Liquid-phase inhalant type for use in surface wave atomizers, cartridge containing the same, and aerosol generating device.

Abstract

The present invention provides a liquid phase inhalant for a surface wave atomizer, the liquid phase inhalant having a viscosity of 1.0 to 120 mPa s at 20°C, comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, glycerin, and saline, the content of the glycerin being 50% by weight or more relative to the total weight of the propylene glycol, glycerin, and saline, and a cartridge and an aerosol generating device including the liquid phase inhalant.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid-phase inhalant type for use in a surface wave atomizer, a cartridge containing the same, and an aerosol generating device.

Background Art

[0002] As an alternative to compensate for the disadvantages of combustion-type cigarettes, a method of generating an aerosol by heating an aerosol generating substance in a roll-up cigarette or a cartridge, which is not a method of burning a roll-up cigarette to generate an aerosol, is widely used, and the demand for it is increasing. Therefore, active research is being conducted on heated (non-combustion) roll-up cigarettes or heated (non-combustion) aerosol generation systems.

[0003] Specifically, the aerosol generation system has a form similar to that of a conventional combustion-type cigarette, and generates a mainstream smoke containing an aerosol by heating an aerosol generating substance in a heated (non-combustion) roll-up cigarette or a cartridge through a method such as a heater or ultrasonic vibration.

[0004] Among liquid-phase aerosol generation devices, an electric heating-type aerosol generation device that boils and vaporizes a liquid phase has high heat conduction and high atomization efficiency. However, there is a possibility of transforming functional inhalation materials in the liquid phase. For example, harmful components such as aldehydes may be released by high-temperature heat, posing a great risk to health.

[0005] On the other hand, as a method of atomizing without boiling, there is an existing method of using ultrasonic waves. However, this method also has a problem that a temperature rise occurs during the process of causing vibration, and even if a cooling method is used to lower the temperature, it is difficult to continuously and stably atomize without failure using a high-viscosity liquid phase, and the atomization power consumption is large and the speed is slow, resulting in low efficiency.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need to develop a liquid-phase inhalant type, cartridge containing this type, and a liquid-phase aerosol generating device that can continuously and stably generate aerosols using a surface wave (SAW) atomizer, without the problems of temperature rise and malfunctions in high-viscosity liquid phases, while atomizing by vibration. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Therefore, in order to overcome the problems and / or limitations of the existing technologies described above, the present invention aims to provide a liquid-phase inhalant type, a cartridge containing the same, and an aerosol generating device for use in a surface wave atomizer.

[0008] However, the problems that this invention aims to solve are not limited to those mentioned above, and any further problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person with ordinary skill in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a liquid-phase inhalation type for a surface wave atomizer, The viscosity at 20℃ is 1.0 to 120 mPa·s. It comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, glycerin, and physiological saline. The present invention provides a liquid-phase inhalation type formulation characterized in that the glycerin content is 50% by weight or more relative to the total weight of the propylene glycol, glycerin, and physiological saline.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a cartridge including the liquid-phase inhalation type is provided.

[0011] According to a different aspect of the present invention, an aerosol generating apparatus is provided, comprising a cartridge containing the liquid-phase inhalant type and a control unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] By utilizing the liquid-phase inhalation formulation for use in surface wave atomizers according to one aspect of the present invention, continuous and stable atomization is possible even in a higher viscosity range, allowing the use of liquid phases with a wide viscosity range in aerosol generators. Furthermore, by using the liquid-phase inhalation formulation of the present invention, atomization can be made more abundant, facilitating lung transmission. In addition, fragrances can be mixed into the liquid-phase inhalation formulation, and functional substances (solid phase, liquid phase) can be mixed into physiological saline for inhalation.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, a cartridge and aerosol generating device, including a liquid-phase inhalant type for use in a surface wave atomizer, can atomize even high-viscosity liquid phases stably and continuously without malfunction by using vibrations without raising the temperature of the liquid phase by using surface waves.

