Heater for aerosol generator and aerosol generator

Abstract

The present application proposes a heater for an aerosol generating device and an aerosol generating device, the aerosol generating device including a heater for heating an aerosol-generating product received therein, the heater including a case structured to have a cavity at least partially extending along the axial direction of a cavity and extending along the axial direction, and a heating coil located within the cavity of the case and structured to extend along the axial direction of the case, the conductor material of the heating coil having a cross section including a major portion whose length extending along the axial direction of the heating coil is greater than its length extending along the radial direction. In the aerosol generating device having the above structure, the conductor material of the heating coil in the heater is completely or at least partially flat, which can reduce energy loss in the resistance heating coil and, in particular, can promote heat transfer.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application with application number 202011494736.0, entitled "Heater for aerosol generating device and aerosol generating device," filed with the China Patent Office on December 17, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of non-combustion heated smoking devices, and in particular to a heater for an aerosol generating device and an aerosol generating device. [Background technology]

[0002] Tobacco products (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, etc.) burn tobacco to produce tobacco smoke during use. As an alternative to these combusted tobacco products, attempts have been made to produce products that release compounds without combustion. One example of such a product is a heating device that releases compounds by heating, rather than burning, a material. For example, the material can be tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine. In the known art, Chinese Patent No. 202010054217.6 proposes heating a tobacco product with a heater having a spiral heating wire enclosed in an outer sleeve to generate an aerosol. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An embodiment of the present application is configured to heat an aerosol-generating product to generate an aerosol for inhalation, a cavity for receiving an aerosol-generating product; a heater extending at least partially within the cavity and configured to heat an aerosol-generating product received within the cavity, the heater comprising: a case extending at least partially along an axial direction of the cavity and constructed to have an axially extending cavity; and a heating coil located within the cavity of the case and configured to extend along the axial direction of the case, the conductive material of the heating coil having a cross-section including a major portion whose length extending along the axial direction of the heating coil is greater than its length extending along the radial direction. In the aerosol generating device of the above structure, the heating coil in the heater has a shorter radial extension length of the conductor material since the conductor material is completely or at least partially flat, compared to a conventional spiral heating coil formed with a circular cross-section conductor. By such a means, energy loss in the resistance heating coil can be reduced, and in particular heat transfer can be promoted. In a preferred embodiment, the main portion forms the entire cross section of the conductor material. In a preferred embodiment, the main portion has a rectangular shape. In a preferred embodiment, the heating coil has between 6 and 20 windings or turns. In a preferred embodiment, the main portion has a length extending along the axial direction of the heating coil of 1 to 4 mm, And / or, the main portion has a length extending along the radial direction of the heating coil of 0.1 to 1 mm. In a preferred embodiment, the heater further includes a conductive pin for supplying power to the heating coil, the conductive pin comprising: a first conductive pin connected to a first end of the heating coil; a second conductive pin connected to a second end of the heating coil and extending through the heating coil from the second end to the first end. In a preferred embodiment, the conductor material of the heating coil has a positive or negative temperature coefficient of resistance so that the temperature of the heating coil can be determined by detecting the resistance of the heating coil. In a preferred embodiment, the first conductive pin and the second conductive pin are made of different materials, and a thermocouple for detecting the temperature of the heating coil is formed between the first conductive pin and the second conductive pin. In a preferred embodiment, the heater further comprises a base, and the aerosol generating device holds the heater by means of the base. In a preferred embodiment, the cross section of the conductor material further comprises a sub-portion whose radial extension along the heating coil is greater than its axial extension along the heating coil. In a preferred embodiment, the minor portion is closer to a central axis of the heating coil than the major portion. In a preferred embodiment, the heating coil includes a first portion axially adjacent a first end, a second portion axially adjacent a second end, and a third portion between the first and second portions; Along an axial direction of the