Stick-type smoking article and electric heating smoking system including the same

Abstract

The present invention provides an electrically heated smoking system including a stick-type smoking article and an automatic ignition device, the carbon heat source containing a metal heat source.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a stick-type smoking article and an electric heating smoking system including the same.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, tobacco refers to a perennial plant of the Solanaceae family in the order Dicotyledoneae. Recently, it refers to a product manufactured for the purpose of smoking, in which tobacco leaves are wrapped with rolling tobacco paper and a filter part is formed on one side. There are thousands of such tobaccos in the world and they are sold in various shapes or forms.

[0003] Among them, as an alternative to complement the disadvantages of combustion-type tobaccos that are smoked by lighting a fire, such as rolled tobacco, cigars, and pipe tobacco, research on electric heating smoking articles has been actively conducted. Specifically, by heating the aerosol product substance in the heating smoking article through methods such as a heater or ultrasonic vibration to generate mainstream smoke containing aerosol, it has the advantage of being able to minimize the emission of components in tobacco while fulfilling the smoking desire of smokers, thus forming a new market to replace ordinary combustion-type rolled tobacco.

[0004] However, electric heating smoking articles in the prior art require high power because the heater heats the tobacco. Specifically, when preheating the electric heating smoking article, a battery Crate of 1C or more is used, and a large current of 1A or more is consumed during the smoking operation. This damages the battery life. In addition, although the electric heating smoking articles of the prior art adjusted the taste of tobacco with a temperature profile, there was a major problem that physical changes occurred due to internal medium heating.

[0005] Here, compared with conventional electric heating smoking articles, there is a current situation that it is necessary to develop an electric heating smoking system with low power consumption and the ability to adjust the taste of tobacco while reducing physical changes in the smoking article.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Here, in order to overcome the problems and / or limitations of the prior art as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a stick-type smoking article containing a carbon heat source containing a metal heat source, and an electrically heated smoking system that adjusts the taste of tobacco only in an airflow path control unit when the carbon heat source is ignited.

[0007] However, the problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the following description.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in a stick-type smoking article containing a carbon heat source, the carbon heat source contains a metal heat source, and a stick-type smoking article is provided.

[0009] According to one aspect, in an electrically heated smoking system including a stick-type smoking article and an automatic ignition device, the stick-type smoking article contains a carbon heat source, the carbon heat source contains a metal heat source, the automatic ignition device includes a stick insertion portion into which the stick-type smoking article can be inserted to ignite the carbon heat source, and an electrically heated smoking system is provided.

[0010] According to another embodiment, in an airflow path control method of an electrically heated smoking system including a stick-type smoking article and an automatic ignition device, when the terminals of the stick-type smoking article and the terminals of the automatic ignition device are in contact, step C1 of applying a current to the metal heat source; step C2 of controlling the current flowing through the metal heat source based on the temperature of the carbon heat source; step C3 of interrupting the current to operate the airflow path control unit are included, and an airflow path control method is provided.

Effects of the Invention

[0011] After the carbon heat source is ignited, the present invention cuts off the current flowing to the metal heat source, resulting in lower power consumption compared to conventional electric heating smoking articles. Therefore, the maximum number of cigarettes that can be smoked per charge can be increased, and the battery size can also be made smaller. The reduction in battery size has the advantage of being beneficial for miniaturizing the device, and further has the advantage of simplifying the electrical circuit structure.

[0012] In addition, after the smoker inhales the smoking article through the mouth (puff operation), the suction resistance of the present invention decreases, but the airflow path control unit compensates for the reduced pressure drop to adjust the taste of the tobacco. Thereby, a satisfactory smoking feeling can be provided to the smoker.

[0013] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above effects, and it should be understood that the effects include all effects that can be inferred from the configuration of the invention described in the detailed description or claims of the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, various changes may be made to the embodiments, and the scope of the patent application rights shall not be restricted or limited by such embodiments. It should be understood that all changes, equivalents, or alternatives to the embodiments are included in the scope of rights.

