Flavor stick, non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation product, and method for manufacturing flavor stick

Abstract

This flavor stick is provided with a flavor rod that is inserted into a heating chamber in a flavor inhalation device and is heated by an internal heater in the flavor inhalation device and a mouthpiece part that is connected to the rear end side of the flavor rod, in which the flavor rod is provided with a plurality of thin rods and a piece of outside wrapping paper that wounds the plurality of thin rods in a bundled state, each of the plurality of thin rods is provided with a piece of inside wrapping paper and a flavor source and an aerosol generation base material both arranged inside the piece of inside wrapping paper, a heater insertion hole through which the internal heater is inserted from the front end side of the flavor rod extends at the center of a cross-section of the flavor rod along the axis direction, and the heater insertion hole is defined by the outer surfaces of the pieces of inside wrapping paper in the plurality of thin rods.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a flavor stick, a non-combustion heating flavor inhalation product, and a method for producing a flavor stick. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, flavor sticks for use in non-combustion flavor inhalers for inhaling flavors derived from a flavor source without combustion have been known. One type of flavor stick is known, which includes a flavor rod formed by filling the inside of a cigarette paper with a filler material containing a flavor source (e.g., tobacco material) and an aerosol-generating base material (glycerin, propylene glycol, etc.), and a mouthpiece portion disposed behind the flavor rod (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] This type of flavor stick is used together with a flavor inhalation device when inhaling. Typically, the flavor rod of the flavor stick is inserted into the heating chamber of the flavor inhalation device, and the flavor source of the flavor rod is heated by a heater of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler without combustion. Such non-combustion heating causes the flavor source to release an aerosol containing a flavor component, which is inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece part at the rear stage.

[0004] Also, as a heating method for a flavor inhalation device, an internal heating method is known in which an internal heater is inserted from the front end side of a flavor rod when the flavor rod is inserted into a heating chamber, and the flavor source is heated from the inside by the internal heater. Internal heaters used in the internal heating method are in various shapes, such as rod-shaped and blade-shaped, and are in practical use. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2015-503335 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-184625 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 5220762 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, conventional flavor sticks that are inhaled using an internally heated flavor inhalation device have a problem in that the internal heater of the flavor inhalation device comes into direct contact with the flavor source in the flavor rod, causing the flavor source to adhere to the internal heater.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and its purpose is to provide a technology that can prevent the flavor source of the flavor rod from adhering to the internal heater of the flavor inhalation device in a flavor stick that is inhaled using a flavor inhalation device that uses an internal heating method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The flavor stick of the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, comprises a flavor rod that is inserted into a heating chamber of a flavor inhalation device and heated by an internal heater of the flavor inhalation device, and a mouthpiece portion connected to the rear end side of the flavor rod, wherein the flavor rod has a plurality of thin wound rods and an outer winding paper that bundles and winds up the plurality of thin wound rods, and each of the plurality of thin wound rods has an inner winding paper, and a flavor source and an aerosol generating substrate that are arranged inside the inner winding paper, and a heater insertion hole is provided in the central part of the cross section of the flavor rod extending along the axial direction for inserting the internal heater from the front end side of the flavor rod, and the heater insertion hole is defined by the outer surface of the inner winding paper of the plurality of thin wound rods.

[0009] In addition, in a cross section of the flavor rod, the plurality of thin wound rods may be arranged around the heater insertion hole.

[0010] The inner wrapping paper of each of the thin wound rods may be adhered to the outer wrapping paper.

[0011] Moreover, the plurality of thin-wound rods may have an elliptical cross section, and the minor axis direction of each of the thin-wound rods may be arranged along the radial direction of the flavor rod.

[0012] In addition, a leak suppression section connected to the rear end of the flavor rod, in which an aerosol flow path for circulating the aerosol generated in the multiple thin-wound rods is extended in the axial direction, and a leak suppression section having a blocking section that blocks the rear end of the gap formed between adjacent thin-wound rods may be disposed at the front end of the mouthpiece section.

[0013] In addition, the blocking portion may be arranged across the thin rod and the gap portion, and the area facing the thin rod may be formed as a portion to prevent the thin rod from shifting when the internal heater is inserted.

[0014] The present invention can also be specified as a non-burning flavor inhalation product. That is, the non-burning flavor inhalation product according to the present invention includes the above-mentioned flavor stick, and a flavor inhalation device used for inhaling the flavor stick, the flavor inhalation device having a heating chamber into which the flavor rod of the flavor stick can be inserted, and an internal heater that is inserted into the heater insertion hole when the flavor rod is inserted into the heating chamber.

[0015] The present invention can also be specified as a method for producing a flavor rod. That is, the present invention is a method for producing a flavor stick comprising a flavor rod having a heater insertion hole in the center of a cross section for inserting an internal heater of a flavor inhalation device, and a mouthpiece part connected to the rear end side of the flavor rod, the method comprising the steps of bundling a plurality of thin wound rods, each of which is formed by winding a flavor source containing an aerosol-generating base material with an inner winding paper, and winding the bundled thin wound rods integrally with an outer winding paper to form the flavor rod in which a heater insertion hole defined by the outer surface of the inner winding paper in each thin wound rod extends in the axial direction to the center of the cross section, and a connecting step of arranging the mouthpiece part in series with the flavor rod and winding the bundled thin wound rods integrally with tipping paper.

[0016] In addition, the process of forming the flavor rod may include a long, thin, wound rod forming process in which a flavor source containing an aerosol-generating substrate is continuously wound in the long direction by a long sheet-like thin winding paper to form multiple long, thin wound rods parallel to the conveying direction of a winding machine, a long flavor rod forming process in which the multiple long, thin wound rods are merged and wound together by a long outer winding paper to form a long flavor rod, and a cutting process in which the long flavor rod is cut to a predetermined length to form the flavor rod.

[0017] The step of forming the flavor rod includes supplying double-length first parts having twice the length of the first part constituting a part of the mouthpiece part at predetermined intervals onto a long sheet-like long outer winding paper transported along a transport path of a winding machine, supplying a bundle of double-length thin-wound rods having twice the length of the thin-wound rod into a rod mounting space formed between the double-length first parts, and then winding up the double-length first parts and the bundle of double-length thin-wound rods arranged in series therewith together with the long outer winding paper to form a long flavor rod. The method includes a long flavor rod forming process for forming a rod, and a cutting process for forming an intermediate assembly in which the first part is connected to the flavor rod by cutting the long flavor rod at the longitudinal center position of the double-length first part and at the longitudinal center position of the double-length thin-wound rod, respectively, and in the connecting process, one or more second parts constituting a part of the mouthpiece portion may be arranged in series with the first part in the intermediate assembly, and the intermediate assembly and the one or more second parts may be wound up together with tipping paper.

[0018] The means for solving the problems in the present invention can be adopted in combination as far as possible. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, a technology can be provided that can prevent the flavor source of the flavor rod from adhering to the internal heater of the flavor inhalation device in a flavor stick inhaled using an internal heating type flavor inhalation device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a flavor inhalation device for heating a flavor stick without combustion according to embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic internal structure of the flavor stick according to embodiment 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a view taken along the arrow A in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the leak suppression portion according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a manufacturing procedure of the flavor rod according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a winding machine for producing the flavor rod according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the process of producing a flavor rod according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the process of producing the flavor rod according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the process of producing a flavor rod according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the long flavor rod forming step according to the second production method. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the leak prevention component supply and each thin wound rod supply drum supplies various components at the first to fourth positions. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the long flavor rod forming step according to the second production method. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an intermediate assembly formed in the process of forming a flavor rod, and a cooling section, a filter section, and tipping paper that are separately prepared. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a flavor stick produced by the second production method. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the leak suppression portion. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining an outline of hardness measurement of a thin wound rod. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a cross section of a flavor rod according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 19]FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of a flavor rod according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a cross section of a flavor rod according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing variations in flavor sources in thin-wound rods. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Here, the embodiment of the flavor stick and non-burning flavor inhalation product according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in the present embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the invention, unless otherwise specified.

[0022] <Embodiment 1> Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a flavor inhalation device 30 for non-combustion heating of a flavor stick according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic internal structure of a flavor stick 1 according to embodiment 1. The flavor inhalation device 30 is an inhalation device used when inhaling the flavor stick 1, and the flavor stick 1 and the flavor inhalation device 30 constitute a non-combustion type flavor inhalation product.

[0023] The flavor inhalation device 30 has a heating chamber 31 capable of accommodating the flavor rod 2 of the flavor stick 1, and the flavor rod 2 can be freely inserted and removed from its insertion opening 31A. An electric internal heater 32 for heating the flavor rod 2 is disposed in the heating chamber of the flavor inhalation device 30.

[0024] The flavor stick 1 includes a flavor rod 2 that is inserted into a heating chamber 31 in the flavor inhalation device 30 and heated by the internal heater 32, and a mouthpiece portion 3 that is connected to the rear end side of the flavor rod 2. In this embodiment, the flavor stick 1 has, for example, a cylindrical rod shape that extends in one direction, and the symbol CL in Fig. 1 is the central axis of the flavor stick 1. Note that the flavor rod 2 and the mouthpiece portion 3 are coaxially arranged, and therefore the central axis CL can also be said to be the central axis of the flavor rod 2 and the mouthpiece portion 3.

