CN115768288A

CN115768288A - Smoking article, aerosol-generating article comprising same and aerosol-generating device for use therewith

Info

Publication number: CN115768288A
Application number: CN202280004490.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 权赞珉; 朴仁洙
Original assignee: KT&G Corp
Current assignee: KT&G Corp
Priority date: 2021-06-21
Filing date: 2022-04-05
Publication date: 2023-03-07
Also published as: EP4173495A4; JP7521722B2; JP2023534357A; WO2022270724A1; KR20220169647A; EP4173495A1

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a smoking article, an aerosol-generating article comprising the same, and an aerosol-generating device for use therewith. A tobacco rod according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include: a first filtration stage; a second filtration stage upstream of the first filtration stage; and a cavity section formed by the first filter section and the second filter section and filled with tobacco particles.

Description

Smoking article, aerosol-generating article comprising same and aerosol-generating device for use therewith

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a smoking article, an aerosol-generating article comprising the same and an aerosol-generating device for use therewith. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to tobacco rods filled with tobacco particles, aerosol-generating articles comprising the rods, and aerosol-generating devices for use with the aerosol-generating articles.

Background

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for alternative products that overcome the disadvantages of existing cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for devices that generate aerosols by electrically heating cigarette rods (e.g., cigarette-type e-cigarettes). Accordingly, research is being actively conducted on electrically heated aerosol-generating devices and cigarette rods (or aerosol-generating articles) suitable therefor.

On the other hand, reconstituted tobacco is mainly used as a tobacco material for the cigarette rod, and cut tobacco is occasionally used. Recently, a method of using tobacco material in a granular form has been proposed. For example, a method of smoking a cigarette by mounting a cartridge containing tobacco particles on an aerosol-generating device has been proposed.

However, the product in the form of a cartridge has a low degree of consumer familiarity as compared with a cigarette rod, and cannot provide a smoking feeling like a cigarette rod, and there is a disadvantage in that the manufacturing cost is also increased.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

A technical problem to be solved by some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a tobacco rod reflecting a structural design that can prevent tobacco particles from falling off and an aerosol-generating article comprising the same.

Another technical problem to be solved by some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol-generating article designed to enable uniform heating of a plurality of tobacco particles.

A further technical problem to be solved by some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol-generating device that can be used with tobacco particle-based aerosol-generating articles.

A further technical problem to be solved by some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol-generating device capable of efficiently heating a tobacco particle-based aerosol-generating article.

A further technical problem to be solved by some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol-generating device capable of operating in a set mode in a smokeless mode and a smoky mode, and an aerosol-generating article that can be used with the aerosol-generating device.

The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following descriptions.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above technical problem, a tobacco rod according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include: a first filtration stage; a second filtration stage located upstream of the first filtration stage; and a cavity segment formed by the first filter segment and the second filter segment and filled with tobacco particles.

In some embodiments, the first filter stage and the second filter stage may each be a paper filter.

In some embodiments, the first filter stage may be a cellulose acetate filter and the second filter stage may be a paper filter.

In some embodiments, the tobacco particles can have a density of 0.5g/cm ³ To 1.2g/cm ³ 。

In some embodiments, the tobacco particles can have a diameter of 0.3mm to 1.2mm.

In some embodiments, the filling rate of the tobacco particles with respect to the cavity segment may be 80 vol% or less.

In some embodiments, the first filter stage isThe suction resistance may be 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 150mmH ₂ O/60mm。

In some embodiments, the first filter stage may comprise a paper material having a paper width of 100mm to 200 mm; the suction resistance of the first filter stage may be 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 100mmH ₂ O/60mm。

To address the above technical problem, aerosol-generating articles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are aerosol-generating articles for use with an aerosol-generating device, the aerosol-generating articles comprising: the tobacco rod is filled with tobacco particles and a filter stick; the above tobacco rod may comprise: a first filter segment, a second filter segment, and a cavity segment formed by said first filter segment and said second filter segment and filled with said tobacco particles.

In some embodiments, the filter rod may include a cooling segment and a mouthpiece segment.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure described above, the cavity segment may be formed by filter segments located upstream and downstream of the tobacco rod, and tobacco particles may be filled in the cavity segment. Therefore, a tobacco rod capable of preventing the falling-off phenomenon of tobacco particles can be easily manufactured.

Furthermore, the filter section forming the cavity section of the tobacco rod may be constituted by a paper filter. In this case, it is possible to prevent the problem that the physical properties of the filter segment are changed due to the heating of the heater section.

Further, aerosol-generating articles comprising a tobacco rod filled with tobacco particles and aerosol-generating devices for use therewith may be provided. The provided aerosol-generating articles may utilize tobacco particles to provide a smoking sensation similar to other heated cigarettes.

Furthermore, the tobacco rod may be designed to generate a vortex inside the cavity section upon smoking. In this case, since the tobacco particles are heated while being sufficiently mixed by the generated vortex, a plurality of tobacco particles can be uniformly heated, and as a result, the scorched smell can be reduced and the smoking feeling can be improved.

Furthermore, the heater section of the aerosol-generating device may have a structure that heats only the cavity section or both the interior and exterior. Therefore, the tobacco particles filled in the cavity segment can be heated efficiently.

The effects of the technical idea according to the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described effects, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

Drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 and 3 are schematic diagrams schematically illustrating aerosol-generating devices according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 4 illustrates an aerosol-generating device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure operating in a smokeless mode.

Figure 5 illustrates an aerosol-generating device operating in a smoke mode according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating a tobacco rod, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams schematically illustrating aerosol-generating articles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram for illustrating the principles and conditions under which vortices occur in aerosol-generating articles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 is a schematic view for explaining a heating structure of a heater part according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11 is a schematic view for explaining a heating structure of a heater part according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 is a schematic view for explaining a heating structure of a heater part according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 13 is a schematic view for explaining a heating structure of a heater part according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 14 and 15 are graphs showing experimental results regarding the effect of tobacco particle size on vortex generation.

Fig. 16 to 18 are graphs showing experimental results regarding the influence of the tobacco particle filling rate on the occurrence of the vortex.

Fig. 19 to 21 are graphs showing experimental results regarding the effect of the thickness and shape of the internal heating element on the degree of breakage of the filter segment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods of accomplishing the same may be understood by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments. However, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below, and may be implemented in various forms different from each other, and the embodiments are only for enabling the present disclosure to be fully disclosed so that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs can fully understand the scope of the present disclosure, and the technical idea of the present disclosure is determined by the scope of the claims of the present disclosure.

In adding reference numerals to components of all drawings, it should be noted that the same reference numerals refer to the same components even though the components are shown in different drawings. In the description of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of related known art configurations and functions may be omitted when it is considered that the gist of the present disclosure is obscured.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the present specification may be used with the meaning commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Furthermore, terms commonly used in dictionaries have a definition and are not interpreted abnormally or excessively without explicit special definition. The terminology used in the following embodiments is for the purpose of describing the embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. In the following embodiments, singular nouns also include plural nouns unless otherwise specified.

Further, in describing the components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component, and the nature, order, sequence, or the like of the related components are not limited by the terms. It should be appreciated that if a component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "linked" to another component, it can mean that the component is not only directly "connected," "coupled," or "linked" to the other component, but also indirectly "connected," "coupled," or "linked" via a third component.

The terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this disclosure, specify the presence of stated components, steps, operations, and/or elements, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations, and/or elements.

Before describing various embodiments of the present disclosure, some terms used in the following embodiments will be clarified.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol former" may refer to a material capable of contributing to the easy formation of visible smoke (smoke) and/or aerosol (aerosol). For example, examples of the aerosol former may include Glycerin (GLY), propylene Glycol (PG), ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol, but are not limited thereto. In the art, aerosol formers may be used interchangeably with terms such as humectants, and the like.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-forming substrate" may refer to a material capable of forming an aerosol (aerosol). The aerosol may contain volatile compounds. The aerosol-forming substrate may be a solid or a liquid.

For example, the solid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise a solid material based on tobacco raw material, e.g. reconstituted tobacco, cut filler, reconstituted tobacco, etc. The liquid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise a liquid composition based on nicotine, tobacco extract and/or various flavourings. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above. The aerosol-forming substrate may also comprise an aerosol former to stably form a visible aerosol and/or aerosol.

