Aerosol generating device including a grip portion and related aerosol generating assembly

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device comprising: a device body (40) extending along a device axis (Y); a heating chamber (60); a mouthpiece (43) attached to the device body (40) so as to at least partially cover a chamber opening (69), the mouthpiece (43) defining an inner surface facing the device body (40) and the chamber opening (69) and further defining a gripping portion (48) configured to grip an outer surface of an aerosol-generating article; a seal (95) arranged between the inner surface of the mouthpiece (43) and the open end of the heating chamber (60); and pressure applying means (51) arranged to generate pressure against the seal (95) according to the device axis (Y).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device.The present invention also relates to an aerosol generating assembly including an aerosol generating device.

[0002] In particular, the aerosol-generating device according to the present invention is configured to operate with aerosol-generating articles, such as flat tobacco articles, that include a solid substrate that can form an aerosol when heated. Thus, such types of aerosol-generating devices, also known as non-combustion heating devices, are adapted to heat the substrate by conduction, convection, and / or radiation, rather than by combustion, to generate an aerosol for inhalation. [Background technology]

[0003] The popularity and use of risk-reducing or risk-modifying devices (also known as vaporizers) has grown rapidly in recent years as aids to assist regular smokers who wish to quit smoking traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, and rolling cigarettes. A variety of devices and systems are available that heat or warm a vaporizable substance, as opposed to burning tobacco in traditional tobacco products.

[0004] Commonly available risk reduction or risk modification devices are substrate-heated aerosol generating devices or non-combustion-heated devices. These types of devices typically generate aerosol or vapor by heating an aerosol substrate containing moist tobacco or other suitable vaporizable material, typically to temperatures ranging from 150°C to 350°C. By heating, rather than burning or combusting, the aerosol substrate releases an aerosol containing the ingredients desired by the user but without the toxic and carcinogenic by-products of combustion and burning. Furthermore, aerosols generated by heating tobacco or other vaporizable material typically do not contain the burnt or bitter taste resulting from combustion and burning, which can be unpleasant to users, and therefore the substrate does not require sugars and other additives typically added to such materials to make the smoke and / or vapor more palatable to users.

[0005] Tobacco articles that can be used with such types of aerosol-generating devices can take a variety of forms. Some of them can be elongated sticks or any other suitable shape, such as a flat shape. Generally, such tobacco articles are at least partially received within a heating chamber of the device, which includes one or several heaters for heating the tobacco article.

[0006] The aerosol-generating article, when at least partially received within the heating chamber, is configured to generate an aerosol that is delivered to a user through the mouthpiece. In some devices, the aerosol may leak through openings other than those defined in the mouthpiece. This problem can result in a poor user experience. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] One of the aims of the present invention is to propose an aerosol generating device that prevents or minimizes aerosol leakage, thus significantly improving the user experience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To this end, the present invention provides an aerosol generating device comprising: - a device body extending along a device axis; - a heating chamber disposed within the device body, the heating chamber including an open end defining a chamber opening suitable for inserting an aerosol-generating article at least partially into an interior volume of the heating chamber; - a mouthpiece attached to the device body to at least partially cover the chamber opening, the mouthpiece defining an inner surface facing the device body and the chamber opening, and further defining a gripping portion configured to grip an outer surface of the aerosol-generating article in use; - a seal disposed between the inner surface of the mouthpiece and the open end of the heating chamber; - pressure application means arranged to generate pressure against the seal along the device axis; The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device comprising:

[0009] These features can minimize leakage between the mouthpiece and the heating chamber as the seal is sandwiched between these two elements by the pressure application means. The seal can be made from any suitable material, for example a flexible material, thus ensuring a better seal between the mouthpiece and the device body.

[0010] Additionally, a mouthpiece with a gripping portion can be used to easily handle the aerosol-generating article before a vaping session. For example, the aerosol-generating device can be held by the gripping portion, which is inserted into the heating chamber. Thus, the aerosol-generating article can be more accurately positioned within the heating chamber, minimizing the risk of leakage.

[0011] Thus, the mouthpiece with its seal and gripping portion sandwiched between the mouthpiece and the heating chamber helps to minimize leakage from the heating chamber, greatly enhancing the user's experience.

[0012] Additionally, after a vaping session, the aerosol-generating article can be easily removed from the heating chamber using the gripping portion, even immediately after a vaping session when the aerosol-generating article is still hot. This feature also significantly enhances the user's experience.

[0013] According to some embodiments, the open end of the heating chamber includes a flange that defines the chamber opening.

[0014] These features allow the seal to be easily positioned between the mouthpiece and the flange of the heating chamber. Additionally, the flange increases the contact surface with the seal, further reducing the risk of leakage.

