Smoking articles and aerosol generating systems

Abstract

The smoking article includes a medium storage section filled with a plurality of medium granules, a moisturizing agent storage section located on one side of the medium storage section for generating an aerosol, and a filter section located on the other side of the medium storage section, and the plurality of medium granules have an irregular shape.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following embodiments relate to smoking articles and aerosol generation systems.

Background Art

[0002] Recently, there has been an increasing demand for alternative methods to overcome the disadvantages of conventional cigarettes. For example, there has been an increasing demand for methods of generating aerosol by heating aerosol generation in cigarettes, rather than by burning the cigarettes to generate aerosol. For example, Published Patent Gazette No. 10-2004-0077711 discloses a smoking article having tobacco beads.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] An object according to one embodiment is to provide a smoking article and an aerosol generation system in which the adhesion and dispersibility of medium particles are improved.

[0004] An object according to one embodiment is to provide a smoking article and an aerosol generation system that provide a uniform tobacco taste to consumers.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A smoking article according to one embodiment includes a medium storage portion filled with a plurality of medium particles, and the plurality of medium particles can have an irregular shape.

[0006] The smoking article may further include a humectant storage portion located on one side of the medium storage portion for generating aerosol, and a filter portion located on the other side of the medium storage portion.

[0007] The medium storage portion can be configured by folding a plurality of times a planar sheet coated with the plurality of medium particles.

[0008] A moisturizing agent can be applied to one surface of the planar sheet.

[0009] The plurality of medium particles may have a roundness of 30% or more and 90% or less.

[0010] The roundness may be 60% or more and 90% or less.

[0011] The plurality of medium particles can be manufactured through a granulation process of a fluidized bed.

[0012] The granulation process of the fluidized bed may be a process in a form where the injection direction of the liquid-phase binder and the flow direction of the fluidizing air are opposite to each other.

[0013] After the moisturizing agent is applied to one surface of the planar sheet of the medium accommodating portion, and the plurality of medium particles are arranged on the one surface of the planar sheet to which the moisturizing agent is applied, the one surface of the planar sheet is folded so as to face each other and then additionally folded multiple times, and the planar sheet folded multiple times can be formed by being wrapped with a wrapper.

[0014] The plurality of medium particles not applied to the one surface of the planar sheet can be reused in the process of manufacturing the smoking article.

[0015] The filter portion can include a first filter portion having a cavity inside and a second filter portion whose inside is completely filled with a filter substance.

[0016] An aerosol generation system according to an embodiment includes a smoking article and an aerosol generator. The smoking article includes a medium accommodating portion filled with a plurality of medium particles, a moisturizing agent accommodating portion located on one side of the medium accommodating portion for generating an aerosol, and a filter portion located on the other side of the medium accommodating portion. The aerosol generator includes an elongated cavity for accommodating the smoking article, a heater for heating at least a part of the medium accommodating portion and the moisturizing agent accommodating portion of the smoking article, and a control portion electrically connected to the heater.

[0017] The roundness of the plurality of medium particles may be 90% or less.

[0018] The roundness of the plurality of medium particles may be 60% or more.

[0019] The plurality of medium particles can be manufactured through a process in which the injection direction of the liquid-phase binder and the flow direction of the fluidizing air are opposite to each other.

Advantages of the Invention

[0020] A smoking article and an aerosol generation system according to an embodiment can improve the dispersibility and adhesion of medium particles.

[0021] A smoking article and an aerosol generation system according to an embodiment can provide a uniform tobacco taste to consumers.

[0022] The effects of a smoking article and an aerosol generation system according to an embodiment are not limited to those mentioned above, and different effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023]

Figure 1

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the specific structural or functional descriptions disclosed in this specification are merely exemplified for the purpose of explaining the embodiments, and the embodiments can be implemented in various different forms, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in this specification. It should be understood that all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives to the embodiments are included in the scope of the rights.

[0025] The terms used in the embodiments are merely used for the purpose of explanation and are not to be construed as having an intention of limitation. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly gives a different meaning. In this specification, terms such as "including" or "having" indicate the presence of the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should not be understood as pre - excluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this embodiment belongs. Commonly used predefined terms shall be interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless clearly defined herein.

[0027] Also, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, regardless of the reference numerals, the same components shall be given the same reference signs, and duplicate descriptions thereof shall be omitted. In the description of the embodiments, if the specific description of the related known technology is determined to obscure the gist of the embodiments unnecessarily, the detailed description thereof shall be omitted.

[0028] Also, in describing the components of the embodiments, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. can be used. These terms are for distinguishing the components from other components, and the essence, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by these terms. When it is described that any component is "connected", "coupled", or "joined" to another component, it can be understood that the component is directly connected or joined to the other component, but another component can be "connected", "coupled", or "joined" between each component.