[0025] The cylindrical rod-shaped flavor rod 2 and the mouthpiece portion 3 are coaxially arranged and are connected together by being coaxially wound with tipping paper 8. Reference numeral 1a denotes a mouth end 1a formed on the rear end side of the flavor stick 1, and reference numeral 1b denotes a front end of the flavor stick 1. The flavor stick 1 is inserted into a heating chamber 31 in the flavor inhalation device 30 from the front end 1b side.

[0026] The flavor rod 2 has a plurality of thin wound rods 21 and an outer wrapping paper 22 that bundles and winds up the plurality of thin wound rods 21. FIG. 3 is a view taken along the arrow A in FIG. 2, and is a front view of the flavor stick 1 (flavor rod 2) as viewed from the front end 1b side. Each thin wound rod 21 constituting the flavor rod 2 includes an inner wrapping paper 23, and a flavor source and an aerosol-generating substrate disposed inside the inner wrapping paper 23. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 3, an embodiment in which the flavor rod 2 has three thin wound rods 21 is illustrated, but the number of thin wound rods 21 is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more. Each thin wound rod 21 has a central axis extending parallel to the central axis CL of the flavor stick 1, and extends over the entire length of the flavor rod 2. Reference numeral 24 in FIG. 3 denotes a flavor source including an aerosol-generating substrate. Here, an example will be described in which a tobacco filler is applied to the flavor source.

[0027] When the flavor stick 1 is inhaled using the flavor inhalation device 30, the flavor stick 1 operates the internal heater 32 with the flavor rod 2 inserted in the heating chamber. As a result, in each thin wound rod 21, the flavor source 24 (tobacco filler) containing the aerosol generating base material is heated, and an aerosol containing flavor components (e.g., tobacco components) is released. Then, the aerosol containing flavor components (e.g., tobacco components) generated by the flavor rod 2 is transported to the mouth end 1a through the mouthpiece portion 3 and inhaled by the user.

[0028] The tobacco filler applied to the flavor source 24 may be configured to include tobacco shreds. The material of the tobacco shreds contained in the tobacco filler is not particularly limited, and known materials such as lamina and ribs can be used. In addition, the tobacco shreds may be made by grinding dried tobacco leaves to obtain tobacco shreds, homogenizing the shreds, and processing the shreds into a sheet (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "homogenized sheet"). There are several conventional methods for manufacturing homogenized sheets, that is, methods for grinding tobacco leaves and processing them into homogenized sheets. The first method is a method for producing a paper-making sheet using a papermaking process (papermaking method). The second method is a method for producing a cast sheet by thinly casting a mixture obtained by mixing pulverized tobacco leaves with an appropriate solvent such as water on a metal plate or a metal plate belt and drying the mixture (slurry method). The third method is a method for producing a rolled sheet by extruding a mixture obtained by mixing pulverized tobacco leaves with an appropriate solvent such as water into a sheet shape (rolling method).

[0029] The tobacco filler may be the above-mentioned homogenizing sheet chopped into strands. Such tobacco strands may have a length approximately equal to the axial length of the thin winding rod 21, and may be filled inside the inner wrapping paper 23 with their longitudinal direction oriented along the axial direction of the thin winding rod 21. Of course, it is not necessary to align all of the tobacco strands contained in one thin winding rod 21 along the axial direction of the thin winding rod 21, and only a portion of the tobacco strands (e.g., 50% or more of the total amount) may be aligned along the axial direction of the thin winding rod 21. The tobacco filler may be the above-mentioned homogenizing sheet folded into a gathered shape.

[0030] A variety of tobacco types can be used for the tobacco filler, including, for example, flue-cured, burley, orient, landrace, other Nicotiana tabacum species, Nicotiana rustica species, and mixtures thereof.

[0031] The tobacco filler may also contain a flavoring. The type of flavoring contained in the tobacco filler is not particularly limited. Examples of fragrances include acetanisole, acetophenone, acetylpyrazine, 2-acetylthiazole, alfalfa extract, amyl alcohol, amyl butyrate, trans-anethole, star anise oil, apple juice, balsam of Peru oil, beeswax absolute, benzaldehyde, benzoin resinoid, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, benzyl propionate, 2,3-butanedione, 2-butanol, butyl butyrate, butyric acid, caramel, cardamom oil, carob absolute, β-carotene, carrot juice, L-carvone, β-caryophyllene, cassia bark oil, cedarwood oil, celery seed oil, chamomile oil, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamyl cinnamate, citronella oil, DL-citronellol, and clarysae. Di-extract, cocoa, coffee, konjac oil, coriander oil, cumin aldehyde, davana oil, delta-decalactone, gamma-decalactone, decanoic acid, dill herb oil, 3,4-dimethyl-1,2-cyclopentanedione, 4,5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-one, 3,7-dimethyl-6-octenoic acid, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl isovalerate, ethyl lactate, ethyl laurate, ethyl levulinate, ethyl maltol, ethyl octanoate, ethyl oleate, ethyl palmitate, ethyl phenylacetate, ethyl propionate, ethyl stearate, ethyl valerate, ethyl vanillin, ethyl vanillin glucoside, 2-ethyl-3,(5 or 6)-Dimethylpyrazine, 5-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone, 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine, eucalyptol, fenugreek absolute, gene absolute, gentian root infusion, geraniol, geranyl acetate, grape juice, guaiacol, guava extract, gamma-heptalactone, gamma-hexalactone, hexanoic acid, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, hexyl acetate, hexyl alcohol, phenylhexyl acetate, honey, 4-hydroxy-3-pentenoic acid, la , 4-Hydroxy-4-(3-hydroxy-1-butenyl)-3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one, 4-(para-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone, Sodium 4-Hydroxyundecanoate, Immortelle Absolute, β-Ionone, Isoamyl Acetate, Isoamyl Butyrate, Isoamyl Phenylacetate, Isobutyl Acetate, Isobutyl Phenylacetate, Jasmine Absolute, Cola Nut Tincture, Labdanum Oil, Lemon Terpeneless Oil, Licorice Extract, Linalool, Linalyl Acetate, Robe Dioscorea officinalis root oil, maltol, maple syrup, menthol, menthone, L-menthyl acetate, paramethoxybenzaldehyde, methyl 2-pyrrolyl ketone, methyl anthranilate, methyl phenylacetate, methyl salicylate, 4'-methylacetophenone, methylcyclopentenolone, 3-methylvaleric acid, mimosa absolute, tsammi fruit, myristic acid, nerol, nerolidol, gamma-nonalactone, nutmeg oil, delta-octalactone, octanal, octanoic acid, orange flower oil, orange oil, orris root oil, palmitic acid, omega-pentadecane Calactone, Peppermint Oil, Petitgrain Paraguay Oil, Phenethyl Alcohol, Phenethyl Phenylacetate, Phenylacetic Acid, Piperonal, Plum Extract, Propylguaethol, Propyl Acetate, 3-Propylidenephthalide, Prune Juice, Pyruvic Acid, Raisin Extract, Rose Oil, Rum, Sage Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Spearmint Oil, Styrax Absolute, Marigold Oil, Tea Distillate, Alpha-Terpineol, Terpinyl Acetate, 5,6,7,8-Tetrahydroquinoxaline, 1,5,5,9-Tetramethyl-13-oxacyclo(8.3.0.0(4.9))tridecane, 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, thyme oil, tomato extract, 2-tridecanone, triethyl citrate, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexenyl)2-buten-4-one, 2,6,6-trimethyl-2-cyclohexene-1,4-dione, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexene Examples of the flavoring include 2-(2-(4-oxadienyl)pyrazine, γ-undecalactone, γ-valerolactone, vanilla extract, vanillin, veratraldehyde, violet leaf absolute, N-ethyl-p-menthane-3-carboxamide (WS-3), and ethyl-2-(p-menthane-3-carboxamide) acetate (WS-5), and menthol is particularly preferred. These flavorings may be used alone or in combination of two or more. In addition, there are no particular limitations on the size of the tobacco shreds contained in the tobacco filling material and the moisture content of the flavor source 24.

[0032] Moreover, the flavor source 24 contained in each thin-wrapped rod 21 may not contain tobacco materials. An example of such a flavor source 24 is a plant material that does not contain tobacco components. That is, each thin-wrapped rod 21 may contain one or more selected from the leaf pulp, veins, stems, roots, flowers, seeds, and pulp of a plant that does not contain tobacco components. As a plant material that does not contain tobacco components, a herb material can be suitably used as a flavor source. Examples of the herb material include allspice, black pepper, Ezo white root, calamus root, catnip, catuaba, cayenne pepper, chaga, chervil, cinnamon, ginseng, St. John's wort, green tea, black tea, black cohosh, cayenne, chamomile, cloves, cocoa, honeybush, echinacea, feverfew, ginger, goldenseal, lavender, licorice, marjoram, milk thistle, and mint. Some examples include menthe, oolong tea, oregano, pennyroyal, peppermint, red clover, rooibos (red or green), rose hips, rosemary, sage, clary sage, savory, spearmint, gotu kola, thyme, turmeric, valerian, wintergreen, yellow dock, yerba mate, yerba santa, bacopa monniera, ashwagandha, chili pepper, ground cherries, and milk thistle.

[0033] Of course, the flavor source of thin wound rod 21 may also include a mixture of tobacco materials and herbal materials as described above.

