CN117617577A

CN117617577A - Atomizer, electronic atomization device and atomization assembly for atomizer

Info

Publication number: CN117617577A
Application number: CN202210995389.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陆泫茗; 徐中立; 李永海
Original assignee: Shenzhen FirstUnion Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen FirstUnion Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-08-18
Filing date: 2022-08-18
Publication date: 2024-03-01

Abstract

The application provides an atomizer, an electronic atomization device and an atomization assembly for the atomizer; wherein, the atomizer includes: a liquid storage cavity; a porous body having a first surface and a second surface; wherein the first surface is for receiving a liquid matrix; the second surface defines a cavity thereon; a heating element at least partially housed or held within the cavity for heating the liquid matrix to generate an aerosol; the heating element comprises: a heating section for heating the liquid substrate; and a first electrical connection portion and a second electrical connection portion for conducting an electrical current over the heating portion; at least one spacing space is formed between the porous body and the heating portion to reduce heat transfer from the heating portion to the porous body. In the above atomizer, at least one space is formed between the porous body and the heating portion of the heating element, which is advantageous in preventing heat transfer from the heating portion to the porous body.

Description

Atomizer, electronic atomization device and atomization assembly for atomizer

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of electronic atomization, in particular to an atomizer, an electronic atomization device and an atomization assembly for the atomizer.

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 tobacco or other non-tobacco products that may or may not contain nicotine. As another example, there are aerosol provision articles, for example, so-called electronic atomizing devices. These devices typically contain a liquid that is absorbed by the porous ceramic body and heated by resistive heating traces formed on the surface of the porous ceramic body to vaporize it, thereby producing an inhalable aerosol.

Disclosure of Invention

One embodiment of the present application provides a nebulizer, comprising:

a liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid matrix;

a porous body having a first surface and a second surface; wherein the first surface is in fluid communication with the reservoir to receive a liquid matrix; the second surface defines a cavity;

a heating element contained or held within the cavity for heating the liquid matrix to generate an aerosol; the heating element comprises: a heating section for heating the liquid substrate; and a first electrical connection portion and a second electrical connection portion for conducting an electrical current over the heating portion;

at least one spacing space formed between the porous body and the heating portion and arranged at least partially around the heating portion in a circumferential direction of the heating element to reduce heat transfer from the heating portion to the porous body.

In a preferred embodiment, the heating element is prepared separately and then fitted into the cavity; alternatively, the heating element is not formed within the cavity by printing, depositing or spraying.

In a preferred implementation, the heating element is porous; one of the surfaces of the heating element is in contact with the porous body for drawing liquid from the porous body and heating the drawn liquid matrix.

In a preferred implementation, the area of the heating portion in contact with the porous body is less than 25% of the outer surface area of the heating portion.

In a preferred implementation, the heating element has a length, a width, and a height; the length direction of the heating element is parallel to the length direction of the second surface, and the width direction of the heating element is parallel to the width direction of the second surface; the heating element has a height that is greater than a width such that the heating element is substantially standing rather than lying flat within the cavity.

In a preferred implementation, the method further comprises:

a first electrode electrically connected to the first electrical connection portion; a second electrode electrically connected to the second electrical connection portion; in use, the heating element is powered by the first and second electrodes;

the first electrode is at least partially positioned on the second surface and at least partially covers the first electric connection part; the second electrode is at least partially located on the second surface and at least partially covers the second electrical connection portion.

In a preferred implementation, the first and/or second electrode is configured to provide retention of the heating element at least partially at the second surface to prevent the heating element from falling out of or exiting the cavity.

In a preferred implementation, the heating element is porous;

the first electrode and/or the second electrode at least partially immersed or infiltrated into the pores of the first electrical connection portion; and/or the second electrode is at least partially immersed or infiltrated into the pores of the second electrical connection portion.

In a preferred implementation, the first electrode and/or the second electrode is formed by sintering or curing a conductive paste;

the first electrode and/or the second electrode at least partially penetrate between the heating element and the porous body to secure the heating element and porous body connection.

In a preferred embodiment, the heating element is at least partially exposed at the second surface.