heating coil, the number of windings or turns per unit length in the third portion is less than the number of windings or turns per unit length in one or both of the first and second portions. In a preferred embodiment, the heating coil includes a first portion and a second portion arranged along an axial direction, Along the axial direction of the heating coil, the number of windings or turns per unit length in the first portion is less than the number of windings or turns per unit length in the second portion. In a preferred embodiment, the heating coil has a winding or number of turns per unit length that varies gradually along the axial direction. Another embodiment of the present application is a method for producing an aerosol for inhalation comprising the steps of: a cavity for receiving an aerosol-generating product; a heater extending at least partially within the cavity and configured to heat an aerosol-generating product received within the cavity, the heater comprising: a case having at least a portion extending along an axial direction of the cavity and having an axially extending cavity; The present invention further proposes an aerosol generating device comprising: a heating coil within the cavity of the case and including a first part and a second part arranged along an axial direction, wherein along the axial direction of the heating coil, the number of windings or turns per unit length in the first part is smaller than the number of windings or turns per unit length in the second part. Another embodiment of the present application is A case having a pin or needle-like structure and a cavity extending along an axial direction; We further propose a heater for an aerosol generating device, comprising: a heating coil located within the cavity of the case and constructed to extend along the axial direction of the case, wherein the conductive material of the heating coil has a cross-section including a main portion whose length extending along the axial direction of the heating coil is greater than its length extending along the radial direction. Another embodiment of the present application is A case having a pin or needle-like structure and a cavity extending along an axial direction; We further propose a heater for an aerosol generating device, comprising: a heating coil located within the cavity of the case and including a first part and a second part arranged along the axial direction, characterized in that along the axial direction of the heating coil, the number of windings or turns per unit length in the first part is smaller than the number of windings or turns per unit length in the second part. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0004] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawing figures corresponding thereto; these illustrative illustrations are not intended to be limiting of the embodiments, and in the drawings, elements having the same reference numerals designate similar elements, and the drawings are not to scale unless otherwise specified. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device provided in one embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded schematic view of one embodiment of the heater in FIG. [Diagram 3]3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the resistance heating coil in FIG. 2 from one angle. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a resistance heating coil proposed in another embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a resistance heating coil proposed in another embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a resistance heating coil proposed in another embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a resistive heating coil proposed in another embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a heating curve in which a heater is controlled at a predetermined time to heat an aerosol-generating product in one embodiment. [Figure 9] 1 shows a comparison result of the TPM values ​​measured in one embodiment when an aerosol-generating product is heated using a heater of the embodiment and a heater of the comparative example. [Figure 10] 13 is a comparison result of the TPM values ​​measured in another example when an aerosol-generating product is heated using a heater of an example and a heater of a comparative example. [Figure 11] 13 is a comparison result of the TPM values ​​measured in another example when an aerosol-generating product is heated using a heater of an example and a heater of a comparative example. [Figure 12] 13 is a comparison result of the TPM values ​​measured in another example when an aerosol-generating product is heated using a heater of an example and a heater of a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0005] In order to facilitate understanding of the present application, the present application will now be described in more detail in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments. One embodiment of the present application is a cavity in which an aerosol-generating product A is removably received; a heater 30 extending at least partially within the cavity for being inserted into the aerosol-generating product A when the aerosol-generating product A is received within the cavity to heat the aerosol-generating product A and thereby release various volatile compounds formed in the aerosol-generating product A solely through the heat treatment; A battery cell 10 for power supply; We propose an aerosol generating device (the structure of which can be seen