[0034] The aerosol-generating substrate is a substance that generates an aerosol when the volatile substance released when vaporized by heating with the heater of the flavor inhalation device 30 is cooled. The aerosol-generating substrate is, for example, a liquid. The type of the aerosol-generating substrate is not particularly limited, and various extracts from natural products and / or their constituents can be selected depending on the application. Examples of the aerosol-generating substrate include glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and mixtures thereof.

[0035] In the example shown in FIG. 3, the thin wound rod 21 has an elliptical cross section, and its short axis direction is arranged along the radial direction of the flavor rod 2. More specifically, the short axis of each thin wound rod 21 is arranged to extend radially from the central axis CL of the flavor rod 2. The three thin wound rods 21 having an elliptical shape are arranged in contact with the inner surface 22A of the outer wrapping paper 22 so that a hollow portion is formed in the central portion of the cross section of the flavor rod 2. Hereinafter, the hollow portion formed in the central portion of the cross section of the flavor rod 2 is referred to as the "heater insertion hole 25". The heater insertion hole 25 is a hollow portion for inserting the internal heater 32 of the flavor inhalation device 30 from the front end side of the flavor rod 2. The heater insertion hole 25 extends from the front end to the rear end of the flavor rod 2 along the central axis CL. The shape of each thin wound rod 21 may be a shape other than an elliptical shape.

[0036] The heater insertion hole 25 is defined (defined) by the outer surface 23A of the inner roll 23 of a plurality (three in this embodiment) of thin wound rods 21. In other words, in this embodiment, the heater insertion hole 25 of the flavor rod 2 is surrounded by a plurality of thin wound rods 21. In other words, a plurality of thin wound rods 21 are arranged around the heater insertion hole 25. The outer surface 23A of the inner roll 23 is the surface located opposite to the surface (inner surface) on which the flavor source 24 is wound. In FIG. 3, the cross section of the heater insertion hole 25 is illustrated as having a shape similar to a triangle, but the shape of the heater insertion hole 25 is not particularly limited as long as the internal heater 32 can be inserted therein.

[0037] Next, the mouthpiece section 3 will be described. The mouthpiece section 3 has, from the front end side, a leak suppression section 4, a cooling section 5, and a filter section 6. The leak suppression section 4, the cooling section 5, and the filter section 6 in the mouthpiece section 3 are aligned coaxially and are wound up integrally by a wrapping paper 7. However, it is also possible to have the flavor rod 2, the leak suppression section 4, the cooling section 5, and the filter section 6 wound up integrally by a tipping paper 8 without using the wrapping paper 7.

[0038] 4 is a perspective view of the leak suppression part 4 according to the embodiment 1. The leak suppression part 4 is located immediately on the rear end side of the flavor rod 2 and is disposed in contact with the rear end of the flavor rod 2. Reference symbol CL2 denotes the central axis of the leak suppression part 4. The leak suppression part 4 is a perforated columnar body having a through hole formed as an aerosol flow path 41 in the center of a cross section perpendicular to the central axis CL2.

[0039] In the cross section of the flavor rod 2, an outer peripheral gap portion indicated by reference numeral 26 in Fig. 3 is formed in the outer peripheral region inside the outer wrapping paper 22 and close to the outer wrapping paper 22. The outer peripheral gap portion 26 is a gap portion formed between adjacent thin wound rods 21 in the circumferential direction of the flavor rod 2, and extends along the central axis CL from the front end 1b to the rear end of the flavor rod 2. As is clear from Fig. 3, the outer peripheral gap portion 26 is formed at the point where the long axes of adjacent thin wound rods 21 in the circumferential direction of the flavor rod 2 intersect with each other.

[0040] When the flavor stick 1 is inhaled, air is taken into the flavor rod 2 from the front end 1b side and distributed into each thin-wound rod 21. At that time, if the air taken in from the front end 1b side of the flavor rod 2 flows through the outer peripheral gap 26, the air will flow as leakage air into the mouthpiece section 3 without passing through the flavor source 24. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to reduce or suppress air leakage through the outer peripheral gap 26 of the flavor rod 2, the leakage suppression section 4 is disposed at the rear of the flavor rod 2.

[0041] Reference numeral 42 in Fig. 4 denotes a blocking surface formed at the front end of the leak suppression section 4. The leak suppression section 4 blocks the rear end of the outer circumferential gap 26 by arranging the blocking surface 42 (blocking section) facing the outer circumferential gap 26 of the flavor rod 2. As a result, when the flavor stick 1 is inhaled, air taken into the flavor rod 2 from the front end 1b side can be prevented from leaking downstream through the outer circumferential gap 26. This allows the air taken in from the front end 1b side when the flavor stick 1 is inhaled to be efficiently distributed to the flavor source 24 of each thin-wound rod 21 and used to generate aerosol.

[0042] The leak suppression part 4 can be made of various materials. The leak suppression part 4 may be, for example, a hollow cellulose acetate tube. In other words, the leak suppression part 4 may be a cylindrical cellulose acetate fiber bundle with a center hole formed therethrough at the center of the cross section. However, the material of the leak suppression part 4 is not particularly limited. The material constituting the leak suppression part 4 does not need to be completely non-breathable, and it is sufficient that the airflow resistance of the closed surface 42 of the leak suppression part 4 in the state where the internal heater 32 is inserted into the heater insertion hole 25 is higher than the airflow resistance of the flavor source 24 of each thin wound rod 21. Since air flows through a portion with a relatively low airflow resistance, the leak suppression part 4 functions effectively by adopting the above embodiment.

[0043] In addition, the blocking surface 42 (blocking portion) of the leak suppression unit 4 is disposed across each thin wound rod 21 and the outer circumferential gap portion 26. More specifically, a part of the rear end of each thin wound rod 21 is supported from behind by contacting with the blocking surface 42 (blocking portion) of the leak suppression unit 4, and the remaining part of the rear end of each thin wound rod 21 is disposed so as to face the aerosol flow path 41 of the leak suppression unit 4. With this, when the flavor rod 2 is inserted into the heating chamber of the flavor inhalation device 30 and the internal heater 32 is inserted into the heater insertion hole 25, the insertion resistance of the internal heater 32 to the heater insertion hole 25 (friction resistance between the inner wrapping paper 23 and the internal heater 32 around the heater insertion hole 25) can be prevented from pushing each thin wound rod 21 toward the rear side of the stick. The leak suppression unit 4 also functions as a spacer for separating the cooling unit 5 from the flavor rod 2.

[0044] The cooling section 5 is located immediately behind the leak suppression section 4 and is disposed in contact with the rear end of the leak suppression section 4. When the flavor stick 1 is inhaled, the volatile substance released from the flavor rod 2 (flavor source 24) flows downstream along the cooling section 5. The volatile substance released from the flavor rod 2 (flavor source 24) is cooled by the cooling section 5, thereby promoting the generation of aerosol. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the cooling section 5 is formed by a hollow paper tube having an air hole 5A that can introduce external air. However, the cooling section 5 does not have to have the air hole 5A. In addition, a cooling promotion material such as a polylactic acid sheet may be disposed in the paper tube forming the cooling section 5, and the cooling of the volatile substance released from the flavor source 24 may be promoted by the cooling promotion material. In addition, the cooling section 5 may have a heat absorbing agent disposed so as not to interfere with the flow of the volatile substance and the aerosol. For example, the cooling section 5 may include a filter material in which a large number of flow paths (through holes) are formed along the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the mouthpiece section 3.

[0045] The filter section 6 is a segment located at the rear end of the mouthpiece section 3, that is, on the mouth end 1a side. The filter section 6 may be located immediately behind the cooling section 5 and may be disposed in a state of abutting against the rear end of the cooling section 5. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the filter section 6 may include, for example, a filter material that collects a predetermined component contained in the aerosol. The type of filter material forming the filter section 6 is not particularly limited. For example, the filter section 6 may include a filter material formed of cellulose acetate fibers formed into a cylindrical shape. The filter section 6 may also be a center hole filter in which a center hole is formed along the axial direction of the cellulose acetate fibers formed into a cylindrical shape. The filter section 6 may also be a paper filter filled with cellulose fibers, or a paper tube without a filter material. The filter section 6 may also be formed by selectively combining a solid filter material with a filter material, a center hole filter, a paper filter, and a paper tube without a filter material.

[0046] Next, a method for producing the flavor stick 1 according to this embodiment will be described. The method for producing the flavor stick 1 includes a step of bundling a plurality of thin wound rods, each of which is formed by winding a flavor source containing an aerosol-generating base material with an inner winding paper, and winding them together with an outer winding paper to form the flavor rod in which a heater insertion hole defined by the outer surface of the inner winding paper in each thin wound rod extends along the axial direction to the center of the cross section, and a connecting step of arranging a mouthpiece portion in series with the flavor rod and winding them together with tipping paper. Here, with reference to Figures 5 to 9, an embodiment is described in which the process of forming the flavor rod includes a long, thin, wound rod forming process in which a flavor source containing an aerosol-generating base material is continuously wound in the long direction by a long sheet-like thin winding paper to form multiple long, thin wound rods parallel to the conveying direction of a winding machine, a long flavor rod forming process in which multiple long, thin wound rods are merged and wound together by a long outer winding paper to form a long flavor rod, and a cutting process in which a flavor rod is formed by cutting the long flavor rod to a predetermined length.

