CN115590255A - Capsule for an aerosol-generating device, aerosol-generating device and system - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to the technical field of aerosol, and discloses a capsule for an aerosol generating device, the aerosol generating device and a system atomizing device. The capsule includes: a capsule housing defining a receiving chamber; a vaporizable precursor material filled in the receiving chamber and encapsulated by the capsule shell; wherein at least a portion of the capsule shell comprises a thermally conductive material configured to receive heat generated by the aerosol-generating device and transfer the heat to the vaporizable precursor material to volatilize at least one component of the vaporizable precursor material to generate an aerosol. The precursor material capable of being evaporated in the capsule is heated through the heat conduction material of the capsule shell, the precursor material capable of being evaporated does not need to be independently placed into the aerosol generating device for heating, direct contact between the precursor material capable of being evaporated and a heater in the aerosol generating device is avoided, residues and oil stains of the heater are less in retention, and the cleaning frequency of the heater is reduced.

Description

Capsule for an aerosol-generating device, aerosol-generating device and system

[ technical field ] A method for producing a semiconductor device

The embodiment of the invention relates to the technical field of aerosol, in particular to a capsule for an aerosol generating device, the aerosol generating device and a system.

[ background of the invention ]

In recent years, the field of new tobacco and herbal products is rapidly developing, mainly electronic cigarettes and smoking set which is not combusted by heating. Electronic cigarettes are also called atomizing smoking sets (Vaping devices), which are based on the principle that liquid smoke is heated and atomized to generate aerosol which is inhaled by a user. The heating non-combustion smoking set is an electronic product with the function of reducing the harm of tobacco combustion emissions in the tobacco industry like snuff and chewing tobacco, and is more popular with consumers because the smoking taste of the heating non-combustion smoking set is more similar to that of a traditional cigarette when the heating non-combustion smoking set is used.

As one prior example, a heated non-combustible smoking article includes a heating element for use with a smoking article or a botanical, which, when the smoking article is in use, is heated by the heating element built into the smoking article to produce smoke which is transmitted through an internal air passage of the smoking article to a mouthpiece of the smoking article for consumption by a user. In the process of implementing the invention, the inventor finds that the prior art has at least the following problems: after the heating non-combustion smoking set is used for a long time, liquid or solid residues can be accumulated in the smoking set, so that inconvenience is caused to the maintenance and cleaning of the smoking set. It would also be helpful to solve the aforementioned problems to provide a new smoking article or herbal article that distinguishes itself from the existing conventional cigarette product configuration.

[ summary of the invention ]

In view of the above technical problem, some embodiments of the present application provide a capsule for an aerosol-generating device that overcomes or at least partially solves the above problems, comprising:

a capsule housing defining a receptacle chamber; and

a vaporizable precursor material filled in the receiving chamber and encapsulated by the capsule shell;

wherein at least a portion of the capsule shell comprises a thermally conductive material configured to receive heat generated by the aerosol-generating device and transfer the heat to the vaporizable precursor material to heat the vaporizable precursor material such that at least one component of the vaporizable precursor material volatilizes to generate an aerosol.

Some embodiments of the present application also provide an aerosol-generating device comprising:

a body having opposed proximal and distal ends, the body defining an aerosol passage extending between the proximal and distal ends;

a power supply mounted inside the main body;

a mouthpiece positioned at the proximal end of the body, having a mouthpiece air outlet orifice in fluid communication with the aerosol channel; and

a heating assembly positioned at a distal end of the body, the heating assembly comprising a heater defining a heating chamber having an open end for receiving or removing a capsule containing a volatizable precursor material from the open end;

wherein the distal end of the body defines a first receiving cavity within which at least a portion of the heating assembly is removably received so as to remain electrically connected to the power source.

Some embodiments of the present application also provide an aerosol-generating system comprising:

a capsule containing volatilisable precursor material and an aerosol-generating device for use with the capsule, the aerosol-generating device comprising a heater defining a heating chamber for receiving the capsule, the capsule comprising a capsule as described above.

One of the above technical solutions of the present application has the following technical effects:

at least one part of the capsule shell is made of heat conducting materials, the evaporable precursor materials can be packaged in the capsule shell and integrally placed in the aerosol generating device to be heated, the evaporable precursor materials in the capsule are heated through the heat conducting materials of the shell, so that aerosol which can be sucked by a user is generated, the evaporable materials do not need to be separately placed in the aerosol generating device to be heated, the evaporable precursor materials are prevented from being in direct contact with a heater in the aerosol generating device, therefore, the residues and oil stains of the heater in the aerosol generating device are less in retention, and the cleaning frequency of the heater is greatly reduced.

[ description of the drawings ]

One or more embodiments are illustrated in drawings corresponding to, and not limiting to, the embodiments, in which elements having the same reference number designation may be represented as similar elements, unless specifically noted, the drawings in the figures are not to scale.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a capsule according to an embodiment of the present invention in one direction;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the capsule of FIG. 1 from one perspective;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the capsule of FIG. 1 in another orientation;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the air inlet area of the capsule of FIG. 1;

figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of an aerosol-generating device according to an embodiment of the invention in one orientation;

figure 6 is an exploded schematic view of a viewing angle of the aerosol-generating device of figure 5;

figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of another finding of the aerosol-generating device of figure 5;

figure 8 is an exploded schematic view of a viewing angle of the body of the aerosol-generating device of figure 5;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the main body of FIG. 8 showing one direction of the fixing frame;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the fixing frame of the main body of FIG. 8 in another direction;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the fixing frame of the main body of FIG. 8 in another direction;

figure 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the aerosol-generating device of figure 5;

figure 13 is an exploded schematic view of a perspective of a heating assembly of the aerosol-generating device of figure 5;

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of a perspective of the heating assembly housing of the heating assembly of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of one orientation of the heating assembly of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged partial view at B of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the heater of the heating assembly of FIG. 13 in one orientation;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the heater of FIG. 17 in one orientation;

FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective view of the heater of FIG. 17 with the insulation removed in one direction;

FIG. 20 is a schematic view of the annular inlet region of the heater of FIG. 17;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the heater silicone sleeve of the heating assembly of FIG. 13 in one direction;

[ detailed description ] embodiments

In order to facilitate an understanding of the invention, reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "affixed to" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may be present. The terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer" and the like as used herein are for illustrative purposes only.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Furthermore, the technical features mentioned in the different embodiments of the invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the "installation" includes fixing or limiting a certain element or device to a specific position or place by welding, screwing, clamping, adhering, etc., the element or device may remain fixed or move within a limited range in the specific position or place, and the element or device may or may not be detached after being fixed or limited to the specific position or place, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a capsule 40, the capsule 40 is configured to be used with an aerosol generating device, and referring to fig. 1 to fig. 3, which respectively show a perspective view of one direction of the capsule 40, an exploded view of one view, and a perspective view of one direction of the capsule housing 40, the capsule 40 includes a capsule housing 41, a first sealing member 42, and a second sealing member 43, and the first sealing member 42 and the second sealing member 43 are configured to seal the capsule housing 41.

