CA3192070A1

CA3192070A1 - Heater device component

Info

Publication number: CA3192070A1
Application number: CA3192070A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Alec WRIGHT
Original assignee: JT International SA
Current assignee: JT International SA
Priority date: 2020-09-08
Filing date: 2021-09-06
Publication date: 2022-03-17
Also published as: WO2022053438A1; EP4210523A1; US20240023614A1

Abstract

A heater device for an electronic cigarette comprising: a vaporiser arranged to vaporise a liquid received from a liquid reservoir and generate a vapour; an airflow path arranged to fluidly communicate with a mouthpiece of an electronic cigarette; wherein the vaporiser comprises a first surface and the airflow path is located next to the first surface of the vaporiser; a heater unit comprising a first surface and a second surface, wherein air is arranged to enter the heater unit via the first surface and exit the heater unit to the air flow path via the second surface, and further wherein air entering the heater unit is cold and air exiting the heater unit into the airflow path is hot; wherein the hot air in the airflow path flow is arranged to flow over the first surface of the vaporiser in a direction towards the mouthpiece.

Description

Heater Device Component Field of Invention The present invention relates to vapour generation devices, and more specifically heaters for vapour generation devices.
Background Vapour generating devices, such as electronic cigarettes, are becoming increasingly popular consumer products.
Heating devices for vaporisation or aerosolisation are known in the art. Such devices typically include a heater arranged to heat a vaporisable product. In operation, the vaporisable product is heated with the heater to vaporise the constituents of the product for the consumer to inhale. In some examples, the product may comprise tobacco in a capsule or may be similar to a traditional cigarette, in other examples the product may be a liquid, or liquid contents in a capsule.
There is a need to improve the experience of the consumer of such products; an object of the present invention is to address this need by improving the quality of the vapour flow. There is also a need to improve heater operation; another object of the invention is to address this.
Summary According to a first aspect there is provided a heater device for an electronic cigarette comprising a vaporiser arranged to vaporise a liquid received from a liquid reservoir and generate a vapour, and an airflow path arranged to fluidly communicate with a mouthpiece of an electronic cigarette. The vaporiser comprises a first surface and the airflow path is located next to the first surface of the vaporiser. The heater device further comprises a heater unit comprising a first surface and a second surface. Air is arranged to enter the heater unit via the first surface and exit the heater unit to the air flow path via the second surface.
The air

2 entering the heater unit is cold and air exiting the heater unit into the airflow path is hot. The hot air in the airflow path flow is arranged to flow over the first surface of the vaporiser in a direction towards the mouthpiece.
The heater device may therefore be considered to heat air in the airflow path.
Air within the airflow path may be considered as hot and the hot air is arranged to flow over the first surface in a direction towards the mouthpiece. The hot air in the airflow path is therefore able to combine with the vapour generated by the vaporiser before reaching the mouthpiece. The vapour generated by the vaporiser is therefore heated or warmed by the hot air in the airflow path. The user therefore inhales a warm vapour through the mouthpiece, rather than a cold vapour, which improves the mouthfeel of the vapour and the overall sensory experience during use of the device.
Allowing air to enter the heater unit via the first surface and exit the heater unit via the second surface provides an efficient means of allowing air to flow through the heater unit. Providing a flow path for the air through the heater unit results in substantially direct heating of the air by the heater unit as the air flows through the heater unit. This results in a more efficient heating mechanism.
The air entering the heater unit is cold and air exiting the heater unit is hot and so the heater unit is therefore configured to heat the air as it travels through the heater unit, providing a compact mechanism for heating the air.
In some examples, the first surface of the vaporiser comprises a heating portion arranged to heat liquid received from a liquid reservoir of an electronic cigarette to generate a vapour.
The vaporiser may comprise a capillary portion arranged to allow fluid communication between a liquid reservoir of an electronic cigarette and the heating portion. This allows fluid to flow from the reservoir to the heating portion.

