Aerosol generating device

Abstract

To provide an aerosol generating device with improved safety and / or reliability. [Solution] The aerosol generating device comprises a power supply (221), a heating chamber, a heater positioned to supply heat to the heating chamber, a control circuit (222) configured to control the supply of power from the power supply to the heater, a frame (223, 224), and a housing having an internal volume that accommodates the power supply, heating chamber, heater, control circuit, and frame. The frame is positioned between a first internal volume that accommodates the heater and heating chamber and a second internal volume that accommodates the power supply.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an aerosol generating device. The present disclosure is particularly applicable to a portable aerosol generating device that can be self - contained and operate at low temperatures. Such a device can heat a tobacco or other suitable aerosol substrate material by conduction, convection, and / or radiation to generate an inhalable aerosol, rather than burning it.

Background Art

[0002] The popularity and use of risk - reduction devices or risk - modification devices (also known as vaporizers) have grown rapidly in recent years as a help to assist habitual smokers who wish to quit smoking conventional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, and roll - your - own tobacco. In contrast to burning tobacco in conventional tobacco products, various devices and systems for heating or warming aerosolizable substances are available.

[0003] Generally available risk - reduction devices or risk - modification devices are heated - substrate aerosol generating devices or heat - not - burn devices. This type of device generates an aerosol or vapor by heating an aerosol substrate that typically includes moistened leaf tobacco or other suitable aerosolizable material to a temperature typically in the range of 150°C to 300°C. By heating rather than burning or combusting the aerosol substrate, an aerosol is released that contains the components desired by the user but does not contain the toxic and carcinogenic by - products resulting from combustion and burning. Further, the aerosol generated by heating tobacco or other aerosolizable material typically does not contain the burnt or bitter taste resulting from combustion and burning, which can be unpleasant for the user. Thus, the substrate does not require sugars and other additives that are typically added to such materials to make the smoke and / or vapor more palatable to the user.

[0004] It is desirable to provide devices with improved safety and / or reliability.

[0005] In particular, in such aerosol generating devices, the aerosol substrate must be heated by a heater, and some heat inevitably leaks from the heater to the rest of the aerosol generating device. This heat can damage the heater's power supply or other components, such as heat-sensitive electronic devices. In some cases, if components not designed to be heated become too hot, it can even be dangerous, posing a fire or explosion risk.

[0006] In addition, power supplies may experience leaks or degassing events, resulting in the generation of fluid (liquid or gas) from the power supply. These events are within the normal range of power supply behavior and do not necessarily impair the function of aerosol generating devices. However, the fluid generated from such events can indirectly impair functionality, for example, by damaging delicate components of the control circuit or contaminating the heating chamber. [Overview of the project] [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an aerosol generating device is provided, comprising a power supply, a heating chamber, a heater disposed to supply heat to the heating chamber, a control circuit configured to control the supply of power from the power supply to the heater, a frame, and a housing having an internal volume that accommodates the power supply, the heating chamber, the heater, the control circuit, and the frame. The frame has a first internal volume that accommodates the heater and the heating chamber, and a housing that accommodates the power supply. It is positioned between the second volume of the internal volume.

[0008] By positioning a frame between a first volume housing the heater and a second volume housing the power supply, the power supply can be thermally shielded from any heat leaking from the heater and heating chamber, and the heater and heating chamber can be physically shielded from liquid leakage or degassing events from the power supply.

[0009] Optionally, the housing is an elongated housing for hand-holding, with the first volume, frame, and second volume arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing, respectively.

[0010] Optionally, the first volume contains an air or vacuum region adjacent to the heating chamber.

[0011] Optionally, the heating chamber and heater are held by a frame so as not to come into contact with the housing.

[0012] By preventing the heating chamber and heater from contacting the housing, heat conduction to the housing is prevented (such conduction can cause the housing to become excessively or even dangerously hot). Furthermore, this protects the heater and heating chamber from external damage, such as in the event of a fall of the aerosol generating device.

[0013] Optionally, the power supply and control circuitry are held by the frame.

[0014] Optionally, the control circuit comprises components mounted on a first PCB arranged in a second volume along the frame.

[0015] By positioning the first PCB on the second volume side of the frame, the first PCB can be thermally shielded from the heater and heating chamber by the frame. This reduces the impact of any heat leaking from the heating chamber on the components mounted on the first PCB.

[0016] Optionally, the first PCB is a double-sided PCB.

[0017] Optionally, the aerosol generating device further comprises a second PCB positioned along the frame between a first volume and a second volume.

[0018] The second PCB substrate acts as an additional thermal shield to protect the control circuit in the second volume.

[0019] Optionally, the second PCB is a single-sided PCB, and the control circuit further comprises components mounted on the second PCB and within the second volume.