[0014] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and should be understood to include all effects that can be inferred from the detailed description of the present invention or the configuration of the invention as described in the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows the change in viscosity (at 20°C) depending on the composition and content of the functional material (VIT B3) of a liquid-phase inhalant type for a surface wave atomizer according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the change in surface tension (at 25°C) depending on the composition and content of the functional material (VIT B3) of a liquid-phase inhalant type for a surface wave atomizer according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows the change in liquid density (at 25°C) depending on the composition and content of the functional material (VIT B3) of a liquid-phase inhalant type for a surface wave atomizer according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. However, various modifications may be made to the embodiments, and the scope of the patent application will not be limited or restricted by such embodiments. All modifications, equivalents, or substitutes to the embodiments should be understood to be included within the scope of the patent.

[0017] The terms used in the embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as “includes” or “having” indicate the presence of features, figures, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should not be understood as preemptively excluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, figures, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0018] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as those generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this embodiment belongs. Commonly used, predefined terms should be interpreted as having the meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and not as ideal or overly formal unless expressly defined herein.

[0019] Furthermore, when explaining with reference to the attached drawings, the same components will be assigned the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals used in the drawings, and redundant explanations will be omitted. In the description of embodiments, if a specific explanation of related prior art is deemed to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiment, such detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0020] In addition, when describing the components of the embodiments, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. can be used. These terms are for distinguishing the components from other components, and the essence, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by these terms.

[0021] Components including functions common to the components included in any of the embodiments will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless otherwise stated, the descriptions given in any of the embodiments are also applicable to other embodiments, and specific descriptions within the overlapping range will be omitted.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a liquid-phase inhalant type for use in a surface wave atomizer, which has a viscosity of 1.0 to 120 mPa·s at 20°C, contains one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, glycerin, and physiological saline, and the content of the glycerin is 50% by weight or more based on the total weight of the propylene glycol, glycerin, and physiological saline.

[0023] An atomizer refers to an operation of vaporizing a liquid into droplets in a gas. For example, an atomizer can be realized by an electric heater including a coil for resistive (Joule) heating, a resistive wire formed in other shapes, or a susceptor for inductive heating, and a capillary adjacent to the heater or a porous element having a wicking performance that absorbs the liquid from the liquid storage section and transports it with the electric heater.

[0024] Surface waves may propagate along the liquid surface, and the energy is mainly concentrated on the surface of the medium, and the amplitude decays exponentially with the distance from the surface inside the medium. The characteristics of surface waves can be used to generate aerosols on the liquid surface. The concentrated determination of the energy directivity can enhance the atomization efficiency and continuously and stably generate aerosols with uniform particle sizes, and is more suitable for atomizing tobacco solutions with higher viscosities than ultrasonic waves. The frequency of surface waves is usually 10 MHz to 500 MHz, which is higher than that of ultrasonic waves. Therefore, compared with ultrasonic waves, the aerosols generated by surface waves have smaller particle sizes, do not easily remain on the surface of the oral mucosa or tongue, have a stronger suction force, and have a richer, mellow and soft fragrance.

[0025] The liquid-phase inhalant type, which is an aerosol-forming formulation, may be a mixture of diol and glycerin. In the present invention, the diol may be propylene glycol. In the present invention, propylene glycol is understood as propane-1,2-diol, and glycerin is understood as propane-1,2,3-triol.

[0026] For the stable atomization of the aerosol generation device, the viscosity of the liquid-phase inhalant type is important. Usually, if the viscosity of the liquid-phase composition is 10 mPa·s or more, it is regarded as a high viscosity. When such a high-viscosity liquid-phase composition is used in an electro-heated or ultrasonic aerosol generation device, there are problems such as easy occurrence of device failures or difficulty in stable atomization generation.

[0027] The surface tension of the liquid-phase inhalant type according to an embodiment of the present invention may be 50 to 70 dyne at 25°C. When the surface tension is higher than the above range (50 to 70 dyne), the size of the liquid droplets becomes smaller. However, in order to increase the surface tension, a large amount of ethanol must be added, which is harmful to the human body and poses a danger in the process.

[0028] A liquid-phase inhalation type according to one embodiment of the present invention has a density of 0.995 to 1.164 g / cc measured after being stored at 25°C for one day.