in FIG. 1) including a battery cell 10 and a circuit 20 for conducting a current between a heater 30. In a preferred embodiment, heater 30 is essentially pin or needle shaped and is adapted for insertion into aerosol-generating product A, and heater 30 may have a length of approximately 12-19 millimeters and an outer diameter of approximately 2-4 millimeters. Further, in alternative embodiments, aerosol-generating product A preferably employs a tobacco-containing material that releases volatile compounds from the substrate upon heating, or may be a non-tobacco material suitable for electrically heated smoking after heating. Aerosol-generating product A preferably employs a solid substrate that may comprise one or more of the following powders, granules, strips, strips or flakes: vanilla leaf, tobacco leaf, homogenized tobacco, expanded tobacco, or the solid substrate may comprise additional tobacco or non-tobacco volatile flavor compounds to be released upon heating of the substrate. FIG. 2 shows an exploded schematic diagram of the heater 30 in one embodiment before each part is assembled, which shows: A case 31 having a pin or needle-like shape with a hollow 311, a cone-shaped tip at its front end for easy insertion into the aerosol generating product A, and an opening at its rear end for easy assembly of each functional component therein; and a heating member 32 for generating heat, the heating member 32 specifically includes a spiral-shaped resistive heating coil 320 configured to extend along a portion of the axial direction of the case 31, a first conductive pin 321 connected to a lower end of the resistive heating coil 320, and a second conductive pin 322 connected to an upper end of the resistive heating coil 320. In use, the first conductive pin 321 and the second conductive pin 322 are used to supply power to the resistive heating coil 320. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the resistive heating coil 320 is fully assembled and held within the cavity 311 of the case 31, and once assembled, the resistive heating coil 320 and the case 31 are in thermal communication with each other. 2, the heater 30 further includes a base or flange 33, which is preferably made of heat-resistant material such as ceramics or PEEK and has a ring shape. In assembly, the lower end of the case 31 is fixed to the base or flange 33 by high-temperature adhesive or molding, such as in-mold injection molding, and the aerosol generator is further fixed to the base or flange 33 by a method such as supporting, clamping or holding, so as to further realize stable installation and holding of the heater 30. Of course, after the lower end of the base or flange 33 and the case 31 are assembled, the first conductive pin 321 and the second conductive pin 322 protrude from the central hole of the base or flange 33 for further connection to the circuit 20. In an optional embodiment, the material of the resistive heating coil 320 is a metal material, a metal alloy, or a composite material of a metal material and graphite, carbon, conductive ceramic, or other ceramic material having a suitable impedance, where the suitable metal or alloy material includes at least one of nickel, cobalt, zirconium, titanium, nickel alloy, cobalt alloy, zirconium alloy, titanium alloy, nickel chromium alloy, nickel iron alloy, iron chromium alloy, iron chromium aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, iron manganese aluminum based alloy, stainless steel, etc. The case 31 is made of a material such as glass, ceramics, metal or alloy having heat resistance and thermal conductivity, for example, stainless steel. Of course, after assembly, the resistance heating coil 320 and the inner wall of the cavity 311 of the case 31 are in contact with each other to further conduct heat, and when the case 31 is made of metal or alloy, they are insulated from each other. For example, insulation can be formed between the contact surfaces by dispensing, surface oxidation, spraying an insulating layer, etc. Figure 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the resistance heating coil 320 from one angle in Figure 2. The cross-sectional shape of the conductive wire material of the resistance heating coil 320 is a wide or flat shape that is different from a normal circular shape. In a preferred embodiment shown in Figure 3, the cross-section of the conductive wire material of the resistance heating coil 320 has a dimension extending along a longitudinal direction that is larger than a dimension extending along a radial direction perpendicular to the longitudinal extension, so that the resistance heating coil 320 has a flat rectangular shape. In short, the resistance heating coil 320 of the above structure has a completely or at least partially flattened wire material compared to a normal spiral heating coil formed of a circular cross-section wire. Therefore, the radial extension length of the wire material is short. By such a means, the energy loss in the resistance heating coil 320 can be reduced. In particular, the transfer of heat can be promoted. In the above, it is preferred that the cross section of the resistive heating coil 320 has a rectangular shape, and that the entire cross section of the resistive heating coil 320 is formed in a spiral shape. In these embodiments, the resistive heating coil 320 is formed from a conductive wire material having a rectangular cross section, which results in a spiral flat coil that is easy to manufacture. In addition to reduced energy loss, this has the added benefit of minimizing the outer diameter, which provides an advantageous range of outer diameter dimensions for the heating element 32 that can be manufactured. 