[0047] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a manufacturing procedure of the flavor stick 1 according to the embodiment 1. Fig. 6 is a diagram explaining a section of a winding machine for manufacturing the flavor rod 2 according to the embodiment 1. Figs. 7 to 9 are diagrams explaining the state of the process for manufacturing the flavor rod 2 according to the embodiment 1. In the following, an example will be described in which a flavor rod 2 having three thin wound rods 21 is manufactured as explained in Fig. 3. The flavor rod 2 can be manufactured using a known winding machine such as that disclosed in JP-A-7-184625.

[0048] First, in the thin roll forming section 101 of the winding machine, the flavor source 24 is continuously wound up in the longitudinal direction into a circular cylinder using a long sheet-like thin roll paper 23P to form long thin rolled rods 21P1-21P3 having a cylindrical cross section (long thin roll forming process). Each of the long thin rolled rods 21P1-21P3 has a long shape, and is finally cut to a predetermined length to form each thin rolled rod 21.

[0049] 7 shows the long thin wound rods 21P1-21P3 formed in the thin winding section 101. The thin winding section 101 includes three parallel winding lines L1-L3 that wind up the long thin wound rods 21P1-21P3 in parallel, and the long thin wound rods 21P1-21P3 are wound up in a parallel state while running parallel to each other on the lines.

[0050] The thin roll forming section 101 has a flavor source supplying section 101A for each of the winding lines L1 to L3 and a forming section 101B located downstream thereof. The flavor source supplying section 101A of each of the winding lines L1 to L3 continuously supplies the flavor source 24 onto the long strip-shaped long inner roll 23P transported along the transport path. The type of flavor source 24 supplied from the flavor source supplying section 101A onto the long inner roll 23P may be different or the same for each of the winding lines L1 to L3. In the forming section 101B of each of the winding lines L1 to L3, the long inner roll 23P after the flavor source 24 is supplied is gradually squeezed from the outer surface side, thereby winding the long inner roll 23P into a cylindrical shape.

[0051] The forming section 101B winds up the flavor source 24 while forming the long inner roll 23P into a cylindrical shape, for example, by passing it through the inside of a guide member having a cylindrical guide inner wall surface. This type of guide member is known, and for example, the tongs disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-184625 can be used. For example, the cylindrical guide inner wall surface of the guide member is gradually reduced in diameter toward the downstream side of the conveying path, and the long inner roll 23P is guided by the cylindrical guide inner wall surface when passing through the inside of the guide member. As a result, the long inner roll 23P is formed into a cylindrical shape through a U-shaped cross section. In the process of forming the long inner roll 23P into a cylindrical shape, the flavor source 24 arranged inside the long inner roll 23P is appropriately compressed by the cylindrical guide inner wall surface. In this manner, the long inner roll 23P is formed into a cylindrical shape, and the widthwise ends of the long inner roll 23P are bonded in a state of being overlapped. As a result, long, thin wound rods 21P1 to 21P3 having a long cylindrical shape are obtained as shown in FIG.

[0052] Next, in the thick roll forming section 102 of the winding machine, the multiple long thin rolled rods 21P1 to 21P3 transported along the transport path are joined together and wound up together by a long outer winding paper 22P to form a long flavor rod 2P having a cylindrical cross-section (long flavor rod forming process).

[0053] 8 shows a state in which a plurality of long thin rods 21P1-21P3 are placed in a bale shape on a long strip-shaped long outer roll 22P transported on a transport path in the thick roll forming section 102. In the thick roll forming section 102, the long outer roll 22P is formed into a cylindrical shape with a plurality of long thin rods 21P1-21P3 aligned on the long outer roll 22P as shown in FIG. 8, and the width direction ends of the long outer roll 22P are bonded together in an overlapping state. As a result, a long flavor rod 2P having a long cylindrical cross section is obtained as shown in FIG.

[0054] In addition, when the long flavor rod 2P is formed into a cylindrical cross section in the thick roll forming section 102, a guide member (for example, the tongs disclosed in JP-A-7-184625) as described above in the forming section 101B can be used. In the process of forming the long outer roll 22P into a cylindrical shape by the guide member, each of the long thin rolled rods 21P1-21P3 located inside the long outer roll 22P is appropriately compressed by the cylindrical guide inner wall surface of the guide member. As a result, the cross section of each of the long thin rolled rods 21P1-21P3, which initially has a circular shape (almost a perfect circle), is deformed into an elliptical shape, and a hollow portion 25P that becomes the heater insertion hole 25 can be formed in the space surrounded by each of the long thin rolled rods 21P1-21P3. In addition, the diameter (before compression) of each of the long thin rolled rods 21P1-21P3 may be the same or different. In the former case, for example, if the diameter of the flavor rod is 7 mm, the diameter (before compression) of each of the long thin wound rods 21P1 to 21P3 may be set to about 3.5 mm to 4 mm.

[0055] As described above, by compressing each long, thin wound rod 21P1-21P3 from the outside and winding them together with the long outer winding paper 22P, a long flavor rod 2P is obtained, which has multiple long, thin wound rods 21P1-21P3 with elliptical cross-sections inside the long outer winding paper 22P and has a hollow portion 25P (heater insertion hole 25) along the longitudinal direction in the center of the cross-section.

[0056] Next, in the cutting section 103 of the winding machine, the long flavor rod 2P transported along the transport direction is cut sequentially to a predetermined length (e.g., the length of one flavor rod) (cutting process). As a result, a flavor rod 2 of a predetermined length is obtained. After the long flavor rod 2P is cut to a predetermined length, the cross-sectional shape of the flavor rod 2 may be inspected, and feedback control may be performed to adjust the position of the thin wound rod 21 in the cross section, the amount of flavor source 24 filled, etc.

[0057] The flavor stick 1 is made by preparing a mouthpiece portion 3 separately and winding up the flavor rod 2 and the mouthpiece portion 3 together via tipping paper 8 (connecting step). This gives the flavor stick 1 shown in FIG. 2.

[0058] Next, a manufacturing method (second manufacturing method) different from the manufacturing method (hereinafter referred to as the "first manufacturing method") described with reference to Figs. 5 to 9 will be described. Figs. 10 to 15 are diagrams for explaining the second manufacturing method of the flavor stick 1. The second manufacturing method of the flavor stick 1 includes a step of forming a flavor rod and a step of connecting, and the step of forming the flavor rod further includes a step of forming a long flavor rod and a step of cutting. The step of forming a flavor rod according to the second manufacturing method can be realized, for example, by repurposing an existing dual filter winding machine. Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining the first half of the step of forming a long flavor rod according to the second manufacturing method. Reference numeral 110 shown in Fig. 10 denotes a conveyor that conveys various materials for manufacturing the flavor stick 1 in the direction of the white arrow in the figure (conveying direction). As shown in Fig. 10, a long outer wrapping paper 22P is conveyed on the conveyor 110. Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating the shape of the cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 110. The conveyor 110 has a concave groove 110A along the conveying direction, and conveys the long outer roll 22P and various other materials in a state in which the long outer roll 22P is received in the groove 110A. For example, a suction hole that applies suction pressure to the long outer roll 22P is formed in the bottom of the groove 110A of the conveyor 110, and the long outer roll 22P is conveyed in a state in which the long outer roll 22P is deformed along the wall surface of the groove 110A.

[0059] In the second manufacturing method, various parts for constituting the intermediate assembly MA of the flavor stick 1 are supplied onto the long outer roll 22P transported by the conveyor 110 of the winding machine. Reference numeral 111 denotes a leak suppression part supply drum that supplies the double-length leak suppression member 4W onto the long outer roll 22P on the transport path. The double-length leak suppression member 4W is cut into two leak suppression parts 4 by being divided into two equal parts at the center position in the length direction by a cutting knife. In other words, the double-length leak suppression member 4W is a member having a length twice as long as the normal leak suppression part 4 (the length of the leak suppression part 4 in the final form incorporated into the flavor stick 1). The leak suppression part 4 corresponds to a "first part" that constitutes a part of the mouthpiece part 3. The first part may be a component part disposed at the front end of the mouthpiece part 3. The double-length leak suppression member 4W having a length twice as long as the leak suppression part 4 (first part) corresponds to a "double-length first part".

[0060] Reference numerals 112 to 114 denote first to third thin-wound rod supply drums that supply the double-length thin-wound rods 21W1 to 21W3 onto the long outer roll 22P transported by the conveyor 110. The double-length thin-wound rods 21W1 to 21W3 are cut into two thin-wound rods 21 by being divided into two equal parts at the center position in the length direction by a cutting knife. In other words, the double-length thin-wound rods 21W1 to 21W3 are twice as long as the normal thin-wound rods 21 (the length of the thin-wound rod 21 in the final form to be incorporated into the flavor stick 1). In other words, the double-length thin-wound rods 21W1 to 21W3 are substantially equal to the thin-wound rods in which the flavor source 24 is wound by the inner roll 23 having a length twice as long as the normal thin-wound rods.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 10, the leak prevention component supply drum 111 and the first to third thin rod supply drums 112-114 are arranged in this order from the upstream side of the conveyor 110's transport path (first position P1 to fourth position P4). The leak prevention component supply drum 111 and the first to third thin rod supply drums 112-114 are located, for example, above the conveyor 110, and each drum rotation axis is perpendicular to the transport direction of the conveyor 110. The leak prevention component supply drum 111 and the first to third thin rod supply drums 112-114 rotate while sucking the parts to be supplied onto the long outer roll 22P transported by the conveyor 110 into the drum, and sequentially supply the parts to be supplied onto the long outer roll 22P at a predetermined timing. Various materials are sequentially supplied to each of the supply drums 111-114 via a hopper, an intermediate drum, or the like (not shown).