In a preferred implementation, the heating element has a wicking surface facing away from the second surface; the wicking surface is in abutment or contact with the porous body for wicking liquid matrix from the porous body.

In a preferred implementation, the heating portion is suspended within the cavity.

In a preferred implementation, there is substantially no gap or spacing between the first electrical connection portion and/or the second electrical connection portion and the porous body.

In a preferred embodiment, the second surface has a first side end and a second side end facing away from each other in the length direction;

the cavity includes a first section proximate the first side end, a second section proximate the second side end, and a third section between the first section and the second section;

the third section has a width dimension greater than a width dimension of one or both of the first and second sections;

the at least one pitch space is defined between an inner surface of the third section and the heating portion.

In a preferred implementation, the heating element spans the third section.

Yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes a nebulizer comprising:

a liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid matrix;

a heating element extending in a longitudinal direction of the atomizer for heating a liquid matrix to generate an aerosol;

a porous body extending in a longitudinal direction of the atomizer and at least partially surrounding the heating element for at least partially transferring a liquid matrix between the liquid reservoir and the heating element;

the heating element has a first end and a second end facing away from each other in a longitudinal direction; the heating element comprises: a first electrical connection portion proximate the first end, a second electrical connection portion proximate the second end, and a heating portion between the first and second electrical connection portions; the first and second electrical connection portions are for directing an electrical current over the heating element; the heating portion defines a heating zone for heating the liquid matrix;

at least one spacing space formed between the porous body and the heating portion to reduce heat transfer from the heating portion to the porous body.

Yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes an electronic atomizing device comprising an atomizer that atomizes a liquid matrix to generate an aerosol, and a power supply mechanism that supplies power to the atomizer; the atomizer comprises the atomizer.

Yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes an atomizing assembly for an atomizer, comprising:

a porous body having at least a first surface and a second surface; wherein the first surface is configured to receive a liquid matrix; the second surface defines a cavity;

a heating element at least partially housed or held within the cavity for heating the liquid matrix to generate an aerosol; the heating element comprises:

a heating section for heating the liquid substrate; and a first electrical connection portion and a second electrical connection portion for conducting an electrical current over the heating portion;

In the above atomizer, a space for spacing at least one portion around the heating portion is formed between the porous body and the heating portion of the heating element, which is advantageous in preventing heat of the heating portion from being transferred to the porous body.

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 electronic atomizing device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of one embodiment of the atomizer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the atomizing assembly of FIG. 2 from one perspective;

FIG. 4 is an exploded schematic view of portions of the atomizing assembly of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the atomizing assembly of FIG. 2 from one perspective;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of yet another embodiment of an atomizing assembly;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a porous body of yet another embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the structure of a nebulizer of yet another embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the atomizing assembly of FIG. 8 from yet another perspective;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a still further embodiment atomizing assembly;

fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of yet another view of the atomizing assembly of fig. 10.

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.

An electronic atomizing device, as shown in fig. 1, includes an atomizer 100 storing a liquid matrix and vaporizing it to generate an aerosol, and a power supply assembly 200 for supplying power to the atomizer 100.

In an alternative implementation, such as shown in fig. 1, the power assembly 200 includes a receiving cavity 270 disposed at one end along a length for receiving and accommodating at least a portion of the atomizer 100, and a first electrical contact 230 at least partially exposed at a surface of the receiving cavity 270 for providing power to the atomizer 100 when at least a portion of the atomizer 100 is received and accommodated within the power assembly 200.

According to the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1, the nebulizer 100 is provided with a second electrical contact 21 on the end opposite to the power supply assembly 200 in the length direction, whereby the second electrical contact 21 is made electrically conductive by being in contact with the first electrical contact 230 when at least a portion of the nebulizer 100 is received in the receiving cavity 270.