[0015] According to some embodiments, the flange defines a substantially flat surface that contacts the seal, said flat surface extending substantially perpendicular to the device axis.

[0016] A flat surface in contact with the seal is particularly advantageous as it optimises the contact surface with the seal, e.g. the seal also has a flat surface to maximise contact with the seal, in addition, as the pressure means applies pressure to the seal according to the device axis, the seal can be better compressed by the flat surface, further reducing the risk of leakage.

[0017] According to some other embodiments, the flange defines a contact surface with the seal having any other suitable shape. For example, the contact surface can have a convex or concave shape, and the seal can form a shape complementary to this shape of the contact surface. For example, the contact surface of the flange can form a rounded shape to maximize contact with the seal.

[0018] According to some embodiments, the inner surface of the mouthpiece includes an annular rib that abuts the seal according to the device axis.

[0019] These features allow the seal to be further compressed, thus ensuring better contact with both the mouthpiece and the device body, thus enhancing the sealing properties of the seal and further minimizing flow leakage.

[0020] According to some embodiments, the seal comprises two opposing surfaces extending substantially perpendicular to the device axis.

[0021] These features enable the seal to ensure better contact with both the mouthpiece and the heating chamber, thus enhancing its sealing properties. Additionally, because the pressure applied by the pressure application means is directed along the device axis, these features enable the seal to ensure better compression and therefore better contact with both the mouthpiece and the device body, enhancing its sealing properties.

[0022] According to some embodiments, the pressure applying means is configured to apply pressure to the mouthpiece to cause the mouthpiece to abut against the device body and / or heating chamber.

[0023] These features allow pressure to be applied to the mouthpiece in contact with the seal, so that the seal is compressed by the mouthpiece, ensuring better sealing properties and minimizing flow leakage.

[0024] According to some embodiments, the pressure exerting means is configured to cause the mouthpiece to engage with an inner surface that bounds the interior volume of the heating chamber.

[0025] These features allow pressure to be applied to the device body or heating chamber by the mouthpiece when the mouthpiece is attached to the device body and at least a portion of the mouthpiece is received in the heating chamber. This position of the mouthpiece corresponds to its operative configuration, so no further action is required to trigger the pressure application means. In other words, in this case, the pressure application means is automatically activated when the mouthpiece is attached to the device body and the device is ready to generate aerosol.

[0026] According to some embodiments, the gripping portion of the mouthpiece is configured to penetrate the interior volume of the heating chamber.

[0027] These features allow the gripping portion to be positioned inside the heating chamber when the mouthpiece is in its operative state. Therefore, the aerosol-generating article can be precisely positioned inside the heating chamber, further minimizing the risk of leakage. Additionally, these features allow the aerosol-generating article to be easily removed from the heating chamber after a vaping session.

[0028] According to some embodiments, an air gap is formed between a portion of the grip portion of the mouthpiece and an interior surface that bounds the interior volume of the heating chamber.

[0029] The air gap minimizes heat transfer from the heating chamber to the mouthpiece. In this way, the surface temperature of the mouthpiece can remain relatively low during operation of the device, thus avoiding the risk of the user being burned.

[0030] According to some embodiments, the pressure application means comprises at least one protruding element and at least one recess configured to receive said protruding element, said protruding element and recess being arranged on the gripping portion of the mouthpiece and on the inner surface bounding the internal volume of the heating chamber.

[0031] Due to these features, the pressure application means can be conveniently formed by the mouthpiece and the heating chamber without the use of additional means. In some embodiments, only one protruding element and only one corresponding recess are provided. According to other embodiments, for example, at least two protruding elements arranged on opposite walls of the gripping portion and at least two recesses arranged on opposite walls of the heating chamber are provided. In this last case, the mouthpiece can be more securely engaged with the heating chamber and increased pressure can be formed in the seal.

[0032] According to some embodiments, the gripping portion of the mouthpiece is configured to grip the outer surface of the aerosol-generating article while removing the gripping portion from the heating chamber.

[0033] These features allow the aerosol-generating article to be easily removed from the heating chamber.

[0034] According to some embodiments, the aerosol-generating article comprises a solid tobacco substrate.

[0035] According to some embodiments, the pressure exerting means comprises at least one magnet configured to create an attractive force between the mouthpiece and the device body and / or heating chamber.

[0036] With these features, the mouthpiece can be easily attached to the device body. In addition, the pressure application means does not need to be activated, but works immediately once the mouthpiece is attached to the device.

[0037] According to some embodiments, the pressure application means may include at least one magnet and at least one protruding element and at least one recess configured to create an attractive force between the mouthpiece and the device body and / or heating chamber, as defined above.