3 In some example, the vaporiser comprises a vapour flow path arranged to allow fluid communication between the capillary portion and the heating portion.
This allows fluid, in particular vapour, to flow through the vaporiser.
Preferably, the vapour flow path is in fluid communication with the airflow path.
This allows the generated vapour to flow from vaporiser into the airflow path and to the mouthpiece.
In some examples, the heater unit is located within the airflow path. This configuration ensures that the heater unit is located close to the air, in particular the hot air, flowing in the airflow path, avoiding the need to redirect the air, in particular the hot air, in the airflow path towards the heater unit, providing a more efficient heater arrangement.
The second surface of the heater unit may be located substantially next to the vaporiser. Preferably, the second surface of the heater unit is located substantially next to the first surface of the vaporiser. This configuration provides a short distance, in particular a short flow path, between the heater unit and the vaporiser.
Hot air exiting the heater unit is therefore able to reach the second surface of the vaporiser, from which the generated vapour leaves the vaporiser, in a short amount of time. This ensures that the hot air mixes with the generated vapour before the air has cooled down, which results in the hot air heating up the generated vapour. Reducing the amount by which the hot air cools down before it reaches the generated vapour results in more efficient heat transfer due to a larger temperature gradient between the hot air and the cooler vapour.
In some examples, a plane defined by the second surface of the heater unit is at an angle relative to a plane defined by the first surface of the vaporiser.
The second surface of the heater unit may be angled towards the first surface of the vaporiser. In other words, the heater unit may be considered as being directed towards to vaporiser. This has the effect that hot air leaving the heater unit via the second surface is directed towards the first surface of the vaporiser. This ensures that the vapour leaving the vaporiser is efficiently heater by the hot air leaving the

4 heater unit and that the heat from the hot air is transferred to the vapour as quickly as possible in order to raise the temperature of the vapour.
Preferably the heater unit comprises at least one through channel arranged to allow air to travel through the heater unit from the first surface to the second surface. Air therefore passes through the heating unit, allowing the heating unit to heat the air directly as it travels through the heater unit from the first surface to the second surface. This arrangement provides and efficient method of heating the air.
The heater device may comprise a second heater unit. The second heater unit may be constructed in substantially the same manner as the previously described heater unit, which may be considered as the first heater unit. The second heater unit may provide substantially the same function as the previously described heater unit. In other words the heater device may comprise first and second heater units which are both arranged to receive cold air and heat the received air to produce hot air. The hot air from both the first and second heater units may further be configured to enter the airflow path. The hot air from both the first and second heater units may then combine with vapour generated by the vaporiser.
Providing two heater units within the heater device means that a greater volume of hot air is provided to the airflow path, and combined with the generated vapour, and so the generated vapour is heated up more quickly. In some examples, more than two heater units can be provided. For example an array of heater units may be provided within the heater device. The array of heater units may be positions substantially around the vaporiser.
Preferably, the vaporiser may be located between the heater unit, also known as the first heater unit, and the second heater unit. The vaporiser is therefore located between two separate flows of hot air, one from each of the heater units. This may provide more homogenous and more efficient heating of the generated vapour by the hot air that exits both the first and second heater units. Providing the vaporiser between the two heater units ensures that each heater unit is able to heat the vapour that is closest to said heater unit. This helps prevent the hot air from cooling down before reaching the vapour furthest away from said heater unit.

The heater device may comprise an inlet path extending between an air inlet and the heater unit. This allows air which is external to the heater unit to enter into the heater unit via the first surface.
According to a second aspect there is provided a capsule for an electronic

5 cigarette, the capsule having a first end configured to engage with an electronic cigarette device and a second end arranged as a mouthpiece portion having a vapour outlet. The capsule further comprises a liquid reservoir arranged to store a liquid to be vaporised, a vaporiser arranged to vaporise a liquid received from the liquid reservoir and generate a vapour, and an airflow path arranged to fluidly communicate with the mouthpiece portion. The vaporiser comprises a first surface and the airflow path is located next to the first surface of the vaporiser.
The heater device further comprises a heater unit comprising a first surface and a second surface, wherein air is arranged to enter the heater unit via the first surface and exit the heater unit to the air flow path via the second surface, and further wherein air entering the heater unit is cold and air exiting the heater unit into the airflow path is hot; and wherein the hot air in the airflow path flow is arranged to flow over the first surface of the vaporiser in a direction towards the mouthpiece.
There may be provided a capsule for use with a vapour generating device such as an electronic cigarette, the capsule comprising the heater device, and any of its modifications, as described herein. In this way, the heater device can form part of a consumable capsule and can be replaceable in a vapour generation device.
In particular, this can be beneficial when changing to a vaporisable substance of a different flavour, in a new capsule, as a new heater unit would be used and the generated vapour would not be contaminated with residual flavouring from the previous vaporisable substance.
According to a third aspect there is provided an electronic cigarette comprising a main body and a capsule wherein the main body comprises a power supply unit, electrical circuitry, and a capsule seating configured to connect with the capsule.
The capsule comprises a first end configured to engage with the electronic cigarette device and a second end arranged as a mouthpiece portion having a

