CN117243424A

CN117243424A - Gas mist generating device and heater for gas mist generating device

Info

Publication number: CN117243424A
Application number: CN202210657284.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 武建; 徐中立; 李永海
Original assignee: Shenzhen FirstUnion Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen FirstUnion Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-06-10
Filing date: 2022-06-10
Publication date: 2023-12-19
Also published as: WO2023236828A1

Abstract

The present application proposes an aerosol-generating device and a heater for an aerosol-generating device; the aerosol-generating device comprises: at least one resistive heating element formed by winding or bending a sheet of a resistive metal or alloy; the at least one resistive heating element comprises at least two coiled or bent resistive heating layers; in the suction, air passes at least partially between the at least two resistive heating layers and is output to the aerosol-generating article after being heated between the at least two resistive heating layers. The above aerosol-generating device heats the aerosol-generating article by passing air between the heating layers of the wrapped or folded heating element and then outputting to the aerosol-generating article to heat the aerosol-generating article by way of heated air.

Description

Gas mist generating device and heater for gas mist generating device

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of heating non-combustion gas mist generation, in particular to a gas mist generation device and a heater for the same.

Background

Smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, etc.) burn tobacco during use to produce tobacco smoke. Attempts have been made to replace these tobacco-burning products by making products that release the compounds without burning.

An example of such a product is a heating device that releases a compound by heating rather than burning a material. For example, the material may be an aerosol-generating article comprising tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not comprise nicotine. In the known heating device, the heating element is arranged around the periphery of the heat dissipation part of the honeycomb structure, and the heat dissipation part of the honeycomb structure is heated by the heating element, so that air is heated to form hot air flow when passing through the honeycomb holes in the heat dissipation part again; and then heating the tobacco or other non-tobacco product by the hot gas stream.

Disclosure of Invention

One embodiment of the present application provides an aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; comprising the following steps:

at least one resistive heating element formed by winding or bending a sheet of a resistive metal or alloy; the at least one resistive heating element comprises at least two coiled or bent resistive heating layers; in pumping, air passes at least partially between the at least two resistive heating layers and is output to the aerosol-generating article after being heated between the at least two resistive heating layers.

In a more preferred implementation, the method further comprises:

a retaining element at least partially surrounding or retaining the at least one resistive heating element.

In a more preferred embodiment, the at least one resistive heating element is housed within the retaining element; the holding member includes:

an air inlet for air to enter;

an air outlet to output heated air to the aerosol-generating article.

In a more preferred implementation, the method further comprises:

a temperature sensor coupled to the at least one resistive heating element to sense a temperature of the at least one resistive heating element;

and/or a temperature sensor located at the air outlet for sensing the temperature of the air output by the air outlet.

In a more preferred implementation, the method further comprises:

a first wire and a second wire for powering the resistive heating element.

In a more preferred implementation, the resistive heating element is a cylindrical shape formed by winding the sheet material;

the first wire is at least partially inside the resistive heating element, and the second wire is outside the resistive heating element.

In a more preferred embodiment, the resistive heating element is formed by winding the sheet around the first wire; the first wire has a larger diameter than the second wire.

In a more preferred embodiment, the resistive heating element is formed by winding the sheet around the first wire; the first wire has a diameter of 0.1 to 1.5 mm.

In a more preferred implementation, the method further comprises:

a conductive substrate, the resistive heating element being formed by winding the sheet material around the conductive substrate; the electrically conductive substrate is electrically conductive with the resistive heating element;

the first lead is indirectly conducted with the resistance heating element through being connected with the conductive matrix;

the second wire is directly connected and conducted with the resistance heating element.

In a more preferred implementation, the method further comprises:

a base body, the resistance heating element being formed by winding the sheet material around the base body; the substrate includes an exposed portion that extends beyond the resistive heating element;

the retaining element provides retention of the resistive heating element at least in part by retaining the exposed portion.

In a more preferred implementation, the method further comprises:

a chamber for receiving at least part of the aerosol-generating article;

an air permeable barrier element located between the chamber and the at least one resistive heating element for preventing aerosol-condensate or residue from the aerosol-generating article from falling into or entering the at least one resistive heating element.

In a more preferred implementation, the method further comprises:

a porous body material positioned between adjacent ones of the resistive heating layers.

In a more preferred implementation, the sheet is continuous.

In a more preferred embodiment, the at least two resistive heating layers are connected in series.

In a more preferred implementation, the resistive heating element is configured to be spirally wound from the sheet.

In a more preferred embodiment, the resistive heating element is configured to be reciprocally meandered by the sheet.

