Aerosol-generating system

Abstract

To provide an aerosol generation system that prevents a content of an aerosol generation article from remaining in a storage part when the aerosol generation article is taken out from the storage part.SOLUTION: An aerosol-generating system includes an aerosol-generating device, an aerosol-generating article that generates an aerosol by heating, and a heating unit, wherein the aerosol-generating device includes a housing unit that houses the aerosol-generating article and a power supply unit that supplies power to the heating unit, and the heating unit heats the aerosol-generating article housed in the housing unit, A first shape portion having a protruding first shape is formed on a bottom portion of the accommodating portion, the aerosol generating article includes an end portion to be inserted into the accommodating portion, the end portion includes a second shape portion having a second shape corresponding to the first shape when the aerosol generating article is accommodated in the accommodating portion, and at least a part of a surface of the second shape portion is inclined with respect to a longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, aerosol generators that generate an aerosol by heating a material without burning the material in order to inhale flavors and the like have been known. The aerosol generator and an aerosol-generating article containing the material constitute an aerosol generation system. Various structures have been proposed for the container that contains the material in the aerosol generator. Patent Document 1 discloses an aerosol generator that heats a material from the outside, configured so that when the material is inserted into the cavity, only multiple protrusions come into contact with the material, thereby suppressing heat loss from the material. Patent Document 2 discloses a heating chamber in which a recess is defined by the inner surface to facilitate cleaning of the heating chamber. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 216762 [Patent Document 2] Japan Special Publication No. 2021-508243 [Patent Document 3] Japan Special Publication No. 2021-502800 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a user of the aerosol generating device (hereinafter simply referred to as the user) removes the aerosol-generating article from the storage unit after heating the aerosol-generating article, part of the aerosol-generating article may adhere to the inner surface of the heating unit or the storage unit, making it impossible to remove that part. For this reason, Patent Document 3 proposes an aerosol generating device that includes a rotating unit that allows the aerosol-forming substrate and the heating body to move relative to each other in the circumferential direction. The aerosol generating device of Patent Document 3 has problems such as being too complicated and large.

[0005] One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an aerosol generating system that prevents the contents of an aerosol-generating article from remaining in the storage section when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage section, while preventing the aerosol generating device from becoming too complex or large. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to a first aspect, there is provided an aerosol generating system comprising an aerosol generating device, an aerosol-generating article that generates an aerosol by heating, and a heating unit, wherein the aerosol generating device comprises a storage unit that stores the aerosol-generating article and a power supply unit that supplies power to the heating unit, the heating unit heats the aerosol-generating article stored in the storage unit, the storage unit has a bottom that is formed with a first shaped portion having a protruding first shape, the aerosol-generating article has an end that is inserted into the storage unit, and the end is configured to include a second shaped portion that has a second shape corresponding to the first shape when the aerosol-generating article is stored in the storage unit, and at least a part of the surface of the second shaped portion is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article.

[0007] According to the first aspect, the aerosol generating device can be prevented from becoming too complicated or large, and the second shape corresponding to the protruding first shape can prevent the contents of the aerosol-generating article from remaining in the storage unit when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage unit. This reduces the need for maintenance such as cleaning. Furthermore, by preventing the aerosol-generating article from adhering to the heating unit, deterioration of heating efficiency can be prevented.

[0008] The second aspect is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the second shape portion keeps the contents of the aerosol-generating article from remaining in the storage portion when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage portion.

[0009] According to the second aspect, by virtue of the holding by the second shape portion, it is possible to more reliably prevent the contents of the aerosol-generating article from remaining in the container when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the container.

[0010] A third aspect is the first or second aspect, wherein the surface of the second shaped portion is formed by a packaging material that packages the aerosol-generating article.

[0011] According to the third aspect, it is possible to provide an aerosol generating system that has the effects of the above aspects efficiently and at reduced cost.

[0012] A fourth aspect is the third aspect, wherein the packaging material has a basis weight of 20 gsm or more and 200 gsm or less.

[0013] According to the fourth aspect, when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage section, the packaging material firmly holds the contents of the aerosol-generating article, preventing the contents from remaining in the storage section, and also prevents adverse effects caused by an excessive amount of packaging material, such as making it difficult to form the second shaped section.

[0014] A fifth aspect is the third or fourth aspect, wherein the second shape portion includes an inward fold of the end portion of the packaging material.

[0015] According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to more reliably prevent the contents of the aerosol-generating article from remaining in the container when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the container. Furthermore, an aerosol-generating article having such an effect can be easily formed by folding the packaging material.

[0016] The sixth aspect is characterized in that, in any of the first to fifth aspects, at least a portion of the surface of the second shaped portion is inclined with respect to the direction in which the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the storage portion so that its tangent plane intersects with the central axis of the aerosol-generating article closer to the end face of the end portion than the at least a portion.

[0017] According to the sixth aspect, by holding the aerosol-generating article with a surface that is inclined relative to the insertion direction, it is possible to more reliably prevent the contents of the aerosol-generating article from remaining in the container when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the container.

[0018] The seventh aspect is characterized in that, in any of the first to sixth aspects, the width of the second shape in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article increases toward the end face of the end of the aerosol-generating article.

[0019] According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to prevent a wider range of contents from remaining in the container when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the container.

[0020] An eighth aspect is characterized in that, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the second shape portion is arranged on both sides of the end portion along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article.

[0021] According to the eighth aspect, when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage section, the second shaped portion holds the contents on both sides of the end of the aerosol-generating article, more reliably preventing the contents from remaining in the storage section.

[0022] A ninth aspect is summarized as the first to eighth aspects, wherein the first shape has an arch shape.

[0023] As will be described later, the side of the aerosol-generating article where the end that is first inserted into the aerosol generating device is located is referred to as the upstream side, and the opposite side is referred to as the downstream side. According to the ninth aspect, the arched inclined surface urges the side surface of the aerosol-generating article inward and downstream, and when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage section, the urged portion firmly holds the contents of the aerosol-generating article, preventing the contents from remaining in the storage section.

[0024] A tenth aspect is summarized as any one of the first to ninth aspects, in that the first shape has a blade-like shape.

[0025] When the wide surface abuts against the end of the aerosol-generating article, the contents of the aerosol-generating article move in a direction intersecting the pressing direction, causing the end of the aerosol-generating article to spread. According to the tenth aspect, when the end of the aerosol-generating article is pressed by the blade-shaped first shape portion, the end is less likely to spread compared to when the end is pressed by the wide surface, and therefore the contents are less likely to remain in the storage section when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage section.

[0026] The eleventh aspect is characterized in that, in any of the first to tenth aspects, the storage section has a bottom wall that intersects with the storage section central axis, which is the central axis of the storage section, and a side wall that extends along the storage section central axis, and the first shape section is provided in contact with at least one of the bottom wall and the side wall.

[0027] According to the eleventh aspect, when the aerosol-generating article is stored in the storage section, the second shape portion can be formed by the first shape portion formed on the bottom wall or the side wall, without the user having to perform any complicated operations.

[0028] A twelfth aspect is the eleventh aspect, wherein a surface of the first shape portion is inclined with respect to a central axis of the storage portion.

[0029] According to the 12th aspect, the inclined surface can bias the end of the aerosol-generating article toward the inside of the aerosol-generating article, making it more likely that the contents will remain in the storage section when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage section.

[0030] A thirteenth aspect is the twelfth aspect, wherein in a longitudinal cross section including the central axis of the storage portion, the angle formed between the surface of the first shape portion and the central axis of the storage portion is greater than or equal to 30° and less than or equal to 60°.

[0031] According to the thirteenth aspect, when the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the container, the aerosol-generating article can be biased inward while facilitating the formation of the folded portion.

[0032] A fourteenth aspect is summarized in that, in the eleventh to thirteenth aspects, the first shape has a pointed shape that tapers toward the central axis of the accommodating portion along a radial direction with respect to the central axis of the accommodating portion.

[0033] According to the 14th aspect, the first shaped portion can urge the aerosol-generating article radially toward the central axis of the storage portion without widening the end of the aerosol-generating article, making it even less likely that the contents will remain in the storage portion when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage portion.

[0034] A fifteenth aspect is characterized in that, in any of the eleventh to fourteenth aspects, the width of the first shape in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the storage section gradually decreases or increases along the central axis of the storage section.

[0035] According to the fifteenth aspect, the first shape does not change suddenly, and therefore damage to the aerosol-generating article that comes into contact with the first shape portion can be suppressed.

[0036] A sixteenth aspect is summarized as any one of the eleventh to fifteenth aspects, wherein the accommodating portion is provided with a plurality of the first shape portions at different circumferential positions with respect to a central axis of the accommodating portion.

[0037] According to the 16th aspect, when the aerosol-generating article is stored in the storage section, the aerosol-generating article has a plurality of second shaped portions corresponding to a plurality of first shaped portions, making it even less likely that the contents will remain in the storage section when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage section.

[0038] The 17th aspect is summarized as follows: in any of the 1st to 16th aspects, the storage section is equipped with the heating section, or a metal body stored in the storage section together with the aerosol-generating article constitutes a heating element of the heating section.

[0039] According to the seventeenth aspect, it is possible to flexibly design the heating section.

[0040] An eighteenth aspect is the seventeenth aspect, wherein the storage section includes the heating section, and the heating section includes a plate-shaped heater.

[0041] According to the eighteenth aspect, it is possible to easily insert the heating part into the aerosol-generating article. Furthermore, when the first shape part is formed along the width direction of the plate-shaped heater, it is possible to easily fold in the end part of the aerosol-generating article.

[0042] A 19th aspect is summarized as the 18th aspect, wherein the first shape portion is arranged at the bottom of the accommodating portion along a direction in which the plate-shaped heater extends.