The capsule housing 41 comprises a capsule main housing 411 and a top cover 412, the main housing 411 is provided with a receiving chamber 413, the capsule housing 41 has a first end 44 and a second end 45 which are opposite, the receiving chamber 413 extends between the first end 44 and the second end 45, the receiving chamber 413 is used for receiving the vaporizable precursor material, and the main housing 411 and the top cover 412 can be mutually assembled to encapsulate the vaporizable precursor material. At least a portion of the capsule housing 41 is of a thermally conductive material such that heat generated by the aerosol-generating device is transferred to the vaporizable precursor material through the thermally conductive material of the capsule 40 to volatilize at least one component of the vaporizable precursor material to form an aerosol for inhalation by a user.

It is worth noting that as a practical example, the vaporizable precursor material may be a solid or semi-solid herbaceous plant material, such as tobacco or herbs. Suitable sources of medicinal herbs include natural herbs that have not been processed or simply processed and dried, preferably without additives; the herbs can be single herbs or mixtures of different herbs to obtain, for example, a unique taste, flavor and/or combination of actives. The vaporizable precursor material can also be a paste consisting essentially of an extract or derivative of such tobacco or herbal material. Embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the material of the vaporizable precursor material, and may be any material that can vaporize at least one component of the vaporizable precursor material to produce a smokable aerosol when heated to a certain temperature.

It is worth noting that as some examples of the above-described capsule embodiments, the capsule housing 41 comprises a thermally conductive material of relatively high thermal conductivity, which can reduce the heat loss during heat transfer from the heater in the aerosol-generating device to the volatizable precursor material, resulting in faster heat transfer to the interior of the capsule's receiving chamber, which is advantageous for reducing the smoking latency of the device after start-up. For example, in some embodiments, the capsule shell 41 may comprise a thermally conductive material having a thermal conductivity of 12-415W/m K, with higher thermal conductivities allowing the average temperature of the capsule 40 to be closer to the temperature of the heater, or less so, which may be advantageous for controlling the volatilization of the volatizable precursor material by monitoring the temperature of the heater. As a preferred embodiment, it is also advantageous for the capsule housing 41 to be designed to be thin for improving the heat transfer efficiency, and the capsule housing 41 preferably has a wall thickness of 0.08 to 0.15mm, which ensures that the capsule housing 41 has a certain strength to maintain its inherent shape during heating.

The heat conductive material may be selected from metals, alloys, high heat conductive ceramics or graphite, and as a preferred implementation, the heat conductive material includes a metal or an alloy, and a suitable metal or an alloy includes at least one of iron, aluminum, nickel, titanium, copper, silver, and other metals or alloys containing these metals. In a preferred embodiment, the capsule shell 41 is made of food-grade material, such as 304 stainless steel or 316 stainless steel.

The capsule main housing 411 includes a side wall 4111 and a bottom wall 4112, the side wall 4111 and the bottom wall 4112 enclose a cavity 413, it is understood that at least a portion of the capsule housing 41 is made of a heat conductive material, for example, one of the side wall 4111 or the bottom wall 4112 is made of a heat conductive material alone, or one of the side wall and the bottom wall 4112 is made of a heat conductive material.

The capsule housing 41 comprises at least one capsule inlet aperture 4113 and at least one capsule outlet aperture 4121, the capsule inlet aperture 4113 being adapted for air to enter the receiving chamber 413 and the capsule outlet aperture 4121 being adapted for escape of aerosol generated by the capsule 40 when the capsule 40 is subjected to heat, preferably the capsule inlet aperture 4113 is disposed adjacent the first end 44 and the capsule outlet aperture 4121 is disposed adjacent the second end 45 in a manner that allows an axial flow of air through the receiving chamber to reduce aerosol retention. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the manner in which the capsule 40 is inflated and deflated is not limited thereto, for example, at least a portion of the capsule housing 41 may include an air-permeable material configured to enable air to enter the capsule 40 or aerosol to escape from the capsule 40.

In some embodiments, the capsule housing 41 includes a sidewall 4111 extending between the first end 44 and the second end 45, a portion of the surface of the sidewall 4111 adjacent the first end 44 is recessed to form an air intake region 46, and the capsule air intake 4113 is located in the air intake region 46.

Referring to fig. 4 for the air intake region 46, fig. 4 shows a specific structure manner of the air intake region 46 in the embodiment of the present invention. The side wall 4111 includes a first side wall 4111a extending from the second end 45 toward the first end 44 and a second side wall 4111b connected between the first side wall 4111a and the first end 44, wherein the second side wall 4111b is retracted along the first side wall 4111a toward the accommodating chamber 413, such that the second side wall 4111b is smaller in size than the first side wall 4111a, for example, in the embodiment, the outer shell of the capsule 40 is generally cylindrical, and the diameter of the second side wall 4111b is smaller than that of the first side wall 4111 a. Since the first side wall 4111a has a larger diameter than the second side wall 4111b, there is a space between the first side wall 4112 and the second side wall 4111b in the axial direction of the first end 44, and the space is the air intake area 46. In some embodiments, the air inlet region 46 may be implemented in other manners, for example, instead of providing the second side wall 4111b in this embodiment, a groove (not shown) may be provided directly on a portion of the surface of the side wall 4111 adjacent to the first end 44 along the axial direction of the side wall 4111, and the groove is recessed toward the inside of the housing chamber 413.

By means of the air inlet region 46, when the capsule 40 is placed in the aerosol generating device and heated, the side wall 4111 of the capsule 40 can be in close contact with the inner wall of the heater of the aerosol generating device, and before air enters the capsule 40, due to the existence of the air inlet region 46 and the close contact of the other part of the side wall 4111 with the inside of the heater, the air can flow around the air inlet region 46 until entering the accommodating chamber 413 of the capsule 40 from the capsule air inlet hole 4113 to achieve an annular air inlet mode, the annular air inlet mode does not need to consider the directionality of the placement of the capsule 40 in the aerosol generating device, and the air inlet flow in any direction can enter the capsule 40 in an annular mode.

Further, in this embodiment, the second side wall 4112b includes a plurality of capsule air inlet holes 4113, the plurality of capsule air inlet holes 4113 are uniformly distributed on the second side wall 4112b, the uniform distribution mode may be uniform distribution according to a single capsule air inlet hole 4113, or uniform distribution according to the number of groups of capsule air inlet holes 4113, for example, in this embodiment, the whole casing of the capsule 40 is substantially cylindrical, the second side wall 4112b is provided with 8 capsule air inlet holes 4113,8, two capsule air inlet holes 4113 form a group, each group is provided with two capsule air inlet holes 4113, the arcs spanned by the two air inlet holes 4113 are the same, the arcs spanned between the groups are also the same, the uniform distribution mode and the number of the air inlet holes 4113 are not limited, and only the air inlet holes are uniformly distributed. Through evenly set up a plurality of capsule inlet holes 4113 on second lateral wall 4112b for the even entering capsule 40 of air current, thereby make the air current can fully bring aerosol out of capsule 40, reduce the delay of aerosol.