[0062] As shown in Fig. 10, the leak prevention component supply drum 111 located at the first position P1 supplies the double-length leak prevention members 4W onto the long outer roll 22P at regular intervals. The intervals between the double-length leak prevention members 4W supplied onto the long outer roll 22P are approximately equal to the lengths of the double-length thin wound rods 21W1-21W3, and are formed as rod placement spaces S1 for placing the double-length thin wound rods 21W1-21W3. The first to third thin wound rod supply drums 112-114 located at the second to fourth positions P2-P4 sequentially supply the double-length thin wound rods 21W1-21W3 to the rod placement spaces S1 formed between the double-length leak prevention members 4W.

[0063] 12 is a diagram for explaining the state in which the leak prevention component supply drum 111 and the thin-wound rod supply drums 112-114 supply various components at the first position P1 to the fourth position P4. As described above, the double-length leak prevention member 4W and the double-length thin-wound rods 21W1-21W3 are sequentially supplied onto the long outer roll 22P conveyed by the conveyor 110. Then, at the fourth position P4, the double-length thin-wound rod 21W3 is supplied to the rod placement space S1, whereby the three double-length thin-wound rods 21W1-21W3 are bundled together and the bundle is arranged in series with the double-length leak prevention member 4W and arranged on the long outer roll 22P (see FIGS. 10 and 12, etc.). The term "bundled" here means that the multiple double-length thin-wound rods 21W1-21W3 are arranged in parallel and close to each other.

[0064] 13 is a diagram illustrating the latter half of the long flavor rod forming process according to the second manufacturing method. In the latter half of the long flavor rod forming process, the double-length leak suppressing member 4W (double-length first part) and the bundle of double-length thin wound rods 21W1 to 21W3 (double-length thin wound rods) arranged in series therewith (indicated by the reference symbol 21W in the figure) are wound up together with the long outer winding paper 22P. As a result, the bundle of double-length thin wound rods 21W1 to 21W3 and the double-length leak suppressing member 4W are alternately arranged in the long direction, and a long columnar long flavor rod 2P' is formed in which they are wound up together with the long outer winding paper 22P. Of the long flavor rod 2P', the section in which the bundles of double-length thin-wound rods 21W1 to 21W3 are arranged is called the "thin-wound rod section ST1," and the section in which the double-length leak suppression member 4W is arranged is called the "leak component section ST2."

[0065] The bundle of double-length thin wound rods 21W1-21W3 and the double-length leak suppressing member 4W may be wound up using a known tong (guide member) described in JP-A-7-184625, as in the long flavor rod forming process according to the first manufacturing method. This allows the double-length thin wound rods 21W1-21W3 to be compressed from the outside while being wound up with the long outer winding paper 22P. As a result, a long flavor rod 2P' is obtained in which the cross section of each of the double-length thin wound rods 21W1-21W3 in the thin wound rod section ST1 has an elliptical shape, and a hollow section 25P (heater insertion hole 25) is formed along the longitudinal direction in the center of the cross section of the thin wound rod section ST1.

[0066] Next, the cutting process according to the second manufacturing method will be described. In FIG. 13, the conveyor 110 is omitted. Reference numeral 115 in FIG. 13 denotes a cutting knife of a winding machine. The cutting knife 115 cuts the long flavor rod 2P' at the center of the length of the double-length leak suppression member 4W and at the center of the length of each of the double-length thinly wound rods 21W1 to 21W3. In other words, in the cutting process, the long flavor rod 2P' is cut at the center of the thinly wound rod section ST1 and the leak component section ST2. As described above, each of the double-length thinly wound rods 21W1 to 21W3 is cut at the center of the length and separated into two thinly wound rods 21. Also, the double-length leak suppression member 4W is cut at the center of the length and separated into two leak suppression parts 4. Through the above-mentioned cutting process, an intermediate assembly MA (see FIG. 14) can be formed in which the leak suppression part 4 is connected to the rear end of the flavor rod 2, which is a bundle of a plurality of thin wound rods 21. In the above example, a mode in which the long flavor rod 2P' is cut using a single cutting knife 115 in the cutting process has been described, but the long flavor rod 2P' may be cut using a plurality of cutting knives 115. For example, a first cutting knife and a second cutting knife may be disposed at different positions along the conveying direction of the conveyor 110, and the thin wound rod section ST1 may be cut using the first cutting knife, and the leak component section ST2 may be cut using the second cutting knife. In addition, either the first cutting knife or the second cutting knife may be disposed upstream in the conveying direction of the conveyor 110.

[0067] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the intermediate assembly MA formed in the process of forming the flavor rod, and the cooling section 5, filter section 6, and tip paper 8 prepared separately. In FIG. 14, the illustration of the leak suppression section 4, cooling section 5, filter section 6, etc. is simplified. Here, the cooling section 5 and filter section 6 correspond to the "second part" constituting a part of the mouthpiece section 3. The cooling section 5 and filter section 6 corresponding to the second part can be said to be the remaining parts constituting the mouthpiece section 3, excluding the leak suppression section 4 corresponding to the first part. The second manufacturing method of the flavor stick 1 includes a connecting step. In the connecting step of the second manufacturing method, the intermediate assembly MA and the one or more second parts are wound up together by the tip paper 8 in a state where one or more second parts constituting a part of the mouthpiece section 3 are arranged in series with the leak suppression section 4 corresponding to the first part in the intermediate assembly MA. In this example, the cooling section 5 and the filter section 6 each correspond to the second part. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 14, the cooling section 5 and filter section 6 are arranged in series in this order at the rear end of the leak prevention section 4 of the intermediate assembly MA, and the intermediate assembly MA, cooling section 5 and filter section 6 are wound up with tipping paper 8 to be connected together. As a result, the flavor stick 1 is completed as shown in Fig. 15. Note that the internal structures of the leak prevention section 4, cooling section 5 and filter section 6 are not shown in Fig. 15.

[0068] The flavor stick 1 configured as above is inhaled using a flavor inhalation device 30 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the flavor inhalation device 30 includes a heating chamber 31, an internal heater 32, a power supply unit 33 that supplies operating power to the internal heater 32 to operate it, and a control unit 34 that controls the power supplied to the internal heater 32. The heating chamber 31 is a roughly cylindrical hollow portion defined by a chamber side peripheral wall 31B and a chamber bottom wall 31C that constitute a part of the housing of the flavor inhalation device 30. When the flavor stick 1 is inserted into the heating chamber 31, the flavor rod 2 is inserted from the front end 1b side through the insertion opening 31A.

[0069] The internal heater 32 extends from the center of the chamber bottom wall 31C in parallel with the axial direction of the heating chamber 31 (the direction in which the flavor stick 1 is inserted and removed) toward the insertion port 31A. That is, the central axis of the internal heater 32 is coaxial with the central axis of the heating chamber 31. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the internal heater 32 has a tapered conical shape that gradually reduces in diameter from the base end located on the chamber bottom wall 31C side toward the tip end located on the insertion port 31A side. However, the shape of the internal heater 32 is not particularly limited. For example, the internal heater 32 may have a tapered truncated conical shape that gradually reduces in diameter from the base end located on the chamber bottom wall 31C side toward the tip end located on the insertion port 31A side. In addition, the internal heater 32 may have a shape other than a cone shape or a truncated cone shape, such as a cylindrical shape, a blade shape, or other shapes. In addition, the type of the internal heater 32 is not particularly limited. The internal heater 32 may be, for example, a steel material with heating wires (e.g., nichrome, iron chrome, iron nickel, etc.) strung around it, or may be a ceramic heater or other heater. The internal heater 32 is not limited to the above-mentioned resistance heating type heater, and may be, for example, a heating element called a susceptor that generates heat by induction heating (IH). When the induction heating method is adopted, for example, a susceptor that can be inserted into the heater insertion hole 25 of the flavor rod 2 may be installed in the heating chamber 31, and an induction coil for generating a high-frequency alternating magnetic field in the heating chamber 31 may be arranged around the heating chamber 31. In this case, a high-frequency alternating magnetic field is generated in the heating chamber 31 by operating the induction coil, and the susceptor in the heating chamber 31 generates heat, thereby heating the flavor source 24 of each thin-wound rod 21.

[0070] In addition, in the flavor inhalation device 30, one end of an air flow path 36 communicates with the chamber bottom wall 31C. The other end of the air flow path 35 communicates with an air intake port 37 formed in the housing of the flavor inhalation device 30.

[0071] The flavor inhalation device 30 may start the heating operation with a start operation of an operation switch or the like arranged on the housing as a trigger. The flavor inhalation device 30 may also start the heating operation with a trigger of detecting the insertion of a flavor stick 1 (flavor rod 2) into the heating chamber 31. For example, the control unit 34 may include a sensor that detects the insertion of a flavor stick 1 (flavor rod 2) into the heating chamber 31, and may start the heating operation with a trigger of detecting the insertion of the flavor stick 1 (flavor rod 2) by this sensor.

