Aerosol generator

Abstract

The present invention discloses an aerosol generating device comprising a housing and an aerosol medium, one end of the housing is open, a receiving cavity and a heating body are disposed in the housing, the aerosol medium comprises an aerosol generating matrix segment and an aerosol extracting segment, a hollow cavity is disposed in the aerosol extracting segment, an outer wall of the aerosol extracting segment is provided with an aerosol flow guide hole and an air flow guide hole, both of which communicate with the hollow cavity, after the aerosol medium extends from the opening into the receiving cavity, the aerosol generating matrix segment is located in the heating area of ​​the heating body, the aerosol can permeate through the outer wall and end face of the aerosol generating matrix segment, the outer wall of the aerosol medium has a gap between it and the inner wall of the housing, and is sealed with the housing at the open end face, the aerosol flow guide hole is positioned in the open end face, and the air flow guide hole is positioned outside the open end face. The aerosol generating device provided by the present invention reduces the transport resistance of the aerosol and increases the amount of smoke of the aerosol generating product.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [Cross-reference to Related Applications] The present application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202110623740.0 filed on June 4, 2021, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of novel aerosol products, and more specifically, to an aerosol generating device. [Background Art]

[0003] A non-combustion heating type aerosol generating device (including heated cigarettes, low-temperature herb products, etc.) generates aerosol by heating instead of igniting an aerosol generating matrix, thereby significantly reducing the generation of harmful substances, and consumers can independently choose to start or stop aerosol generation. Currently, the working principle of common non-combustion heating type aerosol generating products is as follows: the aerosol generating matrix absorbs heat from a heat source to generate aerosol, and using air as a carrier, the aerosol generated after heating the aerosol generating matrix is filtered and delivered into the consumer's mouth.

[0004] There are basically three ways to achieve non-combustion. The first method is to replace the combustible material, the second method is to lower the temperature below the ignition point of the combustible material, and the third method is to reduce the amount of oxygen in the combustion accelerator. In the prior art, for example, the patents in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose an oxygen-deficient heating type cigarette assembly and a closed-type non-combustion heating type cigarette and assembly, respectively. The above-mentioned patents achieve aerosol generation and extraction of the aerosol generation matrix in a non-combustion heating state by sealing the aerosol generation matrix to change the airflow path and reducing the oxygen content within the region of the aerosol generation matrix. Since aerosol transport generally occurs along the axial direction of the cigarette, and the axial size of the cigarette is larger than its radial size, the problem in the above-mentioned patents is that when there is no fresh air flowing through the aerosol generation matrix, the aerosol transport resistance increases, and the amount of smoke in the aerosol-generating product decreases. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Chinese Patent Application No. 202010241328.8 [Patent Document 2] Chinese Patent Application No. 202010241686.9 [Overview of the Initiative]

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an aerosol generating apparatus that reduces the transport resistance of aerosols and increases the amount of smoke produced by the aerosol product.

[0007] In accordance with the above objectives, the present invention provides an aerosol generating apparatus comprising a housing and an aerosol medium, wherein the housing has one open end, a housing cavity is provided inside the housing, a heating element is placed inside the housing cavity, the aerosol medium comprises an aerosol generating matrix segment and an aerosol extraction segment that abut at the end face, a hollow cavity penetrating the length of the aerosol extraction segment is placed inside the aerosol extraction segment, an aerosol guide hole and an air guide hole communicating with the hollow cavity are placed on the outer wall of the aerosol extraction segment, when the aerosol medium extends into the housing cavity from the opening at the open end, the aerosol generating matrix segment is positioned within the heating region of the heating element, when the heating element is heated, the aerosol can permeate out from the outer wall and end face of the aerosol generating matrix segment, a gap is secured between the outer wall of the aerosol medium and the inner wall of the housing, and the aerosol generating matrix segment is sealed and mated with the housing at the open end face, the aerosol guide hole is positioned inside the open end face, and the air guide hole is positioned outside the open end face.

[0008] Optionally, a sealing member is provided on the open end face, which is removably and sealably attached to the outer wall of the aerosol medium when the aerosol medium extends into the containment cavity.

[0009] Optionally, the sealing member is an elastic sealing ring.

