field of gas-fired heating smoking products, it usually includes fixed-use gas combustion mechanisms and replaceable cigarette cartridge consumables.

[0004] In the prior art, there are already replaceable cigarette cartridge consumables for gas-fired smoking products, and the cigarette cartridge consumables are heated-non-combustible, which can reduce a variety of harmful components produced by traditional cigarettes due to tobacco combustion and thermal cracking. The Chinese patents of the inventor with the publication numbers CN210382647U and CN215381479U are intended to provide smokers with low-tar cigarettes with the advantages of traditional cigarettes, while minimizing incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products. However, there are still some technical problems in the prior art that urgently need a more ideal solution, such as the adequate heating of the cigarette cartridge consumable, thermal inertia and other issues. How to provide smokers with a good smoking feeling and achieve efficient heating of cigarette cartridge consumables as much as possible, while light structure and cost reduction, is one of the technical improvement directions that those skilled in the art aim to explore.

[0005] WO 2020 / 181358 A1 discloses an improved, cleaner functioning smoking article. The improved, cleaner functioning smoking article comprises a aerosol forming substrate engineered to include airflow chanels, Features include a hollow tube, which may be comprised of various materials, including the material for vaporization itself, within the engineered material, such as tobacco, for efficient vaporization, Other features include a hollow, inverted cone to permit air ingress in a closed bottomed HNB cigarette, and a capsule cigarette designed to retain loose leaf and original material for clean vaporization.

[0006] US 2021 / 289836 A1 discloses a gas combustion heating smoking article with puff mouth piece. The gas heating smoking article includes a smoking article housing, a combustion device, a plurality of cigarette consumable items or a plurality of aerosol generation consumable items. The combustion device uses propane or butane premixed with air before combustion, heat generated from the combustion is used to bake the cigarette consumable items or aerosol generation consumable items.

[0007] US 2012 / 247494 A1 discloses a disposable sachet of tobacco for use with a gas powered vaporizing device for vaporizing vaporizable constituents of the tobacco. The sachet comprises a side wall of an impermeable paper based material and an upstream end cap and a downstream end cap which together define a hollow interior region for the tobacco. The sachet is shaped and sized to releasably and snugly engage a vaporizing chamber of the vaporizing device with a heat transfer member therein extending into the hollow interior region of the sachet. The upstream end cap and the downstream end cap are of a paper based permeable material which are permeable to air and an aerosol of vaporized constituents from the tobacco, respectively, to accommodate air into the hollow interior region of the sachet and the aerosol therefrom.SUMMARY

[0008] One of the problems to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cigarette cartridge suitable for gas-heated smoking articles. The smoking articles using the cigarette cartridge have good thermal inertia and sufficient heating, which can produce smoke very similar to the taste of ordinary cigarettes and have a good feeling of use and low cost.

[0009] The technical solution of the present invention is defined in claim 1, and includes: A cigarette cartridge for a gas-heated smoking article comprising: a housing (104); a combustion gas inlet (101) located at one end of the housing (104) in the axial direction; a vapor generation component located downstream of the combustion gas inlet in the cavity of the housing, the vapor generation component includes a gas-thermal smoke column, the gas-thermal smoke column is formed into a column with a cylinder with a plurality of through-through endothermic channels, the plurality of through-through endothermic channels extend from one end of the gas-thermal smoke column to the opposite end of the gas-thermal smoke column, and the gas-thermal smoke column absorbs the heat of the combustion gas through the heat-absorbing channel, and releases the vapor after being heated, the heating of the cigarette cartridge only uses the heat of the combustion gas coming from the combustion gas inlet, and the cigarette cartridge itself does not have a heat source; a vapor outlet located downstream of the vapor generation assembly at the opposite end of the axial direction of the housing.

[0010] By forming the gas-thermal smoke column into a column with multiple penetrating endothermic channels, the heat of the combustion gas can be more efficiently absorbed to release the vapor, without the need for an additional heat source in the cigarette cartridge. Since the smoke outlet at the tail of the cigarette cartridge is closer to the user's mouth, whether the user sucking with mouth or holding with fingers, the temperature of the part where the cartridge is located is too high or uncontrollable will bring about a bad feeling experience, and the method of the present application avoids the potential adverse feeling of the heat source in the cigarette cartridge.

[0011] Further, a plurality of penetrating endothermic channels is provided to maximize the heat absorption of the combustion gas, and at the same time, the passage path of the channel is parallel to the axial direction, reducing the sense of retardation when the user inhales the vapor.

[0012] According to the invention, the plurality of endothermic channels is a plurality of channels uniformly arranged axially in the gas-thermal smoke column. " Uniformly arranged" means that multiple channels are spaced approximately the same distance from each other. This arrangement is conducive to uniform heat absorption and vapor release from the gas-thermal smoke column, improving efficiency and suitable for industrial mass manufacturing.

[0013] According to the invention, the cylinder of the gas-thermal smoke column is a thermal expansion cylinder, and when the cylinder of the gas-thermal smoke column is expanded by heat, at least part of the orifice of the endothermic channel is reduced or closed. When the cylinder is heated and expanded, the orifice of the heat absorption channel is closed, which is conducive to the combustion gas being trapped in the gas-thermal smoke column for circulation, further increasing the heat absorption efficiency and reducing the user's inhalation of the combustion gas.

[0014] In some embodiments, the preparation material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises tobacco filaments and / or tobacco powders, or tobacco sheets that have been wetted with inorganic salts.

[0015] In some embodiments, the preparation material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises a smoke agent, an inorganic salt, a metal heat conductor, an adhesive. Among them, the smoke generating agent is used to make smoking articles and produce smoke; the inorganic salt plays a role in absorbing water vapor and flame retardant produced by combustion; the metal heat conductor is used to equalize the heat in the gas-thermal smoke column; the adhesive is used to bond the hybrid material of the gas-heated smoke column.

[0016] In some embodiments, the smoke agent comprises tobacco filaments, tobacco powders, tobacco sheets.

[0017] In some embodiments, the smoke agent further comprises propylene glycol. In a specific embodiment, the ratio of tobacco filament or tobacco powder to propylene glycol by weight is: 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3).

[0018] In some embodiments, the inorganic salt is sodium chloride or sodium sulfate. In a specific embodiment, the tobacco filament or the tobacco powder and the inorganic salt are 1:(0.2~0.7) by weight.

[0019] In some specific embodiments, the tobacco filament, the tobacco powder is pre-soaked with sodium chloride aqueous solution, preferably saturated sodium chloride aqueous solution, dried and reserved. This treatment method can make inorganic salts evenly mixed in tobacco filaments or tobacco powders, which is more convenient for inorganic salts to play their function of flame retardancy and water vapor absorption.

[0020] In some embodiments, the gas-thermal smoke column product further comprises an expanding agent. Further, the thermal expansion of the cylinder is realized by the expanding agent in the gas-thermal smoke column.

[0021] In some embodiments, the expanding agent is starch dry gel granules, corn granules, rice granules or alginic gel granules. In a specific embodiment, the tobacco filament or the tobacco powder and the expanding agent is 1:(0.01~0.08) by weight.

[0022] In some embodiments, the metal heat conductive material in the finished product of the gas-thermal smoke column is aluminum foil wire. A small amount of aluminum foil wire is used to equalize the heat. In a specific embodiment, the tobacco filament or the tobacco powder and the metal heat conductive material is 1:(0.03~0.1) by weight.

[0023] In some embodiments, the finished body of the gas-thermal smoke column further comprises metal encapsulations. Further, the metal encapsulation is formed by wrapping the contents with aluminum foil; When the metal encapsulation is heated, the contents are released to form an aerosol, increasing the amount of aerosol and improving the taste of smoking articles. Among them, the volume of the metal encapsulation is 1-5 cubic millimeters. Preferably, the content is a mixture of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerol and tobacco flavor. More preferably, by weight, nicotine is 1-2%, propylene glycol is 98-99%, and the flavor is trace amount.

[0024] In some embodiments, the vapor generation component further comprises a moisturizing film and / or heat insulation film disposed on the periphery of the gas-thermal smoke column and wrapped in the gas-thermal smoke column. Among them, a moisturizing film is set to moisturize the effect, so that the water vapor stays in it, thereby preventing the smoke column from burning. In some embodiments, the moisturizing film is made of aluminum foil. Further, the heat insulation film is made of quartz fiber paper or puffed PTFE paper.