[0038] According to some embodiments, the heating chamber forms a flat shape, in which case the aerosol-generating article also forms a flat shape.

[0039] A "flat shape" of the heating chamber or aerosol-generating article is understood to be one that extends between two first parallel longitudinal planes and two second parallel longitudinal planes perpendicular to the first parallel longitudinal planes, the distance between the second parallel longitudinal planes being at least three times, advantageously five times, and preferably ten times the distance between the first parallel longitudinal planes.

[0040] These features allow the heating chamber to be adapted to receive aerosol-generating articles having a flat shape. The flat shape of the heating chamber is particularly advantageous for ensuring a rapid preheating phase of the aerosol-generating article. Thus, the article is ready to generate vapor in just a few seconds (e.g., 5, 15, or 20 seconds) after activation of the heating chamber.

[0041] According to some embodiments, the heating chamber further comprises insulation disposed between the heating zone and the mounting zone.

[0042] Such insulation may be placed, for example, on the outer surface of the heating chamber. Its shape, size and dimensions may be adapted to each different example of heating zone and attachment zone arrangement. This insulation may be formed by vacuum or air chambers, sheets, powders, etc., and may include various materials such as superwool, aerogel, etc.

[0043] In some embodiments, thermal insulation may be provided between the heating chamber and the inner surface of the wall forming the device body. This insulation may be formed by a vacuum or air chamber, a sheet, a powder, etc., and may include a variety of materials such as superwool, aerogel, etc.

[0044] The present invention provides an aerosol generating assembly comprising: - an aerosol-generating device as defined above; - an aerosol-generating article configured to operate with an aerosol-generating device The present invention also relates to an aerosol-generating assembly comprising:

[0045] The invention and its advantages will be better understood on reading the following description, given by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0046] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol generation assembly, the aerosol generation assembly including an aerosol generation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention and an aerosol-generating article usable with the aerosol generation device; FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the aerosol generation assembly of FIG. 1 taken along plane III. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the aerosol generation assembly of FIG. 1 taken along plane IV. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an air flow path extending within the aerosol generation assembly of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a heated surface disposed within the aerosol generating device of FIG. 1. [Figure 7] 3 shows a schematic representation of a pressure exerting means of an aerosol generating device according to a second embodiment of the invention; [Figure 8] 3 shows a schematic representation of a pressure exerting means of an aerosol generating device according to a second embodiment of the invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] Before the present invention is described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction set forth in the following description. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways.

[0048] In the following, the expression "substantially equal" is understood to mean equal to plus or minus 10%, preferably to plus or minus 5%.

[0049] As used herein, the terms "aerosol-generating device" or "device" may include a vaping device that delivers aerosol, including aerosol for vaping, to a user using a heater element, as described in more detail below. The device may be portable. "Portable" may refer to a device that is used while held by a user. The device may be adapted to generate a variable amount of aerosol (as opposed to a fixed amount of aerosol), for example, by activating a heater element for a variable amount of time, which may be controlled by a trigger. The trigger may be activated by a user, such as a vaping button and / or an inhalation sensor. The inhalation sensor may be sensitive to inhalation intensity and duration, allowing for the provision of a variable amount of vapor (to mimic the smoking effect of a conventional combustion-type smoking article, such as a cigarette, cigar, or pipe). The device may include a temperature regulation control to drive the temperature of the heater and / or heated aerosol-generating material (aerosol precursor) to a specific target temperature and then maintain the temperature at that target temperature to enable efficient generation of aerosol.

[0050] As used herein, the term "aerosol" may include a dispersion of vaporizable material as one or more of solid particles, liquid droplets, and gas. The dispersion may be in a gas, including air. Aerosol herein may generally refer to / include a vapor. The aerosol may include one or more components of the vaporizable material.

[0051] As used herein, the terms "vaporizable material" or "precursor" may refer to smokable material, which may include, for example, nicotine or tobacco and an aerosol-forming agent. Tobacco may take the form of various materials, such as cut tobacco, granulated tobacco, tobacco leaf, and / or reconstituted tobacco. Suitable aerosol-forming agents include polyols, such as sorbitol, glycerol, and glycols (such as propylene glycol or triethylene glycol), non-polyols, such as monohydric alcohols, acids (such as lactic acid), glycerol derivatives, esters (such as triacetin), triethylene glycol diacetate, triethyl citrate, glycerin, or vegetable glycerin. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating agent may be glycerol, propylene glycol, or a mixture of glycerol and propylene glycol. The substrate may also include at least one of a gelling agent, a binder, a stabilizer, and a humectant.

