Heater and heating atomizer

Abstract

The heater (10) is a heating assembly including a central tube (100), a first electrode (200), and a second electrode (300), the central tube (100) being made of an insulating material and having a cavity (150), the first electrode (200) and the second electrode (300) both being provided on the central tube (100), a heating assembly (11) capable of generating a plasma arc between the first electrode (200) and the second electrode (300) within the cavity (150) of the central tube (100), and an outer sleeve (12) fitted around the heating assembly (11) and configured to contact the atomization medium.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of heating atomization devices, and more particularly to heaters and heating atomization devices including such heaters.

Background Art

[0002] Heating atomization devices are typically used to heat a solid atomization medium, atomizing the atomization medium in a heating and non-combustion manner to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user. Conventional heaters of heating atomization devices typically heat and atomize the atomization medium in a resistance heating or electromagnetic induction heating mode. However, the above heating modes generally have the drawback of a long preheating waiting time, which affects the heating rate of the atomization medium.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this application is how to improve the heating rate of the heater.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] The heater is a heating assembly including a central tube, a first electrode, and a second electrode, wherein the central tube is made of an insulating material and has a cavity, and the first electrode and the second electrode are both provided on the central tube, and it is possible to generate a plasma arc in the cavity of the central tube between the first electrode and the second electrode, and an outer sleeve externally fitted to the heating assembly and configured to contact the atomization medium.

[0005] The heating atomization device includes the heater according to any one of the above.

[0006] Details of one or more embodiments of the present invention are described in the following drawings and description. Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification, drawings, and claims. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] One or more drawings can be referenced to better depict and illustrate embodiments and / or examples of the inventions disclosed herein. Any additional details or examples used to illustrate the drawings should not be construed as limiting the scope of any of the disclosed inventions, the embodiments and / or examples currently depicted, or the best mode of these inventions as currently understood.

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the heater according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a plan cross-sectional view of the heater shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective cross-sectional view of the heater. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the heater according to the first embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] To facilitate understanding of the present application, the present application will be described more comprehensively below with reference to the relevant drawings. The drawings show preferred embodiments of the present application. However, the present application can be realized in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to provide a more complete and comprehensive understanding of the disclosure of the present application.

[0010] When an element is said to be "fixed" to another element, that element may be directly on the other element, or an intervening element may exist between them. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, that element may be directly connected to the other element, or an intervening element may exist simultaneously between them. The terms "inside," "outside," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent only one embodiment.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, a heating atomizer according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a power supply and a heater 10, the heater 10 being inserted into the atomizing medium, the power supply supplying power to the heater 10 so that the heater 10 converts electrical energy into thermal energy, and finally the atomizing medium absorbing the heat from the heater 10 and atomizing to generate an aerosol. The heater 10 includes a heating assembly 11 and an outer sleeve 12, the outer sleeve 12 being fitted onto the heating assembly 11, and the outer sleeve 12 being in direct contact with the atomizing medium when the heater 10 is inserted into the atomizing medium. The heating assembly 11 includes a central tube 100, a first electrode 200 and a second electrode 300, and when both electrodes of the power supply supply power to the first electrode 200 and the second electrode 300 respectively, a plasma arc is generated between the first electrode 200 and the second electrode 300, the plasma arc is located inside the central tube 100, and the heat generated by the plasma arc is transferred to the atomizing medium by radiation.

[0012] In some embodiments, the central tube 100 may be substantially circular, and its cross-section is circular. Of course, the cross-section of the central tube 100 may also be elliptical or a regular polygon. The central tube 100 has a top surface 120, a bottom surface 130, and a side surface 110. The top surface 120 and the bottom surface 130 may be planes extending perpendicularly in the axial direction of the central tube 100 and provided horizontally, while the side surface 110 is a vertical surface extending in the axial direction of the central tube 100. The top surface 120 and the bottom surface 130 may also be understood as two end faces in the axial direction of the central tube 100, and the top surface 120 and the bottom surface 130 are connected to opposite ends of the side surface 110, and the side surface 110 surrounds the edges of the top surface 120 and the bottom surface 130. The central tube 100 has a cavity 150 inside that extends along its axial direction, and the cavity 150 penetrates both the top surface 120 and the bottom surface 130 simultaneously, and obviously the cavity 150 has openings 140 at both the top surface 120 and the bottom surface 130. The central tube 100 is made of an insulating material and has high heat resistance, for example, the central tube 100 is made of a dense ceramic material containing sodium oxide and / or zirconium oxide, so the central tube 100 has high insulating properties and structural strength. The thickness of the tube wall of the central tube 100 is 0.4 mm to 1 mm, for example, the thickness of the tube wall may be 0.4 mm to 0.6 mm, and the specific value of the tube wall thickness may be 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm or 0.6 mm, and this installation can effectively prevent the plasma arc from destroying the tube wall of the central tube 100. The inner diameter of the central tube 100 is 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm, and the specific value of the inner diameter of the central tube 100 may be 0.3 mm, 0.6 mm, or 0.8 mm, etc. This allows for a reasonable reduction in the overall outer diameter of the central tube 100 and the heater 10, thereby enabling miniaturization of the heater 10.