Further, since the capsule 40 is provided with the capsule air inlet holes 4113 and the capsule air outlet holes 4121, if the capsule 40 is exposed to air for a long time, the evaporable precursor material contained therein, such as tobacco or herbs, may be easily degraded by moisture or air due to air entering, and such tobacco or herbs, if wetted, may generate some odor when heated, which affects the taste, and even sometimes the storage condition is relatively bad, which may be the case when the tobacco gets mildewed, in which case the heated tobacco is inhaled by the user, which may affect the health of the user, the capsule 40 is further provided with the first sealing member 42 and the second sealing member 43, the first sealing member 42 is used for sealing the capsule air outlet holes 4121 of the top cover 412, the second sealing member 43 is used for sealing the capsule air inlet holes 4113, the first sealing member 42 may be the above sealing paste, the sealing paste 42 is attached to the top cover 412, the second sealing member 43 may be the above silicone paste, and the silicone paste 43 is sleeved on the bottom wall 4112 of the capsule 40, thereby isolating the evaporable precursor material contained in the capsule 40 from air. It is understood that the sealing manner of the capsule air inlet hole 4113 and the capsule air outlet hole 4121 may also be other manners, and the present invention is not limited thereto, for example, the top cover 412 and the bottom wall 4112 may be sleeved with a silica gel, or the capsule air inlet hole 4113 and the capsule air outlet hole 4121 may be sealed with a sealing film, which only needs to seal the capsule air inlet hole 4113 and the capsule air outlet hole 4121 and isolate them from air. When the capsule 40 needs to be used, the capsule 40 is put into the heating assembly 30 to be heated, and the sealing patch 42 of the top cover 412 and the capsule silicone sleeve 43 of the bottom wall 4112 are torn off.

Further, since the top cover 412 and the capsule main housing 411 need to be limited to a certain position when being assembled, the inner wall of the main housing 411 is further provided with a limiting part 414, and the limiting part 414 is used for providing a stop when the top cover 412 and the main housing 411 are assembled so as to limit the movement stroke of the top cover 412. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the limiting portion 414 includes a plurality of protrusions extending from the inner wall of the main housing 411 of the capsule, preferably, the number of the protrusions is 4, and each protrusion is disposed at the same distance from the bottom wall 4112 in order to be limited to a horizontal position when the top cover 412 is assembled with the main housing 413.

In the capsule 40 of the embodiment of the invention, at least one part of the capsule shell 41 is made of the heat conducting material, the vaporizable precursor material can be encapsulated in the capsule shell 41 and is integrally placed in the aerosol generating device for heating, the vaporizable precursor material in the capsule is heated by the heat conducting material of the shell 41 so as to generate aerosol which can be sucked by a user, the vaporizable material does not need to be separately placed in the aerosol generating device for heating, the direct contact between the vaporizable precursor material and the heater is avoided, the residue and oil stain of the heater in the aerosol generating device are less, and the cleaning frequency of the heater is greatly reduced.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention further provide an aerosol-generating device 100, please refer to fig. 5 to fig. 7, which respectively show a perspective view of one direction of the aerosol-generating device 100, an exploded view of one viewing angle, and a perspective view of another direction of the main body of the aerosol-generating device 100 according to embodiments of the present invention.

The aerosol-generating device 100 comprises a mouthpiece 10, a body 20, a heating component 30 and a capsule 40 as described in the embodiments above. The main body 20 has a proximal end 110 and a distal end 120 opposite to each other along the length direction, a first receiving cavity 120a is defined at the distal end 120, a second receiving cavity 110a is defined at the proximal end 110, wherein the mouthpiece 10 is at least partially received in the second receiving cavity 110a and is fixedly connected with the second receiving cavity 110a, or is removed from the second receiving cavity 110a, it is understood that the mouthpiece 10 may be integrally formed with the housing portion of the main body 20; the heating element 30 is at least partially accommodated in the first accommodating cavity 120a and is fixedly connected with the second accommodating cavity 120a, or is removed from the first accommodating cavity 120 a; the capsule 40 may be housed in the heating assembly 30. It will be appreciated that the opening of the first receiving chamber 120a is located at the end face of the distal end of the body or at the side near the distal end, i.e. the heating assembly 30 can be inserted into the first receiving chamber 120a from the end face in the axial direction or into the first receiving chamber 120a from the side in the transverse direction. In this way, since the mouthpiece 10 and the heating element 30 are separable from the main body 20, the heating element 30, the mouthpiece 10 and the main body 20 can be separated, and the main body 20 and the heating element 30 can be maintained and cleaned conveniently.

For the above cigarette holder 10, the cigarette holder 10 includes a lower end connected to the main body 20 and an opposite upper end, the upper end 12 is provided with at least one cigarette holder air outlet hole 121, the number of the cigarette holder air outlet holes 121 may be set according to specific situations, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the number of the cigarette holder air outlet holes 121 in this embodiment is preferably set to three. The entire cigarette holder 10 is preferably made of a high temperature resistant plastic or silica gel material, for example, the cigarette holder 10 is preferably made of a heat insulating material, the cigarette holder 10 and the main body 20 are connected in an interference fit manner, for example, if the cigarette holder 10 is made of a silica gel material, the cigarette holder 10 is plugged into the proximal end of the main body 20 by the plug-in manner, since the silica gel has a certain elastic restoring force, after the plug-in of the main body 20, the silica gel restores the elastic force to be tightly abutted against the main body 20, so as to fix the cigarette holder 10 and the main body 20, when the cigarette holder 10 is required to be removed, the cigarette holder 10 is only required to be pulled out from the main body 20 by force, and thus the cigarette holder 10 can be separated from the main body 20.

Referring to fig. 8-13, the main body 20 includes a main housing 21, a fixing frame 22, a power supply 23, a control panel 24, a smoke guiding pipe 25, a switch 26 and an indicator 27, wherein the fixing frame 22, the power supply 23, the control panel 24 and the smoke guiding pipe 25 are all disposed in the main housing 21, and the power supply 23, the control panel 24 and the smoke guiding pipe 25 are mounted on the fixing frame 22. The fixing frame 22 includes a middle supporting column 221, the supporting column 221 has a first airflow gap forming portion 222 extending along a length direction thereof at an end close to the proximal end 110, the first airflow gap forming portion 222 is communicated with the second receiving cavity 110a, a second airflow gap forming portion 223 extending at an end close to the distal end 120, the second airflow gap forming portion 223 is communicated with the first receiving cavity 120a, and the first receiving cavity 120a is communicated with the second receiving cavity 110a to form an aerosol passage of the aerosol generating device.

The first air gap forming part 222 is a substantially cylindrical structure, and has an upper surface 2221 near the proximal end of the main body 20 and an opposite lower surface 2222, the upper surface 2221 and the lower end of the mouthpiece 10 form a first air gap 222a of an aerosol channel, and the first air gap 222a is communicated with the air outlet 121 of the mouthpiece 10. The second airflow gap forming portion 223 is a substantially cavity structure, and the cavity structure includes a bottom wall 2231 and a side wall 2232 close to the distal end of the main body 20, the bottom wall 2231 and the side wall 2232 enclose to form an accommodating cavity 2233, the accommodating cavity 2233 is accommodated in the first accommodating cavity 120a, the accommodating cavity 2233 is used for partially accommodating the heating element 30 and forming a second airflow gap 223a of an aerosol passage with the heating element 30, and the dimensions of the upper and lower surfaces of the first airflow gap forming portion 222 and the bottom wall 2231 of the second airflow gap forming portion 223 are just large enough to enable the fixing frame 22 to be placed in the main body 21. In order to fix the fixing frame 22 in the main housing 21, the side wall 2232 of the second airflow gap forming portion 223 is provided with a buckle 2232a, and the main housing 21 is provided with a buckle fitting 2232a, so as to fix the fixing frame 22 in the main housing 21 by a buckle fixing method. In addition, the side wall 2232 is further provided with a fixing hole 2232b, and the fixing hole 2232b is detachably installed to the heating assembly 30.