[0052] First embodiment Figure 1 shows an aerosol-generating assembly 10 including an aerosol-generating device 11 according to a first embodiment and an aerosol-generating article 12, also referred to as a tobacco article 12. The aerosol-generating device 11 is intended to operate with the tobacco article 12, which is shown in more detail in Figure 2.

[0053] 2, the tobacco article 12 is, for example, a flat-shaped tobacco article extending along the article axis X and presenting a flat-shaped rectangular parallelepiped with outer dimensions L×W×D. In a typical example, the length L of the article 12 along the article axis X is substantially equal to 33 mm, while its width W and depth D are substantially equal to 12 mm and 1.2 mm, respectively. According to different examples, the values ​​L, W, and D can be selected within a range of, for example, ±40%. The depth D of the tobacco article 12 is formed by a pair of parallel walls 13A, 13B, hereinafter referred to as narrow walls 13A, 13B, and the width W of the tobacco article 12 is formed by a pair of parallel walls 14A, 14B, hereinafter referred to as wide walls 14A, 14B. In some embodiments, the edges between the wide and narrow walls 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B, may be rounded. According to other embodiments of the present invention, the tobacco article 12 may have any other suitable flat shape and / or overall dimensions. According to still other embodiments, the tobacco article 12 may exhibit any other suitable shape, for example, a stick shape having a substantially circular or oval cross-section.

[0054] The tobacco article 12 includes a tobacco portion 15 and a mouthpiece portion 16 arranged along the article axis X. For example, the tobacco portion 15 may be slightly longer than the mouthpiece portion 16. For example, the length L2 of the tobacco portion 15 along the article axis X may be substantially equal to 18 mm. The width W2 of the tobacco portion 15 is substantially equal to the width W of the tobacco article 12. The length L3 of the mouthpiece portion 16 along the article axis X may be substantially equal to 15 mm. As before, the values ​​L2 and L3 may be selected within a range of, for example, ±40%. The tobacco portion 15 defines an abutting end 18 of the article 12, and the mouthpiece portion 16 defines a mouth end 20 of the article 12. The tobacco portion 15 and the mouthpiece portion 16 may be secured to one another by a wrapper 21 extending around the substrate axis X. The wrapper 21 forms the narrow and wide walls 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B of the tobacco article 12. In some embodiments, the wrapper 21 is formed from the same wrapping sheet. In some other embodiments, the wrapper 21 is formed from separate wrapping sheets that separately wrap the portions 15, 16 and are secured to each other by any other suitable means. The wrapper 21 may comprise, for example, paper, and / or a nonwoven fabric, and / or aluminum foil. The wrapper 21 may be porous or air impermeable and form a plurality of air passages extending into the interior of the article 12 between the abutting end 18 and the mouth end 20.

[0055] The mouthpiece portion 16 may, for example, include a core 27 intended to function as a cooler to slightly cool the vapor before the user inhales. For this purpose, the core 27 may, for example, comprise corrugated paper. The core 27 may be formed into a stable shape by an extrusion and / or rolling process. Advantageously, the core 27 is positioned within the mouthpiece portion 16 so as to be in complete contact with the inner surface of the wrapper 21 that defines the boundary of the mouthpiece portion 16. Additionally or alternatively, the core 27 functions as a filter.

[0056] As will be explained in more detail below, the tobacco portion 15 contains vaporizable material and is intended to be heated by a heating chamber.

[0057] Referring again to FIG. 1 , the aerosol generating device 11 includes a device body 40 extending along a device axis Y between an open end 41 and a closed end 42. The aerosol generating device 11 further includes a mouthpiece 43 attached to the open end 41 of the device body 40. The mouthpiece 43 and the device body 40 advantageously form two distinct parts. In particular, the mouthpiece 43 is designed to be fixed to a support 44 defined by the open end 41 of the device body 40, as shown in FIG. 3 . The support 44 defines, for example, a wall extending perpendicular to the device axis Y, which defines an opening to the heating chamber at its center, as will be explained in more detail below. The support 44 may, in particular, extend inward from a side wall forming the device body 40.

[0058] 3, the mouthpiece 43 includes a contact portion 46, a support portion 47, and a grip portion 48. These portions 46-48 are arranged consecutively along the device axis Y to define a central hole 49 extending through each of these portions 46-48. The contact portion 46 and the grip portion 48 protrude from different sides of the support portion 47 along the device axis Y.