In a more preferred embodiment, the resistive heating element has a central axis in the longitudinal direction;

and, the resistive heating element has symmetry about a central axis such that the resistive heating element is 180 ° rotationally symmetric about the central axis.

In a more preferred implementation, the resistive heating element includes a plurality of conductive elements formed on the at least two resistive heating layers.

In a more preferred implementation, the plurality of conductive elements are connected in series or parallel.

In a more preferred implementation, the plurality of conductive elements are connected end to end in sequence.

In a more preferred embodiment, the sheet is provided with holes, hollows or slits to form a grid pattern.

In a more preferred implementation, the sheet comprises a foil layer of a resistive metal or alloy.

Yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes a heater for an aerosol-generating device, comprising:

a holding element having an inner cavity;

at least one heating element located within the inner cavity to heat air passing through the inner cavity; the at least one heating element comprises: at least two resistance heating layers formed by winding or bending a sheet of a metal or alloy having electric resistance; in use, air passes at least partially between the at least two resistive heating layers and is heated between the at least two resistive heating layers.

Yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes an aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; comprising the following steps:

the at least one induction heating element comprises: at least two induction heating layers formed by winding or bending a sheet of a sensitive metal or alloy; in pumping, air passes at least partially between the at least two induction heating layers and is output to the aerosol-generating article after being heated between the at least two induction heating layers;

And the magnetic field generator is used for generating a variable magnetic field so that the induction heating element is penetrated by the variable magnetic field to generate heat.

Drawings

One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements, and in which the figures of the drawings are not to be taken in a limiting sense, unless otherwise indicated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol-generating device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the heater of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic view of portions of the heater of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the sheet material of FIG. 3 prior to winding of the heating element;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a heater according to yet another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the sheet of FIG. 5 wrapped around a rod-like conductive substrate;

FIG. 7 is a top or cross-sectional view of a heater of yet another embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a sheet of yet another embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a sheet of yet another embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a sheet of yet another embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a heating element of yet another embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a sheet of material prior to folding of yet another embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a sheet in one embodiment;

fig. 14 is a schematic view of an aerosol-generating device of yet another embodiment;

fig. 15 is a schematic view of an aerosol-generating device of yet another embodiment.

Detailed Description

In order to facilitate an understanding of the present application, the present application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed description.

One embodiment of the present application proposes an aerosol-generating device 100 for heating, rather than burning, an aerosol-generating article 1000, such as a cigarette, thereby volatilizing or releasing at least one component of the aerosol-generating article 1000 to form an aerosol for inhalation, such as shown in fig. 1.

Further in an alternative implementation, the aerosol-generating article 1000 preferably employs tobacco-containing materials that release volatile compounds from a matrix upon heating; or may be a non-tobacco material capable of being heated and thereafter adapted for electrical heating for smoking. The aerosol-generating article 1000 preferably employs a solid matrix, which may comprise one or more of powders, granules, shredded strips, ribbons or flakes of one or more of vanilla leaves, tobacco leaves, homogenized tobacco, expanded tobacco; alternatively, the solid substrate may contain additional volatile flavour compounds, either tobacco or non-tobacco, to be released when the substrate is heated.

And as shown in fig. 1, after the aerosol-generating article 1000 is received in the aerosol-generating device 100, it may be advantageous for a user to draw on, for example, a filter, which is partially exposed to the outside of the aerosol-generating device 100.

The configuration of the aerosol-generating device 100 according to one embodiment of the present application may be seen in fig. 1, the overall device shape being generally configured in a flat cylindrical shape, the external components of the aerosol-generating device 100 comprising:

a housing 10 having a hollow structure inside and forming an assembly space for necessary functional components such as an electronic device and a heating device; the housing 10 has longitudinally opposed proximal 110 and distal 120 ends; wherein,

and as shown in fig. 1, the aerosol-generating device 100 further comprises:

a receiving opening 111 at the proximal end 110; in use, the aerosol-generating article 1000 is at least partially receivable within the housing 10 through the receiving opening 111 or removable from within the housing 10 through the receiving opening 111;

a wall 12 at least partially surrounding or defining a chamber for receiving at least part of the aerosol-generating article 1000 protruding into the housing 10 through the receiving opening 111;

an air passage 150 between the chamber and the air inlet 121; in turn, in use, the air channel 150 provides a channel path from the air inlet 121 into the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000, as indicated by arrow R11 in fig. 1.

In some preferred implementations, the wall 12 is tubular. And, the wall 12 is non-removable or fixed, non-movable within the housing 10.