[0020] Since one side of the second PCB may be exposed to heat leaking from the heater and heating chamber in the first volume, it is preferable to make the second PCB a single-sided PCB and mount the control circuit components on the side that is at best in the second volume of the second PCB.

[0021] Optionally, the first PCB and the second PCB are connected by a flexible PCB section, and the first PCB, the second PCB, and the flexible PCB section are arranged around the frame.

[0022] This use of the flexible PCB portion means that when one of the first and second PCBs is fixed, the other is easily guided into the correct position, as well as in irregular spaces. This means that the control circuit can be housed internally, reducing the area required for the control circuit. A larger area for the control circuit can be easily printed at once, while simultaneously being able to be divided into multiple surfaces, thus helping to reduce the volume of the aerosol generating device.

[0023] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol generating device comprising a power source, a heating chamber, a heater arranged to supply heat to the heating chamber, a control circuit configured to control the supply of power from the power source to the heater, a frame, and a housing having an internal volume for housing the power source, the heating chamber, the heater, the control circuit, and the frame. The frame is disposed between a third volume of the internal volume housing the heater, the heating chamber, and the control circuit and a fourth volume of the internal volume housing the power source.

[0024] Optionally, the frame is arranged to prevent the flow of fluid from the fourth volume to the third volume.

[0025] Thereby, the heater, the heating chamber, and the control circuit are protected from damage or contamination due to degassing or leakage from the power source.

[0026] Optionally, the housing is an elongated housing for hand-holding, and the third volume, the frame, and the fourth volume are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing, respectively.

[0027] Optionally, the power source is held by the frame.

[0028] Optionally, by combining the first aspect and the second aspect, there is provided an aerosol generating device comprising a first frame disposed between a first volume housing the heater and the heating chamber and a fifth volume housing the control circuit, and a second frame disposed between the fifth volume of the internal volume housing the control circuit and the fourth volume housing the power source.

[0029] This arrangement has the advantage that the control circuit is protected from heat leaking from the heater subassembly and from fluid generated from the power source.

[0030] Optionally, the control circuit comprises components mounted on a PCB held between the first frame and the second frame.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0031] [Figure 1A] This is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generation device. [Figure 1B] This is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generation device. [Figure 2A] This is a schematic diagram of the intermediate subassembly. [Figure 2B] This is a schematic diagram of the housing subassembly. [Figure 3A] This is a schematic diagram of a portion of an intermediate subassembly. [Figure 3B] This is a schematic diagram of a portion of an intermediate subassembly. [Figure 4A] This is a schematic diagram of another part of the intermediate subassembly. [Figure 4B] This is a schematic diagram of another part of the intermediate subassembly. [Figure 4C] This is a schematic diagram of another part of the intermediate subassembly. [Figure 4D] This is a schematic diagram of another part of the intermediate subassembly. [Figure 5A] This is a schematic diagram of the heater subassembly. [Figure 5B] This is a schematic diagram of the heater subassembly. [Figure 5C] This is a schematic diagram of the heater subassembly. [Figure 6A] This is a schematic diagram of the intermediate subassembly. [Figure 6B] This is a schematic diagram of the intermediate subassembly. [Figure 7A] This is a schematic diagram of the access subassembly. [Figure 7B] This is a schematic diagram of the access subassembly. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0032] Figures 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B show a series of modular subassemblies assembled in an aerosol generating device, illustrating an overview of an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figures 3A to 6B show additional details of each of the subassemblies. For the sake of brevity, some of the illustrated features are not described in detail, as many of the details of the embodiment are not relevant to describing the aspects of the invention described in the claims of this device. Also, for the sake of simplicity, some features are completely omitted in certain figures to better illustrate features relevant to understanding and carrying out the invention.

[0033] Referring to Figure 1A, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the aerosol generating device 1 comprises an access subassembly 11 and a housing subassembly 12.

[0034] The aerosol generating device 1 has an overall elongated, pebble-like shape, comprising an upper end from which the aerosol is supplied, a lower end opposite to the upper end, and four sides between the lower and upper ends in a roughly rectangular configuration consisting of two opposing large sides and two opposing small sides.

[0035] The access subassembly 11 is located at the top and includes means for opening and closing access to the heating chamber within the aerosol generating device 1, for example, for a user to supply an aerosol substrate such as a cigarette to be heated in the heating chamber, to ingest the generated aerosol, and to clean the heating chamber. In this embodiment, the access means has a lid 111 attached to a slider mechanism.