[0059] The support portion 47 of the mouthpiece 43 forms, for example, a collar that partially covers the open end 41 of the device body 40. The collar defines, for example, an outer surface extending substantially perpendicular to the device axis Y and an inner surface opposite the outer surface and facing the open end 41 of the device body 40. The support portion 47 is designed to apply pressure to the support 44 of the device body 40 using any suitable pressure application means 51. In the example of FIG. 3 , the pressure application means 51 includes a first magnetic element disposed around the support 44 and a second magnetic element disposed, for example, on the inner surface of the support portion 47 of the mouthpiece 43. At least one of the first and second magnetic elements includes, for example, a permanent magnet, and the other element includes a permanent magnet of the opposite polarity and / or a ferromagnetic material. It will be apparent that the pressure application means 51 may have any other suitable structure suitable for abutting the mouthpiece 43 against the device body 40. Instead of magnetic elements, any other means capable of engaging one with the other may be arranged around the support 44 and on the inner surface of the support portion 47 of the mouthpiece 43. In addition, the pressure exerting means 51 may have different structures and arrangements relative to the device body 40. Examples of such structures are described below in connection with the second embodiment of the invention.

[0060] The contact portion 46 of the mouthpiece 43 is designed to come into contact with the user's lips and / or mouth. To this end, the contact portion 46 of the mouthpiece 43 can be formed with an appropriate ergonomic shape. Advantageously, the contact portion 46 has a shape that narrows from the support portion 47 toward its upper surface along the device axis Y. For example, the contact portion 46 can have a frusto-conical shape. At its upper surface, the contact portion 46 forms an air outlet extending from a central hole 49, which is adapted to deliver the aerosol formed in the heating chamber, as will be explained in more detail below. Advantageously, as can be seen in FIG. 3 , a thermal break 53 is formed between the contact portion 46 and the support portion 47 of the mouthpiece 43. The thermal break 53 is formed, for example, by a groove extending around the central hole 49, in the connection zone between the support portion 47 and the contact portion 46 of the mouthpiece 43. The thermal break 53 minimizes the contact area and / or connection between the contact portion 46 and the support portion 47 of the mouthpiece 43 .

[0061] The gripping portion 48 is designed to hold at least a portion of the tobacco article 12 inside the heating chamber 60, as shown in FIG. 3. In particular, the gripping portion 48 is designed to receive at least a portion of the mouthpiece portion 16 of the tobacco article 12 in the central bore 49, as shown in FIG. 3. To this end, at least inside the gripping portion 48, the cross-section of the central bore 49 is complementary to the external shape of the mouthpiece portion 16 of the tobacco article 12. In particular, in the case of a flat-shaped tobacco article 12, the central bore 49 also has a flat shape, advantageously a rectangular flat shape. Advantageously, as shown in FIG. 3, the gripping portion 48 forms an air gap with the wall of the heating chamber 60. To this end, the heating chamber 60 may define an enlarged section adjacent the open end of the chamber 60. In particular, this enlarged section has an enlarged cross-sectional shape compared to the cross-sectional shape of the portion of the heating chamber 60 that receives the tobacco portion 15 of the tobacco article 12, i.e., compared to the portion of the heating chamber 60 adjacent its closed end.

[0062] The device body 40 defines an interior space of the device 11 that houses various elements designed to perform different functions of the device 11. This interior space may house, for example, a battery for powering the device 11, a controller for controlling the operation of the device 11, a heating chamber 60 for heating the tobacco portion 15 of the tobacco article 12, etc. Of these elements, only the heating chamber 60 will be described in further detail with reference to Figures 3-6.

[0063] In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, the heating chamber 60 defines an attachment zone 61 adapted to attach the heating chamber 60 to the device body 40 and a heating zone 62 adapted to heat the tobacco portion 15 of the tobacco article 12. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3-5, the attachment zone 61 is also adapted to at least partially receive the mouthpiece portion 16 of the tobacco article 12. In a preferred example, the heating chamber 60 has a flat shape. In particular, like the tobacco article 12, the heating chamber 60 may also form a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending along the device axis Y and including a pair of parallel narrow walls 63A, 63B (shown in FIG. 4) extending along the device axis Y, a pair of parallel wide walls 64A, 64B (shown partially in FIG. 3) also extending along the device axis Y, and a bottom wall 68 adjacent each of the walls and extending perpendicular to the device axis Y. Walls 63 A, 63 B, 64 A, 64 B, and 68 bound the interior volume of heating chamber 60 .

