Induction-heated aerosol-generating articles and devices

Abstract

Inductionally heated aerosol-generating articles and devices with improved heating efficiency are provided. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the inductionally heated aerosol-generating article may include a medium portion containing an aerosol-forming substrate, a susceptor element that wraps at least a portion of the medium portion while forming a closed loop and is configured to heat at least a portion of the medium portion by induction heating, and an outer wrapper that wraps at least a portion of the susceptor element. In this case, the susceptor element is built into the aerosol-generating article, and not only directly transfers heat to the medium portion, but also allows an induced current to flow smoothly through the formed closed loop, significantly improving heating efficiency.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an induction-heated aerosol generating article and device, and more particularly to an induction-heated aerosol generating article and an induction-heated aerosol generating device used with the article, which can ensure reduced power consumption and improved flavor through improved heating efficiency. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for alternative methods to overcome the shortcomings of conventional cigarettes. For example, there has been an increasing demand for heated aerosol generators that generate aerosols by electrically heating cigarettes. This has led to active research into heated aerosol generators.

[0003] Recently, devices have been proposed that generate aerosols by heating cigarettes using an induction heating method. For example, a device has been proposed that generates aerosols by inductively heating an external susceptor that is arranged to encase the cigarettes housed inside through an induction coil. However, because the proposed device employs an indirect heating structure that uses the susceptor as an intermediate medium to transfer heat to the cigarettes, heating efficiency is poor, and as a result, it takes a lot of time and power to heat the cigarettes to the target temperature. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an induction heated aerosol generating article with improved heating efficiency and an induction heated aerosol generating device to be used with the article.

[0005] The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field of the present disclosure from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, an induction-heated aerosol-generating article according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a medium portion including an aerosol-forming substrate, a susceptor element that wraps at least a portion of the medium portion while forming a closed loop and is configured to be induction-heated to heat at least a portion of the medium portion, and an outer wrapper that wraps at least a portion of the susceptor element.

[0007] In some embodiments, the susceptor element may be made of an inductively heatable non-ferrous metal material.

[0008] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger may further include an inner wrapper disposed between the susceptor element and the medium portion and wrapping at least a portion of the medium portion.

[0009] In some embodiments, the susceptor element may have a thickness of 6 μm to 30 μm.

[0010] In some embodiments, the susceptor element is configured to wrap around an upstream portion of the medium portion, and the induction heating can form an unheated region in a downstream portion of the medium portion.

[0011] In some embodiments, the medium portion includes a first segment containing a tobacco substance and a second segment located upstream of the first segment and containing a moisturizing substance, and the susceptor element includes a first susceptor element wrapping the first segment and a second susceptor element wrapping the second segment, and the second susceptor element can heat the second segment to a higher temperature than the first segment by the induction heating.

[0012] In order to solve the above technical problems, an induction heating aerosol generator according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a housing forming an accommodation space for accommodating an aerosol-generating article, and an inductor for generating an aerosol by inductively heating the aerosol-generating article accommodated in the accommodation space. In this case, the aerosol-generating article includes a medium portion including an aerosol-forming substrate, and a susceptor element wrapping at least a portion of the medium portion while forming a closed loop, and the aerosol can be generated by inductively heating the susceptor element by the inductor.

[0013] In some embodiments, the inductively heated aerosol generator may not include a susceptor element that is inductively heated by the inductor.

[0014] In some embodiments, the heating apparatus may further include a control unit that controls an induction heating frequency applied to the inductor, the susceptor element may include a first susceptor element wrapping a downstream portion of the medium portion and a second susceptor element wrapping an upstream portion of the medium portion, the inductor may inductively heat the first susceptor element and the second susceptor element at the same induction heating frequency, and the first susceptor element may have a different thickness from the second susceptor element.

[0015] In some embodiments, the heating apparatus may further include a control unit that controls an induction heating frequency applied to the inductor, the susceptor element may include a first susceptor element wrapping a downstream portion of the medium portion and a second susceptor element wrapping an upstream portion of the medium portion, the inductor may inductively heat the first susceptor element and the second susceptor element at the same induction heating frequency, and the first susceptor element may be made of a different material from the second susceptor element.

[0016] In some embodiments, the heating system may further include a control unit that controls an induction heating frequency applied to the inductor, wherein the susceptor element includes a first susceptor element wrapping a downstream portion of the medium portion and a second susceptor element wrapping an upstream portion of the medium portion, and the inductor may include a first inductor that inductively heats the first susceptor element at a first induction heating frequency and a second inductor that inductively heats the second susceptor element at a second induction heating frequency different from the first induction heating frequency. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an induction-heated aerosol-generating article having a built-in susceptor element may be provided, and the susceptor element may be arranged in a manner that wraps the medium portion. In this case, heat generated from the susceptor element by induction heating can be directly transferred to the medium portion, thereby significantly improving heating efficiency and, as a result, improving the flavor of the aerosol-generating article. Furthermore, an aerosol generator used with such an induction-heated aerosol-generating article does not need to include a separate susceptor element, thereby reducing design complexity. Furthermore, the improved heating efficiency can shorten the preheating time of the induction-heated aerosol generator and significantly reduce power consumption.