[0036] The housing subassembly 12 provides housing for the internal components of the aerosol generating device 1, which comprises a power supply, heating chamber, heater, control circuit, and frame, and provides at least a portion of the sides and lower end of the aerosol generating device 1. In this embodiment, the housing is an elongated housing for hand-holding, but the advantages of the present invention can also be achieved in aerosol generating device 1 that is not designed to be hand-holding. Additionally, as shown in the central linear region 121 of the housing subassembly 12 in Figure 1A, in this embodiment the aerosol generating device 1 comprises one or more indicators (e.g., lights) and one or more inputs (e.g., buttons) for controlling the aerosol generating device. In embodiments with indicators or inputs, the housing subassembly may have transparent or tactile portions, or simply gaps that allow access to the internal indicators and inputs.

[0037] Referring to Figure 1B, in this schematic diagram, the access subassembly 11 and the housing subassembly 12 are shown as "transparent" (indicated by dashed edges), and it can be seen that the aerosol generating device 1 further comprises an intermediate subassembly 13 housed within the access subassembly 11 and the housing subassembly 12.

[0038] Figure 2A schematically shows the details of the intermediate subassembly 13, and Figure 2B schematically shows the internal volume of the housing subassembly.

[0039] Referring to Figure 2A, the intermediate subassembly 13 includes a heater subassembly 21 fixed to the power supply and control subassembly 22.

[0040] The heater subassembly 21 comprises a heater and a heating chamber, and the heater is positioned in the heater subassembly to supply heat to the heating chamber. (See Figure 5 below) Next, we will explain the heater subassembly in more detail.

[0041] The power supply and control subassembly 22 comprises a power supply 221, which in this case comprises a battery. The power supply and control subassembly 22 further comprises a control circuit 222 configured to control the supply of power from the power supply to the heater. In this embodiment, the control circuit 222 is mounted on multiple PCBs, as will be described later.

[0042] The power supply 221 and the control circuit 222 are supported by the heater sub-assembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224.

[0043] The heater subassembly support frame 223 is positioned to divide the internal volume of the housing subassembly 12 into a first volume and a second volume. The first volume houses the heater subassembly 21, which includes a heater and a heating chamber. The second volume houses the power supply 221. As shown in Figures 2A and 1B, in this embodiment, the first volume, the heater subassembly support frame 223, and the second volume are positioned along the longitudinal direction of the housing of the housing subassembly 12, respectively. However, as stated above, not all embodiments of the present invention are elongated, and in non-elongated embodiments, the heater subassembly support frame 223 may be positioned in any way to divide the internal volume of the housing into a first volume and a second volume. This division is schematically shown in Figure 2A using the dashed line A, where the first volume is to the left of line A in the figure and the second volume is to the right of line A in the figure. This configuration allows the heater subassembly support frame 223 to not only support the heater subassembly 21 but also to shield the power supply 221 from any heat leaking from the heater subassembly 21. The heater subassembly support frame 223 may be optionally made of insulating material to insulate the control circuit 222 and the power supply 221 from the heater subassembly 21, but the combined effect of the frame and shield can be achieved with only mildly insulating materials such as plastic. The heater subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224 may contain, for example, PA (polyamide) and / or PEEK (polyetheretherketone).

[0044] Additionally, in this embodiment, the heater subassembly 21, which includes a heating chamber and a heater, is held by a heater subassembly support frame 223 such that neither the heating chamber nor the heater comes into contact with the housing of the housing subassembly 12. Means for holding the heater subassembly 224 will be described later with reference to Figures 3 and 4. This prevents heat conduction from the heater subassembly to the housing (such conduction can cause the handheld housing to become excessively or even dangerously hot). This also protects the heater subassembly 21 from external damage, for example, if the aerosol generating device is dropped. However, these advantages are separate from the volume-dividing feature, and in some embodiments, the feature of the heater subassembly support frame 223 holding and suspending the heater and / or heating chamber can be omitted.

[0045] The power supply support frame 224 is positioned to divide the internal volume of the housing subassembly 12 into a third volume and a fourth volume. The third volume houses the heater subassembly 21, which includes a heater and heating chamber, and also houses the control circuit 222. The fourth volume houses the power supply 221. As shown in Figures 2A and 1B, in this embodiment, the third volume, the power supply support frame 224, and the fourth volume are positioned along the longitudinal direction of the housing of the housing subassembly 12, respectively. However, as stated above, not all embodiments of the present invention are elongated, and in non-elongated embodiments, the power supply support frame 224 can be positioned in any way to divide the internal volume of the housing into a third volume and a fourth volume. This division is schematically shown in Figure 2A using the dashed line B, and the third volume is to the left of line B in the figure. Located to the side, the fourth volume is to the right of line B in the figure. This configuration allows the power supply support frame 224 to not only support the power supply 221 but also prevent fluid flow from the fourth volume to the third volume. This protects the heater, heating chamber, and control circuit from damage or contamination caused by degassing or leakage from the power supply 221.