[0013] In some embodiments, the second electrode 300 has a substantially columnar structure, and a portion of the second electrode 300 is inserted into the cavity 150 through an opening 140 at the bottom surface 130 of the central tube 100, thereby providing the second electrode 300 penetrating into the cavity 150. The second electrode 300 may be made of a heat-resistant conductive material, for example, copper, tungsten and its alloys, carbon fiber, etc. The outer diameter of the portion of the second electrode 300 located inside the cavity 150 may be 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm, for example, its outer diameter may be 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, or 0.5 mm.

[0014] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, in some embodiments, the first electrode 200 includes a first coating portion 210 and a second coating portion 220, the first coating portion 210 and the second coating portion 220 may be manufactured from the same material, for example, from an infrared semiconductor material such as silicon carbide, thereby giving the first coating portion 210 and the second coating portion 220 infrared radiation properties, and further, causing the heat of the first coating portion 210 and the second coating portion 220 to radiate to the outside by infrared radiation. The first coating portion 210 and the second coating portion 220 may be attached to the central tube 100 by coating, the first coating portion 210 may be attached to the side circumferential surface 110, the second coating portion 220 may be attached to the top surface 120, and the second coating portion 220 may cover the entire top surface 120 so as to cover the opening 140 of the top surface 120. When the power supply is applied to the first covering portion 210 and the second electrode 300, the second covering portion 220 and the first covering portion 210 are electrically connected, thereby generating a plasma arc located within the cavity 150 of the central tube 100 between the second covering portion 220 and the second electrode 300. The power supply applied to the first electrode 200 and the second electrode 300 may be 10KV to 20KV, for example, the specific voltage value may be 10KV, 15KV, or 20KV, which allows the length of the plasma arc to be 4mm to 6mm. To ensure the effective generation of the plasma arc, the distance A within the cavity 150 between the second covering portion 220 and the second electrode 300 can be made larger than the length of the plasma arc. The thickness of the second covering portion 220 may be greater than the thickness of the first covering portion 210, and the thickness of the second covering portion 220 may be understood as the length that the second covering portion 220 occupies in the axial direction of the central tube 100. For example, the thickness of the second covering portion 220 may be 0.1 mm to 1 mm, and the specific value of the thickness may be 0.1 mm, 0.5 mm, or 1 mm, etc., thereby effectively preventing the plasma arc in the cavity 150 from destroying the second covering portion 220 and preventing the plasma arc from leaking out of the cavity 150.

[0015] The first electrode 200 may further include a filling portion 230, the material used for the filling portion 230 may be the same as that used for the first coating portion 210 and the second coating portion 220, the filling portion 230 is substantially columnar and connected to the second coating portion 220, and the filling portion 230 is housed within the cavity 150. In practice, when forming the second coating portion 220 by coating, a portion of the slurry is injected into the opening 140 near the top surface 120 of the cavity 150, then another layer of slurry is applied to the top surface 120, the filling portion 230 is formed after the slurry located within the cavity 150 has solidified, and the second coating portion 220 is formed after the slurry located on the top surface 120 has solidified. By providing the filling portion 230, it is possible to further prevent the ion arc from destroying the second coating portion 220. Of course, the distance A between the filling portion 230 and the second electrode 300 within the cavity 150 is also greater than the length of the plasma arc, ensuring the effective formation of the plasma arc. Since the first coating portion 210 and the second coating portion 220 are formed by slurry application, a rounded portion 160 or a chamfered portion is provided at the end of the central tube 100 to ensure uniformity and continuity of the first coating portion 210 and the second coating portion 220, and the rounded portion 160 or chamfered portion is located between the side circumferential surface 110 and the top surface 120.

