Heating assembly and aerosol-generating device

Abstract

The present application discloses a heating assembly and an aerosol-generating device. The heating assembly comprises: a heating tube, used for accommodating an aerosol-generating product and heating the aerosol-generating product to generate an aerosol, wherein the heating tube has a first end and a second end arranged opposite to each other in the length direction of the heating tube, and the first end is open to receive the aerosol-generating product; and a heating element, provided on the outer surface of the heating tube by means of thick-film printing, and constructed into a mesh structure having apertures. The heating tube comprises a first heating section and a second heating section, the first heating section is adjacent to the first end, the first heating section has a first extension length, the second heating section has a second extension length, the first extension length is less than the second extension length, and the temperature rise rate of the first heating section is greater than that of the second heating section. In this way, the puffing sensation at a user's first puff can be improved.

Description

Heating components and aerosol generating device

[0001]

[0002] [Cross-reference to related applications]

[0003] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202422775032.0, filed on November 14, 2024, entitled “Heating Component and Aerosol Generating Apparatus”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0004]

[0005]

[0006] [Technical Field]

[0007] This application relates to the field of aerosol technology, and more particularly to a heating component and aerosol generating device for heating aerosol products to generate aerosols.

[0008] [Background Technology]

[0009] Traditional tobacco products (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, etc.) produce tobacco smoke through combustion during use. Existing technologies offer alternatives to these traditional tobacco products by releasing compounds through heating without combustion. Examples of such products include aerosol generating devices, which typically include a heating element and a power supply element. The power supply element provides power to the heating element, which heats the aerosol product, causing at least a portion of the active material in the aerosol product to evaporate or atomize, thus generating an aerosol. The aerosol product can be solid tobacco or a non-tobacco filler, such as a cigarette stick.

[0010] The heating components of such devices typically include a heating tube and a heating element arranged on the outer surface of the heating tube. The heating tube is used to contain the aerosol-generating product, and the heat generated by the heating element can then be transferred to the aerosol-generating product through the heating tube, thereby heating the aerosol-generating product. However, this heating method can easily lead to a poor taste for the user's first puff.

[0011] [Application Content]

[0012] This application provides a heating component to solve the technical problem of poor taste during the first puff for users.

[0013] At least one embodiment of this application provides a heating assembly, including:

[0014] A heating tube for containing an aerosol generating article and heating the aerosol generating article to generate an aerosol, the heating tube having a first end and a second end disposed opposite to each other along its length, the first end being open to receive the aerosol generating article.

[0015] The heating element has a thick film printed on the outer surface of the heating tube, and the heating element is constructed as a mesh structure with holes;

[0016] The heating tube includes a first heating section and a second heating section distributed sequentially along its length. The first heating section is adjacent to the first end. The first heating section has a first extension length extending along the length direction of the heating tube. The second heating section has a second extension length extending along the length direction of the heating tube. The first extension length is less than the second extension length, and the temperature rise rate of the first heating section is greater than the temperature rise rate of the second heating section.

[0017] In one embodiment, the density of the mesh in the first heating section is greater than the density in the second heating section.

[0018] In one embodiment, the heating element includes a first conductive track extending along the length of the heating tube and a second conductive track extending along the circumferential direction of the heating tube, and the mesh is defined by the first conductive track and the second conductive track.

[0019] In one embodiment, the first heating section and the second heating section are configured to be heated independently.

[0020] In one embodiment, the first heating section is configured to be heated preferentially over the second heating section.

[0021] In one embodiment, the resistance values ​​of the first heating section and the second heating section are equal.

[0022] In one embodiment, the heating tube has an extension length of 30 mm to 40 mm, and the first extension length accounts for 20% to 40% of the extension length of the heating tube.

[0023] In one embodiment, the ratio between the first extension length and the second extension length is 3:7.

[0024] In one embodiment, the second heating section includes a first part and a second part distributed sequentially along the length of the heating tube, the second part being adjacent to the second end, and the temperature rise rate of the second part being greater than that of the first part.