[0046] Additionally, in this embodiment, the power supply 221 is held in place by the power supply support frame 224 so that it does not come into contact with the housing of the housing subassembly 12. The power supply 221 is held in place, for example, by adhesive such as glue, by soldering which also forms electrical contacts, or by mechanical connections such as snap-fits. By not coming into contact with the housing, a space is ensured in which degassing or leakage may occur during normal operation of the power supply 221, even though the power supply support frame 224 prevents such leakage from expanding into or flowing into the third volume. This also protects the power supply 221 from external damage, for example, if an aerosol generating device falls. However, these advantages are separate from the feature of dividing the volume, and in some embodiments, the feature of the power supply support frame 224 holding and suspending the power supply 221 can be omitted.

[0047] The above combination of divisions by the heater subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224 defines an intermediate fifth volume as an overlap between the second and third volumes, extending across the aerosol generating device 1 as shown in Figure 1B, such that the first volume housing the heater and heating chamber is on one side of the heater subassembly support frame 223, the fifth volume housing the control circuit 222 is between the heater subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224, and the fourth volume housing the power supply 221 is on the other side of the power supply support frame 224. However, it should be noted that although both are present in this embodiment, only one of the heater subassembly support frame 223 or the power supply support frame 224 is required, and in alternative embodiments, the other may be omitted.

[0048] As additionally shown in Figure 2A, the power supply and control subassembly 22 may include an indicator array 225 of one or more indicators (e.g., LEDs) for indicating the status of the device, and one or more inputs 226 (e.g., tactile switches) corresponding to the central linear region 121 of the housing subassembly 12 in Figure 1A. The power supply and control subassembly 22 may further include a vibrator subassembly 227 for providing further indicators of the status of the device. Furthermore, the power supply and control subassembly 22 may include an external electrical connector 228 for charging the power supply 221, or optionally for data communication with the control circuit 222 as well.

[0049] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2A, in this embodiment, a space is left next to the heater subassembly 21 in the first volume. This space corresponds to the most vulnerable part of the aerosol generating device 1 to heat leakage from the heater subassembly 21, and is left open to prevent this vulnerable part from being exposed to the leaked heat. To limit convective heat conduction from the heater subassembly 21, this space may be maintained as a vacuum (where "vacuum" includes air substantially below standard pressure). Alternatively, this space may be filled with air. In that case, air may be allowed to flow between the space and the outside of the aerosol generating device 1 to mitigate the effects of heat leakage from inside the heater subassembly 21.

[0050] As shown in Figure 2B, the housing subassembly 12 is substantially hollow to accommodate at least a portion of the intermediate subassembly 13. As seen in Figure 1B, in this embodiment, the intermediate subassembly 13 extends outward from the housing subassembly 12 and is partially housed by the access subassembly 11. In other embodiments, the intermediate subassembly The entire bridge 13 may be housed within the housing subassembly 12.

[0051] Next, referring to Figures 3A and 3B, a portion of the power supply and control subassembly of one embodiment is shown. This may or may not actually represent the manufacturing stage of the corresponding aerosol generating device, but is included here in particular to illustrate the details of the power supply and control subassembly of this embodiment. In the diagram of Figure 3A, the heater subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224 are represented as "transparent" using dashed lines, so that the first PCB 31, positioned along the length of the heater subassembly support frame 223, is visible between the two frames. Figure 3B, on the other hand, is a three-dimensional view showing that the first PCB 31 is partially enclosed between the heater subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224. In this embodiment, the heater subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224 are aligned on either side of the first PCB 31. This arrangement has the advantage that the first PCB 31 is located in a second volume (protected from heat leaking from the heater subassembly 21) and a third volume (protected from fluids generated by the power supply 221). Therefore, one or more delicate components of the control circuit 222 (i.e., heat-sensitive components or fluid-sensitive components that may be generated by the power supply) can be placed on one or both sides of the first PCB 31. To make the most of the surface area of ​​the first PCB 31, it can be a double-sided PCB. For example, the first PCB 31 may have a processor chip or memory chip mounted on it.

[0052] To assist in the alignment of the heater subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224, in this embodiment, the heater subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224 are provided with respective first guide members 32 and 32' that fit together when the frames are correctly aligned. For example, the first guide members 32 and 32' may be projections or pins, and may be corresponding recesses or holes. In other embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the first PCB 31 may have first guide members for aligning the first PCB 31 with the respective first guide members of the heater subassembly support frame 223 and / or the power supply support frame.

[0053] To assist in aligning the power supply and control subassembly 22 with the heater subassembly 21, the heater subassembly support frame also includes second guide members 33, 35 which are fitted to accommodate corresponding second guide members on the heater subassembly 21.

[0054] Additionally, in this embodiment, the power supply and control subassemblies are formed using snap-fit ​​connectors 34 that attach the heater subassembly support frame 223 to the power supply support frame 224, thereby holding the first PCB 31 in place.