[0025] In some embodiments, the vapor generation component further comprises a flame insulation net located upstream of the gas-thermal smoke column. The main function of the flame insulation is to avoid the flame from contacting the gas-thermal smoke column and causing the gas-thermal smoke column to burn, and reduce the inflow speed of the combustion gas input through the combustion gas inlet, and divide the combustion gas into multiple combustion gas streams to evenly guide the gas-thermal smoke column. As much as possible, the combustion gas passes through the gas-thermal smoke column more slowly and uniformly, increasing the heat absorption efficiency. Further, the flame insulation net is made of stainless steel.

[0026] In some embodiments, the vapor generation assembly further comprises a filter element located downstream of the gas-thermal smoke column. Harmful substances are captured as many as possible before being inhaled by the user.

[0027] In some embodiments, the filter element is a filter cotton made of polyester fiber.

[0028] In some embodiments, the combustion gas inlet is formed by the front end of the housing, and the front end is closed in the form of a liquid seal.

[0029] In some embodiments, the form of liquid sealing is moisturizing film sealing, aluminum foil encapsulation, silicone cap encapsulation.

[0030] In some embodiments, the gas-thermal smoke column is a cylinder body pressed by a tobacco mixture material mold.

[0031] In some embodiments, the air-thermal smoke column is a cylinder rolled by a tobacco sheet having a plurality of ventilation grooves, and the plurality of ventilation grooves is arranged on the body of the tobacco sheet parallel to the axial direction; when the tobacco sheet is wound axially to form the gas-thermal smoke column, the plurality of ventilation grooves with the body of the tobacco sheets form the endothermic channel. The gas-thermal smoke column heat exchange efficiency made by this process is higher.

[0032] In some embodiments, the section of the gas-thermal smoke column is basically round, and the endothermic channels are arranged in a spiral to have better heat exchange efficiency.

[0033] In some embodiments, the cross-section of the gas-thermal smoke column is basically circular, and the endothermic channels are arranged in concentric rings.

[0034] The cigarette cartridge obtained by the invention according to the above scheme is suitable for gas-heated smoking articles. For example, it is suitable for a smoking article heated by premixed flame combustion, the flame generated by propane or butane premixed air combustion, high-temperature baking heating cigarette cartridge, and the body of the cigarette cartridge itself does not have a heat source, the hot air flow through the multiple endothermic channels of the gas heat smoke column, uniformly smokes tobacco and produces a vapor very similar to the taste of ordinary cigarettes.

[0035] In some embodiments, the gas-heated smoking article comprises:

[0036] A cartridge that forms the main body of a gas-heated smoking article; and a combustion mechanism disposed in the inner cavity of the cartridge; Wherein the housing of the cigarette cartridge is configured such that the cigarette cartridge is at least partially inserted into the mouth of the cartridge and is detachably fixed with it.

[0037] In some embodiments, when the cigarette cartridge is inserted into the mouth of the cartridge and fixed is completed, the outer contour of the housing of the cigarette cartridge and the outer contour of the cartridge are smoothly connected.

[0038] In some embodiments, the combustion mechanism will burn propane or butane gas that is pre-mixed with air, and the heat generated, and high temperature carbon dioxide are used for bake tobacco cartridges, to produce smoke.

[0039] In some embodiments, in order to prevent insufficient combustion of butane premix, excessive combustion of premixed air is used. Further, the ignition method is ignition with a high-voltage arc, and an arc ignition sheet can be used.

[0040] Through the technical solution of the present invention, the heating of the cigarette cartridge only uses the heat of the combustion gas coming from the combustion gas inlet, and the cigarette cartridge itself does not have a heat source, and the structure is lighter and simpler. Through the configuration of the gas-thermal smoke column, the material in the column is fully and uniformly heated, and the tobacco filament and the tobacco powder in the gas-thermal smoke column are not burned. The thermal inertia of the smoke is reduced, and the large amount of smoke is continuously generated, and the user feels good when smoking, and other harmful gases other than the vapor is minimized.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention, the following will be briefly introduced the required drawings one by one in the description of the embodiments. It should be noted that the following drawings are only schematic illustrations displayed in conjunction with the specification, for those familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not intended to limit the technical solution of the present invention. FIG 1: Schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of a cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG. 2: A-A profile view of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention in FIG. 3a embodiment; FIG. 3a: Schematic diagram of the end structure of an embodiment of an embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG. 3b: Schematic view of the end face structure of another embodiment of another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG. 3c: Schematic view of the end face structure of another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG. 3d: Schematic view of the end face structure of another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG 4: Schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of a gas-heated smoking article of the present invention; FIG 5: Schematic diagram of the unfolding structure of a tobacco sheet of another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG 6: Schematic diagram of the winding structure of tobacco sheets in another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG 7: Schematic diagram of another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The following is further detailed description of the specific content of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, the examples given are only used to explain the present invention, not to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0043] It should be noted that the terms "upstream", "downstream" described in the present invention refer to along the direction of fluid flow. The term "axial" refers to the axial direction of the smoking article, perpendicular to the "radial" direction. It should be noted that the use of the "axial" description does not limit the shape of smoking articles, for example, smoking articles can be cylindrical, prismatic, or even asymmetrical cylinders. The term "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0044] The term "tobacco sheet" in the present invention is also known as reconstituted tobacco leaf or homogeneous tobacco leaf in the tobacco industry and is a flake product with properties close to or better than natural tobacco leaf prepared by processing of natural tobacco leaf material.

[0045] The invention provides a gas-heated smoking article of a replaceable cartridge and a smoking article thereof.

[0046] FIG 1 is a schematic view of the structure of an embodiment of the present invention of cigarette cartridge. The cigarette cartridge includes a cylindrical housing 104. A combustion gas inlet 101 is formed at one end of the axial direction of the housing 104. The combustion gas inlet 101 is sealed in the form of a liquid seal to seal the liquid or water vapor in the housing. In an embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the entrance is provided with an embedded plastic part 102. The embedded plastic part 102 and the housing 104 are sealed by a sealing ring 103, forming an inner cavity of the housing 104. In the inner cavity of the housing 104, downstream of the combustion gas inlet 101, a vapor generation component Is included. The vapor generation assembly from upstream to downstream of the gas flow, sequentially includes a flame insulation net 105, an air-thermal smoke column 108, a moisturizing film 107 and a heat insulation film 106 wrapped around the periphery of the gas-thermal smoke column, and a filter element 110. At the other end of the axial direction of the housing 104, downstream of the vapor generation assembly, a vapor outlet 111 of the housing 104 is disposed thereof.

[0047] The housing 104 may for example be made of heat-resistant plastic. Optionally, it can also be made with double-insulated construction. The sealing and moisturizing method of the housing 104 at the combustion gas inlet 1, in addition to the example of FIG. 1, may also adopt other methods not shown in the drawings of the present invention. For example, a moisturizing foil made of metal is used to encapsulate directly at the inlet of the combustion gas to achieve a moisturizing function). When the ignition device 122 is located upstream of the combustion gas inlet, as shown in FIG. 4, the metal moisturizing foil may be selected as a soluble metal foil (e.g., tin foil). When the ignition device is located in the cavity inside the housing (not shown), aluminum foil can be used to seal the combustion gas inlet, where the aluminum foil plays the role of conducting the heat of the combustion flame. In one embodiment, the metal moisturizing foil may be encapsulated outside the embedded plastic part 102 shown in FIG. 1 to achieve liquid encapsulation, and the same as above, whether to choose soluble metal foil may be determined according to the position of the ignition device. In another embodiment, when the ignition device is located in the inner cavity of the housing 104, a soft and elastic silicone sealing cap may also be used to achieve a moisturizing seal. In another embodiment, the sealing ring 103 may not be used, directly using embedded plastic parts or other forms of embedded parts or plastic parts, or other sealing devices. The liquid sealing method can be specifically selected according to the actual position of the ignition device; The ignition device can be an arc ignition. These are common and familiar ways for those skilled in the art, so they will not be repeated.