A sealing member 260 is provided in the power supply assembly 200, and at least a portion of the inner space of the power supply assembly 200 is partitioned by the sealing member 260 to form the above receiving chamber 270. In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1, the seal 260 is configured to extend along a cross-section of the power assembly 200 and is preferably made of a flexible material to prevent liquid matrix seeping from the atomizer 100 to the receiving chamber 270 from flowing to the controller 220, sensor 250, etc. within the power assembly 200.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1, the power assembly 200 further includes a battery cell 210 for supplying power that is longitudinally directed away from the other end of the receiving cavity 270; and a controller 220 disposed between the battery cell 210 and the receiving cavity, the controller 220 being operable to direct electrical current between the battery cell 210 and the first electrical contact 230.

In use, the power supply assembly 200 includes a sensor 250 for sensing the flow of suction gas generated by the nebulizer 100 when the nebulizer 100 is suctioned, and the controller 220 controls the electrical core 210 to output current to the nebulizer 100 according to the detection signal of the sensor 250.

Further in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1, the power supply assembly 200 is provided with a charging interface 240 at the other end facing away from the receiving cavity 270 for charging the battery cells 210.

The embodiment of fig. 2 shows a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the atomizer 100 of fig. 1, comprising:

a main housing 10; according to fig. 2, the main housing 10 is substantially elongated and tubular, of course hollow inside for storing and atomizing the liquid matrix, the necessary functional components; the main housing 10 has longitudinally opposed proximal and distal ends 110, 120; wherein, according to the requirement of normal use, the proximal end 110 is configured as one end of the aerosol sucked by the user, and a suction nozzle opening A for sucking by the user is arranged at the proximal end 110; while the distal end 120 is taken as the end to which the power supply assembly 200 is coupled.

With further reference to fig. 2, the interior of the main housing 10 is provided with a liquid reservoir 12 for storing a liquid matrix, and an atomizing assembly for drawing the liquid matrix from the liquid reservoir 12 and heating the atomized liquid matrix. Wherein in the schematic view shown in fig. 2, an aerosol transmission tube 11 is arranged in the main housing 10 along the axial direction, and a liquid storage cavity 12 for storing liquid matrix is formed by a space between the aerosol transmission tube 11 and the inner wall of the main housing 10; the first end of the aerosol transfer tube 11 opposite the proximal end 110 communicates with the mouthpiece a so as to transfer the generated aerosol to the mouthpiece a for inhalation.

Further in some alternative implementations, the aerosol delivery tube 11 is integrally molded with the main housing 10 from a moldable material, such that the reservoir 12 is formed to be open or open toward the distal end 120.

With further reference to fig. 2 and 3, the atomizer 100 further includes an atomizing assembly for atomizing at least a portion of the liquid matrix to generate an aerosol. Specifically, the atomizing assembly includes a porous body 30; and a heating element 40 that sucks the liquid matrix from the porous body 30 and heats and vaporizes. And in some embodiments, porous body 30 may be made of rigid capillary elements such as porous ceramics, porous glass, and the like. Or in yet other implementations, the porous body 30 includes capillary elements having capillary channels therein that are capable of absorbing and transporting a liquid matrix.

The atomizing assembly is contained and held within the sealing element 20, and the atomizing assembly is a porous body 30 that is in fluid communication with the reservoir 12 via the fluid passage 13 defined by the sealing element 20 to receive the liquid matrix. In use, as indicated by arrow R1 in fig. 2, liquid in the liquid storage chamber 12 flows through the liquid guide channel 13 to the atomizing assembly to be absorbed and heated; the generated aerosol is then output to the suction nozzle opening a through the aerosol transfer tube 11 to be sucked by the user, as indicated by an arrow R2 in fig. 2.

With further reference to fig. 3-5, specific configurations of the atomizing assembly include:

a porous body 30 having a surface 310 and a surface 320 facing away from each other; wherein, when assembled, surface 310 is oriented toward reservoir 12 and is in fluid communication with reservoir 12 via fluid conduit 13 to draw up the liquid matrix; the surface 320 is facing away from the reservoir 12.