In the following embodiments, an "aerosol-generating device" may refer to a device that generates an aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate in order to generate an aerosol that can be inhaled directly into the lungs of a user through the mouth of the user. With regard to some examples of aerosol-generating devices, reference may be made to fig. 1 to 3.

In the following embodiments, an "aerosol-generating article" may refer to an article capable of generating an aerosol. The aerosol-generating article may comprise an aerosol-forming substrate. As a representative example of an aerosol-generating article, a cigarette may be exemplified, although the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to this example.

In the following embodiments, "upstream" or "upstream direction" may refer to a direction away from the mouth of a user (smoker), and "downstream" or "downstream" may refer to a direction close to the mouth of the user. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" may be used to describe the relative positions of elements making up an aerosol-generating article. For example, in the aerosol-generating article 2 illustrated in figure 7, the tobacco rod 21 is located upstream or in an upstream direction from the filter rod 22, and the filter rod 22 is located downstream or in a downstream direction from the tobacco rod 21.

In the following embodiments, "suction (puff)" refers to inhalation (inhalation) by a user, and inhalation refers to a condition of being inhaled into an oral cavity, a nasal cavity, or a lung of a user through a mouth or a nose of the user.

In the following embodiments, "longitudinal direction" may refer to a direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of an aerosol-generating article.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained according to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an aerosol-generating device 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, fig. 1 and the like are illustrated in a state in which an aerosol-generating article 2 is inserted (accommodated).

As shown in fig. 1, the aerosol-generating device 1 according to the present embodiment may include a housing, a heater portion 13, a battery 11, and a control portion 12. However, fig. 1 only shows components related to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Accordingly, one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains may appreciate that other general components may be included in addition to those shown in FIG. 1. For example, the aerosol-generating device 1 may also include input means (e.g., buttons, a touchable display screen, etc.) for receiving input from a user, instructions, etc., and output means (e.g., LEDs, displays, vibrating motors, etc.) for outputting device status, smoking information, etc. Next, each component of the aerosol-generating device 1 will be explained.

The housing may form the appearance of the aerosol-generating device 1. In addition, the housing may form a receiving space for receiving the aerosol-generating article 2. Preferably, the outer shell may be implemented by a material capable of protecting the internal components.

In addition, the heater section 13 may heat the aerosol-generating article 2 contained in the containment space. Specifically, when the aerosol-generating article 2 is accommodated in the accommodation space of the aerosol-generating device 1, the heater section 13 heats the aerosol-generating article 2 by the power supplied from the battery 11.

The heater section 13 may be configured in various forms and/or methods.

For example, the heater section 13 may be configured to include a resistive heating element. For example, the heater section 13 may include an electrically insulating substrate (e.g., a substrate formed of polyimide) and an electrically conductive track (track), and may further include a heating element that generates heat in response to an electric current flowing in the electrically conductive track. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples, and the heating element is not limited as long as it can be heated to a desired temperature. Wherein the desired temperature may be preset in the aerosol-generating device 1 (e.g. in case a temperature profile is pre-stored), or may be set by the user to the desired temperature.

As another example, the heater section 13 may be configured to include a heating element operating in an induction heating method. In particular, the heater section 13 may comprise an inductor (e.g. an induction coil) for heating the aerosol-generating article 2 by induction heating and a susceptor (suscepter) inductively heated by the inductor. The susceptor may be located outside or inside the aerosol-generating article 2.

Furthermore, for example, the heater section 13 may be implemented in a form comprising a heating element for internally heating the aerosol-generating article 2 (hereinafter "internal heating element") and a heating element for externally heating the aerosol-generating article 2 (hereinafter "external heating element"), or a combination thereof. For example, the inner heating element may be tubular, needle-like, rod-like or the like shaped and arranged to penetrate at least a portion of the aerosol-generating article 2, and the outer heating element may be plate-like, cylindrical or the like shaped and arranged to surround at least a portion of the aerosol-generating article 2. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the shape, number, arrangement form, etc. of the heating elements may be designed in various ways. In order to exclude the repetitive description, a more detailed description about the heating structure of the heater part 13 will be described later with reference to fig. 10 to 13.

The battery 11 can supply electric power for operating the aerosol-generating device 1. For example, the battery 11 may supply power to enable the heater portion 13 to heat the aerosol-generating article 2, or may supply power necessary for the operation of the control portion 12.

The battery 11 can supply power necessary for the operation of electrical components such as a display (not shown), a sensor (not shown), and a motor (not shown) provided in the aerosol-generating device 1.

The control unit 12 may control the operation of the aerosol-generating device 1 as a whole. For example, the control unit 12 may control the operations of the heater unit 13 and the battery 11, or may control the operations of other components included in the aerosol-generating device 1. The control portion 12 may control the power supplied from the battery 11, the heating temperature of the heater portion 13, and the like. Further, the control section 12 can determine whether the aerosol-generating device 1 is in an operable state by checking the state of each component of the aerosol-generating device 1.

The control section 12 may be realized by at least one processor (processor). The control unit may be implemented by a plurality of logic gate arrays, or may be implemented by a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory in which a program executable by the microprocessor is stored. It should be noted that the control unit 12 may be implemented by other hardware as long as it is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

The aerosol-generating article 2 may have a similar construction to a conventional combustion cigarette. For example, the aerosol-generating article 2 may be divided into a first portion (e.g. a tobacco rod) comprising tobacco material (or aerosol-forming substrate) and a second portion (e.g. a filter rod) comprising a filter or the like. The entire first portion may be inserted into the interior of the aerosol-generating device 1 and the second portion may be exposed to the exterior. Alternatively, a portion of the first portion may only be inserted into the interior of the aerosol-generating device 1, or the entire first portion and a portion of the second portion may be inserted into the interior of the aerosol-generating device 1. The user may smoke while holding the second portion.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating article 2 may comprise a tobacco rod filled with tobacco particles. More specifically, the aerosol-generating article 2 may comprise a tobacco rod filled with tobacco particles within a cavity segment. In order to exclude the duplicated explanation, the tobacco rod will be described later with reference to fig. 6. Further, the aerosol-generating article 2 according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings such as fig. 7.

On the other hand, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating device 1 may have a smoke-free function (i.e. a function that does not produce or minimizes the production of visible smoke during use). Furthermore, the aerosol-generating article 2 may be proposed for smoke-free function. Specifically, the aerosol-generating article 2 is a tobacco particle-filled article, and the aerosol-generating device 1 can be operated to heat the aerosol-generating article 2 at a heating temperature of about 270 degrees or less. In this case, visible smoke is not generated during smoking, or generation of visible smoke can be minimized because the moisture content and/or aerosol former content of tobacco particles is significantly low compared to tobacco materials of cut filler (e.g., cut tobacco, cut reconstituted tobacco), reconstituted tobacco, and the like, and thus generation of visible smoke can be reduced. Further, the tobacco particles can exhibit a sufficient smoking feeling (i.e., nicotine can be sufficiently transferred) even at a lower heating temperature (for example, the heating temperature of the cut tobacco is usually 270 degrees or more) than the tobacco material such as cut tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, and the like, so that the heating temperature of the heater portion 13 can be lowered, and the generation of visible smoke can be further reduced as the heating temperature is lowered. According to the present embodiment, by providing a smokeless function, a user can use the aerosol-generating device without being limited by a place or environment, thereby greatly improving the convenience of the user. The present embodiment will be described in detail later together with the structure of the aerosol-generating article 2 with reference to the drawings such as figure 7.

In the following, other types of aerosol-generating devices 1 will be explained with reference to fig. 2 to 5. However, for the sake of clarity of the present disclosure, the description of the contents overlapping with the foregoing embodiments will be omitted.

Fig. 2 and 3 are diagrams for illustrating an aerosol-generating device 1 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the aerosol-generating device 1 according to the present embodiment may further include a cartridge 15 and a cartridge heater section 14. Fig. 2 illustrates the heater section 13 (or aerosol-generating article 2) and the cartridge heater section 14 arranged in a row, and fig. 3 illustrates the heater section 13 (or aerosol-generating article 2) and the cartridge heater section 14 arranged side by side. However, the internal structure of the aerosol-generating device 1 is not limited to the examples of fig. 2 and 3, and the arrangement of the components may be freely changed.