Further referring to fig. 1, the aerosol-generating device 100 further comprises:

a battery cell 130 for supplying power; preferably, the battery cell 130 is a rechargeable battery cell 130 and can be charged by being connected to an external power source;

a circuit board 140, in which a circuit is arranged.

the heater 30 at least partially heats the air passing through the heater 30 in the suction and heats the aerosol-generating article 1000 by the heated hot air.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, the heater 30 is positioned between the air channel 150 and the chamber; and, the heater 30 is positioned between the wall 12 and the air channel 150; the heater 30 in turn heats the air drawn into the chamber through the air passage 150 and then outputs the heated hot air to the aerosol-generating article 1000.

For assembly or output of the air flow, at least one support element 40 is arranged between the heater 30 and the wall 12 in the embodiment of fig. 1. At least one support element 40 for providing support between the wall 12 and the heater 30; and, at least one support element 40 also for providing a hold therebetween such that a spacing of greater than 1mm is maintained between the heater 30 and the chamber defined by the wall 12; so that the heater 30 and the aerosol-generating article 1000 received in the chamber are not in contact and can only be heated by hot air.

In the embodiment of fig. 1, at least one flexible sealing element 40 is arranged between the heater 30 and the wall 12. The flexible sealing member 40 is made of a flexible material such as silicone rubber, or a thermoplastic elastomer. Or at least one sealing element 40 is used to provide an airtight seal between the heater 30 and the wall 12 to maximally prevent the hot air output by the heater 30 from escaping between the heater 30 and the wall 12.

In the above preferred implementation, the support element 40 or sealing element 40 is annular in shape at least partially surrounding the heater 30/wall 12.

Referring further to fig. 2, the heater 30 includes:

a first end 311 and a second end 312 facing away from each other; wherein the first end 311 is adjacent to and facing the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000 and the second end 312 is adjacent to and facing the air channel 150; in use, air enters the heater 30 from the second end 312 to be heated and then is output from the first end 311 to the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000, as indicated by arrow R12 in fig. 2 and 3.

And, at least one or more air flow passages are provided in the heater 30 between the first end 311 and the second end 312 for air to pass from the second end 312 to the first end 311.

Specifically, the heater 30 includes:

a retaining element 310, substantially tubular in shape; and a first end 311 and a second end 312 of the heater 30 are defined by the retaining element 310; the retaining member 310 has an internal cavity extending between a first end 311 and a second end 312. The inner cavity has an opening or opening at the first end 311 to output the air heated in the inner cavity to the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000; and the interior cavity has an opening or opening at the second end 312 for air to enter the interior cavity.

And in some implementations, the inner diameter of the retaining element 310 is between 5.0 and 8.0 mm. And the distance of the inner surface to the outer surface of the tubular holding element 310 (or the wall thickness of the holding element 310) is between 1 and 3 mm. And, the holding member 310 is preferably made of a rigid insulating material such as ceramic, glass, PEEK, organic polymer resin, or surface insulating metal.

A heating element 320 is positioned within the retaining element 310 and is at least partially retained by the retaining element 310. The heating element 320 is used to heat the air passing from the second end 312 to the first end 311 in the suction. And according to what is shown in fig. 1 and 2, the heating element 320 is accommodated and held in the inner cavity of the holding element 310.

And in still other variations, the heater 30 includes:

a first air permeable barrier member (not shown) positioned at a first end 311 of the retaining member 310; the first end member is for covering or closing the first end 311; or the first end member can also be used to block the heating element 320 from exiting the retaining element 310 from the first end 311.

A second air permeable barrier member (not shown) positioned at the second end 312 of the retaining member 310; the second end member is for covering or closing the second end 312; or the second end member can also be used to block the heating element 320 from exiting the retaining element 310 from the second end 312.

The first air-permeable blocking element and/or the second air-permeable blocking element is configured as a screen or a mesh-like component with a plurality of holes, while covering, so as not to affect the passage of air. And, the first end member also helps to prevent aerosol-condensate or residue from the aerosol-generating article 1000 from falling into the retaining member 310.

And, in a more preferred embodiment, the retaining member 310 is made of a thermally insulating material to minimize the heat transfer out of the heater 30. The holding member 310 is preferably made of a ceramic having a low thermal conductivity, such as zirconia ceramic, teflon, or the like. And in some preferred implementations, the thermal conductivity of the retaining element 310 is less than 10W/mK. More preferably, the thermal conductivity of the retaining element 310 is below 5W/mK.

Or more preferably, the retaining element 310 further has a hollow region between its inner and outer surfaces that is at a pressure lower than the pressure of the outside atmosphere, thereby creating an insulating vacuum space in the hollow region of the retaining element 310. In some preferred implementations, the pressure in the hollow area between the inner and outer surfaces of the retaining element 310 is between 0.1 and 0.001 millibar.