[0055] Next, referring to Figures 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D, another part of the power supply and control subassembly is shown from various viewpoints around the assembly. Similar to Figures 3A and 3B, these may or may not actually represent the manufacturing stages of the corresponding aerosol generating device, but are included here specifically to illustrate the details of the power supply and control subassembly in this embodiment. The power supply support frame 224 is shown in Figures 4C and 4D, but is omitted in Figures 4A and 4B. To understand the comparison of these figures, note that Figure 4B is reflected horizontally to Figures 4A, 4C, and 4D to more effectively show the flexible PCB portion 41.

[0056] As shown in Figures 4A to D, the power supply and control subassembly 22 of this embodiment comprises a first PCB 31, a second PCB 42, and a flexible PCB portion 41, and the first PCB 31 and the second PCB 42 are connected to each other by the flexible PCB portion 41. Each of PCBs 31 and 42 has one or more components of the control circuit 222 mounted thereon. In this embodiment, the power supply and control subassembly 22 may include a further PCB that hosts, for example, the indicator array 225 and input section 226 shown in Figures 2A and 4C.

[0057] The flexible PCB portion 41 is wrapped around the heater subassembly support frame 223, and the second PCB 42 is attached to the heater subassembly support frame 223 such that the heater subassembly support frame 223 is between the first PCB 31 and the second PCB 42. This use of the flexible PCB portion not only means that when one of the first PCB 31 and the second PCB 42 is fixed, the other is easily guided into the correct position, but also means that the control circuit 222 can be housed in an irregular space, and a large area for the control circuit 222 can be easily printed at once, while at the same time dividing it into multiple surfaces to reduce the area required for the control circuit 222, thus helping to reduce the volume of the aerosol generating device 1.

[0058] Furthermore, Figure 4A shows an example of the first guide member 32'' of the first PCB 31 described above, as an addition or replacement for the first guide members 32 and 32' of the heater subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224.

[0059] As shown in Figures 4B, 4C, and 4D, the second PCB 42 is positioned along the heater subassembly support frame 223 to form a division between the first and second volumes. In other words, one side of the second PCB 42 is exposed to the first volume, which can be exposed to heat leaking from the heater subassembly 21, while the other side of the second PCB 42 faces either the heater subassembly support frame 223 or a gap in the heater subassembly support frame 223. Since one side of the second PCB 42 can be exposed to leaked heat, it is preferable to make the second PCB 42 a single-sided PCB and mount the components of the control circuit 222 on the side of the second PCB 42 that is in the second volume. This allows the substrate of the second PCB 42 to function as a thermal shield to protect the control circuit 222 in the second volume. Nevertheless, to make some use of the surface of the second PCB 42 facing the first volume, electrical contacts 44 may be provided on this surface for testing and / or for connecting to the heater subassembly 21. These contacts 44 will remain exposed once the power supply and control subassembly 22 is completed, facilitating testing of the power supply and control subassembly and electrical connection between the heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassembly 22. The heater subassembly support frame 223 may further include snap-fit ​​connectors 43 for mounting the second PCB 42 to the frame.

[0060] Figure 4C shows the gap in the heater subassembly support frame 223, allowing us to see the components of the control circuit 222 mounted on the first PCB 31 before the second PCB 42 is attached to the heater subassembly support frame. Nevertheless, at this stage of assembly, the first PCB 31 is attached to the second PCB 42 by the flexible PCB portion 41. Figure 4C also shows the components of the control circuit 222 mounted on the second PCB 42. When the second PCB 42 is attached to the heater subassembly support frame 223, the components of the control circuit 222 mounted on the first PCB and the second PCB are protected by the substrate of the second PCB 42, and the heater subassembly support frame 223 divides the first volume exposed to heat from the heater subassembly 21 from the second volume housing the control circuit 222 and power supply 221. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 4D, the opposite side of the second PCB 42, which has electrical contacts 44, is exposed to the first volume.

[0061] Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C show some additions to the heater subassembly 21, which will be discussed later. It provides specific details.

[0062] Figures 5A and 5B are an end view and a side view, respectively, of the complete heater subassembly 21. Referring to Figures 5A and 5B, heater end frames 51 are provided at both ends of the heater subassembly 21 to support, align, and mount the heater subassembly. The heater end frames 51 are equipped with second guide members 33' and 35', respectively, to assist in the alignment between the heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassembly 22.

[0063] An insulating sheath 52 is provided between the heater end frames 51. The insulating sheath 52 surrounds the heating chamber 53 and heater 54, which are shown separately in Figure 5C. The heating chamber is an elongated chamber with one end open, corresponding to the access subassembly 11, and contains a thermally conductive material such as metal to conduct heat from the heater 54, which is wrapped around the outside of the heating chamber 53, to the aerosol substrate material inside the heating chamber 53. The insulating sheath 52 is provided to insulate and contain the heat generated by the heater 54, so that the heat can be delivered to the heating chamber 53 more efficiently and so that other components of the aerosol generating device 1 are less exposed to heat from the heater 54. In this embodiment, the heater subassembly 21 further includes a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature inside the heater subassembly.