6 vapour outlet. The capsule further comprises a liquid reservoir arranged to store a liquid to be vaporised, a vaporiser arranged to vaporise a liquid received from the liquid reservoir and generate a vapour, and an airflow path arranged to fluidly communicate with the mouthpiece portion. The vaporiser comprises a first surface and the airflow path is located next to the first surface of the vaporiser.
The heater device further comprises a heater unit comprising a first surface and a second surface, wherein air is arranged to enter the heater unit via the first surface and exit the heater unit to the air flow path via the second surface, and further wherein air entering the heater unit is cold and air exiting the heater unit into the airflow path is hot; wherein the hot air in the airflow path flow is arranged to flow over the first surface of the vaporiser in a direction towards the mouthpiece.
There may be provided a vapour generating device, for example an electronic cigarette, comprising the heater device, and any of its modifications, as described herein.
The heater device described herein provides and efficient method of increasing the temperature of a generated vapour. The heater device described herein has a simple design which is low cost to manufacture and implement within vapour generating devices. The heater device described herein provides improved heating performance and more homogenous heating of air and vapour within the heater device.
Brief Description of Drawings Embodiments of the invention are now described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of a portion of a vaporisation component for a vapour generation device;
Figure 2 is a top down view of a portion of a vaporisation component for a vapour generation device;

7 Figure 3 is another top down view of a portion of a vaporisation component for a vapour generation device; and Figure 4 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of a portion of a vaporisation component in a vapour generation device.
Detailed Description A vapour generation device is a device arranged to heat a vapour generating product to produce a vapour for inhalation by a consumer. In a specific example, a vapour generating product can be a liquid which forms a vapour when heated by the vapour generation device. A vapour generation device can also be referred to as an electronic cigarette or aerosol generation device. In the context of the present disclosure, the terms vapour and aerosol can be used interchangeably.
A
vapour generating product, or aerosol generating product, can be a liquid or a solid such as a fibrous material, or a combination thereof, that when heated generates a vapour or aerosol.
Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional diagram of a portion of a vaporisation component 100 fora vapour generation device. In this case, the vaporisation component is a heater device 100. The heater device 100 uses thermal inkjet technology to vaporise an e-liquid.
The vaporisation component 100 comprises an evaporator component 102, arranged to vaporise a liquid received from a liquid reservoir and generate a vapour. A vapour flow path 128 is arranged to fluidly communicate with a mouthpiece of the vapour generation device to allow the generated vapour to flow from the evaporator component 102 to the mouthpiece. The evaporator component 102 may also be referred to as a vaporiser 102 and may take the form of a heating resistor.
The heater device 100 is in fluid communication with a reservoir 116 which is arranged to store a liquid vapour generating product. The evaporator component

8 102 (hereinafter referred to as the vaporiser) can be considered as an evaporator block or heater. Liquid is drawn from the reservoir 116 to the vaporiser 102 by capillary force.
The vaporiser 102 has a first surface 104 that faces toward the vapour flow path 128 of the vapour generation device. The vapour flow path, which may also be referred to as an airflow path 128 of the vapour generation device, is a channel through which air flows substantially in a direction towards the mouthpiece when a consumer draws upon the mouthpiece. In other words, the airflow path 128 connects air inlets (not shown) within the vapour generation device to the mouthpiece for the passage of air through the vapour generation device. The airflow path 128 is arranged to transport generated vapour to the mouthpiece through which the vapour is inhaled by a user. Air in the airflow path 128 can flow over the first surface 104 in a direction towards the mouthpiece. The first surface 104 of the vaporiser 102 can be considered to be arranged in the airflow path In operation, a potential is applied to the vaporiser 102 by a heater control circuit (not shown) so as to heat the vaporiser 102. This causes the vaporiser 102 to rapidly heat the liquid on the first surface 104 of the vaporiser 102 until the liquid starts to boil and forms an air bubble. The air bubble grows as it is heated until it is large enough that it forces liquid droplets out through a nozzle in the vaporiser and into the vapour flow path 128. After propelling the liquid out of the vaporiser 102, the air bubble cools, which causes it to contract and collapse. This creates a vacuum which causes more liquid to be drawn into the vaporiser 102 from the reservoir 116. The process then repeats.
As mentioned, liquid is drawn from the reservoir 116 into the vaporiser 102 by capillary action. A part of the vaporiser 102, for example a second surface of the vaporiser, may therefore be thought of as a capillary potion. The first surface 104 of the vaporiser 102 may be thought of as a heating portion 104. In this case, the capillary portion is located between the reservoir 116 and the heating portion 104, and is arranged to transfer liquid from the reservoir 116 to the heating portion 104.
In other words, the capillary portion allows fluid communication between the liquid reservoir 116 and the heating portion 104 allowing fluid to flow from the reservoir