In some preferred implementations, the heating element 320 is supported and secured within the holding element 310 by some support feature or structure located within the holding element 310; the heating element 320 is non-contact with the inner surface of the holding element 310; it is advantageous to prevent the heat of the heating element 33 from being dissipated through the holding element 310.

With further reference to the preferred embodiment shown in fig. 2-4, the heating element 320 is a resistive heating element; the heating element 320 of this embodiment is a cylindrical or tubular shape obtained by winding a sheet 3210 comprising a resistive metal or alloy; the heating element 320 has at least two wound heating layers 321. Wherein the resistive metal or alloy comprises at least one of nickel, cobalt, zirconium, titanium, nickel alloy, cobalt alloy, zirconium alloy, titanium alloy, nichrome, nickel-iron alloy, iron-chromium-aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, iron-manganese-aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or the like.

Or in still other implementations, the sheet 3210 is arranged with an extension of about 10-40 mm of the spirally wound heating element 320; and sheet 3210 spiral wound heating element 320 has an outer diameter of about 5-8 mm.

And in practice, at least one side surface of the resistive metal or alloy sheet 3210 is provided with an insulating layer or material to provide insulation to prevent contact shorts between adjacent wound heating layers 321 in winding. The insulating layer or insulating material is, for example, a surface oxide layer formed by oxidizing the surface of the sheet 3210 of the resistive metal or alloy, or a high temperature resistant inorganic glue/glaze sprayed or the like.

In this embodiment, the heating element 320 is configured to generate joule heat to generate heat when a direct current flows through the heating element 320.

Or in still other variations, the coiled material forming the heating element 320 is coiled from a sheet 3210 of a receptive metal or alloy; and, the sheet 3210 of the sensitive metal or alloy includes a foil of the sensitive metal or alloy such as nickel-iron alloy or iron-aluminum alloy. The heating element 320 can be penetrated by a varying magnetic field to generate heat. Accordingly, an induction coil (not shown) may be provided on the outer surface of the holding member 310, the induction coil being wound around and held outside the holding member 310; and an induction coil is used to heat the air by heating element 320 wrapped with sheet 3210 of metal or alloy that generally generates a varying magnetic field to induce sensitivity.

And further according to fig. 2-4, adjacent heating layers 321 of the heating element 320 are spaced apart or have channels 322 therebetween; and in practice, the air flow path through the heating element 320/heater 30 is at least partially defined by a gap or channel 322; and in suction, the air is heated by the heating layer 321 as it passes through the spaces or channels 322 to form hot air, which is then output. In the implementations of fig. 2-4, the coiled heating element 320 is spirally coiled from the sheet 3210. The spacing or channels 322 between adjacent heating layers 321 is in some implementations between 0.5 and 3 mm.

And in still other variations, the heating element 320 further comprises:

a porous body material positioned within the spaces or channels 322; or porous body material, between adjacent heating layers 321. Porous body materials such as porous ceramic bodies, porous diatomaceous earth, porous glass, and the like. During suction, air can pass through the porous body material to be heated and output. And, the porous body material may also be used for heat storage for absorbing and storing heat emitted from the heating layer 321 when not suctioned. The porosity of the porous body material is more than 60%; and the average pore size of the porous body material is greater than 100 μm, for example between 150 μm and 500 μm.

In some implementations, the sheet 3210 wound to form the heating element 320 is a foil of a resistive metal or alloy. The resistive metal or alloy foil has a thickness of about 0.5 to 200 μm; and more preferably has a thickness of about 10 to 30 μm.

In still more preferred implementations, the sheet 3210 wound to form the heating element 320 is a sheet of a composite of at least two layers; in one particular implementation, such as shown in fig. 13, the sheet 3210 wound to form the heating element 320 includes:

a resistive metal or alloy foil layer 3220; the method comprises the steps of,

a stress compensation layer 3230 bonded to one side surface of the resistive metal or alloy foil layer 3220; the stress compensation layer provides stress compensation for bending or twisting during winding to prevent cracking or breaking of the more brittle metal or alloy foil layer during winding.

In some alternative implementations, the stress-compensating layer 3230 is rigid, such as a glaze, glass, ceramic, etc., to increase the strength or toughness of the sheet to prevent the sheet from cracking or breaking during winding.

In some preferred implementations, the stress compensation layer 3230 is a flexible layer; the particular stress compensation layer 3230 is a flexible polymeric material; such as polyimide, free polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.