[0010] Optionally, the outer wall of the aerosol-generating matrix segment is fabricated from a permeable material.

[0011] Optionally, at least one vent is opened on the outer wall of the aerosol-generating matrix segment, allowing aerosols to permeate into the gap through the vent.

[0012] Optionally, the aerosol guide pore penetrates the aerosol extraction segment in a direction perpendicular to the length of the aerosol extraction segment, and the air guide pore penetrates the aerosol extraction segment in a direction perpendicular to the length of the aerosol extraction segment.

[0013] Optionally, the diameter of the air guide holes is greater than or equal to the diameter of the aerosol guide holes.

[0014] The number of aerosol guide holes is optional, and is greater than or equal to the number of air guide holes.

[0015] Optionally, the aerosol medium further comprises a functional filter rod segment that abuts the aerosol extraction segment at its end face.

[0016] Optionally, the heating element is mounted surrounding the inner wall of the housing, and / or mounted on the bottom surface of the housing.

[0017] The aerosol generating apparatus provided by the present invention comprises a housing and an aerosol medium, the aerosol medium extending from an opening in the housing into a containment cavity, with aerosol guide holes positioned on the inside of the open end face and air guide holes positioned on the outside of the open end face, and when a heating element heats the aerosol matrix, aerosols that permeate from the outer wall of the aerosol matrix segment diffuse along the gap between the outer wall of the aerosol medium and the inner wall of the housing and enter the hollow cavity through the aerosol guide holes, and aerosols that permeate from the end face of the aerosol matrix segment also diffuse into the hollow cavity, thereby reducing the transport resistance of the aerosols. When a consumer smokes, outside air enters the hollow cavity through the air inlet. Under the action of the Venturi effect and Bernoulli's principle, the aerosol moves directionally within the hollow cavity in a direction toward the consumer's mouth, mixing with the outside air entering the hollow cavity to form a mainstream smoke with a large amount of smoke. This increases the amount of smoke in the aerosol-generating product, and the above mainstream smoke enters the consumer's mouth through the functional filter rod segment.

[0018] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which help to understand the objects and advantages of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] [Figure 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an aerosol medium according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an aerosol medium according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an aerosol medium according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the air flow direction in an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of a heater in an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of a heater in an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of an end-inhalation aerosol generating device in the prior art. [Figure 9] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device with air intake through sidewall holes in the prior art. Description of Reference Signs: 1: housing, 2: aerosol medium, 11: accommodation cavity, 12: heater, 13: open end face, 15: sealing member, 16: bottom surface, 17: gap, 21: aerosol generating matrix segment, 22: aerosol extraction segment, 23: hollow cavity, 24: aerosol guide hole, 25: air guide hole, 26: end face, 27: vent hole, 28: functional filter rod segment. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments. In the embodiments, similar parts are indicated by similar reference numerals. It should be noted that the terms "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper" and "lower" used in the following description refer to directions in the drawings, and the terms "inner" and "outer" refer to directions toward the geometric center of a specific part and directions away from the geometric center of a specific part, respectively.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 to 7, the present invention provides an aerosol generating device comprising a housing 1 and an aerosol medium 2, wherein an opening is formed at one end of the housing 1, a receiving cavity 11 is disposed inside the housing 1, a heating element 12 is provided in the receiving cavity 11, the aerosol medium 2 comprises an aerosol-generating matrix segment 21 and an aerosol extraction segment 22 that abut against an end face 26, a hollow cavity 23 penetrating the entire length of the aerosol extraction segment 22 is disposed inside the aerosol extraction segment 22, an aerosol guiding hole 24 and an air guiding hole 25 both communicating with the hollow cavity 23 are disposed on an outer wall of the aerosol extraction segment 22. After the aerosol medium 2 extends into the receiving cavity 11 through the opening, the aerosol-generating matrix segment 21 is positioned within the heating region of the heating element 12. When the heating element 12 is heated, aerosol can permeate out from the outer wall and the end face 26 of the aerosol-generating matrix segment 21, a gap is provided between an outer wall of the aerosol medium 2 and an inner wall of the housing 1, the aerosol extraction segment 22 is sealingly fitted to the housing 1 at an open end face 13, the aerosol guiding hole 24 is located inside the open end face 13, and the air guiding hole 25 is located outside the open end face 13.