In some implementations, the porous body 30 is prepared by mixing a raw material powder, such as a ceramic powder, with a pore-forming agent, and then molding and sintering. And, micropores in the porous body 30 are formed by sintering of a pore-forming agent. And the average pore diameter of micropores in the porous body 30 is 15 to 50 μm. And the porosity of the porous body 30 is 35 to 75%. The material of the porous body 30 includes at least one of alumina, zirconia, magnesia, calcia, silica, cordierite, and the like.

In this embodiment, the porous body 30 is substantially in the form of a sheet or a plate or a block, and has two side surfaces opposite to each other in the thickness direction as the surface 310 and the surface 320, respectively. Or in further embodiments, the porous body 30 may have a further shape, such as an arch, cup, trough shape, etc. Or for example in chinese patent application CN215684777U, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, details are provided regarding the shape of the arched porous body with internal channels, and the configuration of the porous body to draw up the liquid matrix and atomize the liquid matrix.

And further referring to fig. 3-5, a suitable material for the heating element 40 of the atomizing assembly may be at least one of a resistive metal or alloy, a magnetically permeable metal or alloy, a carbon material, and an electrically conductive ceramic or like electrothermal material. In some examples, the heating element 40 is made of a porous material, and micropores may be formed in the heating element 40 by pore forming agent to form pores, mechanical foaming to form pores, and the like during the preparation process, so that the interior of the heating element 40 has microporous pores; the heating element 40 is further capable of drawing and heating the liquid matrix from the porous body 30 by contact with the porous body 30. In some implementations, the micropores within the heating element 40 are distributed in a three-dimensional communicating manner within the heating element 40 or the micropores within the heating element 40 are disordered.

In some implementations, the heating element 40 has a microporous pore size of 5-90%; more preferably, the heating element 40 has a micropore to 25-80%; more preferably, the heating element 40 has a micropore spacing of between 30 and 75%. And in some implementations, the micropores within heating element 40 have an average pore size of 1 to 200 μm; more preferably, the average pore size of the micropores in the heating element 40 is 30 to 100 μm; more preferably, the average pore size of the micropores in the heating element 40 is 50 to 80 μm, which is advantageous for controlling the resistance value of the heating element 40 between 0.1 and 10 ohms.

And further according to fig. 3-5, the heating element 40 is configured to be elongated, columnar, block, rod or rod-like; according to the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the heating element 40 is in the shape of a square column.

In some examples of porous body 30, surface 320 has a length dimension of about 8-15 mm and a width dimension of about 3-8 mm. In some examples of porous body 30, surface 320 is provided with grooves or cavities 321, and heating element 40 is fitted and retained within grooves or cavities 321.

And in this embodiment, the grooves or cavities 321 extend longitudinally through the porous body 30; the surface 320 has first and second side ends facing away from each other in the length direction; groove or cavity 321 includes a section 3210 near the first side end, a section 3230 near the second side end, and a section 3220 between section 3210 and section 3230. And as shown in fig. 3-5, segment 3210 extends to or terminates at a first lateral end and segment 3230 extends to or terminates at a second lateral end.

And in practice, the length dimension d11 of the heating element 40 may have a length of about 6-12 mm, the width dimension d12 of the heating element 40 may have a length of about 1-4 mm, and the height dimension d13 of the heating element 40 may have a length of about 2-6 mm; and the height dimension d13 of heating element 40 is greater than the width dimension d12 of heating element 40, thereby allowing heating element 40 to be held in an upright or standing position, rather than a lying position, within recess or cavity 321. Or in further alternative embodiments the heating element 40 may also have a cylindrical shape or a prismatic shape with a polygonal cross-section, etc.

And in practice, the sections 3210 and 3230 of the groove or cavity 321 have a width dimension d24 that is about the same as the width dimension d12 of the heating element 40, e.g., the width dimension d24 of the sections 3210 and 3230 of the groove or cavity 321 has about 1-4 mm. The width dimension d23 of section 3220 is greater than the width dimension of section 3210/section 3230/heating element 40; as one example of implementation, the width dimension d23 of section 3220 is approximately 3-6 mm.

And, a length dimension d21 of section 3220 is less than a length dimension d11 of heating element 40; and the length dimension d21 of section 3220 may have a length of about 4-10 mm; the heating element 40 is longitudinally across section 3220 after assembly. And, when assembled, the heating element 40 extends from the segment 3210 to the segment 3230.