The stress compensation layer 3230 has the same thickness as the metal or alloy layer; a stress compensation layer is formed on at least one side surface of the foil layer 3220 of the metal or the alloy by coating or deposition or the like.

And, or in yet another variation shown in fig. 13, the sheet 3210 wound to form the heating element 320 further comprises:

porous body material layer 3240, porous body material layer 3240 can be self-filled between heating layers 321 by pre-bonding or preparing the above porous body material in the form of layers on metal or alloy foil layer 3220, and then winding to form heating element 320; it is more convenient than filling the porous body material between the spaces or channels 322 after winding.

Or in yet another variation shown in fig. 13, the sheet 3210 wound to form the heating element 320 further comprises:

a transition layer 3240, such as a wax layer, an organic paste, a resin, or the like; providing insulation prior to the foil layer 3220 of adjacent metal or alloy of the sheet 3210 in the winding; alternatively, the transition layer 3240 may be volatilized or pyrolyzed or melted by heating the heating element 320 after winding; thereby forming a space for the rolled pitch or channel 322 at the location originally occupied by the transition layer 3240. It is more convenient in the preparation.

In the embodiment of fig. 13, a stress compensation layer 3230 and a transition layer 3240/porous body material layer 3240 are provided on both sides of a metal or alloy foil layer 3220, respectively. Or in yet other variations, the compensation layer 3230 and the transition layer 3240/porous body material layer 3240 are on the same side of a metal or alloy foil layer 3220.

And, in the embodiment of fig. 2-4, the heating element 320 further comprises:

a first wire 341 and a second wire 342 are connected to the heating element 320 for powering the heating element 320. And prior to winding, first wire 341 and second wire 342 are positioned on one side of sheet 3210 and on the other side of sheet 3210; and after winding, the first wire 341 is wound inside the heating element 320 and the second wire 342 is substantially outside the heating element 320. And after winding, the first conductive wire 341 is connected to the heating layer 321 of the innermost layer of the heating element 320, and the second conductive wire 342 is connected to the heating layer 321 of the outermost layer of the heating element 320.

In some implementations, the first and second wires 341, 342 may have a diameter of about 0.1-0.3 mm. And, the first and second wires 341 and 342 are made of a low resistivity material such as gold, silver, copper, nickel or an alloy containing the same.

Or in a preferred implementation as shown in fig. 4, first wire 341 has a larger diameter than second wire 342; in some implementations, the second wire 342 may have a diameter of approximately 0.1-0.3 mm; the first wire 341 has a diameter of 0.5 to 1.5mm so as to have a strength greater than that of a conventional copper wire or silver-plated nickel wire; the heating element 320 after the sheet 3210 is wound around the first wire 341 is supported by the thicker first wire 341 with greater strength.

In a preferred implementation, the heating element 320 includes between about 2 and 20 windings. For example, in fig. 3, the heating element 320 is spirally wound from the inside to the outside of the sheet 3210; starting from the innermost first wire 341, 1 winding is performed every 360 degrees around the first wire 341, and one heating layer 321 is formed. For example, in the implementation shown in fig. 3, the resistive heating element 320 has 5 coiled resistive heating layers 321.

Further fig. 5 and 6 show schematic diagrams of a heater 30 of yet another variant embodiment, in which the heater 30 comprises:

a holding member 310a;

a heating element 320a located within the retaining element 310a; similarly, the heating element 320a is also wound from sheet 3210 a; and, the heating element 320a includes at least two or more coiled heating layers 321a; and a space or channel 322a between the heating layers 321a; the air flow path is formed at least partially between the adjacent heating layers 321a, and air is heated and then output through the adjacent heating layers 321a as indicated by an arrow R12 in fig. 5 in suction.

And a rod-shaped conductive substrate 35a positioned within the heating element 320a and electrically connected to the heating element 320 a. And according to fig. 5 and 6, sheet 3210a in this embodiment is formed by winding around rod-like conductive substrate 35a, as indicated by arrow R13 in fig. 6; in practice, the rod-shaped conductive substrate 35a is welded to one end of the sheet material 3210a before winding and is thereby electrically conductive. And after winding, the rod-shaped conductive substrate 35a extends a length greater than the length of the heating element 320a, such that at least a portion of the conductive substrate 35a is exposed to the exterior of the heating element 320a at the second end, forming an exposed portion 351a located outside the heating element 320 a.