[0016] As shown in Figure 4, in some embodiments, the first covering portion 210 and the second covering portion 220 may be manufactured from different materials. The first covering portion 210 may be attached to the side surface 110 by coating, and the second covering portion 220 may be pre-processed and molded as a structural member and then fixed to the top surface 120 by adhesive or the like, thereby the second covering portion 220 covering the opening 140 of the top surface 120. The length of the second covering portion 220 in the axial direction of the central tube 100 is greater than the thickness of the first covering portion 210, and it is easy to understand that the axial length of the second covering portion 220 is greater than the thickness of the first covering portion 210, which prevents the plasma arc from destroying the second covering portion 220. Of course, such a second covering portion 220 may be connected to a columnar filling portion 230, and the filling portion 230 may be housed in the cavity 150.

[0017] Since the plasma arc is formed between the second coating portion 220 and the second electrode 300, or between the filling portion 230 and the second electrode 300, and the second coating portion 220 is located on the top surface 120 of the central tube 100 and the filling portion 230 is located in the cavity 150, it is possible to effectively prevent the second coating portion 220 and the second electrode 300 from occupying extra space in the radial direction of the central tube 100, thereby rationally reducing the overall outer diameter of the heater 10 and realizing a compact design for the heater 10. At the same time, it is advantageous to maintain a uniform temperature at each point in the circumferential direction of the heater 10, improving the uniformity of the temperature of the entire heater 10 and realizing uniform heating of the atomizing medium.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first covering portion 210 includes an internal segment 212 and an external segment 211, with the ends of the internal segment 212 and the ends of the external segment 211 connected to each other. The fact that the internal segment 212 is located inside the outer sleeve 12 and the external segment 211 is located outside the outer sleeve 12 can be understood as the internal segment 212 being covered by the outer sleeve 12 and positioned between the outer sleeve 12 and the central tube 100, while the external segment 211 being exposed outside the outer sleeve 12 without being covered. With respect to the side circumferential surface 110 of the central tube 100, the portion of the side circumferential surface 110 located inside the outer sleeve 12 is entirely covered by the internal segment 212, thereby ensuring uniformity of temperature at each point in the circumferential direction of the heater 10 and improving the overall temperature uniformity of the heater 10. The portion of the side surface 110 located outside the outer sleeve 12 is partially covered by an external segment 211, and the thickness of the external segment 211 is smaller than the thickness of the internal segment 212. In this way, a perforated structure can be formed on the external segment 211, reducing the probability that heat from the central tube 100 is transferred to the external segment 211, ensuring that as much heat from the heater 10 as possible is transferred to the atomizing medium, and improving the energy utilization rate of the heater 10. On the other hand, by providing different perforated structures, the resistivity of the entire first electrode 200 can be changed over a wide range, and the perforated structure can also be connected in series with other resistors, thereby changing the discharge characteristics of the first electrode 200, effectively controlling the intensity and shape of the plasma arc, and ultimately adjusting the heating performance of the heater 10. Furthermore, the external segment 211 is advantageous for forming an electrical connection relationship with the power supply, improving the assembly efficiency of the heater 10.

[0019] When the first electrode 200 and the second electrode 300 are energized during operation, they generate a plasma arc located within the cavity 150. The temperature of this plasma arc is high, and when the central tube 100 absorbs the heat from the plasma arc, the temperature of the central tube 100 can reach 400°C to 800°C. The heat generated by the plasma arc is radiated through the outer sleeve 12 to the atomizing medium. Because the temperature of the plasma arc is high, the preheating time of the atomizing medium can be significantly reduced to within 20 seconds, for example, to within 10 seconds. This ensures that the atomizing medium is atomized within a short time before inhalation by the user to generate an aerosol, ultimately improving the overall heating rate of the heater 10.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, in some embodiments, the heating assembly 11 further includes an infrared radiation film 400, which may simultaneously cover the first covering portion 210 and the second covering portion 220, or it may cover only the first covering portion 210. When the infrared radiation film 400 absorbs heat, the heat is radiated to the atomizing medium by infrared radiation. Taking the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the central tube 100 as the reference direction, this reference direction may be understood as the radial direction of the central tube 100, and the outer sleeve 12 and the entire heating assembly 11 have a gap B in the radial direction of the central tube 100, the width of which may be 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm, for example, the specific value of the gap B may be 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, or 0.3 mm. By providing the gap B, a non-contact relationship is formed between the outer sleeve 12 and the heating assembly 11, effectively preventing heat from the heating assembly 11 from being directly transferred to the outer sleeve 12 by contact conduction, and ensuring that the temperature of the outer sleeve 12 is lower than the temperature of the heating assembly 11. The thickness of the tube wall of the outer sleeve 12 is 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm, and the outer diameter of the outer sleeve 12 is 2.2 mm to 3.5 mm, which allows for a reasonably small outer diameter of the outer sleeve 12 and enables a miniaturized design of the heater 10. The outer sleeve 12 may be made of quartz material, which has low absorption and reflectivity for infrared rays, and therefore the outer sleeve 12 has high transmittance for infrared rays, reducing the heat of infrared rays absorbed by the outer sleeve 12, ensuring that the temperature of the outer sleeve 12 does not exceed 350°C, and ensuring that most of the heat generated by the heating assembly 11 is radiated to the atomizing medium by infrared rays. Because the atomizing medium has a high absorption rate for infrared radiation, it absorbs heat and atomizes in a short time, further improving the heating speed of the heater 10.