As an exemplary embodiment, the heating element 40 includes:

an electrical connection portion 41 adjacent to and defining a first end of the heating element 40 in the length direction;

an electrical connection portion 42 adjacent to and defining a second end of the heating element 40 in the length direction;

a heating portion 43 located between the electric connection portion 41 and the electric connection portion 42;

in assembly, electrical connection portion 41 is received and held within section 3210 of recess or cavity 321 and electrical connection portion 42 is received and held within section 3230 of recess or cavity 321; and, heating portion 43 is received and retained within section 3220 of recess or cavity 321.

And after assembly, the heating element 40 is flush with the surface 320 of the porous body 30 or 1-2 mm below the surface 320. And, heating element 40 is at least not raised relative to surface 320.

And, after assembly, the inside surface of section 3220 is non-contact with the side surface of heating portion 43 of heating element 40; between the inner side surface of the section 3220 and the side surface of the heating portion 43, there is a space 322, and the width of the space 322 is about 1 to 2mm. The spacing space 322 is defined on both sides in the width direction of the heating portion 43 of the heating element 40, thereby providing a space for the heating element 40 to release aerosol.

And further referring to fig. 5, the depth of groove or cavity 321 is substantially constant along the length and the depth of groove or cavity 321 is substantially equal to the height dimension d13 of heating element 40. The heating element 40 has a surface 410 and a surface 420 facing away from each other in the height direction. After assembly, surface 410 is positioned within recess or cavity 321 and abuts and contacts porous body 30 against surface 3221 defining recess or cavity 321, thereby providing support and retention to heating element 40 and for delivering a liquid matrix to heating element 40 through the contact and abutment of surface 410 with surface 3221. And the surface 420 of the heating element 40 is substantially bare after assembly. And, the contact area of the heating portion 43 of the heating element 40 with the surface 3221 of the porous body 30, such as the contact area of the surface 410 with the surface 3221, is less than 25% of the outer surface area of the heating portion 43, which is advantageous for limiting contact to reduce heat transfer.

And in this implementation, the length dimension d11 of heating element 40 is less than the length of recess or cavity 321; after assembly, the two ends of the heating element 40 in the length direction are spaced apart from the two ends of the groove or cavity 321 in the length direction, respectively; i.e., the lengthwise ends of heating element 40 are non-flush with the lengthwise ends of recess or cavity 321.

And further according to fig. 3-5, the atomizing assembly further includes:

electrodes 51 and 52 for guiding an electric current in a length direction of the heating element 40;

and, the electrode 51 and the electrode 52 are at least partially formed on the surface 320 of the porous body 30. And, after assembly, the electrode 51 is in contact or conductive with a portion of the surface of the electrical connection portion 41 of the heating element 40; and, the electrode 52 is in contact or conductive with a portion of the surface of the electrical connection portion 42 of the heating element 40. And, after assembly, the electrode 51 is entirely or at least partially covering the electrical connection portion 41 of the heating element 40; and the electrode 52 is entirely or at least partially covering the electrical connection portion 42 of the heating element 40.

And, electrode 51 spans across a segment 3210 of groove or cavity 321 in the width direction; electrode 52 spans across section 3230 of recess or cavity 321 in the width direction.

And in practice, electrodes 51 and 52 support or retain heating element 40 at least partially at surface 320 to securely retain heating element 40 within recess or cavity 321 and to prevent removal of heating element 40 from recess or cavity 321. For example, in some implementations, electrode 51 and/or electrode 52 are electrode sheets, electrode plates, or electrode plates, and electrode 51 and electrode 52 are electrically conductive with heating element 40 by welding or mechanically securing electrode 51 and/or electrode 52 to surface 320, or the like. Or in preparation, the exposed surfaces of the electrical connection portions 41 and 42 of the heating element 40 are coated with a conductive paste such as silver paste, and then the electrodes 51 and 52 are fixed to the surface 320 by soldering or mechanical fixing, and the conductive paste is cured to form a conductive pattern.