[0048] Flame insulation net 105, in one embodiment, is a mesh made of stainless steel. The flame insulation net 105, avoids the flame contacting with the gas heat smoke column to make it burn. It can also conduct heat, reduce the inflow velocity of the combustion gas input through the combustion gas inlet 101, and divide the combustion gas into a plurality of combustion gas streams evenly directed to the gas-thermal smoke column 108. Make the combustion gas pass through the gas-thermal smoke column slowly and uniformly as far as possible, to improve the heat absorption efficiency.

[0049] Moisturizing film 107 is preferably made of aluminum foil or high temperature resistant plastic. On the one hand, the moisturizing film 107 can realize the effect of moisturizing, so that the water vapor stays in it, thereby preventing the burning of the smoke column; On the other hand, since one of the components of the gas-thermal smoke column includes liquid propylene glycol, the setting of the moisturizing film 107 may also prevent liquid penetration and volatilization.

[0050] The heat insulation film 106 is made of thermal insulation material, preferably made of quartz fiber or high-temperature glass fiber paper, and may also be made of extruded PTFE paper. The heat insulation film is optional. When the housing 104 itself has a thermal insulation function, such as a thermal insulation layer, or a thermal insulation material or hollow insulation structure, the heat insulation film 106 may be omitted. Of course, even if the housing 104 itself has a thermal insulation effect, a heat insulation film can still be provided, and this embodiment is also covered by the scope of the invention.

[0051] Filter element 110 is preferably made of polyester fiber filter cotton material, used to capture hazardous substances as much as possible before being inhaled by the user.

[0052] The gas-thermal smoke column 108 is formed into a column provided with a plurality of penetrating endothermic channels 109, and absorbs the heat of the combustion gas through the endothermic channel, releases the vapor after heating, and then filters through the filter element 110, and the vapor is discharged from the vapor outlet 111 for the user to inhale. The gas-thermal smoke column 108 adopts a columnar structure comprising a plurality of endothermic channels 109. The vapor can be released by absorbing the heat of the combustion gas more efficiently, without the need for an additional heat source in the cigarette cartridge. Preferably, a plurality of endothermic channels is uniformly arranged in the gas-thermal smoke column 108. Preferably, the cylinder of the gas-thermal smoke column is a thermally expandable cylinder, when the cylinder of the gas-thermal smoke column 108 is thermally expanded, at least part of the orifice of the endothermic channel 109 is narrowed or closed.

[0053] The cross-section of the gas-thermal smoke column can be the shape required for various smoking articles. For example, circle, flat circle, polygon, polygon, etc. Correspondingly, the arrangement and number of endothermic channels can also be designed according to the cross-section of the gas-thermal smoke column. In order to improve the thermal inertia of the gas-thermal smoke column, the endothermic channels can have different diameters and different distribution positions at the same time. In the embodiments of FIGS. 2, 3a, the gas-thermal smoke column 208 preformed as a plurality of endothermic channels 209. The arrangement of the endothermic channel 209 is preferably in the form of FIG. 3a, evenly distributed. An embodiment of FIG. 3b illustrates an arrangement of the endothermic channel 309 on the gas-thermal smoke column 308. FIG 3c shows that when the section of the gas-thermal smoke column 408 is oval, the endothermic channel 409 may also be designed as a corresponding flat circle. FIG. 3d shows another embodiment of the cross-sectional structure of the endothermic channel 508, wherein the endothermic channel 509A and 509B may adopt different diameters and arrangements.

[0054] In order to improve the heat exchange efficiency and thermal inertia, the endothermic channels of the gas-thermal smoke column can also be arranged in a spiral arrangement. The gas-thermal smoke column 608 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is winded by a tobacco sheet 600 having a plurality of ventilation grooves 601. In one embodiment, the tobacco sheets are infiltrated and dried with a saturated sodium chloride aqueous solution, and a small amount of propylene glycol is infiltrated and wound into a column as an air-heated smoke column. When the tobacco sheet 600 is unfolded, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of ventilation grooves 601 parallel to the axial direction, are uniformly disposed in the body 602 of the tobacco sheet. As shown in FIG. 6, when the tobacco sheet is wound axially to form the gas-thermal smoke column 608, the plurality of ventilation grooves 601 and the body 602 of the tobacco sheet form the endothermic channel 609. In the example in Figure 6, the section of the gas-thermal smoke column is basically round, and the endothermic channels are arranged in a spiral pattern. The outer layer of the winding completed gas-thermal smoke column 608 is wrapped with a moisturizing film 107 and / or heat insulation film 106, on the one hand, it plays a moisturizing and heat insulation effect, and on the other hand, the winded gas-thermal smoke column is tightly wrapped and fixed.

[0055] The section of the gas-thermal smoke column 708 shown in FIG. 7 is circular, and the endothermic channel 709 is arranged in the form of concentric circles. The gas-thermal smoke column 708 is rolled by three tobacco sheets (not shown) of different axial lengths with plurality of ventilation grooves, which are stacked to form a concentric cylindrical structure. In this example, the number of tobacco sheets is not limited to three, nor is the number of concentric cylinders formed by this.

[0056] The above embodiments are only enumerations and cannot exhaust all embodiments of the present invention, as defined in the claims. It should be noted that each embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column described above and below may be applied to other embodiments of components and components described in the present description.

[0057] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises a smoke agent, an inorganic salt, a metal heat conductor, an adhesive. Alternatively, gas-thermal smoke column mixtures include fumes, inorganic salts, metal heat transfers, adhesives, expanding agents. Alternatively, gas-thermal smoke column mixtures include fumes, inorganic salts, metal heat conductors, adhesives, metal encapsulations. Alternatively, gas-thermal smoke column mixtures include fumes, inorganic salts, metal heat conductors, adhesives, expanding agents, metal encapsulation. These materials form a mixture of gas-heated smoke columns, which are molded to form a cylinder.

[0058] The following combined with specific embodiments, to illustrate the embodiments of the above smoke agent, inorganic salt, metal heat conductor, adhesive, expanding agent, metal encapsulant.

[0059] The smoke agent is heated to produce smoke from smoking articles. In one embodiment, the smoke agent comprises tobacco filament or tobacco powder. Further, the smoke agent also includes propylene glycol, which can form smoke when heated. Liquid propylene glycol and solid tobacco filament or tobacco powder are evenly mixed into a basic humid state, and the smoke produced after heating provides the taste and moisture of tobacco flavor.

[0060] Inorganic salts play a role in absorbing water vapor and flame retardant produced by combustion. Inorganic salts can be selected from sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, etc.

[0061] Metal heat conductors are used to equalize heat in the gas-thermal smoke column. Metal heat conductors can be fragments, broken strips, filaments, etc. made of aluminum foil or other thermally conductive metals, dispersed mixed in the gas-thermal smoke column.

[0062] The adhesive is used to bond the mixed materials in the gas-thermal smoke column, which is pressed by the mold to form the cylinder. For example, alcohol-soluble ethyl cellulose is available as a binder

[0063] The expanding agent is used to heat the superheated smoke column to expand, thereby narrowing or closing the endothermic channel. When the cylinder of the gas-thermal smoke column expanded and is heated, at least part of the orifice of the endothermic channel is narrowed or closed. When the cylinder is heated and expanded, the orifice of the heat absorption channel is closed or narrowed, which is conducive to the combustion gas being trapped in the gas-thermal smoke column for circulation, further increasing the heat absorption efficiency and reducing the user's inhalation of the combustion gas. In some embodiments, the expanding agent is starch dry gel particles, corn granules, rice granules or alginate granules, etc.

[0064] The metal encapsulation includes contents (such as smoke liquid), when the metal encapsulant is heated, the outer layer of the metal cracks or melts, releasing the contents and forming a mist, which can increase the amount of aerosol and improve the taste of smoking articles. In one embodiment, the content is a mixture of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerol and tobacco flavor. For example, the contents of a metal encapsulant include 1-2% nicotine, 98-99% propylene glycol, and trace amounts of flavor. The metal encapsulant encapsulates its contents with an outer layer of metal foil. Metal foil can be aluminum foil, tin foil, copper foil, nickel foil, or alloy foil. During the process of the gas-thermal smoke column being heated, the contents release the smoke liquid due to the cracking or melting of the metal foil. For example, when aluminum foil is used as a metal foil, the contents are released due to gas pressure at high temperatures. When using tin foil as a metal foil, the contents are released due to the melting of the tin foil at high temperatures. The volume of each metal encapsulant is 1-5 cubic millimeters.