[0043] According to the nineteenth aspect, the distance between the first shape portion and the heating portion can be shortened, so that the end of the aerosol-generating article stored in the storage portion can be biased to a position close to the heating portion, and the contents are less likely to remain in the storage portion when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage portion more reliably.Furthermore, a compact aerosol generator can be realized by, for example, reducing the thickness of the plate-shaped heater.

[0044] A twentieth aspect is summarized in that, in any one of the seventeenth to nineteenth aspects, the storage section includes the heating section, and the heating section includes a PTC heater.

[0045] According to the twentieth aspect, by utilizing the PTC characteristic, the temperature of the heating part can be kept below a certain temperature without the need for a control device or the like that stops heating when the temperature reaches or exceeds a predetermined temperature.

[0046] A 21st aspect is summarized as any of the 17th to 20th aspects, in that the heating section is configured to heat the aerosol-generating article from the inside when the aerosol-generating article is contained in the aerosol generating device.

[0047] According to the twenty-first aspect, the aerosol-generating article can be heated efficiently.

[0048] A 22nd aspect is summarized as follows: in any of the 17th to 21st aspects, the aerosol-generating article further includes a biasing section on a side wall of the storage section that biases the aerosol-generating article toward the heating section when the aerosol-generating article is stored in the aerosol generating device.

[0049] According to the 22nd aspect, the aerosol-generating article can be brought into close contact with the heating section by the biasing force of the biasing section, thereby improving heat transfer efficiency and preventing the aerosol-generating article from falling off.

[0050] A 23rd aspect is summarized as follows: in the 22nd aspect, the accommodating section includes the heating section, the heating section includes a plate-shaped heater, the plate-shaped heater includes a first main surface perpendicular to the thickness direction and a second main surface formed on the back side of the first main surface, and the biasing section is arranged on the side wall of the accommodating section, facing at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface of the plate-shaped heater.

[0051] According to the 23rd aspect, the contents of the aerosol-generating article can be prevented from moving in a direction intersecting the direction in which the first shape portion is pressed, and the end of the aerosol-generating article can be prevented from spreading, by the force-applying portion, thereby making it even less likely that the contents will remain in the storage portion when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage portion.

[0052] The 24th aspect is summarized as follows: in any of the first to 23rd aspects, the end of the aerosol-generating article does not have the second shaped portion, and the end and the first shaped portion are configured so that when the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the storage portion, the end is pressed against the first shaped portion to form the second shaped portion.

[0053] According to the 24th aspect, there is no need to process the second shaped portion in advance in the aerosol-generating article, and when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage portion, it is possible to prevent the contents of the aerosol-generating article from remaining in the storage portion.

[0054] A twenty-fifth aspect is summarized in that, in any one of the first to twenty-third aspects, the end portion of the aerosol-generating article is provided with the second shaped portion.

[0055] According to the 25th aspect, since the second shaped portion is formed in advance, it is possible to more reliably prevent the contents of the aerosol-generating article from remaining in the storage portion when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage portion.

[0056] A 26th aspect is summarized as being related to the 25th aspect, wherein at least one of the aerosol-generating article and the aerosol-generating device is provided with a marker for inserting the aerosol-generating article so that the first shaped portion and the second shaped portion face each other.

[0057] According to the 26th aspect, it is possible to suppress adverse effects such as a decrease in heating efficiency caused by the first shaped portion and the second shaped portion being disposed in an unintended relative position.

[0058] A 27th aspect is summarized in that, in any one of the first to 26th aspects, the first shape includes a convex portion, and the second shape includes a concave portion.

[0059] According to the 27th aspect, the end of the aerosol-generating article can be easily deformed by the abutment of the convex portion, and the concave portion obtained by the deformation can prevent the contents from remaining in the storage portion when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the storage portion.

[0060] A 28th aspect is summarized as being in any one of the first to 27th aspects, wherein the aerosol generating device is a flavor inhaler that generates a flavored aerosol, and the aerosol-generating article is a tobacco stick.

[0061] According to the 28th aspect, when the tobacco stick is removed from the storage compartment of the flavor inhaler, the contents of the tobacco stick can be prevented from remaining in the storage compartment. This reduces the need for maintenance such as cleaning of the flavor inhaler. Furthermore, by preventing the aerosol-generating article from adhering to the heating section, it is possible to prevent a deterioration in heating efficiency when smoking a tobacco. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0062] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the aerosol generation system according to the first embodiment in the width direction of the heating unit. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment in the width direction of the heating part. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment in the thickness direction of the heating part. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a heating control system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6A] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing an aerosol-generating article according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6B] 6B is a conceptual diagram showing a cross section of the tobacco part of the aerosol-generating article shown in FIG. 6A, taken perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an aerosol-generating article housed in a housing section. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an aerosol-generating article housed in a housing section. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the aerosol-generating article is housed in the aerosol generating device. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the aerosol-generating article is housed in the aerosol generating device. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the aerosol-generating article is housed in the aerosol generating device. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the aerosol generating device according to Modification 1-1 in the width direction of the heating part. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the aerosol generating device according to Modification 1-2 in the width direction of the heating part. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main parts of an aerosol generating device according to Modification 1-3. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an aerosol generating system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a side view of the aerosol-generating article taken along the arrows FF in FIG. 16. [Figure 18] 17 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 16 . [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of an aerosol-generating article according to Modification 2-1. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 19 taken along the line H-H. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing an aerosol-generating article according to Modification 2-2. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wrapper of an aerosol-generating article according to Modification 2-3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0063] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, identical or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. Note that in the following embodiments, tobacco sticks will be used as an example of an aerosol-generating article, but the aerosol-generating article is not limited to tobacco as long as it generates an aerosol when heated.

[0064] First embodiment FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of an aerosol-generating system 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, taken along the width direction of the heating unit 120. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of an aerosol-generating device 100 constituting the aerosol-generating system 10, taken along the width direction of the heating unit 120. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the aerosol-generating device 100, taken along the thickness direction of the heating unit 120. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3. The aerosol-generating system 10 comprises the aerosol-generating device 100 and an aerosol-generating article 200. The aerosol-generating device 100 functions as a flavor inhaler that heats, without combustion, the aerosol-generating article 200, which is a consumable material containing a flavor-generating base, to generate a flavored aerosol. FIG. 1 shows the aerosol-generating article 200 housed in the aerosol-generating device 100. Typically, a user is provided with an aerosol generating device 100 and an aerosol-generating article 200 that is not contained in the aerosol generating device 100, and the user places the aerosol-generating article 200 in the aerosol generating device 100 and performs inhalation.

[0065] Hereinafter, the direction perpendicular to the plane on which the plate-shaped heating unit 120 extends will be referred to as the thickness direction, and the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction and the longitudinal direction of the heating unit 120 will be referred to as the width direction. Unless otherwise specified, the X axis is taken parallel to the width direction, the Y axis is taken parallel to the thickness direction, and the Z axis is taken parallel to the longitudinal direction of the heating unit 120 (see coordinate system CS).

[0066] The aerosol-generating device 100 includes a housing 110 and a heating unit 120. The housing 110 has an opening 115 at one end and functions as a storage unit 1A that stores at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article 200 inserted into the housing 110 through the opening 115. The housing 110 includes a side wall 111 and a bottom wall 112. Hereinafter, the bottom wall 112 and a portion of the side wall 111 facing an upstream end 250 (described later) of the aerosol-generating article 200 stored in the storage unit 1A will be referred to as the bottom 1B of the storage unit 1A. The central axis of the storage unit 1A formed by the housing 110 will be referred to as the first central axis AX1. The first central axis AX1 extends along the longitudinal direction of the housing 110. The side wall 111 extends along the first central axis AX1, and in the illustrated example, the side wall 111 is cylindrical with the first central axis AX1 as its axis. The bottom wall 112 extends in a direction intersecting the first central axis AX1 and, in the illustrated example, is disposed substantially perpendicular to the first central axis AX1. Hereinafter, the radial direction and the circumferential direction refer to the circumferential direction and the radial direction in a rotating coordinate system centered on the first central axis AX1. When the aerosol-generating article 200 is housed in the housing 110, the first central axis AX1 can overlap with the second central axis AX2, which is the central axis of the aerosol-generating article 200. Note that, although the present embodiment will be described taking as an example a case where the outer wall of the housing 110 and the side wall of the storage section 1A are integrated, the storage section 1A having a side wall and a bottom wall may be provided at any position inside the housing 110.

[0067] The housing 110 may be made of, for example, resin, particularly, PC (Polycarbonate), ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) resin, PEEK (PolyEtherEtherKetone), or a polymer alloy containing multiple types of polymers. Alternatively, the housing 110 may be made of a metal such as aluminum. In the illustrated example, the cross-sectional area of ​​the housing 110 in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing 110 is smallest near the opening 115, but this is not limiting.

[0068] The housing 110 also has a shaping guide (guide portion) 20, a retaining rib 30, and first shaped portions 50A and 50B. The shaping guide 20 forms an opening 115 and deforms the cross-sectional shape of the aerosol-generating article 200 inserted into the housing 110 to correspond to the shape of the heating portion 120. The retaining rib 30 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 111 of the housing 110 and functions as a biasing portion that biases the aerosol-generating article 200 inserted into the housing 110 toward the heating portion 120, thereby deforming the aerosol-generating article 200. The shape of the biasing portion is not limited to the shape shown in the figure as long as it can perform such biasing. In this embodiment, the first shaped portions 50A and 50B form a second shaped portion 3000 (FIG. 7), which will be described later, and the second shaped portion 3000 prevents the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200 from remaining in the storage portion 1A when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the storage portion 1A. This point will be described in detail later. However, if the aerosol-generating article 200 can be fixed to the heating section 120 with the desired precision, the shaping guide 20 and the holding rib 30 do not have to be provided.