[0072] The power supply unit 33 is a power supply unit that supplies power for heating to the internal heater 32 via the control unit 34. The control unit 34 receives a request to start a heating operation, triggered, for example, by the operation of an operation switch or by detection of insertion of a flavor stick 1 into the heating chamber 31, and causes the power supply unit 33 to supply operating power to the internal heater 32.

[0073] In addition, the control unit 34 may be equipped with a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the heating chamber 31 or the temperature of the flavor rod portion 2, and may adjust the amount of current supplied from the power supply unit 33 to the internal heater 32 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

[0074] Here, according to the flavor stick 1 of this embodiment, the flavor rod 2 has a heater insertion hole 25 formed in the center of the cross section, and the heater insertion hole 25 extends from the front end 1b along the central axis CL. Therefore, when the flavor stick 1 (flavor rod 2) is inserted into the heating chamber 31, the internal heater 32 can be smoothly inserted into the heater insertion hole 25. In other words, the mounting resistance when mounting the internal heater 32 to the flavor rod 2 can be reduced. This can improve the usability when mounting the flavor rod 2 to the heating chamber 31. In addition, when inserting the internal heater 32 into the flavor rod 2, damage such as bending or folding of the internal heater 32 and buckling deformation of the flavor rod 2 can be suppressed.

[0075] The flavor rod 2 according to the present embodiment employs a configuration in which a plurality of thin wound rods 21, each of which has a flavor source 24 wound around an inner winding paper 23, are further bundled together with an outer winding paper 22, and the heater insertion hole 25 is defined (defined) by the outer surface 23A of the inner winding paper 23 of each thin wound rod 21. Instead of directly forming a cavity for inserting a heater in the flavor source 24, as described above, the outer surface 23A of the inner winding paper 23 of each thin wound rod 21 defines the outer extent of the heater insertion hole 25, so that the inner winding paper 23 can be interposed between the heater insertion hole 25 and the flavor source 24. According to this, when the internal heater 32 is inserted into the heater insertion hole 25, the internal heater 32 comes into direct contact with the outer surface 23A of the inner winding paper 23, and does not come into direct contact with the flavor source 24. According to this, when the internal heater 32 is attached to the flavor rod 2, it is possible to prevent the flavor source 24 from adhering to and contaminating the internal heater 32. That is, the flavor stick 1 of this embodiment can achieve both a reduction in the mounting resistance when mounting the internal heater 32 to the flavor rod 2 and suppression of adhesion of the flavor source 24 to the internal heater 32, resulting in excellent usability. The heater insertion hole 25 in the flavor rod 2 may be expanded in the cross-sectional direction by the inserted internal heater 32. At that time, the heater insertion hole 25 is expanded by the internal heater 32, thereby deforming each thin wound rod 21 so that the width in the short axis direction is narrowed. As a result, the width in the long axis direction of each thin wound rod 21 is expanded, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the outer circumferential gap portion 26 can be reduced.

[0076] In addition, according to the flavor stick 1 of the present embodiment, the flavor source 24 of each thin wound rod 21 arranged around the heater insertion hole 25 is individually wound by the inner winding paper 23, so that the flavor source 24 of each thin wound rod 21 can be prevented from spilling out from the front end 1b side. For example, in a flavor rod (comparative example 1) in which a cavity for inserting a heater is not formed in the flavor source, when an internal heater is inserted into the flavor source, the flavor source is compressed by the volume of the internal heater, and the airflow resistance increases significantly. Therefore, in such comparative example 1, it is necessary to adjust (reduce) the amount of flavor source filled in the flavor rod so that the airflow resistance after inserting the internal heater into the flavor source (i.e., the airflow resistance during inhalation) falls within an appropriate range. However, if the amount of flavor source filled in the comparative example 1 is adjusted as described above, the flavor rod becomes too soft, which is a tradeoff, and there is a risk that the appropriate hardness cannot be guaranteed when winding up the flavor rod using a winding machine. In contrast, in the flavor rod 2 according to the present embodiment, the flavor source 24 of each thin wound rod 21 is individually wound by the inner winding paper 23. Therefore, even if the amount of flavor source 24 packed in each thin wound rod 21 is small, the hardness of the flavor rod 2 as a whole can be properly ensured, and the flavor rod 2 has excellent suitability for production using a winding machine.

[0077] In the flavor stick 1 configured as described above, the flavor source 24 of each thin-wound rod 21 is heated by operating the internal heater 32 while the flavor rod 2 is inserted in the heating chamber 31 of the flavor inhalation device 30 as described above. As a result, the aerosol generating base material contained in the flavor source 24 volatilizes and the flavor components are released from the flavor source 24, resulting in the generation of an aerosol containing the flavor components. The aerosol containing the flavor components flows through each thin-wound rod 21 toward the mouthpiece section 3 (downstream side) and flows into the mouthpiece section 3 from the rear end of each thin-wound rod 21. The aerosol containing the flavor components then passes through the aerosol flow path 41 of the leak suppression section 4 located at the front end of the mouthpiece section 3, the cooling section 5, and the filter section 6 in that order, and is finally inhaled into the mouth of the user from the mouth end 1a.

[0078] The flavor stick 1 has a leak suppression section 4 disposed at the front end of the mouthpiece section 3. The leak suppression section 4 has an aerosol flow passage 41 extending in the axial direction, which allows the aerosol generated in the thin-wound rods 21 to flow, and a blocking surface 42 (blocking section) disposed opposite the outer circumferential gap 26 in the flavor rod 2. This can prevent air taken into the flavor rod 2 from the front end 1b side from leaking downstream through the outer circumferential gap 26 when the flavor stick 1 is inhaled. The aerosol flow passage 41 of the leak suppression section 4 is not particularly limited in terms of its position, size, number, etc., as long as it can allow the aerosol flowing from each thin-wound rod 21 to flow downstream. For example, as in a modified example shown in FIG. 16, the leak suppression section 4 may have aerosol flow passages 41A to 41C in the axial direction, which allow the aerosol flowing from each thin-wound rod 21 to flow individually. The aerosol flow paths 41A to 41C are disposed opposite to each of the three thin wound rods 21 in the flavor rod 2, and allow the aerosol from each thin wound rod 21 to flow individually.

[0079] In addition, the leak suppression section 4 in this embodiment supports each thinly wound rod 21 from the rear as described above, and also functions as a slippage prevention section (support member) that prevents each thinly wound rod 21 from being pushed toward the rear of the stick. Therefore, even if frictional resistance occurs between the inner wrapping paper 23 and the internal heater 32 when the internal heater 32 is inserted into the heater insertion hole 25 in the flavor rod 2, each thinly wound rod 21 can be prevented from being pushed toward the rear of the stick.

[0080] As a method for suppressing the positional deviation of each thin wound rod 21 as described above, a mode in which the outer surface 23A of the inner wrapping paper 23 of the thin wound rods 21 is adhered to the inner surface 22A of the outer wrapping paper 22 may be adopted. For example, when manufacturing the flavor rod 2, a glue (called "rail glue" in the technical field) for adhering the long inner wrapping paper 23P and the long outer wrapping paper 22P corresponding to each long thin wound rod 21P1-21P3 may be applied linearly along the longitudinal direction of the long outer wrapping paper 22P to the inner surface of the long outer wrapping paper 22P that bundles the long thin wound rods 21P1-21P3, and then each long thin wound rod 21P1-21P3 may be wound by the long outer wrapping paper 22P. By adhering the outer surface 23A of the inner wrapping paper 23 of each thin wound rod 21 to the inner surface 22A of the outer wrapping paper 22 as described above, the positional deviation of each thin wound rod 21 can be suppressed. In this manner, when the inner wrapping paper 23 of each thin wound rod 21 is adhered to the outer wrapping paper 22, the installation of the leak suppression section 4 may be omitted to the extent that air leakage through the outer peripheral gap 26 is tolerable.

[0081] The multiple thin wound rods 21 included in the flavor rod 2 may have the same type of flavor source 24 or may have different types from each other. In the latter case, for example, the first thin wound rod 21 included in the flavor rod 2 may have the flavor source 24 in the form of a uniform sheet folded in a gathered shape packed inside the inner wrapping paper 23. For example, the second thin wound rod 21 may have the flavor source 24 in the form of tobacco shreds packed inside the inner wrapping paper 23. For example, the third thin wound rod 21 may have a plant material (e.g., herb material) that does not contain tobacco components packed inside the inner wrapping paper 23 as the flavor source 24. These combinations are of course just examples, but by making the type of flavor source 24 different between at least one thin wound rod 21 and the other thin wound rods 21 among the multiple thin wound rods 21 included in the flavor rod 2, the freedom of flavor design is increased, making it easier to achieve a rich flavor.

[0082] Furthermore, when the types of flavor sources 24 in the thin-wound rods 21 in the flavor rod 2 are different as described above, the cross-sectional areas of the thin-wound rods 21 may be different from each other. This makes it possible to easily control the blending amount of the flavor source 24 according to the type of flavor source 24.