The cartridge 15 may include a reservoir and a liquid transfer unit. However, the present disclosure is not so limited, and the cartridge 15 may also include other components. Also, the cartridge 15 may be made detachable or attachable to the cartridge heater section 14, or may be made integrally with the cartridge heater section 14.

The reservoir can store a liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition may be a liquid comprising a tobacco-containing material (or nicotine-containing material), or may be a liquid comprising a non-tobacco material. For example, the liquid composition can comprise water, a solvent, ethanol, a plant extract (e.g., a tobacco extract), nicotine, a fragrance, an aerosol former, a flavoring agent, or a vitamin mixture. The flavors may include menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruity components and the like, but are not limited thereto. Flavoring agents may include ingredients that are capable of providing a variety of scents or flavors to a user. The vitamin mixture may be a mixture of at least one of vitamin a, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but is not limited thereto. Also, examples of the aerosol former may include glycerin or propylene glycol, but are not limited thereto.

Additionally, the liquid transfer unit may transfer the liquid composition in the reservoir chamber to the cartridge heater section 14. For example, the liquid transfer element may be a wick (wick) element such as cotton fiber, ceramic fiber, glass fiber, and porous ceramic, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the cartridge heater section 14 may form an aerosol by heating a liquid aerosol-forming substrate (e.g. a liquid composition) stored in the cartridge 15. For example, the cartridge heater section 14 may form an aerosol by heating the liquid composition delivered by the liquid delivery unit. The formed aerosol may be delivered to a user through the aerosol-generating article 2. In other words, the aerosol generated by heating of the cartridge heater section 14 may move along the airflow path of the aerosol-generating device 1, and the airflow path may be configured such that the generated aerosol is transmitted to a user through the aerosol-generating article 2. The operation, heating temperature, etc. of the cartridge heater section 14 may be controlled by the control section 12.

For example, the cartridge heater section 14 may be a metal hot wire, a metal hot plate, a ceramic heater section, or the like, but is not limited thereto. The cartridge heater section 14 may be formed of a conductive wire such as a nichrome wire, for example, or may be provided so as to be wound around the liquid transport means. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

For reference, the cartridge heater section 14 and cartridges 15 may be used interchangeably in the art with terms such as cartomizer, atomizer, and vaporizer.

On the other hand, the aerosol-generating device 1 illustrated in fig. 2 or 3 may be operated in a smokeless mode or a smoky mode, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, the aerosol-generating device 1 can be operated in the smokeless mode and the smoke mode in accordance with the set mode, and the operation mode can be set by the user. Hereinafter, each operation mode and the operation of the aerosol generation device 1 will be additionally described with reference to fig. 4 and 5.

As shown in fig. 4, the smokeless mode may refer to a mode in which an aerosol is generated by the aerosol-generating device 1, but no visible smoke is generated (or a mode in which generation of visible smoke is minimized). In order to realize the smokeless mode, the control unit 12 may operate only the heater unit 13 of the cartridge heater unit 14 and the heater unit 13. In other words, the control unit 12 may operate only the heater unit 13 in response to a determination that the setting mode is the smokeless mode. In this case, the cartridge 15 is not heated, only the aerosol-generating article 2 being heated, thereby preventing visible smoke from being produced during use of the device. Specifically, the liquid stored in the cartridge 15 generates an aerosol containing visible smoke when heated, and since the liquid is prevented from being heated, the generation of visible smoke can also be prevented.

As shown in fig. 5, the smoke mode may be a mode in which an aerosol is generated by the aerosol-generating device 1 and visible smoke is also generated. The implementation of the smoke mode may be various, and the specific implementation may be different according to embodiments.

In some embodiments, the control portion 12 may actuate both the cartridge heater portion 14 and the heater portion 13. In this case, as the liquid stored in the cartridge 15 is heated, an aerosol containing visible smoke is formed and the formed aerosol is expelled through the aerosol-generating article 2, whereby a smoke pattern may be achieved. At this time, the heating temperature of the heater portion 13 may be set lower than that of the smokeless mode. This is because, in the smoky mode, the high temperature aerosol formed in the cartridge 15 passes through the aerosol-generating article 2, and therefore a sufficient smoking sensation can be ensured even if the aerosol-generating article 2 is heated to a lower temperature. For example, the heating temperature of the heater portion 13 may be about 230 degrees or more (e.g., about 230 to 270 degrees) in the smokeless mode, and may be about 230 degrees or less (e.g., about 220 degrees) in the smoky mode.

In some other embodiments, the control portion 12 may only actuate the cartridge heater portion 14. This is because, even if only the cartridge 15 is heated, an aerosol containing visible smoke is formed. To form a higher temperature aerosol, the cartridge heater section 14 according to the present embodiment may be heated at a higher temperature than the previous embodiments.

So far, an aerosol-generating device 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to fig. 1 to 5. A smoking article 21 and an aerosol-generating article 2 comprising the same according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings, such as figure 6.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating a tobacco rod 21, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 6, the tobacco rod 21 is a tobacco rod comprising a cavity or cavity section 212, which, as heated, may supply a tobacco component (or smoke flavor component) such as nicotine.

As shown, the tobacco rod 21 may include a first filter segment 211, a second filter segment 213, and a cavity segment 212 formed by the first filter segment 211 and the second filter segment 213. Further, the cavity segment 212 may be filled with tobacco particles 214 (i.e., tobacco material in a particulate shape). The tobacco rod 21 may also include a wrapper that wraps around the rod.

The first filter segment 211 is a filter segment that forms a cavity segment 212 and may be located downstream of the cavity segment 212. In addition to the function of forming the cavity, the first filter segment 211 may also perform a filtering and cooling function for the aerosol, and the like.

In some embodiments, the first filter stage 211 may comprise a paper material. In other words, the first filter segment 211 may be formed of a paper filter. In order to ensure a smooth air flow path, it is preferable that the paper materials are aligned in the long axis direction. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. According to the present embodiment, a tobacco rod 21 suitable for the heated aerosol-generating device 1 can be manufactured. Specifically, since the cellulose acetate fiber melts or shrinks when heated to a predetermined temperature or higher, it is difficult to apply the cellulose acetate fiber to the tobacco rod portion heated by the heater portion 13. On the contrary, since the paper material is less susceptible to thermal denaturation, it can be easily applied to a tobacco rod portion, and a tobacco rod 21 suitable for the heating type aerosol-generating device 1 can be manufactured. However, in some other embodiments, the first filter segment 211 may be formed from a cellulose acetate filter. In this case, an effect of improving the removal capability of the first filter stage 211 can be achieved.

Further, in some embodiments, the first filter segment 211 may include a water or oil repellent paper material. In this case, smoke components (e.g., moisture, aerosol former components) contained in the aerosol are absorbed while passing through the first filter stage 211, and the problem of reduction in the amount of visible atomization can be greatly alleviated. For example, when the first filter stage 211 comprises a general paper material, the smoke components may be absorbed due to the moisture absorption properties of the paper material, thereby reducing the amount of visible fogging. However, when a water-resistant or oil-resistant paper material is used, the above smoke components are hardly absorbed, and therefore, the problem of a decrease in the amount of fogging can be solved.

Further, in some embodiments, the suction resistance of the first filter segment 211 or the second filter segment 213 may be about 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 150mmH ₂ O/60mm, preferably, may be about 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 130mmH ₂ O/60mm, about 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 120mmH ₂ O/60mm, about 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 110mmH ₂ O/60mm, about 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 100mmH ₂ O/60mm, about 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 90mmH ₂ O/60mm, about 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 100mmH ₂ O/80mm or about 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 70mmH ₂ O/60mm. Within the above numerical range, appropriate suction properties can be ensured. In addition, by appropriate suction, the probability of generating a vortex in the cavity section 212 is increased, and thus the effect of uniformly heating the plurality of tobacco particles 214 can be obtained, which will be described later with reference to fig. 9. In addition, when the first filtration stage 211 and the second filtration stage 213, which are filtration stages, are paper filters, it was confirmed that an appropriate atomization amount can be secured within the exemplified numerical value range (see experimental example 1).