[0064] Thus, the bottom wall 68 forms a closed end of the chamber 60. The heating zone 62 of the heating chamber 60 is adjacent to the closed end of the heating chamber 60. The heating chamber 60 defines an open end opposite the bottom wall 68 that is configured to receive the tobacco article 12 through the chamber opening 69, such that the corresponding wide walls 14A, 14B of the tobacco article 12 face the corresponding wide walls 64A, 64B of the heating chamber 60, the corresponding narrow walls 13A, 13B of the tobacco article 12 face the corresponding narrow walls 63A, 63B of the heating chamber 60, and the abutting end 18 of the tobacco article 12 abuts the bottom wall 68 or at least a rib extending from the bottom wall 68. Alternatively, the abutting end 18 faces the bottom wall 68 without contacting the bottom wall 68. Thus, the flat-shaped heating chamber 60 is configured to receive the tobacco article 12 such that the narrow wall 13A (or 13B) of the tobacco article 12 faces the narrow wall 63B (or 63A) of the heating chamber 60, and the wide wall 14A (or 14B) of the tobacco article 12 faces the wide wall 64B (or 64A) of the heating chamber 60. The opposing wide walls 14A, 14B, 64A, 64B and the opposing narrow walls 13A, 13B, 63A, 63B may at least partially contact each other or may be spaced apart from each other. In a preferred example, the opposing narrow walls 13A, 13B, 63A, 63B form a gap therebetween suitable for directing airflow, as will be described in more detail below. The attachment zone 61 of the heating chamber 60 is adjacent to the open end of the heating chamber 60.

[0065] The narrow walls 63A, 63B and / or the wide walls 64A, 64B are shaped, as explained above, to form an enlarged section of the heating chamber 60. To this end, the narrow walls 63A, 63B and / or the wide walls 64A, 64B may extend substantially parallel therebetween a first distance d1 (or D1) through the heating zone 62 of the heating chamber 60, then form a shoulder section that extends this distance d1 (or D1) to a distance d2 (or D2), and then extend parallel therebetween a distance d2 (or D2) through the attachment zone 61 of the heating chamber 60. Thus, the enlarged section may substantially correspond to the attachment zone 61 of the heating chamber 60.

[0066] The heating chamber 60, together with the device body 40 and the mouthpiece 43, define an air flow path 70 through the device 11 and the tobacco article 12 between one or more air inlets 71 and an air outlet 72 that extends through the central bore 49 as described above. In particular, as shown in FIG. 5 , the air flow path 70 includes an upstream portion extending between the air inlet 71 and the closed end of the heating chamber 60, and a downstream portion extending between the closed end of the heating chamber 60 and the air outlet 72. The downstream portion advantageously extends through both the tobacco portion 15 and the mouthpiece portion 16 of the tobacco article 12. The downstream portion may also extend through the central bore 49 formed by the mouthpiece 43. Before reaching the closed end of the heating chamber 60, the upstream portion advantageously extends through the mouthpiece 43 and then through the interior of the heating chamber 60, advantageously through the attachment zone 61 and the gap formed between the opposing narrow walls 13A, 13B, 63A, 63B. At the closed end, the upstream portion of the air flow passage makes a substantially 180° turn to join the downstream portion. According to another embodiment, the upstream portion of the air flow passage 70 passes entirely outside the heating chamber 60 and joins the downstream portion, for example, through a hole formed in the closed end of the heating chamber 60.

[0067] As shown in Figure 5, the air inlets 71 may be formed on the outer surface of the support portion 47 of the mouthpiece 43. In particular, these air inlets 71 may be formed by holes that extend through the support portion 47 of the mouthpiece 43 and open into the enlarged section of the heating chamber 60. For this purpose, the holes in the support portion 47 may be, for example, inclined with respect to the device axis Y. Advantageously, the support portion 47 defines two holes that form the air inlets 71 having an elongated shape on different sides of the contact portion 46.

[0068] Advantageously, the attachment zone 61 forms a unique attachment zone for the heating chamber 60 to the device body 40. To this end, the attachment zone 61 includes a pair of protruding portions 80A, 80B extending outward from the narrow walls 63A, 63B of the heating chamber 60, as shown in FIG. 4 . Each protruding portion 80A, 80B is configured to engage with a pin 82A, 82B fixed to the device body 40. In particular, each pin 82A, 82B may extend perpendicular to the device axis Y, e.g., perpendicular to a plane parallel to the wide walls 64A, 64B of the heating chamber 60. Each protruding portion 80A, 80B may form a mounting ear defining a lateral opening configured to receive a corresponding pin 82A, 82B for mounting the heating chamber 60. Thus, each mounting ear extends partially around the corresponding pin 82A, 82B according to an angle comprised between 180° and 270°, for example.

[0069] According to some embodiments, the heating chamber 60 further includes thermal insulation disposed between the heating zone 62 and the mounting zone 61, for example, on the exterior surfaces of the walls 63A, 63B, 64A, 64B that define the boundaries of the heating chamber 60. Such thermal insulation may include, for example, superwool or aerogel. Alternatively, the thermal insulation may be formed by a vacuum or air chamber, a sheet, a powder, or the like.