The first air flow gap forming portion 222 has a first communicating hole 2233 passing through the upper surface 2221 and the lower surface 2222, the bottom wall 2231 of the second air flow gap forming portion 223 has a second communicating hole 2231a facing the first communicating hole 2233, the smoke guiding tube 25 communicates the first communicating hole 2233 and the second communicating hole 2231a to communicate the first air flow gap 222a with the second air flow gap 223a, and the smoke generated by the heating element 30 flows out of the heating element 30, enters the second air flow gap 223a, then enters the first air flow gap 222a through the smoke guiding tube 25, and is discharged from the mouthpiece outlet 121.

In order to seal the inner cavity of the main body 20 and prevent the smoke in the aerosol device from entering the inner cavity of the main body 20 and condensing into liquid to affect the circuit components on the control board 24 of the main body 20, for example, in the present embodiment, the smoke may enter the inner cavity of the main body 20 through the gaps between the first and second air flow gap forming portions 222 and 223 and the inner wall of the main housing 21 and the gaps at the connection positions of the smoke guiding pipe 25 and the first and second communication holes 2233 and 2231 a. Therefore, a first sealing ring 2224 and a second sealing ring 2225 may be provided at the first airflow gap forming portion 222, and specifically, the first sealing ring 2224 tightly sleeves the smoke guide tube 25 at the opening of the first communicating hole 2233 to seal the gap at the connection position of the smoke guide tube 25 and the first communicating hole 2233; the second sealing ring 2225 is disposed at the middle portion of the upper surface 2221 and the lower surface 2222 of the first air gap forming portion 222, specifically, the middle portion of the upper surface 2221 and the lower surface 2222 is provided with a first groove communicated with each other around the first air gap forming portion 222, and the second sealing ring 2225 fills the first groove, abuts against the upper surface 2221 and the lower surface 2222, and is tightly abutted against the inner wall of the main housing 21, so as to seal the gap between the first air gap forming portion 222 and the inner wall of the main housing 21.

It is to be understood that the second air flow gap forming portion 223 is also provided with a third sealing ring 2234 and a fourth sealing ring 2235, and in particular, the third sealing ring 2234 tightly sleeves the smoke guide pipe 25 at the orifice of the second communication hole 2231a to seal the gap at the connection between the smoke guide pipe 25 and the second communication hole 2231 a; the fourth sealing ring 2235 is provided on a side wall of the second airflow gap forming portion 223, specifically, a second groove is formed around the side wall 2232, and the fourth sealing ring 2235 fills the second groove and abuts against the bottom wall 2231 of the second airflow gap forming portion 223 to seal a gap between the second airflow gap forming portion 222 and the inner wall of the main casing 21. Through the sealing effect of first sealing washer, second sealing washer, third sealing washer and fourth sealing washer, can effectively prevent that the smog from getting into the inner chamber of main part 20.

Because the smoke guide pipe 25 is communicated with the first airflow gap 222a and the second airflow gap 223a, and has a certain length in the middle, the heated aerosol from the heating assembly 30 passes through the smoke guide pipe 25, and because the smoke guide pipe 25 has a certain length, the temperature of the heated smoke after passing through the smoke guide pipe 25 is reduced by condensation, so as to form the aerosol which can be sucked, and the burning mouth caused by overhigh smoke temperature is avoided. In addition, since the first and second communication holes 2233 and 2231a of the smoke guide tube 25 are communicated with the first and second air flow gaps 222a and 223a, the first and second communication holes 2233 and 2231a of the smoke guide tube 25 are directly exposed after the mouthpiece 10 and the heating assembly 30 are removed, which facilitates the cleaning of the duct of the smoke guide tube 25 to remove the residual substance in the smoke guide tube 25 and prevent the smoke guide tube 25 from being clogged.

The second air gap forming portion 223 is provided with a conductive connecting portion, the conductive connecting portion includes a conductive connecting plate 2233a and a conductive connecting post 2233b, the conductive connecting plate 2233a is conductively connected to the conductive connecting post 2233b, the conductive connecting post 2233b is electrically connected to the control board 24, when the heating element 30 is partially accommodated in the accommodating cavity 2233, the conductive connecting plate 2233a is electrically connected to the heating element 30, so that the heating element 30 is electrically connected to the main body 20. Specifically, the conductive connecting plate 2233a is disposed on an inner wall of a side wall of the accommodating cavity 2233, the conductive connecting post 2233b is disposed on an outer wall of a bottom wall 2231 of the accommodating cavity 2233, and in addition, a guide groove 2233c is disposed on the inner wall of the side wall of the accommodating cavity 2233 along a length direction of the side wall, and when the heating assembly 30 is accommodated in the main body 20, the guide groove 2233c is adapted to guide the heating assembly 30.

The power supply 23 and the control board 24 are mounted on the fixing frame 22 along the length direction of the fixing frame 22 to fully utilize the usage space of the aerosol generating device 100, the power supply 23 is electrically connected with the control board 24, and when the heating assembly 30 is accommodated in the main body 20, the control board 24 is electrically connected with the heating assembly 30 to control the heating assembly 30 to heat the vaporizable precursor material. The main body 20 further includes an electric motor 28, the electric motor 28 is installed on the fixing frame 22, the control board 24 is further electrically connected to the electric motor 28, in this embodiment, the electric motor 28 is a micro vibration motor, the micro vibration motor can generate slight vibration, when the aerosol generating device 100 is started, the control board 24 controls the electric motor 28 to work, because the electric motor 28 is installed on the fixing frame 22 and fixedly connected to the main housing 21, the vibration of the electric motor 28 can drive the synchronous vibration of the main body 20, and a feedback experience can be provided for a user through a vibration effect. For example, when the heating element 30 is connected to the main body 20, and the control board 24 receives the connection signal of the heating element 30 to the main body 20, the electric motor 28 is controlled to vibrate, the electric motor 28 vibrates synchronously to vibrate the main body 20, which indicates that the heating element 30 and the main body 20 have been successfully connected, the user can start using the aerosol-generating device 100, and after the user feels the vibration, the user knows that the heating element 30 and the main body 20 have been successfully connected, and can start using the aerosol-generating device 100. In the embodiment of the present invention, the power supply 23 is a lithium ion battery.

Referring to the heating assembly 30, referring to fig. 13, the heating assembly 30 includes a heating assembly housing 31, a movable cover 32, a heater 33 and a heating cavity silica gel sleeve 34, the movable cover 32 is movably mounted on the heating assembly housing 31, so that the movable cover 32 can move from a first preset position to a second preset position relative to the heating assembly housing 31, the heater 33 and the heating cavity silica gel sleeve 34 are disposed in the heating assembly housing 31, and the capsule 40 can be accommodated in the heating assembly 30.