[0029] Components including functions common to the components included in any of the embodiments shall be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless otherwise stated, the descriptions given in any of the embodiments shall also apply to other embodiments, and specific descriptions within the overlapping scope shall be omitted.

[0030] The term "granule dispersibility" used in the present application refers to the degree to which granules are evenly dispersed on a flat sheet.

[0031] As used herein, the term "workability of the granular filter" refers to the degree to which a filter part without such contamination can be manufactured, since there is a risk that part of the medium granules are crushed and the appearance of the granular-containing filter part, etc. is contaminated by fine powder during the process of manufacturing the medium accommodation part.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a view showing a smoking article according to an embodiment.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 1, a smoking article 100 according to an embodiment includes a medium accommodation part 110, a humectant accommodation part 120 that is located on one side of the medium accommodation part and generates aerosol, and a filter part 130 that is located on the other side of the medium accommodation part. The segments of the smoking article 100, that is, the medium accommodation part 110, the humectant accommodation part 120, and the filter part 130 are each wrapped by a segment wrapper 140, and one smoking article wrapped by the segment wrapper 140 is constituted by being wrapped by an overall wrapper 150.

[0034] The medium accommodation part 110 is filled with a plurality of medium granules 114, and the plurality of medium granules 114 may have an irregular shape. When the plurality of medium granules 114 are of a general sphere type, the possibility of generating fine powder during the process of manufacturing the medium accommodation part 110 is reduced, and the workability of the granular filter is excellent. However, when the plurality of medium granules 114 are of a perfect sphere type, the granular dispersibility decreases during the process of manufacturing the medium accommodation part 110, and thus the taste of the smoking article decreases. Therefore, the plurality of medium granules 114 basically have a spherical shape, but preferably have an irregular shape that can maintain the granular dispersibility.

[0035] The filter part 130 includes a first filter part 132 having a cavity inside and a second filter part 134 filled with a filter medium inside. The filter medium may include a cellulose-based substance (for example, acetate, paper, etc.).

[0036] As described above, when manufacturing a filter containing a granular medium, it affects the manufacturability of the medium accommodation part of a smoking article according to the shape of the granules, and there is a need to derive an appropriate shape of the medium granules when manufacturing a smoking article or an aerosol generation system containing the granular medium.

[0037] Figures 2A and 2B are diagrams schematically showing a state in which a plurality of medium granules are applied on a planar sheet according to an embodiment. Figure 2A is a diagram showing a state with poor granule dispersibility when spherical granules 114’ are applied on a planar sheet 112 and the planar sheet 112 is folded. Figure 2B is a diagram showing a state with good granule dispersibility when irregular granules 114 are applied on the planar sheet 112 and the planar sheet 112 is folded.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 2A, the spherical granules 114' have low adhesion to the planar sheet 112 and can flow in all directions even under a small impact. Therefore, not only when the planar sheet 112 on which the granules 114' are disposed is in an expanded state, but also during the process of folding the planar sheet 112 to manufacture the medium accommodating portion 110 containing the granules 114', the dispersibility of the granules becomes worse. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 2B, the irregularly shaped granules 114 have relatively high adhesion to the planar sheet 112 and thus do not flow easily. Therefore, the dispersibility of the granules can be maintained well even during the process of folding the planar sheet 112 on which the granules 114 are disposed to manufacture the medium accommodating portion 110 containing the granules 114. By applying a binder substance having an adhesive component on the planar sheet 112, the adhesion of the plurality of medium granules 114 to the planar sheet 112 is improved. However, such a binder substance may be sucked together with the aerosol heated during smoking and may reduce the taste of the smoking article. By applying a moisturizing agent that is not a binder substance on one surface of the planar sheet 112 before arranging the plurality of medium granules 114 on the planar sheet 112, the moisturizing agent can temporarily improve the adhesion between the planar sheet 112 and the plurality of medium granules 114. The moisturizing agent does not have a negative impact on the taste of the smoking article as a substance for generating aerosol in the smoking article. That is, in the medium accommodating portion 110 of the smoking article 100, after a moisturizing agent is applied on one surface of the planar sheet 112 and a plurality of medium granules 114 are disposed on the surface of the planar sheet 112 on which the moisturizing agent is applied, the one surface of the planar sheet 112 is folded so as to face each other and then additionally folded multiple times, and the planar sheet 112 folded multiple times may be wrapped by a wrapper 140 to form it.

[0039] FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams schematically showing the dispersibility of a plurality of medium granules in a state where a planar sheet on which the plurality of medium granules according to an embodiment are disposed is folded.