In practice, in one aspect, the retaining element 310a provides for mounting and retention of the heating element 320a at least in part by retaining the exposed portion 351 a; in another aspect, after winding, the first conductive wire 341a is indirectly connected to one end of the heating element 320a by being soldered to the exposed portion 351a. The second wire 342a is welded to the other side of the outermost surface of the wound heating element 320a, and thus together with the first wire 341a, guides the current on the heating element 320a as a positive/negative electrode.

Or fig. 7 shows a top view or a schematic cross-sectional view of a heater 30 of yet another variant embodiment, the heater 30 comprising:

a holding member 310b;

a heating element 320b formed by bending a sheet material in a roundabout manner; the heating element 320b further includes a plurality of heating layers 321b formed by bending the sheet material in a serpentine manner, and a space or channel 322b located between adjacent heating layers 321b in the radial direction.

Further according to the illustration in fig. 7, the heating element 320b, which is bent by the sheet, is generally cylindrical or tubular in shape. And, the heating element 320b is symmetrical along a central axis passing through the center point O; alternatively, the cross-sectional shape of the heating element 320b, which is bent by the sheet, is symmetrical by rotating 180 degrees about a central axis passing through the center point O. And a heating element 320b bent by the sheet to have a first end and a second end opposite in the radial direction; wherein a first end is soldered or connected to a first wire 341b and a second end is soldered or connected to a second wire 342b. The heating element 320b of this embodiment, which is bent by a sheet, has the first end and the second end both located or exposed outside the heating element 320b, compared to the spirally wound heating element 320/320a, which is convenient for soldering or connecting power supply wires during manufacture.

Or in yet other variations, such as shown in fig. 8, a plurality of holes or perforations 3211c are provided in the sheet 3210c for winding or bending to form the heating elements 320/320a/320b to increase the resistance of the heating elements 320/320a/320 b. In fig. 8, holes or hollows 3211c are arranged in a regular matrix; and the hole or the hollowed-out portion 3211c is formed by etching or the like to have a circular shape. Alternatively, in some other variations, the holes or hollows 3211c may have a more square, polygonal, etc. shape, thereby providing the sheet 3210c with a net-like pattern.

Or FIG. 9 shows a schematic view of a further alternate embodiment of sheet 3210d prior to winding or bending; the sheet 3210d of this embodiment is provided with first and second wires 341b and 342b at both side ends in the longitudinal direction; and, the sheet 3210d is provided with a first side portion 3211d, a center portion 3213d, and a second side portion 3212d in order in the length direction. In shape configuration, the central portion 3213d extends longer than the first and second side portions 3211d, 3212d, and the central portion 3213d has a width dimension d2 that is less than the width dimension d1 of the first and second side portions 3211d, 3212 d; further, by the above configuration, the electric resistance of the sheet material 3210d is increased and heat is generated as intensively as possible in the center portion 3213d, and the first side portion 3211d and the second side portion 3212d serve to wind and connect wires for power supply.

Further FIG. 10 shows a schematic view of sheet 3210e prior to winding or bending in yet another alternative implementation; the sheet 3210e is substantially rectangular in shape, and a plurality of slits or hollows 3211e and slits or hollows 3212e are formed in the sheet 3210e by etching or cutting or the like to reduce the area of the sheet 3210e in power supply and thereby to raise the resistance of the heating element 320/320a/320b formed after winding or bending. In fig. 10, the slit or cutout 3211e and/or the slit or cutout 3212e is in the shape of an elongated bar extending in the width direction of the sheet 3210 e. And, a plurality of slits or hollows 3211e and slits or hollows 3212e are alternately/alternately arranged along the length direction of the sheet material 3210 g. And, slots or hollows 3211e and 3212e are staggered along the length of sheet 3210 e; specifically, in fig. 10, a slit or a hollow 3211e is provided at a center position in the width direction of the sheet 3210e, and a slit or a hollow 3212e is provided at an edge position in the width direction of the sheet 3210 e.

And, both sides in the length direction of the sheet 3210e are also provided with a first conductive wire 341e and a second conductive wire 342e for power supply. And in combination with the staggered slots or hollows 3211e and 3212e form a winding current i through the heating element 320/320a/320b in fig. 10.

Of course, in some implementations, the surface of at least one side of sheet 3210e is coated with an insulating and supporting material such as enamel, ceramic, or the like; to provide insulation or support between the folded resistive heating layers.

Or in yet another variant, a folded heating element is obtained by folding the above sheet 3210e along a fold line n1 and/or fold line n2 defined by the slit or cutout 3211e and/or slit or cutout 3212 e. For example, FIG. 11 shows a schematic view of a heating element 320f formed by folding back and forth a sheet; in this embodiment, the heating element 320f is formed from a sheet 3210e or similar material that is reciprocally doubled over. A folded heating element 320f having a length dimension L1 of about 10-40 mm; and the folded heating element 320f has a width dimension L2 of about 5-8 mm; and the folded heating element 320f has a thickness dimension L3 of about 5-8 mm.