[0029] The mass ratio of propylene glycol and glycerin in the liquid-phase inhalation type according to one embodiment of the present invention may be 1:3 to 1:5.

[0030] The ratio of propylene glycol to glycerin affects the viscosity of the liquid-phase inhalant formulation. When the mass ratio of propylene glycol to glycerin is 1:3 to 1:5, the viscosity of the liquid-phase inhalant formulation may be 1.0 to 120 mPa·s (20°C).

[0031] The mass ratio of physiological saline to glycerin in the liquid-phase inhalation type is 4:5 to 1:7, preferably 4:5 to 2:6, and the density at 25°C may be 1.125 to 1.164 g / cc.

[0032] A liquid-phase inhalation type physiological saline according to one embodiment of the present invention may contain a functional inhalation material. The functional inhalation material may be in liquid or solid form. The functional inhalation material may be present in an amount of 0 to 20% by weight relative to the physiological saline. Examples of functional inhalation materials include nicotine, caffeine, vitamins, and natural product extracts. Examples of natural extracts include rosemary, pine needles, peppermint, spearmint, coffee, pineapple, chamomile, orange, eucalyptus, thyme, geranium, jasmine, lavender, lemongrass, pine needle, clover, sage, taxol, bergamot, basil, thyme, valerian, hyssop, tea tree, myrrh, and juniper. However, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above.

[0033] A fragrance can be mixed into a liquid-phase inhalation formulation according to one embodiment of the present invention by adding propylene glycol. The fragrance may be one or more selected from the group consisting of mint, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, licorice, coriander, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, maltol, ethyl maltol, eucalyptol, acetic acid, breath freshener fragrance, bergamot oil, rosemary, geranium oil, lemon oil, orange oil, lime oil, grapefruit oil, mint oil, ginger oil, isosweet, and fruit fragrance components, and is not limited to the above-mentioned types. Under fragrance-free conditions, propylene glycol may not be included.

[0034] An aerosol generating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a cartridge containing the liquid-phase inhalant type and a control unit.

[0035] An aerosol generating device refers to a device that generates an aerosol using an aerosol generating substrate in order to generate an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. In the case of the aerosol generating device of the present invention, a liquid-phase inhalation agent is aerosolized using a surface wave atomizer.

[0036] The aforementioned cartridge may generally include a liquid phase storage section that includes a liquid phase inhalant type.

[0037] The liquid phase storage section may be cylindrical in shape with a hollow cavity, and the hollow cavity may be a suction port. The suction port can supply steam to the user.

[0038] The control unit generally includes a battery to supply power to operate the aerosol generator, a control unit to control the operation of the system, and so on. Power is supplied from the battery to activate a heater contained in the atomizer, which vaporizes the liquid supplied from the liquid phase reservoir, and the vaporized liquid is inhaled by the user.

[0039] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0040] Test Example 1: Viscosity measurement and atomization observation of liquid-phase inhalant type

[0041] The inventors measured the viscosity of the liquid-phase inhalant type at 20°C using a Brookfield viscometer. The spindle was used 0 times, the rotation speed was 4-100 rpm, and a water bath was used to maintain the temperature. The process was repeated three times, and analysis was performed by the Polymer Testing Research Institute and by the inventors themselves (mutual check). The results are shown in Table 1 and Figure 1 below.

[0042] [Table 1]

[0043] Embodiment 1 - The mass ratio of saline solution:propylene glycol (PG):glycerin (VG) is 4:1:5. This is a liquid-phase inhalation type. Embodiment 2 - A liquid-phase inhalation type formulation with a mass ratio of saline solution:propylene glycol (PG):glycerin (VG) of 2:2:6.

[0044] Embodiment 3 - A liquid-phase inhalation type formulation with a mass ratio of saline solution:propylene glycol (PG):glycerin (VG) of 1:2:7.

[0045] Comparative Example - A liquid-phase inhalation type containing only saline solution.