[0070] 6, the heating chamber 60 further includes at least one heating surface 90 that at least partially forms one of the wide walls 64A, 64B of the heating chamber 60. Preferably, the heating chamber 60 includes two heating surfaces 90 (only one of which is visible in FIG. 6) that at least partially form the opposing wide walls 64A, 64B of the heating chamber 60. In particular, each heating surface 90 is designed to contact or face the tobacco portion 15 of the tobacco article 12 within the heating zone 62 of the heating chamber 60. Advantageously, each heating surface 90 extends along the entire area of ​​the heating zone 62 projected onto a plane parallel to each of the wide walls 64A, 64B. In other words, the length of each heating surface 90 along the device axis Y is at least equal to the length L2 of the tobacco portion 15, and the width of each heating surface 90 is at least equal to the width W2 of the tobacco portion 15.

[0071] The or each heating surface 90 may be formed by a plate forming the corresponding wide wall 64A, 64B of the heating chamber 60. According to another embodiment, the or each heating surface 90 is formed by, for example, a flexible film attached to the plate forming the corresponding wall 64A, 64B of the heating chamber 60. According to yet another embodiment, the or each heating surface 90 is formed by a long strip of flexible heater including two separate track patterns and wrapped around the heating chamber 90.

[0072] Each heating surface 90 includes a pair of contacts 92 connected to the device's battery and a heating circuit 94 extending between the contacts along the entire heating surface 90 .

[0073] The aerosol generating device 11 further includes a seal 95 disposed between the attachment zone 61 of the heating chamber 60 and the mouthpiece 43. The seal 95 may have an oval or rectangular shape and may extend along the periphery of the opening formed by the open end of the heating chamber 60. In each of its cross sections, the seal 95 advantageously forms a rectangular shape. This means that the seal 95 forms two opposing, substantially flat surfaces substantially perpendicular to the device axis Y. According to other embodiments, the seal 95 may form any other suitable cross-sectional shape that optimally fits between the mouthpiece 43 and the heating chamber 60. The seal 95 is formed from a flexible material such as resin, silicone, etc.

[0074] As shown in the enlarged portion of Figure 5, the seal 95 is advantageously disposed between a rib 96 extending from the inner surface of the support portion 47 of the mouthpiece 43 and a protrusion 97 extending outwardly from the walls 63A, 63B, 64A, 64B and defining the chamber opening 69. This protrusion 97 thus forms a flange at the open end of the heating chamber 60 and may include or pass through the protruding portions 80A, 80B described above. The flange forms, for example, a substantially flat surface substantially perpendicular to the device axis Y. The rib 96 is advantageously oriented according to the device axis Y, for example, extending from the entire periphery of the inner surface of the support portion 47 of the mouthpiece.

[0075] Pressure applying securing means 51 applies pressure to seal 95 to securely secure heating chamber 60 within device body 40 .

[0076] Second embodiment A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. The aerosol generating device according to the second embodiment is substantially similar to that of the first embodiment, differing from this first embodiment only in the pressure application means. In Figures 7 and 8, the same reference numerals are used for similar elements of both embodiments.

[0077] In particular, the pressure applying means 151 of the aerosol generating device 11 according to the second embodiment is arranged partly on the mouthpiece 43 and partly within the heating chamber 60. In other words, according to the second embodiment, the pressure applying means 151 is configured to bring the mouthpiece 43 into engagement with the inner surface 65 (shown in Figure 8) that bounds the internal volume of the heating chamber 60.

[0078] To this end, the pressure applying means 151 includes at least one protruding element 153A, 153B arranged on the gripping portion 48 of the mouthpiece 43 and at least one recess 154A, 154B arranged on the inner surface 65 of the heating chamber 60 and configured to engage with the corresponding protruding element 153A, 153B. The or each protruding element 153A, 153B represents a depression protruding from the outer surface of the gripping portion 48, and the or each recess 154A, 154B represents a recess formed on the inner surface 65 and configured to receive the corresponding protruding element 153A, 153B when the mouthpiece 43 is attached to the device body 40. The or each recess 154A, 154B is formed in an enlarged section of the heating chamber 60 configured to receive the gripping portion 48 of the mouthpiece 43 as explained above.

[0079] 7 and 8, two protruding elements 153A, 153B are arranged on gripping portion 48 and two recesses 154A, 154B are arranged on inner surface 65 of heating chamber 60. In particular, recesses 154A, 154B are advantageously arranged on opposing wide walls 64A, 64B of heating chamber 60. Thus, protruding elements 153A, 153B are arranged on opposing wide walls of gripping portion 48, i.e., on the walls of gripping portion 48 facing wide walls 64A, 64B of heating chamber 60.

