Aerosol generating device
The aerosol generating device addresses high casing temperatures in heat-and-burn devices by using a thermal insulation pipe and gas-filled sealed space to reduce heat transfer, enhancing user comfort and usability.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2025118596
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2020-11-03
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-14
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-01
AI Technical Summary
Conventional heat-and-burn smoking devices experience high casing temperatures that cause discomfort to users, necessitating thick vacuum tubes with limited material options due to pressure differences.
An aerosol generating device with a thermal insulation pipe and insulating layer outside the heater, utilizing a gas-filled sealed space between inner and outer pipes to reduce heat transfer and prevent hand burns.
The device effectively reduces heat transfer to the exterior, enhancing user comfort by maintaining lower casing temperatures and improving the smoking experience.
Smart Images
Figure 2025143507000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application entitled "Aerosol Generating Device," application number 202022498844.7, filed with the China Patent Office on November 3, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present application relates to the technical field of smoking devices, and more particularly to aerosol generating devices. [Background technology]
[0003] Smoking articles, such as cigarettes and cigars, burn tobacco to produce smoke during use. Attempts have been made to provide alternatives to these tobacco-burning products by producing products that release compounds without combustion. Examples of such products are so-called heat-and-no-burn products, which release compounds by heating, rather than burning, tobacco.
[0004] Conventional heat-and-burn smoking devices often experience a negative user experience due to the high casing temperature during smoking, which can cause the smoker to feel as if their hands are about to be burned. To avoid this problem, vacuum tubes are typically used for insulation, taking advantage of the low thermal conductivity of a vacuum to reduce the transfer of heat from the heating cavity to the outside. However, because the vacuum inside the vacuum tube is so high that the tube wall must be able to withstand the internal and external pressure difference, the vacuum tube wall must be thick and there are certain limitations on the material that can be used. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The present application provides an aerosol generating device to solve the problem of conventional smoking devices in that the casing temperature is so high that smokers tend to feel as if their hands are being burned.
[0006] The present application provides an aerosol generating device for generating a smoking aerosol by heating an aerosol-forming substrate, the device comprising: a cavity for receiving an aerosol-forming substrate; a heater for heating an aerosol-forming substrate received within the cavity; a thermal insulation pipe provided outside the heater, the thermal insulation pipe having an inner pipe and an outer pipe provided in a radial direction of the cavity, a sealed space being formed between the inner pipe and the outer pipe, and the sealed space being filled with a gas; a heat insulating layer provided between the heater and the heat insulating pipe.
[0007] The aerosol generating device provided in the present application can reduce heat transfer caused by radiation from the heater by using an insulating layer, and the insulating pipe installed outside the heater can further prevent heat from being transferred to the outside, thereby preventing the user from feeling that their hands are about to be burned due to the casing temperature of the aerosol generating device being too high, and improving the user experience. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0008] One or more embodiments are illustratively described by corresponding figures in the drawings, but these illustrative descriptions are not intended to be limiting of the embodiments, and elements / modules and steps in the drawings with the same reference numerals are intended to represent similar elements / modules and steps, and unless otherwise specified, the figures in the drawings are not meant to be drawn to scale. [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device provided in an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device provided in an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of a heater provided in an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of an electrode connecting member provided in an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating device provided in an embodiment of the present application after removing some parts. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a first end cap provided in an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second end cap provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In order to facilitate understanding of the present application, the present application will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element, or there may be one or more intervening elements between them. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element, or there may be one or more intervening elements between them. The terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only.
[0010] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terms used in the specification of this application are merely for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting of this application. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[0011] 1 and 2 show an aerosol generating device 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application, and the aerosol generating device 100 includes: a casing 10 having an internal storage space capable of storing a heater 12, a battery cell 13, a circuit 14, etc.; and a cavity 11 for receiving an aerosol-forming substrate, such as a cigarette.
[0012] An aerosol-forming substrate is a substrate capable of releasing a volatile compound capable of forming an aerosol. Such a volatile compound can be released by heating the aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-forming substrate may be solid, liquid, or comprise solid and liquid components. The aerosol-forming substrate may be adsorbed, coated, impregnated, or otherwise loaded onto a carrier or support. The aerosol-forming substrate may conveniently be part of the aerosol-generating product.