9 to the heating portion 104. The heating portion 104 is arranged to heat the received liquid and generate a vapour When a user draws on the mouthpiece, air is brought into the airflow path 128 through air inlets (not shown) connected to the airflow path 128 and located distal from the mouthpiece so as to create a pressure change that draws the generated vapour flow to the mouthpiece , in the airflow as it passes over the first surface 104, for inhalation by the user.
For clarity, sections of the body of the vapour generation device are not shown in the Figures, including portions containing control electronics, a power source such as a battery, and the electronics connecting the vaporiser to the control electronics and power source.
As the skilled person will appreciate, the vaporisation component described herein, and any of its modifications, can be used as part of a capsule for an electronic cigarette. For example, the capsule includes a first end configured to engage with an electronic cigarette device and a second end arranged as a mouthpiece portion having a vapour outlet. The capsule also includes a reservoir arranged to store a liquid to be vaporised and the vaporisation component described herein.
The vaporisation component described herein, and any of its modifications, can be also used as part of an electronic cigarette. For example, an electronic cigarette comprises a main body and a capsule. The main body has a power supply, electrical circuitry, and a capsule seating. The capsule seating of the main body is arranged to engage with and electrically connect with a first end of the capsule. A
second end of the capsule is arranged as a mouthpiece portion having a vapour outlet. The capsule also includes a reservoir arranged to store a liquid to be vaporised and the vaporisation component described herein.
In some examples, the vaporisation component 100 of Figure 1 includes the vaporiser 102 and the reservoir 116which can be formed as a single component.
In some examples, the vaporisation component 100 is a component of the vapour generation device, with the reservoir 116 being refillable. In some examples, the vaporisation component 100 of Figure 1 (including the vaporiser 102 and the reservoir 116) can be comprised in a removable capsule for the vapour generation device that can be detached from the vapour generation device (such as when 5 the reservoir 116 is empty of liquid). In this example, the vaporisation component 100 can be a replaceable consumable. Alternatively the reservoir 116 can be refilled. In other examples, the vaporiser 102 can be a component of the vapour generation device, and the reservoir 116 can form a removable component that can be detached from the vapour generation device (such as when the reservoir

10 116 is empty of liquid).
Further details of the structure of the heater device will now be discussed.
As shown in Figure 2, the heater device 100 further comprises a heater unit arranged within the airflow path 128 and configured to heat air within the airflow path 128.
The heater unit 150 comprises an inlet surface 152, through which air from the airflow path 128 enters the heater unit 150, and an outlet surface 154 through which air exits the heater unit 150. A plurality of through-channels 158 are arranged within the heater unit 150 in order to allow air to flow through the heater unit 150 from the inlet surface 152 to the outlet surface 154.
An air inlet path 156 fluidly connects the air inlets within the vapour generation device to the airflow path 128 such that the air inlet path 156 extends between the air inlets and the heater unit 150, in order to allow the air to enter the heater unit 150 via the inlet surface 152.
The air inlets allow air from the surroundings to enter the vapour generation device and so air entering the heater unit 150 via the inlet surface 152 is cold air.
As the heater unit 150 heats the air that has entered the heater unit 150, the air that exits the heater unit 150 through the outlet surface 154 is hot air.