[0069] Furthermore, an air intake hole (not shown) is provided in the bottom wall 112 formed on the opposite side of the opening 115 of the housing 110. Air is supplied to the aerosol-generating article 200 housed in the housing 110 through this air intake hole, and the aerosol-generating device 100 constitutes a bottom-flow type flavor inhaler. By providing the air intake hole on the opposite side of the opening 115 of the housing 110, the configuration in the vicinity of the opening 115 of the housing 110 can be simplified.

[0070] The heating unit 120 heats the aerosol-generating article 200. In this embodiment, the heating unit 120 is inserted into the aerosol-generating article 200 housed in the housing 110 and heats the aerosol-generating article 200 from the inside. This allows the aerosol-generating article 200 to be heated efficiently. The heating unit 120 is preferably a plate-shaped heater. A plate-shaped heater makes it easy to insert the heating unit 120 into the aerosol-generating article 200. Furthermore, as will be described later, by forming the first shaped portions 50A and 50B along the width direction of the plate-shaped heater, it becomes easy to fold the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200 and form the second shaped portion 3000.

[0071] The heating section 120 can be configured to include a resistance heating element (not shown) located inside the housing 110, and generate heat by applying a voltage to the resistance heating element. The heating section 120 is preferably a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater. From the viewpoint of improving heating efficiency, the heating section 120 is more preferably a plate-shaped PTC heater. Furthermore, the heating section 120 deforms the outer shape of the aerosol-generating article 200 inserted into the housing 110 to conform to the shape of the heating section 120.

[0072] A PTC heater is a heater that uses a resistor with a characteristic (PTC characteristic) in which electrical resistance rises sharply and electricity stops flowing when it reaches a certain temperature (called the Curie temperature). By utilizing the PTC characteristic, a PTC heater can maintain a temperature below a certain level without the need for a control device that stops heating when the temperature exceeds a certain level. The heating unit 120 may be a PTC heater that uses barium titanate (BaTiO3), which has PTC characteristics, as a resistor. In this case, the heating unit 120 can set the Curie temperature of barium titanate to 350°C, allowing it to heat the aerosol-generating article 200 at a suitable temperature below 350°C.

[0073] 5 is a conceptual diagram of a heating control system 1200 that controls heating by the heating unit 120. The heating control system 1200 includes the heating unit 120, a control unit 910, and a power supply unit 920.

[0074] In the illustrated example, the heating unit 120 is shown schematically in a perspective view. A protrusion 125 is formed on one side of the heating unit 120 along the longitudinal direction. The heating unit 120 is inserted into the aerosol-generating article 200 from the protrusion 125. Therefore, the side of the heating unit 120 on which the protrusion 125 is formed is the side closest to the outside when the aerosol-generating article 200 is housed in the housing 110, and is the downstream side of the air flow path during suction. From this perspective, in the following embodiments, the side of the heating unit 120 on which the protrusion 125 is formed in the longitudinal direction is referred to as the downstream side, and the opposite side is referred to as the upstream side.

[0075] The control unit 910 includes a control device electrically connected to the heating unit 120, and the control device controls the heating by the heating unit 120. The control device includes a processing device such as a PCB (Printed Circuit Board). This processing device is composed of a CPU, memory, etc., and controls the operation of the aerosol-generating device 100. The control device detects the start of inhalation. Specifically, the control device detects a user's operation of an input device such as a push button or slide switch (not shown). Alternatively, the control device detects the user's puffing action using a sensor (not shown). After this detection, the control device performs processing to start applying a voltage for heating using power supplied from the power supply unit 920. The control device also terminates heating when a termination condition is met. The termination condition may be a predetermined time having elapsed since the start of heating, or the number of puffing actions by the user exceeding a certain value. The heating unit 120 may include a metal body inserted into the aerosol-generating article 200, and the induction-heated metal body may heat the aerosol-generating article 200. In this case, a metal body is previously installed in the aerosol-generating article 200, and the metal body is housed together with the aerosol-generating article 200 in the housing 110, and the housing 110 includes a heating section 120 that includes the induction-heated metal body, and the housing 110 can heat the aerosol-generating article 200. As described above, from the viewpoint of enabling flexible design, the housing 1A may be equipped with the heating section 120, or the metal body housed in the housing 1A together with the aerosol-generating article 200 may constitute the heating element of the heating section 120.

[0076] The power supply unit 920 includes a battery electrically connected to the heating unit 120, and supplies power to the heating unit 120. The battery is, for example, a lithium-ion battery. The battery may be rechargeable by an external power source.

[0077] FIG. 6A is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing an aerosol-generating article 200 according to this embodiment. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view (BB cross-sectional view) showing a cross section of the tobacco portion 210 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 200 shown in FIG. 6A. The aerosol-generating article 200 may be columnar, preferably cylindrical. As long as the aerosol-generating article 200 can be housed in the housing 110, the end face or the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 200 may be elliptical or flat. In the illustrated example, the aerosol-generating article 200 has a cylindrical shape with the second central axis AX2 as its axis. When the aerosol-generating article 200 is inserted into the housing 110 during inhalation, the end portion that is inserted first is the upstream end portion 250. Accordingly, the side of the aerosol-generating article 200 where the upstream end portion 250 is located will be referred to as the upstream side, and the opposite side will be referred to as the downstream side. The upstream end 250 can extend from the end face of the aerosol-generating article 200 on the upstream side thereof in the longitudinal direction from the end face to the outer diameter of the end face. Here, if the end face is not circular, the outer diameter is the maximum diameter passing through the center of the end face. For example, if the end face is elliptical, the outer diameter is the major axis of the ellipse. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the aerosol-generating article 200 has a tobacco part (inserted part) 210 and a paper tube 220.

[0078] The tobacco section 210 is arranged so that one end thereof constitutes the upstream end 250. The tobacco section 210 has a through-hole 211 in its center, through which the heating section 120 is inserted. The tobacco section 210 also has a two-layer structure: a flavor-releasing layer 212 and an elastically deformable layer 213, which are arranged to surround the inserted heating section 120. A wrapper 214, which is a sheet-like packaging material, is wound around the outer periphery of the elastically deformable layer 213. The paper tube 220 is arranged downstream of the tobacco section 210, and cools the volatile compounds released from the flavor-releasing layer 212.

[0079] The flavor-releasing layer 212 is composed of a tobacco sheet 212A and a non-tobacco sheet 212B that is disposed around the tobacco sheet 212A and supports glycerin or the like. The flavor-releasing layer 212 includes a flavor-generating substrate and is heated by the heating unit 120 to release a flavored aerosol or the like. The flavor-generating substrate is a material that imparts a smoking flavor, and is preferably a tobacco material. The flavor-generating substrate may also contain a flavoring. A flavoring is a substance that provides an aroma or flavor. The flavoring may be a natural flavoring or a synthetic flavoring. A single flavoring or a mixture of multiple flavorings may be used as the flavoring. Any commonly used flavoring may be used, such as essential oils, natural flavorings, synthetic flavorings, etc. The flavoring may be liquid or solid, and any form is acceptable. The flavor-generating substrate may also contain a refreshing agent or a flavoring. It should be noted that the flavor-releasing layer 212 may include only one of the tobacco sheet 212A and the non-tobacco sheet 212B.

[0080] The elastically deformable layer 213 is made of, for example, a nonwoven fabric sheet, a corrugated sheet, a non-tobacco sheet, or the like, and is elastically deformable in its thickness direction (i.e., in the radial direction of the cylindrical elastically deformable layer 213). When the heating unit 120 is inserted, the elastically deformable layer 213 contributes to the aerosol-generating article 200 being deformed to conform to the shape of the heating unit 120. As a result, when the heating unit 120 is inserted into the through-hole 211, the elastically deformable layer 213 elastically deforms in the thickness direction relative to the heating unit 120, making it easier to come into contact with or approach the heating unit 120. This allows the flavor-releasing layer 212 to be brought into closer contact with or closer to the heating unit 120, and the aerosol-generating article 200 can be heated efficiently.

[0081] The tobacco section 210 includes the flavor-releasing layer 212 and the elastically deformable layer 213, which are arranged to surround the inserted heating section 120, and this makes it possible to easily deform the shape of the aerosol-generating article 200 when the heating section 120 is inserted into the aerosol-generating article 200. The cross-sectional shape of the aerosol-generating article 200 may be circular or elliptical.

[0082] The tobacco sheet 212A may contain, for example, tobacco and polyhydric alcohol. The polyhydric alcohol may be used alone or in combination of two or more types in the tobacco sheet 212A. The polyhydric alcohol may also be added to the elastically deformable layer 213 described above. The tobacco sheet 212A may be formed into a sheet by mixing powdered tobacco and polyhydric alcohol with a binder. The non-tobacco sheet 212B may also contain a flavor-generating base material.

[0083] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the housing 110 is formed with first shaped portions 50A and 50B. The first shaped portions 50A and 50B each have a first shape, which is a protruding shape. The first shape protrudes in a direction away from the side wall 111 or the bottom wall 112. As shown in FIG. 4, protruding ends 55A and 55B are formed at the protruding tips of the first shaped portions 50A and 50B, respectively. When an aerosol-generating article 200 without a second shaped portion 3000 is placed in the housing 110, the protruding ends 55A and 55B abut against the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200. This abutment prevents the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200 from moving in the insertion direction. Due to the shapes of the protruding ends 55A and 55B, the upstream end 250 receives a reaction force pushing against the protruding ends 55A and 55B, and is folded inside the aerosol-generating article 200. The folded-in portion of upstream end 250 becomes second shaped portion 3000. Here, "folding" refers to deforming upstream end 250 not only in the radial direction but also in the insertion direction. Hereinafter, when referring to first shaped portions 50A and 50B without distinction, they will be referred to as first shaped portion 50, and when referring to protruding end portions 55A and 55B without distinction, they will be referred to as protruding end portions 55.