[0065] The patent applications submitted by the inventor before this include the Chinese invention patent ZL2016204193031 / Publication No. CN205695718U, and the international patent application PCT / CN2020 / 092668, which records the composition of the metal encapsulation (microburst microcapsule structure) and its contents (smoke liquid). The metal encapsulation of the present invention may use any of the appropriate technical solutions described in the above patent application.

[0066] As an example, the composition ratio of the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column may have the following embodiments:

[0067] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, inorganic salts, metal heat conductive substances (such as aluminum foil wire) , and the ratio by weight is, 1: (0.2 ~ 0.7) :(0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein an appropriate amount of adhesive.

[0068] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column includes the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, inorganic salts, expanding agents, metal heat conductive substances (such as aluminum foil wire), and the ratio by weight is 1: (0.2 - 0.7) :(0.01 ~ 0.08) :(0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate.

[0069] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, propylene glycol, inorganic salts, metal heat conductive substances (such as aluminum foil wire) , and the ratio by weight is, 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3) :(0.2 - 0.7) :(0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate.

[0070] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, propylene glycol, inorganic salts, expanding agent, metal heat conductive substance (such as aluminum foil wire) , and the ratio by weight is 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3) :( 0.2 ~ 0.7) :( 0.01 ~ 0.08) :( 0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate.

[0071] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column includes the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, propylene glycol, inorganic salt, metal heat conductive material (such as aluminum foil wire) , and the ratio by weight is 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3) :(0.2 ~ 0.7) :(0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate, and a plurality of metal encapsulations is included.

[0072] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column includes the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, propylene glycol, inorganic salts, expanding agents (such as starch dry gel granules) , and the ratio by weight is 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3) :(0.2 ~ 0.7) :(0.01 ~ 0.08), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate, and a plurality of metal encapsulations is included.

[0073] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column includes the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, propylene glycol, inorganic salts, expanding agent (such as starch dry gel particles), metal heat conductive substance (such as aluminum foil wire) , and the ratio by weight is 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3) :( 0.2 ~ 0.7) :(0.01 ~ 0.08) :( 0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate, and a plurality of metal encapsulations is included.

[0074] In one embodiment, tobacco filament or tobacco powder is pre-soaked with 25% inorganic saline solution (e.g., sodium chloride aqueous solution), dried and set aside. This treatment method can make inorganic salts evenly mixed in tobacco filament or tobacco powder, which is more convenient for inorganic salts to exert their function of flame retardancy and water vapor generation. After the above drying steps, it is infiltrated with a small amount of propylene glycol, and can be further pressed into a gas-thermal smoke column through the mold; Or made into tobacco sheets (with ventilation grooves), and then rolled into a column, used as an air-heated smoke column.

[0075] The treatment method may be applied to any of the above embodiments in the component ratio, and may be used in other component proportions not mentioned in the present description.

[0076] In the above example, the number of metal encapsulation is determined according to the volume of the gas-thermal smoke column, the volume of the metal encapsulations, and the taste demand of the smoking article.

[0077] FIG 4 shows an example of a gas-type smoking article comprising a cigarette cartridge protected by the present invention. Wherein the smoking article includes a cigarette cartridge 121 forming the main body of a gas-heated smoking article and a combustion mechanism 122 disposed in the inner cavity of the cigarette cartridge 121. For example, the combustion mechanism 122 will burn propane or butane gas that is pre-mixed with air, and the resulting heat and high temperature carbon dioxide to bake tobacco cartridges to produce smoke. Wherein the housing 104 of the cigarette cartridge is configured such that the cigarette cartridge is at least partially inserted into the mouth of the cartridge 121 and is detachably fixed thereto. As shown in Figure 4, when the cigarette cartridge is inserted into the mouth of the cartridge and fixed is completed, the outer contour of the housing of the cigarette cartridge is smoothly connected with the outer contour of the cartridge. In one embodiment, in order to prevent insufficient combustion of butane premix, excessive combustion of premixed air is adopted. Ignition can be by high-voltage arcing.

[0078] When using the gas-heated smoking article shown in FIG. 4, the cigarette cartridge is inserted into the smoking article cylinder cartridge 121. When the button 123 is pressed, the premix flame burns. In one embodiment, the sealing metal foil at the combustion gas inlet 101 is melted. When the user smokes, the high temperature carbon dioxide gas stream passes through combustion gas inlet 101, flame insulation net 105, and is inhaled into the ventilation channel 109 in the gas-thermal smoke column 108. Smoke generating agents (e.g., tobacco powder and propylene glycol, or smoke agents of other configuration components mentioned above) are heated to smoke, and the smoke is inhaled by the user through the filter element 110, inhalation port 111 into the mouth.

[0079] The cigarette cartridge of the present invention may also be applied to smoking articles in the present inventor's U.S. patent US10918133B2.

[0080] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, not to limit it. Although the present invention is described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand: they may still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or replace the preparation reaction conditions, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0042]The following is further detailed description of the specific content of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, the examples given are only used to explain the present invention, not to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0043]It should be noted that the terms "upstream", "downstream" described in the present invention refer to along the direction of fluid flow. The term "axial" refers to the axial direction of the smoking article, perpendicular to the "radial" direction. It should be noted that the use of the "axial" description does not limit the shape of smoking articles, for example, smoking articles can be cylindrical, prismatic, or even asymmetrical cylinders. The term "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0044]The term "tobacco sheet" in the present invention is also known as reconstituted tobacco leaf or homogeneous tobacco leaf in the tobacco industry and is a flake product with properties close to or better tha...

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to smoking products, in particular to a gas heated smoking article cartridge and its smoking article.BACKGROUND

[0002] Ordinary smoking products, such as cigarettes or tobaccos, are made of cigarette paper rolling tobacco to form a stick shape or rod. Usually, the cigarette's nozzle (smoking end) also has a filter, such as a filter made of cellulose acetate. When a smoker lights a cigarette and makes an inhalation action, the tobacco filament in the cigarette burns and carbonizes to form a hot burning zone without flame, and this gradually backward blazing burning zone produces a high-temperature air flow to dry the adjacent tobacco filament , and evaporates the volatile substances in the tobacco filament and forms visible white and light blue smoke under the cooling of the inhaled air. However, the decomposition reaction and metathesis reaction of a variety of chemicals derived from tobacco during combustion will produce a large amount of tar and a variety of harmful substances, so enjoying the pleasure of low-harm nicotine and reducing tar and harmful substances has become a problem for tobacco manufacturers. In order to significantly improve the public health environment, reduce the harm of tobacco and the resulting legal conflicts, related technological improvements and scientific inventions are improving this situation.

[0003] To this end, after a large number of experiments and research, various types of electronic cigarettes and electrically heated cigarette products have been developed. In the field of gas-fired heating smoking products, it usually includes fixed-use gas combustion mechanisms and replaceable cigarette cartridge consumables.

[0004] In the prior art, there are already replaceable cigarette cartridge consumables for gas-fired smoking products, and the cigarette cartridge consumables are heated-non-combustible, which can reduce a variety of harmful components produced by traditional cigarettes due to tobacco combustion and thermal cracking. The Chinese patents of the inventor with the publication numbers CN210382647U and CN215381479U are intended to provide smokers with low-tar cigarettes with the advantages of traditional cigarettes, while minimizing incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products. However, there are still some technical problems in the prior art that urgently need a more ideal solution, such as the adequate heating of the cigarette cartridge consumable, thermal inertia and other issues. How to provide smokers with a good smoking feeling and achieve efficient heating of cigarette cartridge consumables as much as possible, while light structure and cost reduction, is one of the technical improvement directions that those skilled in the art aim to explore.

[0005] WO 2020 / 181358 A1 discloses an improved, cleaner functioning smoking article. The improved, cleaner functioning smoking article comprises a aerosol forming substrate engineered to include airflow chanels, Features include a hollow tube, which may be comprised of various materials, including the material for vaporization itself, within the engineered material, such as tobacco, for efficient vaporization, Other features include a hollow, inverted cone to permit air ingress in a closed bottomed HNB cigarette, and a capsule cigarette designed to retain loose leaf and original material for clean vaporization.

