CN115460941A

CN115460941A - Tapered heating element for electronic aerosol provision system

Info

Publication number: CN115460941A
Application number: CN202180030994.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: C.佐米尼
Original assignee: JT International SA
Current assignee: JT International SA
Priority date: 2020-05-28
Filing date: 2021-05-26
Publication date: 2022-12-09
Also published as: EP4156996A1; KR20230016616A; WO2021240390A1; JP2023527617A; CA3169933A1; US20230189887A1

Abstract

An aerosol-generating device (001) comprising: a tapered heating element (300) configured to generate an aerosol by evaporating a vaporizable material (200) on a convex inclined surface; and a heat source (320) configured to be positioned inside the tapered heating element and configured to provide a thermal gradient along the convex inclined surface in use.

Description

Conical heating element for an electronic aerosol provision system

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an element for an aerosol-generating system and for generating an aerosol or vapour for inhalation by a user. The present disclosure more particularly relates to an aerosol-generating system having a tapered heating element and a corresponding cartomizable material cartridge for containing a vaporizable material to generate an aerosol or vapor. The present disclosure also relates to a mesh structure located in a gap between the tapered heating element and the cavity surface of the cartridge, the mesh structure being designed to receive a vaporizable material.

Background

The use of aerosol-generating systems (also known as electronic cigarettes, electronic Cigarettes (ECs), electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENDSs), electronic Smoking Devices (ESDs), personal Vaporizers (PVs), inhalation devices, electronic hookahs) that can be used as a replacement for conventional smoking articles, such as end-lit cigarettes, cigars and pipes, is becoming increasingly popular and widespread. The most commonly used electronic cigarettes are typically battery powered and use a resistive heating element to heat and atomize a liquid containing nicotine and/or flavorants (also known as e-cigarette liquid, e-liquid, juice, vapor juice, smoke juice, e-cigarette fluid, e-hookah) (https:// en. Wikipedia. Org/wiki/Construction of electronic _ cigarettes "\ l" cite _ note-Lyons2017-102 ") to produce an aerosol (also known as vapor) that can be inhaled by a user.

In the conventional electronic cigarette described above, the liquid contacts the resistive heating element after flowing through the small channel, where the liquid is heated and vaporized. This flow is achieved, for example, by a wick, mesh or another type of porous element having a plurality of small channels that transport liquid from the reservoir to the heating element. This heating element, along with the porous element, the reservoir containing the e-liquid, and the mouthpiece, may be arranged within a disposable capsule, cartridge or pod which is discarded or refilled once the e-liquid is consumed by the user, and is typically removably connected to a body comprising rechargeable batteries.

US 2018235278 A1 discloses an example of a resistive heating element to be inserted into a tobacco rod. The heating element comprises a tip of the tapered blade and a base of the blade, the heating element being configured such that, when an electric current is passed through the heating element, the tip of the tapered blade is heated to a higher temperature than the base of the blade.

US 22006430 B2 discloses a tapered heater made of resistive tracks disposed on a flexible substrate. This document further discloses that the heater is configured to be insertable into a recess of a capsule which is frusto-conical and has a generally circular cross-section.

The present disclosure is directed to an alternative system, in particular, a system that works with a vaporizable material cartridge that contains a vaporizable material substance to produce an aerosol.

Disclosure of Invention

In a first aspect, the present invention provides an aerosol-generating device comprising: a tapered heating element configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a vaporizable material on an inclined surface of the tapered heating element; and a heat source configured to heat, in use, the tapered heating element in a manner such that a thermal gradient is provided along the inclined surface. The aerosol-generating device further comprises a capsule of vaporizable material, wherein the capsule of vaporizable material comprises a tapered alignment element having a sloped surface configured to mate with a tapered heating element of the aerosol-generating device, wherein the sloped surface of the tapered alignment element comprises at least one first groove capable of flowing vaporized vaporizable material.

In other words, the tapered heating element of the aerosol-generating device and the tapered alignment element of the capsule are complementary to each other so as to provide automatic alignment and adjustment of the capsule with the heating element in use, thereby preventing misconnection or misalignment which could result in leakage of vaporisable material from the capsule in use. The capsule and heating element achieve proper alignment by conical engagement and their mating conical surfaces, which ensures proper contact of the capsule with the heating surface and better release and gradual heating of the vaporizable material along the entire surface of the heating element, thereby more efficiently heating and generating the aerosol.