[0022] It should be noted that the aerosol generation matrix segment 21 is fully contained within the housing cavity 11, the aerosol extraction segment 22 is partially contained within the housing cavity 11, the aerosol guide hole 24 is positioned within the open end face 13 and within the housing 1, the air guide hole 25 is positioned outside the open end face 13 and outside the housing 1, the direction indicated by the arrows in the figure is the direction of aerosol or air flow, and the heating element 12 comprises a power supply and a control module, the control module communicates with the power supply to control the starting or stopping of the heating element 12. In addition, the aerosol medium 2 is detachably connected to the housing 1 to facilitate replacement of the aerosol medium 2, and the aerosol generation matrix segment 21 and the aerosol extraction segment 22 can be arranged coaxially.

[0023] The aerosol generating apparatus provided in the present invention comprises a housing 1 and an aerosol medium 2, the aerosol medium 2 extending from an opening in the housing 1 into a containment cavity 11, the aerosol guide holes 24 positioned within the open end face 13 and the air guide holes 25 positioned outside the open end face 13, and when the heating element 12 heats the aerosol matrix, aerosols that permeate from the outer wall of the aerosol matrix segment diffuse along the gap between the outer wall of the aerosol medium 2 and the inner wall of the housing 1 and enter the hollow cavity 23 through the aerosol guide holes 24, and aerosols that permeate from the end face 26 of the aerosol matrix segment also diffuse into the hollow cavity 23, thereby reducing the transport resistance of the aerosols. When a consumer smokes, outside air enters the hollow cavity 23 through the air guide holes 25. Under the action of the Venturi effect and Bernoulli's theorem, the aerosol moves within the hollow cavity 23 toward the smoker's mouth (indicated by the direction of the arrows in Figure 5), mixing with the outside air entering the hollow cavity 23 to form a mainstream smoke with a large amount of smoke, thereby increasing the smoke volume of the aerosol-generating product.

[0024] As shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, a sealing member 15 is provided on the open end face 13, and the sealing member 15 is removable and sealable on the outer wall of the aerosol medium 2 when the aerosol medium 2 extends into the containment cavity 11. It should be noted that the sealing member 15 can be removable and sealable on the open end face 13 by interlocking, interlocking, etc., and that the sealing member 15 can be sealed to the outer wall of the aerosol medium 2 by interference fit. In this embodiment, the outer wall of the aerosol medium 2 is sealed to the housing 1 at the open end face 13 via the sealing member 15, and when it is necessary to replace the sealing member 15, the sealing member 15 is removed from the open end face 13 and a new sealing member 15 is attached to the open end face 13, thereby improving the convenience of maintenance work on the aerosol generator. Specifically, the sealing member 15 is an elastic sealing ring, and sealing rings are inexpensive and readily available, reducing the manufacturing cost of the aerosol generator.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the outer wall of the aerosol generation matrix segment 21 is made of an air-permeable material. It should be noted that the air-permeable material can be high-permeability paper, nonwoven fabric, etc. The aerosol generation matrix is ​​wrapped with high-permeability paper or nonwoven fabric to form the aerosol generation matrix segment 21, and the aerosol can permeate through the high-permeability paper or nonwoven fabric into the gap between the outer wall of the aerosol medium 2 and the inner wall of the housing 1. In this embodiment, permeable materials are readily available, and the processing method of wrapping the aerosol generation matrix with permeable material to form the aerosol generation matrix segment 21 is simple and easy, thereby improving the convenience of processing and manufacturing the aerosol generation matrix segment 21 and further improving the convenience of manufacturing the aerosol generation device.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, at least one vent 27 is provided on the outer wall of the aerosol-generating matrix segment 21, allowing aerosols to pass through the vent 27 and enter the gap from there. It should be noted that multiple vents 27 can be arranged regularly or randomly along the circumferential direction of the outer wall of the aerosol-generating matrix segment 21. In this embodiment, the vents 27 increase the size of the aerosol channel through which aerosols can more easily pass from the outer wall of the aerosol-generating matrix segment 21, thereby increasing the amount of smoke in the aerosol-generating product.