4 is a schematic diagram of a heater 30 according to another embodiment. A resistance heating coil 320a is enclosed in a pin or needle-shaped case 31a. Specifically, The resistive heating coil 320a is made of a conductive material having an L-shaped cross-sectional shape and includes a main portion 3210a and a sub-portion 3220a. The main portion 3210a has a larger extension length along the axial direction of the resistance heating coil 320a than along the radial direction, and the sub-portion 3220a has a smaller extension length along the axial direction than along the radial direction. As a result, the cross-sectional profile of the conductive material of the resistance heating coil 320a is such that the axial extension length 3211a is larger than the radial extension length 3221a over the entire shape. In use, the main portion 3210a is closer to the case 31a and thus conducts heat with the case 31a after assembly, while the sub-portion 3220a extends inward along the radial direction. 5, the cross-sectional shape of the conductive wire material of the resistive heating coil 320b is T-shaped with a main portion 3210b and a secondary portion 3220b, where the T is arranged in an inverted manner such that the 'head' of the T forms the main portion 3210b and is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the resistive heating coil 320b. Similarly, the cross-sectional profile has an axial extension 3211b that is greater than the radial extension 3221b. The radial extension length of the resistive heating coil 320b of each of the sub-portions 3220a / 3220b is always greater than the radial extension length of the main portion 3210a. 6 shows another embodiment of a resistive heating coil 320c having a triangular cross-sectional shape of conductive material such that the axial extension 3211c of the cross-sectional profile is greater than the radial extension 3221c, and the base of the triangle is aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the resistive heating coil 320b. Further, according to the above preferred embodiment, the resistive heating coil 320 / 320a / 320b / 320c has 6-20 windings or turns. The resistive heating coil 320 / 320a / 320b / 320c is made of dimensionally uniform conductor material, so that the windings are substantially the same. When the conductor material is arranged with radial sub-portions 3220a / 3220b, these independently wound sub-portions 3220a / 3220b are separated from each other. The sub-portions 3220a / 3220b are separated from each other not only by the distance between adjacent windings in the normal resistive heating coil 320a / 320b, but also by the axial extension length of the main portion 3210a / 3210b. Furthermore, in terms of mounting and fastening, there are advantages to the resistive heating coil 320a / 320b / 320c having sub-portions 3220a / 3220b or triangular cross-section. In a preferred embodiment, the cross-section of the wire material of the resistive heating coils 320 / 320a / 320b / 320c has an axial extension length 3211a / 3211b / 3211c of about 1-4 mm and a radial extension length 3221a / 3221b / 3221c of about 0.1-1 mm. 2, the second conductive pin 322 is welded to the upper end of the resistive heating coil 320 for further connection and assembly with the circuit 20, and then penetrates downward into the cavity 311 of the resistive heating coil 320. In order to insulate the second conductive pin 322 from other parts of the resistive heating coil 320 after penetration, in a preferred embodiment, a tube (not shown) made of an insulating material such as PEEK or PI is fitted around the second conductive pin 322. In an alternative embodiment, the first conductive pin 321 and the second conductive pin 322 are made of a material with a low temperature coefficient of resistance, and the resistive heating coil 320 is made of a material with a relatively large positive or negative temperature coefficient of resistance, and during use, the circuit 20 can obtain the temperature of the resistive heating coil 320 by detecting the temperature coefficient of resistance of the resistive heating coil 320. In another preferred embodiment, the first conductive pin 321 and the second conductive pin 322 are respectively made of two different materials, such as nickel, nickel-chromium alloy, nickel-silicon alloy, nickel-chromium-copper, constantan, iron-chromium alloy, etc. Furthermore, a thermocouple is formed between the first conductive pin 321 and the second conductive pin 322, which can be used to detect the temperature of the resistive heating coil 320, and further obtain the temperature of the resistive heating coil 320. Further referring to the schematic diagram of another embodiment of a resistive heating coil 320d shown in Figure 7, the resistive heating coil 320d includes a first portion 3210d closest to a first end, a second portion 3230d closest to a second end, and a third portion 3220d between the first portion 3210d and the second portion 3230d, wherein the number of windings or turns per unit length in the third portion 3220d of the coil is less than the number of windings or turns per unit length in one or both of the first portion 3210d and the second portion 3220d. In practice, heat accumulated primarily in the center can be more easily conducted and spread to both ends, as compared to a coil having