Additionally, the second filter segment 213 is the filter segment that forms the cavity segment 212 and may be located upstream of the cavity segment 212. The second filter segment 213 may also function to prevent tobacco particles 214 from falling out. Furthermore, the second filter segment 213 may enable the cavity segment 212 to be disposed in a suitable position within the aerosol-generating device 1 when the aerosol-generating article 2 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 1. Furthermore, the second filter segment 213 may prevent the tobacco rod 21 from escaping outwards and may prevent aerosol liquefied from the tobacco rod 21 during smoking from flowing into the aerosol-generating device 1.

In some embodiments, the second filter stage 213 may comprise a paper material. In other words, the second filter stage 213 may be formed of a paper filter. To ensure a smooth air flow path, the paper materials are preferably aligned in the long axis direction. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. According to the present embodiment, a tobacco rod 21 suitable for the heated aerosol-generating device 1 can be manufactured. Specifically, the cellulose acetate fibers may melt or shrink upon contact with the internal heating element, thereby accelerating the shedding of the tobacco particles 214. However, heat-resistant paper materials can greatly alleviate this phenomenon.

Further, in some embodiments, the second filter segment 213 may include a water or oil resistant paper material. In this case, as described above, the problem of reduction in the amount of visible fogging can be greatly alleviated.

On the other hand, the physical properties of the paper material comprised in the filter segments, i.e. the first filter segment 211, the second filter segment 213, may vary.

In some embodiments, the oil resistance of the paper material may be about 4 or more (i.e., about 4 or more in the range of 1 to 12), preferably, about 5, 6, 7, or 8 or more, as measured by the 3M Kit Test (Kit Test). Within the above numerical range, the problem of a reduction in visible fogging amount (i.e., visible smoke generation amount) due to moisture absorption of the paper material (e.g., a reduction in visible fogging amount in the smoky mode) can be solved.

Further, in some embodiments, the thickness of the paper material can be about 30 μm to 50 μm, preferably, can be about 33 μm to 47 μm, can be about 35 μm to 45 μm, or can be about 37 μm to 42 μm.

Further, in some embodiments, the basis weight of the paper material can be about 20g/m ² To 40g/m ² Preferably, it may be about 23g/m ² To 37g/m ² About 25g/m ² To 35g/m ² Or about 27g/m ² To 33g/m ² 。

Further, in some embodiments, the tensile strength of the paper material may be about 2.5kgf/15mm or greater, and preferably, may be about 2.8kgf/15mm, 3.2kgf/15mm, or 3.5kgf/15mm or greater.

Further, in some embodiments, the elongation of the paper material can be about 0.8% or more, preferably, can be about 1.0%, 1.2%, or about 1.5% or more.

Further, in some embodiments, the bending stiffness (stiff) of the paper material can be about 100cm ³ Above, preferably, it may be about 120cm ³ 、150cm ³ Or 180cm ³ The above.

Further, in some embodiments, the ash content of the paper material may be about 1.5% or less, preferably, may be about 1.2%, 1.0%, or 0.8% or less.

Also, in some embodiments, the paper material may have a paper width of from about 80mm to 250mm, preferably from about 90mm to 230mm, or from about 100mm to 200mm, from about 120mm to 180mm, or from about 120mm to 150mm. Within the above numerical range, it was confirmed that the first filter stage 211 and the second filter stage 213, which are filter stages, have appropriate suction resistance and an appropriate atomization amount can be secured (see experimental example 1).

In addition, the cavity section 212 is a section having a cavity, and may be located between the first filter section 211 and the second filter section 213. That is, the cavity section 212 may be formed by the first filter section 211 and the second filter section 213.

The cavity section 212 may be implemented in various forms. As one example, the cavity segment 212 may be manufactured in the form of a tubular structure including, for example, a paper tube. As another example, the cavity section 212 may be manufactured by wrapping a cavity formed by two filter segments, a first filter segment 211 and a second filter segment 213, with a wrapper of suitable material. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples, and the cavity segment 212 may be manufactured in any manner as long as it can be filled with tobacco particles 214.

The length of the cavity section 212 may be freely selected in the range of about 8mm to 12mm, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to this numerical range.

As shown, the cavity segment 212 may be filled with tobacco particles 214. The tobacco particles 214 can sufficiently exhibit a smoking feeling even at a low temperature, as compared with other types of tobacco materials (e.g., cut tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, etc.), and thus the power consumption of the heater section 13 can be reduced. In addition, the tobacco particles 214 are susceptible to reducing the moisture and/or aerosol former content (i.e., are susceptible to producing tobacco particles having a low moisture content or a low aerosol former content) as compared to other types of tobacco materials (e.g., cut tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, etc.), and when utilizing the illustrated tobacco rod 21, are susceptible to producing aerosol-generating articles (e.g., the aerosol-generating article 2 of fig. 7 or 8) that are capable of achieving the smokeless functionality of the aerosol-generating device 1.

The diameter, density, packing fraction, composition ratio of constituent materials, heating temperature, and the like of the tobacco particles 214 may vary, which may vary according to embodiments.

In some embodiments, the tobacco particles 214 may be about 0.3mm to 1.2mm in diameter. Within the above numerical range, appropriate hardness and ease of manufacture of the tobacco particles 214 can be ensured, and the probability of occurrence of a vortex in the cavity section 212 can be increased. The generation of the eddy current will be additionally described later with reference to fig. 9.

Further, in some embodiments, the tobacco particles 214 may be about 15 mesh to 50 mesh in size, preferably, may be about 15 mesh to 45 mesh, about 20 mesh to 45 mesh, about 25 mesh to 45 mesh, or about 25 mesh to 40 mesh. Within the above numerical range, it is possible to ensure proper hardness and ease of manufacture of the tobacco particles 214, minimize the shedding phenomenon, and increase the probability of occurrence of a vortex in the cavity section 212.

Further, in some embodiments, the density of the tobacco particles 214 may be about 0.5g/cm ³ To 1.2g/cm ³ Preferably, it may be about 0.6g/cm ³ To 1.0g/cm ³ About 0.7g/cm ³ To 0.9g/cm ³ Or 0.6g/cm ³ To 0.8g/cm ³ . Within the above numerical range, the tobacco particles 21 can be ensured4, and may increase the probability of eddy currents occurring in the cavity section 212. The generation of the eddy current will be additionally described later with reference to fig. 9.

Further, in some embodiments, the hardness of the tobacco particles 214 may be about 80% or more, preferably, may be about 85% or 90% or more, and more preferably, may be 91%, 93%, 95%, or 97% or more. Within the above numerical range, the ease of manufacture of the tobacco particles 214 is improved and the fragmentation phenomenon is minimized, so that the ease of manufacture of the aerosol-generating article 2 may also be improved. In this embodiment, the hardness of the tobacco particles 214 may be a value measured according to KSM-1802 ("activated carbon test method"), which is a national standard test method. The details of the hardness measuring method and the meaning of the measured values can be referred to korean national standard KSM-1802.

Further, in some embodiments, the fill rate for the tobacco particles 214 of the cavity segment 212 may be about 80% by volume or less, and preferably may be about 70%, 60% or 50% by volume or less. Within the above numerical range, the probability of occurrence of a vortex in the cavity section 212 can be increased. The generation of the eddy current will be additionally described later with reference to fig. 9. Further, to ensure a proper smoking feel, the fill fraction of the tobacco particles 214 may preferably be about 20 volume%, 30 volume%, or about 40 volume% or more.

Further, in some embodiments, the tobacco particles 214 may comprise less than about 20% by weight moisture, and preferably may comprise less than about 15%, 12%, 10%, 7%, or 5% by weight moisture. Within the above numerical ranges, the generation of visible smoke can be greatly reduced and the smokeless function of the aerosol-generating device 1 can be easily achieved. However, in some other embodiments, the tobacco particles 214 may include greater than about 20% moisture by weight.