[0013] The aerosol-forming substrate may contain nicotine. The aerosol-forming substrate may contain tobacco, e.g., a tobacco-containing material containing volatile tobacco flavor compounds, which are released from the aerosol-forming substrate upon heating. A preferred aerosol-forming substrate may contain homogenized tobacco material. The aerosol-forming substrate may contain at least one aerosol-forming agent, which may be any suitable known compound or mixture of compounds that, during use, is advantageous for compacting and stabilizing the formation of an aerosol and is substantially resistant to thermal decomposition at the operating temperature of the aerosol-generating system. Suitable aerosol-forming agents are known in the art and include, but are not limited to, polyhydric alcohols such as triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, and glycerin; esters of polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin mono-, di-, or triacetate; and fatty acid esters of mono-, di-, or polycarboxylic acids such as dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyl tetradecanedioate. Preferred aerosol forming agents are polyhydroxy alcohols or mixtures thereof, such as triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol and most preferably glycerol.
[0014] The heater 12 is used to generate infrared radiation to radiatively heat the aerosol-forming substrate received within the cavity 11 .
[0015] The battery cell 13 supplies power for operating the aerosol generating device 100. For example, the battery cell 13 can supply power for heating the heater 12. The battery cell 13 can also supply power necessary to operate other elements provided within the aerosol generating device 100.
[0016] The battery cells 13 may be rechargeable or disposable. The battery cells 13 may be, but are not limited to, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries. For example, the battery cells 13 may be lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) batteries or lithium titanate batteries.
[0017] The circuit 14 can control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 100. The circuit 14 not only controls the operation of the battery cell 13 and the heater 12, but also controls the operation of other elements within the aerosol generating device 100. For example, the circuit 14 acquires temperature information of the heater 12 detected by a temperature sensor, and controls the power supplied from the battery cell 13 to the heater 12 based on the information.
[0018] FIG. 3 shows a heater 12 provided in an embodiment of the present application, which includes: The cavity 11 includes a tubular base 121 extending in the axial direction thereof and surrounding the cavity.
[0019] Specifically, the substrate 121 includes a first end (or proximal end), a second end (or distal end), and a surface extending between the first and second ends. The substrate 121 may be cylindrical, prismatic, or other prismatic. The substrate 121 is preferably cylindrical, with a cylindrical hole penetrating the center of the substrate 121 forming at least a portion of a cavity, and the inner diameter of the hole is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the aerosol-forming product to facilitate placing the aerosol-forming product in the cavity and heating it.
[0020] The substrate 121 may be made of a transparent material that can withstand high temperatures, such as quartz glass, ceramics, or mica, or may be made of other materials with high infrared transmittance, for example, high-temperature resistant materials with infrared transmittance of 95% or more, and is not specifically limited here.
[0021] The infrared electric heating coating 122 is formed on the surface of the substrate 121. The infrared electric heating coating 122 may be formed on the outer surface of the substrate 121 or on the inner surface of the substrate 121.
[0022] The infrared electric heating coating 122 generates heat upon receiving electric power and also generates infrared rays of a certain wavelength, for example, far infrared rays of 8 μm to 15 μm. When the wavelength of the infrared rays matches the absorption wavelength of the aerosol-forming substrate, the infrared energy is easily absorbed by the aerosol-forming substrate. The wavelength of the infrared rays is not limited, and may be infrared rays of 0.75 μm to 1000 μm, and preferably far infrared rays of 1.5 μm to 400 μm.