And in still other variations, the cross-sectional shape of the heating element 320f formed by the back and forth folding of the sheet material may be generally rectangular in shape. The reciprocally folded heating element 320f has two or more heating layers 321f; and adjacent heating layers 321f form a space or channel 322f therebetween for air to pass through. Alternatively, the spaces or channels 322f are filled with a porous body material.

And in the implementation according to fig. 11, the spacing or channels 322f formed in the reciprocally folded heating element 320f include:

a first gap or channel 3221f is closed at a first side end (left side end in fig. 11) of the heating element 320f in the width direction and is open at a second side end (right side end in fig. 11);

the second gap or channel 3222f is open at a first side end (left side end in fig. 11) of the heating element 320f in the width direction and closed at a second side end (right side end in fig. 11).

The first pitches or channels 3221f and the second pitches or channels 3222f are alternately arranged in the thickness direction.

Or in yet another variation, such as shown in fig. 12, the shape or configuration of sheet 3210g has a plurality of conductive elements 3212g connected in series: specifically:

the conductive unit 3212g is extended in the width direction of the sheet 3210 g; the sheet 3210g is provided with a slit or a hollow 3211g and a slit or a hollow 3214g extending in the width direction of the sheet 3210 g; the width of the slit or cutout 3214g is greater than the width of the slit or cutout 3211 g. In practice, the slot or void 3211 g/slot or void 3214g has a width of about 0.2 to 1.0mm and a length of about 8 to 35 mm; and a slit or a hollow 3211g is terminated at a lower end portion in the width direction of the sheet 3210g, and a slit or a hollow 3214g is avoided at an upper end portion in the width direction of the sheet 3210 g. The slits or hollows 3211g and the slits or hollows 3214g are alternately arranged at intervals along the length direction of the sheet 3110 g. Further, a plurality of conductive units 3212g are defined by slits or hollows 3211g and 3214 g.

And according to the illustration in fig. 12, a plurality of series connected conductive units 3212g, defined collectively by slits or hollows 3211g and 3214g, are connected end to end in sequence.

Or in still other implementations, the sheet 3210 for winding or folding to form the heating element 320 includes:

a substrate made of flexible materials; and the substrate is rollable or foldable or bendable; and the substrate is electrically insulating; the substrate is foil or foil-like;

a number of heated coatings or traces are formed on the substrate by printing, or deposition, etc.

In a preferred implementation, the heating coating or trace is formed from a slurry of a metal or alloy; and in some implementations, the heated coating or trace is a shape that is a meander or meander extension on the substrate, or the like.

Further, the heater 30 further includes:

a first temperature sensor, such as PT1000, a type J thermocouple, etc. In some implementations, the first temperature sensor is disposed proximate to the first end 311 of the retaining element 310. And, a first temperature sensor for sensing the temperature output by the heater 30 to the chamber or aerosol-generating article 1000. The circuit board 140 controls the power supplied to the heater 30 by the sensing result of the first temperature sensor so as to maintain the temperature of the hot air output to the aerosol-generating article 1000 at a target temperature.

Or in still other implementations, the heater 30 further includes:

a second temperature sensor coupled to the heating element 320/320a/320b for sensing the temperature of the heating element 320/320a/320 b. The circuit board 140 in turn controls the power supplied to the heater 30 by the sensing result of the second temperature sensor so as to maintain the temperature of the hot air output to the aerosol-generating article 1000 at the target temperature.

Further fig. 14 shows a schematic view of an aerosol-generating device 100 of yet another embodiment; comprises the following steps: the first heater 30k and the second heater 60k are sequentially arranged at intervals.

Wherein the second heater 60k is closer to the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000 than the first heater 30 k. And, the air is heated to a predetermined temperature by the first heater 30k and the second heater 60k in this order, and then outputted to the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000.

The second heater 60k and the first heater 30k are separated by the separator 50 k; and, the separator 50k also serves to provide sealing at the edges of the second heater 60k and the first heater 30 k.

The first heater 30k is located upstream of the second heater 60k, and the second heater 60k is located in the first heater 30k without contact.

And, the first heater 30k is configured to heat the air to a first predetermined temperature and output it to the second heater 60k, and the second heater 60 further heats the air to a second predetermined temperature and output it to the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000. And the second predetermined temperature is higher than the first predetermined temperature.