[0084] The first shaped portion 50 is configured to be able to fold the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200 inside the aerosol-generating article 200. The first shaped portion 50 functions as a folding portion that folds the upstream end 250 inside the aerosol-generating article 200. When the aerosol-generating article 200 is housed in the housing 110, the upstream end 250 becomes the end of the aerosol-generating article 200 that is on the bottom wall 112 side. The first shaped portion 50 can fold the upstream end 250 inside the aerosol-generating article 200 at least when the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200 inserted into the housing 110 is not folded.

[0085] The inventors have found that when the upstream end 250 is folded inside the aerosol-generating article 200, the aerosol-generating article 200 is less likely to remain in the housing 110 when the user removes the aerosol-generating article 200 from the housing 110. This makes it possible to prevent a deterioration in heating efficiency caused by a part of the aerosol-generating article 200, such as a heated flavor-generating substrate, adhering to the heating unit 120. Furthermore, maintenance of the aerosol generating device 100 is easier, for example, the frequency of cleaning the inside of the housing 110 can be reduced. The aerosol generating device 100 according to this embodiment achieves these effects without the need for increased complexity or size.

[0086] The first shaped portion 50 preferably folds the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200 toward the heating unit 120, particularly toward the central axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the heating unit 120. For example, when the heating unit 120 is disposed on the first central axis AX1 of the storage unit 1A formed by the housing 110, the first shaped portion 50 may be configured to fold the upstream end 250 radially. In this configuration, when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the housing 110, the folded upstream end 250 holds and pushes out the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200 disposed between the wrapper 214 and the heating unit 120, more reliably preventing the contents from remaining inside the housing 110.

[0087] The first shaped portion 50 is provided at the bottom 1B of the storage portion 1A, in contact with the side wall 111 and bottom wall 112 of the housing 110. The protruding end 55 is provided on the side of the first shaped portion 50 opposite the bottom wall 112, i.e., on the downstream side. Therefore, when the aerosol-generating article 200 is inserted through the opening 115 of the housing 110, the protruding end 55 faces the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200. When the aerosol-generating article 200 does not have the second shaped portion 3000, the protruding end 55 abuts against the upstream end 250, and the upstream end 250 can be folded to form the second shaped portion 3000. Therefore, the user does not need to perform any special operations to form the second shaped portion 3000. As long as the second shaped portion 3000 can be formed at the upstream end 250, the first shaped portion 50 may be provided in contact with either the side wall 111 or the bottom wall 112 of the housing 110. The first shaped portion 50 may be formed as part of the side wall 111 or the bottom wall 112.

[0088] In this embodiment, the protruding end 55 is formed in a linear or strip-like shape on the surface of the first shaped portion 50. This has the following advantages: When a wide protruding end 55 abuts against the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200, the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200 move in a direction intersecting the pressing direction of the protruding end 55 (for example, along the Y axis), causing the upstream end 250 to spread. In this case, when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the housing 110, the upstream end 250 is unable to hold the contents, and the contents fall off from the spread upstream end 250, making it more likely that the contents will remain in the housing 110. When the linear or strip-like protruding end 55 abuts against the aerosol-generating article 200, the upstream end 250 does not spread as much as a wide protruding end 55 would, making it less likely that the contents will remain in the housing 110 when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the housing 110. As long as the second shape portion 3000 can be formed on the upstream end portion 250, the shape of the protruding end portion 55 is not particularly limited, and it can be configured with any flat or curved surface.

[0089] The surface of the first shaped portion 50 constituting the protruding end portion 55 is preferably inclined with respect to the first central axis AX1 of the storage unit 1A. The protruding end portion 55 is preferably inclined so that the tangent plane of the protruding end portion 55 intersects with the first central axis AX1 closer to the bottom wall 112 (upstream) than the protruding end portion 55. Here, "inclined" means that the protruding end portion 55 is non-perpendicular and non-parallel to the first central axis AX1. Taking into account manufacturing errors and the like, the protruding end portion 55 is preferably inclined by 5 degrees or more from a direction perpendicular to the first central axis AX1. By inclining the protruding end portion 55 in this manner, when an aerosol-generating article 200 without a second shaped portion 3000 is inserted into the housing 110, the upstream end portion 250 can be biased toward the inside of the aerosol-generating article 200 to form the second shaped portion 3000. Therefore, when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the housing 110, the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200 are less likely to remain in the housing 110.

[0090] The angle between the first central axis AX1 of the storage section 1A and the tangent plane of the protruding end 55 is defined as the inclination angle θ. The inclination angle θ is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. The inclination angle θ is preferably 30 degrees or greater. The larger the inclination angle θ, the closer the protruding end 55 abuts to the insertion direction of the aerosol-generating article 200 at an angle closer to perpendicular to the insertion direction, making it easier to fold the upstream end 250 when inserting an aerosol-generating article 200 without a second shaped section 3000 into the housing 110. The inclination angle θ is preferably 60 degrees or less. If the inclination angle θ is too large, the aerosol-generating article 200 becomes difficult to fold inward, and the contents cannot be retained when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the housing 110. The inclination angle θ is more preferably within the range of 30 degrees to 60 degrees. When the protruding end portion 55 is curved or formed in a stepped shape and the inclination angle θ takes a plurality of continuous or discrete values, the inclination angle θ can be entirely or partially within the above range.

[0091] The shape of the first shaped portion 50 is not particularly limited as long as it can bias the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200, which does not have a second shaped portion 3000, to form the second shaped portion 3000. The first shaped portion 50 is preferably blade-shaped. This allows the formation of a narrow protruding end 55 and prevents the upstream end 250 from being widened by the portion of the first shaped portion 50 other than the protruding end 55 pressing against the aerosol-generating article 200.

[0092] 1 and 4, the first shape of the first shaped portion 50 preferably includes a pointed shape that tapers radially toward the first central axis AX1. When the first shaped portion 50 has such a pointed shape, the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200 can be pushed out in a direction intersecting the pressing direction of the protruding end portion 55 (e.g., a direction along the Y axis), preventing the upstream end portion 250 from widening. This makes it less likely that the protruding end portion 55 will widen the upstream end portion 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200 when forcing the upstream end portion 250 inward. This further reduces the likelihood that the contents will remain in the housing 110 when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the housing 110.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 2, the height along the first central axis AX1 is defined as the first height H10, and the width of the first shape in a certain direction at the first height H10 is defined as the first width W10. In the illustrated example, the first width W10 in the width direction is shown. In the radial direction, circumferential direction, or other certain direction, the first width W10 preferably gradually decreases or increases along the first central axis AX1. In the illustrated example, the first width W10 in the width direction gradually increases toward the upstream side along the first central axis AX1. In this way, since the first shape does not change abruptly, no sharp portions are formed, and damage to the aerosol-generating article 200 when it comes into contact with the first shape can be suppressed.

[0094] As long as the first shaped portions 50 can form the second shaped portions 3000 at the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200, the number of first shaped portions 50 arranged in the storage section 1A is not particularly limited and can be one or more. From the perspective of more reliably holding the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200 by the upstream end 250 having multiple second shaped portions 3000, it is preferable that multiple first shaped portions 50 be provided in the storage section 1A. In this case, from the same perspective, it is preferable to fold the upstream end 250 from multiple directions, and therefore it is preferable to provide multiple first shaped portions 50 inside the housing 110 at different circumferential positions about the first central axis AX1, like the first shaped portions 50A and 50B.

[0095] The distance between the two first shaped portions 50A and 50B in a certain direction along the bottom wall 112, i.e., along the XY plane, is defined as the shaped portion distance D1. The width of the heating portion 120 in that direction is defined as the heated portion width W1. In the illustrated example, the shaped portion distance D1 and the heated portion width W1 are measured along the X-axis direction. When multiple first shaped portions 50A and 50B are arranged in opposing positions across the heating portion 120, the heated portion width W1 in a certain direction along the bottom wall 112 is preferably 60% or more, and more preferably 70% or more, of the shaped portion distance D1. Because the distance between the first shaped portion 50 and the heating portion 120 is short, the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200 contained in the housing 110 can be folded to a position close to the heating portion 120, regardless of the width of the aerosol-generating article 200. Therefore, when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the upstream end 250, the contents are less likely to remain inside the housing 110.

[0096] In the illustrated example, the first shaped portions 50A and 50B are each arranged along the X-axis direction, which is the extension direction of the plate-shaped heater that constitutes the heating unit 120. In this way, the first shaped portion 50 is preferably arranged along the extension direction of the heating unit 120 at the bottom 1B of the storage unit 1A. This shortens the distance between the first shaped portion 50 and the heating unit 120. Furthermore, the aerosol generation device 100 can be made thin in the thickness direction and compact. Note that, as long as the second shaped portion 3000 can be formed at the upstream end 250 using the first shaped portion 50, the position of the first shaped portion 50 can be adjusted as appropriate.

[0097] The first shaped portion 50A is disposed opposite one end of the heating portion 120 on the negative side in the X-axis direction (width direction). The first shaped portion 50B is disposed opposite one end of the heating portion 120 on the positive side in the X-axis direction. In this way, the first shaped portion 50 can be disposed at a position on the bottom wall 112 opposite one end, preferably both ends, of the plate-shaped heating portion 120. This makes it possible to further shorten the distance between the first shaped portion 50 and the heating portion 120. Furthermore, the aerosol generating device 100 can be made thinner in the thickness direction, making it even more compact.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 3 , the plate-shaped heater constituting the heating unit 120 has a first main surface 1201 perpendicular to the thickness direction (Y-axis direction) and a second main surface 1202 formed on the back side of the first main surface 1201. The holding rib 30 is formed on the side wall 111 opposite the first main surface 1201 and the second main surface 1202. Meanwhile, the first shaped portions 50A and 50B are arranged along the width direction of the heating unit 120. When the first shaped portions 50A and 50B press the upstream end 250 along the width direction, the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200 can be pushed out in the thickness direction, which intersects with the pressing direction. Therefore, by biasing the aerosol-generating article 200 inward along the thickness direction, the holding rib 30 suppresses the expansion of the upstream end 250 and can prevent the contents from remaining in the housing 110 when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the housing 110. The holding rib 30 may be disposed facing only one of the first main surface 1201 and the second main surface 1202.