Advantageously, the tapered heating element of the device may be configured as a male element and the tapered alignment element of the capsule may be configured as a complementary female receiving element for the heating element, or vice versa, providing various device/capsule design possibilities without changing the function of the device or capsule.

In a further preferred embodiment, the aerosol generating device further comprises vaporisable material release means configured to: when mated, the vaporizable material is able to flow from the vaporizable material capsule into the space between the surface of the tapered alignment element and the tapered heating element.

In a further preferred embodiment, the inclined surface of the conical alignment element comprises at least one first groove enabling flow of vaporized vaporizable material when in use.

In a further preferred embodiment, the e-liquid capsule further comprises a mesh structure located on the inclined surface of the tapered alignment element and configured to receive the e-liquid by capillary action and to enable evaporation of the e-liquid upon heating.

In a further preferred embodiment, the inclined surface of the tapered heating element further comprises at least one second groove enabling flow of vaporized vaporizable material when in use.

In a further preferred embodiment, the aerosol-generating device further comprises a mesh structure adjacent to the inclined surface of the tapered heating element and configured to receive vaporisable material from the capsule by capillary action when engaged with the inclined surface of the alignment element.

In a further preferred embodiment, the tapered shape of any one of the heating element or the alignment element is any one of the list comprising: cones, truncated cones, bullets, truncated bullets, ogival shapes (ogival shapes), truncated ogival shapes.

In a further preferred embodiment, the aerosol generating device further comprises: a body element configured to house a power source for a heat source; and an attachment means configured to attach the tapered heating element to the body element.

In a further preferred embodiment, the attachment means are further configured to removably attach the tapered heating element to the body element.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a vaporisable material capsule for an aerosol-generating device, the vaporisable material capsule comprising a reservoir adapted to contain a charge of vaporisable material, the capsule further comprising: a tapered alignment element configured to mate with a corresponding tapered heating element; and a mesh structure located on a wall of the tapered alignment element and configured to receive vaporizable material from the reservoir by capillary action and to vaporize the vaporizable material when heated by the tapered heating element, and wherein the sloped surface of the tapered alignment element includes at least one groove that enables flow of vaporized vaporizable material.

In a further preferred embodiment, the tapered heating element is part of a capsule of vaporisable material and includes electrical connectors for connecting the tapered heating element to a power supply of the aerosol generating device.

In a further preferred embodiment, the conical heating element comprises at least one groove enabling a flow of vaporized vaporizable material.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the invention.

Fig. 1 schematically shows an example embodiment of an assembly of elements comprised in an aerosol-generating device according to the invention: a body element, a capsule of vaporizable material, and a conical heating element.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates an example of a body element according to the present disclosure.

Figure 3 schematically illustrates an example of an e-cigarette capsule according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates an example of a tapered heating element according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a gap created by the mating of a vaporizable material capsule with a tapered heating element according to an example of the disclosure.

Figure 6 schematically illustrates a radial cross-sectional top view of a tapered heating element, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 7 schematically illustrates a radial cross-sectional top view of an e-cigarette capsule mated with a tapered heating element, according to further example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

In this embodiment, the term "vaporizable material" will be used to refer to any material that is vaporizable at temperatures up to 400 ℃, preferably up to 350 ℃, such as liquids, gels, waxes, etc., that produce aerosols.

Referring to fig. 1, an aerosol-generating device 001 comprises a body element 100, a capsule of vaporisable material 200 and a tapered heating element 300. The assembly of all three elements results in a device operated by a user (the user not being embodied in fig. 1) by which the vaporizable material contained in the vaporizable material capsule 200 flows to the conical heating element 300 to be vaporized and turned into an aerosol (the vaporizable material and the aerosol are not embodied in fig. 1). The aerosol generating device 001 further comprises a vapour conduit 220 configured to allow aerosol to circulate from a point of evaporation at the heating element 300 to the mouthpiece 230.

The body element 100 may be designed to be hand-held and thus operated by a user. Referring to fig. 2, the body element may house a power source 110 for a tapered heating element (the tapered heating element is not embodied in fig. 2) and be provided with first attachment means 120 configured to attach the tapered heating element to the body element.