the same number of turns or winding density, ultimately maintaining a substantially uniform or nearly uniform temperature in the axial direction of each portion of the resistive heating coil 320d during operation. In alternative embodiments, the cross section of the conductive material of the resistive heating coil 320d may be rectangular, L-shaped, etc., or may be generally circular. Alternatively, in other optional embodiments, the resistive heating coil 320d may be constructed of other segments having at least two different turn densities or may have a gradually varying turn density, thereby further adjusting or modifying the heat distribution during operation of the resistive heating coil 320d. To demonstrate the advantages of the heater 30 in heating the aerosol-generating product A, in one embodiment, the heater 30 is employed to heat the aerosol-generating product A according to a typical heating curve, and the amount of aerosol generated during heating, i.e., the TPM value, is monitored. The amount of aerosol is expressed by the TPM (Total Particulate Matter) value commonly adopted in the art. In this embodiment, the heating curve for heating the aerosol-generating product A is as shown in FIG. 8: a preheating stage S1 in which the heater rapidly heats the aerosol-generating product from room temperature to a first predetermined temperature T1 (about 365° C.) within a period from 0 to t1 (e.g., 20 s); A temperature decreasing stage S2 in which the heater temperature is decreased from a first predetermined temperature T1 from a time t1, and at a time t2 (e.g., 35 s), the temperature is decreased to a second predetermined temperature T2 (approximately 330° C.); and an inhalation stage S3 in which the temperature of the heater is substantially maintained at a second predetermined temperature T2 (about 330° C.) until a time t3 (eg, 4 min 15 s), and heating is stopped after the inhalation is completed. Furthermore, in the measurement, a heater made of a normal spiral coil with a circular cross section of the conductive material (both the number of turns and the material are the same as those of the resistance heating coil 320 in the embodiment) is used as a comparative example, and the TPM value is measured at each number of inhalations while heating the aerosol-generating product A. Specifically, the measurement is as follows. FIG. 9 shows a comparison result of TPM values ​​generated by inhaling six aerosol-generating products A for the first time at about 25 seconds of the heating curves in an automatic inhalation device, measured in one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the heater 30 provided in the embodiment generates higher TPM values ​​than the comparative example when each of the six aerosol-generating products A is heated and inhaled for the first time. In addition, in the measurement results shown in FIG. 9, the average TPM value generated during the first inhalation of the six aerosol-generating products A measured using the heater 30 provided in the embodiment is 3.68 mg, while the average TPM value generated during the first inhalation of the six aerosol-generating products A measured in the comparative example is only 2.4 mg. 10 shows a comparison result of the average value of TPM generated during nine inhalations of each aerosol-generating product A, which was obtained by performing nine inhalations of each of three aerosol-generating products A at intervals of 25 seconds until the end of the heating curve period, using an automatic inhalation device in one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, in several intermittent inhalations related to a complete heating curve period, the average value of TPM generated during several inhalations of the three aerosol-generating products A measured using the heater 30 provided in the embodiment is 4.33 mg, while the average value of TPM generated during several inhalations of the three aerosol-generating products A measured in the comparative example is only 3.36 mg. In yet another embodiment, four aerosol-generating products A were inhaled 13 times by an automatic inhalation device at intervals of 20 s until the end of the heating cycle during heating, and the average values ​​of TPM generated during the top nine inhalations in the obtained heating cycles were measured, as shown in FIG. 11, and the average values ​​of TPM generated during the bottom four inhalations in the obtained heating cycles were measured, as shown in FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 11, the heater provided in the embodiment generated an average value of TPM of 4.09 mg during the top nine inhalations, while the heater provided in the comparative example generated an average value of TPM of only 3.33 mg during the top nine inhalations. As shown in FIG. 12, the heater provided in the embodiment generated an average value of TPM of 1.36 mg during the bottom four inhalations, while the heater provided in the comparative example generated an average value of TPM of 1.10 mg during the bottom four inhalations. It should be noted that although the specification and drawings of this application show preferred embodiments of the present application, the present application is not limited to the embodiments described in the present specification, and further, a person skilled in the art may make improvements or modifications based on the above description, and all such improvements and modifications are within the scope of protection of the claims attached to this application.