Referring to fig. 14-16, the heating element housing 31 includes a middle frame 311 and a base 312, when the heating element 30 is received in the first receiving cavity 120a, the middle frame 311 is received in the first receiving cavity 120a, the base 312 is exposed outside the first receiving cavity 120a, and a user can receive the heating element 30 in the first receiving cavity 120a or remove the heating element 30 from the first receiving cavity 120a by operating the base 312.

The middle frame 311 is fixedly connected with the base 312, a fixed connection buckle 3118 is arranged on the middle frame 311, a connection portion fixedly connected with the fixed connection buckle 3118 is arranged on the base, a ball plunger 3111 is further arranged on one side wall of the middle frame 311, the ball plunger 3111 is used for being detachably connected with a fixing hole 2232b on the main housing 21, a guide post 3112 is further arranged on the middle frame 311, the guide structure 3112 is used for being matched and guided with a guide groove 2233c of the main housing 21, specifically, a convex rib 3120 is arranged on the side wall of the middle frame 311 along the length direction of the side wall, the main housing 21 is provided with a guide groove 2233c, when the heating assembly 30 is accommodated in the first accommodating cavity 120a of the main housing 20, the guide post 3112 of the heating assembly 30 is firstly inserted into the guide groove 2233c of the main housing 21, when the heating assembly is continuously inserted to a preset ball head distance, the plunger 3111 of the heating assembly 30 is inserted into the fixing hole 2232b of the main housing 21, at this time, the heating assembly 30 is accommodated and fixed in the first accommodating cavity 120a, and when the heating assembly 30 needs to be removed from the main housing 31120, the main housing 3111 can be pulled out of the ball fixing hole 2232b with force. It is understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, the detachable connection and guiding of the heating assembly 30 to the main housing 21 can be matched in other manners, and the present invention is not limited in particular, and only the detachable connection and guiding of the heating assembly 30 to the main housing 21 need be realized.

The base 312 is provided with a first abutting plate 3121 and a second abutting plate 3122, the first abutting plate 3121 and the second abutting plate 3122 form a restricted area 3123 relatively, the heating cavity silicone sleeve 34 is partially accommodated in the restricted area 3123 and abuts against the first abutting plate 3121 and the second abutting plate 3122, so that the heating cavity silicone sleeve 34 is positioned in the base 312, and at the same time the base 312 is further provided with a base air inlet hole 3125, the base air inlet hole 3125 serves as an air inlet of the whole aerosol generating device.

In order to connect the heating assembly 30 with the main body 20, the main body 20 can supply power to the heating assembly 30, the heating assembly 30 is further provided with a conductive elastic sheet 35, one end of the conductive elastic sheet 35 is fixed in the base 312 and electrically connected with the heater 33, and the other end is exposed out of the heating assembly shell 31, when the heating assembly 30 is connected with the main body 20, the main body 20 is electrically connected with the other end of the conductive elastic sheet 35 through a conductive connecting plate 2233a, so that the heater 33 of the heating assembly 30 is electrically connected with the main body 20, and the main body 20 can provide electric energy for the heater 33 to heat.

Specifically, in order to fix the conductive elastic sheet 35 on the heating assembly 30, the base 312 is provided with the abutting seat 3124, the abutting seat 3124 is formed by extending the base 312 along the length direction of the conductive elastic sheet 35, one side of the abutting seat 3124 is used for abutting against one end of the conductive elastic sheet 35, specifically, the abutting seat is configured to abut against and clamp one end of the conductive elastic sheet 35 together with the abutting seat 3124 when the middle frame 311 is fixedly connected to the base 312, so as to fix one end of the conductive elastic sheet 35 in the base. In order to fix the other end of the conductive elastic piece 35, a third groove 3113 is disposed on the sidewall of the middle frame 311, the third groove 3113 being adapted to the shape of the conductive elastic piece 35, so that the other end of the conductive elastic piece 35 is received and fixed in the third groove 3113. The third notch 3113 is opened along the length direction of the sidewall of the middle frame 311, and one end of the third notch 3113 and the middle frame 311 form a first through hole 3113a (see B in fig. 14), the first through hole 3113a communicates with the inside of the heating module housing 31, at least a portion of the conductive elastic sheet 35 is exposed to the heating module housing 31 through the first through hole 3113a, at the other end of the third notch 3113, the middle frame 311 has a first notch 3114 and a second notch 3115 extending towards the third notch 3113 at both side ends of the third notch 3113, the first notch 3114 and the third notch 3113 form a first limiting space 3114a, the second notch 3115 and the third notch 3113 form a second limiting space 3115a, and the other end of the conductive elastic sheet 35 is inserted into the first limiting space 3114a and the second limiting space 3115a and abuts against the first notch 3114 and the second notch 3115, so as to fix the other end of the conductive elastic sheet 35.

In order to ensure that the conductive connecting plate 2233a of the main body 20 and the conductive elastic piece 35 are in good contact when the heating element 30 is connected to the main body 20, at least a portion of the conductive elastic piece 35 exposed out of the heating element housing 31 is arc-shaped, and the arc-shaped section protrudes out of the third groove 3113, in this way, when the heating element 30 is partially accommodated in the accommodating cavity 2233 of the main housing 21, the arc-shaped section of the conductive elastic piece 35 is in pressing contact with the conductive connecting plate 2233a of the accommodating cavity 2233, and since the conductive elastic piece 35 is made of an elastic conductive material, when the arc-shaped section of the conductive elastic piece 35 is deformed by pressing, the deformation will cause the arc-shaped section of the conductive elastic piece 35 to have an elastic restoring force, and the elastic restoring force will continuously and tightly abut the arc-shaped section of the conductive elastic piece 35 against the conductive connecting plate 2233a, thereby ensuring that the heating element 30 is in good electrical contact with the main body 20.

Referring to fig. 17-21, the heater 33 includes a base 331, a heating element 332, a heat insulator 333, and a temperature sensor 334, the heating element 332 is used for heating the base 331, the heat insulator 333 is used for isolating the heating element 332, and the temperature sensor 334 is used for detecting the temperature of the heating element 332.

The heater 33 in the heating assembly 30 includes a base 331 and a heating element 332 disposed on the base 331, the base 331 is a cavity structure with one end open, the base 331 includes a base side wall and a base bottom wall, the base side wall and the base bottom wall enclose a heating chamber 3313, the heating chamber 3313 is used for accommodating the capsule 40, the base 331 is used for heating the capsule 40, and since the shell of the capsule 40 is made of a heat conducting material, the heat of the base 331 can be transferred to the capsule 40, thereby heating the capsule 40. Also, the base 331 is made of a thermally conductive material so that the base 331 more easily receives heat from the heating element 332.

In some embodiments, the thermally conductive material of the base 331 comprises a thermally conductive material having a relatively high thermal conductivity, which can reduce heat loss during heat transfer from the heater 33 to the capsule 40, so that heat is transferred more quickly to the interior of the capsule's receiving chamber, which is advantageous for reducing the smoking latency of the device after start-up. For example, in some embodiments, the base 331 may include a thermally conductive material having a thermal conductivity of 12-415W/m-K, and it is preferable that the base 331 is configured to be thin-walled to improve the thermal conductivity, and a suitable wall thickness of the base 331 is 0.1-0.15 mm, which ensures that the base 331 has a strength to maintain its shape during heating.