[0018] Furthermore, the susceptor element may be disposed to form a closed loop and enclose at least a portion of the medium portion. In this case, the induced current generated in the susceptor element by induction heating can flow smoothly along the closed loop formed within the susceptor element, thereby further improving the heating efficiency of the susceptor element. For example, the amount of heat generated by the susceptor element relative to the amount of power applied to the inductor can be significantly improved.

[0019] The susceptor element may also be made of a non-ferrous metal material, which generates more Joule heat than ferrous metals and the like, and therefore can generate more heat during induction heating.

[0020] Furthermore, by disposing the inner wrapper between the susceptor element and the medium, carbonization of the outer periphery of the medium can be prevented.

[0021] The susceptor element may be arranged to wrap the remaining portion of the medium portion except for the downstream portion (e.g., the downstream end portion). In this case, an unheated region is formed in the downstream portion of the medium portion, which has a filtering effect on the aerosol during smoking, thereby providing a unique flavor to the user.

[0022] In addition, multiple susceptor elements can be used to heat the upstream and downstream portions of the medium to different temperatures. For example, the downstream portion of the medium can be heated to a higher temperature than the upstream portion. In this case, the smoking experience can be improved at the beginning of smoking and the pre-heating time of the device can be shortened.

[0023] The effects of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates various types of aerosol generating devices that can be used with inductively heated aerosol generating articles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 illustrates various types of aerosol generating devices that can be used with inductively heated aerosol generating articles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 illustrates various types of aerosol generating devices that can be used with inductively heated aerosol generating articles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an illustrative view for explaining an induction heating type aerosol-generating article according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is an illustrative view for explaining an induction heating type aerosol-generating article according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an illustrative view for explaining an induction heating type aerosol-generating article according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an illustrative view for explaining an induction heating type aerosol-generating article according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an illustrative view for explaining an induction heating type aerosol-generating article according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an illustrative view for explaining an induction heating type aerosol-generating article according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an illustrative view for explaining an induction heating type aerosol-generating article according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an illustrative view for explaining an induction heating type aerosol-generating article according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present disclosure, as well as methods for achieving them, will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and can be embodied in various different forms. The following embodiments are merely provided to fully convey the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. The technical idea of ​​the present disclosure is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0026] When assigning reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are assigned the same numerals as much as possible, even if they are displayed in different drawings. Furthermore, when describing the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known configurations or functions may obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in a manner commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Furthermore, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries will not be interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly defined otherwise. The terms used in the following embodiments are intended to describe the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the following embodiments, the singular form also includes the plural form unless otherwise specified in the text.

[0028] Furthermore, when describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. Such terms are merely used to distinguish the component from other components, and do not limit the nature, procedure, or order of the components. When a component is described as being "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, but that other components may also be "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" between the components.

[0029] As used in this disclosure, "comprises" and / or "comprising" means that a referenced component, step, operation and / or element does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations and / or elements.

[0030] Prior to describing the various embodiments of the present disclosure, some terminology used in the embodiments will be clarified.

[0031] In the following embodiments, "aerosol-forming substrate" refers to a substance capable of forming an aerosol. The aerosol may contain a volatile compound. The aerosol-forming substrate may be solid or liquid. For example, a solid aerosol-forming substrate may contain a solid substance based on tobacco raw materials such as flat tobacco, shredded tobacco, or reconstituted tobacco, while a liquid aerosol-forming substrate may contain a liquid composition based on nicotine, tobacco extract, a humectant, and / or various flavoring agents. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above. In the following embodiments, a liquid may refer to a liquid aerosol-forming substrate.

[0032] In the following embodiments, the term "aerosol-generating article" refers to an article capable of generating an aerosol. The aerosol-generating article may include an aerosol-forming substrate. A representative example of an aerosol-generating article is a cigarette, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such an example.

[0033] In the following embodiments, the term "aerosol generating device" refers to a device that generates an aerosol using an aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. For various examples of aerosol generating devices, see FIGS. 1 to 3. However, the types of aerosol generating devices can be further diversified, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.

[0034] In the following embodiments, "puff" refers to the inhalation of a user, where inhalation refers to the situation of drawing air through the user's mouth or nose into the user's oral cavity, nasal cavity or lungs.

[0035] In the following embodiments, "upstream" or "upstream direction" refers to a direction away from the user's mouth, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" refers to a direction toward the user's mouth. The terms upstream and downstream can be used to describe the relative positions of elements constituting an aerosol-generating article. For example, in the aerosol-generating article (e.g., 150-1) illustrated in FIG. 4, the filter portion 170 is located downstream or downstream of the medium portion 160, and the medium portion 160 is located upstream or upstream of the filter portion 170.