[0040] Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, when spherical medium particles 114' are arranged on a flat sheet 112 and folded multiple times, the particle dispersibility in the medium accommodating portion 110 is maintained in a poor state (see FIG. 3A). When irregularly shaped medium particles 114 are arranged on the flat sheet 112 and folded multiple times, the particle dispersibility in the medium accommodating portion 110 can be maintained in a good state (see FIG. 3B).

[0041] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the roundness of medium particles according to an embodiment.

[0042] Roundness is a numerical value indicating the degree of roundness of spherical substances such as particles, beads, and granules. In the present application, the roundness is calculated based on the Maximum Inscribed Circle (MIC) method. Referring to FIG. 4, in the maximum inscribed circle center method, when an inscribed circle is drawn within the measurement contour of a granule or the like, the circle with the largest radius, that is, the center of the maximum inscribed circle Ci is taken as the center of the measurement contour, and among the circles circumscribing the measurement contour while having the center of the maximum inscribed circle Ci, when the circle with the largest radius, that is, the maximum circumscribed circle Cc is drawn, the maximum circumscribed circle R max compared to the maximum inscribed circle R min radius R min The ratio expressed as a percentage is defined as the roundness.

[0043] The higher the roundness of the plurality of medium particles 114, the better the workability of the particle filter, but the worse the particle dispersibility. Conversely, the lower the roundness of the medium particles 114, the better the particle dispersibility, while the workability of the particle filter becomes worse. Therefore, by having the plurality of medium particles 114 constituting the medium accommodating portion 110 have a roundness within an appropriate numerical range, both the particle dispersibility and the workability of the particle filter are good, so that the taste of the smoking article can be improved.

[0044] A schematic test result for this is shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

[0045] Referring to Table 1, when the roundness of the granules exceeds 90%, the dispersibility of the granules is generally poor. On the other hand, when the roundness of the granules is 90% or less, it can be seen that when the medium accommodation part is formed by folding the granules a plurality of times after the granules are arranged on the flat sheet, a plurality of medium granules are relatively evenly dispersed.

[0046] Also, when the roundness of the granules is less than 30%, the shape of the granules becomes excessively irregular, and fine powder is generated due to the rupture of a part of the granules during granule production or during the production of the medium accommodation part, resulting in contamination of the filter or the like. When the roundness of the granules is 30% or more, the rate of generation of fine powder due to granule rupture is significantly reduced compared to when the roundness is lower. When the roundness of the granules is 60% or more, the hardness of the granules is sufficiently high, and the frequency of contaminating the filter of the smoking article due to granule rupture is significantly reduced. That is, when the roundness of the medium granules contained in the smoking article is 60% or more and 90% or less, the dispersibility of the granules and all aspects of the filter workability of the granules are very good.

[0047] Also, the taste of the tobacco, that is, the smoking taste, is affected by both the granule dispersibility, which means whether the granules are evenly dispersed, and the granule filter workability, which means whether the filter of the granules is manufactured without being contaminated by the fine powder of the medium granules. As shown in Table 1, it can be seen that the smoking taste is best when the roundness of the granules is preferably 30% or more and 90% or less, and more preferably 60% or more and 90% or less.

[0048] Figures 5 and 6 relate to the mode in which a smoking article containing a plurality of medium granules having the above-mentioned preferred roundness range is used.

[0049] Figure 5 is a diagram schematically showing an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 5, the aerosol generating device 200 includes an elongated cavity 210 for accommodating the smoking article 100, a heater 220, and a control unit 230. The control unit 230 is electrically connected to the heater 220 to control the temperature for heating the smoking article 100. The aerosol generating device 200 may further include a battery 240 for supplying power in the process of generating aerosol.

[0051] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an aerosol generation system in a state where a smoking article and an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment are combined.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 6, the aerosol generation system 10 includes a smoking article 100 and an aerosol generating device 200. The smoking article 100 is tightly coupled within the elongated cavity 210 of the aerosol generating device 200, and in a state where the smoking article 100 is coupled to the aerosol generating device 200, the heater 220 may heat at least a part of the medium accommodating portion 110 and the humectant accommodating portion 120 of the smoking article 100. The roundness of the plurality of medium particles 114 within the medium accommodating portion 110 included in the smoking article 100 of the aerosol generation system 10 is preferably 90% or less. This is because when the roundness of the plurality of medium particles 114 exceeds 90%, the adhesion of the medium particles 114 to the flat sheet 112 decreases and the particle dispersibility becomes poor.