[0006] US 2021 / 289836 A1 discloses a gas combustion heating smoking article with puff mouth piece. The gas heating smoking article includes a smoking article housing, a combustion device, a plurality of cigarette consumable items or a plurality of aerosol generation consumable items. The combustion device uses propane or butane premixed with air before combustion, heat generated from the combustion is used to bake the cigarette consumable items or aerosol generation consumable items.

[0007] US 2012 / 247494 A1 discloses a disposable sachet of tobacco for use with a gas powered vaporizing device for vaporizing vaporizable constituents of the tobacco. The sachet comprises a side wall of an impermeable paper based material and an upstream end cap and a downstream end cap which together define a hollow interior region for the tobacco. The sachet is shaped and sized to releasably and snugly engage a vaporizing chamber of the vaporizing device with a heat transfer member therein extending into the hollow interior region of the sachet. The upstream end cap and the downstream end cap are of a paper based permeable material which are permeable to air and an aerosol of vaporized constituents from the tobacco, respectively, to accommodate air into the hollow interior region of the sachet and the aerosol therefrom.SUMMARY

[0008] One of the problems to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cigarette cartridge suitable for gas-heated smoking articles. The smoking articles using the cigarette cartridge have good thermal inertia and sufficient heating, which can produce smoke very similar to the taste of ordinary cigarettes and have a good feeling of use and low cost.

[0009] The technical solution of the present invention is defined in claim 1, and includes: A cigarette cartridge for a gas-heated smoking article comprising: a housing (104); a combustion gas inlet (101) located at one end of the housing (104) in the axial direction; a vapor generation component located downstream of the combustion gas inlet in the cavity of the housing, the vapor generation component includes a gas-thermal smoke column, the gas-thermal smoke column is formed into a column with a cylinder with a plurality of through-through endothermic channels, the plurality of through-through endothermic channels extend from one end of the gas-thermal smoke column to the opposite end of the gas-thermal smoke column, and the gas-thermal smoke column absorbs the heat of the combustion gas through the heat-absorbing channel, and releases the vapor after being heated, the heating of the cigarette cartridge only uses the heat of the combustion gas coming from the combustion gas inlet, and the cigarette cartridge itself does not have a heat source; a vapor outlet located downstream of the vapor generation assembly at the opposite end of the axial direction of the housing.

[0010] By forming the gas-thermal smoke column into a column with multiple penetrating endothermic channels, the heat of the combustion gas can be more efficiently absorbed to release the vapor, without the need for an additional heat source in the cigarette cartridge. Since the smoke outlet at the tail of the cigarette cartridge is closer to the user's mouth, whether the user sucking with mouth or holding with fingers, the temperature of the part where the cartridge is located is too high or uncontrollable will bring about a bad feeling experience, and the method of the present application avoids the potential adverse feeling of the heat source in the cigarette cartridge.

[0011] Further, a plurality of penetrating endothermic channels is provided to maximize the heat absorption of the combustion gas, and at the same time, the passage path of the channel is parallel to the axial direction, reducing the sense of retardation when the user inhales the vapor.

[0012] According to the invention, the plurality of endothermic channels is a plurality of channels uniformly arranged axially in the gas-thermal smoke column. " Uniformly arranged" means that multiple channels are spaced approximately the same distance from each other. This arrangement is conducive to uniform heat absorption and vapor release from the gas-thermal smoke column, improving efficiency and suitable for industrial mass manufacturing.

[0013] According to the invention, the cylinder of the gas-thermal smoke column is a thermal expansion cylinder, and when the cylinder of the gas-thermal smoke column is expanded by heat, at least part of the orifice of the endothermic channel is reduced or closed. When the cylinder is heated and expanded, the orifice of the heat absorption channel is closed, which is conducive to the combustion gas being trapped in the gas-thermal smoke column for circulation, further increasing the heat absorption efficiency and reducing the user's inhalation of the combustion gas.

[0014] In some embodiments, the preparation material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises tobacco filaments and / or tobacco powders, or tobacco sheets that have been wetted with inorganic salts.

[0015] In some embodiments, the preparation material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises a smoke agent, an inorganic salt, a metal heat conductor, an adhesive. Among them, the smoke generating agent is used to make smoking articles and produce smoke; the inorganic salt plays a role in absorbing water vapor and flame retardant produced by combustion; the metal heat conductor is used to equalize the heat in the gas-thermal smoke column; the adhesive is used to bond the hybrid material of the gas-heated smoke column.

[0016] In some embodiments, the smoke agent comprises tobacco filaments, tobacco powders, tobacco sheets.

[0017] In some embodiments, the smoke agent further comprises propylene glycol. In a specific embodiment, the ratio of tobacco filament or tobacco powder to propylene glycol by weight is: 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3).

[0018] In some embodiments, the inorganic salt is sodium chloride or sodium sulfate. In a specific embodiment, the tobacco filament or the tobacco powder and the inorganic salt are 1:(0.2~0.7) by weight.

[0019] In some specific embodiments, the tobacco filament, the tobacco powder is pre-soaked with sodium chloride aqueous solution, preferably saturated sodium chloride aqueous solution, dried and reserved. This treatment method can make inorganic salts evenly mixed in tobacco filaments or tobacco powders, which is more convenient for inorganic salts to play their function of flame retardancy and water vapor absorption.

[0020] In some embodiments, the gas-thermal smoke column product further comprises an expanding agent. Further, the thermal expansion of the cylinder is realized by the expanding agent in the gas-thermal smoke column.

[0021] In some embodiments, the expanding agent is starch dry gel granules, corn granules, rice granules or alginic gel granules. In a specific embodiment, the tobacco filament or the tobacco powder and the expanding agent is 1:(0.01~0.08) by weight.

[0022] In some embodiments, the metal heat conductive material in the finished product of the gas-thermal smoke column is aluminum foil wire. A small amount of aluminum foil wire is used to equalize the heat. In a specific embodiment, the tobacco filament or the tobacco powder and the metal heat conductive material is 1:(0.03~0.1) by weight.

[0023] In some embodiments, the finished body of the gas-thermal smoke column further comprises metal encapsulations. Further, the metal encapsulation is formed by wrapping the contents with aluminum foil; When the metal encapsulation is heated, the contents are released to form an aerosol, increasing the amount of aerosol and improving the taste of smoking articles. Among them, the volume of the metal encapsulation is 1-5 cubic millimeters. Preferably, the content is a mixture of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerol and tobacco flavor. More preferably, by weight, nicotine is 1-2%, propylene glycol is 98-99%, and the flavor is trace amount.

[0024] In some embodiments, the vapor generation component further comprises a moisturizing film and / or heat insulation film disposed on the periphery of the gas-thermal smoke column and wrapped in the gas-thermal smoke column. Among them, a moisturizing film is set to moisturize the effect, so that the water vapor stays in it, thereby preventing the smoke column from burning. In some embodiments, the moisturizing film is made of aluminum foil. Further, the heat insulation film is made of quartz fiber paper or puffed PTFE paper.

[0025] In some embodiments, the vapor generation component further comprises a flame insulation net located upstream of the gas-thermal smoke column. The main function of the flame insulation is to avoid the flame from contacting the gas-thermal smoke column and causing the gas-thermal smoke column to burn, and reduce the inflow speed of the combustion gas input through the combustion gas inlet, and divide the combustion gas into multiple combustion gas streams to evenly guide the gas-thermal smoke column. As much as possible, the combustion gas passes through the gas-thermal smoke column more slowly and uniformly, increasing the heat absorption efficiency. Further, the flame insulation net is made of stainless steel.

[0026] In some embodiments, the vapor generation assembly further comprises a filter element located downstream of the gas-thermal smoke column. Harmful substances are captured as many as possible before being inhaled by the user.

[0027] In some embodiments, the filter element is a filter cotton made of polyester fiber.

[0028] In some embodiments, the combustion gas inlet is formed by the front end of the housing, and the front end is closed in the form of a liquid seal.

[0029] In some embodiments, the form of liquid sealing is moisturizing film sealing, aluminum foil encapsulation, silicone cap encapsulation.

[0030] In some embodiments, the gas-thermal smoke column is a cylinder body pressed by a tobacco mixture material mold.