[0023] The infrared electric heating coating 122 is preferably formed by thoroughly and uniformly stirring far-infrared electric heating ink, ceramic powder, and inorganic binder, applying the mixture to the outer surface of the substrate 121, and then drying and hardening the mixture for a certain period of time. The thickness of the infrared electric heating coating 122 is 30 μm to 50 μm. Of course, the infrared electric heating coating 122 may also be formed by mixing and stirring tin tetrachloride, tin oxide, antimony trichloride, titanium tetrachloride, and anhydrous copper sulfate in a certain ratio, and then applying the mixture to the outer surface of the substrate 121. Alternatively, the infrared electric heating coating 122 may ... or by applying a silicon carbide ceramic layer, a carbon fiber layer, a carbon fiber composite layer, a zirconium titanium-based oxide ceramic layer, a zirconium titanium-based nitride ceramic layer, a zirconium titanium-based boride ceramic layer, a zirconium titanium-based carbide ceramic layer, an iron-based oxide ceramic layer, or the like. The infrared electric heating coating may be a mixed layer, an iron-based nitride ceramic layer, an iron-based boride ceramic layer, an iron-based carbide ceramic layer, a rare earth-based oxide ceramic layer, a rare earth-based nitride ceramic layer, a rare earth-based boride ceramic layer, a rare earth-based carbide ceramic layer, a nickel-cobalt-based oxide ceramic layer, a nickel-cobalt-based nitride ceramic layer, a nickel-cobalt-based boride ceramic layer, a nickel-cobalt-based carbide ceramic layer, or a silicon-rich molecular sieve ceramic layer. The infrared electric heating coating may also be a coating of other materials, such as derivatives and compounds whose constituent elements are partially or entirely carbon, including, but not limited to, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanotube films, graphene, carbon fibers, carbon fiber films, carbon films, and carbon fiber cloths.
[0024] The conductive element includes a first electrode 123 and a second electrode 124 spaced apart from each other on the substrate 121 and is used to supply the power to the infrared electrothermal coating 122 .
[0025] Both the first electrode 123 and the second electrode 124 are at least partially electrically connected to the infrared electrothermal coating 122 so that current can flow from one electrode to the other through the infrared electrothermal coating 122. The first electrode 123 and the second electrode 124 are of opposite polarity, for example, the first electrode 123 is positive and the second electrode 124 is negative, or the first electrode 123 is negative and the second electrode 124 is positive.
[0026] In this example, the first electrode 123 and the second electrode 124 are both conductive coatings, which may be metal coatings or conductive tapes, etc., and the metal coatings may include silver, gold, palladium, platinum, copper, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, niobium, or the above metal alloy materials.
[0027] In this example, the first electrode 123 and the second electrode 124 are provided symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the base 121 .
[0028] The first electrode 123 includes a coupling electrode 1231 extending circumferentially around the substrate 121 and a stripe electrode 1232 extending axially from the coupling electrode 1231 toward the proximal end, the coupling electrode 1231 not in contact with the infrared electrothermal coating 122, and the stripe electrode 1232 at least partially in contact with the infrared electrothermal coating 122 to form an electrical connection.
[0029] The second electrode 124 includes a coupling electrode 1241 extending circumferentially around the substrate 121 and a stripe electrode 1242 extending axially from the coupling electrode 1241 toward the proximal end A, wherein the coupling electrode 1241 is not in contact with the infrared electrothermal coating 122 and the stripe electrode 1242 is in at least partial contact with the infrared electrothermal coating 122 to form an electrical connection.
[0030] As can be seen from the above, the uniform distribution distance between the stripe electrodes 1232 and the stripe electrodes 1242 ensures uniform heat generation by the infrared heating coating 122, improving the heating efficiency of the smoking device. The provision of the coupling electrodes 1231 and 1241 facilitates coupling with the battery cell 13 and avoids the problem of the conductive wire connected to one end having to pass through the heating area, which makes the conductive wire susceptible to damage.
[0031] It should be noted that the infrared radiator consisting of the infrared electrothermal coating 122, the first electrode 123, and the second electrode 124 is not limited to the example in Fig. 3. In other examples, the infrared radiator may be formed by a thermally excited infrared radiating layer or a film structure that can be wrapped around the substrate 121.
[0032] It should be further explained that in other examples, the heater 12 is not limited to an infrared heating type, but may be a resistance heating type, an electromagnetic heating type, etc., and is not limited to a circumferential heating type, but may be a central heating type.
[0033] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an electrode connecting member provided in an embodiment of the present application.
[0034] The aerosol generating device 100 further includes two electrode connecting members 125 that are electrically connected to the first electrode 123 and the second electrode 124, respectively, and extend the first electrode 123 and the second electrode 124 to positions away from the substrate 121.
[0035] In the following, the electrode connection member 125 electrically connected to the first electrode 123 will be described as an example.