The extension length of the first heater 30k is greater than that of the second heater 60. And the aerosol-generating device 100 comprises only two heaters. Or in still other implementations, the aerosol-generating device 100 may comprise more, for example, three, four, or five heaters.

In still other implementations, the cross-sectional area of the passage through which air passes in the first heater 30k is greater than the cross-sectional area of the passage through which air passes in the second heater 60 during pumping. Specifically, it may be that the spacing between the heating layers of the heating elements in the first heater 30k is larger than the spacing between the heating layers of the heating elements in the second heater 60.

Further fig. 15 shows a schematic view of an aerosol-generating device 100 of yet another embodiment; comprises the following steps: a heater 30i, the heater 30i having:

a holding element 310i, and a first heating element 330i and a second heating element 320i sequentially spaced apart within the holding element 310 i.

Wherein the second heating element 320i is closer to the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000 than the first heating element 330 i. And, after the air is heated to a predetermined temperature by the first heating element 330i and the second heating element 320i in sequence, it is output to the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000.

The first heating element 330i and the second heating element 320i are separated from each other.

The first heating element 330i is located upstream of the second heating element 320i, and the second heating element 320i is located without contact with the first heating element 330 i.

And, the first heating element 330i is configured to heat the air to a first predetermined temperature and output it to the second heating element 320i, and the second heating element 320i further heats the air to a second predetermined temperature and output it to the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000. And the second predetermined temperature is higher than the first predetermined temperature.

And the aerosol-generating device 100 comprises only two heating elements. Or in still other implementations, the aerosol-generating device 100 may comprise more heating elements, such as three, four, or five.

And in still other implementations, the first heating element 330i and the second heating element 320i are connected to the circuit board 140i independently of each other, and are independently driven to heat by the circuit board 140 i. And in still other implementations, the first heating element 330i and the second heating element 320i are heated simultaneously. And in still other implementations, the first heating element 330i and the second heating element 320i are not heated at the same time.

And, the first heating element 330i and the second heating element 320i may be alternately activated.

It should be noted that the description and drawings of the present application show preferred embodiments of the present application, but are not limited to the embodiments described in the present application, and further, those skilled in the art can make modifications or changes according to the above description, and all such modifications and changes should fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; characterized by comprising the following steps:

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

3. The aerosol-generating device of claim 2, wherein the at least one resistive heating element is housed within the retaining element; the retaining element defines:

an air inlet for air to enter;

an air outlet to output heated air to the aerosol-generating article.

4. The aerosol-generating device of claim 3, further comprising:

5. The aerosol-generating device of any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

a first wire and a second wire for powering the resistive heating element.

6. The aerosol-generating device of claim 5, wherein the resistive heating element is a cylindrical shape formed by winding the sheet material;

7. The aerosol-generating device of claim 5, wherein the resistive heating element is formed from the sheet wound about the first wire; the first wire has a larger diameter than the second wire.

8. The aerosol-generating device of claim 5, wherein the resistive heating element is formed from the sheet wound about the first wire; the first wire has a diameter of 0.1 to 1.5 mm.

9. The aerosol-generating device of claim 5, further comprising:

a conductive substrate, the resistive heating element being formed by winding the sheet material about the conductive substrate; the electrically conductive substrate is electrically conductive with the resistive heating element;

10. The aerosol-generating device of any of claims 2 to 4, further comprising:

a base body, the resistance heating element being formed by winding the sheet material around the base body as an axis; the substrate includes an exposed portion that extends beyond the resistive heating element;

11. The aerosol-generating device of any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

A chamber for receiving at least part of the aerosol-generating article;

12. The aerosol-generating device of any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

13. An aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sheet is continuous.

14. An aerosol-generating device according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least two resistive heating layers are in series.

15. The aerosol-generating device of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the resistive heating element is configured to be helically wound from the sheet.

16. The aerosol-generating device of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the resistive heating element is configured to be reciprocally meandered by the sheet.

17. The aerosol-generating device of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the resistive heating element has a central axis in a longitudinal direction;

18. The aerosol-generating device of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the resistive heating element comprises a plurality of conductive elements formed on the at least two resistive heating layers.

19. The aerosol-generating device of claim 18, wherein the plurality of conductive elements are connected in series or in parallel.

20. The aerosol-generating device of claim 18, wherein the plurality of conductive elements are connected end-to-end in sequence.

21. An aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sheet is provided with holes, hollows or slits to form a grid pattern.

22. An aerosol-generating device according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sheet comprises a foil layer of a resistive metal or alloy.

23. A heater for an aerosol-generating device, comprising:

a holding element having an inner cavity;

24. An aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; characterized by comprising the following steps: