Heating mechanism and aerosol generating device

Abstract

The present invention provides a heating mechanism and an aerosol generating device, the heating mechanism includes a cavity, a heater, and a first end cover including an inner cylinder connected to one end of the heater and extending at least partially into the cavity, the inner cylinder having a closed end and an opposite open end, the open end of the inner cylinder for abutting against the aerosol product when the aerosol product is received in the cavity, such that a substantially closed space is formed between the closed end and the open end. The present invention can form a closed cavity in the end cover after inserting the aerosol generating product into the heating mechanism, and when the inserted aerosol generating product is heated, the closed cavity can store the aerosol generated by heating, thereby increasing the smoke density when the user smokes, and further enhancing the smoking experience of the user. Meanwhile, the closed cavity can collect condensate and residue, making the aerosol generating device easier to clean.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) The present invention claims priority to a Chinese patent application entitled "Heating Mechanism and Aerosol Generating Device," application number 202120583958.3, filed with the China Patent Office on March 19, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to the technical field of smoking articles, and more particularly to heating mechanisms and aerosol generating devices. [Background technology]

[0003] Smoking articles, such as cigarettes and cigars, produce smoke by burning tobacco during use. As an alternative to these tobacco-burning products, efforts have been made to produce products that release compounds without burning tobacco. One example of such a product is a heat-not-burn product, which releases compounds by heating a material rather than burning it.

[0004] Conventional smoking devices generally use a bottom-intake method, which results in a small negative pressure inside the cigarette when smoking, which is unfavorable for aerosol emission, resulting in a small amount of smoke and a poor smoking experience for the user. On the other hand, when components are placed below the heater, condensation or residue is likely to accumulate on the components, making it difficult to clean the smoking device and causing damage to the components. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a heating mechanism and an aerosol generating device to solve the problems of low smoke volume and poor cleaning when conventional smoking devices adopt bottom intake.

[0006] The present invention provides Cavity and a heater configured in a tubular shape extending in the axial direction of the cavity and surrounding the cavity, for heating an aerosol-generating product removably received in the cavity to generate a smoking aerosol; a first end cover connected to one end of the heater and including an inner cylinder extending at least partially into the cavity; The inner barrel has a closed end and an opposing open end, and the open end of the inner barrel provides a heating mechanism for contacting the aerosol product when the aerosol product is received in the cavity so that a substantially closed space is formed between the closed end and the open end.

[0007] The present invention provides a battery pack including a housing, a battery cell, and the heating mechanism, The present invention further provides an aerosol generating device, wherein the battery cell and the heating mechanism are both disposed within the housing.

[0008] The heating mechanism and aerosol-generating device provided by the present invention can form a closed cavity in the end cover after an aerosol-generating product is inserted into the heating mechanism, and when the inserted aerosol-generating product is heated, the closed cavity can store the aerosol generated by heating, thereby increasing the smoke density when the user smokes and further improving the user's smoking experience. Meanwhile, the closed cavity can collect condensation and residue, making the aerosol-generating device easier to clean. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] One or more embodiments are illustratively described by corresponding figures in the accompanying drawings, but these illustrative descriptions are not intended to be limiting of the embodiments, and elements / modules and steps in the drawings with the same reference numerals are intended to represent similar elements / modules and steps, and unless otherwise specified, the figures in the accompanying drawings are not meant to be drawn to scale. [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional schematic view of an aerosol generating device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged schematic view of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1 is an exploded view of an aerosol generating device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a heating mechanism in an aerosol generating device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram of a heater provided in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of a top end cover provided in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram of a bottom end cover provided in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a lower end cover provided in an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from another angle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described in more detail below in connection with the drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is described as being "fixed" to another element, it may be directly located on the other element, or there may be one or more intervening elements therebetween. When an element is described as being "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected to the other element, or there may be one or more intervening elements therebetween. The terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," and similar descriptions used herein are for illustrative purposes only.

[0011] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used in the specification of the present invention herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0012] 1 to 2 and 4, an embodiment of the present invention provides an aerosol generating device 100. The aerosol generating device 100 includes a housing, and a holder 104, a battery cell 105, a washer 106, a heat insulating sheet 107, a heating mechanism 108, a fixing plate 109, and a circuit board 110 housed in the housing.