[0053] Further, it is preferable that the roundness of the plurality of medium particles 114 in the medium storage part 110 included in the smoking article 100 of the aerosol generation system 10 is 60% or more. If the roundness of the plurality of medium particles 114 is less than 60%, the hardness of the medium particles 114 decreases and the medium particles 114 are crushed by a slight impact to generate fine powder, so that the medium storage part 110 or the filter part 130 is contaminated by the fine powder. Further, in the process of folding the flat sheet 112 after the plurality of medium particles 114 are applied to one surface of the flat sheet 112 to form the medium storage part 110, the plurality of medium particles 114 that have fallen off without adhering to the flat sheet 112 are reused in the subsequent process. Therefore, in order for the plurality of fallen medium particles 114 to fall off and be reused, it is necessary to ensure the minimum hardness of the particles 114, so it is preferable that the roundness of the plurality of medium particles 114 is 60% or more.

[0054] FIGS. 7 and 8 relate to the process of manufacturing a plurality of medium particles having the above-mentioned preferable roundness range and the form of the particles manufactured by the process.

[0055] FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the top-spraying fluidized bed granulation process among the fluidized bed granulation processes according to an embodiment.

[0056] The fluidized bed granulation process is a process in which, when mixed with hot air heated inside a sealed container 500 of a powder substance, the powder in the container is fluidized and undergoes mixing, granulation, and drying processes to form granules. The fluidized bed granulation process may include processes such as the top-spraying method, the bottom-spraying method, the powder feeding method, and the rotor-spraying method. Among them, the process of the top-spraying method is a fluidized bed granulation process in which the direction in which the liquid-phase binder 510 that serves as an adhesive for the powders 530 to stick together is sprayed and the flow direction of the fluidizing air 520 are opposite to each other. Compared with the fluidized bed granulation processes such as the bottom-spraying method in which the direction in which the liquid-phase binder 510 is sprayed and the flow direction of the fluidizing air 520 are the same or the rotor-spraying method in which the direction in which the liquid-phase binder 510 is sprayed and the flow direction of the fluidizing air 520 are perpendicular to each other, the roundness of the granules formed through this process is relatively low. This is illustrated in detail in FIG. 8.

[0057] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the actual shapes of granules manufactured by various fluidized bed granulation processes.

[0058] FIG. 8 shows the shapes of granules manufactured by the fluidized bed granulation processes of the rotor-spraying method, the powder feeding method, and the top-spraying method in order.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 8, it can be seen that the form of the granules manufactured by the process of the top-spraying method is more irregular and non-standard compared to the granules manufactured by the fluidized bed granulation processes of the rotor-spraying method and the powder feeding method. That is, according to the fluidized bed granulation process of the top-spraying method, it is easy to form granules with a relatively low roundness. This is because the flow becomes reverse and the particles grow in an irregular form due to the injection direction of the liquid-phase binder 510 and the flow direction of the fluidizing air 520 being arranged facing each other.

[0060] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field can apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described technology may be executed in an order different from the described method, and / or the components such as the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. may be combined or assembled in a form different from the described method, or replaced or substituted by other components or equivalents, and appropriate results can still be achieved.

[0061] Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is defined by equivalents such as those equivalent to the claims.

Claims

1. A smoking article comprising a plurality of media particles, wherein the smoking article includes a media accommodating portion filled with the plurality of media particles, the media accommodating portion is formed by folding a plurality of times a planar sheet coated with the plurality of media particles, the plurality of media particles have an irregular shape and are configured with a roundness of 60% or more and 90% or less so that both the particle dispersibility and the workability of the particle filter are good, a smoking article.

2. The smoking article, a humectant accommodating portion located on one side of the media accommodating portion for generating an aerosol, and a filter portion located on the other side of the media accommodating portion, further comprising the smoking article according to claim 1.

3. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein a humectant is applied to one surface of the planar sheet.

4. The media accommodating portion has a humectant applied to one surface of a planar sheet, after arranging the plurality of media particles on the one surface of the planar sheet to which the humectant is applied, the one surface of the planar sheet is folded so as to face each other and then additionally folded a plurality of times, and the planar sheet folded a plurality of times is wrapped by a wrapper to form the smoking article according to claim 1.

5. The filter portion, a first filter portion having a cavity inside, and a second filter portion whose inside is completely filled with a filter substance, comprising the smoking article according to claim 2.

6. A smoking article, an aerosol generating device, comprising, the smoking article, a media accommodating portion filled with a plurality of media particles, a humectant accommodating portion located on one side of the media accommodating portion for generating an aerosol, a filter portion located on the other side of the media accommodating portion, comprising, the aerosol generating device, an elongated cavity for accommodating the smoking article, a heater for heating at least a part of the media accommodating portion and the humectant accommodating portion of the smoking article, a control portion electrically connected to the heater, comprising, the media accommodating portion is formed by folding a plurality of times a planar sheet coated with the plurality of media particles, the roundness of the plurality of media particles is 60% or more and 90% or less so that both the particle dispersibility and the workability of the particle filter are good, an aerosol generating system.

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