[0025] In one embodiment, the extension length of the second portion is greater than the extension length of the first portion.

[0026] In one embodiment, the heating tube is made of ferritic stainless steel, and the heating element is made of silver-palladium paste.

[0027] At least one embodiment of this application also provides an aerosol generating apparatus, including the heating component described in the above embodiments, and a power supply unit for providing electrical energy to the heating component.

[0028] The heating assembly provided in the above embodiments, by printing heating elements on the outer surface of the heating tube, the heating elements are configured such that the heating tube has a first heating section and a second heating section extending along the length direction, and the first extension length of the first heating section is less than the second extension length of the second heating section, but the temperature rise rate of the first heating section is greater than the temperature rise rate of the second heating section, thereby enabling the temperature of the first heating section to rise rapidly, thereby increasing the aerosol generation rate during the first inhalation, and also reducing the aerosol temperature during the first inhalation, thereby improving the inhalation experience for the user during the first inhalation.

[0029] [Attached Image Description]

[0030] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements having the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an aerosol generating device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 2 is an exploded view of the heating component of the aerosol generating device in Figure 1 from one perspective;

[0033] Figure 3 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the heating component of the aerosol generating device in Figure 1 in one direction;

[0034] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a heating assembly provided in another embodiment of this application in one direction;

[0035] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a heating assembly provided in another embodiment of this application in one direction;

[0036] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a heating assembly provided in another embodiment of this application in one direction;

[0037] Figure 7 is a perspective view of a heating assembly provided in another embodiment of this application in one direction;

[0038]

Detailed Implementation Methods

[0039] To facilitate understanding of this application, a more detailed description is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is described as being "fixed to" or "attached to" another element, it can be directly on the other element, or one or more intermediate elements may exist between them. When an element is described as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or one or more intermediate elements may exist between them. The terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," and similar expressions used in this specification are for illustrative purposes only.

[0040] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0041] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of this application described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0042] In the embodiments of this application, "installation" includes fixing or restricting a component or device to a specific position or place by means of welding, screwing, snapping, bonding, etc. The component or device may remain stationary in the specific position or place or may move within a limited range. After the component or device is fixed or restricted to the specific position or place, it may or may not be disassembled. This application does not impose any restrictions.

[0043] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0044] One embodiment of this application provides an aerosol generating device 100, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The aerosol generating device 100 includes a power supply unit 10, a main board 20, and a heating component 30. A controller for the aerosol generating device 100 is disposed on the main board 20. The power supply unit 10 and the heating component 30 are electrically connected to the controller, thereby the controller can control the power supply unit 10 to provide electrical energy to the heating component 30. The power supply unit 10 can be a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery cell.

[0045] The heating assembly 30 includes a heating tube 31 and a heating element 32 disposed on the outer surface of the heating tube 31. The heating element 32 is made of a thick-film resistive heating material, which can be printed on the outer surface of the heating tube 31 by thick-film printing. The heating tube 31 is hollow to define a receiving chamber 313 for receiving the aerosol generating article 200. The heating tube 31 has a first end 3a2 and a second end 3a3 disposed opposite to each other along its length. The first end 3a2 is provided with an opening 326 for the aerosol generating article 200 to enter into the heating tube 31. That is, the heating tube 31 can receive the aerosol generating article 200 through the opening 326 of the first end 3a2. When the aerosol generating product 200 is contained in the containment chamber 313, the heat generated by the heating element 32 can be transferred to the heating tube 31, which in turn heats the aerosol generating product 200 inside. The active substances filled inside the aerosol generating product 200 will volatilize when heated to generate aerosol, which can be inhaled by the user by inhaling it from the aerosol generating product 200.