[0013] The housing includes a main body 101, an upper cover 102, and a bottom cover 103. The main body 101 is generally tubular with both ends open, the upper cover 102 is attached to the upper end of the main body 101, and the bottom cover 103 is attached to the lower end of the main body 101, and they further form an accommodation space for accommodating a holder 104, a battery cell 105, a washer 106, a heat insulating sheet 107, a heating mechanism 108, a fixing plate 109, and a circuit board 110.

[0014] The upper cover 102 has a through-hole through which the aerosol-generating product 200 can be removably received in a cavity of a heating mechanism 108 in the housing, and the heating mechanism 108 can heat the aerosol-generating product to generate a smokable aerosol, which can be smoked by a user through the mouthpiece portion exposed through the through-hole. The aerosol-generating product 200 can be described in the prior art, and a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0015] The fixing plate 109 is fixed to the holder 104, and the fixing plate 109 and the holder 104 can divide the accommodation space within the housing into a first accommodation space and a second accommodation space that are separated from each other along the vertical direction of the aerosol generator. The heating mechanism 108 is accommodated in the first accommodation space, and the battery cell 105 is accommodated in the second accommodation space. The holder 104 has a support part 1042 extending in the vertical direction of the aerosol generator and a receiving part 1041 formed on the support part 1042. After the fixing plate 109 is fixed to the holder 104, the fixing plate and the receiving part 1041 form the first accommodation space with one end open and the other end closed, which accommodates the heating mechanism 108. The battery cell 105 is located on one side of the support part 1042 and below the receiving part 1041. It should be noted that in other examples, the fixed plate 109 may be formed integrally with the holder 104, or similarly, the storage space within the housing may be divided by one or more partitions into a first storage space and a second storage space that are isolated from each other along the vertical direction of the aerosol generating device.

[0016] The battery cell 105 supplies power for operating the aerosol generating device 100. For example, the battery cell 105 can supply power for heating the heater 1085. The battery cell 105 can also supply power necessary to operate other elements provided in the aerosol generating device 100. The battery cell 105 may be a rechargeable battery or a disposable battery. The battery cell 105 may be, but is not limited to, a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery. For example, the battery cell 105 may be a lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) battery or a lithium titanate battery.

[0017] The circuit board 110 is fixed to the support 1042. The circuit board 110 can control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 100. The circuit board 110 not only controls the operation of the battery cell 105 and the heater 1085, but also controls the operation of other elements in the aerosol generating device 100. For example, the circuit board 110 acquires temperature information of the heater 1085 sensed by a temperature sensor, and controls the power supplied from the battery cell 105 to the heater 1085 based on the information.

[0018] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the heating mechanism 108 includes a clamp 1081, an upper end cover 1082, a first seal 1083, an insulating material 1084, a heater 1085, a first insulating material 1086, an electrode connecting material 1087, a second seal 1088, a lower end cover 1089, an insulating pad 1090, a second insulating material 1091, and a sleeve 1092.

[0019] The heater 1085 generates infrared radiation to radiatively heat the aerosol-generating product 200 received in the cavity. As shown in FIG. 6, the heater 1085 It includes a main body 10851 configured in a tubular shape that extends in the axial direction of the cavity and surrounds the cavity.

[0020] Specifically, main body 10851 includes a first end, a second end, and a surface extending between the first end and the second end. Main body 10851 may be cylindrical, prismatic, or have another columnar shape. Main body 10851 is preferably cylindrical, with a cylindrical hole passing through the center of main body 10851 forming at least a portion of a cavity, the inner diameter of the hole being slightly larger than the outer diameter of aerosol forming product 200. Main body 10851 may be made from a high-temperature resistant, transparent material such as quartz glass, ceramic, or mica, or from other materials with high infrared transmittance.