Further, in some embodiments, the tobacco particles 214 may comprise less than about 10% by weight aerosol former, and preferably may comprise about 7%, 5%, 3%, or 1% by weight aerosol former. Alternatively, the tobacco particles 214 may not contain an aerosol former. Within the above numerical ranges, the generation of visible smoke can be greatly reduced and the smokeless function of the aerosol-generating device 1 can be easily achieved. However, in some other embodiments, the tobacco particles 214 may comprise about 10% by weight or more of the aerosol former.

Further, in some embodiments, the heating temperature of the tobacco particles 214 may be about 270 degrees, 260 degrees, 250 degrees, 240 degrees, or 230 degrees or less. In other words, the heater portion 13 can heat the tobacco rod 21 to a heating temperature in the illustrated numerical range. Within this range of values, the problem of scorched flavor due to overheating of the tobacco particles 214 can be solved. Furthermore, the generation of visible smoke is minimized while ensuring a proper smoking sensation, so that the smokeless function of the aerosol-generating device 1 can be easily realized. Further, when a tobacco material such as cut tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or the like is heated to about 270 degrees or more, a sufficient smoking feeling can be achieved, and on the contrary, the tobacco particles 214 can exhibit a sufficient smoking feeling even at a temperature lower than this temperature, so that the power consumption of the heater section 13 can be reduced, and the generation of visible smoke can be easily suppressed. Furthermore, due to these characteristics, the tobacco particles 214 may be suitable for achieving smokeless functionality of the aerosol-generating device 1 as compared to other types of tobacco materials.

Further, in some embodiments, the tobacco particles 214 can have a wet basis (wet basis) nicotine content of about 1.0% to 4.0%, preferably, can be about 1.5% to 3.5%, 1.8% to 3.0%, or 2.0% to 2.5%. Within the above numerical range, a proper smoking feeling can be ensured.

Further, in some embodiments, the dry basis (dry basis) nicotine content of the tobacco particles 214 can be about 1.2% to 4.2%, preferably, can be about 1.7% to 3.7%, 2.0% to 3.2%, or 2.2% to 2.7%. Within the above numerical range, a proper smoking feeling can be ensured.

Thus far, a tobacco rod 21 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to fig. 6. In summary, the cavity section 212 may be formed by two filter segments, i.e., the first filter segment 211 and the second filter segment 213, and the tobacco particles 214 may be filled in the cavity section 212. Therefore, the tobacco rod 21 capable of minimizing the falling-off phenomenon of the tobacco particles 214 can be easily manufactured. Furthermore, the filter segments, i.e. the first filter segment 211, the second filter segment 213, may be made of paper filters. The physical properties of the first filter stage 211 and the second filter stage 213, which are filter stages of the tobacco rod 21, are hardly changed by the heating of the heater portion 13, and therefore the tobacco rod 21 is suitable for producing the heated aerosol-generating article 2.

In the following, embodiments relating to aerosol-generating articles 2 comprising a tobacco rod 21 will be described, and for the sake of clarity of the present disclosure, the description of the tobacco rod 21 will be omitted.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating article 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 7, the aerosol-generating article 2 may comprise a filter rod 22 and a tobacco rod 21. However, fig. 7 only shows components related to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Accordingly, one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains may appreciate that other general components may be included in addition to those shown in FIG. 7. In addition, the filter plug 22 will be explained.

A filter rod 22 may be located downstream of the tobacco rod 21 to perform a filtering function on the aerosol. To this end, the plug 22 may include a filter material such as paper, cellulose acetate fiber, or the like. The filter rod 22 may also include a wrapper that wraps (wrapping) the filter material.

The filter rod 22 may be manufactured in a variety of shapes. Further, the filter rod 22 may be, for example, a cylindrical (type) rod or a tubular rod including a hollow inside. Further, the filter rod 22 may be an embedded rod. If the filter rod 22 is comprised of multiple segments, at least one of the multiple segments may be made to have a different shape.

The filter rod 22 may be made to develop flavor. As one example, the flavored liquid may be sprayed onto the filter plug 22, or a separate fiber coated with the flavored liquid may be inserted into the filter plug 22. As another example, the filter plug 22 may include at least one capsule (not shown) containing a flavored liquid.

In fig. 7, the filter plug 22 is illustrated as being configured in a single segment, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the filter plug 22 may be configured in multiple segments. For example, as shown in fig. 8, the filter rod 22 may be comprised of a cooling segment 222 that performs a cooling function on the aerosol and a mouthpiece segment 221 that performs a filtering function on the aerosol. Alternatively, the filter rod 22 may also include at least one segment that performs other functions, as the case may be.

For reference, the cooling segment 222 may be manufactured in various shapes. For example, the cooling section 222 may be manufactured in the form of a paper tube, a cellulose acetate filter formed with a hollow, a cellulose acetate filter perforated with a plurality of holes, a filter filled with a polymer material or a biodegradable polymer material, or the like. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the cooling segment 222 may be manufactured in any shape as long as it can perform a cooling function for the aerosol. For example, the high molecular material or the biodegradable polymer material may be a woven fabric made of polylactic acid (PLA) fibers, but is not limited thereto.

Further, for example, the mouthpiece section 221 may be a cellulose acetate filter (i.e., a filter made of cellulose acetate fibers), but is not limited thereto. The description above for the filter rod 22 also applies to the tobacco plug segment 221.

On the other hand, although not clearly shown, the aerosol-generating article 2 may be wrapped by at least one wrapper. As an example, the aerosol-generating article 2 may be wrapped by a wrapper. As another example, the aerosol-generating article 2 may be over-wrapped by two or more wrappers. For example, the tobacco rod 21 may be wrapped with a first wrapper and the filter rod 22 may be wrapped with a second wrapper. Furthermore, the tobacco rod 21 and filter rod 22, which are wrapped by separate wrappers, are joined and the aerosol-generating article 2 as a whole may be rewound by a third wrapper. If the tobacco rod 21 or filter rod 22 is comprised of a plurality of segments, respectively, each segment may be wrapped by a separate wrapper. Furthermore, the aerosol-generating article 2, which is a combination of segments wrapped by separate wrappers, may be rewound by another wrapper. The packing paper may be formed with at least one hole (hole) through which external air flows in or internal gas flows out.

So far, an aerosol-generating article 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been explained with reference to fig. 7 to 8. As described above, an aerosol-generating article 2 filled with tobacco particles 214 may be provided. The aerosol-generating article 2 described above may provide a user with a more excellent smoking feel and familiarity feel than a cartridge-type product (i.e., a tobacco particle-filled cartridge product), and may also reduce manufacturing costs.

Furthermore, an aerosol-generating article 2 suitable for achieving the smokeless function of the aerosol-generating device 1 may be provided. Specifically, the aerosol-generating article 2 includes the tobacco rod 21 filled with the tobacco particles 214, and the moisture content and/or the aerosol-forming agent content of the tobacco particles 214 is significantly low as compared with tobacco materials of cut filler (e.g., cut tobacco, cut reconstituted tobacco), reconstituted tobacco, and the like, and thus the generation of visible smoke can be reduced. In addition, since the tobacco particles 214 can exhibit a sufficient smoking feeling even at a relatively low temperature as compared with other types of tobacco materials, the heating temperature of the aerosol-generating device 1 can be set low, and the generation of visible smoke can be further reduced as the heating temperature decreases.

On the other hand, the inventors of the present disclosure confirmed that when specific conditions are satisfied, a vortex is generated in the cavity section 212 upon suction, and the plurality of tobacco particles 214 are mixed due to the generated vortex, and a phenomenon of uniform heating occurs. Hereinafter, the principle and conditions for generating such a vortex will be explained with reference to fig. 9.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram for illustrating the principles and conditions under which a vortex occurs in an aerosol-generating article 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, figures such as figure 9 only show the tobacco rod 21 and do not include the filter rod 22.

As shown in fig. 9, when a certain condition is satisfied, a phenomenon may occur in which the air flow (see a dotted arrow) flowing in through the second filter segment 213 by suction swirls in the cavity segment 214. For example, when an air flow inflowing by suction meets a plurality of tobacco particles 214 moving in a downstream direction by suction, an irregular air flow may be formed, in which a vortex may be generated. Further, by the generated vortex, the plurality of tobacco particles 214 can be uniformly heated while being sufficiently mixed. For example, when hotter tobacco particles 214 and less hot tobacco particles 214 mix and change the position of the tobacco particles 214, a uniform heating of the plurality of tobacco particles 214 may be achieved. Therefore, scorched flavor can be reduced at the time of smoking, and smoking feeling can be improved.