[0036] Various embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] 1 to 3 illustrate various types of induction-heated aerosol generators 100-1 to 100-3 that can be used with an induction-heated aerosol-generating article 150 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, when describing the induction-heated aerosol-generating article 150 and the induction-heated aerosol generators 100-1 to 100-3, the term "induction-heated" will be omitted for the sake of convenience. The aerosol generators 100-1 to 100-3 will be described below.

[0038] First, as shown in FIG. 1, the aerosol generating device 100-1 may include a housing, a heater unit 140, a control unit 120, and a battery 130. However, FIG. 1 shows only components relevant to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, a person skilled in the art will understand that other general components may be included in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1. For example, the aerosol generating device 100-1 may further include an output module (e.g., motor, display) that outputs the device status and / or an input module (e.g., button) that receives user input (e.g., device on / off, etc.). Each component of the aerosol generating device 100-1 will be described below.

[0039] The housing can form the exterior of the aerosol generating device 100-1. The housing can also form a storage space for storing the aerosol-generating article 150. The aerosol-generating article 150 stored in the storage space can generate aerosol by being heated by the heater unit 140, and the generated aerosol can be inhaled through the user's mouth.

[0040] The heater section 140 can then generate aerosol by heating the aerosol-generating article 150 accommodated in the accommodation space. More specifically, the heater section 140 may include an inductor for inductively heating a susceptor element. An example of an inductor is an induction coil, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The susceptor element may be built into the aerosol-generating article 150. In this case, the heater section 140 does not need to include a susceptor element, thereby simplifying the structure of the heater section 140. This also reduces the design complexity of the aerosol generating device 100-1, making it lighter and more compact, and reducing the rate of defects during manufacturing. Furthermore, heat generated from the susceptor element by induction heating can be directly transferred to the aerosol-generating article 150, significantly improving heating efficiency.

[0041] In some embodiments, the susceptor element may be arranged to wrap the medium portion of the aerosol-generating article 150. In other words, a wrapper associated with the medium portion may function as a susceptor to heat the medium portion. In this case, as described above, heat generated from the susceptor element may be directly transferred to the outer periphery of the medium portion, significantly improving heating efficiency. Various examples of such aerosol-generating articles 150 will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 4 and subsequent figures.

[0042] However, in some other embodiments, the heater section 140 may include a susceptor element for heating the aerosol-generating article 150 .

[0043] Next, the control unit 120 can control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 100-1. For example, the control unit 120 can control the operation of the heater unit 140 and the battery 130, and can also control the operation of other components included in the aerosol generating device 100-1. The control unit 120 can control the power supplied by the battery 130, the heating temperature of the heater unit 140, etc. The control unit 120 can also check the status of each component of the aerosol generating device 100-1 to determine whether the aerosol generating device 100-1 is in an operable state.

[0044] In some embodiments, the control unit 120 can control the induction heating frequency applied to the inductor constituting the heater unit 140. The frequency of the induced current generated from the susceptor element varies depending on the induction heating frequency applied to the inductor, and the current penetration depth and the heating performance of the susceptor element can vary depending on the frequency of the induced current. Therefore, the control unit 120 can control the heating performance of the susceptor element via the induction heating frequency, which will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10 and an example of an aerosol-generating article 150.

[0045] The control unit 120 may be implemented by at least one processor. The processor may be implemented by an array of multiple logic gates, or by a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory storing a program executable by the microprocessor. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the control unit 120 may be implemented by other types of hardware.

[0046] Next, the battery 130 can supply the power used to operate the aerosol generating device 100-1. For example, the battery 130 can supply power to the heater unit 140 and can also supply the power necessary for the control unit 120 to operate.

[0047] The battery 130 can also supply the power necessary to operate electrical components such as a display (not shown), a sensor (not shown), and a motor (not shown) installed in the aerosol generating device 100-1.

[0048] Other types of aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0049] 2 and 3 are schematic illustrations of hybrid aerosol-generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 that use both an aerosol-generating article 150 and a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. Specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates device 100-2 in which a vaporizer 1 and an aerosol-generating article 150 are arranged in parallel, and FIG. 3 illustrates device 100-3 in which a vaporizer 1 and an aerosol-generating article 150 are arranged in series. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, and the internal arrangement of the aerosol-generating devices (e.g., 100-1 to 100-3) can be varied in any number of ways.

[0050] As shown in Fig. 2 or 3, the aerosol generators 100-2 and 100-3 may further include a vaporizer 1. However, this is merely a preferred embodiment for achieving the object of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some components may be added or omitted as necessary. Each component of the aerosol generators 100-2 and 100-3 will be described below. However, for the sake of clarity of the present disclosure, descriptions of content that overlaps with the aerosol generator 100-1 described above will be omitted.