[0099] The material of the first shaped portion 50 is not particularly limited as long as it can withstand the heat of the heating unit 120 and can be processed into that shape. The first shaped portion 50 can be formed, for example, from a resin such as PC, ABS resin, PEEK, or polymer alloy, or a metal such as aluminum. The method of forming the first shaped portion 50 is not particularly limited. After the side walls 111 and bottom wall 112 of the housing 110 are formed, the first shaped portion 50 can be attached by adhesive or the like. Alternatively, the first shaped portion 50 may be formed integrally with the side walls 111 and bottom wall 112 by resin molding or die casting.

[0100] FIG. 7 is a side view schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating article 200 in which second shaped portions 3000A and 3000B are formed by abutting against the first shaped portions 50A and 50B of the storage unit 1A, respectively. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram (schematic side view along arrow CC) showing the end face of the aerosol-generating article 200 in FIG. 7 on the bottom wall 112 side (upstream side). Hereinafter, for ease of understanding, the aerosol-generating article 200 contained in the storage unit 1A will be referred to as the contained article 2000. In the contained article 2000, the second shaped portions 3000A and 3000B are formed at both ends along the width direction (X-axis direction) of the upstream end 250 of the tobacco portion 210. In the following embodiments, when the second shaped portions 3000A and 3000B are referred to without distinction, they will be referred to as the second shaped portions 3000. Second shape portions 3000A and 3000B are portions formed by being folded inward of stored item 2000 as upstream end portion 250 comes into contact with first shape portions 50A and 50B during insertion into storage section 1A. In Fig. 7, an example of the outline of the folded portion of upstream end portion 250 is schematically shown by a two-dot chain line.

[0101] In FIG. 8, the cross-sectional outline of the heating unit 120 is schematically shown by a dashed line. By inserting the heating unit 120, the stored item 2000 expands in the width direction (X-axis direction) in which the heating unit 120 extends. At the upstream end 250, the pressed portions 3100A and 3100B, which the protruding ends 55A and 55B contact, respectively, are pressed more strongly and urged inward toward the stored item 2000. In this embodiment, since the protruding end 55 is linear or strip-shaped, the pressed portions 3100A and 3100B are also linear or strip-shaped. Furthermore, since the protruding end 55 has a convex portion, the second shape portion 3000 has a concave portion. By utilizing the convex portion, the stored item 2000 can be easily deformed. In this manner, the upstream end 250 is configured to have a second shape corresponding to the first shape when the aerosol-generating item 2000 is stored in the storage unit 1A. The second shape prevents the contents from remaining in the storage unit 1A when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the storage unit 1A.

[0102] The surface of the second shaped portion 3000 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 200 or the insertion direction (Z-axis direction) of the aerosol-generating article 200. Specifically, at least a portion of the surface of the second shaped portion 3000 is inclined so that a tangential plane TP of the at least a portion intersects with the second central axis AX2 on the end face side of the upstream end 250 relative to the at least a portion. Therefore, the second shaped portion 3000 functions as a holding portion that holds contents, such as the flavor-releasing layer 212, that are located in the insertion direction relative to the second shaped portion 3000. This holding allows the contained article 2000 to be removed without leaving any contents in the container 1A. In this way, the aerosol-generating article 200 according to this embodiment is configured so that, when contained in the container 1A, the surface of the second shaped portion 3000 is inclined with respect to the insertion direction to serve as a holding portion. In the illustrated example, the second shaped portion 3000 partially covers the tobacco sheet 212A, the non-tobacco sheet 212B, and the elastically deformable layer 213. However, as long as the effect of preventing the contents from remaining in the storage section 1A to the desired extent when the stored item 2000 is removed from the housing 110 is achieved, the range of the end surface of the aerosol-generating item 200 covered by the second shape section 3000 is not particularly limited.

[0103] The surface of the second shaped portion 3000 is preferably formed by the wrapper 214, which is a packaging material that wraps the upstream end 250. This makes it possible to efficiently manufacture the aerosol generating system 10 at low cost, in which the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200 are less likely to remain in the storage unit 1A when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the storage unit 1A. The aerosol-generating article 200 and the first shaped portion 50 are preferably configured so that, when the aerosol-generating article 200 is stored in the storage unit 1A, the wrapper 214, which is a packaging material, is folded inward toward the upstream end 250. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the contents of the stored article 2000 from remaining in the storage unit 1A when the stored article 2000 is removed from the storage unit 1A. Furthermore, an aerosol-generating article 200 having such an effect can be easily formed by folding the packaging material.

[0104] In the aerosol-generating article 200, the basis weight of the packaging material in the portion that will become the second shaped portion 3000 when the aerosol-generating article 200 is contained in the container 1A is preferably 20 gsm or more, and more preferably 100 gsm or more. The greater the basis weight, the stronger the packaging material, which can firmly hold the contents of the contained article 2000 and effectively prevent displacement. The basis weight of the packaging material in the portion that will become the second shaped portion 3000 is preferably 200 gsm or less. If the basis weight is too high, adverse effects may occur, such as making it difficult to form the second shaped portion 3000 or making it impossible to form the aerosol-generating article 200 compactly. As described below, when the wrapper 214 has multiple layers, the sum of the basis weights of the overlapping layers can be used as the basis weight of the packaging material.

[0105] The second shape portion 3000A is formed at one end of the contained article 2000 on the negative side in the X-axis direction (width direction). The second shape portion 3000B is formed at one end of the contained article 2000 on the positive side in the X-axis direction. In this manner, it is preferable that the aerosol-generating article 200 and the first shape portion 50 are configured so that the second shape portions 3000 are disposed on both sides of the upstream end portion 250 along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the contained article 2000. This allows the second shape portions 3000 to hold the contents of the contained article 2000 on both sides of the upstream end portion 250 of the contained article 2000 when the contained article 2000 is removed from the storage section 1A, more reliably preventing the contents from remaining in the storage section 1A.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 7, the height along the second central axis AX2 is defined as the second height H20, and the width of the second shape in a certain direction at the second height H20 is defined as the second width W20. In the illustrated example, the second width W20 in the width direction is shown. In the radial, circumferential, or other direction, the second width W20 preferably increases toward the upstream end face along the second central axis AX2. In the illustrated example, the second width W20 in the width direction gradually increases toward the upstream side along the second central axis AX2. This makes it possible to prevent a wider range of contents in the stored item 2000 from remaining in the storage section 1A when the stored item 2000 is removed from the storage section.

[0107] 4, from the viewpoint of smooth folding, the storage section 1A formed by the housing 110 preferably includes a non-folding section 155 that is adjacent to the first shape section 50 in the circumferential direction with respect to the central axis AX1 and that does not fold the upstream end section 250. In other words, the first shape section 50 preferably does not have a protruding end section 55 that is continuous over the entire circumferential direction.

[0108] Next, the relationship between the aerosol-generating article 200, the housing 110, and the heating unit 120 when the aerosol-generating article 200 is accommodated in the aerosol-generating device 100, i.e., when the aerosol-generating article 200 is inserted from one end (downstream side) of the housing 110 toward the other end (upstream side) will be described. Figures 9 to 11 are cross-sectional views showing the aerosol-generating article 200 accommodated in the aerosol-generating device 100. In Figures 9 to 11, the flavor-releasing layer 212 and the elastically deformable layer 213 of the aerosol-generating article 200 are shown as a single annular sheet 215.

[0109] Fig. 9 shows the state when the aerosol-generating article 200 passes through the shaping guide 20, in terms of a cross section in the width direction of the heating section 120 and a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing 110 at the inlet section 22 of the shaping guide 20. Fig. 10 shows the state when the aerosol-generating article 200 passes through the holding rib 30, in terms of a cross section in the width direction of the heating section 120 and a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing 110 at the middle section and the other end side of the holding rib 30. Fig. 11 shows the state when the aerosol-generating article 200 is accommodated in a predetermined accommodation position in the housing 110, in terms of a cross section in the width direction of the heating section 120 and a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing 110 near the other end side of the heating section 120.

[0110] 9, the shaping guide 20 has a tapered section 21, an inlet section 22, and a deformation section 23. The tapered section 21 is configured to expand toward one end of the housing 110 and guides the insertion of the aerosol-generating article 200 into the aerosol-generating device 100. The inlet section 22 is provided at an end of the housing 110 and has an elliptical cross section, with a major axis equal to or greater than the major axis of the aerosol-generating article 200 after it has been housed in the housing 110 and a minor axis approximately equal to the diameter of the aerosol-generating article 200 before it is housed in the housing 110. The deformation section 23 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 110 and has an elliptical cross section, with a minimum inner periphery approximately equal to the outer periphery of the aerosol-generating article 200. As a result, when the aerosol-generating article 200 passes through the shaping guide 20, the entire circumference of the aerosol-generating article 200 comes into contact with the deforming portion 23, so that the cross-sectional shape of the aerosol-generating article 200 can be deformed to match the shape of the inlet portion 22.

[0111] As shown in Fig. 10, the heating unit 120 has a pointed protrusion 125 at one end and is configured to widen toward the other end. As a result, as the aerosol-generating article 200 is inserted through the shaping guide 20, the outer shape of the aerosol-generating article 200 is deformed to conform to the shape of the heating unit 120. Specifically, the aerosol-generating article 200 is spread in the width direction of the heating unit 120. This allows the aerosol-generating article 200 to be in close contact with the heating unit 120, improving the efficiency of heat transfer from the heating unit 120 to the aerosol-generating article 200. Furthermore, the heating unit 120 spreading the aerosol-generating article 200 prevents the aerosol-generating article 200 from falling off.