11 As can be seen in Figure 2, the outlet surface 154 of the heater unit 150 is located substantially next to the vaporiser 102. In particular, the outlet surface 154 is located substantially next to the first surface 104 of the vaporiser 102. In this context, "next to" means located on a lateral side of the vaporiser 102 when the vapour generation device is held vertically in its operative configuration.
For example the heater unit 150 could be located next to a front, rear, left, or right side of the vaporiser 102.
As well as being located next to the vaporiser 102, the heater unit 150 is positioned at an angle relative to the vaporiser 102. The first surface of the vaporiser 102 can be thought of as defining a plane, which is a horizontal plane when the vapour generation device is held vertically in its operative configuration. The outlet surface 154 of the heater unit 150 can be thought of as defining another plane. This other plane forms an angle relative to the plane defined by the first surface of the vaporiser 102. In particular, the heater unit 150 is angled such that the outlet surface 154 faces inwardly towards a middle of the vapour generation device 100.
Said another way, the outlet surface 154 can be considered as being angled towards the first surface 104 of the vaporiser 102. This means that air that exits the heater unit 150 flows towards the generated vapour flowing from the vaporiser 102. The hot air from the heater unit 150 combines with the generated vapour before it reaches the mouthpiece, as will be described in more detail below.
As illustrated in Figure 2, the heater device 100 comprises two heater units 150.
Each heater unit 150 is configured in substantially the same manner. The vaporiser 102 is located between the two heater units 150, as shown in Figure 4.
The aim of the heater unit 150 is to heat air which in turn heats the vapour droplets produced by the vaporiser 102 in order to increase the overall temperature of the generated vapour.
The vaporiser 102, which is a MEMS vaporising unit, generates a cold vapour from the liquid, meaning that the liquid does not go through a phase change during vapour generation and nor does the liquid get heated to boiling point.
Inhaling a cold vapour is generally unpleasant for users and so providing the user with a

12 warm vapour improves the overall inhalation experience. This is achieved by heating air, which enters the heater device through air inlets, and then combining this heated air with the generated vapour. By heating the air before it reaches the vapour droplets, the warmed air is able to warm the vapour droplets and increase the overall temperature of the vapour before it flows to the mouthpiece to be inhaled by the user.
It is important that the air is heated efficiently and this can be achieved by providing a heater unit 150 with a high surface area to volume ratio, which can be seen in Figure 3. A large surface area provides more homogenous heating results in better heating performance. In order to ensure that the heated air does not loose heat, or cool down, before it combines with the vapour droplets, the distance between the outlet surface 154 of the heater unit 150 and the first surface 104 of the vaporiser 102 should be as short as possible. This can be achieved by angling the heater unit 150 towards the vaporiser 102 so that air that exits the heater unit 150 combines with the generated vapour at a point close to the first surface 104 of the vaporiser 102. This configuration ensures that any cooling of the air before it reaches the vapour droplets is minimal.
The heater unit 150 described herein is therefore configured to allow the heated air to flow towards the vapour in the most direct manner possible, for example by providing a short travel distance between the heater unit 150 and the vapour, to ensure that as much heat as possible is passed from the heated air to the vapour in order to heat the vapour. This provides an efficient heating arrangement which reduces the amount of energy wasted during heating.
Further details of the heater unit will now be described.
The heater unit 150 is a convection heater unit 150 positioned upstream of the air inlets. The heater unit 150 comprises a heating element 160 arranged such that air that flows through the heater unit 150 flows through the heating element 160.
As can be seen in Figure 3, the heating element 160 has a porous structure comprising a plurality of heating pores 166 in order to allow air to pass through

13 the heating element 160. In this example, the porous structure is a micro porous structure. As well as allowing air to pass through the heating element 160, the porous structure provides a higher heating surface to volume ratio in contrast to a heating element in the shape of a plate or rod. This allows air passing through the porous structure to be effectively and uniformly heated.
The heating element 160 is made of a sintered metallic material. Using a sintered metallic material is advantageous because the sintering process already affords a porous structure without the need for machining steps when, for example, attempting to create a porous structure from a solid piece of metallic material. The heating element 160 has a low temperature coefficient of resistance, meaning that even after the metallic material heats up the electrical resistance of the metallic material remain substantially constant or changed. This suppresses the occurrence of hot spots in the heating element and therefore reduces the probability of a thermal runaway that could result in catastrophic failure of the heater and/or heating damage to the vapor generation device.
The heater unit 150 is provided with a first electrode 162 that is in the form of a bias plate and a second electrode 164 that is in the form of a grounding plate. In some examples, the inlet and outlet surfaces 152, 154 of the heater unit 150 comprise the first and second electrodes 162,164. Providing bias and grounding contacts in the form of plates allows more uniform heating of the heating element 160 to be achieved due to a more spatially homogeneous current flow through the heating element 160. The heating element 160 is disposed between the first electrode 162 and the second electrode 164 in order to generate a more homogenous electric field, which leads to more homogenous heating of the heating element 160.
The first and second electrodes 162, 164 comprise a plurality of pores 168 configured to allow air to flow through the first and second electrodes via the heating element 160.