[0031] In some embodiments, the air-thermal smoke column is a cylinder rolled by a tobacco sheet having a plurality of ventilation grooves, and the plurality of ventilation grooves is arranged on the body of the tobacco sheet parallel to the axial direction; when the tobacco sheet is wound axially to form the gas-thermal smoke column, the plurality of ventilation grooves with the body of the tobacco sheets form the endothermic channel. The gas-thermal smoke column heat exchange efficiency made by this process is higher.

[0032] In some embodiments, the section of the gas-thermal smoke column is basically round, and the endothermic channels are arranged in a spiral to have better heat exchange efficiency.

[0033] In some embodiments, the cross-section of the gas-thermal smoke column is basically circular, and the endothermic channels are arranged in concentric rings.

[0034] The cigarette cartridge obtained by the invention according to the above scheme is suitable for gas-heated smoking articles. For example, it is suitable for a smoking article heated by premixed flame combustion, the flame generated by propane or butane premixed air combustion, high-temperature baking heating cigarette cartridge, and the body of the cigarette cartridge itself does not have a heat source, the hot air flow through the multiple endothermic channels of the gas heat smoke column, uniformly smokes tobacco and produces a vapor very similar to the taste of ordinary cigarettes.

[0035] In some embodiments, the gas-heated smoking article comprises:

[0036] A cartridge that forms the main body of a gas-heated smoking article; and a combustion mechanism disposed in the inner cavity of the cartridge; Wherein the housing of the cigarette cartridge is configured such that the cigarette cartridge is at least partially inserted into the mouth of the cartridge and is detachably fixed with it.

[0037] In some embodiments, when the cigarette cartridge is inserted into the mouth of the cartridge and fixed is completed, the outer contour of the housing of the cigarette cartridge and the outer contour of the cartridge are smoothly connected.

[0038] In some embodiments, the combustion mechanism will burn propane or butane gas that is pre-mixed with air, and the heat generated, and high temperature carbon dioxide are used for bake tobacco cartridges, to produce smoke.

[0039] In some embodiments, in order to prevent insufficient combustion of butane premix, excessive combustion of premixed air is used. Further, the ignition method is ignition with a high-voltage arc, and an arc ignition sheet can be used.

[0040] Through the technical solution of the present invention, the heating of the cigarette cartridge only uses the heat of the combustion gas coming from the combustion gas inlet, and the cigarette cartridge itself does not have a heat source, and the structure is lighter and simpler. Through the configuration of the gas-thermal smoke column, the material in the column is fully and uniformly heated, and the tobacco filament and the tobacco powder in the gas-thermal smoke column are not burned. The thermal inertia of the smoke is reduced, and the large amount of smoke is continuously generated, and the user feels good when smoking, and other harmful gases other than the vapor is minimized.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention, the following will be briefly introduced the required drawings one by one in the description of the embodiments. It should be noted that the following drawings are only schematic illustrations displayed in conjunction with the specification, for those familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not intended to limit the technical solution of the present invention. FIG 1: Schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of a cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG. 2: A-A profile view of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention in FIG. 3a embodiment; FIG. 3a: Schematic diagram of the end structure of an embodiment of an embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG. 3b: Schematic view of the end face structure of another embodiment of another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG. 3c: Schematic view of the end face structure of another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG. 3d: Schematic view of the end face structure of another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG 4: Schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of a gas-heated smoking article of the present invention; FIG 5: Schematic diagram of the unfolding structure of a tobacco sheet of another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG 6: Schematic diagram of the winding structure of tobacco sheets in another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention; FIG 7: Schematic diagram of another embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column of the cigarette cartridge of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The following is further detailed description of the specific content of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, the examples given are only used to explain the present invention, not to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0043] It should be noted that the terms "upstream", "downstream" described in the present invention refer to along the direction of fluid flow. The term "axial" refers to the axial direction of the smoking article, perpendicular to the "radial" direction. It should be noted that the use of the "axial" description does not limit the shape of smoking articles, for example, smoking articles can be cylindrical, prismatic, or even asymmetrical cylinders. The term "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0044] The term "tobacco sheet" in the present invention is also known as reconstituted tobacco leaf or homogeneous tobacco leaf in the tobacco industry and is a flake product with properties close to or better than natural tobacco leaf prepared by processing of natural tobacco leaf material.

[0045] The invention provides a gas-heated smoking article of a replaceable cartridge and a smoking article thereof.

[0046] FIG 1 is a schematic view of the structure of an embodiment of the present invention of cigarette cartridge. The cigarette cartridge includes a cylindrical housing 104. A combustion gas inlet 101 is formed at one end of the axial direction of the housing 104. The combustion gas inlet 101 is sealed in the form of a liquid seal to seal the liquid or water vapor in the housing. In an embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the entrance is provided with an embedded plastic part 102. The embedded plastic part 102 and the housing 104 are sealed by a sealing ring 103, forming an inner cavity of the housing 104. In the inner cavity of the housing 104, downstream of the combustion gas inlet 101, a vapor generation component Is included. The vapor generation assembly from upstream to downstream of the gas flow, sequentially includes a flame insulation net 105, an air-thermal smoke column 108, a moisturizing film 107 and a heat insulation film 106 wrapped around the periphery of the gas-thermal smoke column, and a filter element 110. At the other end of the axial direction of the housing 104, downstream of the vapor generation assembly, a vapor outlet 111 of the housing 104 is disposed thereof.

[0047] The housing 104 may for example be made of heat-resistant plastic. Optionally, it can also be made with double-insulated construction. The sealing and moisturizing method of the housing 104 at the combustion gas inlet 1, in addition to the example of FIG. 1, may also adopt other methods not shown in the drawings of the present invention. For example, a moisturizing foil made of metal is used to encapsulate directly at the inlet of the combustion gas to achieve a moisturizing function). When the ignition device 122 is located upstream of the combustion gas inlet, as shown in FIG. 4, the metal moisturizing foil may be selected as a soluble metal foil (e.g., tin foil). When the ignition device is located in the cavity inside the housing (not shown), aluminum foil can be used to seal the combustion gas inlet, where the aluminum foil plays the role of conducting the heat of the combustion flame. In one embodiment, the metal moisturizing foil may be encapsulated outside the embedded plastic part 102 shown in FIG. 1 to achieve liquid encapsulation, and the same as above, whether to choose soluble metal foil may be determined according to the position of the ignition device. In another embodiment, when the ignition device is located in the inner cavity of the housing 104, a soft and elastic silicone sealing cap may also be used to achieve a moisturizing seal. In another embodiment, the sealing ring 103 may not be used, directly using embedded plastic parts or other forms of embedded parts or plastic parts, or other sealing devices. The liquid sealing method can be specifically selected according to the actual position of the ignition device; The ignition device can be an arc ignition. These are common and familiar ways for those skilled in the art, so they will not be repeated.

[0048] Flame insulation net 105, in one embodiment, is a mesh made of stainless steel. The flame insulation net 105, avoids the flame contacting with the gas heat smoke column to make it burn. It can also conduct heat, reduce the inflow velocity of the combustion gas input through the combustion gas inlet 101, and divide the combustion gas into a plurality of combustion gas streams evenly directed to the gas-thermal smoke column 108. Make the combustion gas pass through the gas-thermal smoke column slowly and uniformly as far as possible, to improve the heat absorption efficiency.

[0049] Moisturizing film 107 is preferably made of aluminum foil or high temperature resistant plastic. On the one hand, the moisturizing film 107 can realize the effect of moisturizing, so that the water vapor stays in it, thereby preventing the burning of the smoke column; On the other hand, since one of the components of the gas-thermal smoke column includes liquid propylene glycol, the setting of the moisturizing film 107 may also prevent liquid penetration and volatilization.

[0050] The heat insulation film 106 is made of thermal insulation material, preferably made of quartz fiber or high-temperature glass fiber paper, and may also be made of extruded PTFE paper. The heat insulation film is optional. When the housing 104 itself has a thermal insulation function, such as a thermal insulation layer, or a thermal insulation material or hollow insulation structure, the heat insulation film 106 may be omitted. Of course, even if the housing 104 itself has a thermal insulation effect, a heat insulation film can still be provided, and this embodiment is also covered by the scope of the invention.

[0051] Filter element 110 is preferably made of polyester fiber filter cotton material, used to capture hazardous substances as much as possible before being inhaled by the user.