Referring to fig. 3, a capsule 200 of vaporizable material of an aerosol-generating device may include a chamber or reservoir 210 configured to contain or contain at least one vaporizable material (vaporizable material is not embodied in fig. 3). The vaporizable material capsule further includes a vapor conduit 220. Thus, the capsule of vaporizable material 200 is simultaneously a container of vaporizable material, a portion of the vaporization chamber of the aerosol, and the tip of the inhalation device for a user who can inhale the aerosol through a mouthpiece 230 located at the end of the vapor conduit 220. The vaporisable material capsule 200 of figure 3 is further provided with a concave cavity 250 designed to cooperate with a conical heating element (not shown in figure 3).

The tapered, concave cavity 250 advantageously forms an alignment element of the capsule that is complementary to the tapered heating element of the aerosol-generating device, which provides for self-alignment and adjustment of the capsule and heating element in use. Such alignment reduces leakage of the vaporisable material from the capsule in use. Furthermore, this ensures a proper contact of the capsule with the heating surface and a better release of the vaporizable material and a gradual heating of the vaporizable material along the entire surface of the heating element, as will be described below.

Although a convex heating element and a complementary, concave cavity 250 are shown, it is also envisioned in accordance with the present invention that the tapered heating element of the device may be configured to be concave while the cavity element has a complementary convex alignment element of the capsule.

Referring to fig. 4, the tapered heating element 300 may include a convex inclined surface 310. The term "inclined" herein denotes an oblique or inclined aspect, which is characteristic of a conically shaped surface. The tapered heating element 300 may further house a heat source 320 configured to provide a thermal gradient along the convex inclined surface 310 when in use. In a preferred embodiment, the tapered heating element 300 may be configured to: first attachment means (not represented in fig. 4) attached to the body element by second attachment means 330 and then mated with the vaporisable material capsule (not represented in fig. 4). In a further preferred embodiment, the tapered heating element 300 is configured to: first of all by introducing a concave cavity (not represented in fig. 4) to cooperate with the vaporisable material capsule and then attached to the body element by means of the second attachment means 330. Both preferred embodiments allow to carry out a process which results in the assembly of all three elements with the same result, to obtain an aerosol-generating device. The tapered heating element 300 may have a shape such as in the list comprising: cones, truncated cones, bullets, truncated bullets, spires, truncated spires. The tapered heating element 300 may be made of ceramic.

Referring to fig. 5, after the mating process, a gap 410 is obtained between the convex inclined surface 310 of the tapered heating element 300 and the concave inclined surface 250 of the cavity of the vaporisable material capsule.

In a further preferred embodiment, the mesh structure 400 is located in the gap between the convex inclined surface 310 of the tapered heating element and the concave inclined surface 250 of the cavity of the vaporisable material capsule. This mesh structure 400 can be secured either to the convex inclined surface 310 of the tapered heating element or to the concave inclined surface 250 of the cavity of the vaporisable material capsule. The mesh structure 400 is designed to receive vaporizable material from a vaporizable material capsule by capillary action and to enable vaporization thereof by bringing the vaporizable material toward the tapered heating element 300.

The heat source 320 of the conical heating element 300 generates heat by means of internal electrical resistance and in a known manner by resistive heat dissipation of the current from the current supply (the electrical resistance inside the heat source and the connection to the current supply are not represented in the figure). The design of locating the electrical resistance inside the tapered heating element 300 is designed in such a way that a thermal gradient can be provided along the convex inclined surface, e.g. hotter at the base than at the tip of the tapered heating element 300. This thermal gradient enables different components of the vaporizable material to be selectively vaporized as it is received by the mesh structure and brought towards the convex inclined surface of the tapered heating element. The heat source of the conical heating element generates aerosol by evaporation.