[0046] If the viscosity exceeds 120 mPa·s, many large droplets with a diameter of 200 μm or more may be formed. More wave energy is required to vibrate the surface of a highly viscous liquid phase, and it is presumed that this increases the irregularity of surface vibration, leading to the generation of many large droplets. These large droplets can adhere to the inner wall of the airflow tube, obstructing airflow, or be ejected outside the airflow tube, causing discomfort to smokers and hindering smooth atomization. Storage difficulties due to temperature and humidity changes may also arise.

[0047] Furthermore, to observe whether stable atomization occurs within the viscosity range, a solution was used to wet a general surface wave element used for frequency filtering in smartphones and a cigarette paper filter. As a result of atomizing the solution, it was confirmed that a uniform aerosol was continuously and stably generated within the viscosity range. Therefore, the liquid-phase inhalation type according to the present invention is capable of stable and continuous atomization up to a high viscosity region of 120 mPa·s.

[0048] Test Example 2: Observation of surface tension of liquid-phase inhalant type

[0049] To obtain the results shown in Table 2 below, measurements were taken at 25°C using a tensiometer (plate type). The results are shown in Table 2 and Figure 2 below.

[0050] [Table 2]

[0051] Test Example 3: Density Observation of Liquid Phase Inhalation Type

[0052] To measure the density of the aforementioned liquid-phase inhalant at 25°C, a fixed volume of the liquid phase was measured using a graduated cylinder, and its weight was calculated to four significant figures. The results are shown in Table 3 and Figure 3 below.

[0053] [Table 3]

[0054] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and a person with ordinary skill in the art can apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order than described, and / or the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, and other components may be combined or assembled in a different manner than described, or substituted or replaced by other components or equivalents, and still achieve appropriate results.

[0055] Therefore, other realizations, other embodiments, and those equivalent to the claims described below also fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A liquid-phase inhalation type for surface wave atomizers, At 20°C, the viscosity is 39.5 to 120 mPa·s. It contains propylene glycol, glycerin, and physiological saline. The glycerin content is 50% by weight or more relative to the total weight of propylene glycol, glycerin, and physiological saline. The mass ratio of propylene glycol to glycerin is 1:3 to 1:3.

5. A liquid-phase inhalation type characterized in that the mass ratio of the physiological saline and the glycerin is 1:3 to 1:

7.

2. The liquid-phase inhalation type according to claim 1, wherein the surface tension is 50 to 70 dyne at 25°C.

3. The liquid-phase inhalation type according to claim 1, wherein the density of the liquid-phase inhalation type at 25°C is 0.995 to 1.164 g / cc.

4. The liquid-phase inhalation type according to claim 1, characterized in that the density of the liquid-phase inhalation type at 25°C is 1.125 to 1.164 g / cc.

5. The liquid-phase inhalation type according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid-phase inhalation type further comprises one or more functional inhalation materials selected from the group consisting of nicotine, caffeine, vitamins, and natural product extracts.

6. The liquid-phase inhalation type according to claim 5, characterized in that the functional inhalation material is contained in an amount of 0 to 20% by weight relative to the physiological saline.

7. The liquid-phase inhalation type according to claim 6, wherein the aforementioned natural product extract material comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of rosemary, pine needle, peppermint, spearmint, coffee, pineapple, chamomile, orange, eucalyptus, thyme, geranium, jasmine, lavender, lemongrass, pine needle, clover, sage, taxol, bergamot, basil, thyme, valerian, hyssop, tea tree, myrrh, and juniper.

8. The liquid-phase inhalation type according to claim 1, wherein the liquid-phase inhalation type further comprises a fragrance.

9. The liquid-phase inhalation formulation according to claim 8, wherein the fragrance is one or more selected from the group consisting of mint, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, licorice, coriander, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, maltol, ethyl maltol, eucalyptol, acetic acid, breath freshener fragrance, bergamot oil, rosemary, geranium oil, lemon oil, orange oil, lime oil, grapefruit oil, mint oil, ginger oil, isosweet, and fruit fragrance components.

10. A cartridge comprising a liquid-phase inhalation type according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A cartridge comprising a liquid-phase inhalation type according to any one of claims 1 to 9, Control unit and Aerosol generating device, including...

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