[0027] As shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, the aerosol guide holes 24 extend through the aerosol extraction segment 22 in a direction perpendicular to the length of the aerosol extraction segment 22, and the air guide holes 25 extend through the aerosol extraction segment 22 in a direction perpendicular to the length of the aerosol extraction segment 22. It should be noted that there may be multiple aerosol guide holes 24, and multiple aerosol guide holes 24 may be arranged along the circumferential direction of the outer wall of the aerosol extraction segment 22. Similarly, there may be multiple air guide holes 25, and multiple air guide holes 25 may be arranged along the circumferential direction of the outer wall of the aerosol extraction segment 22. In this embodiment, both the aerosol guide holes 24 and the air guide holes 25 are through holes that are easy to process, thereby improving the convenience of processing holes in the aerosol extraction segment 22. In addition, the through holes enhance the smoothness of the airflow, improve the airflow efficiency, and further enable the aerosol generator to rapidly generate a larger amount of smoke.

[0028] As shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, in this embodiment, the diameter of the air guide hole 25 is greater than or equal to the diameter of the aerosol guide hole 24, so that when the consumer smokes, the aerosol can enter the consumer's mouth more smoothly through the hollow cavity 23, thereby improving the convenience of aerosol extraction.

[0029] In one embodiment of the present invention, the number of aerosol guide holes 24 is greater than or equal to the number of air guide holes 25, thereby reducing the transport resistance of the aerosol and further increasing the amount of smoke in the aerosol-generating product.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, the aerosol medium 2 further comprises a functional filter rod segment 28 that abuts the aerosol extraction segment 22 at its end face. It should be noted that the aerosol medium 2 may have a cylindrical structure, and that the aerosol generation matrix segment 21, the aerosol extraction segment 22, and the functional filter rod segment 28 are all arranged coaxially. In this embodiment, the functional filter rod segment 28 may be equipped with a filtration structure, a flavor substance filling and release structure, or a combination of these structures, thereby reducing the entry of harmful substances into the consumer's oral cavity and improving the consumer's comfort level.

[0031] In one embodiment of the present invention, the heating element 12 is mounted surrounding the inner wall of the housing 1, and / or mounted on the bottom surface 16 of the housing 1. It should be noted that the inner wall of the housing 1 includes the bottom inner wall of the housing 1. As shown in Figure 6, when the heating element 12 is heated circumferentially, the heating element 12 is mounted surrounding the inner wall of the housing 1. Specifically, the outer wall of the heating element 12 is mounted on the inner wall of the housing 1, a gap is left between the inner wall of the heating element 12 and the outer wall of the aerosol medium 2, and the heating element 12 heats the aerosol generation matrix segment 21 around the outer wall and end face of the aerosol generation matrix segment 21. As shown in Figure 7, when the heating element 12 is heated in the center, the heating element 12 is mounted on the bottom surface 16 of the housing 1 and inserted into the aerosol generation matrix. It should be noted that the bottom surface 16 of the housing 1 is located on the side opposite to the open end face 13 of the housing 1. In this embodiment, the applicability of the aerosol generator is improved by different mounting methods for the heating element 12.

[0032] The following describes capturing particulate matter under the same experimental conditions (suction mode, heating temperature, capture method, etc.) and using the same aerosol generation matrix (the same amount of regularly packed tobacco sheets were used in the experiment) with different airflow modes, weighing the particles, and taking the average value.

[0033] It should be noted that, as shown in Figure 8, end air intake means that air enters from the end of the aerosol generation matrix and the incoming air moves toward the consumer's mouth along with the generated aerosol, and as shown in Figure 9, side wall through-hole air intake means that air enters from the through-hole of the aerosol extraction segment and the incoming air moves toward the consumer's mouth along with the generated aerosol. The weighing of the above-mentioned particulate matter is performed by the following method. First, the smoking device is smoked in a specific mode. Next, all particulate matter in the extracted smoke is collected using a filter sheet. Finally, the collected particulate matter is weighed. The experimental results are as follows. In the prior art, the total amount of particulate matter obtained by using end air intake was 45.3 g / mg, and the total amount of particulate matter obtained by using side wall through-hole air intake was 44.9 g / mg, and the total weight of particulate matter produced by using end air intake and side wall through-hole intake was equivalent. The total weight of particulate matter produced by using the air intake method employed in one embodiment of the present invention is 68.6 g / mg, which is an increase of approximately 50% compared to the prior art. In other words, the aerosol generating device employed in the present invention increases the amount of smoke in the aerosol-generating product.