[0016] The terms used in the embodiments are merely for the purpose of explanation and are not to be construed as having an intention of limitation. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly gives a different meaning. In this specification, terms such as "including" or "having" indicate the presence of the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and it should not be understood as precluding the possibility of the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0017] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which this embodiment belongs. Commonly used pre-defined terms should be construed as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be construed as having an ideal or overly formal meaning unless clearly defined herein.

[0018] Also, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, regardless of the reference numerals in the drawings, the same components shall be given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions thereof shall be omitted. In the description of the embodiments, if a specific description of related known technologies is determined to obscure the gist of the embodiments unnecessarily, the detailed description thereof shall be omitted.

[0019] In addition, when describing the components of the embodiments, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. can be used. These terms are for distinguishing the components from other components, and the essence, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by these terms.

[0020] Components that include functions common to the components included in any of the embodiments will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless otherwise stated, the descriptions given in any of the embodiments are also applicable to other embodiments, and specific descriptions within the overlapping scope will be omitted.

[0021] Throughout the specification, "smoking article" means an article that can generate an aerosol, such as tobacco (rolled tobacco), cigars, etc. The smoking article may contain an aerosol-generating substance or an aerosol-forming substrate. Further, the smoking article may contain a solid substance based on tobacco raw materials such as sheet tobacco, cut tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, etc. The smoking substance may contain volatile compounds.

[0022] Also, throughout the specification, "upstream" or "upstream direction" means the direction away from the mouth of the user smoking the smoking article, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" means the direction approaching the mouth of the user smoking the smoking article. For example, in the stick-type smoking article shown in FIG. 3, the tobacco medium portion 202 is located upstream or in the upstream direction of the filter portion 203.

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electric heating smoking system 100 including a stick-type smoking article 101 containing a carbon heat source and an automatic ignition device 102. Referring to FIG. 1, the automatic ignition device 102 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a stick insertion portion 103, a control portion 104, a battery 105, and an air flow path control portion 106. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the stick-type smoking article 101 containing a carbon heat source includes a carbon heat source 201, a tobacco medium portion 202, a filter portion 203, and a metal heat source 204. However, various modifications and additions to the configuration are possible without being limited thereto.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a stick-type smoking article 101 is provided, and the stick-type smoking article 101 includes a carbon heat source 201.

[0026] In the present invention, the temperature of the carbon heat source 201 should not be so high as to cause combustion or thermal degradation of the tobacco medium portion 202 during use of the stick-type smoking article 101. However, the combustion temperature of the carbon heat source 201 must generate sufficient heat to release sufficient volatile compounds from the tobacco medium portion 202. In particular, it must be high enough to generate an acceptable aerosol among the initial smoking puffs. In order to avoid a delay between ignition of the carbon heat source 201 and generation of the aerosol, the carbon heat source 201 must quickly reach an appropriate combustion temperature after ignition.

[0027] The carbon heat source 201 has a carbon content of at least 35 dry weight %, more preferably at least about 40 dry weight %, and most preferably at least about 45 dry weight % of the carbon heat source.

[0028] The carbon heat source is formed from one or more suitable carbon-containing substances and contains additives to improve the characteristics of the carbon heat source 201. As an example, additives that promote ignition of the carbon heat source correspond to perchlorates, chlorates, nitrates, peroxides, permanganates, zirconium, or combinations thereof, and additives that promote combustion of the carbon heat source may include potassium or potassium salts such as potassium citrate. The listed types of additives are only one embodiment and are not limited to only the listed types.

[0029] Furthermore, the carbon heat source 201 can also include at least one ignition aid.

[0030] In one embodiment of the present invention, the carbon heat source 201 includes a metal heat source 204. The metal heat source 204 can include a metal with low resistance. As an example, the resistance value may have a value exceeding 0 Ω and less than 0.7 Ω. The resistance value of the metal heat source 204 can be variously set according to the constituent materials, length, width, thickness, etc. of the metal heat source. Examples of the types of metals having such low-resistance characteristics include, but are not limited to, those made of gold, silver, copper, aluminum, iron, etc.