[0046] Please refer to Figure 1. The aerosol generating device 100 also includes an air inlet 40 for external air to enter, and an airflow channel 50 in fluid communication with the air inlet 40. The airflow channel 50 is connected to the receiving chamber 313. When the user inhales on the aerosol generating product 200, external air enters the aerosol generating device 100 through the air inlet 40, then enters the receiving chamber 313 along the airflow channel 50, and finally enters the aerosol generating product 200, carrying the aerosol generated in the aerosol generating product 200 out for the user to inhale.

[0047] The aerosol-generating article 200 preferably uses a tobacco-containing material from which volatile compounds are released upon heating; or it may be a non-tobacco material suitable for electric heating and smoke generation after heating. The aerosol-generating article 200 preferably uses a solid matrix, which may include one or more of the following: vanilla leaves, tobacco leaves, homogenized tobacco, expanded tobacco, powder, granules, fragments, strips, or sheets; or the solid matrix may contain additional tobacco or non-tobacco volatile aroma compounds to be released when the matrix is ​​heated.

[0048] As shown in Figure 1, the heating element 32 is configured such that the heating tube 31 is sequentially distributed along its length direction, with a first heating section 311 and a second heating section 312 having different heating efficiencies. The first heating section 311 has a first extension length extending along the length direction of the heating tube 31, and the second heating section 312 has a second extension length extending along the length direction of the heating tube 31. The first heating section 311 is disposed adjacent to the first end 3a2, and the first extension length is less than the second extension length, but the heating efficiency of the first heating section 311 is greater than the heating efficiency of the second heating section 312, that is, the temperature rise rate of the first heating section 311 is greater than the temperature rise rate of the second heating section 312.

[0049] Therefore, when the aerosol generating article 200 is housed in the housing chamber 313, the upper portion of the aerosol generating article 200 is located in the first heating section 311, while the majority of the remaining portion is located in the second heating section 312. Consequently, the amount of tobacco or non-tobacco solid matrix in the first heating section 311 is less than that in the second heating section 312. Since the heating efficiency of the first heating section 311 is greater than that of the second heating section 312, the upper portion in the first heating section 311 can be rapidly heated to its volatilization temperature to generate aerosol. Furthermore, because the amount of heated tobacco or non-tobacco fixed matrix in the first heating section 311 is also less, the corresponding moisture content is also lower, and the generated aerosol temperature will not be excessively high. Therefore, this method can increase the aerosol generation rate during the first puff and reduce the aerosol temperature during the first puff, thereby improving the user's vaping experience during the first puff.

[0050] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the heating element 32 is configured as a mesh structure with mesh openings 321. The heating element 32 includes a dense region 322 with a high mesh opening density and a sparse region 323 with a low mesh opening density. The dense region 322 is arranged on the outer surface of the first heating section 311, while the sparse region 323 is arranged on the outer surface of the second heating section 312. Since the mesh openings 321 on the first heating section 311 are denser than the mesh openings 321 on the second heating section 312, the temperature rise rate of the first heating section 311 can be greater than the temperature rise rate of the second heating section 312.

[0051] It should be noted that since the heating element 32 is made of thick-film printed resistive heating material, setting the heating element 32 into a mesh structure with holes 321 can increase the resistance of the heating element 32, thereby improving the heating efficiency. Furthermore, by setting the heating element 32 with mesh holes 321, the resistance can be adjusted by changing the aperture and number of the mesh holes 321, so as to control the heating efficiency of the first heating section 311 to be greater than that of the second heating section 312.

[0052] In some embodiments, the heating element 32 uses a silver-palladium paste as the heating paste in thick film printing, while the heating tube 31 is made of ferritic stainless steel. This gives the heating tube 31 better high-temperature resistance and also matches the coefficient of thermal expansion of the silver-palladium paste. It is easy to understand that the heating tube 31 can also be made of ceramic or other metals, and the heating paste can be one of base metal pastes such as iron, copper, nickel, aluminum, lead, zinc, tin, or tungsten.