[0083] Here, the outer periphery of the flavor source 24 of each thin-wound rod 21 in the flavor rod 2 is covered with the inner wrapping paper 23. Therefore, the aerosols containing flavor components released from the flavor sources 24 of each thin-wound rod 21 are basically introduced into the mouthpiece unit 3 without being mixed with each other. According to this, when different types of flavor sources 24 are contained in the multiple thin-wound rods 21, it is possible to expect an effect that the flavors of the flavor components contained in the aerosols released from the different types of flavor sources 24 can be made more prominent. From this viewpoint, the mouthpiece unit 3 may have a flow path structure that individually guides the aerosols flowing from each of the multiple thin-wound rods 21 to the mouth end 1a. In this case, for example, the leak suppression unit 4 can be exemplified by a structure having aerosol flow paths 41A to 41C in the axial direction that individually circulate the aerosols flowing from each thin-wound rod 21, as in the configuration example shown in FIG. 16. As for the cooling section 5, for example, a structure in which a sheet folded in a gathered shape is arranged and a flow path is formed along the axial direction of the mouthpiece section 3 to prevent the aerosols flowing from each thin wound rod 21 from being mixed together can be exemplified.

[0084] In addition, in the flavor rod 2 of this embodiment, a plurality of thin wound rods 21 are arranged around the heater insertion hole 25. With this, the heater insertion hole 25 is arranged in the central region of the cross section of the flavor rod 2, while the surrounding region can be effectively used as the arrangement region of the thin wound rods 21.

[0085] Furthermore, each thinly wound rod 21 in the flavor rod 2 has an elliptical cross section, and its minor axis direction is arranged along the radial direction of the flavor rod 2. By orienting the minor axis direction of each thinly wound rod 21 having an elliptical cross section along the radial direction of the flavor rod 2, it becomes easier to ensure an area for forming the heater insertion hole 25 in the central area of ​​the cross section of the flavor rod 2. Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, it becomes easier to arrange the major axis of each thinly wound rod 21 along the circumferential direction of the flavor rod 2, and it becomes possible to reduce the area of ​​the outer circumferential gap portion 26.

[0086] In this embodiment, the ratio of the cross-sectional area of ​​the heater insertion hole 25 to the cross-sectional area of ​​the flavor rod 2 is not particularly limited, but an example is a mode in which 2% or more is ensured, and 5% or more is preferable. In this way, when the internal heater 32 is inserted into the heater insertion hole 25, it is possible to more effectively prevent the frictional resistance between the inner wrapping paper 23 and the heater insertion hole 25 from becoming excessively large. This makes it possible to suitably prevent the inner wrapping paper 23 arranged around the heater insertion hole 25 from being wrinkled or torn, and also makes it possible to suitably prevent each thin wound rod 21 from being pushed toward the rear side of the stick even if the flavor stick 1 does not have a leak suppression section 4.

[0087] As described above, the number of thin wound rods 21 included in the flavor rod 2 is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more, but from the viewpoint of ease of forming the heater insertion hole 25 and reducing the area of ​​the outer peripheral gap 26 in the flavor rod 2, it is preferable to use three thin wound rods 21. The number of thin wound rods 21 may be changed along the axial direction of the flavor rod 2. For example, three thin wound rods 21 may be arranged on the front end side of the flavor rod 2, and two thin wound rods 21 may be arranged on the rear end side of the flavor rod 2.

[0088] In this embodiment, the inner wrapping paper 23 used for the thin wound rod 21 is preferably made of a material with high heat transfer performance in order to efficiently transfer heat from the internal heater 32 to the inner flavor source 24. For this reason, it is preferable that the inner wrapping paper 23 is made of a material with low basis weight and high density. For example, the basis weight of the inner wrapping paper 23 is set to 10 gsm or more and 40 gsm or less, and the density of the inner wrapping paper 23 is set to 1 g / cm. 3 More than 1.5g / cm 3 The following aspects are preferred. The inner wrapping paper 23 may be coated with a coating agent such as pectin or sodium alginate in order to improve its heat transfer performance. The inner wrapping paper 23 may be made of a material with excellent heat transfer performance, such as aluminum-laminated paper.

[0089] Moreover, it is preferable that the inner wrapping paper 23 is made of a material with low air permeability in order to prevent leakage of aerosol through the outer circumferential gap 26. For example, the inner wrapping paper 23 may have an air permeability of 0 Coresta units (CU) or more and 200 Coresta units (CU) or less. The air permeability may be a value measured in accordance with, for example, ISO 2965:2009.

[0090] In addition, from the viewpoint of suppressing tearing of the inner roll 23 when the internal heater 32 is inserted into or removed from the heater insertion hole 25, it is preferable to adjust the static friction coefficient between the internal heater 32 and the inner roll 23 to be 0.45 to 0.75 and the dynamic friction coefficient to be 0.4 to 0.7. In addition, from the viewpoint of suppressing tearing of the inner roll 23 when the internal heater 32 is inserted into or removed from the heater insertion hole 25, it is preferable to set the tensile strength of the inner roll 23 to 10 to 20 N / 15 mm and the wet tensile strength of the inner roll 23 to 5 to 20 N / 15 mm. The method for measuring the tensile strength of the inner roll 23 complies with, for example, JIS P 8113. The method for measuring the wet tensile strength of the inner roll 23 is measured based on the wet tensile strength test described in, for example, JP 2019-187451 A.

[0091] In addition, from the viewpoint of suppressing the escape of heat from the heating chamber 31 to the outside, it is preferable to use a wrapping paper with low heat transfer performance for the outer wrapping paper 22 of the flavor rod 2. For this reason, it is preferable to use a material with low basis weight and low density for the outer wrapping paper 22. For example, the basis weight of the outer wrapping paper 22 is set to 10 gsm or more and 40 gsm or less, and the density of the outer wrapping paper 22 is set to 0.5 g / cm 3 More than 1g / cm 3 The following aspects are preferred: The outer wrapper 22 may be coated with a coating agent such as calcium carbonate or silicon dioxide in order to reduce heat transfer.

[0092] In addition, the thin wound rod 21 preferably has a hardness of 60% or more and 85% or less when the flavor source 24 is filled inside the inner wrapping paper 23. The term "hardness" here means the resistance of the thin wound rod 21 to deformation in the cross-sectional direction. The hardness of the thin wound rod 21 can be measured, for example, based on the test method described in JP-A-2019-506868 (paragraphs 0029-0031, FIG. 1). In addition, a test for measuring the hardness of the thin wound rod 21 can be performed using the standard operating procedure of a Borgwaldt Hardness Tester H10 (manufactured by Heinr Borgwaldt GmbH). That is, the hardness of the thin wound rod 21 is calculated by the following formula. Hardness (%)=(Dd / Ds)×100 In the formula, Ds is the height in the diameter direction of the thin wound rod 21 before loading by the Borgwaldt Hardness Tester H10, and Dd is the height in the diameter direction after a constant load (88 g) is applied to the thin wound rod 21 in the diameter direction by the load bar of the Borgwaldt Hardness Tester H10 for a predetermined load time (5 seconds). FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the hardness measurement of the thin wound rod 21. The symbol F in FIG. 17 indicates the load applied in the diameter direction to the thin wound rod 21 during the measurement test. The symbol d is the amount of downward pressure of the thin wound rod 21 in the diameter direction due to the load by the load bar (d=Ds-Dd). Note that the harder the thin wound rod 21 is (the smaller the amount of downward pressure), the closer its hardness approaches 100%.

[0093] <Variation 1> Next, a first modified example of the flavor rod 2 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a cross section of a flavor rod 2A according to a modified example of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 18, the flavor rod 2A according to the first modified example has two thinly wound rods 21. As shown in FIG. 18, the flavor rod 2A having two thinly wound rods 21 (two thinly wound type) has the same basic structure as the flavor rod 2 having three thinly wound rods 21 (three thinly wound type) described above. That is, the flavor rod 2 has a heater insertion hole 25 formed in the center of its cross section, and the two thinly wound rods 21 are arranged so as to surround the heater insertion hole 25.

[0094] In FIG. 18, the same components as those in the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The heater insertion hole 25 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in that its cross-sectional shape is circular, but the shape of the heater insertion hole 25 is not particularly limited. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the pair of thin wound rods 21 have a cross-section in which a roughly semicircular notch is provided in a part of an elliptical shape. As shown in FIG. 18, the pair of thin wound rods 21 are arranged such that the semicircular notches are arranged facing each other on the central axis CL side of the flavor rod 2A, and the long axis directions are parallel to each other. The semicircular notches of the pair of thin wound rods 21 are combined to form a circular heater insertion hole 25. The short axis directions of the pair of thin wound rods 21 are all arranged along the radial direction of the flavor rod 2A, and more specifically, the short axes of the pair of thin wound rods 21 are positioned on the same straight line passing through the central axis CL.

[0095] The flavor rod 2A shown in FIG. 18 is also integrally connected to the mouthpiece portion 3 via the tipping paper 8 described above to form a flavor stick 1 (see FIG. 2). The flavor rod 2A according to this modification can be basically manufactured by the same process as the flavor rod 2 of the three thin-wound type. Of course, the two thin-wound type differs from the three thin-wound type in that the number of thin-wound rods 21 is two, so in this modification, two long thin-wound rods 21P1, 21P2 are provided in the long thin-wound rod forming process described above. If the diameter of the flavor rod 2 to be manufactured is 7 mm, the diameters (before compression) of the two long thin-wound rods 21P1, 21P2 may be set to about 4 mm to 4.5 mm.