[0034] The aerosol generating apparatus provided in the present invention comprises a housing 1 and an aerosol medium 2, the aerosol medium 2 extending from an opening in the housing 1 into a containment cavity 11, with an aerosol guide hole 24 positioned within the open end face 13 and an air guide hole 25 positioned outside the open end face 13, and when the heating element 12 heats the aerosol matrix, aerosols that permeate from the outer wall of the aerosol matrix segment diffuse along the gap between the outer wall of the aerosol medium 2 and the inner wall of the housing 1, and enter the hollow cavity 23 through the aerosol guide hole 24, and aerosols that permeate from the end face 26 of the aerosol matrix segment also diffuse into the hollow cavity 23, thereby reducing the transport resistance of the aerosols. When a consumer smokes, outside air enters the hollow cavity 23 through the air guide holes 25. Under the action of the Venturi effect and Bernoulli's theorem, the aerosol moves directionally within the hollow cavity 23 toward the consumer's mouth (indicated by the arrow direction in Figure 5), mixing with the outside air entering the hollow cavity 23 to form a mainstream smoke with a large amount of smoke. This increases the amount of smoke in the aerosol-generating product, and the mainstream smoke enters the consumer's mouth through the functional filter rod segment 28.

[0035] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are intended solely to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention to them. While the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments described above, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the above embodiments can be further modified, or some technical features can be substituted for equivalent ones. It should also be noted that such modifications or substitutions do not deviate from the spirit of the corresponding technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating apparatus comprising a housing (1) and an aerosol medium (2), The housing (1) is provided with one open end, a housing cavity (11) is provided inside the housing (1), and a heating element (12) is placed inside the housing cavity (11). The aerosol medium (2) comprises an aerosol generation matrix segment (21) and an aerosol extraction segment (22) that abut at the end face (26), a hollow cavity (23) that penetrates the aerosol extraction segment (22) along the longitudinal direction of the aerosol extraction segment (22) is disposed within the aerosol extraction segment (22), and an aerosol guide hole (24) and an air guide hole (25) that communicate with both the hollow cavity (23) are disposed on the outer wall of the aerosol extraction segment (22). An aerosol generating apparatus characterized in that, when the aerosol medium (2) extends from the open end into the housing cavity (11), the aerosol generating matrix segment (21) is located within the heating region of the heating element (12), and when the heating element (12) is heated, the aerosol can permeate through the end face (26) and the outer wall of the aerosol generating matrix segment (21), a gap is provided between the outer wall of the aerosol medium (2) and the inner wall of the housing (1), the outer wall of the aerosol medium (2) is sealed and mated with the housing (1) at the open end face (13), the aerosol guide hole (24) is located inside the open end face (13), and the air guide hole (25) is located outside the open end face (13).

2. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the open end face (13) is provided with a sealing member (15) which is releasably and resealably attached to the outer wall of the aerosol medium (2) when the aerosol medium (2) extends into the containment cavity (11).

3. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the sealing member (15) is an elastic sealing ring.

4. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the outer wall of the aerosol generating matrix segment (21) is made of a permeable material.

5. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one ventilation hole (27) is provided on the outer wall of the aerosol generating matrix segment (21), and the aerosol can pass through the ventilation hole into the gap.

6. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the aerosol guide hole (24) penetrates the aerosol extraction segment (22) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol extraction segment (22), and the air guide hole (25) penetrates the aerosol extraction segment (22) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol extraction segment (22).

7. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the diameter of the air guide hole (25) is greater than or equal to the diameter of the aerosol guide hole (24).

8. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the number of aerosol guide holes (24) is equal to or greater than the number of air guide holes (25).

9. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the aerosol medium (2) further comprises a functional filter rod segment (28) that contacts the aerosol extraction segment (22) at the end face of the aerosol extraction segment (22).

10. The aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the heating element (12) is mounted surrounding the inner wall of the housing (1), and / or the heating element (12) is mounted on the bottom surface of the housing (1).

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