[0051] The vaporizer 1 can generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. For example, the vaporizer 1 can be configured to include a liquid storage tank that stores the liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a wick that absorbs the stored liquid, and a liquid vaporization element that vaporizes the absorbed liquid. In this case, the liquid vaporization element can be embodied as a heating element, a vibration element that vaporizes the liquid through ultrasonic vibration, or other forms. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples. The vaporizer 1 can also be embodied in other structures. For example, the vaporizer 1 can be embodied as a structure that does not include a wick.

[0052] The aerosol generated from the vaporizer 1 can be inhaled through the user's mouth after passing through the aerosol-generating article 150. The liquid vaporizing element of the vaporizer 1 can be controlled by the control unit 120.

[0053] For the explanation of the heater unit 140, the battery 130 and the control unit 120, please refer to the explanation section of FIG.

[0054] Various types of aerosol-generating devices 100-1 to 100-3 that can be used with an aerosol-generating article 150 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Various examples of the aerosol-generating article 150 will now be described in detail with reference to Figure 4 and subsequent figures.

[0055] Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating an aerosol-generating article 150-1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 4 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of the aerosol-generating article 150-1 in the longitudinal direction, and Figure 5 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of the end of the medium portion 160. In Figure 4 and subsequent figures, arrows in the direction of dotted lines indicate the transmission of aerosol.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 4, the aerosol-generating article 150-1 may include a filter portion 170, a medium portion 160, a susceptor element 180, and an outer wrapper 190. However, Fig. 4 shows only components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will understand that the aerosol-generating article 150-1 may further include other general components in addition to the components shown in Fig. 4. Each component of the aerosol-generating article 150-1 will be described below.

[0057] The filter unit 170 is connected to the downstream end of the medium unit 160 and can filter the aerosol generated from the medium unit 160. For example, the filter unit 170 and the medium unit 160 may have a cylindrical shape and be aligned in the longitudinal direction, with the upstream end of the filter unit 170 connected to the downstream end of the medium unit 160. The filter unit 170 and the medium unit 160 may be connected by a tipping wrapper, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The aerosol that has passed through the filter unit 170 may be inhaled through the user's mouth. In this case, the downstream end of the filter unit 170 may function as a mouthpiece that comes into contact with the user's lips.

[0058] The filter unit 170 may include a filter material that has a filtering function for filtering aerosols. The filter unit 170 may further include a filter wrapper that wraps the filter material. The filter material may include, for example, cellulose acetate fiber (tow), a cellulose material (e.g., paper), activated carbon, etc., but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The filter unit 170 may also include at least one capsule (not shown). The capsule may be, for example, a spherical or cylindrical capsule that encases a liquid fragrance in a coating.

[0059] The filter unit 170 may have a single filter structure or a multiple filter structure. The filter unit 170 may also include cavities formed between multiple filter units. In some embodiments, the downstream end of the filter unit 170 may be fabricated as a recess filter. The filter unit 170 may also include a cooling unit that cools the aerosol. Thus, the detailed structure of the filter unit 170 can be varied in various ways.

[0060] Next, the medium section 160 may be located upstream of the filter section 170 and connected to the upstream end of the filter section 170. The medium section 160 can be heated by the susceptor element 180 to generate an aerosol.

[0061] The medium portion 160 may include an aerosol-forming substrate. The medium portion 160 may further include a wrapper enclosing the aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-forming substrate may include, for example, a tobacco substance. The aerosol-forming substrate may further include other substances. For example, the aerosol-forming substrate may further include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. However, the aerosol-forming substrate is not limited to these. The aerosol-forming substrate may also contain other additives, such as flavoring agents, humectants (i.e., moisturizing substances), and / or organic acids. A flavoring liquid, such as menthol, may also be added to the aerosol-forming substrate.

[0062] Next, the susceptor element 180 is an element that heats the medium portion 160 by being inductively heated by an inductor, and may be arranged to wrap at least a portion of the medium portion 160. For example, as shown in the figure, the susceptor element 180 may be arranged to wrap the entire medium portion 160. In this case, uniform heating can be achieved throughout the medium portion 160, the heating area can be maximized, and the medium portion 160 can be heated quickly. As another example, the susceptor element 180 may be arranged to wrap a portion (e.g., an upstream portion) of the medium portion 160.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 5, the susceptor elements 180 may be arranged to wrap around the medium portion 160 while forming a closed loop. For example, the susceptor elements 180 may be arranged so that both ends are connected (or in contact) with each other, or the susceptor elements 180 may have a closed loop shape (e.g., a cylindrical shape). In this case, the induced current generated in the susceptor elements 180 by induction heating can flow smoothly along the closed loop (see the arrows in FIG. 5), thereby significantly improving the heating efficiency of the susceptor elements 180. For example, the amount of heat generated by the susceptor elements 180 increases relative to the power applied to the inductor, and the medium portion 160 can be heated effectively.