[0064] The heater 54 and the temperature sensor each have electrical contacts or connections for receiving power and obtaining measurement values.

[0065] Figures 6A and 6B schematically illustrate how the mounting cap 23 is used to complete the intermediate subassembly 13.

[0066] As shown in Figure 6A, the second guide members 33, 33', 35, and 35' of the heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassemblies 22 are aligned and fitted together. Similar to the first guide members, the second guide members may be projections or pins, and may have corresponding recesses or holes. As a result of this alignment and fitting, the heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassemblies 22 are correctly positioned but not yet mounted.

[0067] As shown in Figure 6B, the mounting cap 23 (shown "transparently" with dashed lines) is positioned to fit snugly longitudinally onto the ends of the aligned heater subassemblies 21 and power and control subassemblies 22, covering at least partially the heater subassemblies 21 and power and control subassemblies 22. The mounting cap 23 forms the upper part of a substantially T-shaped frame assembly incorporating the heater subassembly support frame 223 and the power support frame 224, and may be positioned to close the upper part of the first to fifth volumes when the intermediate subassembly 13 is housed in the housing subassembly 12 (where the orientation of "upper part" is defined based on the orientation of the device as shown in Figure 1A). Thus, when the components of the intermediate subassembly 13 are suspended in the housing without contacting the housing, this can be done by attaching them directly or indirectly to the mounting cap 23.

[0068] The heater subassembly 21, the power supply and control subassembly 22, and the mounting cap 23 are adapted to interlock with each other so that the heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassembly 22 cannot be separated from each other when the mounting cap 23 is positioned to cover the ends. In particular, in this embodiment, the mounting cap 23 surrounds the ends of the aligned heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassembly 22 in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the second guide members 33, 33', 35, and 35' are fitted to partially cover the heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassembly 22, and are positioned perpendicular to the direction of the second guide members, thereby preventing relative longitudinal movement between the heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassembly 22. In this way, by attaching the mounting caps 23 to one or both of the heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassembly 22, relative movement between the heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassembly 22 is oriented perpendicular to the direction of the second guide members, thus preventing movement in the longitudinal direction, and also periphery in the longitudinal direction, as movement is oriented perpendicular to the direction of the second guide members or prevented by covering and surrounding with the mounting caps. Thus, the heater subassembly 21 is fixed to the power supply and control subassembly 22.

[0069] In this embodiment, the mounting cap 23 is attached to the power support frame 224 of the power supply and control subassembly 22 at the mounting cap mounting point 61. The attachment can be made using one or more reversible fastening means, such as screws. Using reversible fastening means allows the heater subassembly 21 to be removed more easily for cleaning; however, in other embodiments, a snap-fit ​​or press-fit connection is used at the mounting cap mounting point 61.

[0070] It should be noted that the mounting cap 23 is not essential for securing the heater subassembly 21 to the power supply and control subassembly 22, and in other embodiments, such securing can be achieved by providing additional snap-fit ​​or press-fit connectors instead of, or in addition to, the second guide members 33, 33', 35, 35'. This alternative embodiment further reduces the number of components and processes required for manufacturing the aerosol generating device. Nevertheless, even if the mounting cap 23 is not used to secure the heater subassembly 21 to the power supply and control subassembly 22, the presence of the mounting cap 23 is convenient for mounting the access subassembly 11 and the housing subassembly 12. In particular, the mounting cap 23 is independent of the other components of the intermediate subassembly 13 and provides a modular mounting interface that can be adapted for convenient mounting to the device housing, separate from the adaptation of the heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassembly 22 for other purposes.

[0071] As shown in Figure 6B, when the heater subassembly 21 is fixed to the power supply and control subassembly 22, electrical connections such as wires can be easily installed between the heater subassembly 21 and the power supply and control subassembly 22 using the exposed electrical contacts 44 of the power supply and control subassembly 22 and the electrical contacts or connections of the heater 54 and temperature sensor of the heater subassembly 21.

[0072] Next, some additional details of the access subassembly 11 will be described with reference to Figures 7A and 7B.

[0073] Figure 7A shows a diagram of the access subassembly 11 with the access housing 71 "transparent" (shown by a dashed line) to make the internal features of the access subassembly 11 easier to see.

[0074] The lid 111 is attached to the slider cart 73. The slider cart is configured to slide along the slider guide 74 so that the lid 111 slides between an open position and a closed position. In the closed position, the opening of the access housing 71 is closed by the lid 111. In the open position, the opening of the access housing 71 is open. When the aerosol generating device 1 is assembled and the lid 111 is in the open position, the opening of the access housing 71 This provides access to the heating chamber 53.