The aerosol is generated within the web 400 in the gap 410 between the convex inclined surface of the conical heating element and the concave inclined surface of the cavity of the capsule of vaporisable material. The aerosol eventually exits the aerosol generating device through vapor conduit 220. From the mesh to the vapour conduit, the aerosol flow may be directed through at least one groove 311 (see fig. 6) on the convex inclined surface 310 of the conical heating element 300, or through at least one groove 251 (see fig. 7) on the concave inclined surface 250 of the cavity of the vaporisable material capsule, or within the gap created by the cooperation of the conical heating element and vaporisable material capsule, or any combination of the three. Fig. 6 schematically illustrates a radial cross section of a conical heating element 300, wherein the vapor conduit is of course part of the vaporisable material capsule as is continuously disclosed in the examples herein (no vaporisable material capsule is embodied in fig. 6). Fig. 7 schematically illustrates a radial cross-section of a capsule 200 of vaporisable material in cooperation with a heating element 300. Different embodiments may also be implemented where the vapor conduit is located elsewhere. Aerosol circulates from the web 400 through the grooves 311 and/or 251 to the vapor conduit 220 due, at least in part, to the suction pressure created by a user inhaling through a mouthpiece (both not shown in fig. 6 and 7) located at the end of the vaporisable material capsule.

The grooves 311 and/or 251 provide the advantage that they can reduce the time required for the aerosol to circulate from the web (where it is generated) to the vapour conduit, since the aerosol encounters less resistance to circulation than in the web when entering the grooves. Thus, it is also easier for a user to inhale aerosol from the vapour conduit when the aerosol circulates through the grooves than if the aerosol had to circulate directly from the mesh into the vapour conduit.

The embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, but are merely provided to illustrate possible implementations.

Although the present invention has been disclosed with reference to certain preferred embodiments, numerous modifications, alterations, and changes to the described embodiments and equivalents thereof are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the described embodiments, but be given the broadest reasonable interpretation according to the language of the following claims. Any of the embodiments described above may be included in any other embodiment described herein.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device, comprising:

a tapered heating element configured to generate an aerosol by evaporating a vaporizable material on an inclined surface of the tapered heating element, an

A heat source configured to heat the tapered heating element in use in such a way as to provide a thermal gradient along the inclined surface,

the aerosol generating device further comprises

A capsule of a vaporizable material,

wherein the vaporisable material capsule comprises a tapered alignment element having an inclined surface configured to cooperate with a tapered heating element of the aerosol-generating device,

wherein the inclined surface of the tapered alignment element comprises at least one first groove capable of flowing vaporized vaporizable material.

2. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, further comprising

A vaporizable material release device configured to: when mated, the vaporizable material is able to flow from the vaporizable material capsule into a space between the surface of the tapered alignment element and the tapered heating element.

3. The aerosol generating device of claim 2, wherein the capsule of vaporizable material further comprises

A mesh structure located on the inclined surface of the tapered alignment element and configured to receive the vaporizable material by capillary action and to enable vaporization of the vaporizable material upon heating.

4. The aerosol generating device of claim 1,

the inclined surface of the tapered heating element further comprises at least one second groove capable of flowing vaporized vaporizable material.

5. The aerosol generating device of any of claims 1 to 2 and 4, further comprising

A mesh structure adjacent to the inclined surface of the tapered heating element and configured to receive the vaporizable material by capillary action.

6. The aerosol generating device of any of claims 1 to 5,

the tapered shape of any of the heating element and the alignment element is any one of a list comprising: cones, truncated cones, bullets, truncated bullets, spires, truncated spires.

7. An aerosol generating device according to any of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:

a body element configured to receive a power source for the heat source, an

An attachment means configured to attach the tapered heating element to the body element.

8. The aerosol generating device of claim 5,

the attachment means is further configured to removably attach the tapered heating element to the body element.

9. A capsule of vaporisable material for an aerosol generating device, the capsule comprising a reservoir containing a charge of vaporisable material, the capsule further comprising:

a tapered alignment element configured to mate with a corresponding tapered heating element, an

A mesh structure located on a wall of the tapered alignment element and configured to receive vaporizable material from the reservoir by capillary action and to vaporize the vaporizable material when heated by the tapered heating element, and wherein,

the inclined surface of the tapered alignment element includes at least one groove capable of flowing vaporized vaporizable material.

10. The vaporizable material capsule of claim 9, wherein,

the tapered heating element is part of the vaporisable material capsule and includes electrical connectors for connecting the tapered heating element to a power supply of the aerosol generating device.

11. The vaporizable material capsule of any of claims 9 and 10,

the tapered heating element includes at least one groove capable of flowing vaporized vaporizable material.