[0036] The electrode connection member 125 includes a contact portion and an extension portion 1253. The contact portion includes a main body 1251 and four cantilevers 1252 formed on the main body 1251 by openwork. The four cantilevers 1252 are distributed at intervals around the circumferential direction of the base 121, and the number of the cantilevers 1252 is not limited. When the four cantilevers 1252 come into contact with the coupling electrode 1231, they generate elastic force, thereby achieving electrical connection with the coupling electrode 1231. The extension portion 1253 extends from the main body 1251 toward a position away from the base 121, and the extension portion 124 is for coupling to the battery cell 13.
[0037] As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the aerosol generating device 100 further includes a first end cap 17 fitted to a first end of the base 121, a second end cap 18 fitted to a second end of the base 121, and a thermal insulation pipe 15 fitted to the outside of the base 121.
[0038] The first end cap 17 and the second end cap 18 are made of insulating material that can withstand high temperatures.
[0039] 6, the first end cap 17 includes a hollow tube 171, a protrusion 172 extending radially from one end of the hollow tube 171 into the cavity 11, and a retaining portion 173 extending axially from the protrusion 172. When the base 121 is fitted into the first end cap 17, the retaining portion 173 abuts against the outer surface of the base 121 to retain the first end of the base 121. The end of the thermally insulated pipe 15 can abut against the protrusion 172.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 7, the second end cap 18 includes an inner cylinder 181 and an outer cylinder 182, and the base body 121 is removably fitted between the outer wall of the inner cylinder 181 and the inner wall of the outer cylinder 182.
[0041] The inner cylinder 181 is hollow, and the airflow passes through the inner cylinder 181 and flows into at least a part of the cavity formed in the base 121. The axial length of the inner cylinder 181 is slightly longer than the axial length of the coupling electrode 1231 or the coupling electrode 1241. The outer wall of the outer cylinder 182 is provided with a plurality of abutment portions 1821 that are distributed in the circumferential direction and extend toward the thermal insulation pipe 15, and the end of the outer cylinder 182 is provided with a protrusion 1822 that extends in the radial direction of the cavity 11. The provision of the abutment portions 1821 and the protrusions 1822 facilitates assembly with the thermal insulation pipe 15, and allows the end of the thermal insulation pipe 15 to abut against the protrusions 1822. The inner wall of the outer tube 182 also has a plurality of retaining portions 1823 distributed at intervals, which extend from the inner wall of the outer tube 182 toward the inner tube 181, and when the base 121 is fitted into the second end cap 18, the retaining portions 1823 abut against the outer surface of the base 121 to retain the second end of the base 121.
[0042] The second end cap 18 is also provided with a rotation prevention portion for preventing rotation of the base 121, and the circumferential stopper portion includes a positioning protrusion 183 provided on the side of the second end cap 18 facing the base 121, and a positioning recess that fits in correspondence with the positioning protrusion 183 is provided on the tubular wall of the base 121. When the base 121 is fitted into the second end cap 18, the positioning protrusion 183 fits in correspondence with the positioning recess, preventing the base 121 from rotating in the circumferential direction relative to the second end cap 18. The second end cap 18 is also provided with a via hole 184 for leading out the extension portion 1253 of the electrode connecting member 125.
[0043] Furthermore, a first sealing member 19 can be provided between the first end cap 17 and the first end of the base 121, and a second sealing member 20 can be provided between the second end cap 18 and the second end of the base 121, thereby preventing tobacco smoke generated inside the base 121 from entering the space between the outer surface of the base 121 and the thermal insulation pipe 15 and corroding the infrared electric heating coating 122 and conductive coating on the outer surface of the base 121, thereby improving the reliability of the operation of the heater 12.
[0044] When the base 121, the first end cap 17, the second end cap 18, and the thermal insulation pipe 15 are assembled together, both ends of the thermal insulation pipe 15 abut against the protrusions 172 and 1822, respectively, so that a substantially sealed chamber can be formed between the outer surface of the base 121, the first end cap 17, the second end cap 18, and the thermal insulation pipe 15, and by providing a thermal insulation layer 16 within the sealed chamber, the transfer of heat from the heater 12 to the outside of the aerosol generation device 100 can be reduced.