[0064] For reference, since the purpose of forming a closed loop is to allow induced current to flow smoothly, if there are connecting parts at both ends of the susceptor element 180, it is preferable that the connecting parts be made of a material that allows current to pass through easily rather than an insulator.

[0065] Furthermore, when the inductor is implemented as an induction coil, the direction of the closed loop is preferably the same as the winding direction of the induction coil. In this case, the induced current can flow more efficiently through the closed loop of the susceptor element 180, thereby further increasing the heating efficiency of the susceptor element 180. The material, length, and / or thickness of the susceptor element 180 can be designed in various ways, and the specific specifications may vary depending on the embodiment.

[0066] In some embodiments, the susceptor element 180 may be made of a non-ferrous metal material that can be inductively heated. For example, the susceptor element may be made of copper, aluminum, or other materials. Such non-ferrous metal materials have a large amount of Joule heat, which can increase the amount of heat generated by the susceptor element 180 during induction heating. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the susceptor element 180 may be made of a ferrous metal material such as iron or stainless steel, or other materials that can be inductively heated.

[0067] In some embodiments, the thickness of the susceptor element 180 may be approximately 4 μm to 50 μm. Preferably, the thickness may be approximately 5 μm to 40 μm, approximately 6 μm to 30 μm, or approximately 8 μm to 20 μm. These numerical ranges can adequately ensure the durability and battery life of the susceptor element 180. For example, if the thickness of the susceptor element 180 is too thin, durability may decrease, and the susceptor element 180 may be damaged, such as torn, during the manufacturing process. Conversely, if the thickness of the susceptor element 180 is too thick, the heat capacity of the susceptor element 180 increases, increasing the amount of power consumed during induction heating, which may shorten the battery life. In addition, the diameters (or thicknesses) of the medium portion 160 and the filter portion 170 may differ (e.g., the medium portion 160 may be thicker due to the susceptor element 180), which may cause problems such as a loss of aesthetic appeal of the aerosol-generating article 150-1.

[0068] Next, the outer wrapper 190 refers to a wrapping material that wraps the susceptor element 180 from the outside. Such an outer wrapper 190 functions as a heat insulator that prevents heat from being released from the susceptor element 180 to the outside, thereby further improving the heating efficiency of the susceptor element 180. The outer wrapper 190 may be made of a porous or non-porous wrapping material, or may be made of a paper material, but is not limited thereto.

[0069] The outer wrapper 190 may correspond to individual wrappers such as the wrapper of the medium portion 160, the filter wrapper enclosing the filter portion 170, and the tipping wrapper, or may refer to the wrapper of the aerosol-generating article 150-1 that includes all of the individual wrappers.

[0070] Meanwhile, the length, thickness, diameter, and / or shape of the aerosol-generating article 150-1 can be variously designed. In some embodiments, the diameter of the aerosol-generating article 150-1 may be within a range of approximately 4 mm to 9 mm, and the length may be approximately 45 mm to 50 mm. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples.

[0071] The aerosol-generating article 150-1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. According to the above-described embodiment, the susceptor element 180 may be incorporated into the aerosol-generating article 150-1 in a wrapper shape. In this case, heat generated from the susceptor element 180 by induction heating is directly transferred to the medium portion 160, significantly improving heating efficiency and thereby enhancing the flavor of the aerosol-generating article 150-1. Furthermore, the aerosol-generating device (e.g., 100-1) used with the aerosol-generating article 150-1 does not need to include a separate susceptor element, reducing design complexity and enabling further miniaturization and / or weight reduction. Furthermore, the improved heating efficiency significantly reduces the power consumption of the aerosol-generating device (e.g., 100-1). Furthermore, since the susceptor elements 180 are arranged to form a closed loop, the induced current generated from the susceptor elements 180 can flow smoothly along the closed loop, thereby further improving the heating efficiency of the susceptor elements 180.

[0072] An aerosol-generating article 150-2 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Fig. 6. For clarity of the present disclosure, the following description will omit any overlapping content with the previous embodiment and will focus on the differences.

[0073] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol-generating article 150-2 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 6, the aerosol-generating article 150-2 may further include an inner wrapper 195 disposed inside the susceptor element 180.

[0075] The inner wrapper 195 is disposed inside the susceptor element 180 to wrap at least a portion of the medium portion 160 or the aerosol-generating article 150-2, thereby preventing carbonization of the outer shell of the medium portion 160. For example, the inner wrapper 195 can effectively prevent carbonization of the outer shell of the medium portion 160 by preventing direct heat transfer from the susceptor element 180 to the outer surface of the medium portion 160. The inner wrapper 195 may be made of a porous or non-porous wrapping material, including, but not limited to, a paper material.

[0076] The aerosol-generating article 150-2 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to Fig. 6. Below, an aerosol-generating article 150-3 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 7.