The present inventors confirmed the above-mentioned occurrence of the vortex generation phenomenon in the course of continuous research, and confirmed through experiments that the probability of generating a vortex is greatly increased under the following conditions. Hereinafter, the vortex generating condition will be described.

First, the first condition is related to the fill rate of the cavity segment 212. This is because the plurality of tobacco particles 214 can be easily moved and mixed only if there is sufficient space in the cavity segment 212. According to the experimental results, it was confirmed that when the filling rate of the tobacco particles 214 with respect to the cavity segment 212 was about 80% by volume or less, the vortex was smoothly generated, and when the filling rate of the tobacco particles 214 with respect to the cavity segment 212 was about 70% by volume or less, the vortex occurrence probability was further increased.

In addition, the second condition is related to the density of the tobacco particles 214. This is because, if the weight of the tobacco particles 214 is too heavy, they are difficult to move by suction or airflow, and may create a strong resistance to the incoming airflow. From the experimental results, it was confirmed that when the density of the tobacco particles 214 was about 1.2g/cm ³ When the density of the tobacco particles 214 is about 1.0g/cm, a vortex is smoothly generated ³ When the following, the vortex occurrence probability further increases.

In addition, the third condition is related to the diameter of the tobacco particles 214. This is because if the diameter of the tobacco particles 214 is too large, a strong resistance may be created to the incoming airflow. From the experimental results, it was confirmed that when the diameter of the tobacco particles 214 is about 1.2mm or less, the vortex is smoothly generated, and when the diameter of the tobacco particles 214 is about 1.0mm or less, the vortex generation probability is further increased.

In addition, the fourth condition is related to the suction resistance of the first filter segment 211. This is because if the suction resistance is too small, empty suction may occur, and thus the suction force by suction may not be transmitted to the cavity section 212. From the experimental results, it was confirmed that when the suction resistance of the first filter stage 211 was about 50mmH ₂ O/60mm or moreThe vortex is smoothly generated, and when the suction resistance of the first filtering section 211 is about 70mmH ₂ When the O/60mm or more is used, the eddy current occurrence probability further increases.

So far, the conditions related to the vortex generation principle have been explained with reference to fig. 9. Hereinafter, a heating structure of the heater part 13 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to fig. 10 to 13.

First, a heating structure of the heater section 13 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to fig. 10.

As shown in fig. 10, the heater part 13 according to the present embodiment may be configured to include an external heating element 131, and the external heating element 131 may be provided to heat only the cavity section 131. For example, the external heating element 131 may be disposed around at least a portion of the cavity segment 131.

In this case, it is possible to solve the problem that the physical properties of the filter segments, i.e., the first filter segment 211 and the second filter segment 213, are changed by the heat of the heater portion 13 and the problem that the amount of visible fogging (i.e., the amount of generation of visible smoke) is reduced due to the moisture absorption of the filter segments, i.e., the first filter segment 211 and the second filter segment 213. For example, when the filter segments, i.e., the first and

second filter segments

211 and 213, are cellulose acetate filters, there may occur a problem that cellulose acetate fibers are melted or shrunk by the heat of the heater part 13, but such a problem may be solved. As another example, when the filtering sections, i.e., the first filtering section 211 and the second filtering section 213, are paper filters, since the moisture absorption of the paper material is increased by the heat of the heater part 13, there may occur a problem that the amount of atomization is reduced in the smoke mode, but such a problem may be solved.

Hereinafter, a heating structure of the heater part 13 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to fig. 11. For the sake of clarity of the present disclosure, descriptions of contents overlapping with the foregoing embodiments will be omitted.

As shown in fig. 11, the heater section 13 according to the present embodiment may be configured to include an external heating element 131. Furthermore, the external heating element 131 may be arranged to heat only the cavity section 212, such that an unheated site 215 is formed near the downstream end of the cavity section 212. For example, the external heating element 131 may be disposed to surround the remaining portion except for the unheated portion 215 of the cavity section 212.

In this case, the heating efficiency of the heater section 13 can be improved, and the probability of generating eddy current can be further improved. Specifically, the power consumption is reduced by reducing the heating area of the external heating element 131, while the heating performance of the tobacco particles 214 can be kept unchanged, and thus the heating efficiency can be improved. In other words, when smoking, the majority of the tobacco particles 214 are located upstream of the cavity segment 212 under the influence of gravity, while the external heating element 131 heats the upstream portion where the majority of the tobacco particles 214 are located, and therefore the amount of heat transferred to the tobacco particles 214 is substantially not reduced even if the heating area is reduced. Furthermore, temperature differences may occur in the cavity section 212, thereby increasing the probability of generating eddy currents. For example, the flow of the airflow in the downstream direction may be further increased due to temperature differences in the cavity section 212 (e.g., upstream heated to a relatively high temperature).

On the other hand, in some embodiments, the heater section 13 may be configured to include a first external heating element for heating upstream of the cavity section 212 and a second external heating element for heating downstream of the cavity section 212, and the control section 12 may control such that the heating temperature of the first external heating element is higher than the heating temperature of the second external heating element. Even in this case, effects similar to those described above can be obtained.

Further, in some embodiments, heater section 13 may be configured to include multiple external heating elements for heating various portions of cavity section 212 at different temperatures. For example, the heater portion 13 may be configured to include a first external heating element for heating a first portion of the cavity section 212, a second external heating element for heating a second portion of the cavity section 212, and a third external heating element for heating a third portion of the cavity section 212, and the control portion 12 may control such that the respective external heating elements operate at different temperatures. In this case, since the respective portions of the cavity section 212 are heated to different temperatures, the flow of the internal air flow may become complicated, thereby possibly further increasing the probability of occurrence of the vortex.

Hereinafter, a heating structure of the heater part 13 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to fig. 12.

As shown in fig. 12, the heater section 13 according to the present embodiment may be configured to include an inner heating element 132 and an outer heating element 131. The heater portion 13 heats the cavity section 212 simultaneously inside and outside by two heating elements, i.e., the inner heating element 131 and the outer heating element 132, so that the plurality of tobacco particles 214 can be uniformly heated. However, the specific implementation of the heater section 13 may be different.

As an example, the internal heating element 132 and the external heating element 131 may be arranged to be controlled simultaneously by the controller 12. At this time, the two heating elements, i.e., the inner heating element 131, the outer heating element 132, may be physically integrally formed, as shown, or may be made to be separated from each other. In any case, the complexity of the circuit configuration between the control section 12 and the heater section 13 can be reduced.

As another example, the internal heating element 132 and the external heating element 131 may be configured to be independently controlled by the controller 12. For example, the two heating elements, inner heating element 131, outer heating element 132, may be made separate from each other, and thus may be controlled by controller 12 at different temperatures. In the present example, the control portion 12 may actuate the internal heating element 132 at a lower heating temperature than the external heating element 131, or may actuate the internal heating element 132 only under predetermined conditions (e.g., operation at every suction, operation only during preheating, etc.). In this case, the problem of the tobacco particles 214 being overheated by the internal heating element 132 to develop a scorched flavor can be greatly reduced. For example, the problem of scorching that occurs as some of the tobacco particles 214 are heated while in constant contact with the internal heating element 132 may be substantially reduced.

On the other hand, in some embodiments, the thickness of the internal heating element 132 may be about 4.0mm or less, and preferably may be about 3.0mm, 2.5mm, or 2.0mm or less. Within the above numerical range, it is possible to easily solve the problem that the tobacco rod 21 is pushed or the filter segment (e.g., 213) is damaged by the internal heating element 132 at the time of insertion, and also to minimize the phenomenon that the tobacco particles 214 are dropped through the damaged portion of the filter segment (e.g., the second filter segment 213). For example, if the second filter stage 213 is a paper filter and the internal heating element 132 is thick, the internal heating element 132 may become clogged with paper material during insertion, thereby causing a problem in that the tobacco rod 21 is pushed. Alternatively, the second filter stage 213 may be seriously damaged by penetration of the internal heating element 132, and there may occur a problem in that the tobacco particles 214 are dropped to the outside through the damaged portion. However, when the thickness of the internal heating element 132 has the exemplified numerical range, the exemplified problem can be solved.