[0112] In the illustrated example, the heating unit 120 has a flat plate shape and deforms the outer shape of the aerosol-generating article 200 to be inserted into the housing 110 into an elliptical cross-section. At this time, the major axis of the aerosol-generating article 200 after being housed in the housing 110 is longer than the diameter of the aerosol-generating article 200 before being housed in the housing 110, and the minor axis of the aerosol-generating article 200 after being housed in the housing 110 is shorter than the diameter of the aerosol-generating article 200 before being housed in the housing 110. By deforming the outer shape of the aerosol-generating article 200 to be inserted into the housing 110 into an elliptical cross-section, the distance of the housing 110 occupied by the aerosol-generating article 200 in the short direction is shortened. This allows the housing 110 to be made thinner. Furthermore, by deforming the outer shape of the aerosol-generating article 200 to be inserted into the housing 110 into an elliptical cross-section, the contact area between the heating unit 120 and the aerosol-generating article 200 can be increased. This improves the efficiency of heat transfer from the heating unit 120 to the aerosol-generating article 200. Furthermore, the biasing force of the retaining ribs 30 allows the aerosol-generating article 200 to be brought into closer contact with the heating unit 120, further improving the efficiency of heat transfer. Furthermore, the biasing force of the retaining ribs 30 prevents the aerosol-generating article 200 from falling off.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 11 , when the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200 reaches the bottom wall 112, the first shaped portions 50A and 50B fold the upstream end 250 inward, forming the second shaped portions 3000A and 3000B. When the aerosol-generating article 200 is accommodated in a predetermined accommodation position in the housing 110, an air layer 40 is formed between the aerosol-generating article 200 and the housing 110 around the entire periphery of the aerosol-generating article 200. The air layer 40 has low thermal conductivity, and therefore can insulate the aerosol-generating article 200 from the housing 110, thereby reducing the energy required to heat the aerosol-generating article 200. The inlet portion 22 abuts against the aerosol-generating article 200 around the entire periphery of the aerosol-generating article 200, sealing the air layer 40. This suppresses air convection in the air layer 40.

[0114] In the aerosol generating system 10 according to this embodiment, a first-shaped portion 50 having a protruding first shape is formed on the bottom 1B of the storage unit 1A. The aerosol-generating article 200 has an upstream end 250 that is inserted into the storage unit 1A. When the aerosol-generating article 200 is stored in the storage unit 1A, the upstream end 250 is configured to include a second-shaped portion 3000 having a second shape corresponding to the first shape. At least a portion of the surface of the second-shaped portion 3000 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 200. This prevents the aerosol-generating device 100 from becoming too complicated or large, and the second shape corresponding to the protruding first shape prevents the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200 from remaining in the storage unit 1A when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the storage unit 1A. This reduces the need for maintenance, such as cleaning, of the aerosol-generating device 100. Furthermore, by preventing the aerosol-generating article 200 from adhering to the heating section 120, deterioration of heating efficiency can be prevented.

[0115] In the aerosol generating system 10 according to this embodiment, the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200 does not have the second shaped portion 3000, and the upstream end 250 and the first shaped portion 50 are configured so that when the aerosol-generating article 200 is inserted into the storage unit 1A, the upstream end 250 is pressed against the first shaped portion 50 to form the second shaped portion 3000. This eliminates the need to pre-process the aerosol-generating article 200 to form the second shaped portion 3000, and makes it possible to prevent the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200 from remaining in the storage unit 1A when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the storage unit 1A.

[0116] The following modifications are also within the scope of the present invention and can be combined with the above-described embodiment or other modifications. In the following modifications, parts and the like having the same structure and function as the above-described embodiment will be referred to by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0117] (Variation 1-1) In the above-described embodiment, the protruding end portion 55 of the first shape portion 50 may be inclined with respect to the bottom wall 112 so as to become more steep as it becomes farther away from the first central axis AX1.

[0118] FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the configuration of an aerosol generator 100A in an aerosol generating system according to this modification. The aerosol generator 100A has a configuration similar to that of the aerosol generator 100 of the above-described embodiment, but differs from the aerosol generator 100 in that it includes first shaped portions 51A and 51B having protruding ends 551A and 551B, respectively, instead of the first shaped portions 50A and 50B. When referring to the first shaped portions 51A and 51B without distinction, they are referred to as first shaped portion 51. When referring to the protruding ends 551A and 551B without distinction, they are referred to as protruding end portion 551. The first shaped portion 51 has a bottom surface (not shown) similar to that of the first shaped portion 50 of the above-described embodiment, but the protruding end portion 551 has an arch shape that is convex toward the upstream side, unlike the protruding end portion 55 of the above-described embodiment. This makes it possible to provide an aerosol-generating device 100A in which the second shaped portion 3000 is formed by the first shaped portion 51, while not hindering insertion of the aerosol-generating article 200 into the housing 110.

[0119] (Variation 1-2) In the above-described embodiment, the protruding end portion 55 of the first shape portion 50 may be inclined more gently with respect to the bottom wall 112 as it moves away from the first central axis AX1.

[0120] FIG. 13 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an aerosol generator 100B of an aerosol generating system according to this modification. The aerosol generator 100B has a configuration similar to that of the aerosol generator 100 of the above-described embodiment, but differs from the aerosol generator 100 in that it includes first shaped portions 52A and 52B having protruding ends 552A and 552B, respectively, instead of the first shaped portions 50A and 50B. When referring to the first shaped portions 52A and 52B without distinction, they are referred to as first shaped portion 52. When referring to the protruding ends 552A and 552B without distinction, they are referred to as protruding end portion 552. The first shaped portion 52 has a bottom surface (not shown) similar to that of the first shaped portion 50 of the above-described embodiment, but the protruding end portion 552 is arch-shaped and convex toward the downstream side, unlike the protruding end portion 55 of the above-described embodiment. This makes it easier for the protruding end 552 to come into contact with the upstream end 250, making it possible to provide an aerosol-generating device 100B that can more reliably form the second shape portion 3000.

[0121] (Variation 1-3) In the above-described embodiment, the heating section 120 may be a pin-type heater.

[0122] Fig. 14 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an aerosol-generating device 100C of an aerosol-generating system according to this modified example, and Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of Fig. 14. The cross-sectional view in Fig. 14 corresponds to the cross-section taken along line EE of Fig. 15. The aerosol-generating device 100C has a similar configuration to the aerosol-generating device 100 in the above-described embodiment, but differs from the aerosol-generating device 100 in that it has a heating unit 121 instead of the heating unit 120 and a housing 110A instead of the housing 110.

[0123] The heating unit 121 extends along the first central axis AX1 and includes a heating unit main body 121A and a protrusion 125. The pointed protrusion 125 is formed downstream of the cylindrical heating unit main body 121A. The heating unit 121 has a heating element disposed in the heating unit main body 121A, which is disposed inside the storage unit 1A defined by the housing 110A. This allows the heating unit 121 to heat the aerosol-generating product 200 inserted therein from the inside. The heating element is not particularly limited as long as it can heat the aerosol-generating product 200, but can be, for example, an electric heating wire or a metal body that generates heat by induction heating. The shape of the heating unit main body 121A is not particularly limited, but can be a cylindrical or polygonal pillar. A cylindrical shape for the heating unit main body 121A is preferable for smooth insertion into the aerosol-generating product 200. The heating unit main body 121A may also be installed inside the aerosol-generating product 200 in advance. In this case, the housing 110A constitutes the storage section 1A, and the aerosol-generating article 200 can be heated by induction heating the heating section main body 121A that is arranged in the storage section 1A together with the aerosol-generating article 200.

[0124] The housing 110A includes a side wall 111A, a bottom wall 112A, and first shaped portions 53A, 53B, and 53C. The bottom wall 112A and the side wall 111A located opposite the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200 contained in the containing portion 1A form the bottom portion 1B. The first shaped portions 53A, 53B, and 53C include protruding ends 553A, 553B, and 553C, respectively. Hereinafter, when the first shaped portions 53A, 53B, and 53C are referred to without distinction, they will be referred to as first shaped portion 53. Furthermore, when the protruding ends 553A, 553B, and 553C are referred to without distinction, they will be referred to as protruding end 553. The shape of the housing 110A is not particularly limited as long as it can accommodate the aerosol-generating article 200 inserted into the heating portion 121. However, from the viewpoint of smoothly folding the upstream end 250 by the multiple first shaped portions 53, it is preferable that the side wall 111A and the bottom wall 112A are rotationally symmetrical about the first central axis AX1, and it is more preferable that the side wall 111A is cylindrical and the bottom wall 112A is circular, as in the illustrated example.

[0125] The shape of the first shaped portion 53 is the same as that of the first shaped portion 50 in the above-described embodiment, but is not particularly limited as long as the second shaped portion 3000 can be formed at the upstream end 250. In this modification, three first shaped portions 53A, 53B, and 53C are formed in contact with the side wall 111A and the bottom wall 112A, and are triangularly symmetric around the first center axis AX1, i.e., at 120-degree intervals. The number of first shaped portions 53 may be one, two, four, or more. The protruding end 553 has a shape similar to that of the protruding end 55 in the above-described embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0126] Even when the heating section 121 is a pin-type heater as in this modification, the first shaped section 53 can be installed in the housing 110A, and the second shaped section 3000 can be formed at the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200. This makes it possible to prevent the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200 from remaining in the housing 110A when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the housing 110A.