[0077] 7 is a diagram illustrating an aerosol-generating article 150-3 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. In the figures following FIG. 7, an "X" indicates a magnetic field region formed around the aerosol-generating article (e.g., 150-3), and straight arrows indicate heat transfer. Furthermore, in the figures following FIG. 7, wrappers (e.g., 190, 195) other than the susceptor element 180 are omitted for ease of understanding.

[0078] 7, in this embodiment, the susceptor element 180 may be arranged in a form that forms a closed loop and wraps the remaining portion of the medium portion 160 except for the downstream portion 161 (e.g., the downstream end portion). In this case, the susceptor element 180 is inductively heated by the inductor 141, so that only the upstream portion of the medium portion 160 is heated, and an unheated region may be formed in the downstream portion 161.

[0079] The unheated region 161 can improve the filtering effect on the generated aerosol by lowering the temperature near the downstream side (e.g., near the downstream end) of the medium portion 160. Here, filtering refers not only to the partial filtration of components contained in the aerosol, but also to the inclusion of other components in the aerosol. In other words, filtering can be understood to encompass all cases in which the components in the aerosol are changed.

[0080] More specifically, some components in the aerosol may be filtered by passing through the unheated region 161, and some components contained in the unheated region 161 may be further contained in the aerosol. Therefore, the aerosol discharged to the outside of the aerosol-generating article 150-3 may have different components from the initially generated aerosol, thereby providing a different flavor than when the entire medium portion 160 is heated.

[0081] The aerosol-generating article 150-3 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to Fig. 7. According to the above-described embodiment, the susceptor element 180 is disposed in the downstream portion 161 of the medium portion 160, thereby enhancing the filtering effect on the aerosol and providing the user with a unique flavor.

[0082] An aerosol-generating article 150-4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0083] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an aerosol-generating article 150-4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] 8, in this embodiment, a plurality of susceptor elements 181, 182 may be arranged to wrap the medium portion 160. Specifically, the first susceptor element 181 may be arranged to wrap the downstream portion 162 of the medium portion 160, and the second susceptor element 182 may be arranged to wrap the upstream portion of the medium portion 160. Although FIG. 8 illustrates two susceptor elements 181, 182, this is merely for ease of understanding, and the number of susceptor elements may be three or more.

[0085] As shown in the figure, the first susceptor element 181 can form a concentrated heating region in the downstream region 162 by heating the downstream region 162 of the medium portion 160 to a temperature higher than the heating temperature of the second susceptor element 182 (i.e., by heating the downstream region 162 more strongly than the upstream region). In this case, aerosol can be generated smoothly from the early stage of smoking, improving the flavor and smoking sensation in the early stage of smoking. Furthermore, by quickly heating the downstream region 162, which determines the smoking sensation in the early stage, the preheating time of the aerosol generator (e.g., 100-1) can be shortened.

[0086] The heating temperature (or heat generation amount) of the first susceptor element 181 may be increased more than that of the second susceptor element 182 in various ways, and the specific ways may vary depending on the embodiment.

[0087] In some embodiments, a difference in heating temperature may occur due to a difference in the materials of the first susceptor element 181 and the second susceptor element 182. For example, the first susceptor element 181 may be made of a material that generates a first magnitude of Joule heat, and the second susceptor element 182 may be made of a material that generates a second magnitude of Joule heat that is smaller than the first magnitude. For example, the first susceptor element 181 may be made of a non-ferrous metal material, and the second susceptor element 182 may be made of a ferrous metal material. In this case, the downstream portion 162 of the medium portion 160 may be heated to a higher temperature than the upstream portion due to the difference in Joule heat of the materials. For example, even if the induction heating frequency (e.g., the frequency of the applied AC current or voltage) applied by the control unit 120 to the inductor 141 is the same for the two susceptors 181 and 182, the downstream portion 162 may be heated to a higher temperature than the upstream portion due to the difference in Joule heat of the materials.

[0088] In some other embodiments, a difference in heating temperature may occur depending on the wrapping configuration of the first susceptor element 181 and the second susceptor element 182. For example, the first susceptor element 181 may wrap the downstream portion 162 of the medium portion 160 while forming a closed loop, and the second susceptor element 182 may wrap the upstream portion of the medium portion 160 without forming a closed loop. In this case, due to the heating efficiency of the first susceptor element 181, the heating temperature of the first susceptor element 181 may be higher than that of the second susceptor element 182 when the same power is applied.