[0080] 8 shows different stages of insertion / removal of a mouthpiece 43 equipped with a pressure application means 151. In particular, in stage A, the mouthpiece 43 is inserted into the heating chamber 60. In this case, the mouthpiece portion 16 of the tobacco article 12 is gripped by the gripping portion 48 of the mouthpiece 43 and is slightly compressed during insertion into the heating chamber 60 before the protruding portions 153A, 153B engage with the corresponding recesses 154A, 154B. In stage B, the mouthpiece 43 is attached and the protruding elements 153A, 153B engage with the corresponding recesses 154A, 154B. In this position, the mouthpiece 43 applies pressure to the seal 95, which is at least slightly compressed to increase its leak-proof properties. In stage C, the mouthpiece 43 is removed from the heating chamber 60 together with the tobacco article 12. In this case, as in step A, the gripping portion 48 of the mouthpiece 43 is slightly compressed by the walls of the heating chamber 60 to securely grip the tobacco article 12 and remove it from the heating chamber 60 .

[0081] Other embodiments In some other embodiments, the first and second embodiments can be combined, and several different types of pressure application means can be used. In addition, in the example of the first embodiment, the gripping portion of the mouthpiece can also be provided with a protruding element as described in connection with the second embodiment. In this last case, the protruding element can be provided without a corresponding recess, for example, to ensure better gripping performance of the tobacco article.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device (11), comprising: a device body (40) extending along the device axis (Y); a heating chamber (60) disposed within said device body (40), said heating chamber (60) including an open end defining a chamber opening (69) suitable for inserting an aerosol-generating article (12) at least partially into an interior volume of said heating chamber (69); a mouthpiece (43) attached to the device body (40) so as to at least partially cover the chamber opening (69), the mouthpiece (43) defining an inner surface facing the device body (40) and the chamber opening (69), and further defining a gripping portion (48) configured to grip an outer surface of the aerosol-generating article (12) in use; a seal (95) arranged transversely to the device axis (Y) between the inner surface of the mouthpiece (43) and the open end of the heating chamber (60); - pressure exerting means (51, 151) arranged to exert pressure on said seal (95) according to said device axis (Y); An aerosol generating device (11) comprising:

2. 2. The aerosol generating device (11) of claim 1, wherein the open end of the heating chamber (60) includes a flange (97) that defines the chamber opening (69).

3. 3. The aerosol generating device (11) of claim 2, wherein the flange (97) defines a substantially flat surface that contacts the seal (95), the flat surface extending substantially perpendicular to the device axis (Y).

4. An aerosol generating device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inner surface of the mouthpiece (43) includes an annular rib (96) that abuts against the seal (95) along the device axis (Y).

5. An aerosol generating device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the seal (95) comprises two opposing surfaces extending substantially perpendicular to the device axis (Y).

6. An aerosol generating device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pressure applying means (51, 151) is configured to apply pressure to the mouthpiece to bring the mouthpiece into contact with the device body and / or the heating chamber.

7. An aerosol generating device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pressure application means (151) is configured to engage the mouthpiece (43) with an inner surface (65) that bounds the internal volume of the heating chamber (60).

8. An aerosol generating device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the gripping portion (48) of the mouthpiece (43) is configured to penetrate the internal volume of the heating chamber (60).

9. 9. The aerosol generating device (11) of claim 8, wherein an air gap is formed between a portion of the gripping portion (48) of the mouthpiece (43) and an inner surface (65) that bounds the internal volume of the heating chamber (60).

10. 10. An aerosol generating device (11) as described in claim 8 or 9, wherein the pressure acting means (151) comprises at least one protruding element (153A, 153B) and at least one recess (154A, 154B) configured to receive the protruding element (153A, 153B), and the protruding element (153A, 153B) and the recess (154A, 154B) are arranged on the gripping portion (48) of the mouthpiece (60) and on an inner surface (65) that bounds the internal volume of the heating chamber (60).

11. An aerosol generating device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the gripping portion (48) of the mouthpiece (45) is configured to grip the outer surface of the aerosol-generating article (12) while inserting the gripping portion (48) into the heating chamber (60) and / or while removing the gripping portion (48) from the heating chamber (60).

12. The aerosol generating device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the heating chamber (60) forms a flat shape.

13. The aerosol-generating device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the aerosol-generating article (12) comprises a solid tobacco substrate.

14. An aerosol generating device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the pressure applying means (51) comprises at least one magnet configured to generate an attractive force between the mouthpiece (43) and the device body (40) and / or the heating chamber (60).

15. An aerosol generating assembly (10) comprising: - an aerosol-generating device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, - an aerosol-generating article (12) adapted to operate with said aerosol-generating device (11); An aerosol-generating assembly (10) comprising:

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