[0127] (Variation 1-4) In the above-described embodiment, the heating section 120 is configured as an internal heating type, in which the heating section 120 heats the aerosol-generating article 200 from inside the aerosol-generating article 200. However, the heating section 120 may be arranged on at least one of the side wall 111 and the bottom wall 112 of the housing 110, and heat the aerosol-generating article 200 from outside the aerosol-generating article 200 contained in the housing 110. Even in such a case, the first shaped section 50 folds the upstream end 250 of the aerosol-generating article 200, thereby preventing a portion of the aerosol-generating article 200 from remaining in the housing 110 when the aerosol-generating article 200 is removed from the housing 110. In particular, the portion of the upstream end 250 near the end face can be prevented from adhering to the bottom wall 112, etc.

[0128] Second embodiment The aerosol-generating system 10A according to the second embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the aerosol-generating system 10 according to the first embodiment. However, it differs from the aerosol-generating system 10 according to the first embodiment in that the aerosol-generating article has a second shaped portion formed in advance. The same parts as those in the first embodiment will be referred to by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, and explanations thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0129] Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram showing an aerosol-generating system 10A. Fig. 17 is a schematic side view of the aerosol-generating article 200A taken along the arrow FF in Fig. 16. Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the aerosol-generating article 200A taken along the arrow GG in Fig. 16. The aerosol-generating system 10A comprises an aerosol-generating device 100 and an aerosol-generating article 200A.

[0130] The aerosol-generating article 200A comprises a tobacco section 210A and a paper tube 220A. The tobacco section 210A comprises an upstream end 351, a downstream end 352, and second shaped sections 300A and 300B. Hereinafter, when the second shaped sections 300A and 300B are referred to without distinguishing between them, they will be referred to as the second shaped section 300. The tobacco section 210A has a configuration substantially similar to that of the tobacco section 210 of the above-described embodiment, but differs from the tobacco section 210 in that the tobacco section 210A has the second shaped section 300 even before the aerosol-generating article 200A is contained in the containing section 1A.

[0131] 16 and 17, the tobacco portion 210A has a second shape portion 300 formed at the upstream end 351. In the example shown, the wrapper 214 disposed across the tobacco portion 210A and the paper tube 220A is folded on the outer surface of the aerosol-generating article 200A to form the second shape portion 300.

[0132] The second shape section 300 prevents the contents placed in the aerosol-generating article 200A from shifting in position. The second shape section 300 can prevent longitudinal movement of the elastically deformable layer 213 or the flavor-releasing layer 212 in the tobacco section 210A. This prevents the contents in the tobacco section 210A from being placed in an appropriate position relative to the heating section 120 or from falling out of the aerosol-generating article 200A, thereby preventing the aerosol generation system 200A from malfunctioning due to these causes.

[0133] The second shaped portion 300 is disposed at the upstream end 351. The upstream end 351 is the end that is first inserted when the aerosol-generating article 200A is inserted into the storage unit 1A. Therefore, the second shaped portion 300 holds the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200A at an upstream position, thereby preventing the contents from moving upstream. Furthermore, when the aerosol-generating article 200A is removed from the storage unit 1A, the second shaped portion 300 moves together with the contents while holding them, preventing the contents from remaining in the storage unit 1A.

[0134] The second-shaped portion 300 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upstream end 351. This allows the second-shaped portion 300 to be easily formed. For example, the second-shaped portion 300 can be formed by pressing a member against a packaging material, such as the wrapper 214, arranged on the outer peripheral surface, or by folding the packaging material by machine or by hand. From a similar perspective, it is preferable that the packaging material is arranged on the side surface of the columnar tobacco portion 210A, and that in the second-shaped portion 300, the packaging material is folded from the side surface toward the inside of the tobacco portion 210A.

[0135] In the example shown in FIG. 17 , the second-shaped portion 300 has a shape in which the wrapper 214 is folded radially toward the through-hole 211. The second-shaped portions 300A and 300B have folds 310A and 310B, respectively. The second-shaped portions 300A and 300B are formed by a blade-like member abutting and pressing against the wrapper 214. The folds 310A and 310B are formed by abutting a linear or strip-shaped tip. Forming the second-shaped portion 300 by abutting a member having a linear or strip-shaped tip is preferable because it can prevent unintended deformation of the tobacco portion 210A compared to a wider member. The shape of the second-shaped portion 300 is not particularly limited as long as it corresponds to the shape of the first-shaped portion 50 and can prevent misalignment of the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200A. For example, the second-shaped portion 300 does not need to be formed by folding a packaging material or the like. The shape of the aerosol-generating article 200A is not particularly limited as long as the second shape portion 300 can be formed into the tobacco portion 210A. For example, the end face or cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 200A may be elliptical or flattened as shown in FIG.

[0136] The shape of the second shaped portion 300 can be the same as the second shaped portion 3000 of the above-described embodiment. For example, as described below, the second shaped portion 300 may have a configuration similar to that of the above-described second shaped portion 3000. This can provide the same effects as the above-described embodiment.

[0137] As in the above-described embodiment, the surface of the second shaped portion 300 is preferably formed by the wrapper 214, which is a packaging material used to wrap the aerosol-generating article 200A. The packaging material preferably has a basis weight of 20 gsm or more and 200 gsm or less in the portion constituting the second shaped portion 300. The second shaped portion 300 preferably includes an inward fold at the upstream end 351 of the packaging material. The surface of the second shaped portion 300 is preferably inclined with respect to the direction in which the aerosol-generating article 200A is inserted into the storage section 1A. The width of the second shape in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 200A (second width W20) preferably increases toward the end face of the upstream end 351 of the aerosol-generating article 200A. The second shaped portions 300 are preferably disposed on both sides of the upstream end 351 along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 200A.

[0138] In the illustrated example, the aerosol-generating article 200A includes two second shaped portions 300A and 300B. The number of second shaped portions 300 in the aerosol-generating article 200A may be one or three or more. It is preferable that the number of second shaped portions 300 be the same as the number of first shaped portions 50 in the aerosol-generating device 100.

[0139] The second shaped portion 300 is preferably disposed at a position corresponding to the position of the first shaped portion 50 so that the second shaped portion 300 can be disposed opposite the first shaped portion 50 when the aerosol-generating article 200A is contained in the containing portion 1A. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary deformation of the upstream end portion 351 due to contact with the first shaped portion 50. This makes it possible to prevent adverse effects such as reduced heating efficiency due to insufficient alignment between the aerosol-generating article 200A and the heating portion 120.

[0140] As shown in FIG. 16 , the aerosol-generating article 200A preferably includes a marker 400. The marker 400 is used to insert the aerosol-generating article 200A into the container 1A so that the first shape portion 50 and the second shape portion 300 face each other. In the illustrated example, the marker 400 is a mark drawn on the outer surface of the aerosol-generating article 200A. The marker 400 may be, for example, a convex or concave portion formed on the aerosol-generating article 200A, or a portion having a different color, saturation, or brightness. The marker 400 can prevent adverse effects, such as a decrease in heating efficiency, caused by an unintended relative positioning of the first shape portion 50 and the second shape portion 300. Such a marker can be formed on at least one of the aerosol-generating article 200A and the aerosol-generating device 100.

[0141] 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line GG in FIG. 16, which schematically shows a cross section of a paper tube 220A. The paper tube 220A has a cylindrical wrapper 214 and a stopper 2140 located inside the wrapper 214. In this embodiment, the basis weight of the wrapper 214 in the paper tube 220A is 50 g / m 2 More than 150g / m 2 Preferably, it is 50 g / m or less. 2 More than 100g / m 2 It is more preferable that the wrapper 214 should extend from the paper tube 220A to the tobacco portion 210A, from the viewpoint of maintaining an appropriate shape of the wrapper 214 in response to deformation of the elastically deformable layer 213, but this is not limitative.

[0142] The stopper 2140 can prevent the elastically deformable layer 213 from moving from the cigarette section 210A toward the paper tube 220A. Specifically, in this embodiment, when viewed in the longitudinal direction, at least a portion of the stopper 2140 of the paper tube 220A is located on the same radius as the elastically deformable layer 213. In other words, at least a portion of the stopper 2140 is located so as to come into contact with the elastically deformable layer 213 in the longitudinal direction. As a result, even if a force is applied to the elastically deformable layer 213 by the heating section 120 in a direction toward the paper tube 220A when the heating section 120 is inserted into the through-hole 211, the stopper 2140 comes into contact with the elastically deformable layer 213, preventing the elastically deformable layer 213 from moving. This can prevent the aerosol-generating article 200A from being damaged when the heating section 120 is inserted. In this embodiment, the stopper 2140 may be a piece of paper whose ends are connected to different positions on the inner surface of the cylindrical wrapper 214, and whose length between the ends is longer than the diameter of the wrapper 214. Without being limited to this, the stopper 2140 may take any form that can prevent the elastically deformable layer 213 from moving from the tobacco portion 210A toward the paper tube 220A. For example, the stopper 2140 may be a sheet whose cross section forms a chord connecting any two points on the wrapper 214. The paper tube 220A may further include a filter or the like that allows flavored aerosols to pass through.

[0143] The upstream end 351 of the aerosol-generating article 200A in the aerosol-generating system 10A according to this embodiment has the second shaped portion 300 even before it is contained in the container 1A. Because the second shaped portion 300 is formed in advance, it is possible to more reliably prevent the contents of the aerosol-generating article 20A from remaining in the container 1A when the aerosol-generating article 200A is removed from the container 1A. Meanwhile, because the aerosol-generating device 100 has the first shaped portion 50, even if the second shaped portion 300 is deformed, the first shaped portion 50 can reshape the second shaped portion 300.

[0144] The following modifications are also within the scope of the present invention and can be combined with the above-described embodiment or other modifications. In the following modifications, parts and the like having the same structure and function as those in the above-described embodiment will be referred to by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0145] (Variation 2-1) In the above-described embodiment, a third shape portion that suppresses displacement of the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200A may be formed at the downstream end 352 of the tobacco section 210A of the aerosol-generating article 200A.