[0089] In some other embodiments, a difference in heating temperature may occur due to a difference in thickness between the first susceptor element 181 and the second susceptor element 182. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, assume that the first susceptor element 181 is thicker than the second susceptor element 182. In this case, when the control unit 120 applies an induction heating frequency suitable for the first susceptor element 181 to the inductor 141, the first susceptor element 181 can heat to a higher temperature than the second susceptor element 182. This phenomenon occurs due to the frequency of the induced current generated from the susceptor elements 181 and 182 and the resulting current penetration depth, and will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 10 for ease of understanding.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 10, the higher the frequency of the induced current generated by the susceptor elements (e.g., 181, 182), the thinner the current penetration depth (f HIGH , see D1), the lower the frequency, the deeper the current penetration depth can be (f LOW , D2). Therefore, when the thickness of the susceptor elements (e.g., 181, 182) is thin, it is preferable to generate a high-frequency induced current, and conversely, when the thickness of the susceptor elements (e.g., 181, 182) is thin, it is preferable to generate a low-frequency induced current. This is because when a high-frequency induced current is generated when the thickness of the susceptor elements (e.g., 181, 182) is thick, heat may be generated only on the surface, and the amount of heat generated may not be large. For reference, the frequency of the induced current generated from the susceptor elements (e.g., 181, 182) is determined by the induction heating frequency applied to the inductor 141, so the control unit 120 can control the frequency of the induced current through the induction heating frequency.

[0091] The above-described embodiment will be further described in detail with reference to FIG. 9 . When the control unit 120 applies an induction heating frequency (e.g., a low frequency) suitable for the first susceptor element 181 to the inductor 141, heat is generated throughout the entire thickness of the first susceptor element 181, which may cause the first susceptor element 181 to generate more heat than the second susceptor element 182, and the downstream portion 162 of the medium portion 160 to be heated more strongly than the upstream portion. Conversely, when the control unit 120 applies an induction heating frequency (e.g., a high frequency) suitable for the second susceptor element 182 to the inductor 141, heat is generated only on the surface of the first susceptor element 181, which may cause the second susceptor element 182 to generate more heat than the first susceptor element 181, and the downstream portion 162 of the medium portion 160 to be heated less strongly than the upstream portion. In this case, the aerosol filtering effect can be improved, as described above. However, in any case, the same induction heating frequency is applied to the inductors 141 that inductively heat the first susceptor element 181 and the second susceptor element 182, which has the advantage that the control unit 120 does not need to be equipped with multiple inductors 141 or oscillators.

[0092] In still other embodiments, a difference in heating temperature may be generated depending on the induction heating frequency applied to the first inductor that inductively heats the first susceptor element 181 and the second inductor that inductively heats the second susceptor element 182. For example, the control unit 120 may apply an induction heating frequency that is compatible with the first susceptor element 181 (e.g., a frequency that can generate an induced current having a current penetration depth similar to the thickness of the first susceptor element 181) to the first inductor, and an induction heating frequency that is incompatible with the second susceptor element 182 to the second inductor. In this case, the thicknesses of the first susceptor element 181 and the second susceptor element 182 may be the same or different. As a more specific example, when the first susceptor element 181 and the second susceptor element 182 have the same thickness, the control unit 120 can apply a first induction heating frequency suitable for the first susceptor element 181 to the first inductor and a second induction heating frequency different from the first induction heating frequency to the second inductor. In this case, the first susceptor element 181 can be heated to a higher temperature than the second susceptor element 182 due to the difference in induction heating frequency.

[0093] In still other embodiments, a difference in heating temperature between the first susceptor element 181 and the second susceptor element 182 may be generated by combining the above-described embodiments.

[0094] The aerosol-generating article 150-4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to Figures 8 to 10. According to the above-described embodiment, the downstream portion 162 of the medium portion 160 can be heated more strongly than the upstream portion by using a plurality of susceptor elements 181, 182. In this case, the smoking experience at the beginning of smoking is improved, and the preheating time of the aerosol-generating device (e.g., 100-1 to 100-3) can be shortened.

[0095] An aerosol-generating article 150-5 according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to FIG.

[0096] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an aerosol-generating article 150-5 according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0097] As shown in FIG. 11 , in this embodiment, the medium section 160 may be composed of a plurality of segments 163, 164, and a plurality of susceptor elements 183, 184 may be arranged to heat each segment 163, 164 independently. While FIG. 11 illustrates the medium section 160 as being composed of two segments 163, 164, this is merely for ease of understanding, and the medium section 160 may be composed of three or more segments. Of course, the number of susceptor elements may also be three or more. However, in such a case, the number of susceptor elements and the number of segments do not have to match (for example, when one susceptor element heats multiple segments).

[0098] Specifically, the first segment 163 located downstream of the second segment 164 may contain a tobacco substance containing nicotine. The second segment 164 located upstream of the first segment 163 may not contain a tobacco substance but may contain a moisturizing substance. Examples of moisturizing substances include glycerin and propylene glycol, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.