[0021] Infrared electric heating coating 10852 is formed on the surface of main body 10851. Infrared electric heating coating 10852 may be formed on the outer surface of main body 10851 or on the inner surface of main body 10851. Infrared electric heating coating 10852 generates heat upon receiving electric power and further generates infrared rays of a certain wavelength, for example, far infrared rays of 8 μm to 15 μm. When the wavelength of the infrared rays matches the absorption wavelength of the aerosol-forming substrate, the infrared energy is easily absorbed by the aerosol-forming substrate.

[0022] The conductive element includes a first electrode 10853 and a second electrode 10854 spaced apart from each other on the main body 10851, and is used to supply the power to the infrared electrothermal coating 10852. In this example, the first electrode 10853 and the second electrode 10854 are both conductive coatings, which may be metal coatings or conductive tapes, etc., and the metal coatings may include silver, gold, palladium, platinum, copper, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, niobium, or alloy materials of the above metals. In this example, the first electrode 10853 and the second electrode 10854 are arranged symmetrically along the central axis of the main body 10851. The first electrode 10853 includes a coupling electrode 10853b and a strip electrode 10853a, and the second electrode 10854 includes a coupling electrode 10854b and a strip electrode 10854a, where neither the coupling electrode 10853b nor the coupling electrode 10854b contacts the infrared electrothermal coating 10852, and the strip electrodes 10853a and 10854a at least partially contact the infrared electrothermal coating 10852 to form an electrical connection. The coupling electrode 10853b and the coupling electrode 10854b are coupled to the battery cell 105 via the electrode connecting material 1087.

[0023] It should be noted that the infrared emitter composed of the infrared electrothermal coating 10852, the first electrode 10853, and the second electrode 10854 is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 6. In other examples, the infrared emitter may be formed by a thermally excited infrared emitting layer, or may be formed by a thin film structure that can be wrapped around the main body 10851. It should also be noted that in other examples, the heater 1085 is not limited to an infrared heating method, but may be resistance heating, electromagnetic heating, etc.

[0024] An upper end cover 1082 is fitted to a first end of the main body 10851, a lower end cover 1089 is fitted to a second end of the main body 10851, and a heat insulator 1084 is fitted to the main body 10851 along the radial direction of the cavity. The upper end cover 1082 and the lower end cover 1089 are made of an insulating material that is resistant to high temperatures. The heat insulator 1084 has a double pipe arranged along the radial direction of the cavity, and the space between the double pipes may be hermetically filled with gas or may be evacuated.

[0025] 7, the upper end cover 1082 includes a hollow tube 10821, a protrusion 10822 extending radially from one end of the hollow tube 10821 to the cavity, and a retaining portion 10823 extending axially from the protrusion 10822. When the upper end cover 1082 is fitted to the first end of the main body 10851, the retaining portion 10823 abuts against the outer surface of the main body 10851 to retain the first end of the main body 10851. An end of the heat insulating material 1084 can abut against the protrusion 10822. As can be seen from the figure, there are radially extending bumps on both of the two radially opposing surfaces of the retaining portion 10823, so that when the upper end cover 1082 is fitted to the first end of the main body 10851, the bumps on one surface abut against the outer surface of the main body 10851, and when the end of the insulating material 1084 abuts against the protruding portion 10822, the bumps on the other surface abut against the inner surface of the insulating material 1084.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 8, the lower end cover 1089 includes an inner cylinder 10891 and an outer cylinder 10892 , and the main body 10851 is fitted between the outer wall of the inner cylinder 10891 and the inner wall of the outer cylinder 10892 .

[0027] The inner cylinder 10891 has a closed end and an opposite open end. When the aerosol-generating product 200 is received in the cavity, the aerosol-generating product 200 abuts against the open end of the inner cylinder 10891, forming a closed cavity A between the closed end and the open end. The closed cavity A can store the heated aerosol, thereby increasing the smoke concentration when the user smokes and further enhancing the user's smoking experience. Meanwhile, the closed cavity A can collect condensate and residue, making it easier to clean the aerosol generator. When the user smokes, air flows in through the through-holes in the upper cover 102 and along the gap between the aerosol-generating product 200 and the inner surface of the main body 10851 to the bottom end of the aerosol-generating product 200, forming an airflow path. Because the inner tube 10891 has a closed end, when the lower end cover 1089 is fitted to the second end of the main body 10851, the second end of the main body 10851 is closed and the heating mechanism 108 is accommodated in the first accommodating space; in this way, the closed end of the inner tube 10891 and the accommodating section 1041 of the holder 104 increase the thermal conduction distance between the hot air in the cavity and the battery cell 105, thereby avoiding dangers such as fire and explosion due to the temperature of the battery cell 105 being too high.