Or in yet other implementations, electrodes 51 and 52 are printed or deposited, etc. The electrodes 51 and 52 may be formed, for example, by printing or depositing a conductive paste on the surface 320 and causing the conductive paste to at least partially penetrate into the gap between the electrical connection portion 41 and the segment 3210 of the heating element 40 and into the gap between the electrical connection portion 42 and the segment 3230, and then sintering or curing. And, the conductive paste infiltrated between the electrical connection portion 41 and the segment 3210, and the conductive paste infiltrated between the electrical connection portion 42 and the segment 3230 at least partially provide connection between the electrical connection portion 41 and/or the electrical connection portion 42 and the porous body 30 after sintering or curing. And the electrodes 51 and 52 formed of the conductive paste are at least partially immersed or infiltrated into the microporous pores of the electric connection portions 41 and 42, respectively.

And after assembly, electrodes 51 and 52 are bare; the second electrical contact 21 of the atomizer 100 extends from the distal end 120 into the atomizer 100 and forms a conductive path against the electrodes 51 and 52 for powering the heating element 40.

And in practice, the electrical connection portions 41 and 42 of the heating element 40 are electrical connection regions for defining the heating element 40, thereby to power the heating element 40 in use. And, the heating portion 43 of the heating element 40 is primarily a heating zone defining a heating liquid matrix. And, the heating portion 43 of the heating element 40 has a spacing space 322 between it and the porous body 30 that is thereby at least partially non-contacting; and the electrical connection portions 41 and 42 are entirely abutted or contacted with the porous body 30, and there is substantially no gap or spacing between the electrical connection portions 41 and 42 and the porous body 30.

And, the surface 410 of the heating element 40 is a surface for defining contact and suction of the liquid matrix from the porous body 30; and both side surfaces of the heating portion 43, and the surface 420 are surfaces for releasing aerosol. And, the microporous pores within the heating element 40 are capable of absorbing and retaining the liquid matrix.

Further FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of an atomizing assembly of a variation embodiment; in this implementation, the atomizing assembly includes:

a porous body 30a having a surface 310a and a surface 320a facing away from each other; and, a groove is provided on the surface 320a, the groove penetrating the porous body 30a in the length direction; the groove has: segment 3210a, segment 3220a and segment 3230a; and, the recess depth of segments 3210a and 3230a is less than the recess depth of segment 3220 a.

Specifically, the recess depth d12 of the segments 3210a and 3230a are the same size as the height of the heating element 40 a; the depression depth d22 of the section 3220a is greater than the depression depth d12 of the section 3210a and the section 3230a, specifically the depression depth d22 is 1 to 3mm greater than the depression depth d 12.

The electrical connection portion 41a of the heating element 40a is received and held within the segment 3210a and brought into contact against the porous body 30a after assembly; and an electrical connection portion 42a received and held within the section 3230a and brought into contact against the porous body 30a; the heating portion 43a is suspended within section 3220 a. The heating portion 43a is not in contact with any surface of the porous body 30 a.

The surface 410a has a space between the heating portion 43a and the surface 3221a of the porous body 30a, which is the difference between the above depression depth d22 and the depression depth d12, of 1 to 3mm.

In practice, the electrical connection portions 41a and 42a of the heating element 40a are electrical connection regions for defining the heating element 40a, the surfaces of the electrical connection portions 41a and 42a also being used to draw the liquid matrix from the porous body 30a; and heating portion 43a defines a heating zone of heating element 40 a.

In this embodiment, the heating portion 43a for heating is not in direct contact with the porous body 30a, and is advantageous in preventing the heat of the heating portion 43a from being transferred to the porous body 30 a.

Or fig. 7 shows a schematic view of an atomizing assembly of yet another alternative embodiment in which grooves on the surface 320b of the porous body 30b are not through the porous body 30 b; segment 3210b of the groove is non-extending or non-terminating at the first side end and segment 3210b is also maintained at a distance d25 of about 2-3 mm from the first side end. Similarly, the section 3230b is non-extended or non-terminated at the second lateral end also maintains a spacing d25.