[0099] The second susceptor element 184, which is arranged to heat the second segment 164, can heat the second segment 164 to a temperature higher than the heating temperature of the first susceptor element 183. In this case, a concentrated heating area is formed in the second segment 164, which allows for smooth generation of a high-temperature aerosol from the moisturizing material. In addition, since the high-temperature aerosol can easily absorb nicotine components while passing through the first segment 163, the aerosol emitted through the aerosol-generating article 150-5 can contain a rich amount of nicotine components, thereby improving the smoking experience experienced by the user.

[0100] Regarding the method for making the heating temperature of the second susceptor element 184 higher than that of the first susceptor element 183, reference is made to the description of the previous embodiment.

[0101] The aerosol-generating article 150-5 according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to Fig. 11. According to the above-described embodiment, the moisturizing substance and the tobacco substance are located in different segments within the medium portion 160, and the segment 164 containing the moisturizing substance is designed to be heated strongly, thereby allowing the aerosol to contain a rich amount of nicotine. This improves the smoking experience experienced by the user.

[0102] The aerosol-generating articles 150-1 to 150-5 according to the first to fifth embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 11. For ease of understanding, the first to fifth embodiments have been described separately. However, the above-described embodiments may be combined in various ways. For example, the aerosol-generating article 150-3 according to the third embodiment may further include an inner wrapper 195. As another example, the susceptor element 180 of the aerosol-generating article 150-3 may be composed of multiple susceptor elements, each designed to heat a different portion of the medium portion 160 to a different temperature. As yet another example, the first susceptor element 181 of the aerosol-generating article 150-4 according to the fourth embodiment may be arranged to wrap the remaining downstream portion of the medium portion 160, excluding the terminal portion.

[0103] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure can be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features thereof. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. a medium portion including an aerosol-forming substrate; a susceptor element configured to wrap at least a portion of the medium portion while forming a closed loop and to heat at least a portion of the medium portion by being inductively heated; an outer wrapper wrapping at least a portion of the susceptor element; an inner wrapper disposed between the susceptor element and the medium portion and wrapping at least a portion of the medium portion, the inner wrapper being formed of a paper material; the susceptor element includes a first susceptor element wrapping a downstream portion of the medium portion and a second susceptor element wrapping an upstream portion of the medium portion; the first susceptor element has a different thickness than the second susceptor element; An induction-heated aerosol-generating article, wherein the heating temperature of the downstream portion of the medium portion heated by the first susceptor element is different from the heating temperature of the upstream portion of the medium portion heated by the second susceptor element.

2. 2. The inductively heated aerosol-generating article of claim 1, wherein the susceptor element is made of an inductively heatable non-ferrous metal material.

3. 3. The inductively heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the susceptor element has a thickness of 6 μm to 30 μm.

4. The inductively heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 , wherein the first susceptor element heats the downstream portion to a higher temperature than the upstream portion by the induction heating.

5. The downstream portion of the medium portion contains a tobacco substance, and the upstream portion of the medium portion contains a moisture-retaining material, The induction-heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 , wherein the induction heating causes the upstream portion to be heated to a higher temperature than the downstream portion by the second susceptor element.

6. a housing that defines a storage space for storing an aerosol-generating article; an inductor that generates an aerosol by inductively heating the aerosol-generating article contained in the containing space, The aerosol-generating article includes a medium portion including an aerosol-forming substrate; a susceptor element that wraps at least a portion of the medium portion while forming a closed loop; the aerosol is generated by inductively heating the susceptor element with the inductor; an outer wrapper wrapping at least a portion of the susceptor element; an inner wrapper disposed between the susceptor element and the medium portion and wrapping at least a portion of the medium portion, the inner wrapper being formed of a paper material; the susceptor element includes a first susceptor element wrapping a downstream portion of the medium portion and a second susceptor element wrapping an upstream portion of the medium portion; the first susceptor element has a different thickness than the second susceptor element; An induction heating type aerosol generator, wherein a heating temperature of the downstream portion of the medium portion heated by the first susceptor element is different from a heating temperature of the upstream portion of the medium portion heated by the second susceptor element.

7. The aerosol-generating article contained in the containing space includes the susceptor element, 7. The inductively heated aerosol generator of claim 6, wherein the inductively heated aerosol generator does not include a susceptor element that is inductively heated by the inductor.

8. a control unit that controls an induction heating frequency applied to the inductor; 8. The induction heating aerosol generation device according to claim 6, wherein the inductor inductively heats the first susceptor element and the second susceptor element at the same induction heating frequency.

9. a control unit that controls an induction heating frequency applied to the inductor; the inductor inductively heats the first susceptor element and the second susceptor element at the same induction heating frequency; and 8. The induction heating aerosol generator according to claim 6, wherein the first susceptor element is made of a material different from that of the second susceptor element.

10. a control unit that controls an induction heating frequency applied to the inductor; 8. The induction heating aerosol generation device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the inductor includes a first inductor that inductively heats the first susceptor element at a first induction heating frequency, and a second inductor that inductively heats the second susceptor element at a second induction heating frequency different from the first induction heating frequency.

Images