[0053] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3, the heating element 32 includes a first conductive track 324 extending along the length direction of the heating tube 31 and a second conductive track 325 extending along the circumferential direction of the heating tube 31. The mesh 321 is defined by the first conductive track 324 and the second conductive track 325, so that the mesh 321 presents an approximately square hole as shown in FIG2 or FIG3. This method can make the heat distribution of the first heating section 311 and the second heating section 312 more uniform.

[0054] Furthermore, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG3, the extension length of the first conductive trajectory 324 of the mesh 321 located in the first heating section 311 is less than the extension length of the second conductive trajectory 325, while the extension length of the first conductive trajectory 324 of the mesh 321 located in the second heating section 312 is greater than the extension length of the second conductive trajectory 325, thereby making the density of the mesh 321 in the first heating section 311 greater than the density of the mesh 321 in the second heating section 312.

[0055] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cross-sectional area of ​​the first conductive trace 324 and / or the second conductive trace 325 in the first heating section 311 is correspondingly smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the first conductive trace 324 and / or the second conductive trace 325 in the second heating section 312, and thus according to the resistance calculation formula:

[0056] R = ρL / S,

[0057] Where ρ is resistivity, L is the length of the conductor, and S is the cross-sectional area of ​​the conductor. The smaller the cross-sectional area S, the greater the resistance R. In this embodiment, since the cross-sectional areas of the first conductive trace 324 and / or the second conductive trace 325 in the first heating section 311 are correspondingly smaller than those of the first conductive trace 324 and / or the second conductive trace 325 in the second heating section 312, the resistance value of the first heating section 311 can be greater than that of the second heating section 312, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the first heating section 311.

[0058] In some embodiments, the first conductive trace 324 and the second conductive trace 325 are substantially perpendicular to each other.

[0059] In some embodiments, for each mesh 321, the cross-sectional area of ​​the first conductive track 324 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the second conductive track 325, thereby allowing more current to flow along the second conductive track 325.

[0060] Alternatively, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG4, the heating element 32 only needs to be provided with a second conductive track 325. The heating element 32 has a first electrode 32a and a second electrode 32b extending along the length direction of the heating tube 31 and arranged opposite to each other. The second conductive track 325 extends between the first electrode 32a and the second electrode 32b, and then the adjacent two second conductive tracks 325 and the first electrode 32a and the second electrode 32b define and form an elongated mesh 321 extending along the circumferential direction of the heating tube 31.

[0061] In some embodiments, the first heating section 311 and the second heating section 312 are configured for independent heating, meaning that the first heating section 311 and the second heating section 312 are powered separately. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the dense region 322 of the heating element 32 has an independent first electrode 3221, while the sparse region 323 has an independent second electrode 3231. Therefore, the power supply unit 10 can independently supply power to the dense region 322 and the sparse region 323 to control the temperature of the first heating section 311 and the second heating section 312. Preferably, the first heating section 311 is configured to heat preferentially over the second heating section 312. When the first heating section 311 is heating, the second heating section 312 has not yet started heating. Heat is gradually transferred from the first heating section 311 to the second heating section 312 to avoid the temperature of the first heating section 311 becoming too high, which is beneficial for improving the sucking sensation during the first puff.

[0062] Of course, in some embodiments, the dense region 322 and the sparse region 323 can also be heated simultaneously, that is, the heating element 32 has only one pair of electrodes, and the power supply unit 10 supplies power to the heating element 32 through this pair of electrodes. The first heating section 311 and the second heating section 312 can be connected in series or in parallel, so that the first heating section 311 and the second heating section 312 can be heated simultaneously.

[0063] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG5, the heating element 32 includes a first electrode 32a and a second electrode 32b extending circumferentially along the heating tube 31 and disposed opposite to each other, with a dense region 322 and a sparse region 323 disposed between the first electrode 32a and the second electrode 32b. Alternatively, as shown in FIG6, the heating element 32 includes electrodes 32c extending axially along the heating tube 31 and disposed opposite to each other, with a dense region 322 and a sparse region 323 disposed between the two electrodes 32c. By using the configurations in FIG5 and 6, the dense region 322 and the sparse region 323 can be heated simultaneously.

[0064] In some embodiments, when the first heating section 311 and the second heating section 312 are configured to heat independently, and when the heating element 32 is heated by resistance heating, the resistance values ​​of the first heating section 311 and the second heating section 312 are equal to facilitate temperature control of the heating element 32.

[0065] In some embodiments, the heating tube 31 has an extension length of 30 mm to 40 mm. In this case, the first heating section 311 is configured to occupy 20% to 40% of the extension length of the heating tube 31, and correspondingly, the second heating section 312 occupies 80% to 60% of the extension length of the heating tube 31. Furthermore, when the aerosol generating article 200 of suitable length is housed in the heating tube 31, the taste of the user's first puff can be further improved.

[0066] In a preferred embodiment, the first heating section 311 occupies 30% of the extension length of the heating tube 31, while the second heating section 312 occupies 70% of the extension length of the heating tube 31, that is, the ratio of the first extension length of the first heating section 311 to the second extension length of the second heating section 312 is 3:7.

[0067] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG7, the second heating section 312 includes a first part 3121 and a second part 3122 distributed sequentially along the length of the heating tube 31. The second part 3122 is adjacent to the second end 3a3 of the heating tube 31, and the heating efficiency of the second part 3122 is greater than that of the first part 3121. That is, the density of the mesh 321 arranged on the second part 3122 is greater than that of the mesh 321 arranged on the first part 3121, thereby making the temperature rise rate of the second part 3122 greater than that of the first part 3121.

[0068] Furthermore, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG7, the extension length of the second portion 3122 is greater than the extension length of the first portion 3121 along the length direction of the heating tube 31, which is also beneficial to improving the taste of the user's first puff.

[0069] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and not to limit them; under the concept of this application, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of this application as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity; although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A heating assembly, characterized in that, include: A heating tube for containing an aerosol generating article and heating the aerosol generating article to generate an aerosol, the heating tube having a first end and a second end disposed opposite to each other along its length, the first end being open to receive the aerosol generating article. The heating element has a thick film printed on the outer surface of the heating tube, and the heating element is constructed as a mesh structure with holes; The heating tube includes a first heating section and a second heating section distributed sequentially along its length. The first heating section is adjacent to the first end. The first heating section has a first extension length extending along the length direction of the heating tube. The second heating section has a second extension length extending along the length direction of the heating tube. The first extension length is less than the second extension length, and the temperature rise rate of the first heating section is greater than the temperature rise rate of the second heating section.

2. The heating assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The density of the mesh in the first heating zone is greater than that in the second heating zone.

3. The heating assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating element includes a first conductive track extending along the length of the heating tube and a second conductive track extending along the circumferential direction of the heating tube, and the mesh is formed by the first conductive track and the second conductive track.

4. The heating assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first heating section and the second heating section are configured to be heated independently.

5. The heating assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first heating section is configured to be heated preferentially over the second heating section.

6. The heating assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The resistance values ​​of the first heating section and the second heating section are equal.

7. The heating assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating element has an extension length of 30mm to 40mm, and the first extension length accounts for 20% to 40% of the extension length of the heating element.

8. The heating assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, The ratio between the first extension length and the second extension length is 3:

7.

9. The heating assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second heating section includes a first part and a second part distributed sequentially along the length of the heating tube. The second part is adjacent to the second end, and the temperature rise rate of the second part is greater than that of the first part.

10. The heating assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that, The extension length of the second part is greater than the extension length of the first part.

11. The heating assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating tube is made of ferritic stainless steel, and the heating element is made of silver-palladium paste.

12. An aerosol generating device, characterized in that, It includes the heating assembly as described in any one of claims 1-11, and a power supply unit for providing electrical energy to the heating assembly.

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