[0075] As shown in Figure 7A, the access housing 71 includes a snap-fit ​​connector 75 for attaching the access subassembly 11 to the intermediate subassembly 13. In this embodiment, two opposing snap-fit ​​connectors 75 are provided corresponding to two small opposing sides of the aerosol generating device 1, but any effective arrangement of connectors can be used. Similar to the snap-fit ​​connectors described above, the snap-fit ​​connectors may be press-fit connectors instead.

[0076] In addition, the access housing 71 has a stepped rim along its lower end (as shown in the figure). The inner rim 77 extends downward beyond the outer rim 76. This stepped rim helps to secure the access subassembly 11 together with the housing subassembly 12 and can divert impact stress from the snap-fit ​​connector 75, thereby helping to prevent a structural weakness at the joint between the access subassembly 11 and the intermediate subassembly 13.

[0077] Referring to Figure 7B, the slider guide 74 is hidden in this figure, allowing a clear view of the slider biasing mechanism 78 that acts to return the slider cart 73 and lid 111 to the closed position. This ensures that the heating chamber 53 is reliably covered when not in use.

[0078] Definitions and Alternative Embodiments From the above description, it will be understood that many of the features of the above embodiments perform independent functions with independent advantages. Therefore, each of these independent features can be independently selected to be included or omitted from the embodiments of the present invention as defined in the claims.

[0079] For example, in the above embodiment, a specific design of a power supply and control subassembly 22 comprising multiple PCBs is used. Alternatively, in other embodiments, a control circuit 222 may be provided without using PCBs, especially in cases where the control is simple, such as in the very simple case of a switch and impedance setting circuit for turning a heater on and off. Alternatively, in embodiments of the present invention, only one of the first PCB 31 and the second PCB 42 described above may be included.

[0080] The term “heater” should be understood to mean any device for outputting sufficient thermal energy from an aerosol substrate to form an aerosol. The transfer of thermal energy from the heater 54 to the aerosol substrate may be conductive, convective, radiative, or any combination thereof. In non-limiting examples, a conductive heater may be in direct contact with the aerosol substrate and press against it, or it may be in contact with a separate component such as a heating chamber, so that the separate component itself generates heating of the aerosol substrate by conduction, convection, and / or radiation.

[0081] The heater may be electrically driven, driven by combustion, or driven by any other suitable means. The electrically driven heater may include a resistive track element (including optionally an insulating package), an induction heating system (including, for example, an electromagnet and a high-frequency oscillator), etc. The heater 54 may be positioned around the outside of the aerosol substrate, penetrate partway into the aerosol substrate or completely, or any combination thereof. For example, instead of the heater in the embodiments described above, the aerosol generating device may include a blade-type heater extending into the aerosol substrate in a heating chamber.

[0082] The term "temperature sensor" refers to the absolute or relative temperature of a portion of the aerosol generating device 1. This is used to describe elements that can determine temperature. These may include thermocouples, thermopiles, thermistors, etc. The temperature sensor may be provided as part of another component or as a separate component. In some examples, multiple temperature sensors are provided to monitor the heating of various parts of the aerosol generating device 1, for example, to measure the thermal profile. Alternatively, in some examples, no temperature sensors are provided. This is possible, for example, when the thermal profile has already been reliably established and the temperature can be assumed based on the operation of the heater 54.

[0083] The control circuit 222 in the drawing is shown to have a single user-operable button for triggering and turning on the aerosol generating device 1. This keeps the control simple and reduces the likelihood of the user misusing or failing to properly control the aerosol generating device 1. However, in some cases, the user-available input controls could be more complex, for example, to control the temperature within a preset limit to alter the flavor balance of the steam, or to switch between a power-saving mode and a rapid heating mode.

[0084] The aerosol substrate contains tobacco, for example, in a dried or hardened form, and optionally has additional components that provide flavor, or smoother or more satisfying effects. In some examples, the aerosol substrate, such as tobacco, may be treated with a vaporizer. The vaporizer may improve the generation of vapor from the aerosol substrate. The vaporizer may include, for example, a polyol such as glycerol, or a glycol such as propylene glycol. In some cases, the aerosol substrate may not contain tobacco or even nicotine, but instead may contain natural or artificially derived components to provide flavoring, volatility, smoothness improvement, and / or other satisfying effects. The aerosol substrate may be supplied as a solid or paste-type material in the form of shredded, pelletized, powdered, granular, stripped or sheeted material, or optionally a combination thereof. Similarly, the aerosol substrate may be a liquid or a gel. In fact, in some examples, both a solid portion and a liquid / gel portion may be included.

[0085] Therefore, the aerosol generating device 1 can be referred to as a "heated tobacco device," a "heated non-combustion tobacco device," a "tobacco product vaporization device," etc., and is interpreted as a device suitable for achieving these effects. The features disclosed herein are equally applicable to devices designed to vaporize any aerosol substrate.

[0086] The aerosol generating device 1 may be configured to house the aerosol substrate within a pre-packaged substrate carrier. The substrate carrier may be broadly similar to a cigarette having a tubular region with an aerosol substrate configured in a preferred form. Some designs may also include a filter, a vapor collection region, a cooling region, and other structures. An outer layer of paper or another flexible planar material, such as foil, may also be provided to further enhance the similarity to a cigarette, for example, by holding the aerosol substrate in place. The substrate carrier may be housed within the heating chamber 53, or it may be longer than the heating chamber 53 so that the lid 111 remains open while the substrate carrier is being supplied to the aerosol generating device 1. In such embodiments, the aerosol may be supplied directly from the substrate carrier, which functions as the mouthpiece of the aerosol generating device.

[0087] As used herein, the term “fluid” is to be interpreted as referring collectively to non-solid materials of a flowable type, including but not limited to liquids, pastes, gels, and powders. Accordingly, “fluidized material” is to be interpreted as a material that is essentially a fluid, or a material that has been modified to behave as a fluid. Fluidization may include powdering, dissolution in a solvent, gelation, thickening, thinning, etc. These are not the only options.

[0088] As used herein, the term “volatile” means a substance that can readily change from a solid or liquid state to a gaseous state. In non-limiting examples, volatile substances may have a boiling or sublimation temperature close to room temperature at ambient pressure. Therefore, “volatilize” or “volatilise” shall be interpreted as meaning to cause (a material) to volatilize and / or evaporate or disperse into vapor.

[0089] As used herein, the term "vapor" means: (i) a form into which a liquid is spontaneously converted by the action of sufficient heat; (ii) liquid / moisture particles suspended in the atmosphere and appearing as a cloud of steam / smoke; or (iii) a fluid that fills space like a gas but can be liquefied by pressure alone when below its critical temperature.

[0090] In line with this definition, the term “vaporise” (or “vaporize”) means: (i) to change into vapor, or to cause a change into vapor, and (ii) when particles change their physical state (i.e., from liquid or solid to gaseous).

[0091] As used herein, the term “atomise” (or “atomize”) means: (i) transforming (a substance, especially a liquid) into very small particles or droplets, and (ii) the particles remaining in the same physical state (liquid or solid) as before they were atomized.

[0092] As used herein, the term “aerosol” means a system of particulate matter dispersed in air or gas, such as mist, fog, or smoke. Accordingly, the term “aerosolise” (or “aerosolize”) means to make into an aerosol and / or disperse as an aerosol. Note that the meaning of aerosol / aerosolize is consistent with the respective terms of volatilization, spraying, and vaporization as defined above. To avoid ambiguity, aerosol is used consistently to describe mist or droplets containing sprayed, volatilized, or vaporized particles. Aerosol also includes mist or droplets containing any combination of sprayed, volatilized, or vaporized particles.

Claims

1. Power supply and Heating chamber and A heater arranged to supply heat to the heating chamber, A control circuit configured to control the supply of power from the power source to the heater, Frame and, A housing having an internal volume that accommodates the power supply, the heating chamber, the heater, the control circuit, and the frame. an aerosol generating device comprising, An aerosol generating device in which the frame is positioned between a first internal volume that houses the heater and the heating chamber and a second internal volume that houses the power supply.

2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is an elongated housing for holding in the hand, and the first volume, the frame, and the second volume are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing, respectively.

3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first volume contains an area of ​​air or vacuum adjacent to the heating chamber.

4. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heating chamber and the heater are held by the frame so as not to contact the housing.

5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 4, wherein the power supply and the control circuit are held by the frame.

6. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control circuit comprises a component mounted on a first PCB arranged in the second volume along the frame.

7. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6, wherein the first PCB is a double-sided PCB.

8. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a second PCB disposed between the first volume and the second volume along the frame.

9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 8, wherein the second PCB is a single-sided PCB, and the control circuit further comprises components mounted on the second PCB and within the second volume.

10. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6 or 7 and claim 8 or 9, wherein the first PCB and the second PCB are connected by a flexible PCB portion, and the first PCB, the second PCB, and the flexible PCB portion are arranged around the frame.

11. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first volume of the internal volume houses the control circuit.

12. The aerosol generating device according to claim 11, wherein the frame is arranged to prevent the flow of fluid from the second volume to the first volume.

13. The aerosol generating device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the power supply is held by the frame.

14. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, further comprising a second frame disposed between a first portion of the second volume housing the control circuit and a second portion of the second volume housing the power supply.

15. The aerosol generating device according to claim 14, wherein the control circuit comprises a component mounted on a PCB held between the frame and the second frame.

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