Claims

1. configured to heat the aerosol-generating product to generate an aerosol for inhalation; a cavity for receiving an aerosol-generating product; a heater configured to heat an aerosol-generating product received in the cavity, the heater comprising: a case extending at least partially along an axial direction of the cavity and constructed to have an axially extending cavity; and a heating coil located within the cavity and configured to extend along the axial direction of the case, wherein the conductive material of the heating coil has a cross-section including a major portion whose length extending along the axial direction of the heating coil is greater than its length extending along the radial direction.

2. 2. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein the main portion forms the entire cross section of the conductor material.

3. 3. An aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the main part has a rectangular shape.

4. 3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the heating coil has between 6 and 20 windings or a number of turns.

5. The main portion has a length extending along the axial direction of the heating coil of 1 to 4 mm, And / or, the aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the length of the main portion extending along the radial direction of the heating coil is 0.1 to 1 mm.

6. The heater further includes a conductive pin for supplying power to the heating coil, the conductive pin comprising: a first conductive pin connected to a first end of the heating coil; 3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a second conductive pin connected to a second end of the heating coil and passing through the heating coil from the second end to the first end.

7. 7. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6, wherein the conductive material of the heating coil has a positive or negative temperature coefficient of resistance so that the temperature of the heating coil can be determined by detecting the resistance of the heating coil.

8. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6, characterized in that the first conductive pin and the second conductive pin are made of different materials, and further characterized in that a thermocouple for detecting the temperature of the heating coil is formed between the first conductive pin and the second conductive pin.

9. 3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the heater further comprises a base, the aerosol generating device supporting the heater by the base.

10. 2. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein the cross section of the conductive wire material further includes a sub-portion whose radial extension length along the heating coil is greater than its axial extension length.

11. 11. The aerosol generating device according to claim 10, wherein the sub-portion is closer to a central axis of the heating coil than the main portion.

12. the heating coil includes a first portion axially adjacent a first end, a second portion axially adjacent a second end, and a third portion between the first and second portions; 3. An aerosol generating device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that along the axial direction of the heating coil, the number of windings or turns per unit length in the third portion is smaller than the number of windings or turns per unit length in one or both of the first and second portions.

13. The heating coil includes a first portion and a second portion disposed along an axial direction, 3. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein the number of turns or wires per unit length in the first portion is smaller than the number of turns or wires per unit length in the second portion along the axial direction of the heating coil.

14. 3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the heating coil has a number of turns per unit length that gradually changes along the axial direction.

15. A case having a pin or needle-like structure and a cavity extending along an axial direction; A heater for an aerosol generating device comprising: a heating coil located within the cavity of the case and constructed to extend along the axial direction of the case, wherein the conductive material of the heating coil has a cross-section including a main portion whose length extending along the axial direction of the heating coil is greater than its length extending along the radial direction.

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