The heat conductive material may be selected from metals, alloys, high heat conductive ceramics or graphite, and as a preferred implementation, the heat conductive material includes a metal or an alloy, and a suitable metal or an alloy includes at least one of iron, aluminum, nickel, titanium, copper, silver, and other metals or alloys containing these metals. In a preferred embodiment, the substrate 331 is selected from food grade materials, such as 304 stainless steel or 316 stainless steel, which are thermally conductive materials as described above. It should be noted that the base 331 may be made of a heat conductive material different from that of the capsule shell 41, or may be made of the same heat conductive material, for example, the heat conductive material of the base 331 is made of stainless steel, and the capsule shell 41 is made of ceramic material, or the base 331 is made of ceramic heat conductive material, and the capsule shell 41 is made of stainless steel heat conductive material, preferably, the heat conductive materials of the base 331 and the capsule shell 41 are made of the same heat conductive material, and in this embodiment, the heat conductive materials of the base 331 and the capsule shell 41 are made of stainless steel.

The bottom wall of the base body 331 is sleeved with a heating cavity silicone sleeve 34, a heating cavity silicone sleeve air inlet hole 341 is formed in the bottom of the heating cavity silicone sleeve 34 and is communicated with the base air inlet hole 3125, meanwhile, a heating cavity air inlet hole 3314 is formed in the base body 331, the heating cavity air inlet hole 3314 is communicated with the heating cavity silicone sleeve air inlet hole 341, so that air can enter the capsule 40 through the base air inlet hole 3125, the heating cavity silicone sleeve air inlet hole 341, the heating cavity air inlet hole 3314 and the capsule air inlet hole 4113, and the air is discharged from the capsule air outlet hole 4121 after the capsule 40 is heated and then enters the second air flow gap 223a, thereby forming a first air flow path S1 (see fig. 12). In addition, the heating chamber intake holes 3314 are configured to avoid the area where the heating element 332 covers the surface of the base 331, so that the air flow more sufficiently flows into the heating chamber 3313.

Then, the air is discharged from the second communication hole 2231a into the smoke guide tube 25, the air is discharged from the first communication hole 2233 into the first air flow gap 222a, and finally the air is discharged from the mouthpiece air outlet 121 for the user to inhale, thereby forming a second air flow path S2 (see fig. 12).

It should be noted that the capsule 40 is received in the substrate 331 in a manner that the capsule housing 41 is in contact with the inner surface 3311 of the sidewall 3311 of the substrate 331, and when air enters the capsule 40, the first sidewall 4111a is in contact with the inner surface of the sidewall 3311 of the substrate 331, and the second sidewall 4111b of the capsule housing 41 is retracted, so that a gap 3317 (see fig. 19) exists between the second sidewall 4111b and the inner wall of the substrate 331, and the gap 3317 is an annular air inlet region as described above with respect to the embodiment of the capsule 40, and the air flow enters the capsule 40 around the region. In some embodiments, the capsule housing 41 may not be configured as a recessed shape, but rather the sidewall 3311 of the base 311 is configured as a convex shape, and in particular, the sidewall 3311 may include a first sidewall 3311a (not shown) and a second sidewall 3311b (not shown), the second sidewall 3311b extends along the first sidewall 3311a in a direction away from the base 331 and forms a hollow groove with the bottom wall 3312 of the base 331, and is configured as a "convex" shape, and after the air enters the heating chamber 3313, the air circulates in the hollow groove due to the resistance of the first sidewall 3311a, and a circular air inlet effect can be achieved, and the circular air inlet may not be configured in consideration of the directionality of the capsule 40 to be placed in the aerosol generating device, and the air inlet may enter the capsule 40 in a circular manner in any direction.

The heating element 332 includes a first heating element 3321, a second heating element 3322, and a heating electrode 3323, wherein the first heating element 3321 and the second heating element 3322 are connected in parallel with the heating electrode 3323, such that the first heating element 3321 and the second heating element 3322 heat the substrate 311 simultaneously. The heating electrode 3323 is electrically connected to the main body 20 through the conductive elastic sheet 35 to obtain electric energy required for heating, the first heating element 3321 is used for heating the side wall of the base 331, specifically, the first heating element 3321 surrounds the side wall of the base 331 and heats along the radial direction of the side wall, the second heating element 3322 is used for heating the bottom wall of the base 331 and heats along the axial direction of the bottom wall, and since the first heating element 3321 and the second heating element 3322 are connected in parallel with the heating electrode 3323, the side wall and the bottom wall of the base 331 can be heated simultaneously, so that the whole base 331 can be heated uniformly. It should be noted that, since the heating electrode 3323 includes two electrodes, an anode 3323a and a cathode 3323b, the corresponding conductive elastic piece 35 includes the first conductive elastic piece 351 and the second conductive elastic piece 352, and the anode 3323a and the cathode 3323b of the heating electrode 3323 are electrically connected to the first conductive elastic piece 351 and the second conductive elastic piece 352 respectively. In order to realize the electrical connection between the heating electrode 3323 and the first conductive elastic sheet 351 and the second conductive elastic sheet 352, the heater silicone sleeve 34 is provided with a fourth through hole 34b, and the positive electrode 3323a and the negative electrode 3323b of the heating electrode 3323 are electrically connected with the first conductive elastic sheet 351 and the second conductive elastic sheet 352 through the fourth through hole 34 b.

The first heating element 3321 and the second heating element 3322 are both mesh heating elements, the mesh heating elements may be formed by weaving heating wires or by forming holes in a heating sheet, the mesh heating elements may be attached to the base of the heater 33, specifically, the first heating element 3321 is attached to the side wall of the base 331, and the second heating element 3322 is attached to the bottom wall of the base 331, which may allow the base 331 to obtain better heating effect.

It should be noted that, an insulating layer is provided between the heating element and the substrate of the heater, and the insulating layer may be an oxide layer formed on the surface of the substrate, or a polyimide film (polyimide film) located between the heating element and the surface of the substrate, where the polyimide film surrounds the sidewall of the substrate. As an alternative implementation, the heating element comprises a track deposited on a polyimide film.

As an alternative embodiment, the first heating element 3321 or the second heating element 3322 may be in the form of a conventional heating element such as a resistive track pattern, a heat-generating film, or a heat-generating wire coil formed on the surface of the base 331 of the heater 33; for example, the heating wire coil may be wound around the outer peripheral side wall of 331 of the heater 33, or may be disposed in a disk shape on the bottom wall of the base. As an alternative embodiment, the first heating element 3321 or the second heating element 3322 described above may be constituted by at least a portion of the base 331 of the heater 33 comprising a magnetically permeable metallic material configured as an susceptor that can induce heat in a magnetic field, the base generating heat by eddy currents under the magnetic field of the induction coil and serving to heat the capsule within the chamber 3313. As an alternative embodiment, first heating element 3321 or second heating element 3322 may be an infrared radiation coating material attached to a surface of the substrate that is thermally activated or energized to produce infrared radiation that is transmitted through the substrate into a capsule within heating chamber 3313, where the volatizable precursor material in the capsule is thermally volatizable under the infrared radiation to form an aerosol.