[0052] The gas-thermal smoke column 108 is formed into a column provided with a plurality of penetrating endothermic channels 109, and absorbs the heat of the combustion gas through the endothermic channel, releases the vapor after heating, and then filters through the filter element 110, and the vapor is discharged from the vapor outlet 111 for the user to inhale. The gas-thermal smoke column 108 adopts a columnar structure comprising a plurality of endothermic channels 109. The vapor can be released by absorbing the heat of the combustion gas more efficiently, without the need for an additional heat source in the cigarette cartridge. Preferably, a plurality of endothermic channels is uniformly arranged in the gas-thermal smoke column 108. Preferably, the cylinder of the gas-thermal smoke column is a thermally expandable cylinder, when the cylinder of the gas-thermal smoke column 108 is thermally expanded, at least part of the orifice of the endothermic channel 109 is narrowed or closed.

[0053] The cross-section of the gas-thermal smoke column can be the shape required for various smoking articles. For example, circle, flat circle, polygon, polygon, etc. Correspondingly, the arrangement and number of endothermic channels can also be designed according to the cross-section of the gas-thermal smoke column. In order to improve the thermal inertia of the gas-thermal smoke column, the endothermic channels can have different diameters and different distribution positions at the same time. In the embodiments of FIGS. 2, 3a, the gas-thermal smoke column 208 preformed as a plurality of endothermic channels 209. The arrangement of the endothermic channel 209 is preferably in the form of FIG. 3a, evenly distributed. An embodiment of FIG. 3b illustrates an arrangement of the endothermic channel 309 on the gas-thermal smoke column 308. FIG 3c shows that when the section of the gas-thermal smoke column 408 is oval, the endothermic channel 409 may also be designed as a corresponding flat circle. FIG. 3d shows another embodiment of the cross-sectional structure of the endothermic channel 508, wherein the endothermic channel 509A and 509B may adopt different diameters and arrangements.

[0054] In order to improve the heat exchange efficiency and thermal inertia, the endothermic channels of the gas-thermal smoke column can also be arranged in a spiral arrangement. The gas-thermal smoke column 608 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is winded by a tobacco sheet 600 having a plurality of ventilation grooves 601. In one embodiment, the tobacco sheets are infiltrated and dried with a saturated sodium chloride aqueous solution, and a small amount of propylene glycol is infiltrated and wound into a column as an air-heated smoke column. When the tobacco sheet 600 is unfolded, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of ventilation grooves 601 parallel to the axial direction, are uniformly disposed in the body 602 of the tobacco sheet. As shown in FIG. 6, when the tobacco sheet is wound axially to form the gas-thermal smoke column 608, the plurality of ventilation grooves 601 and the body 602 of the tobacco sheet form the endothermic channel 609. In the example in Figure 6, the section of the gas-thermal smoke column is basically round, and the endothermic channels are arranged in a spiral pattern. The outer layer of the winding completed gas-thermal smoke column 608 is wrapped with a moisturizing film 107 and / or heat insulation film 106, on the one hand, it plays a moisturizing and heat insulation effect, and on the other hand, the winded gas-thermal smoke column is tightly wrapped and fixed.

[0055] The section of the gas-thermal smoke column 708 shown in FIG. 7 is circular, and the endothermic channel 709 is arranged in the form of concentric circles. The gas-thermal smoke column 708 is rolled by three tobacco sheets (not shown) of different axial lengths with plurality of ventilation grooves, which are stacked to form a concentric cylindrical structure. In this example, the number of tobacco sheets is not limited to three, nor is the number of concentric cylinders formed by this.

[0056] The above embodiments are only enumerations and cannot exhaust all embodiments of the present invention, as defined in the claims. It should be noted that each embodiment of the gas-thermal smoke column described above and below may be applied to other embodiments of components and components described in the present description.

[0057] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises a smoke agent, an inorganic salt, a metal heat conductor, an adhesive. Alternatively, gas-thermal smoke column mixtures include fumes, inorganic salts, metal heat transfers, adhesives, expanding agents. Alternatively, gas-thermal smoke column mixtures include fumes, inorganic salts, metal heat conductors, adhesives, metal encapsulations. Alternatively, gas-thermal smoke column mixtures include fumes, inorganic salts, metal heat conductors, adhesives, expanding agents, metal encapsulation. These materials form a mixture of gas-heated smoke columns, which are molded to form a cylinder.

[0058] The following combined with specific embodiments, to illustrate the embodiments of the above smoke agent, inorganic salt, metal heat conductor, adhesive, expanding agent, metal encapsulant.

[0059] The smoke agent is heated to produce smoke from smoking articles. In one embodiment, the smoke agent comprises tobacco filament or tobacco powder. Further, the smoke agent also includes propylene glycol, which can form smoke when heated. Liquid propylene glycol and solid tobacco filament or tobacco powder are evenly mixed into a basic humid state, and the smoke produced after heating provides the taste and moisture of tobacco flavor.

[0060] Inorganic salts play a role in absorbing water vapor and flame retardant produced by combustion. Inorganic salts can be selected from sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, etc.

[0061] Metal heat conductors are used to equalize heat in the gas-thermal smoke column. Metal heat conductors can be fragments, broken strips, filaments, etc. made of aluminum foil or other thermally conductive metals, dispersed mixed in the gas-thermal smoke column.

[0062] The adhesive is used to bond the mixed materials in the gas-thermal smoke column, which is pressed by the mold to form the cylinder. For example, alcohol-soluble ethyl cellulose is available as a binder

[0063] The expanding agent is used to heat the superheated smoke column to expand, thereby narrowing or closing the endothermic channel. When the cylinder of the gas-thermal smoke column expanded and is heated, at least part of the orifice of the endothermic channel is narrowed or closed. When the cylinder is heated and expanded, the orifice of the heat absorption channel is closed or narrowed, which is conducive to the combustion gas being trapped in the gas-thermal smoke column for circulation, further increasing the heat absorption efficiency and reducing the user's inhalation of the combustion gas. In some embodiments, the expanding agent is starch dry gel particles, corn granules, rice granules or alginate granules, etc.

[0064] The metal encapsulation includes contents (such as smoke liquid), when the metal encapsulant is heated, the outer layer of the metal cracks or melts, releasing the contents and forming a mist, which can increase the amount of aerosol and improve the taste of smoking articles. In one embodiment, the content is a mixture of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerol and tobacco flavor. For example, the contents of a metal encapsulant include 1-2% nicotine, 98-99% propylene glycol, and trace amounts of flavor. The metal encapsulant encapsulates its contents with an outer layer of metal foil. Metal foil can be aluminum foil, tin foil, copper foil, nickel foil, or alloy foil. During the process of the gas-thermal smoke column being heated, the contents release the smoke liquid due to the cracking or melting of the metal foil. For example, when aluminum foil is used as a metal foil, the contents are released due to gas pressure at high temperatures. When using tin foil as a metal foil, the contents are released due to the melting of the tin foil at high temperatures. The volume of each metal encapsulant is 1-5 cubic millimeters.

[0065] The patent applications submitted by the inventor before this include the Chinese invention patent ZL2016204193031 / Publication No. CN205695718U, and the international patent application PCT / CN2020 / 092668, which records the composition of the metal encapsulation (microburst microcapsule structure) and its contents (smoke liquid). The metal encapsulation of the present invention may use any of the appropriate technical solutions described in the above patent application.

[0066] As an example, the composition ratio of the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column may have the following embodiments:

[0067] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, inorganic salts, metal heat conductive substances (such as aluminum foil wire) , and the ratio by weight is, 1: (0.2 ~ 0.7) :(0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein an appropriate amount of adhesive.

[0068] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column includes the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, inorganic salts, expanding agents, metal heat conductive substances (such as aluminum foil wire), and the ratio by weight is 1: (0.2 - 0.7) :(0.01 ~ 0.08) :(0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate.

[0069] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, propylene glycol, inorganic salts, metal heat conductive substances (such as aluminum foil wire) , and the ratio by weight is, 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3) :(0.2 - 0.7) :(0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate.

[0070] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column comprises the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, propylene glycol, inorganic salts, expanding agent, metal heat conductive substance (such as aluminum foil wire) , and the ratio by weight is 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3) :( 0.2 ~ 0.7) :( 0.01 ~ 0.08) :( 0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate.