[0146] Fig. 19 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing an aerosol-generating article 200B according to this modified example. Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line H-H of Fig. 19. The aerosol-generating article 200B has substantially the same configuration as the aerosol-generating article 200A of the above-described embodiment, but differs from the aerosol-generating article 200A in that it includes third shaped portions 301A and 301B at the downstream end 352. When referring to the third shaped portions 301A and 301B without distinction, they will be referred to as the third shaped portion 301.

[0147] 19, the tobacco section 210B is shown in cross section, and the paper tube 220A is shown in side view. The third shape section 301 is formed at the downstream end 352 of the tobacco section 210B. The third shape section 301 is formed by folding the wrapper 214 from the side of the tobacco section 210B toward the through-hole 211. Therefore, the third shape section 301 can prevent the contents, such as the elastic deformation layer 213 and the flavor-releasing layer 212, from shifting toward the paper tube 220A. In particular, when the aerosol-generating article 200A is housed in the housing 110, the contents of the tobacco section 210B are likely to shift downstream due to being dragged by the heating section 120 inserted into the through-hole 211, but the third shape section 301 holds the contents and prevents this shift.

[0148] The third shaped portion 301 can have the same shape and number as the second shaped portion 300, except that it is formed at the downstream end 352, but may also have different shapes and numbers. In the illustrated example, the third shaped portions 301A and 301B are formed with folds 311A ​​and 311B, respectively, but the shape of the third shaped portion 301 is not particularly limited as long as it can prevent the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200B from shifting position.

[0149] In the aerosol-generating article 200B of this modification, the tobacco section 210B and the paper tube 220A through which the flavor substance released from the tobacco section 210B passes are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction, and the third shape section 301 is formed at the end of the tobacco section 210B on the side where the paper tube 220A is arranged, thereby making it possible to prevent the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200B from shifting downstream.

[0150] In the aerosol-generating article 200B, the second shaped portion 300 and the third shaped portion 301 are provided at both longitudinal ends of the tobacco portion 210B, but the second shaped portion 300 does not have to be provided at the upstream end 351. In this case, the aerosol-generating article 200B can be configured so that the first shaped portion 50 of the aerosol-generating device 100 forms the second shaped portion 3000 at the upstream end 351 when the aerosol-generating article 200B is accommodated in the accommodation portion 1A.

[0151] (Variation 2-2) In the above-described embodiment, three second shape portions 300 may be formed on the upstream end portion 351.

[0152] 21 is a side view schematically illustrating the upstream end 351A of the tobacco portion 210C of an aerosol-generating article 10C according to this modification. The upstream end 351A has three second-shaped portions 300C, 300D, and 300E formed in a triangular symmetry with respect to the second central axis AX2. The second-shaped portions 300C, 300D, and 300E have folds 310C, 310D, and 310E, respectively, but the shapes of the second-shaped portions 300C, 300D, and 300E are not particularly limited. The aerosol-generating article 200C according to this modification is suitable for, but not limited to, heaters having a circular cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, such as pin-type heaters.

[0153] (Variation 2-3) In the above-described embodiment, the packaging material constituting the second shaped portion 300 or the third shaped portion 301 may include multiple layers.

[0154] FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the tobacco section 210A showing the wrapper 2141 according to this modification. The wrapper 2141 is disposed outside the elastically deformable layer 213 and includes a first layer 2141A, a second layer 2141B, and a third layer 2141C. The first layer 2141A, the second layer 2141B, and the third layer 2141C are overlapping. The wrapper 2141 has multiple layers, which securely holds the contents of the aerosol-generating article 200A in place with the multiple layers of packaging material, preventing the contents from shifting. Furthermore, during the manufacture of the aerosol-generating article 200A, adjusting the thickness by stacking sheets makes it easier to form the second shape section 300 or the third shape section 301 than using a single thick sheet. Furthermore, there is no need to prepare sheets of different thicknesses, allowing for more efficient manufacturing. For example, when forming the second shaped portion 300 using packaging material with a total basis weight of 200 gsm, it is possible to form it using one sheet with a basis weight of 200 gsm, but it is easier and preferable to form it using two sheets with a basis weight of 100 gsm.

[0155] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof. Furthermore, the components described in the claims and specification may be combined or omitted to the extent that at least part of the above-described problems can be solved or at least part of the effects can be achieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0156] 1A...Storage section 1B...Bottom of the storage area 10, 10A...Aerosol generation system 20... Plastic Surgery Guide 30...Retaining rib 50,50A,50B,51,51A,51B,52,52A,52B,53,53A,53B,53C...First shape part 55,55A,55B,551,551A,551B,552,552A,552B,553,553A,553B,553C...Protruding end 100, 100A, 100B, 100C...Aerosol generator 110,110A…Housing 111,111A…Side wall 112,112A…Bottom wall 115...Aperture 120,121...Heating section 200, 200A, 200B, 200C...Aerosol-generating items 210, 210A, 210B, 210C...Tobacco section 212...Flavor release layer 214,2141…Rapper 215...Ring seat 220, 220A...Paper tube 250,351,351A...Upstream end 300,300A,300B,3000,3000A,3000B…Second shape part 301,301A,302B...Third shape part 352...Downstream end 910...Control unit 920...Power supply section 1200...Heating control system 1201...First main surface 1202...Second main surface 2000...Stored items AX1: Central axis of the housing AX2: Central axis of the aerosol-generating item D1…Shape distance W1…Heating part width H10...First height W10…1st width H20...Second height W20...Second width θ…Inclination angle

Claims

1. An aerosol generating system including an aerosol generating device, an aerosol generating article that generates an aerosol by heating, and a heating unit, The aerosol generating device comprises: a storage section for storing the aerosol-generating article; a power supply unit that supplies power to the heating unit, the heating section heats the aerosol-generating article contained in the container section, a first shape portion having a protruding first shape is formed at a bottom of the storage portion, the aerosol-generating article has an end portion that is inserted into the container; the end portion is configured to include a second shaped portion having a second shape corresponding to the first shape when the aerosol-generating article is contained in the container; at least a portion of the surface of the second shaped portion is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article; the storage unit includes the heating unit and a bottom wall that intersects with a storage unit central axis that is a central axis of the storage unit, the heating unit includes a plate-shaped heater, the first shape portions are disposed at positions facing both ends of the plate-shaped heater in a direction in which the plate-shaped heater extends along the bottom wall; Aerosol generation system.

2. 2. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein the second shaped portion prevents the contents of the aerosol-generating article from remaining in the container when the aerosol-generating article is removed from the container.

3. 3. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the second shaped portion is formed by a packaging material that packages the aerosol-generating article.

4. The aerosol generating system according to claim 3 , wherein the packaging material has a basis weight of 20 gsm or more and 200 gsm or less in the portion that constitutes the second shaped portion.

5. 4. The aerosol generating system of claim 3, wherein the second shaped portion comprises an inward fold of the end of the wrapper.

6. An aerosol generating system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a portion of the surface of the second shaped portion is inclined with respect to the direction in which the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the storage portion so that its tangent plane intersects with the central axis of the aerosol-generating article closer to the end face of the end portion than the at least a portion of the surface of the second shaped portion.

7. 3. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein the width of the second shape in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article increases toward the end face of the end of the aerosol generating article.

8. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second shaped portions are arranged on both sides of the end portion along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article.

9. 3. The aerosol generating system of claim 1, wherein the first shape has an arched shape.

10. 3. The aerosol generating system of claim 1, wherein the first shape has a blade-like shape.

11. The housing portion includes a side wall extending along a central axis of the housing portion, The aerosol generating system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first shaped portion is provided in contact with at least one of the bottom wall and the side wall.

12. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the surface of the first shape portion is inclined with respect to the central axis of the storage portion.

13. 3. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein in a longitudinal section including the central axis of the storage section, the angle formed between the surface of the first shape section and the central axis of the storage section is greater than or equal to 30° and less than or equal to 60°.

14. The aerosol generation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first shape has a pointed shape that tapers radially toward the central axis of the storage unit.

15. 3. The aerosol generation system of claim 1, wherein the width of the first shape in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the storage section gradually decreases or increases along the central axis of the storage section.

16. The aerosol generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the container has a plurality of first shape portions at different circumferential positions relative to the central axis of the container.

17. The aerosol generation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first shape portion is arranged at the bottom of the storage portion along a direction in which the plate-shaped heater extends.

18. 3. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein the heating section is configured to heat the aerosol-generating article from the inside when the aerosol-generating article is contained in the aerosol generating device.

19. 3. The aerosol generating system of claim 1, further comprising a biasing portion on a side wall of the storage portion that biases the aerosol-generating article toward the heating portion when the aerosol-generating article is stored in the aerosol generating device.

20. The plate-shaped heater has a first main surface perpendicular to the thickness direction and a second main surface formed on the back side of the first main surface, 20. The aerosol generation system according to claim 19, wherein the biasing portion is arranged on the side wall of the accommodation portion so as to face at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface of the plate-shaped heater.

21. 3. The aerosol generating system of claim 1, wherein the end of the aerosol-generating article does not have the second shaped portion, and the end and the first shaped portion are configured so that when the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the storage portion, the end is pressed against the first shaped portion to form the second shaped portion.

22. 3. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein the end of the aerosol-generating article comprises the second shaped portion.

23. 23. The aerosol generating system of claim 22, wherein at least one of the aerosol-generating article and the aerosol-generating device includes a marker for inserting the aerosol-generating article so that the first shaped portion faces the second shaped portion.

24. The aerosol generating system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first shape includes a convex portion and the second shape includes a concave portion.

25. 3. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol generating device is a flavor inhaler that generates a flavored aerosol, and the aerosol-generating article is a tobacco stick.

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