Claims

Clai ms

1. A heater device for an electronic cigarette comprising:
a vaporiser arranged to vaporise a liquid received from a liquid reservoir and generate a vapour;
an airflow path arranged to fluidly communicate with a mouthpiece of an electronic cigarette;
wherein the vaporiser comprises a first surface and the airflow path is located next to the first surface of the vaporiser;
a heater unit comprising a first surface and a second surface, wherein air is arranged to enter the heater unit via the first surface and exit the heater unit to the air flow path via the second surface, wherein the heater unit is arranged to heat the air that enters the heater unit such that the air entering the heater unit is cold and air exiting the heater unit into the airflow path is hot;
wherein the hot air in the airflow path flow is arranged to flow over the first surface of the vaporiser in a direction towards the mouthpiece.

2. The heater device according to claim 1 wherein the first surface of the vaporiser comprises a heating portion arranged to heat liquid received from a liquid reservoir of an electronic cigarette to generate a vapour.

3. The heater device according to claim 2 wherein the vaporiser comprises a capillary portion arranged to allow fluid communication between a liquid reservoir of an electronic cigarette and the heating portion allowing fluid to flow from the reservoir to the heating portion.

4. The heater device according to claim 3 wherein the vaporiser comprises a vapour flow path arranged to allow fluid communication between the capillary portion and the heating portion.

5. The heater device according to claim 4 wherein the vapour flow path is in fluid communication with the airflow path, allowing generated vapour to flow from vaporiser into the airflow path and to the mouthpiece.

6. The heater device according to any preceding claim wherein the heater unit is located within the air flow path.

7. The heater device according to any preceding claim wherein the second surface of the heater unit is located next to the vaporiser.

8. The heater device according to any preceding claim wherein second surface of 10 the heater unit is located next to the first surface of the vaporiser.

9. The heater device according to any preceding claim wherein a plane defined by the second surface of the heater unit is at an angle relative to a plane defined by the first surface of the vaporiser.

10. The heater device according to any preceding claim wherein the heater unit comprises at least one through channel arranged to allow air to travel through the heater unit from the first surface of the heater unit to the second surface of the heater unit.

11. The heater device according to any preceding claim comprising a second heater unit.

12. The heater device according to claim 11 wherein the vaporiser is located between the heater unit and the second heater unit.

13. The heater device according to any preceding claim further comprising an inlet path extending between an air inlet and the heater unit for allowing air to enter into the heater unit via the first surface.

14. A capsule for an electronic cigarette, the capsule having a first end configured to engage with an electronic cigarette device and a second end arranged as a mouthpiece portion having a vapour outlet, the capsule further comprising:

a liquid reservoir arranged to store a liquid to be vaporised;
a vaporiser arranged to vaporise a liquid received from the liquid reservoir and generate a vapour;
an airflow path arranged to fluidly communicate with the mouthpiece portion;
wherein the vaporiser cornprises a first surface and the airflow path is located next to the first surface of the vaporiser;
a heater unit comprising a first surface and a second surface, wherein air is arranged to enter the heater unit via the first surface and exit the heater unit to the air flow path via the second surface, wherein the heater unit is arranged to heat the air that enters the heater unit such that the air entering the heater unit is cold and air exiting the heater unit into the airflow path is hot;
wherein the hot air in the airflow path flow is arranged to flow over the first surface of the vaporiser in a direction towards the mouthpiece.

15. An electronic cigarette comprising a main body and a capsule wherein the main body comprises a power supply unit, electrical circuitry, and a capsule seating configured to connect with the capsule, the capsule comprising:
a first end configured to engage with the electronic cigarette device and a second end arranged as a mouthpiece portion having a vapour outlet, the capsule further comprising:
a liquid reservoir arranged to store a liquid to be vaporised;
a vaporiser arranged to vaporise a liquid received from the liquid reservoir and generate a vapour;
an airflow path arranged to fluidly communicate with the mouthpiece portion;
wherein the vaporiser comprises a first surface and the airflow path is located next to the first surface of the vaporiser;
a heater unit comprising a first surface and a second surface, wherein air is arranged to enter the heater unit via the first surface and exit the heater unit to the air flow path via the second surface, wherein the heater unit is arranged to heat the air that enters the heater unit such that the air entering the heater unit is cold and air exiting the heater unit into the airflow path is hot;

wherein the hot air in the airflow path flow is arranged to flow over the first surface of the vaporiser in a direction towards the mouthpiece.