[0071] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column includes the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, propylene glycol, inorganic salt, metal heat conductive material (such as aluminum foil wire) , and the ratio by weight is 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3) :(0.2 ~ 0.7) :(0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate, and a plurality of metal encapsulations is included.

[0072] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column includes the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, propylene glycol, inorganic salts, expanding agents (such as starch dry gel granules) , and the ratio by weight is 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3) :(0.2 ~ 0.7) :(0.01 ~ 0.08), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate, and a plurality of metal encapsulations is included.

[0073] In one embodiment, the mixed material of the gas-thermal smoke column includes the following proportions of components: tobacco filament or tobacco powder, propylene glycol, inorganic salts, expanding agent (such as starch dry gel particles), metal heat conductive substance (such as aluminum foil wire) , and the ratio by weight is 1: (0.1 ~ 0.3) :( 0.2 ~ 0.7) :(0.01 ~ 0.08) :( 0.03 ~ 0.1), wherein the amount of adhesive is appropriate, and a plurality of metal encapsulations is included.

[0074] In one embodiment, tobacco filament or tobacco powder is pre-soaked with 25% inorganic saline solution (e.g., sodium chloride aqueous solution), dried and set aside. This treatment method can make inorganic salts evenly mixed in tobacco filament or tobacco powder, which is more convenient for inorganic salts to exert their function of flame retardancy and water vapor generation. After the above drying steps, it is infiltrated with a small amount of propylene glycol, and can be further pressed into a gas-thermal smoke column through the mold; Or made into tobacco sheets (with ventilation grooves), and then rolled into a column, used as an air-heated smoke column.

[0075] The treatment method may be applied to any of the above embodiments in the component ratio, and may be used in other component proportions not mentioned in the present description.

[0076] In the above example, the number of metal encapsulation is determined according to the volume of the gas-thermal smoke column, the volume of the metal encapsulations, and the taste demand of the smoking article.

[0077] FIG 4 shows an example of a gas-type smoking article comprising a cigarette cartridge protected by the present invention. Wherein the smoking article includes a cigarette cartridge 121 forming the main body of a gas-heated smoking article and a combustion mechanism 122 disposed in the inner cavity of the cigarette cartridge 121. For example, the combustion mechanism 122 will burn propane or butane gas that is pre-mixed with air, and the resulting heat and high temperature carbon dioxide to bake tobacco cartridges to produce smoke. Wherein the housing 104 of the cigarette cartridge is configured such that the cigarette cartridge is at least partially inserted into the mouth of the cartridge 121 and is detachably fixed thereto. As shown in Figure 4, when the cigarette cartridge is inserted into the mouth of the cartridge and fixed is completed, the outer contour of the housing of the cigarette cartridge is smoothly connected with the outer contour of the cartridge. In one embodiment, in order to prevent insufficient combustion of butane premix, excessive combustion of premixed air is adopted. Ignition can be by high-voltage arcing.

[0078] When using the gas-heated smoking article shown in FIG. 4, the cigarette cartridge is inserted into the smoking article cylinder cartridge 121. When the button 123 is pressed, the premix flame burns. In one embodiment, the sealing metal foil at the combustion gas inlet 101 is melted. When the user smokes, the high temperature carbon dioxide gas stream passes through combustion gas inlet 101, flame insulation net 105, and is inhaled into the ventilation channel 109 in the gas-thermal smoke column 108. Smoke generating agents (e.g., tobacco powder and propylene glycol, or smoke agents of other configuration components mentioned above) are heated to smoke, and the smoke is inhaled by the user through the filter element 110, inhalation port 111 into the mouth.

[0079] The cigarette cartridge of the present invention may also be applied to smoking articles in the present inventor's U.S. patent US10918133B2.

[0080] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, not to limit it. Although the present invention is described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand: they may still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or replace the preparation reaction conditions, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0042]The following is further detailed description of the specific content of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, the examples given are only used to explain the present invention, not to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0043]It should be noted that the terms "upstream", "downstream" described in the present invention refer to along the direction of fluid flow. The term "axial" refers to the axial direction of the smoking article, perpendicular to the "radial" direction. It should be noted that the use of the "axial" description does not limit the shape of smoking articles, for example, smoking articles can be cylindrical, prismatic, or even asymmetrical cylinders. The term "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0044]The term "tobacco sheet" in the present invention is also known as reconstituted tobacco leaf or homogeneous tobacco leaf in the tobacco industry and is a flake product with properties close to or better tha...

Claims

1. A cigarette cartridge for a gas-heated smoking article, comprising: a housing (104); a combustion gas inlet (101) located at one end of the housing (104) in the axial direction; a vapor generation assembly located downstream of the combustion gas inlet (101) in an inner cavity of the housing (104), wherein the vapor generation assembly comprises a gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308; 408; 508; 608; 708), wherein the gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308; 408; 508; 608; 708) is formed into a cylinder with a plurality of through-through endothermic channels (109; 209; 309; 409; 509A; 509B; 609; 709), and wherein the gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308; 408; 508; 608; 708) through the endothermic channels (109; 209; 309; 409; 509A; 509B; 609; 709) absorbs the heat of the combustion gas, and releases the vapor after being heated; a vapor outlet (111) located downstream of the vapor generation assembly and at the opposite end of the axial direction of the housing (104); wherein the plurality of endothermic channels (109; 209; 309;409; 509A; 509B; 609;709) are uniformly arranged parallel to the axial direction in the gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308;408;508;608;708) and extend from one end of the gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308; 408; 508; 608; 708) to the opposite end of the gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308; 408; 508; 608; 708); wherein the gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308;408; 508;608;708) is a thermal expansion cylinder, and when the gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308;408; 508;608;708) of the cylinder is heated, at least part of the endothermic channels (109; 209; 309;409; 509A; 509B; 609; 709) orifice is reduced or closed.

2. The cigarette cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the vapor generation assembly further comprises a moisturizing film (107) and / or a heat insulation film (106) arranged on the periphery of and wrapped around the gas-thermal smoke column.

3. The cigarette cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the vapor generation component further comprises a flame insulation net (105) located upstream of the gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308; 408; 508; 608; 708), and / or a filter element (110) located downstream of the gas-thermal smoke column ( 108; 208; 308; 408; 508; 608; 708).

4. The cigarette cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308;408; 508) is a cylinder pressed from a tobacco mixture mold.

5. The cigarette cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the gas-thermal smoke column (608; 708) is a cylinder rolled by a tobacco sheet (600) having a plurality of ventilation grooves (601), and the plurality of ventilation grooves (601) is arranged on the body of the tobacco sheet parallel to the axial direction of the tobacco sheet, and when the tobacco sheet (600) is wound axially to form the gas-thermal smoke column (608; 708), the plurality of ventilation grooves (601) with the body of the tobacco sheets form the endothermic channels (609; 709).

6. The cigarette cartridge according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the preparation material of the gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308; 408; 508; 608; 708) includes tobacco filaments and / or tobacco powders, or tobacco sheets that have been wetted with inorganic salts.

7. The cigarette cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the preparation material of the gas-thermal smoke column (108; 208; 308;408;508) includes an inorganic salt and tobacco filaments or tobacco powders, the tobacco filament or the tobacco powder and the inorganic salt are 1:(0.2~0.7) by weight.

8. The cigarette cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the preparation material of the gas-thermal smoke column further includes expanding agent to realize the thermal expansion of the cylinder, the tobacco filament or the tobacco powder and the expanding agent are 1:(0.01~0.08) by weight.

9. The cigarette cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the preparation material of the gas-thermal smoke column further includes a metal heat conductor to equalize the heat.

10. The cigarette cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the preparation material of the gas-thermal smoke column further includes a plurality of metal encapsulations, and when heated, the contents are released to form a mist.

11. A gas heated smoking article comprising a cigarette cartridge according to any one of claims 1-10.

12. The gas-heated smoking article according to claim 11, comprising a cartridge (121) forming the main body of the gas-heated smoking article; and a combustion mechanism (122) disposed in the inner cavity of the cartridge (121); wherein the housing (104) of the cigarette cartridge is configured such that the cigarette cartridge is at least partially inserted into the inner cavity of the cartridge (121) and is detachably fixed connected thereto.

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