[0096] In this modification, when the two long thin rods 21P1, 21P2 are joined in the thick roll forming section 102 of the winding machine, a core rod member called a mandrel is interposed between the two long thin rods 21P1, 21P2. The mandrel has a cross section corresponding to the heater insertion hole 25, and in this modification, it is formed as a cylindrical rod body. In the thick roll forming section 102, the two long thin rods 21P1, 21P2 are passed through the inside of the above-mentioned guide member while being sandwiched between the mandrel. As a result, the two long thin rods 21P1, 21P2 are compressed from the inside and outside by the cylindrical guide inner wall surface of the guide member and the mandrel, while the long outer roll paper 22P is formed into a cylindrical shape, and they can be wound up together. At this time, the cross section of the two long thin wound rods 21P1, 21P2 becomes an ellipse having a roughly semicircular recess 25P1, 25P2 in a part thereof due to compression during the above-mentioned molding, as shown in Fig. 19. The pair of recesses 25P1, 25P2 combine to form the heater insertion hole 25 of the flavor rod 2A. The symbol M in Fig. 19 indicates the cross section of the mandrel (core rod member).

[0097] In the flavor rod 2A according to this modification, the longitudinal directions of the pair of thin wound rods 21 are arranged parallel to each other, thereby making it possible to reduce the area of ​​the outer peripheral gap 26. In addition, by forming the recesses 25P1, 25P2 in advance in the long thin wound rods 21P1, 21P2 using the mandrel (core rod member) in the manufacturing process of the flavor rod 2A, the heater insertion hole 25 can be easily formed in the center of the cross section of the flavor rod 2A. Note that the mandrel (core rod member) in this modification may be used when manufacturing the above-mentioned three-thin-wound flavor rod 2.

[0098] In addition, in the flavor rods 2, 2A described above, the flavor source 24 is filled inside the inner winding paper 23 of the thin wound rod 21, but this is not limited to such a filling form, and various forms can be adopted as long as the flavor source and aerosol generating base material are contained inside the inner winding paper 23.

[0099] 20 is a diagram showing a cross section of a flavor rod 2B according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1. The flavor rod 2B according to Modification 2 differs from the above-described embodiments only in the shape of the flavor source containing an aerosol disposed inside the inner wrapping paper 23 of the thin wound rod 21, and the other configurations are the same.

[0100] Reference numeral 24A shown in FIG. 20 denotes a flavor source disposed inside the inner wrapping paper 23. The flavor source 24A includes a flavor source and an aerosol-generating substrate, and a holding substrate 240 that holds them. In this modification, the flavor source may be, for example, any of the above-listed appropriate flavorings. For example, the holding substrate 240 of the flavor source 24A is a substrate sheet that is impregnated with and holds a liquid flavoring and a liquid aerosol-generating substrate, and the material of the holding substrate may be a nonwoven fabric or the like. The flavoring impregnated into the holding substrate 240 (substrate sheet) of the flavor source 24A may not contain tobacco components. In addition, the holding substrate 240 (substrate sheet) of the flavor source 24A may be bonded along the inner surface of the inner wrapping paper 23 of the thin wound rod 21, for example. The thickness of the holding substrate 240 (substrate sheet) is not particularly limited, but an example embodiment may be one in which the thickness is about 0.1 mm to 2 mm. The flavor rod 2A of this modified example can be formed in the long, thin, wound rod forming process described above by continuously winding up a long, sheet-like base sheet impregnated with a flavor source and an aerosol-generating base material into a circular cylindrical shape in the long direction using a long, sheet-like thin winding paper, thereby forming multiple long, thin wound rods in parallel in the conveying direction of the winding machine, and the subsequent long flavor rod forming process and cutting process are the same as in the above-described embodiment.

[0101] The flavor source 24A of each thin-wound rod 21 may be the same or different in type. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 20, the holding substrate 240 (substrate sheet) of the flavor source 24A of each thin-wound rod 21 has a tubular cross section, but is not limited to this. The cross section of the holding substrate 240 (substrate sheet) may have any shape, such as a C-shape, an S-shape, or a spiral shape. In addition, a substrate sheet impregnated with a liquid flavor and an aerosol-generating substrate may be chopped into small pieces and filled inside the inner wrapping paper 23. Of course, some of the thin-wound rods 21 included in the flavor rod 2A may be replaced with thin-wound rods 21 having a tobacco filler as the flavor source 24 as described in FIG. 3 and the like.

[0102] Fig. 21 is a diagram showing variations of the flavor source 24A in the thin wound rod 21. In (a), the flavor source 24A (holding substrate 240) has a C-shape. In (b), the flavor source 24A (holding substrate 240) has an S-shape. In (c), the flavor source 24A (holding substrate 240) has a meandering shape. In (d), the flavor source 24A (holding substrate 240) has a spiral shape. Of course, the variations shown in Fig. 21 are also examples of the shape of the flavor source 24A (holding substrate 240).

[0103] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the flavor stick, the non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation product, and the method for manufacturing a flavor stick according to the present invention are not limited thereto. In addition, each aspect disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications can be combined with any other aspect disclosed in this specification. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 1 Flavor stick 2. Flavoring rod 3. Mouthpiece section 21 Thin rod 22...Outer web 23...Inner roll paper 24...flavor source 25 Heater insertion hole

Claims

1. a flavor rod inserted into a heating chamber of the flavor inhalation device and heated by an internal heater of the flavor inhalation device; A mouthpiece portion connected to the rear end side of the flavor rod; Equipped with The flavor rod includes a plurality of thin wound rods and an outer wrapping paper that bundles and winds up the plurality of thin wound rods, each of the plurality of thin wound rods having an inner wrapper and a flavor source disposed inside the inner wrapper and including an aerosol-forming substrate; A heater insertion hole for inserting the internal heater from the front end side of the flavor rod is provided in the center of the cross section of the flavor rod along the axial direction, the heater insertion hole is defined by an outer surface of the inner wrapping paper of the plurality of thin wound rods; Flavor sticks.

2. The flavor stick according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thin wound rods are arranged around the heater insertion hole in a cross section of the flavor rod.

3. 3. The flavor stick of claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner wrapper of the plurality of thin wound rods is glued to the outer wrapper.

4. The flavor stick according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thin-wound rods have an elliptical cross section and their minor axis directions are arranged along a radial direction of the flavor rod.

5. a leak suppression section connected to a rear end of the flavor rod, the leak suppression section having an aerosol flow path extending in an axial direction for circulating the aerosol generated in the plurality of thin-wound rods, and a blocking section for blocking a rear end of a gap portion formed between adjacent thin-wound rods, the leak suppression section being disposed at a front end of the mouthpiece section; A flavour stick according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. the blocking portion is disposed across the thin wound rod and the gap portion, and a region facing the thin wound rod is formed as a portion for preventing the thin wound rod from slipping when the internal heater is inserted. A flavour stick according to claim 5.

7. A flavour stick according to any one of claims 1 to 6; A flavor inhalation device used for inhaling the flavor stick, the flavor inhalation device having a heating chamber into which the flavor rod of the flavor stick can be inserted, and an internal heater that is inserted into the heater insertion hole when the flavor rod is inserted into the heating chamber; A non-burning flavor inhalation product comprising:

8. A method for manufacturing a flavor stick comprising: a flavor rod having a heater insertion hole at a central portion of a cross section for inserting an internal heater of a flavor inhalation device; and a mouthpiece portion connected to a rear end side of the flavor rod, a step of bundling a plurality of thin wound rods, each of which is formed by winding a flavor source including an aerosol-generating base material with an inner winding paper, and winding the bundled thin wound rods together with an outer winding paper to form a flavor rod in which a heater insertion hole defined by an outer surface of the inner winding paper in each thin wound rod extends in an axial direction to a central portion of a cross section; a connecting step of arranging the mouthpiece portion in series with the flavor rod and winding them together with tipping paper; A method for producing a flavor stick comprising:

9. The step of forming the flavor rod comprises: a long thin wound rod forming step of continuously winding a flavor source including an aerosol-generating base material in a long sheet-like thin winding paper in a long direction to form a plurality of long thin wound rods arranged in parallel in a conveying direction of a winding machine; a long flavor rod forming step of forming a long flavor rod by merging the plurality of long thin wound rods and winding them together with a long outer winding paper; a cutting step of cutting the long flavor rod to a predetermined length to form the flavor rod; A method for producing a flavor stick according to claim 8, comprising:

10. The step of forming the flavor rod comprises: a long flavor rod forming step of supplying double-length first parts having twice the length of a first part constituting a part of the mouthpiece part at predetermined intervals onto a long sheet-like long outer winding paper transported along a transport path of a winding machine, supplying a bundle of double-length thin-wound rods having twice the length of the thin-wound rod into a rod mounting space formed between the double-length first parts, and then winding up the double-length first parts and the bundle of double-length thin-wound rods arranged in series therewith together with the long outer winding paper to form a long flavor rod; a cutting step of cutting the long flavor rod at a center position in the length direction of the double-length first part and at a center position in the length direction of the double-length thin-wound rod, respectively, to form an intermediate assembly in which the first part is connected to the flavor rod, 9. The method for producing a flavor stick according to claim 8, wherein in the connecting step, the intermediate assembly and the one or more second parts are wound up together with tipping paper in a state in which one or more second parts constituting a part of the mouthpiece portion are arranged in series with the first part in the intermediate assembly.

Images