[0045] In this example, the heat insulating layer 16 covers the outer surface of the substrate 121 and includes an aerogel layer that can reduce heat transfer due to heater radiation. The sealed chamber reduces air flow inside and outside the sealed chamber, preventing aerogel powder from falling off. The axial extension length of the sealed space is greater than the axial extension length of the aerogel layer. This allows the sealed space to cover the aerogel layer, which is beneficial for thermal insulation. Furthermore, the gap extending in the axial direction of the cavity 11 between the aerogel layer and the thermal insulation pipe ensures the bulkiness and high thermal insulation effect of the aerogel, and the air in the gap further blocks heat transfer outside the aerosol generating device 100.
[0046] The thermal insulation pipe 15 has an inner pipe 151 and an outer pipe 152 arranged in the radial direction of the cavity 11, and an airtight space is formed between the inner pipe 151 and the outer pipe 152, and the airtight space is filled with gas.
[0047] In this example, the gas is at least one of an inert gas, air, and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is preferably used because of its low thermal conductivity.
[0048] Because gas is sealed between the inner tube 151 and the outer tube 152 and there is no need to withstand a large pressure difference between the inside and the outside, the structural strength requirements for the thermal insulation pipe 15 can be appropriately reduced compared to conventional vacuum pipes, and the thickness of the inner tube 151 and the outer tube 152 can be made one-third or more thinner. For example, while the thickness of a typical vacuum pipe is 0.3 mm, in this example, the thickness of the inner tube 151 and the outer tube 152 can be made 0.1 mm or even thinner. The material for the inner tube 151 and the outer tube 152 can be selected from PEEK (polyether ether ketone), stainless steel, etc., and is preferably made of stainless steel.
[0049] In this example, the wall thickness of the inner pipe 151 is smaller than the wall thickness of the outer pipe 152. The thinner inner pipe 151 effectively reduces the heat conduction from the center to both ends of the thermal insulation pipe 15, avoiding the problem that the temperature at both ends of the thermal insulation pipe 15 is too high and the thermal insulation effect is undesirable.
[0050] It should be noted that although the specification and drawings of this application illustrate preferred embodiments of the present application, the present application can be realized in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are not intended to further limit the content of this application. The purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the disclosure of this application more thorough and complete. In addition, various embodiments not described above that are formed by subsequently combining the above technical features with each other are all considered to be within the scope of the description of this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art may make improvements and modifications based on the above description, and all such improvements and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims of this application.
Claims
1. 1. An aerosol generating device for generating a smoking aerosol by heating an aerosol-forming substrate, comprising: a cavity for receiving an aerosol-forming substrate; a heater for heating an aerosol-forming substrate received within the cavity; a thermal insulation pipe provided outside the heater, the thermal insulation pipe having an inner pipe and an outer pipe provided in a radial direction of the cavity, the inner pipe and the outer pipe forming a sealed space, and the sealed space being filled with a gas; wherein the wall thickness of the inner tube is smaller than the wall thickness of the outer tube.
2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat insulating layer provided between the heater and the heat insulating pipe.
3. 3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the gas is at least one of an inert gas, air, and carbon dioxide.
4. The aerosol generating device according to claim 2 , wherein the heat insulating layer includes an aerogel layer covering the outside of the heater.
5. 5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 4, wherein the extension length of the sealed space in the axial direction of the cavity is greater than the extension length of the aerogel layer in the axial direction of the cavity.
6. 5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 4, wherein a gap extending in the axial direction of the cavity is present between the aerogel layer and the thermal insulation pipe.
7. The heater further includes a first end cap and a second end cap fitted to both ends of the heater, 3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 2, wherein a sealed chamber is formed between the heater, the thermal insulation pipe, the first end cap, and the second end cap, and the thermal insulation layer is provided within the sealed chamber.
8. the first end cap has a first protrusion extending in a radial direction of the cavity, and the second end cap has a second protrusion extending in a radial direction of the cavity; The aerosol generating device according to claim 7 , wherein both ends of the thermal insulation pipe abut on the first protrusion and the second protrusion, respectively.
9. Further comprising a first seal member and a second seal member; 9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 8, wherein the first sealing member is provided between one end of the heater and the first end cap, and the second sealing member is provided between the other end of the heater and the second end cap.
10. The heater is a substrate having a surface; 3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, further comprising: an infrared radiator provided on the surface for generating infrared rays to radiatively heat an aerosol-forming substrate received in the cavity.