It is understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, the first heating element 3321 and the second heating element 3322 may be configured to heat the substrate 311 differently, for example, in some embodiments, the heating resistance values of the first heating element 3321 and the second heating element 3322 may be the same or different, for example, a high heating temperature point on the bottom 3312 of the substrate 331 is required, and the heating resistance value of the second heating element 3322 may be set to be larger than that of the first heating element 3321.

In some embodiments, the first heating element 3321 and the second heating element 3322 may be connected to the conductive spring 35, and the first heating element 3321 and the second heating element 3322 may be connected to a pair of electrodes in parallel or in series, or to different electrodes, respectively, in such a way that one of the heating elements is controlled to heat, such as different powers are provided to the first heating element 3321 and the second heating element 3322, respectively. As an example, the two heating elements may be sequentially started in time, for example, the first heating element is controlled to start heating in a certain time period, the second heating element is controlled to start heating in another consecutive time period, or the first heating element is controlled to output one power in a certain time period, and the second heating element is controlled to output one power in another consecutive time period, so as to achieve the purpose of time-sharing control. It is understood that first heating element 3321 and second heating element 3322 may be operated alternately.

In order to prevent the heat of the heating element 332 or the base 331 from dissipating and to prevent the heat of the heating element 332 or the base 331 from being transferred to the housing 31 of the heating element 30, which may cause the housing 31 of the heating element to have an excessively high temperature or cause the plastic of the housing 31 of the heating element to deform due to the excessively high temperature, and therefore, a heat insulation body 333 as described above is further provided to the heater 33. The thermal insulator 333 comprises a first thermal insulator 3331, a second thermal insulator 3332 and a third thermal insulator 3333, wherein the first thermal insulator 3331 is attached to the surface of the first heating element 3321, the second thermal insulator 3332 is sleeved on the opening end of the base 331, and the third thermal insulator 33333 is attached to the surface of the second heating element 3322. Specifically, the first insulator 3331 is made of high temperature cotton, and the first heating element 3321 is entirely wrapped by the high temperature cotton, and since the first heating element 3321 is heated around the sidewall 3311 of the substrate 331, the first heating element 3321 can be entirely wrapped by the high temperature cotton; the second heat insulator 3332 is made of heat-insulating ceramic, the second heat insulator 3332 and the base 331 have the same cross-sectional shape, the second heat insulator 3332 is provided with a first plugging block 3321 and a second plugging block 3322, the open end of the base 331 is provided with a first plugging hole 3315 matched with the first plugging block 3321 and a second plugging hole 3316 matched with the second plugging block 3322, and the first plugging block 3321 and the second plugging block 3322 are respectively inserted into the first plugging hole 3315 and the second plugging hole 3316 to ensure that the second isolation element 332 is sleeved on the cavity opening of the base 331; the third insulator 3333 is also a ceramic block, and the third insulator 3333 is directly attached to the second heating element 3322, for example, the third insulator 3333 may be attached to the second heating element 3322 by a high temperature glue, wherein the third insulator 3333 abuts the heater silicone sleeve 34. In this way, the heat of the heating element 332 and the substrate 331 can be effectively isolated. It should be noted that in other embodiments of the present invention, one or 2 insulators 333 may be provided, for example, the second insulator 3332 may be omitted.

Further, in order to control the heating temperature of the heating element 332, the heater 33 further includes the above-mentioned temperature sensor 334, the temperature sensor 334 is disposed on the surface of the second heating element 3322, and the temperature sensor 334 is electrically connected to the control board 24 of the main body 20 through the conductive elastic sheet 35, so as to control the temperature of the heating assembly 30 by the main body 20. Specifically, the conductive elastic piece 35 further includes a third conductive elastic piece 353 and a fourth conductive elastic piece 354, and the temperature sensor is electrically connected to the main body 20 through the third conductive elastic piece 353 and the fourth conductive elastic piece 354. In order to electrically connect the temperature sensor 334 to the third conductive spring 353 and the fourth conductive spring 354, the third insulator 3333 has a second through hole 3333a, the heater silicone sleeve 34 in contact with the third insulator 3333 has a third through hole 34a, the second through hole 3333a communicates with the third through hole 34a, and the temperature sensor 334 is electrically connected to the third conductive spring 353 and the fourth conductive spring 354 through the second through hole 3333a and the third through hole 34 a.

Further, in order to ensure that the air flow follows a predetermined path, a fifth sealing ring 3117 is disposed on the middle frame 311 of the heating assembly 30 to seal the assembly gap between the heating assembly 30 and the main body 20. Specifically, a fourth groove 3117a is formed between the guide post 3112 of the middle frame 311 and the buckle 3118 for fixedly connecting the middle frame 311 around the side wall of the middle frame, the fourth groove 3117a is filled with a fifth sealing ring, and when the heating assembly 50 is connected with the main body 20, the fifth sealing ring tightly abuts against the inner wall of the main casing 21.

Further, in order that the capsule 40 does not detach from the heating assembly 30 due to the aerosol-generating device when the capsule 40 is received and heated by the heating assembly 30, the heating assembly housing 31 is further provided with a retaining member for retaining the capsule 40 in the heating chamber. In particular, the holding member is designed to be movable so that the holding of the capsule 40 located in the heating chamber can be released, the holding member and the heating assembly housing 31 can be separate or non-separate. Specifically, the holding member includes a movable cover 32, the movable cover 32 includes a cover main body 321, a rotating shaft 322 and a clamping portion 323, the rotating shaft 322 is movably connected to the fixing portion 323, the cover main body 321 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 322, and the rotation of the rotating shaft 322 drives the cover main body 321 to rotate. The heating assembly housing 31 is provided with a shaft hole 3119, the fixing portion 323 is fixed in the shaft hole 3119, and the rotation of the rotation shaft 322 can enable the movable cover 32 to be moved from a first preset position to a second preset position, the first preset position is a position for opening the first accommodating cavity 313, and the second preset position closes the first accommodating cavity 313.

The aerosol-generating device 100 provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises a main body 20 and a heating assembly 30, wherein the heating assembly 30 is detachably connected with the main body 20, the heating assembly 30 can be independently replaced or maintained and cleaned, the whole aerosol-generating device 100 does not need to be replaced or maintained, and the user experience is improved.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide an aerosol-generating system comprising an aerosol-generating device 100 as described in the above embodiments and a capsule 40.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above examples are only intended to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and not to limit it; within the idea of the invention, also technical features in the above embodiments or in different embodiments may be combined, steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the invention as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (47)

1. A capsule for an aerosol-generating device, the capsule comprising:

a capsule housing defining a receiving chamber; and

a vaporizable precursor material filled in the receiving chamber and encapsulated by the capsule shell;

wherein at least a portion of the capsule shell comprises a thermally conductive material configured to receive heat generated by the aerosol-generating device and transfer the heat to the vaporizable precursor material to heat the vaporizable precursor material such that at least one component of the vaporizable precursor material volatilizes to generate an aerosol.