[0031] On the other hand, in the present invention, the metal heat source 204 includes a (+) terminal at the center and a (-) terminal (round; GND) located on the outer periphery of the (+) terminal.

[0032] On the other hand, the stick-type smoking article 101 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a tobacco medium part 202, a filter part 203, and a bellows.

[0033] The tobacco medium part 202 generally means a tobacco substance containing nicotine together with leaf tobacco and may additionally contain an excipient. Examples of the excipient include, but are not limited to, pH adjusters, binders, aerosol formers, and other additives excluding the tobacco substance contained in the tobacco medium part 202.

[0034] The tobacco substance may be fragments of tobacco leaves, tobacco stems, tobacco dust generated during tobacco processing, and / or tobacco leaf strip pieces. Also, the tobacco leaves may be at least one or more selected from among native varieties such as yellow varieties, burley varieties, fire-cured varieties, sun-cured varieties, and air-cured varieties, but are not limited thereto.

[0035] When using a pH adjuster, the type of pH adjuster used is not greatly restricted as long as it is a substance publicly known in the art, and may include, for example, basic inorganic salts.

[0036] Also, as an example of the binder, it may be a substance that increases hardness by binding well with pulverized tobacco substances, etc., and is used without limitation as long as it is a substance publicly known in the art. For example, it may include one or more selected from the group consisting of alginates; celluloses such as methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, ethylhydroxyethylcellulose, and carboxymethylcellulose; dextran; gums; gum derivatives such as hydroxyethyl guar gum, hydroxypropyl guar gum, hydroxyethyl locust bean gum, and hydroxypropyl locust bean gum; pectins such as fruit pectin, citrus pectin, and tobacco pectin; starches such as modified or derivatized starch; furan; and konjac flour.

[0037] Also, as an example, when the aerosol-forming agent is heated to a specific volatilization temperature or higher, it volatilizes and enables substances such as nicotine to be transmitted in the form of an aerosol. As specific types, monohydric alcohols such as menthol; polyhydric alcohols such as triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, erythritol, propylene glycol, and glycerol; esters of polyhydric alcohols such as glycerol mono-, di- or triacetate; aliphatic esters of mono-, di- or polycarboxylic acids such as diethyl suberate, dimethyl dodecanedioate, dimethyl tetradecanedioate, ethyl laurate, lauryl acetate, and triethyl citrate; benzyl benzoate; benzyl phenylacetate; ethyl vanillate; lauric acid; myristic acid; propylene carbonate; and tributyrin may be one or more selected from the group consisting of, but not limited to, these.

[0038] Furthermore, the other additives may further include one or more selected from the group consisting of flavoring agents, wetting agents, plasticizers, tobacco, and non-tobacco fibers, aqueous and non-aqueous solvents, and combinations thereof, but are not limited thereto.

[0039] Furthermore, the flavoring agent may be a preparation that imparts taste and / or aroma to the aerosol generated from tobacco substances. It may include, but is not limited to, licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, sage, spearmint, ginger, coriander or coffee, etc. Therefore, it can supplement the insufficient flavor and taste of leaf tobacco, not only mask unpleasant smells and tastes, but also impart characteristic aromas.

[0040] The filter unit 203 corresponds to, but is not limited to, an acetyl cellulose filter, a paper filter, or a filter made of a polymer substance.

[0041] Also, the filter unit 203 may be perfumed with the above-mentioned flavoring agent.

[0042] The wrapper is made of a general filter wrapper paper, and the tipping wrapper that binds the tobacco medium part 202 and the filter is selectively formed with one or more perforations along the peripheral direction so that external air can flow in and internal gas can flow out. Through this, the air dilution rate of the rolled cigarette can be realized, and the effect of adjusting the transfer amount of the mainstream smoke components can be achieved.