It is advantageous to provide a limit to the heating element 40 during assembly and to prevent movement of the heating element 40 in the longitudinal direction within the groove, if the ends of the groove in the longitudinal direction are closed rather than penetrated during assembly.

Or fig. 8 shows a schematic view of a nebulizer 100 of yet another variant embodiment, in which the nebulizer 100 comprises:

an aerosol output channel 11c extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing of the atomizer 100, and a liquid storage chamber 21c surrounding the aerosol output channel 11 is defined between the aerosol output channel 11c and the housing;

an atomizing assembly arranged to be located within the aerosol output channel 11 c; comprising the following steps:

a porous body 30c extending in the longitudinal direction of the atomizer 100; and is substantially hollow, tubular; the outer surface of the porous body 30c in the radial direction is in fluid communication with the liquid reservoir 12c to aspirate the liquid matrix, as indicated by arrow R1 in fig. 8;

heating element 40c, heating element 40c being porous in practice; the heating element 40c is arranged to be located within the porous body 30c and surrounded by the porous body 30 c; the heating element 40c includes: an electrical connection portion 41c near or defining an upper end in the longitudinal direction, an electrical connection portion 42c near or defining a lower end, and a heating portion 43c located between the electrical connection portion 41c and the electrical connection portion 42 c. And in practice, the heating portion 43c defines a heating zone of the heating element 40 c. Also, the surface of the electric connection portion 41c exposed to the upper end and the surface of the electric connection portion 42c exposed to the lower end can be used to define an electric connection region of the heating element 40c by welding or covering the electrode.

Further in accordance with the schematic cross-sectional view of the atomizing assembly shown in FIG. 9, the heating element 40c may be of a non-cylindrical shape such that, upon assembly, a spacing space 322c is formed therebetween surrounding the heating portion 43 c; one aspect can prevent heat transfer from the heating portion 43c of the heating element 40c to the porous body 30c, and another aspect can accommodate aerosols heated and released by the inside of the heating portion 43c. And further according to fig. 9, at least a portion of the outer side surface of the heating element 40c is arcuate and is in contact with or bonded to the inner wall surface of the porous body 30c for drawing the liquid matrix from the porous body 30 c. While the outer side surface of the heating element 40c is in non-contact with the inner wall surface of the porous body 30c to define an atomizing surface for releasing aerosol.

Or in still other variations, the above spacing spaces 322c are defined by longitudinally extending grooves provided on the inner surface of the porous body 30c, such that, upon assembly, the grooves of the inner surface of the porous body 30 c.

Or further referring to fig. 9, a void 322c defined between the porous body 30c and the heating element 40c is provided at the upper and/or lower end of the atomizing assembly, and an air flow channel through which air enters the spacing space 322c and outputs aerosol is formed in suction.

Or fig. 10 and 11 show schematic views of a further embodiment of a misting assembly, in which the misting assembly comprises:

a porous body 30d having a surface 310d and a surface 320d facing away from each other; surface 320d is provided with a recess or cavity 321d extending along the length thereof; in this embodiment, the width dimension d22 of the groove or cavity 321d is constant;

and a heating element 40d including an electric connection portion 41d, an electric connection portion 42d, and a heating portion 43d; wherein the width dimension of the electrical connection portion 41d and the electrical connection portion 42d is the same as the width dimension d22 of the recess or cavity 321d; the width dimension of the heating portion 43d is smaller than the width dimensions of the electrical connection portion 41d and the electrical connection portion 42 d; further, after the heating element 40d is assembled in the recess or cavity 321d, a space is formed between the heating portion 43d and the inner side wall of the recess or cavity 321d, so that the heating portion 43d is suspended.

And further with reference to fig. 10 and 11, groove or cavity 321d is through or extends from surface 310d to surface 320d; then, after assembly, the circumferentially outer surface or surfaces 310 d/320 d of porous body 30d may optionally be used as a wicking surface in fluid communication with reservoir 12 to wick the liquid matrix. And in use, the inner side wall 3211d of the recess or cavity 321d defines an airflow channel with the outer side surface of the heating portion 43d of the heating element 40 d; for example, during pumping, the air flow passes through the spacing space defined between the inner side wall 3211d of the recess or cavity 321d and the heating portion 43d of the heating element 40d as indicated by arrow R2 in fig. 11 and is then output.