[0028] As can be understood with reference to Figure 3, the position of the second end of the main body 10851 along the axial direction of the cavity may be interposed between the closed end and the open end, i.e., a portion of the closed cavity A may be located outside the heating region.

[0029] 3 and 9, the outer cylinder 10892 has a proximal end (the viewing angle of the diagram shown in FIG. 8) and a distal end. A recessed cavity B is formed along the axial direction of the cavity between the proximal end of the outer cylinder 10892 and the closed end of the inner cylinder 10891. A portion of the insulating pad 1090 is received in the recessed cavity B. The insulating pad 1090 may be made of a common insulating material, such as aerogel, and the insulating pad 1090 and the recessed cavity B are conformal. The insulating pad 1090 further prevents the temperature of the battery cell 105 from becoming too high. Furthermore, the recessed cavity B includes a plurality of spaced-apart bumps 10897 extending toward the insulating pad 1090. The insulating pad 1090 abuts against the bumps 10897. The bumps 10897 form a cavity between the insulating pad 1090 and the closed end, and the low thermal conductivity of the air in the cavity promotes thermal insulation. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, an insulating sheet 107 can be provided between the battery cell 105 and the accommodating portion 1041 to further prevent the temperature of the battery cell 105 from becoming too high. The material of the insulating sheet 107 can be referred to as the insulating pad 1090. A washer 106 is provided between the battery cell 105 and the bottom cover 103 to hold the battery cell 105 against the washer 106.

[0030] Furthermore, the outer wall of the outer cylinder 10892 has a plurality of abutment portions 10894 distributed in the circumferential direction and extending toward the thermal insulating material 1084, and the end of the outer cylinder 10892 has a protrusion portion 10896 extending in the radial direction of the cavity, and the provision of the abutment portions 10894 and the protrusion portion 10896 facilitates fitting with the thermal insulating material 1084, so that the end of the thermal insulating material 1084 can abut against the protrusion portion 10896. The inner wall of the outer cylinder 10892 further has a plurality of retaining portions 10893 distributed at intervals, and the retaining portions 10893 extend from the inner wall of the outer cylinder 10892 toward the inner cylinder 10891, and when the main body 10851 is fitted into the lower end cover 1089, the retaining portions 10893 abut against the outer surface of the main body 10851 to hold the second end of the main body 10851. The lower end cover 1089 is also provided with a circumferential stopper portion for preventing rotation of the main body 10851, and the circumferential stopper portion includes a positioning protrusion 10895 that protrudes from the lower end cover 1089 toward the main body 10851, and a positioning recess that corresponds to and engages with the positioning protrusion 10895 is opened in the tubular wall of the main body 10851. When the main body 10851 is fitted into the lower end cover 1089, the positioning protrusion 10895 is engaged with the positioning recess so as to prevent circumferential rotation of the main body 10851 relative to the lower end cover 1089. The lower end cover 1089 is also provided with a via hole for leading out the electrode connecting material 1087.

[0031] Furthermore, a first seal 1083 may be provided between the top end cover 1082 and the first end of the main body 10851, and a second seal 1088 may be provided between the bottom end cover 1089 and the second end of the main body 10851, to prevent aerosols generated inside the main body 10851 from entering the space between the outer surface of the main body 10851 and the insulating material 1084 and corroding the infrared electric heating coating 10852 and the conductive coating on the outer surface of the main body 10851, thereby improving the reliability of operation of the heater 1085. A clamp 1081 is provided on the top end cover 1082 to facilitate clamping or positioning of the aerosol-generating product 200.