2. The capsule according to claim 1, wherein the capsule housing is provided with at least one capsule air inlet hole for air to enter the receiving chamber and at least one capsule air outlet hole for aerosol to escape.

3. The capsule according to claim 2, wherein the capsule housing comprises first and second opposite ends, the receptacle chamber extending between the first and second ends, the capsule inlet aperture being adjacent the first end and the capsule outlet aperture being adjacent the second end.

4. The capsule according to claim 2, wherein the capsule housing comprises a capsule main housing having an open end and a top cover that fits with the capsule main housing to encapsulate the vaporizable precursor material.

5. The capsule according to claim 3, wherein the capsule housing comprises a first sidewall extending from the second end towards the first end and a second sidewall connected between the first sidewall and the first end, the second sidewall tapering radially inward towards the receiving chamber.

6. The capsule according to claim 5, wherein the capsule air inlet hole is provided in the second side wall.

7. The capsule according to claim 6, wherein the capsule air intake holes comprise a plurality of capsule air intake holes, which are uniformly arranged on the second side wall in the circumferential direction.

8. The capsule according to claim 3, wherein the capsule housing comprises a side wall extending between the first end and the second end, a portion of the surface of the side wall adjacent to the first end being recessed to form an air intake area, the capsule air intake being located at the surface of the air intake area.

9. The capsule according to claim 3, wherein the capsule air outlet comprises a plurality of capsule air outlets uniformly distributed on the end face of the second end portion.

10. The capsule according to claim 2, further comprising a first sealing member for sealing the capsule air inlet hole and a second sealing member for sealing the capsule air outlet hole.

11. A capsule according to claim 4, wherein the capsule main housing is provided with a stop portion for providing a stop when the top cover is assembled with the capsule main housing.

12. The capsule according to claim 11, wherein the stop comprises a plurality of projections on an inner surface of a side wall of the capsule main housing.

13. The capsule according to claim 12, wherein the number of the protrusions is four, and the four protrusions are spaced from the bottom wall of the capsule main housing by the same distance.

14. Capsule according to claim 1, wherein the capsule housing is substantially cylindrically shaped.

15. The capsule according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the capsule shell comprises an air-permeable material configured to enable air to enter the containment chamber or aerosol to escape from the containment chamber.

16. The capsule according to claim 1, wherein the capsule housing is configured to maintain an inherent shape of the capsule during heating such that the volume of the receiving chamber remains substantially constant.

17. Capsule according to any of claims 1 to 16, wherein the heat conductive material comprises a metal or an alloy.

18. An aerosol-generating system comprising a capsule containing a volatilisable precursor material and an aerosol-generating device for use with the capsule, wherein the aerosol-generating device comprises a heater defining a heating chamber for receiving the capsule, the capsule comprising a capsule as claimed in any of claims 1 to 17.

19. An aerosol-generating device, comprising:

a body having opposed proximal and distal ends, the body defining an aerosol passage extending between the proximal and distal ends;

a power supply mounted inside the main body;

a mouthpiece positioned at the proximal end of the body, having a mouthpiece air outlet orifice in fluid communication with the aerosol channel; and

a heating assembly positioned at a distal end of the body, the heating assembly comprising a heater defining a heating chamber having an open end for receiving or removing a capsule containing a volatizable precursor material from the open end;

wherein the distal end of the body defines a first receiving cavity within which at least a portion of the heating assembly is removably received so as to remain electrically connected to the power source.

20. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 19, wherein the open end of the heating chamber faces the mouthpiece when the heating assembly is assembled on the body.

21. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 19, wherein the open end of the heating chamber is staggered from the air inlet port of the aerosol passage.

22. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 19, wherein the open end of the heating chamber is oppositely directed to the open end of the first receiving chamber.

23. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 19, wherein the proximal end of the body defines a second receiving cavity in which at least part of the mouthpiece is received.

24. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 23, wherein the aerosol passage communicates with the first and second receiving chambers extending substantially linearly.

25. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 19, wherein the heater comprises a base and a heating element attached to the base, the base comprising a bottom wall and a side wall extending axially between the bottom wall and the open end, the bottom wall and side wall together defining the heating chamber;

wherein the heating element is configured to heat the side wall to transfer heat radially to the heating chamber and to heat the bottom wall to transfer heat axially to the heating chamber to heat a capsule located within the heating chamber.

26. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 25, the heating element comprising a first heating element and a second heating element arranged independently on the substrate.

27. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 26, wherein the first heating element is bonded to a side wall of the base and the second heating element is bonded to a bottom wall of the base.

28. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 26, wherein the first and second heating elements are configured to have different electrical resistances.

29. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 26, wherein the first and second heating elements are configured to be activatable simultaneously or independently controllable.

30. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 29, wherein the first and second heating elements are configured to be activatable chronologically.

31. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 25, wherein the heating element comprises a mesh heating element.

32. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 31, wherein the mesh heating element is configured to surround at least part of the side wall.

33. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 31, wherein the mesh heating element is configured to be flat to fit the bottom wall.

34. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 19, wherein the heating assembly further comprises a heating assembly housing for holding the heater.

35. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 34, wherein the heating assembly further comprises insulation disposed between the heater and the heating assembly housing.

36. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 34, wherein the heating assembly comprises a heater electrode supported on the heating assembly housing, the heater electrode having one end extending to an inside of the heating assembly housing and electrically connected to the heater and another end exposed to an outside of the heating assembly housing.

37. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 36, wherein the heater further comprises a temperature sensor in thermally conductive connection with the substrate.

38. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 37, wherein the heating assembly comprises a sensor electrode supported on the heating assembly housing, the sensor electrode being connected to the temperature sensor.

39. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 38, wherein the heater electrode and sensor electrode are arranged on opposite sides of the heating assembly housing.

40. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 38 or 39, wherein the heater electrode and/or sensor electrode comprises an electrically conductive dome that projects at least partially from the exterior of the heating assembly housing.

41. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 40, wherein the portion of the conductive tab exposed to the heating assembly housing has an arcuate section.

42. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 23, wherein the mouthpiece forms a first air flow gap with the second receiving chamber bottom wall and the heating element forms a second air flow gap with the first receiving chamber bottom wall.

43. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 42, wherein the main body comprises a main housing and a mount mounted within the main housing, the mount comprising a support portion and first and second airflow gap-forming portions at either end of the support portion, the first airflow gap-forming portion defining the first airflow gap with the mouthpiece and the second airflow gap-forming portion defining the second airflow gap with the heating assembly.

44. A heating assembly according to claim 19, further comprising a retaining member located adjacent to the open end for retaining the capsule within the heating chamber.

45. A heating assembly according to claim 44, wherein the holding member is configured to be movable so as to enable release of the holding of the capsule.

46. The heating assembly of claim 19, wherein the heating assembly comprises a first portion receivable in the first receiving cavity and a second portion exposed outside the first receiving cavity, the second portion being configured to be operable to place or remove the first portion into or from the first receiving cavity.

47. The heating assembly of claim 25 wherein the base has an opening in a surface thereof for allowing air flow into the heating chamber, the Kong Bikai being a region of the base surface to which the heating element is attached.

Images