[0021] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features of the embodiments described above have been explained, but all of these combinations should be considered to fall within the scope described herein.

[0022] The above embodiments describe only a few embodiments of the present application, and while these descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the patent of this application. Furthermore, a person skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of this application, and these modifications and improvements fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent of this application should be based on the attached claims.

Claims

1. A heating assembly comprising a central tube, a first electrode, and a second electrode, wherein the central tube is made of an insulating material and has a cavity, the first electrode and the second electrode are both provided in the central tube, and a plasma arc can be generated between the first electrode and the second electrode, the plasma arc is located within the cavity of the central tube, and the heating assembly A heater comprising an outer sleeve fitted onto the heating assembly and configured to come into contact with an atomizing medium.

2. The heater according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode includes a first covering portion and a second covering portion connected to each other, the central tube has a side surface and a top surface, the side surface extends along the axial direction of the central tube and surrounds the top surface, the cavity has an opening in the top surface, the first covering portion is attached to the side surface, and the second covering portion is attached to the top surface and covers the opening.

3. The heater according to claim 2, characterized in that the first electrode further includes a filling portion, the filling portion is connected to the second covering portion and housed in the cavity.

4. The heater according to claim 3, characterized in that the filling portion and the second covering portion are manufactured from the same material.

5. The heater according to claim 2, characterized in that both the first covering portion and the second covering portion are manufactured from the same or different materials, and the length of the second covering portion in the axial direction of the central tube is greater than the thickness of the first covering portion.

6. The heater according to claim 2, characterized in that both the first coating portion and the second coating portion are made of an infrared semiconductor material.

7. The heater according to claim 2, wherein the first covering portion includes an internal segment and an external segment connected to each other, the internal segment is located inside the outer sleeve, the external segment is located outside the outer sleeve, the portion of the side surface located inside the outer sleeve is entirely covered by the internal segment, a portion of the portion of the side surface located outside the outer sleeve is partially covered by the external segment, and the thickness of the external segment is smaller than the thickness of the internal segment.

8. The heater according to claim 7, characterized in that the external segment is provided with a perforated structure.

9. The heater according to claim 2, further comprising an infrared emitting film, wherein the infrared emitting film covers the first covering portion or covers the first covering portion and the second covering portion.

10. The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that the second electrode is columnar and penetrates into the cavity.

11. The heater according to claim 10, characterized in that the second electrode is made of copper, tungsten, or carbon fiber material.

12. The heater according to claim 10, characterized in that the outer diameter of the portion of the second electrode located within the cavity is 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm.

13. The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross-section of the central tube is circular, and the central tube is made of a dense ceramic material containing sodium oxide or zirconium oxide.

14. The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, with the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the central tube as the reference direction, there is a gap between the outer sleeve and the heating assembly in the reference direction, and the width of the gap is 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm.

15. The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer sleeve is made of quartz material, the thickness of the tube wall of the outer sleeve is 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm, and the outer diameter of the outer sleeve is 2.2 mm to 3.5 mm.

16. The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that the thickness of the wall of the central tube is 0.4 mm to 1 mm, and the inner diameter of the central tube is 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm.

17. The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that the voltage applied to the first electrode and the second electrode is 10 kV to 20 kV.

18. The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that the length of the plasma arc is 4 mm to 6 mm, and the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode within the cavity is greater than the length of the plasma arc.

19. The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that a chamfered portion or a rounded portion is provided at the end of the central tube connected to the first electrode.

20. A heating atomizing apparatus characterized by including a heater according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

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