[0043] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electric heating smoking system 100 including a stick-type smoking article 101 containing a carbon heat source 201 and an automatic ignition device 102 can be provided. The carbon heat source 201 includes a metal heat source 204. The automatic ignition device 102 includes a stick insertion part 103 into which the stick-type smoking article 10 can be inserted to ignite the carbon heat source 201.

[0044] As an embodiment, the automatic ignition device 102 includes an air flow path control part 106.

[0045] The air flow path control part 106 can adjust the amount of air flowing through the air flow path based on the suction resistance during smoking. Specifically, the suction resistance (pressure drop) inside the stick-type smoking article 101 can be reduced by the user's repeated puffs. The air flow path control part 106 detects the reduction in suction resistance and can increase the suction resistance of the automatic ignition device 102 itself. That is, the present invention can provide a uniform suction resistance and the taste of tobacco only in the air flow path control part.

[0046] As an example, the electric heating smoking system 100 may include a sensor for detecting the suction resistance within the stick-shaped smoking article 101. The suction resistance detection sensor detects the suction resistance of the stick-shaped smoking article 101 after the user's puff operation and generates a pressure drop signal. The detection signal of the suction resistance detection sensor can be transmitted to the airflow path control unit 106. The airflow path control unit 106 can perform airflow control to increase the pressure drop of the device 102 itself. However, it is not limited to the above example.

[0047] In the electric heating smoking system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the stick insertion part 103 may include terminals of an automatic ignition device. The automatic ignition device terminals include a (+) terminal at the center and a (-) terminal located on the outer periphery of the (+) terminal. The metal heat source 204 of the stick-shaped smoking article 101 includes a (+) terminal at the center and a (-) terminal located on the outer periphery of the (+) terminal. When the stick-shaped smoking article 101 is accommodated in the stick insertion part 103, the (+) and (-) terminals of the stick-shaped smoking article 101 come into contact with the (+) and (-) terminals of the automatic ignition device 102 respectively, and current flows through the metal heat source 204. That is, the carbon heat source 201 can be heated by the electric power supplied from the battery 105. The heated carbon heat source 201 can generate an aerosol from the tobacco medium part 202.

[0048] The automatic ignition device 102 can be manufactured in various structures having an airflow path through which external air can flow in or internal gas can flow out even when the stick-shaped smoking article 101 is accommodated, and is not limited to the drawings.

[0049] As an embodiment, the automatic ignition device 102 includes a control unit 104. The control unit 104 generally controls the operation of the electric heating smoking system 100.

[0050] First, the power supplied to the stick insertion part 103 can be controlled. Specifically, it can be controlled to supply current by recognizing the state where the terminal of the stick-type smoking article and the terminal of the automatic ignition device are in contact. The metal heat source 204 in the stick-type smoking article 101 heats the carbon heat source 201. On the other hand, when the temperature of the carbon heat source 201 rises and preheating is completed and ignition occurs, the control unit 104 cuts off the current flowing through the metal heat source 204. Thereby, the power consumption can be reduced and the size of the battery can be decreased, which is advantageous for miniaturizing the device, and the structure of the electric circuit can also be simplified. When the current reaches the first value, the control unit 104 can control the airflow path control unit 106 to operate.

[0051] The control unit 104 can control the operations of not only the stick insertion part 103 and the airflow path control unit 106 but also other components included in the automatic ignition device 102. The control unit 104 may check the state of each component of the automatic ignition device 102 and determine whether the device is in an operable state. However, it is not limited thereto.

[0052] The battery 105 of the present invention can supply the power required for the operation of the electric heating type smoking system 100. For example, the battery 105 supplies power so that the stick insertion part 103 can be heated and supplies the power required for the operation of the control unit 104. Further, the battery 105 can supply the power necessary for the operation of a display, a sensor, a motor, etc. installed in the electric heating type smoking system 100. However, it is not limited thereto.