In some implementations, the above porous heating elements 40/40a/40c/40d are fabricated separately and then assembled in the grooves of the porous body 30/30a/30b/30d by mechanical assembly such as inlaying; at least the heating elements 40/40a/40c/40d are not directly formed in the grooves of the porous body 30/30a/30b/30d by deposition, spraying, printing or printing, etc.

In some embodiments, the porous heating element 40/40a/40c/40d material may be formed by mixing a resistive metal or alloy material with a pore former and sintering; the resistive metal or alloy material includes resistive metal materials, metal alloys, graphite, carbon, conductive ceramics or other ceramic materials and composites of metal materials; suitable metals or alloy materials include at least one of nickel, cobalt, zirconium, titanium, nickel alloys, cobalt alloys, zirconium alloys, titanium alloys, nichrome, nickel-iron alloys, iron-chromium-aluminum alloys, iron-manganese-aluminum alloys, or stainless steel, among others.

In some embodiments, the heating element 40 is non-metallic; or the heating element 40 does not contain a metal element or a metal component. And, the heating element 40 is a nonmetallic porous heating element 40 prepared by a resin gel method; for example, the heating element 40 includes at least carbon; or the heating element 40 may also include non-metallic nitrogen, or silicon.

Or in yet other variations, the above heating elements 40/40a/40c/40d are dense rather than porous. For example, by spraying or depositing or wrapping a dense ceramic surface with a resistive metal or alloy.

Or in yet other variations, the above heating elements 40/40a/40c/40d are made of a receptive material of a metal or alloy, such as permalloy, S430 stainless steel, iron-aluminum alloy, etc.; the heating elements 40/40a/40c/40d can be penetrated by a varying magnetic field generated by an induction coil or the like to generate heat for heating.

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 atomizer, comprising:

a liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid matrix;

2. The atomizer of claim 1, wherein said heating element is porous; a portion of the surface of the heating element is in contact with the porous body for drawing liquid from the porous body and heating the drawn liquid matrix.

3. The atomizer of claim 1 or 2, wherein an area of said heating portion in contact with said porous body is less than 25% of an outer surface area of said heating portion.

4. The atomizer of claim 1, wherein said heating element has a length, a width, and a height; the length direction of the heating element is parallel to the length direction of the second surface, and the width direction of the heating element is parallel to the width direction of the second surface; the heating element has a height that is greater than a width such that the heating element is substantially standing rather than lying flat within the cavity.

5. The nebulizer of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

6. The atomizer of claim 5, wherein said first electrode and/or second electrode is configured to provide retention of said heating element at least partially at said second surface to prevent said heating element from falling out of or exiting from within said cavity.

7. The atomizer of claim 5, wherein said heating element is porous;

8. The nebulizer of claim 5, wherein the first electrode and/or the second electrode is formed from a conductive paste sintered or cured;

9. A nebulizer as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the heating element is at least partially exposed to the second surface.

10. A nebulizer as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the heating element has a liquid-absorbing surface facing away from the second surface; the wicking surface is in abutment or contact with the porous body for wicking liquid matrix from the porous body.

11. A nebulizer as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the heating portion is suspended within the cavity.

12. The nebulizer of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first electrical connection portion and/or the second electrical connection portion is substantially free of gaps or spaces between the porous body.

13. A nebulizer as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the second surface has first and second side ends facing away from each other in the length direction;

14. The atomizer of claim 13 wherein said heating element spans said third section.

15. An atomizer, comprising:

a liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid matrix;

16. An electronic atomizing device comprises an atomizer for atomizing a liquid matrix to generate aerosol, and a power supply mechanism for supplying power to the atomizer; characterized in that the atomizer comprises an atomizer according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. An atomizing assembly for an atomizer, comprising: