Aerosol generation device and method of assembling such a device

Abstract

An aerosol generating pod (100) for use with an aerosol generating device (1000) comprises: a tank (10) for storing an aerosol generating material, the tank (10) comprising a tank opening (12); and a tank wall (11) comprising a piston guide portion (13); and a filtration assembly (30) comprising a compression piston (31) actuatable along the piston guide portion (13). The compression piston (31) comprises: a piston head (311) comprising: a first main surface (314) facing to the tank (10) and a second main surface (315) opposite to the first main surface; and one or more piston head openings (313) extending between the first main surface (314) and the second main surface (315). The filtration assembly (30) further comprises a filtration membrane (33) removably and replaceably arranged on the first main surface (314) of the piston head (311). In use, the filtration assembly (30) is actuated such that a predetermined portion of the filtration assembly (30) is inserted towards the tank (10) to compress an aerosol generating material inserted in an inner volume of the tank (10).

Description

[0001] AEROSOL GENERATION DEVICE AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING SUCH A DEVICE

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to an aerosol generation device. The disclosure is particularly applicable to a portable aerosol generation device, which may be self-contained and low temperature. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to aerosol generation devices that can vaporise a liquid aerosol forming substrate.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Consumer interest in reduced-risk or modified-risk aerosol generation devices (also known as vaporisers or electronic cigarettes) has increased significantly in recent years. Vaporisers offer an aid to habitual smokers wishing to quit using traditional tobacco products such as: cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, and rolling tobacco. Traditional tobacco products bum the tobacco to produce an aerosol that the user inhales. Conversely, vaporisers generate an aerosol, or vapour, by heating an aerosol generating material. The present disclosure is directed to a type of aerosol generation device that vaporises a liquid aerosol forming substrate to generate an aerosol.

[0006] Traditionally, aerosol generation devices, or electronic cigarettes, produce the desired aerosol, but the aerosol forming substrate may also comprise non-volatile compounds that are not vaporised and are subsequently deposited on a heating element of the device. This effect, known in the art as fouling, can insulate the heating element, thereby reducing the efficiency of the heating element, and requiring a greater supply of power to achieve the same heating effect. By increasing power demand, the device may deplete its power supply more quickly than expected and may require more frequent charging operations. Alternatively, more power may not be provided to the heating element, to compensate for the insulating effect of fouling, in which case the device may become progressively less capable of producing the desired volume of aerosol. The non-volatilecompounds, or foulants, may form undesirable chemicals during heating. Ultimately, this provides an unsatisfactory experience for the user.

[0007] The fouling effect is particularly critical when an aerosol generating material comprising a solid portion is used in the aerosol generating device. The solid portion may be a plant-based particles, for example tobacco materials. The solid portion may be added as a source of an active ingredient. The solid portion may be mixed with a liquid portion, that may comprise one or more aerosol formers, to form the aerosol generating material. This way, the active ingredient may be extracted into the liquid portion. Alternatively, or additionally, the solid portion may be added to improve a user’s sensory experience. When such an aerosol generating material is employed, the aerosol generating material may be filtered before use to avoid fouling. It was found that a heater was clogged by fouling when a liquid aerosol forming substrate comprised solid tobacco pellets having a size 150 micrometers or greater.

[0008] It is therefore desirable to provide the aerosol generating device configured to avoid fouling caused by the solid portion of the aerosol generating material for improving user experience. It is therefore desirable to provide the aerosol generating device configured to separate a solid portion and a liquid portion of the aerosol generating material such that only the liquid portion of the aerosol generating material may be in contact with a heater to generate aerosol vapor. Such a device would also advantageously improve a lifetime of the aerosol generating unit (e.g., a heating element).

[0009] The present invention aims to address one or more of these issues.

[0010] SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0011] In an aspect of the invention there is provided an aerosol-generating pod for use with an aerosol-generating device. The aerosol generating pod comprises a tank for storing an aerosol generating material within an inner volume of the tank. The tank comprises a tank opening and a tank wall. The tank wall comprises a piston guide portion.The tank opening is configured to receive the aerosol generating material.

[0012] The piston guide portion may comprise a tubular section of the tank wall, extending from the tank opening toward the inner volume of the tank. The piston guide portion may have a cross-section in the form of a square, circle, or oval, but is not limited to these shapes. The piston guide portion may maintain a substantially constant cross-section along its length. The piston guide portion is oriented along a longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating pod. This way, the piston guide allows to make a piston slide therein in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating pod.

[0013] In this context, the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating pod refers to a direction oriented from a proximal end (a mouthpiece end) to a distal end (opposite to the mouthpiece end) of the aerosol generating pod, which defines a primary axis along which the components of the aerosol generating pod are aligned. The aerosol generating pod further comprise a filtration assembly actuatable relative to the tank from a first position to a second position.

[0014] The filtration assembly comprises a compression piston actuatable along the piston guide portion.

[0015] The compression piston comprises a piston head comprising: a first main surface facing to the tank and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface; and one or more piston head openings extending between the first main surface and the second main surface.

[0016] The filtration assembly further comprises a filtration membrane.

[0017] The aerosol generating pod further comprises an aerosol generating unit in fluid communication with the inner volume of the tank through the one or more piston head openings.

[0018] The aerosol generating unit may comprise a heating element, such as a resistive heating wire, coil or mesh, and a fluid transfer medium for transferring fluid, e.g., a liquid aerosol forming substrate, towards the heating element. The fluid transfer medium may be a ceramic or fibrous wick. The aerosol generating unit may comprise a liquid intake for transferring fluid from the tank to the fluid transfermedium. The aerosol generating unit may further comprise a vaporization chamber comprising a vaporization chamber outlet, the vaporization chamber outlet being in fluid communication with an air outlet of the aerosol generating pod. Alternatively, the aerosol generating unit may comprise an induction heating assembly for heating the aerosol forming substrate. Although embodiments disclosed for this invention employ the aerosol generating unit comprising a conventional resistive heater, the present invention may work with any types of aerosol generating unit having any known atomizer or vaporizer, such as a vibrating atomizer and a radiation heater.

[0019] The aerosol generating pod may comprise an airflow channel extending from an air intake, through the aerosol generating unit, to an air outlet. The airflow channel may be arranged as a central bore oriented along the longitudinal axis of the aerosol generating pod.

[0020] The filtration assembly is configured such that a predetermined portion of the filtration assembly is at most partially inserted in the tank when the filtration assembly is at the first position and the predetermined portion of the filtration assembly is fully inserted in the tank when the filtration assembly is at the second position.

[0021] The piston head may be insertable to the tank through the tank opening.

[0022] In one preferred embodiment, the piston head has a shape substantially matches to the tank opening and a cross-section of the piston guide portion, such that there is essentially no gap between the piston head and the tank wall. This way, any undesirable portion of the aerosol generating material, e.g., particulates, may not pass around the piston head when the compression piston compress toward the second position.

[0023] In this example, the piston head with the filtration membrane and the tank wall together define the inner volume of the tank. When the filtration assembly (the compression piston) is actuated from the first position towards the second position, the inner volume reduces. When the piston head touches and compresses the aerosol generating material in the inner volume of tank, the compressive stress applied to the aerosol generating material results in a portionof the aerosol generating material being extracted through the filtration membrane and transferred through the one or more piston head openings to the aerosol generating unit. Because the filtration membrane blocks particles larger than a pore size of the filtration membrane, the portion of the aerosol generating material that has passed through the filtration membrane would not contain the particulates that may cause fouling when it reaches the aerosol generating unit.

[0024] When the aerosol generating material comprises solid tobacco pellet, it was found that the tobacco pellets of 150 micrometers or greater in size tend to cause fouling at the heating element of the aerosol generating unit. For this reason, the filtration membrane preferably comprises pores of around 150 micrometers or less.

[0025] The filtration membrane is removably and replaceably arranged on the first main surface of the piston head.

[0026] In this way, the aerosol generating material may directly touch the filtration membrane arranged on the piston head during compression. This allows to prevent contamination of the piston head.

[0027] In one exemplary embodiment, the aerosol generating device may comprise a solid (or particulate) portion and a liquid portion. The solid (or particulate) portion may comprise solid tobacco particles, and the liquid portion may comprise one or more aerosol formers such as polypropylene glycol or glycerine. The tobacco particles may comprise a particle size (e.g., a volume-equivalent diameter) of about 500 micrometers or less.

[0028] In this case, the filtration membrane preferably comprises pores smaller than the tobacco particles so as to block the particles which may cause fouling at the heating element of the aerosol generating unit.

[0029] After use, the solid portion of the compressed aerosol generating material may be accumulated on the filtration membrane. A user may eliminate the solid portion of the compressed aerosol generating material simply by removing the filtration membrane. This configuration advantageously facilitates use of the aerosol generating device by eliminating need of cleaning the piston head.

[0030] In addition, the aerosol generating pod of the present invention, which employs the replaceable and removeable filtration membrane, may be preferable formanufacturing compared with the aerosol generating pod having the filtration assembly with an integrated filtration pores at the piston head. The one or more piston head openings of the filtration assembly of the present invention do not need to be smaller than the size of the particulate matter in the aerosol generating material because the piston head openings are configured to pass a portion of the aerosol generating material which has passed through the filtration membrane. This means that the one or more piston head openings of the piston head has a high tolerance in variation in their size, which would be easier to manufacture. In one exemplary embodiment, the one or more piston head openings comprise 20 elongated openings allowing a portion of the aerosol generating material after passing through the filtration membrane to flow towards the aerosol generating unit. The openings may be in the form of an oval radially arranged around the centre of the piston head. For example, the openings have a length of 0.5 mm to 4 mm, preferably around 3 mm, and a width of 0.1 to 1 mm, preferably around 0.6 mm.

[0031] It was observed that the aerosol generating material tends to leak between the tank wall and the piston head if the piston is not inserted perfectly vertically into the tank (even 1-2 degrees angle may cause the leakage). The leaked aerosol generating material contaminates the aerosol generating unit and causes the fouling. The inventors found that the leakage was advantageously suppressed in the aerosol generating device of the present invention, wherein the removable and replaceable filtration membrane is employed.

[0032] The operation of the filtration assembly is further explained as below. At the first position, the compression piston is positioned such that the consumable is essentially not compressed by the piston head. Typically, the filtration assembly at the first position is arranged such that the piston head is coupled with the tank at the tank opening. Alternatively, the piston head may be inserted further into the tank from the tank opening.

[0033] In one exemplary example, the aerosol generating material comprises a solid portion comprising particulates (e.g., pellets) of plant-based material and a liquid portion comprising, for example, one or more aerosol formers. The liquid portionof the aerosol generating material may further comprise one or more flavors and / or one or more additives.

[0034] When the filtration assembly (the compression piston) is actuated from the first position to the second position, the aerosol generating material in the inner volume of tank is compressed by the piston head. The compression by the piston head may cause the negative pressure in the aerosol generating material. The compression may allow to extract the active ingredient in the solid portion, which may be subsequently transferred into the liquid portion. The liquid portion entraining the extracts of the solid portion is at least partially pushed by the filtration membrane (the piston head) and transferred through the one or more piston head openings to the aerosol generating unit when the compression piston compresses the aerosol generating material.

[0035] In this way, only the liquid portion extracted from the aerosol generating material may be in contact with the aerosol generating unit (i.e. , the heating element) as the liquid aerosol forming precursor to be vaporized. This may lead to a reduction in, or prevent entirely, the effects of fouling which are caused by the solid portion being in contact with the heater. This in-turn may improve the efficiency of the heating element of the aerosol generating unit by preventing the solid particles from insulating the heater. This may also prevent the formation of undesirable chemicals caused by heating the solid portion. By providing a controller to control a supply of power to the heating element, the temperature of the heater may be controlled. This may also reduce, or prevent, fouling.

[0036] In some embodiment, the aerosol generating pod is configured such that the filtration assembly is fixed to the second position once it is compressed to the second position. This means that the aerosol generating pod is a single-use pod. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the aerosol generating pod may be move back toward the first position after the filtration assembly is moved to the second position. For such a configuration, the aerosol generating pod may be refillable and reuseable. After use, the solid portion of the compressed aerosol generating material may be accumulated on the filtration membrane. A user may eliminate the solid portion of the compressed aerosol generating material simply by removing the filtration membrane.According to some embodiments, the compression piston may further comprise a piston rod projecting from the second main surface of the piston head.

[0037] The piston rod is configured to support the piston head to be inserted in a correct direction and moved well with along the piston guide portion.

[0038] In one exemplary example, the piston rod comprises four pillars symmetrically arranged on the second main surface of the piston head. This way, the piston rod helps to insert the piston head without tilting.

[0039] The four pillars may be configured such that each of the pillars slide along the piston guide portion. This way, the four pillars ensure the correct alignment of the compression piston (the piston head) and the tank during the movement of the compression piston.

[0040] In some embodiments, the piston rod may be provided with one or more guiding elements to further guide the piston to be inserted in a correct direction without tilting. The one or more guiding elements may comprise a plurality of protrusions formed on the piston rod configured to touch the guiding portion during insertion to adjust the insertion angle of the compression piston. The plurality of protrusions may be the plurality of elongated protrusions formed along the length of the piston rod.

[0041] For example, when the wall of the tank comprises four sidewall segments (i.e. , the cross-section of the tank is square or rectangular), the plurality of the guiding elements may be arranged to guide the piston along each of the four sidewall segments. Preferably, a pair of guiding elements are arranged to maintain a predetermined distance between the piston rods and one of the four sidewall segments. It means that four pairs of guiding elements are arranged such that each of the four pairs of guiding elements are configured to maintain the distance between the piston rod and each corresponding side wall.

[0042] According to some embodiments, the aerosol generating pod comprises a piston stop . The piston stop is configured to prevents the filtration assembly to be inserted further into the tank than the second position. For example, the piston stop may be arranged to stop the piston to leave at least 2 mm of a non-inserted space in the inner volume of the tank, which may correspond to the aerosolgenerating material after compression. The piston stop ensures that the compression stress applied to the aerosol generating material by the piston head does not exceed a predetermined compression limit of the aerosol generating material. By restricting the movement of the compression piston also allows to protect the filtration assembly or the aerosol generating unit from excessive mechanical stress which may cause a mechanical failure of the aerosol generating pod.

[0043] According to some embodiment, the aerosol generating pod comprise a base portion attached to the filtration assembly, the base portion comprising: a seating for at least partially inserting the aerosol generating unit; and coupling means for coupling the aerosol generating pod to the aerosol generating device. The coupling means may comprise one or more magnets, for example one or more neodymium magnets. The seating is a cavity to insert the aerosol generating unit. When the aerosol generating unit is inserted in the cavity, electrical contacts of the aerosol generating unit may be exposed so that the electrical contacts can be connected to a power supply to power the aerosol generating unit.

[0044] The base portion may further comprise the air intake through which the air is introduced to the aerosol generating unit. The air is then mixed with the vapor generated by the heating element to form the air entraining aerosol, which is subsequently delivered through the airflow channel to the air outlet. The airflow channel may be arranged as a central bore oriented along the longitudinal axis of the aerosol generating pod. In one exemplary embodiment, the vaporization chamber of the aerosol generating unit forms a part of the airflow channel.

[0045] The aerosol generating pod may comprise one or more sealing members arranged to circumference one or more longitudinal positions of the compression assembly so as to fill a gap between the tank and the filtration assembly at these one or more longitudinal positions. In this way, the inner volume of the tank is sealed, and any leakage of the aerosol generating material from the inner volume of the tank through the gap between the piston head and the tank wall may be prevented. The one or more sealing members may comprise an elastic sealing material such as rubber or silicon. For example, the one or more sealing members are one or more O-rings.Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol generating pod may comprise one or more extrusions arranged to deform a deformable part of the tank walls when the compression piston is inserted, and the deformable part is aligned with the one or more extrusions. The one or more extrusions may be arranged so that the deformable part is aligned with the one or more extrusions when the compression piston is at the second position. The one or more extrusions are configured to seal the inner volume of the tank by deforming the part of the tank. Preferably the one or more extrusions are arranged on a filtration assembly. The one or more extrusions may be arranged on a peripheral surface of the filtration assembly which is in contact with the tank wall when the filtration assembly is fully inserted in the tank (i.e., at the second position). This way, any leakage from the inner volume of the tank through the gap between the piston head and the tank wall may be prevented. The one or more extrusions may comprise an extrusion arranged to circumference a peripheral surface of the piston head.

[0046] Alternatively, or additionally, the one or more extrusions may be arranged at a peripheral surface of the base part of the compression piston.

[0047] The one or more extrusions may comprise a material having a higher hardness than a material forming the tank. This way, the tank may be plastically deformed by the extrusion to form a seal which fills the gap between the compression piston and the tank wall.

[0048] For example, the one or more extrusions comprise acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic and may have a height of around 150 micrometers. The tank may comprise polyethylene (PE) or softer ABS plastic.

[0049] According to some embodiment, the filtration membrane comprises a filtration pad arranged to cover the one or more piston head openings of the piston head. The filtration pad may comprise a perforated polypropylene (PP) membrane. As described earlier, the filtration membrane is supported on the first main surface of the piston head. While the compression piston moves to compress the aerosol generating material in the tank, the filtration membrane receives a mechanical stress toward the first main surface of the piston. The pressure that the filtration membrane may receive during the compression step may reach a pressurebetween 5N and 10N. Therefore, the filtration membrane should be configured not to deform significantly during the compression step. In one preferred example, the filtration membrane is a perforated membrane (50-150 microns opening) made of made of PP or PE, having a thickness of at least 0.1 mm.

[0050] According to some embodiment, the aerosol generating pod comprises one or more gaskets arranged on the filtration pad such that the one or more gaskets press the filtration pad against the first main surface of the piston head.

[0051] The one or more gaskets may comprise a plastic material which is softer than the piston head. The one or more gaskets may comprise a semi flexible gasket that prevents the filtration membrane to be deformed, damaged (broken) or moved during compression, where the filtration membrane undergoes the mechanical pressure of 5-1 ON. For example, the one or more gaskets comprise a polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Alternatively, the one or more gaskets may be formed of elastomers, such as an O-ring.

[0052] In one exemplary embodiment, wherein the aerosol generating pod comprises the central airflow channel, the filtration membrane comprises a central hole which matches with a shape and aligned with a position of the central air channel. In this example, a first gasket is arranged to apply pressure along an outer edge portion of the filtration membrane, while a second gasket is provided to apply pressure along an inner edge portion of the filtration membrane, i.e., the second gasket is arranged to surround the central hole. This way, two gaskets support the filtration membrane to stably fixe the filtration membrane on the first main surface of the piston during compression.

[0053] Optionally, the piston head comprises one or more grooves having a corresponding shape with each of the one or more gaskets. The one or more grooves allow each of the one or more gaskets to be more stably held at its intended position on the piston head. This way, the filtration membrane may be more stably retained on the piston head without undergoing undesirable deformation or damage during compression.

[0054] According to some embodiments, the filtration membrane is in the form of a bag configured to enclose the aerosol generating material.In use, the bag is filled with the aerosol generating material. The bag filled with the aerosol generating material is inserted in the tank and compressed by the piston. The bag advantageously eliminates the step of introducing the aerosol generating material into the tank which may be cumbersome, and therefore it improves the user experience.

[0055] Preferably, the bag comprises a perforated polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) membrane. Preferably, the bag comprises pores with diameters between 50-100 micrometers. The membrane of the bag has a thickness of approximately 100 micrometers. Such a bag was found to effectively filter out undesirable particles, while it endures the pressure applied during compression by the compression piston.

[0056] In some preferred embodiment, the bag comprises a top part and a bottom part attached to the top part, such that the top part and the bottom part together define an interior volume of the bag for enclosing the aerosol generating material.

[0057] The bag may comprise a lip. The top and bottom parts are attached together at the lip by ultrasonic welding or gluing. The lip is configured to fixedly attach the top and bottom parts such that the bag does not collapse when the bag is compressed. The width of the lip may preferably be at least 1 mm, and more preferably 1 mm to 2 mm, for ensuring that the sealed part does not break during compression.

[0058] According to some aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aerosol generating article comprising: the filtration membrane according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the filtration membrane comprises the bag; and an aerosol generating material comprising a solid portion and a liquid portion, the aerosol generating material being enclosed in the filtration membrane.

[0059] The aerosol generating article is sized such that it will fit in the tank of the aerosol generating pod described above.

[0060] The solid portion may comprise one or more plant-based solids. For example, the one or more plant-based solids may comprise tobacco material. The tobacco material may comprise particles or pellets of tobacco material. In one example,the aerosol generating material may comprise pellets of tobacco material of 400 micrometers to 500 micrometers.

[0061] The liquid portion may comprise one or more aerosol formers. The one or more aerosol formers may comprise polypropylene glycol (PG), glycerine (vegetal glycerine, VG), or combination thereof. Preferably, the one or more aerosol formers comprise a mixture of PG and VG (e.g., a mixing ratio of 60 / 40 or 70 / 30). In use, the aerosol generating article as described above may be introduced in the tank by use before use of the aerosol generating device. Then the aerosol generating article may be compressed by the compression piston to obtain a desired portion of the aerosol generating material (e.g., a liquid potion) which may pass through the bag of the filtration membrane. After use, the user may only need to remove the compressed bag and place a new bag in the tank for a next vaping session.

[0062] According to some aspect of the invention, there is provided an aerosol generating pod system comprising: the aerosol generating pod according to any preceding embodiments; and an aerosol generating material comprising a solid portion and a liquid portion.

[0063] The solid portion may comprise one or more plant-based solids. For example, the one or more plant-based solids may comprise tobacco material. The tobacco material may comprise particles or pellets. The average size of the tobacco pellets may be between 100 micrometers and 1000 micrometers, preferably between 300 micrometers and 500 micrometers. In a preferred example, the aerosol generating material comprises pellets of tobacco material of 400 micrometers to 500 micrometers.

[0064] The liquid portion may comprise one or more aerosol formers. The one or more aerosol formers may comprise polypropylene glycol (PG), glycerine (vegetal glycerine, VG), or combination thereof. Preferably, the one or more aerosol formers comprise a mixture of PG and VG (e.g., a mixing ratio of 60 / 40 or 70 / 30). In such an aerosol generating system, when the filtration membrane comprises the filtration pad according to the preceding embodiments, the aerosol generatingmaterial is filled in the inner volume of the tank such that the filtration membrane is positioned between the aerosol generating material and the piston head.

[0065] Alternatively, instead of having the filtration pad, the aerosol generating pod system may employ the filtration membrane is in the form of the bag for enclosing the aerosol generating material, as described earlier. In such a case, the filtration membrane filled with the aerosol generating material forms the aerosol generating article.

[0066] According to some embodiments, wherein the filtration membrane is in the form of the bag, the aerosol generating pod system comprises the aerosol generating article according to the preceding embodiment, arranged in the tank. The aerosol generating article may be installed in the tank before each use.

[0067] According to some aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aerosol generating device comprising: an aerosol generating pod according to any preceding embodiments; and a device body comprising: a first printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) for controlling the aerosol generating unit; a power supply; and electrical contacts for supplying power from the power supply to the aerosol generating unit.

[0068] The electrical contacts may comprise pogo pins arranged to be aligned with the electrical contacts of the aerosol generating unit when the aerosol generating device is assembled.

[0069] The power supply may comprise one or more batteries, for example one or more rechargeable batteries. The one or more batteries may comprise a lithium-ion battery.

[0070] The device body may further comprise an electrical connector for charging the power supply from an external power source.

[0071] The device body may also comprise a second PCBA for controlling charging of a power source via the electrical connector. The electrical connector may be a USB-C connector.

[0072] According to some aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aerosol generating system comprising: the aerosol generating device according to theembodiment described above; and an aerosol generating material comprising a solid portion and a liquid portion.

[0073] In a preferred embodiment, the solid portion may comprise one or more plantbased solids. Theone or more plant-based solids comprise tobacco particles. The tobacco particles may comprise solid tobacco pellets. The average size of the tobacco pellets may be between 100 micrometers and 1000 micrometers, preferably between 300 micrometers and 500 micrometers, and most preferably between 400 and 500 micrometers.

[0074] The liquid portion of the aerosol generating material preferably comprises polypropylene glycol (PG) and vegetal glycerine (VG). The mixing ratio of PG and VG may be 60 / 40 or 70 / 30.

[0075] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of generating aerosol comprising: providing the aerosol generating system of the preceding embodiment; actuating the filtering assembly to insert the compression piston in the tank; and filtering the aerosol generating material to separate and extract liquid components from the aerosol generating material.

[0076] Before use, the aerosol generating material may be included in the aerosol generating pod.

[0077] For the aerosol generating pod, wherein the filtration membrane comprises the filtration pad, the aerosol generating material is filled in the inner volume of the tank such that the filtration membrane is positioned between the aerosol generating material and the piston head.

[0078] For the aerosol generating pod, wherein the filtration membrane is in the form of the bag, the bag encloses the aerosol generating material to form the aerosol generating article. Therefore, before use, the aerosol generating article may be inserted into the tank.

[0079] Subsequently, the filtration assembly is coupled with the tank at the first position. For compressing the aerosol generating material, the filtration assembly (the compression piston) is actuated from the first position toward the second position, the aerosol generating material in the inner volume of tank is compressed by thepiston head. The compression by the piston head may cause the negative pressure in the aerosol generating material. The compression may allow to extract the active ingredient in the solid portion, which may be subsequently transferred into the liquid portion. The liquid portion entraining the extracts of the solid portion is at least partially pushed by the filtration membrane (the piston head) and transferred through the one or more piston head openings to the aerosol generating unit through the liquid intake when the compression piston compresses the aerosol generating material. The liquid portion entering through the liquid intake may be received by the fluid transfer medium. The liquid portion is then transferred within the fluid transfer medium to the heating element.

[0080] The compression piston may be inserted until the second position. In some embodiment, the movement of the compression piston is stopped at the second position by the piston stop which prevent further insertion of the compression piston into the tank.

[0081] The piston stop may be arranged to stop the piston to leave some non-inserted space. The non-inserted space may prevent over-compression of the aerosol generating material. For example, the piston stop may be arranged to ensure a non-inserted space in the inner volume of the tank, which substantially corresponds to a thickness of the aerosol generating material after compression. Preferably, the piston stop is configured to form at least 2 mm of a longitudinal space within the tank, as the non-inserted space. This means that the inner volume of the tank comprises a height of at least 2 mm when the compression piston is at the second position.

[0082] In some embodiment, the aerosol generating pod is configured such that the filtration assembly is fixed to the second position once it is compressed to the second position. This means that the aerosol generating pod is a single-use pod. In some embodiment, the aerosol generating pod may be move back toward the first position after the filtration assembly is moved to the second position. For such a configuration, the aerosol generating pod may be refillable and reuseable. After use, the solid portion of the compressed aerosol generating material may be accumulated on the filtration pad or within the bag. The user may eliminate thesolid portion of the compressed aerosol generating material simply by removing the filtration pad or the bag.

[0083] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0084] Figure 1A is a schematic view of an aerosol generation pod according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0085] Figure 1B is an exploded view of the aerosol generation pod;

[0086] Figure 2 is an exploded view of a part of a filtration assembly of the aerosol generating pod comprising a compression piston and a filtration membrane; Figure 3 is a schematic view of a bottom side of the aerosol generating pod; Figure 4A is a schematic view of the filtration assembly according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0087] Figure 4B is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating pod comprising the filtration assembly of Figure 4A;

[0088] Figure 5A shows a schematic view of an aerosol generating article comprising a filtration membrane in the form of a bag according to one embodiment of the invention;

[0089] Figure 5B is a schematic showing the filtration membrane in the form of the bag; Figure 5C shows an exploded view of an arrangement of the aerosol generating article and the compression piston;

[0090] Figure 6 shows a schematic view of the aerosol generating device comprising the aerosol generating pod and a device body;

[0091] Figure 7A shows a schematic view of the aerosol generating pod system at the first position; and

[0092] Figure 7B shows a schematic view of the aerosol generating pod system at the second position.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0093] Figure 1A is a schematic view of an aerosol generating pod 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 1B is an exploded view of the aerosol generating pod 100.

[0094] The aerosol generating pod 100 comprises a tank 10 for storing an aerosol generating material within an inner volume of the tank 10. The tank 10 comprises a tank opening 12 and a tank wall 11. The tank wall 11 comprises a piston guide portion 13, extending from the tank opening 12 toward the inner volume of the tank 10. The piston guide portion 13 is a tubular structure having a constant crosssection along its length. As shown in Figure 1B, the piston guide portion 13 is oriented a longitudinal direction L of the aerosol generating pod 100, wherein the longitudinal direction L defines a primary axis along which the components of the aerosol generating pod 100 are aligned.

[0095] The aerosol generating pod 100 further comprise a filtration assembly 30. The filtration assembly 30 is arranged to filter an undesirable portion, typically a solid portion, of an aerosol generating material in the tank 10.

[0096] The filtration assembly comprises a compression piston 31 actuatable along the piston guide portion 13.

[0097] The compression piston 31 comprises a piston head 311. For assembly of the piston head 311 to the tank 10, the piston head 311 is inserted through the tank opening 12. The piston head 311 has a shape substantially matches to the tank opening 12 and a cross-section of the piston guide portion 13. In this way, there is essentially no gap between the piston head 311 and the piston guide (or the tank wall 11) when the compression piston 31 is actuated.

[0098] The piston head 311 comprises a first main surface 314 facing to the tank 10 and a second main surface 315 opposite to the first main surface 314.

[0099] The filtration assembly further comprises a filtration membrane 33. As shown in Figure 1 B, the filtration membrane 33 is arranged adjacent to the first main surface 314 of the piston head 311.The piston head 311 further comprises one or more piston head openings 313 extending between the first main surface 314 and the second main surface 315 (best seen in Figure 2).

[0100] The filtration assembly further comprises a piston rod 312 projecting from the second main surface 315 of the piston head. In this example, the piston rod 312 comprises four pillars symmetrically arranged on the second main surface 315 of the piston head. This way, the piston rod 312 helps to insert the piston head without tilting.

[0101] The four pillars may be configured such that each of the pillars slide along the piston guide portion 13. This way, the four pillars ensure the correct alignment of the compression piston (the piston head) and the tank during the movement of the compression piston.

[0102] The aerosol generating pod 100 comprises an aerosol generating unit 20 in fluid communication with the inner volume of the tank 10 through the one or more piston head openings 313. The aerosol generating unit 20 is arranged on the side of the second surface of the piston head 311 so that the piston head 311 is located to separate the inner volume of the tank 10 and the aerosol generating unit 20. The aerosol generating unit 20 of this embodiment comprises a heating element 21 (a resistive heating mesh), and a fluid transfer medium for transferring fluid, e.g., a liquid aerosol forming substrate, towards the heating element 21. The fluid transfer medium comprises a ceramic or fibrous wick. The aerosol generating unit 20 further comprises a liquid intake 22 for transferring fluid from the tank 10 to the fluid transfer medium. In operation, liquid absorbed by the fluid transfer medium is transferred to the heating element 21 and heated by the heating element 21 to be vaporized.

[0103] The vapor generated by the heating element 21 is subsequently released in a vaporization chamber comprising a vaporization chamber outlet.

[0104] The aerosol generating pod 100 comprises an airflow channel 14 extending from an air intake 34, through the aerosol generating unit 20, to an air outlet 15. The airflow channel 14 may be arranged as a central bore oriented along the longitudinal axis of the aerosol generating pod 100.The vaporization chamber outlet being in fluid communication with the air outlet 15 of the aerosol generating pod 100 through the airflow channel 14. In this example, the vaporization chamber of the aerosol generating unit 20 forms a part of the airflow channel 14.

[0105] Figure 2 is an exploded view of a part of the filtration assembly 30 of the aerosol generating pod 100 comprising the compression piston 31 and the filtration membrane 33 of one embodiment. In this example, the one or more piston head openings 313 comprise 20 elongated oval-shaped openings radially arranged around the centre of the piston head 311. The openings have a length of 1 mm to 4 mm, preferably around 3 mm, and a width of 0.1 to 1 mm, preferably around 0.6 mm.

[0106] When the filtration assembly 30 is coupled with the tank 10, the first surface of the piston head 311 and the tank wall 11 together define the inner volume of the tank 10.

[0107] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1B and Figure 2, the filtration membrane 33 is a filtration pad 331. The filtration pad 331 is removably and replaceably arranged on the first main surface 314 of the piston head 311. In this way, in use of the aerosol generating pod 100, the filtration pad 331 is arranged such that it is located between the piston head 311 and the aerosol generating material in the tank 10.

[0108] The filtration pad 331 may comprise a perforated polypropylene (PP) membrane. The filtration pad 331 should be stiff enough not to deform significantly during the compression step where the filtration pad 331 receives a pressure towards the piston head 311. In this regard, in a preferred example, the filtration membrane 33 comprises a pore size of 50-150 microns and a thickness of at least 0.1 mm. The aerosol generating pod 100 may comprises one or more gaskets 316 to prevent deformation of the filtration pad 331 during operation of the filtration assembly. The one or more gaskets 316 are arranged on the filtration pad 331 such that the one or more gaskets 316 press the filtration pad 331 against the first main surface 314 of the piston head 311.The one or more gaskets 316 may comprise a plastic material which is softer than the piston head 311. The one or more gaskets 316 may comprise a semi flexible gasket that prevents the filtration membrane 33 to be deformed, damaged (broken) or moved during compression, where the filtration membrane 33 may undergo a mechanical pressure of 5-1 ON. In this example, the one or more gaskets 316 comprise polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

[0109] The filtration membrane 33 of Figure 2 comprises a central hole which matches with a shape of the central airflow channel 14 and aligned with a position of the central airflow channel 14. In this example, a first gasket 316a is arranged to apply pressure along an outer edge portion of the filtration pad 331, while a second gasket 316b is arranged to apply pressure along an inner edge portion of the filtration pad 331 , i.e., the second gasket 316b is arranged to surround the central hole. This way, the first and second gaskets 316a, 316b support the filtration pad 331 to stably fix the filtration pad 331 on the first main surface 314 of the piston during compression.

[0110] Optionally, the piston head 311 comprises one or more grooves 317 having a corresponding shape with each of the one or more gaskets 316. In this example, two annular grooves 317 are formed close to outer and inner edges of the piston head 311. These grooves 317 allow each of the first and second gaskets 316a, 316b to be more stably held at its intended position on the piston head 311. This way, the filtration membrane 33 may be more stably retained on the piston head 311 without undergoing undesirable deformation or damage during compression. Figure 3 is a schematic view of a bottom side of the aerosol generating pod 100. The aerosol generating pod 100 comprise a base portion 32 attached to the filtration assembly 30. The base portion 32 is arranged on a bottom part of the aerosol generating pod 100.

[0111] The base portion 32 comprises a seating 35 for at least partially inserting the aerosol generating unit 20; and coupling means 38 for coupling the aerosol generating pod 100 to the aerosol generating device. The coupling means 38 may comprise one or more magnets. In this example, four neodymium magnets are arranged on a bottom surface of the base portion 32.The seating 35 is a cavity to insert the aerosol generating unit 20. When the aerosol generating unit 20 is inserted in the cavity, electrical contacts 23 of the aerosol generating unit 20 may be exposed so that the electrical contacts 23 may be connected to corresponding electrical contacts for powering the aerosol generating unit 20.

[0112] As shown in Figure 3, the air intake 34 is formed in the base portion 32. In use, the air entering the air intake 34 is mixed with the vapor generated by the heating element 21 to form the air entraining aerosol and delivered through the airflow channel 14 to the air outlet 15. In this example, the air intake 34 comprises four air channels, each of them being in fluid communication with the vaporization chamber of the aerosol generating unit 20.

[0113] Referring to Figure 1B, the filtration assembly 30 may comprise a piston stop 37. The piston stop 37 is configured to prevents the filtration assembly 30 to be inserted further into the tank 10 than the second position. For example, the piston stop 37 may be arranged to stop the piston to leave at least 2 mm of a non-inserted space in the inner volume of the tank 10. The piston stop 37 ensures that the compression stress applied to the aerosol generating material by the piston head 311 does not exceed a predetermined compression limit of the aerosol generating material. In the filtration assembly 30 of Figure 1 B, a part of the base portion 32 comprises the piston stop 37. More specifically, the base portion 32 is slightly larger than the cross-section of the tank opening 12 such that the tank wall 11 cannot be inserted further than the piston stop 37.

[0114] Referring to Figure 1 B, the aerosol generating pod 100 may comprise one or more sealing members 36 arranged to circumference one or more longitudinal positions of the filtration assembly 30 so as to fill a gap between the tank 10 and the filtration assembly 30. For example, the one or more sealing members 36 are arranged adjacent to a proximal end of the piston rod 312, the proximal end of the piston rod 312 being an end of the filtration assembly attached to the base portion, and the one or more sealing member is arranged adjacent to the piston stop 37. Alternatively, or additionally, the one or more sealing members 36 may be arranged on the periphery of the piston head 311. In this way, the inner volume of the tank 10 is sealed, and any leakage of the aerosol generating material fromthe inner volume of the tank 10 through the gap between the piston head 311 and the tank wall 11 may be prevented.

[0115] In this example, the one or more sealing members 36 are one or more O-rings. Figure 4A is a schematic view of a compression piston 31 according to another embodiment of the invention. Figure 4B is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating pod 100 comprising the compression piston 31 of Figure 4A.

[0116] The compression piston 31 of Figure 4A is similar to the filtration assembly 30 shown in Figures 1B, 2 and 3, but the filtration assembly 30 comprises one or more extrusions 318. In this example, the one or more extrusions 318 are arranged on a peripheral surface of the filtration assembly 30.

[0117] As best seen in Figure 4B, a deformable part 111 is arranged at least on a part of an interior wall surface of the tank wall 11 , such that the one or more extrusions 318 may deform the deformable part 111 of the tank wall 11 when the compression piston 31 is inserted, and the deformable part 111 is aligned with the one or more extrusions 318. The one or more extrusions 318 may be arranged so that the deformable part 111 is aligned with the one or more extrusions 318 when the compression piston 31 is at the second position. The one or more extrusions 318 are configured to seal the inner volume of the tank 10 by deforming the part of the tank 10. This way, any leakage from the inner volume of the tank 10 through the gap between the piston head 311 and the tank wall 11 may be prevented.

[0118] The one or more extrusion of the filtration assembly 30 of this example further comprise an extrusion arranged to circumference a peripheral surface of another longitudinal position of the compression piston 31. This extrusion arranged at a distal side, which is opposite to a proximal side of the piston head 311.

[0119] In this embodiment, the one or more extrusions 318 comprise acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic and may have a height of around 150 micrometers. The tank 10 may comprise polyethylene (PE) or softer ABS plastic. The one or more extrusions 318 comprise a material having a higher hardness than a material forming the deformable part 111 of the tank 10. This way, the deformable part 111 may be plastically deformed by the extrusion to form a seal which fills the gap between the compression piston 31 and the tank wall 11.Referring to Figure 4A, the piston rod 312 may be provided with one or more guiding elements 319 to further guide the piston to be inserted in a correct direction without tilting. In this example, the one or more guiding elements 319 comprise a plurality of protrusions formed on the piston rod 312 configured to touch the guiding portion during insertion to adjust the insertion angle of the compression piston 31. The plurality of protrusions may be the plurality of elongated protrusions formed along the length of the piston rod 312.

[0120] In this example, the piston rod 312 comprises four pillars arranged at the four comers of the piston head 311. When the compression piston 31 is inserted in the tank 10, the four pillars are respectively arranged adjacent to four comers formed by four sidewall segments of the tank wall 11. The plurality of the protrusions may be arranged to guide the piston along each of the four sidewall segments. For example, each of the protrusions is extending along the length of one of the pillars. In this example, four pair of protrusions are arranged such that each pair of protrusion maintains a predetermined distance between the piston rod 312 and one of the four sidewall segments.

[0121] Figure 5A shows a schematic view of an aerosol generating article 400 comprising a filtration membrane 33 in the form of a bag 332 according to one embodiment of the invention. Figure 5B is a schematic showing the filtration membrane 33 in the form of the bag 332 comprising a top part 322a and a bottom part 322b. Figure 5C shows an exploded view of an arrangement of the aerosol generating article 400 and the compression piston 31.

[0122] The filtration membrane 33 of this embodiment is in the form of a bag 332 configured to enclose the aerosol generating material. This means that the bag 332 is filled with the aerosol generating material. In use, the bag 332 filled with the aerosol generating material is inserted in the tank 10 and compressed by the piston. The bag 332 advantageously eliminates the step of introducing the aerosol generating material into the tank 10 which may be cumbersome.

[0123] The aerosol generating article 400 is sized such that it will fit in the tank 10. In this example, the bag 332 has an annular shape which correspond to the tank 10 as shown in Figure 1B.Referring to Figure 5B, the bag 332 comprises a top part 322a and a bottom part 322b attached to the top part 322a, such that the top part 322a and the bottom part 322b together define an interior volume of the bag 332 for enclosing the aerosol generating material.

[0124] The bag 332 of the preceding embodiment may comprise a lip. The top and bottom parts 332a, 332b are attached together at the lip by ultrasonic welding or gluing. In this example, the lip is arranged along an outer edge and an inner edge of the annular bag 332. The width of the lip is at least 1 mm, and preferably 1 mm to 2 mm for ensuring that the sealed part does not break during compression. The bag 332 comprises a perforated polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) membrane. The bag 332 comprises pores with diameters between 50-100 micrometers. The membrane of the bag 332 has a thickness of approximately 100 micrometers.

[0125] Referring to Figure 5C, the bag 332 is filled with the aerosol generating material to form an aerosol generating article 400.

[0126] In this example, the aerosol generating material comprises a tobacco material, such as particles or pellets of tobacco material and one or more aerosol formers such as a mixture of polypropylene glycol (PG), glycerine (vegetal glycerine, VG). Preferably, the aerosol generating material comprises pellets of tobacco material of 400 to 500 micrometers and a mixture of PG and VG (e.g., a mixing ratio of 60 / 40 or 70 / 30).

[0127] The aerosol generating article 400 is inserted in the tank 10 above the first main surface 314 of the piston head 311.

[0128] Figure 6 shows a schematic view of the aerosol generating device comprising the aerosol generating pod 100 and a device body 200. The aerosol generating pod 100 may be the aerosol generating pod 100 of any preceding embodiments. Referring to Figure 3, the aerosol generating pod 100 comprise the coupling means 38 configured to couple to the device body 200. In this example, the coupling means 38 comprise four neodymium magnets.Referring to Figure 6, the device body 200 comprises a first printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 202 for controlling the aerosol generating unit 20; a rechargeable lithium-ion battery as a power supply 201; and device electrical contacts 203 for supplying power from the power supply 201 to the aerosol generating unit 20.

[0129] The device electrical contacts 203 in this example are pogo pins arranged to be aligned with the electrical contacts 23 of the aerosol generating unit 20 when the aerosol generating device is assembled.

[0130] The device body 200 also comprises coupling means (not shown) to corresponds to the coupling means 38 of the aerosol generating pod 100, such that the aerosol generating pod 100 and the device body 200 are detachably coupled.

[0131] The device body 200 may further comprise an electrical connector (a USB-C connector) for charging the battery from an external power source; and a second PCBA 204 for controlling charging of a power source via the electrical connector. An aerosol generating system comprises the aerosol generating device and the aerosol generating material, as described above.

[0132] A method of generating aerosol using the aerosol generating system is detailed below.

[0133] Before use, the aerosol generating material is included in the aerosol generating pod 100 to form an aerosol generating pod system 500. Then, the aerosol generating pod system 500 is coupled with the device body 200 to form the aerosol generating system.

[0134] For the aerosol generating pod 100, wherein the filtration membrane 33 comprises the filtration pad 331, the aerosol generating material is filled in the inner volume of the tank 10 such that the filtration membrane 33 is positioned between the aerosol generating material and the piston head 311.

[0135] Alternatively, when the filtration membrane 33 is in the form of the bag 332, the aerosol generating article 400 is inserted into the tank 10.

[0136] Subsequently, the filtration assembly 30 is coupled with the tank 10 at the first position.Figure 7A shows a schematic view of the aerosol generating pod system 500 at the first position, and Figure 7B shows a schematic view of the aerosol generating pod system 500 at the second position. Although, the aerosol generating pod 100 system in Figures 7A and 7B shows the filtration membrane 33 is the bag 332, the filtration membrane 33 may be the filtration pad 331.

[0137] In order to extract a portion of the aerosol generating material, the filtering assembly is actuated to insert the compression piston 31 into the tank 10. Typically, the filtration assembly 30 is moved from the first position to the second position. By the movement of the piston head 311 which compresses the aerosol generating material in the tank 10, the aerosol generating material is filtered to separate and extract a liquid portion from the aerosol generating material.

[0138] The liquid portion is at least partially transferred through the one or more piston head openings 313 to the aerosol generating unit 20 when the compression piston 31 compresses the aerosol generating material.

[0139] Referring to Figure 7B, the compression piston 31 is inserted until the second position. The movement of the compression piston 31 is stopped at the second position by the piston stop 37 which prevents further insertion of the compression piston 31 into the tank 10. At the second position, there is a non-inserted space (h) maintained in the tank 10. The non-inserted space (h) may prevent overcompression of the aerosol generating material. For example, 2 mm of a longitudinal space may be kept as the non-inserted space (h).

Claims

28CLAIMS1. An aerosol generating pod for use with an aerosol-generating device comprises:a tank for storing an aerosol generating material within an inner volume of the tank, the tank comprising:a tank opening; anda tank wall comprising a piston guide portion;a filtration assembly actuatable relative to the tank from a first position to a second position, the filtration assembly comprising:a compression piston actuatable along the piston guide portion, the compression piston comprising:a piston head comprising: a first main surface facing to the tank and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface; and one or more piston head openings extending between the first main surface and the second main surface; a filtration membrane; andan aerosol generating unit in fluid communication with the inner volume of the tank through the one or more piston head openings,wherein a predetermined portion of the filtration assembly is at most partially inserted in the tank when the filtration assembly is at the first position and the predetermined portion of the filtration assembly is fully inserted in the tank when the filtration assembly is at the second position, andwherein the filtration membrane is removably and replaceably arranged on the first main surface of the piston head.

2. An aerosol generating pod according to claim 1 , wherein the compression piston further comprises a piston rod projecting from the second main surface of the piston head.

3. An aerosol generating pod according to any one of preceding claims, wherein the aerosol generating pod comprises a piston stop.

4. An aerosol generating pod according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the aerosol generating pod comprise a base portion attached to the filtration assembly, the base portion comprising:a seating for at least partially inserting the aerosol generating unit; and coupling means for coupling the aerosol generating pod to the aerosol generating device.

5. An aerosol generating pod according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the filtration membrane comprises a filtration pad arranged to cover the one or more piston head openings of the piston head.

6. An aerosol generating pod according to claim 5, wherein the aerosol generating pod comprises one or more sealing members arranged on the filtration pad such that the one or more sealing members press the filtration pad against the first surface of the piston head.

7. An aerosol generating pod according to any one of claims 1 -4, wherein the filtration membrane is in the form of a bag configured to enclose the aerosol generating material.

8. An aerosol generating pod according to claim 7, wherein the bag comprises a top part and a bottom part attached to the top part, such that the top part and the bottom part together define an interior volume of the bag for enclosing the aerosol generating material.

9. An aerosol generating article comprises:the filtration membrane according to claim 7 or 8; andan aerosol generating material comprising a solid portion and a liquid portion, the aerosol generating material being enclosed in the filtration membrane.

10. An aerosol generating pod system comprising:the aerosol generating pod according to any one of claims 1 to 8; andan aerosol generating material comprising a solid portion and a liquid portion.

11. An aerosol generating pod system according to claim 10, wherein, when the filtration membrane comprises the filtration pad according to claim 5 or 6, the aerosol generating material is filled in the inner volume of the tank such that the filtration membrane is positioned between the aerosol generating material and the piston head.

12. An aerosol generating pod system according to claim 10, wherein, when the filtration membrane is in the form of the bag according to claim 7 or 8, the aerosol generating pod system comprises the aerosol generating article according to claim 9, arranged in the tank.

13. An aerosol generating device comprising:an aerosol generating pod according to any one of claims 1 - 8; and a device body comprising:a first printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) for controlling the aerosol generating unit;a power supply; andelectrical contacts for supplying power from the power supply to the aerosol generating unit.

14. An aerosol generating system comprising:the aerosol generating device according to claim 13, andan aerosol generating material comprising a solid portion and a liquid portion.

15. A method of generating aerosol comprising:providing the aerosol generating system according to claim 14; actuating the filtering assembly to insert the compression piston in the tank; andfiltering the aerosol generating material to separate and extract liquid portion from the aerosol generating material.

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