[0053] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, an airflow path control method for the electric heating type smoking system 100 can be provided. Specifically, step C1 of applying current to the metal heat source 204 when the terminal of the stick-type smoking article and the terminal of the automatic ignition device are in contact; step C2 of controlling the current flowing through the metal heat source 204 based on the temperature of the carbon heat source 201; and step C3 of cutting off the current and operating the airflow path control unit 106; are included.

[0054] In the C2 step, if the carbon heat source 21 is ignited, the current flowing through the metal heat source 204 is cut off.

[0055] In the C3 step, the airflow path control unit 106 controls the airflow rate flowing through the airflow path based on the suction resistance within the stick-type smoking article 101.

[0056] However, it is not limited thereto, and in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1, general-purpose components may be included in the device 102. For example, the automatic ignition device 102 may include a display capable of outputting visual information and / or a motor for outputting tactile information. Additionally, it may include at least one sensor such as a pressure drop detection sensor and a stick-type smoking article insertion recognition sensor. Further, although not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the automatic ignition device 102 may be configured as a system together with a separate cradle. For example, the cradle may be used to charge the battery 105 of the automatic ignition device 102.

[0057] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field can apply various technical modifications and deformations based on the above. For example, the described technology may be executed in an order different from the described method, and / or the components such as the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. may be combined or assembled in a form different from the described method, or replaced or substituted by other components or equivalents, and appropriate results can still be achieved.

[0058] Therefore, other realizations, other embodiments, and those equivalent to the claims will also fall within the scope of the claims described hereinafter.

Claims

Claim 1 A stick-type smoking article comprising a carbon heat source, wherein the carbon heat source comprises a metal heat source, the stick-type smoking article. Claim 2 The stick-type smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the metal heat source comprises a (+) terminal at the center and a (−) terminal located on the outer periphery of the (+) terminal. Claim 3 The stick-type smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the metal heat source is a metal having a resistance exceeding 0 Ω and less than 0.7 Ω. Claim 4 The stick-type smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the metal heat source comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper, aluminum, and iron. Claim 5 An electrically heated smoking system comprising a stick-type smoking article and an automatic ignition device, wherein the stick-type smoking article comprises a carbon heat source, the carbon heat source comprises a metal heat source, the automatic ignition device comprises a stick insertion portion into which the stick-type smoking article can be inserted to ignite the carbon heat source, the electrically heated smoking system. Claim 6 The electrically heated smoking system according to claim 5, wherein the automatic ignition device comprises an air flow path control portion configured to adjust the amount of the air flow path flowing through the air flow path based on a suction resistance. Claim 7 The metal heat source of the stick-type smoking article comprises a (+) terminal at the center and a (−) terminal located on the outer periphery of the (+) terminal, the stick insertion portion comprises automatic ignition device terminals that come into contact with the (+) terminal and the (−) terminal, the electrically heated smoking system according to claim 5. Claim 8 The automatic ignition device comprises a control portion, the control portion supplies current only during preheating of the stick-type smoking article to ignite the carbon heat source, cuts off the current after ignition, and operates the air flow path control portion, the electrically heated smoking system according to claim 5. Claim 9 The electrically heated smoking system according to claim 5, wherein the automatic ignition device comprises a battery. Claim 10 An air flow path control method for the electrically heated smoking system according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein when the terminals of the stick-type smoking article and the automatic ignition device terminals come into contact, a step C1 of applying current to the metal heat source; a step C2 of controlling the current flowing through the metal heat source based on the temperature of the carbon heat source; a step C3 of cutting off the current flowing through the metal heat source and operating the air flow path control portion; comprising, the air flow path control method. Claim 11 The airflow path control method according to claim 10, wherein in the C2 step, the control unit cuts off the current flowing to the metal heat source if the carbon heat source is ignited.

12. The airflow path control method according to claim 10, wherein in the C3 step, the airflow path control unit controls the air flow rate flowing through the airflow path based on the suction resistance in the stick-type smoking article.

Images