Further, in some embodiments, the interior heating element 132 may have a pointed shape, such as a semi-conical shape. In this case, damage to the second filter segment 213 and shedding of tobacco particles 214 by the internal heating element 132 can be minimized.

Hereinafter, a heating structure of the heater part 13 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to fig. 13.

As shown in fig. 13, the heater section 13 according to the present embodiment may be configured to include an external heating element 131 and a heat conducting element 133 for heating the inside of the cigarette rod 21. Here, the heat conductive member 133 is made of a heat conductive material and is disposed in thermal contact with the external heating member 131 to function to transfer heat generated at the external heating member 131 to the inside of the cigarette rod 21.

In this case, since the tobacco particles 214 are heated by conductive heat inside the cavity section 212, the problem of overheating of the tobacco particles 214 can be greatly reduced. Further, since only the control section 12 and the external heating element 131 are connected by a circuit, the complexity of the circuit configuration can be reduced.

Hereinafter, a heating structure of the heater part 13 according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure will be explained.

The heater portion 13 according to the present embodiment may heat the cavity section 212 by a particulate susceptor material (hereinafter referred to as "susceptor particles") in an induction heating method. In particular, the heater portion 13 may be configured to comprise an inductor (e.g. an induction coil) for inductively heating the susceptor material, and a plurality of susceptor particles may be arranged inside the cavity segment 212. In this case, inside the cavity section 212, the plurality of susceptor particles and the tobacco particles 214 are mixed to heat the tobacco particles 214, and thus the tobacco particles 214 can be uniformly heated.

The method of disposing the susceptor particles can vary. For example, susceptor particles may be filled inside the cavity segment 212 along with tobacco particles 214. As another example, susceptor particles may form a portion of tobacco particles 214. For example, tobacco particles 214 including susceptor particles can be prepared by adding susceptor particles when preparing tobacco particles 214.

Heretofore, the heating structure of the heater section 13 according to the first to fifth embodiments of the present disclosure has been explained with reference to fig. 10 to 13. For ease of understanding, although the embodiments are described separately, the above-described first to fifth embodiments may be combined in various forms. For example, the heater section 13 according to some embodiments may be configured to include an inner heating element and an outer heating element that heats only the cavity section 212.

Hereinafter, the structure and effect of the tobacco particles 214 and/or the aerosol-generating article 2 described above will be described in more detail by way of examples and experimental examples. However, the following embodiments are only some examples of the present disclosure, and thus the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments.

Example 1

A cigarette having the same structure as the aerosol-generating article 2 as exemplified in figure 8 is produced. Specifically, a cigarette having a circumference of about 22mm and a length of about 48mm was prepared, and about 150mg of tobacco particles were placed into the cavity section of the tobacco rod. Then, a crepe paper having a paper width of about 150mm (i.e., a paper subjected to a curling process) was put in to prepareSuction resistance of about 70mmH ₂ O/60mm paper filter (see Table 1 below), the prepared paper filter was cut and used as a filter segment of a tobacco rod. Further, as the cooling stage of the filter plug, a paper tube was used, and as the mouthpiece stage, a cellulose acetate filter was used.

Example 2

Except that the suction resistance was made to be about 70mmH by putting paper having a paper width of about 150mm ₂ O/60mm paper filter (see Table 1 below), the same cigarette as in example 1 was prepared except that the prepared paper filter was cut and used as a filter segment of a tobacco rod. In order to make the intake resistance lower than example 1, a paper filter was prepared by inserting crepe paper having a lower curl strength than example 1.

Example 3

Except that the suction resistance was made to be about 70mmH by putting paper having a paper width of about 120mm ₂ O/60mm paper filter (see Table 1 below), the same cigarette as in example 1 was prepared except that the prepared paper filter was cut and used as a filter segment of a cigarette rod. In order to make the inhalation resistance the same as that of example 1, crepe paper having a higher crimping strength than that of example 1 was put in to prepare a paper filter.

Example 4

Except that the suction resistance was made to be about 50mmH by putting paper having a paper width of about 120mm ₂ O/60mm paper filter (see Table 1 below), the same cigarette as in example 1 was prepared except that the prepared paper filter was cut and used as a filter segment of a cigarette rod. In order to make the reduction of the inhalation the same as that of example 2, a paper filter was prepared by inserting crepe paper having a higher crimp strength than that of example 2.

Example 5

Except that the suction resistance of about 100mmH was prepared by putting paper having a paper width of about 120mm ₂ O/60mm paper filter (see Table 1 below), the same cigarette as in example 1 was prepared except that the prepared paper filter was cut and used as a filter segment of a cigarette rod. In order to make the suction resistance higher than example 3, a paper filter was prepared by inserting crepe paper having a higher curl strength than example 3.

Table 1 below summarizes the specifications of the paper filters used to manufacture the cigarettes according to examples 1 to 5, and table 2 summarizes the structures and specifications of the cigarettes according to examples 1 to 5.

TABLE 1

TABLE 2

Experimental example 1: evaluation of atomization amount

The cigarettes according to examples 1 to 5 were subjected to an experiment for evaluating the amount of atomization. Specifically, in order to evaluate the degree of influence of the paper material put into the filter segment of the cigarette on the atomization amount, an experiment was performed in which the amount of weight increase of the paper material after smoking (i.e., the weight increase by absorbing moisture of aerosol or the like generated in a liquid cartridge) was measured and the smoke component was analyzed. In addition, the degree of the amount of atomization actually visible with the naked eye (i.e., the visible amount of atomization) at the time of smoking was relatively evaluated. Experiments were conducted using a hybrid aerosol generating device (see fig. 2 or fig. 3) with a liquid cartridge installed in a smoking room at a temperature of about 20 ℃ and a humidity of about 62.5%, with 3 smoke traps per sample as smoke traps for the analysis of the components, repeated on a 8 puff basis, with the average of the trapping results for each 3 being reported in table 3 below. In addition, the weight gain of the filter segment as shown in Table 3 was also calculated as an average value of the results of each 3 measurements.

TABLE 3

Referring to table 3 above, it can be seen that the cigarette atomization according to example 2 is substantially better than the cigarette atomization of example 1. In particular, the increase in weight of the filter segment according to example 2 is less than that of example 1 (i.e. paper material)Less moisture absorption), the visible aerosol of the cigarette of example 2 is better than the visible aerosol of the cigarette of example 1 with respect to the visible aerosol. This is judged as a result of putting a paper material having a relatively low curl strength in order to make the suction resistance lower than that of example 1. In addition, the cigarette fogging amount according to example 5 was evaluated as the worst (i.e., it was seen that the fogging amount was relatively small and the weight gain was high), which was also judged to be the reason for the gene as described above. In other words, in the production of the filter segment according to example 5, in order to fit approximately 100mmH with a paper having a relatively small paper width ₂ It was judged that the amount of fogging was affected by the use of paper having a considerably high curl strength with an O/60mm suction resistance. In addition, when comparing example 1 and example 3 (or comparing example 2 and example 4), it is understood that the cigarette according to example 1 is more excellent in the atomization amount. This means that the crimp strength has a greater effect on the amount of atomisation than the width of the paper placed into the filter stage. In other words, this means that even if the width of the paper put into the filter section is large (i.e., the amount is large), the influence on the amount of atomization can be adjusted by reducing the curl strength.

For reference, although not described, the inhalation resistance of about 30mmH was prepared by decreasing the crimp strength ₂ The paper filter with O/60mm degree is cut into cigarettes, but the phenomenon of tobacco particle shedding occurs intermittently during the manufacturing process. Therefore, the evaluation experiment of the atomization amount according to experimental example 1 was performed in addition to the manufactured cigarettes.

In view of the above, as the filter section of the tobacco rod, it is preferable to use a filter section having an inhalation resistance of about 50mmH prepared by using a paper which is appropriately curled ₂ O/60mm to 100mmH ₂ The O/60mm paper filter has little effect on the amount of atomization even if the paper width is further large in the range from about 120mm to 150mm.

Example 6

Tobacco particles having a size of about 30 to 45 mesh were prepared and added to provide a fill fraction of about 75% by volume, producing a cigarette having the same structure as the article 2 exemplified in fig. 7. As the two filter segments (e.g., the first filter segment 211, the second filter segment 213) constituting the tobacco rod (e.g., the tobacco rod 21), a filter made of a paper material having an oil resistance (oil resistance measured according to the 3M Kit test) of about 2 was used.

Example 7

The same cigarette as in example 6 was prepared except that a filter made of a paper material having an oil resistance of about 6 was used.

Example 8

The same cigarettes as in example 6 were prepared, except that the size of the tobacco particles was about 20 to 30 mesh.

Example 9

The same cigarette as in example 6 was prepared except that the tobacco particles were added so that the filling rate was about 50 vol%.

Example 10

The same cigarette as in example 6 was prepared except that tobacco particles were added so that the filling rate was about 100 vol%.

Experimental example 2: evaluation of influence of oil resistance of paper Material on atomization amount

To evaluate the effect of oil resistance of the paper material of the filter segments (e.g., first filter segment 211, second filter segment 213) on the amount of atomization, an experiment was conducted to measure Total Particulate Matter (TPM) content by analyzing the smoke composition of the cigarettes of examples 6, 7 in the smoky mode. The experimental method was the same as in experimental example 1, and the experimental results are shown in table 4 below.

TABLE 4

Classification of	TPM(mg/cigar)
		Example 6	37.23
Example 7	44.40

Referring to table 4, the TPM content of the cigarette according to example 7 (i.e. the cigarette to which the paper material containing high oil resistance was added) was significantly higher than that of example 6. This is believed to be a result of the increased transfer of aerosol former and moisture due to the higher oil resistant paper material absorbing a smaller amount of aerosol through the filter segment. From these experimental results, it can be seen that the amount of fogging can be increased by adding a paper material having high oil resistance.

Experimental example 3: evaluation of the Effect of tobacco particle size on vortex occurrence

In order to evaluate the influence of the size of the tobacco particles on the generation of the vortex inside the cavity segment (for example, the cavity segment 212), the cigarettes of examples 6 and 8 were subjected to a smoking experiment, and an experiment was performed to confirm the degree of agglomeration of the tobacco particles after smoking. Since the tobacco particles are uniformly mixed to smoothly generate the vortex flow inside the cavity segment (for example, the cavity segment 212) and the agglomeration phenomenon is reduced, the degree of generation of the vortex flow can be measured. Experimental results as shown in fig. 14 and 15, fig. 14 and 15 are graphs obtained by photographing the degree of agglomeration of tobacco particles after smoking, and show experimental results of example 6 (about 30 to 45 mesh) and example 8 (about 20 to 30 mesh), respectively.

Referring to fig. 14 and 15, it can be seen that the degree of agglomeration of tobacco particles (i.e., tobacco particles having a large size) according to example 8 is more severe than that of example 6. That is, it was confirmed that the tobacco particles according to example 6 were relatively uniformly dispersed, while the tobacco particles according to example 8 showed a heavily agglomerated portion. This is believed to be because the larger sized tobacco particles create more resistance to airflow (e.g., may better block airflow due to increased weight and size, etc.), thereby reducing the probability of vortex generation.

Experimental example 4: evaluation of the Effect of tobacco particle filling Rate on vortex Generation

In order to evaluate the influence of the filling rate of tobacco particles on the generation of the vortex in the cavity segment (for example, the cavity segment 212), the cigarettes of examples 6, 9, and 10 were subjected to a smoking experiment, and an experiment was performed to confirm the degree of agglomeration of tobacco particles after smoking. The results of the experiment are shown in fig. 16 to 18. Fig. 16, 17, and 18 are graphs showing the degree of agglomeration of tobacco particles after smoking, and show the experimental results of example 9 (filling rate of about 50 vol%), example 6 (filling rate of about 75 vol%), and example 10 (filling rate of about 100 vol%), respectively.

Referring to fig. 16 to 18, it is understood that the higher the filling rate of tobacco particles, the more serious the degree of agglomeration of tobacco particles. For example, it was confirmed that the degree of agglomeration of the tobacco particles of example 9 having a filling rate of about 50 vol% was significantly lower than that of the tobacco particles of example 10 having a filling rate of about 100 vol%. This is judged as the lower the filling rate, the larger the vacant space of the cavity section (for example, the cavity section 212) is, and thus the airflow flow can be promoted, and as the airflow flow is promoted, the probability of generating the vortex increases. From these experimental results, it is preferable that the filling rate of the tobacco particles is about 75% by volume or about 80% by volume or less.

Experimental example 5: evaluation of the influence of the thickness and shape of the heating element on the degree of damage to the Filter segment

The more the filter segment is damaged, the more the shedding phenomenon of the tobacco particles is accelerated, and thus an experiment was conducted in which the thickness and shape of the internal heating element (e.g., the internal heating element 132) have an influence on the degree of damage of the filter segment (e.g., the second filter segment 213). Specifically, experiments were conducted to confirm the extent of damage to the filter segments of the cigarettes of example 6 while varying the thickness and shape of the internal heating element. The experimental results are shown in fig. 19 to 21. Fig. 19 to 21 are views of photographing a section of a filter segment (e.g., the second filter segment 213) penetrated by an internal heating element, and respectively show experimental results of a half cone-shaped heating element having a thickness of about 2mm, a cylindrical (rod-shaped) heating element having a thickness of about 2mm, and a cylindrical heating element having a thickness of about 3 mm.

It can be confirmed with reference to fig. 19 to 21 that as the thickness of the heating element increases, the degree of damage of the filter segment also increases. It can be seen that the thickness of the heating element is preferably about 3mm or less in order to minimize damage to the filter segment and shedding of tobacco particles.

Furthermore, it is known that in order to minimize damage to the filter segments, it is preferable to use pointed heating elements, such as semi-conical shapes, rather than cylindrical shapes.

For reference, it was confirmed that when the thickness of the heating element was about 4mm or more, the insertion was not smooth because the filter segment was pushed at the time of insertion, and the degree of damage of the filter segment further increased.

The structure and effect of the tobacco particles 214 and/or the aerosol-generating article 2 described above are now described in more detail by way of examples and experimental examples.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains that the embodiments may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the technical spirit or essential characteristics of the present disclosure. It should therefore be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative and non-restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure should be determined by the appended claims, and all explanations of the technical spirit within the equivalent scope should fall within the scope of the technical idea defined by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A tobacco rod is characterized in that the tobacco rod is provided with a plurality of tobacco leaves,

the method comprises the following steps:

a first filtration stage;

a second filtration stage located upstream of the first filtration stage; and

a cavity section formed by the first filter section and the second filter section and filled with tobacco particles.

2. A tobacco rod according to claim 1,

the first filtering section and the second filtering section are both paper filters.

3. A tobacco rod according to claim 1,

the first filter stage is a cellulose acetate filter,

the second filter stage is a paper filter.

4. A tobacco rod according to claim 1,

the density of the tobacco particles is 0.5g/cm ³ To 1.2g/cm ³ 。

5. A tobacco rod according to claim 1,

the diameter of the tobacco particles is 0.3mm to 1.2mm.

6. A tobacco rod according to claim 1,

the filling rate of the tobacco particles to the cavity segment is 80 vol% or less.

7. A tobacco rod according to claim 1,

the suction resistance of the first filter stage is 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 150mmH ₂ O/60mm。

8. A tobacco rod according to claim 1,

the first filtering section comprises a paper material with the paper width of 100mm to 200 mm;

the suction resistance of the first filter stage is 50mmH ₂ O/60mm to 100mmH ₂ O/60mm。

9. An aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device, comprising:

a tobacco rod filled with tobacco particles, and

filtering the filter stick;

above-mentioned tobacco rod includes:

the first filtering section is provided with a first filtering section,

a second filtration stage, and

a cavity segment formed by said first filter segment and said second filter segment and filled with said tobacco particles.

10. An aerosol-generating article according to claim 9,

the filter stick comprises a cooling section and a cigarette mouth section.