[0032] After the main body 10851, upper end cover 1082, lower end cover 1089, and insulating material 1084 are assembled together, both ends of the insulating material 1084 abut against the protrusions 10822 and 10896, respectively, so that a substantially sealed closed chamber is formed between the outer surface of the main body 10851, the upper end cover 1082, the lower end cover 1089, and the insulating material 1084, and a first insulating material 1086 is provided within the closed chamber, thereby reducing the heat transfer from the heater 1085 to the outside of the aerosol generating device 100.

[0033] In this example, the first insulating material 1086 includes an aerogel layer surrounding the outer surface of the main body 10851. The aerogel layer reduces the radiative heat transfer from the heater and also reduces the air flow inside and outside the closed chamber, preventing aerogel powder from falling off. The extension length of the sealed space along the cavity axis is greater than the extension length of the aerogel layer along the cavity axis, allowing the sealed space to cover the aerogel layer, which is advantageous for thermal insulation. Furthermore, the gap extending along the cavity axis between the aerogel layer and the thermal insulation pipe ensures the expansion of the aerogel, providing excellent thermal insulation. The air in the gap further blocks heat transfer to the outside of the aerosol generator 100.

[0034] A second insulating material 1091 and a sleeve 1092 are further fitted along the radial direction of the cavity, and the description of the first insulating material 1086 can be referred to for the second insulating material 1091. After the sleeve 1092 is fitted, the heating mechanism 108 is accommodated in the first accommodation space.

[0035] It should be noted that although the specification and drawings of the present invention show preferred embodiments of the present invention, the present invention can be realized in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are not intended to impose additional restrictions on the content of the present invention, but are provided to allow a more detailed, deeper, and complete understanding of the disclosure of the present invention. Furthermore, the continued combination of the above technical features with each other to form various embodiments not listed above is considered to be within the scope of the description of the present invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art may make improvements or modifications based on the above description, and all of these improvements and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present invention.

Claims

1. Cavity and a heater configured in a tubular shape extending in the axial direction of the cavity and surrounding the cavity, for heating an aerosol-generating product removably received in the cavity to generate a smoking aerosol; a first end cover connected to one end of the heater and including an inner cylinder extending at least partially into the cavity; A heating mechanism characterized in that the inner tube has a closed end and an opposing open end, and the open end of the inner tube is adapted to abut against the aerosol-generating product when the aerosol-generating product is received in the cavity so that a substantially closed space is formed between the closed end and the open end.

2. 2. The heating mechanism of claim 1, wherein the first end cover further includes a connecting portion extending from the outer cylinder and the inner wall of the outer cylinder to the outer wall of the inner cylinder, and one end of the heater is positioned between the inner wall of the outer cylinder and the outer wall of the inner cylinder and abuts against the connecting portion.

3. 2. The heating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein one end of the heater is located between the closed end and the open end along the axial direction of the cavity.

4. the outer cylinder has a proximal end and a distal end, and a recessed cavity is formed along the cavity axis between the proximal end of the outer cylinder and the closed end of the inner cylinder; The heating mechanism of claim 2 , further comprising an insulating pad, at least a portion of the insulating pad being received in the recessed cavity.

5. 5. The heating mechanism of claim 4, wherein the recessed cavity includes a plurality of spaced apart bumps extending toward the insulating pad, the insulating pad abutting the bumps.

6. 6. The heating mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a second end cover retained on the other end of the heater.

7. 7. The heating mechanism of claim 6, further comprising an insulating material radially outside the heater, one end of the insulating material abutting the first end cover and the other end of the insulating material abutting the second end cover.

8. The heater is a subject having a surface; 10. The heating mechanism of claim 1, further comprising: an infrared emitter disposed on said surface for generating infrared radiation to radiate heating of an aerosol-forming substrate received in said cavity.

9. A heating device comprising: a housing; a battery cell; and the heating mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8; 10. The aerosol generating device, wherein the battery cell and the heating mechanism are both provided within the housing.

10. further comprising a partition disposed within the housing; the partition divides the space within the housing into a first storage space and a second storage space that are isolated from each other along the vertical direction of the aerosol generating device, 10. The aerosol generating device according to claim 9, wherein the heating mechanism is provided in the first housing space, and the battery cell is provided in the second housing space.

11. The aerosol generating device according to claim 10, further comprising a heat insulating sheet provided between the partition and the battery cell.

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