CN117770525A

CN117770525A - Aerosol generating device, heater, heat spreader, and heat-insulating pipe

Info

Publication number: CN117770525A
Application number: CN202211160671.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 戚祖强; 徐中立; 李永海
Original assignee: Shenzhen FirstUnion Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen FirstUnion Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-09-22
Filing date: 2022-09-22
Publication date: 2024-03-29

Abstract

The application proposes an aerosol-generating device, a heater, a heat spreader, and a thermal insulation pipe; wherein the aerosol-generating device comprises: at least one heating element provided with an air channel; in use, air passes at least partially through the air passage and is heated within the air passage and is output to the aerosol-generating article; the heating element comprises graphite and an oxide. The above aerosol-generating device heats air passing through a heating element comprising graphite and an oxide, and then heats an aerosol-generating article from the heated air.

Description

Aerosol generating device, heater, heat spreader, and heat-insulating pipe

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, a heater, a heat diffuser and a heat insulation pipe.

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. A known heating device heats air to form a hot air flow when passing through the channel holes in the honeycomb ceramics by arranging heating elements around the periphery of the honeycomb ceramics; 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 heating element having an air passage disposed thereon; in use, air passes at least partially through the air passage and is heated within the air passage and is output to the aerosol-generating article;

the heating element comprises graphite and an oxide.

In some implementations, the heating element includes: 47-85 wt% of graphite and 15-53 wt% of oxide.

In some implementations, the oxide includes at least one of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, iron oxide, or calcium oxide.

In some implementations, the heating element is substantially free of elemental form of the metal.

In some implementations, the heating element has a thermal conductivity of 80-155W/m.k.

In some implementations, the actual density of the heating element is between 2.2 and 3.3g/cm ³ 。

In some implementations, the heating element has a total surface area to volume ratio of at least 1.2:1.

In some implementations, the volume resistivity of the heating element is between 0.8X10 ^-5 ～9.6×10 ^-5 Ω·m。

In some implementations, the heating element is black.

In some implementations, the heating element has a hardness and/or blackness of between 3B and 2H pencil lead. Alternatively, the 3B-2H pencil lead may include 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, etc. The larger the H value is, the harder the pencil core is, and the lighter the color is; the greater the B value, the softer the pencil lead and the darker the color.

In some implementations, the heating element has substantially the same or similar hardness and/or blackness as the 2B pencil lead;

and/or the heating element has substantially the same or similar hardness and/or jetness as the HB pencil lead.

In some implementations, the air channels are configured to be arranged orderly in a predetermined direction within the heating element.

In some implementations, the air channel has a diameter of 0.01mm to 3 mm.

In some implementations, the heating element is disposed substantially extending along a longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating device;

the air passage is arranged to extend through the heating element in an axial direction of the heating element.

In some implementations, the heating element is configured as a honeycomb structure.

In some implementations, the heating element has an extension length of 5-30 mm.

In some implementations, further comprising:

A tubular element within which the heating element is housed or held.

In some implementations, further comprising:

a chamber for receiving at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article;

the tubular element at least partially surrounds or defines the chamber.

In some implementations, the tubular element includes first and second ends that face away from each other;

the inner surface of the tubular element is provided with a flange; the tubular element includes a first section between the flange and a first end, and a second section between the flange and the second end;

the first section at least partially surrounds or defines the chamber; the heating element is received or held in the second section.

In some implementations, the flange is configured to provide a stop for aerosol-generating articles received in the chamber;

and/or the flange is further configured to provide a stop for the heating element housed or held in the second section.

In some implementations, the flange defines a first aperture; in use, air output by the air passage of the heating element is provided to the aerosol-generating article after passing through the first aperture.

In some implementations, the tubular element includes inner and outer walls facing away in a radial direction, and a central region between the inner and outer walls;

the central region is evacuated to a pressure lower than the pressure outside the tubular element, thereby providing insulation at least partially outside the heating element.

In some implementations, the tubular element is further configured to provide insulation at least partially outside the heating element and/or the chamber.

In some implementations, the heating element is non-contact with the tubular element to reduce heat transfer from the heating element to the tubular element.

In some implementations, further comprising:

an isolation member is at least partially located between the tubular element and the heating element and maintains a spacing between the tubular element and the heating element.

In some implementations, the tubular element comprises a metal or alloy;

an insulating member is also disposed between the tubular element and the heating element to insulate between the tubular element and the heating element.

In some implementations, further comprising:

a sealing element at least partially between the tubular element and the heating element for providing a hermetic seal between the tubular element and the heating element.

In some implementations, further comprising:

a base against which the second end of the tubular element rests to provide a stop at least partially in the axial direction.

In some implementations, the base is arranged substantially perpendicular to the tubular element.

In some implementations, the base includes a first surface facing the tubular element, the first surface having a ledge disposed thereon that extends at least partially into the tubular element.

In some implementations, an inner surface of the tubular element abuts against the ledge to form a stop in a radial direction of the tubular element.

In some implementations, the base also defines:

an air inlet for providing air to the heating element.

In some implementations, further comprising:

a support is at least partially located between the heating element and the second end of the tubular element to at least partially support the heating element.

In some implementations, an air gap is defined between the support and the heating element.

In some implementations, further comprising:

a first electrode and a second electrode are connected to the heating element at intervals for directing a current over the heating element to cause the heating element to generate heat by joule heat.

In some implementations, the first electrode surrounds or encloses at least a portion of the heating element;

and/or the second electrode surrounds or encloses at least part of the heating element.

In some implementations, the first electrode and the second electrode are spaced apart along an axial direction of the heating element.

In some implementations, the first electrode and/or the second electrode includes at least one of an electrode ring, an electrode cap, an electrode sheet, an orbital electrode, or an electrode coating.

In some implementations, the equivalent resistance of the heating element is between 150 and 800mΩ when current is directed across the heating element by the first and second electrodes.

In some implementations, further comprising:

a circuit;

a first conductive lead electrically connecting the first electrode to the circuit;

and a second conductive lead electrically connecting the second electrode to the circuit.

In some implementations, the heating element is provided with a wire groove extending in an axial direction;

the first and/or second conductive leads are at least partially received or retained within the wire grooves.

In some implementations, further comprising:

a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the heating element;

And a circuit configured to adjust the power supplied to the heating element to maintain the temperature of the air output to the aerosol-generating article at a preset temperature according to the sensing result of the temperature sensor.

In some implementations, further comprising:

a first thermocouple wire and a second thermocouple wire connected to the heating element;

the first thermocouple wire and the second thermocouple wire have different materials to form a thermocouple therebetween for sensing the temperature of the heating element.

In some implementations, the inner wall of the tubular element is further configured to transfer heat to the aerosol-generating article to assist in heating the aerosol-generating article.

Yet another implementation 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:

a chamber for receiving at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article;

the heating element comprises a surface portion adjacent to or facing the chamber, the surface portion comprising graphite.

the heating element comprises graphite and clay.

a tubular member including first and second ends facing away from each other; in use, the aerosol-generating article is at least partially receivable within or removable from within the tubular element through the first end;

at least one heating element housed or held within the tubular element and adjacent the second end; the heating element is configured to heat air entering from the second end before outputting to the aerosol-generating article.

The central region is evacuated to a pressure lower than the pressure outside the tubular element, thereby providing insulation at least partly outside the heating element and/or aerosol-generating article.

a tubular member including first and second ends facing away from each other; the inner surface of the tubular element is provided with a flange, and a first section between the flange and a first end, a second section between the flange and a second end;

the first section is configured to receive at least part of an aerosol-generating article and provide a stop for the aerosol-generating article received within the first section by the flange;

at least one heating element housed or held within the second section; the heating element is configured to heat the air of the second section and output it to the aerosol-generating article.

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

at least one heating element having an air passage disposed thereon; in use, air passes at least partially through the air passage and is heated within the air passage;

The heating element comprises graphite and an oxide.

In some implementations, further comprising:

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

an inner wall and an outer wall facing away in a radial direction, a central region between the inner wall and the outer wall; the central region is evacuated to a pressure lower than the pressure outside the insulated pipe;

the inner wall is provided with a flange.

at least one heating element;

at least one heat spreader having an air passage disposed thereon; the heat spreader is arranged at least partially around the heating element and is adapted to absorb heat from the heating element; in use, air passes at least partially through the air passage and is output to the aerosol-generating article after being heated by heat absorbed by the heat spreader within the air passage;

The heat spreader comprises graphite.

In some implementations, the heat spreader includes: 47-85 wt% of graphite and 15-53 wt% of oxide.

In some implementations, the thermal conductivity of the heat spreader is between 80 and 155W/m.k.

In some implementations, the heat spreader has a total surface area to volume ratio of at least 1.2:1.

In some implementations, the heat spreader is black.

In some implementations, the heat spreader has a hardness and/or blackness between 3B and 2H pencil lead.

In some implementations, the air channels are configured to be arranged orderly in a predetermined direction within the heat spreader.

In some implementations, the air channel has a diameter of 0.01mm to 3 mm.

In some implementations, the heat diffuser is arranged substantially extending in a longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating device;

In some implementations, the heat spreader is configured as a honeycomb structure.

In some implementations, the heat spreader has an extension length of 5-30 mm.

In some implementations, the heating element includes a solenoid coil.

In some implementations, the cross-section of the wire material of the solenoid coil extends in an axial direction by a dimension that is greater than a dimension that extends in a radial direction.

In some implementations, the cross-section of the wire material of the solenoid coil extends in an axial direction to a dimension of 0.5-2.0 mm;

and/or the dimension of the radial extension of the section of the wire material of the solenoid coil is between 0.1 and 0.5mm.

In some implementations, the heating element includes an electrically conductive magnetic material; the method comprises the steps of,

a circuit configured to provide an AC drive current to the heating element such that the heating element generates heat due to joule heat when the AC drive current flows.

In some implementations, the heating element includes a ferromagnetic material or a ferrimagnetic material that is electrically conductive.

In some implementations, a receiving cavity is provided within the heat spreader, the heating element being received or retained within the receiving cavity;

the air channel is arranged avoiding the accommodation chamber.

In some implementations, further comprising:

a tubular element within which the heat spreader is received or retained.

In some implementations, the tubular element includes first and second ends that diverge, and a first section proximate the first end, and a second section proximate the second end;

The first section is arranged to receive at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article; the heat spreader is received or retained in the second section.

In some implementations, the inner surface of the tubular element is provided with a flange;

the first section is located between the first end and the flange, and the second section is located between the second end and the flange.

In some implementations, the flange is configured to provide a stop for aerosol-generating articles received in the first section;

and/or the flange is further configured to provide a stop for the heat spreader housed or held in the second section.

In some implementations, further comprising:

an isolation member is at least partially located between the tubular element and the heat spreader and maintains a spacing between the tubular element and the heat spreader.

In some implementations, the heat spreader is non-contact with the tubular element to reduce heat transfer from the heat spreader to the tubular element.

In some implementations, further comprising:

a sealing element at least partially between the tubular element and the heat spreader for providing a hermetic seal between the tubular element and the heat spreader.

In some implementations, further comprising:

In some implementations, the base also defines:

an air inlet for providing air to the heat spreader.

In some implementations, further comprising:

a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the heating element or the heat spreader;

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:

At least one heating element;

the heat spreader includes graphite and clay.

at least one heating element located within the tubular element;

at least one heat spreader having an air passage disposed thereon; the heat spreader is arranged to be located within the tubular element and around the heating element and to absorb heat from the heating element; in use, air passes at least partially through the air passage and is output to the aerosol-generating article after being heated by heat absorbed by the heat spreader within the air passage.

at least one heating element comprising an electrically conductive magnetic material;

a circuit configured to supply an AC drive current to the heating element to cause the heating element to generate heat due to joule heat when the AC drive current flows;

at least one heat spreader having an air passage disposed thereon; the heat spreader is arranged around the heating element and is configured to absorb heat from the heating element; in use, air passes at least partially through the air passage and is output to the aerosol-generating article after being heated by heat absorbed by the heat spreader within the air passage.

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

at least one heating coil;

at least one heat spreader having an air passage disposed thereon; the heat spreader is arranged at least partially around the heating coil and is for absorbing heat from the heating coil; in use, air passes at least partially through the air passage and is heated within the air passage by heat absorbed by the heat spreader;

The heat spreader comprises graphite.

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

a body comprising graphite; the main body has a first end and a second end which are opposite, and a hole penetrating from the first end to the second end;

the ratio of the total surface area to the volume of the body is at least 1.2:1.

The above aerosol-generating device heats air passing through a heating element comprising graphite and an oxide, and then heats an aerosol-generating article from the heated air.

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 from one perspective;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the heater of FIG. 1 from another perspective;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the heater of FIG. 1 from one perspective;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the heater of FIG. 1 from another perspective;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heater of FIG. 1 from one perspective;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the heater of FIG. 1 from another perspective;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a heating element from yet another perspective;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural view of a heating element of yet another embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a heater in yet another embodiment from one perspective;

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heater of FIG. 10 from one perspective;

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the heater of FIG. 10 from one perspective;

FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the heater of FIG. 10 from yet another perspective;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the heat diffusion element of FIG. 13 after mating with a heating element;

fig. 15 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the electronics of the circuit in one 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.

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 chamber 12, the chamber 12 for receiving at least part of the aerosol-generating article 1000 protruding into the housing 10 through the receiving opening 111;

an intake passage 150 located between the chamber 12 and the intake port 121; in turn, in use the inlet channel 150 provides a channel path from the inlet port 121 into the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000, as indicated by arrow R11 in fig. 1.

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.

a heater 30 at least partially located between the chamber 12 and the intake passage 150; 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 outputting heated hot air to the aerosol-generating article 1000.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the heater 30 is positioned at least partially between the intake passage 150 and the chamber; and, the heater 30 is positioned between the chamber 12 and the intake passage 150; the heater 30 in turn heats the air entering the chamber through the air inlet channel 150 during the suction and then outputs the heated hot air to the aerosol-generating article 1000.

And in the implementation shown in fig. 1, the heater 30 also at least partially encloses or surrounds or defines the chamber 12.

And referring to fig. 1-6, heater 30 includes ends 310 and 320 facing away in the longitudinal direction; wherein end 310 is oriented toward or near proximal end 110/receiving port 111.

In the above, the external members of the heater 30 include:

tube 40, proximal to proximal end 110;

base 50, facing away from proximal end 120.

Upon assembly, the outer surface of the heater 30 is at least partially defined by the tube 40 and the base 50 together. And after assembly, the tube 40 rests on the base 50, at least in part being supported by the base 50 to the tube 40.

And further referring to fig. 5, the surface of the base 50 facing or facing the tube 40 is provided with a ledge 53, the ledge 53 being substantially annular; and, an annular flange 53 surrounds or defines an assembly space 54 therein. And, on the outer side surface of the annular flange 53, there is provided a ridge flange 531 arranged around the circumference of the flange 53. In assembly, the end of the tube 40 close to the base 50 abuts against the base 50 to form a stop in the longitudinal direction; and, an inner side surface of the tube 40 near at least part of the surrounding ledge 53 of the base 50 and abuts against the ridge 531 to form a stop in the radial direction.

The tube 40 and/or the base 50 may comprise ceramic, or metal or organic polymer, or the like.

And, the tube 40 at least partially surrounds or defines the chamber 12.

And, in some implementations, the tube 40 is thermally insulated for providing thermal insulation outside the heater 30. As shown in particular in fig. 1 to 5, the tube 40 comprises:

An inner wall 410 and an outer wall 430 facing away in a radial direction; the method comprises the steps of,

a central region 420 is defined between the inner wall 410 and the outer wall 430.

And in some implementations, the central region 420 is evacuated to a pressure lower than the pressure outside of the tube 40, thereby reducing heat loss from the heater 30 and/or the heated aerosol-generating article 1000, i.e., providing insulation. Or in still other variations, the tube 40 may be replaced with other aerogel or aerogel blanket having a low thermal conductivity, or a ceramic such as zirconia ceramic, or an organic polymer such as PEEK, polytetrafluoroethylene, or the like. They are insulated on the outside by insulating elements that at least partly surround or enclose the heating element 31 and/or the chamber 12.

And in some implementations, the central region 420 has a degree of vacuum; alternatively, the central region 420 includes a high vacuum. And in some implementations, the pressure in the central region is between about 0.1 and about 0.001 millibar. And a pressure in the central region of 10 ^-7 The magnitude of the cradle.

And, inner wall 410 and/or outer wall 430 comprise a stainless steel layer having a thickness of about 100-200 microns.

And in some implementations, the tube 40 has a first end proximate to or defining the end 310, and a second end facing away from the first end; the tube 40 has a reduced outer diameter portion 42 near the first end and a reduced outer diameter portion 43 near the second end.

And in some implementations, the interior hollow 41 of the tube 40 surrounds or defines at least a portion of an airflow passage through the aerosol-generating device 100. And at least a portion of the chamber 12 is surrounded or defined by the interior hollow 41 of the tube 40 for receiving the aerosol-generating article 1000.

And in some implementations, the tube 40 has an inner diameter of about 5-10 mm.

And in some implementations, the tube 40 has a length of about 15-35 mm.

And according to fig. 1 to 5, the inner surface of the tube 40 and/or the inner surface of the inner wall 410 is provided with:

the flange 411 extends radially inward.

And in practice, the internal hollow 41 of the tube 40 is delimited separately by a flange 411:

section 4110 and section 4120; section 4110 and section 4120 are located on either side of flange 411; wherein section 4110 is near the first end and section 4120 is near the second end.

In some implementations, the section 4110 has a length of about 8-20 mm; and section 4220 has a length of about 10-25 mm.

And in practice, the section 4110 defines at least part of the chamber 12 for receiving the aerosol-generating article 1000; and, when at least a portion of the aerosol-generating article 1000 is received within the section 4110, against the flange 411 to form a stop.

And in practice, section 4120 defines an air heating zone, and air entering from the second end is heated within section 4120 and output to the aerosol-generating article 1000. In particular, in practice, a heating mechanism is housed or disposed within section 4120 for heating air passing through section 4120. And in practice, the heating mechanism housed or disposed within section 4120 abuts against flange 411 to form a stop.

And in practice, the flange 411 may be substantially annular in shape; further, perforations 412 are defined in the flange 411 to provide a path for hot air from the section 4120 into the aerosol-generating article 1000 received in the section 411.

Or in some implementations, the inner wall 410 is made of a thermally conductive material including a metal such as stainless steel; in practice, then, when the aerosol-generating article 1000 is received within the chamber 12 surrounded or defined by the section 4110 of the inner wall 410, at least a portion of the inner surface of the inner wall 410 is also used to assist in heating the aerosol-generating article 1000 by collecting or conducting or reflecting heat.

Further according to fig. 3 to 8, the heater 30 further includes:

a heating element 31 is housed or held within section 4120 of tube 40 for heating the air. And in practice the heating element 31 is arranged longitudinally of the heater 30 and/or the tube 40.

And, the heating element 31 is substantially configured to be columnar in shape, for example, the heating element 31 is columnar in shape; or in yet other implementations, the heating element 31 is square or prismatic. As another example, the heating element 31 may be a honeycomb structure or the like.

And in some implementations, the heating element 31 has an extension of about 5-30 mm; and the heating element 31 has an outer diameter of about 5-10 mm.

And in some implementations, the heating element 31 has upper and lower ends facing away in an axial direction; and, the heating element 31 has a plurality of air passages 311 arranged orderly in a predetermined direction; and in practice, the plurality of air passages 311 extend straight in the axial direction of the heating element 31. And, several air passages 311 penetrate the heating element 31 in the axial direction of the heating element 31. Several air channels 311 may form through holes in the heating element 31 made of dense material; and in some implementations, the cross-section of the air channel 311 is circular in shape; or in still other implementations the air passage 311 may also be of various cross-sectional shapes, such as hexagonal, quadrilateral, triangular, etc.

And in practice, several air channels 311 are arranged in order within the heating element 31. The extension of the air passage 311 is of a predetermined direction, not unordered. And in practice, several air channels 311 are arranged in an array within the heating element 31. And in practice, air can pass through the air passage 311 and be output to the aerosol-generating article 1000 after being heated within the air passage 311, as indicated by arrow R12 in fig. 1. And in practice the arrangement of several air channels 311 within the heating element 31, gives the heating element 31 the form of a honeycomb structure.

In fig. 4-8 and some implementations, the plurality of air passages 311 are substantially evenly distributed within the heating element 31. Or in yet other implementations, the plurality of air passages 311 are unevenly distributed within the heating element 31. For example, the number/density of the plurality of air passages 311 in the central region of the heating element 31 is less than or greater than the number/distribution density near the outer regions. In practice, the central region of the heating element 31, corresponding to the columnar shape of the heating element 31, may be substantially a region within 1/2 of the diameter from the center of the cross section in the radial direction; the outer portion surrounds the area outside the central area. The "distribution density" may be the number of air passages 311 contained per unit area in the cross section; or "distribution density" may be characterized as the volume occupied by the air channels 311, for example, the distribution density of the air channels 311 in the central region may be characterized as the volume of the air channels 311 in the central region.

And in practice, the air passage 311 has a relatively large diameter; for example, the diameter of the air passage 311 is in the range of 0.01mm to 3mm, more preferably 0.01mm to 1.0mm, and air smoothly flows.

And, in some implementations, the cross-sectional area or diameter of the air passage 311 is substantially constant and the same in the axial direction; or in still other variations, the cross-sectional area or diameter of the air passage 311 is varied, e.g., the cross-sectional area or diameter of at least a portion of the air passage 311 is tapered in a direction toward the upper end.

In some embodiments, the heating element 31 is dense. Accordingly, the air passage 311 is formed by laser drilling, machining, or the like, of the heating element 31. For example, the manner in which the air passages 311 are machined may include piercing the heating element 31 with an elongated needle or drill bit to form the air passages 311.

And in some implementations, the heating element 31 includes: graphite; and at least one of oxides such as silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, iron oxide, and calcium oxide.

And in some implementations, the heating element 31 includes: 47 to 85wt% of graphite, 15 to 53 wt% of an oxide such as at least one of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, iron oxide, calcium oxide, and the like. In practice, the heating element 31 comprises substantially no metal in elemental form. For example, in some implementations, the heating element 31 includes: 65-80 wt% of graphite and 20-35 wt% of oxide.

And in some implementations, the oxide in the heating element 31 is added in the form of clay containing a mixture of multiple of silica, alumina, iron oxide, and calcium oxide. Alternatively, the heating element 31 includes: 47-85 wt% of graphite and 15-53 wt% of clay. For example, in some implementations, the heating element 31 includes: 65-80 wt% of graphite and 20-35 wt% of clay.

For example, in some implementations, the method of making the heating element 31 includes:

s10, dispersing raw graphite powder and oxide powder (or clay powder) in a solvent such as water to form a dispersion system; in the dispersing process, the dispersing efficiency and uniformity can be improved by stirring and heating; for example, the heating temperature is maintained at 80 to 200 ℃ during the dispersion; the stirring and dispersing time can be 1-6 h;

s20, pouring the dispersion system into a mould prepared according to the shape of the heating element 31, compacting and drying at least once to remove water, and forming and solidifying to obtain a blank body with the shape of the heating element 31; the forming and curing to form the blank body can comprise multiple times of compaction and drying, and the compaction and drying processes can be heated to improve the density;

s30, forming the air channel 311 by machining the blank in a machine tool through a drill, and preparing the heating element 31.

And in some implementations, the thermal conductivity of the heating element 31 is between 80 and 155W/m.k. Or in some implementations, the heating element 31 has a thermal conductivity of 100-135W/m.k.

And in some implementations the actual density of the heating element 31 is between 2.2 and 3.3g/cm ³ The method comprises the steps of carrying out a first treatment on the surface of the Or in some embodiments, the actual density of the heating element 31 is between 2.6 and 3.0g/cm ³ 。

Wherein the term "actual density" is a metrology term, and actual density (actual density) is a metrology term published in 2015, from the first edition of "metrology term", defined as the ratio of the mass of a porous solid material to its volume (excluding the volume of "voids"). Further, the actual density of the heating element 31 may be characterized as the ratio of the mass of the heating element 31 to the volume of the remainder excluding the air passage 311.

And in some implementations, the volume resistivity of the heating element 31 including graphite and oxide is between 0.8x10 ^-5 ～9.6×10 ^-5 Omega.m. And in some implementations, the volume resistivity of the heating element 31 is between 1.5x10 ^-5 ～4.2×10 ^-5 Ω·m。

And in some implementations, the ratio of the total surface area of the heating element 31 to the volume is at least 1.2:1. For example, in one specific implementation, the cylindrical heating element 31 has a length of 8mm, an outer diameter of 6mm, and 15 air passages 311 with a diameter of 0.5 mm; at this time, the total volume of the heating element 31 was 203mm ³ The method comprises the steps of carrying out a first treatment on the surface of the And, at this time, the total surface area of the heating element 31 was 372mm ² The method comprises the steps of carrying out a first treatment on the surface of the And at this point the ratio of the total surface area to volume of the heating element 31 is greater than 1.8:1.

Or in still other implementations, by decreasing the length of the heating element 31, for example to 6mm, and increasing the number or diameter of more air passages 311, the ratio of the total surface area to volume of the heating element 31 is at least 2.0:1, or further raised to at least 3.0:1.

and in some implementations, the heating element 31, including graphite and oxides, is black.

And in some implementations, the heating element 31 comprising graphite and oxide has a hardness and/or blackness between 3B and 2H pencil lead. Or in some implementations, the heating element 31 has substantially the same or similar hardness and/or blackness as the 2B pencil lead or HB pencil lead.

And further referring to fig. 4 to 8, the heating element 31 includes, arranged in order in the longitudinal direction: portion 3110, portion 3120 and portion 3130.

Wherein the outer diameter of portion 3120 is greater than the outer diameter of at least one of portion 3110 and/or portion 3130; further, a step 314 is formed between the portion 3110 and the portion 3120, and a step 315 is formed between the portion 3120 and the portion 3130.

And further referring to fig. 4-8, the heater 30 further includes:

an electrode 32 and an electrode 33 for guiding an electric current over the heating element 31.

And in practice, the electrode 32 is electrically conductively connected to the heating element 31 near the upper end of the heating element 31; and, the electrode 33 is electrically connected to the heating element 31 near the lower end of the heating element 31.

And in practice, electrode 32 and/or electrode 33 are annular in shape. And in some other variant implementations, electrode 32 and/or electrode 33 includes at least one of an electrode ring, an electrode cap, an electrode tab, an orbital electrode, or an electrode coating. And in some implementations, electrode 32 and/or electrode 33 are made from a low resistivity metal or alloy. For example, electrode 32 and/or electrode 33 comprises gold, silver, copper, or an alloy containing at least one of them.

And in practice, the electrodes 32 and 33 are spaced apart along the axis of the heating element 31.

And in practice, current is directed across the heating element 31 by the electrodes 32 and 33, thereby causing the heating element 31 to develop resistive joule heat, thereby heating the air passing through the air passage 311. And in practice the heating element 31, having the above shape and dimensions, has an equivalent resistance of about 200-300 mΩ after being connected to the circuit with the electrodes 32 and 33.

Or in still other implementations, the equivalent resistance of heating element 31 after it is connected to the circuit with electrodes 32 and 33 may be adjustable between 150 and 800mΩ by providing heating element 31 with a longer length and a larger outer diameter. In some preferred implementations, it is advantageous to maintain the power stability by adjusting the graphite content of the heating element 31, and the spacing between the electrodes 32 and 33, so that the equivalent resistance of the heating element 31 is maintained at 200-600 mΩ.

And in practice, the annular electrode 32 at least partially surrounds the portion 3110 and rests on the step 314; and, the electrode 32 at least partially surrounds the portion 3130 and abuts against the step 315.

And, the electrode 32 is electrically connected to the circuit board 140 by soldering the conductive lead 321 and by the conductive lead 321; and, the electrode 33 is electrically connected to the circuit board 140 by soldering the conductive lead 331 thereon and by the conductive lead 331. Conductive lead 321 and/or conductive lead 331 comprise gold, silver, copper, or alloys thereof. Or in still other implementations, conductive leads 321 and/or 331 are copper wires surface plated or sprayed or clad with a nickel layer.

Or in still other implementations, the surface of conductive lead 321 and/or conductive lead 331 is also sprayed or coated with an insulating layer; for example, conductive lead 321 and/or conductive lead 331 are enameled wires having an organic insulating layer.

And in the implementations shown in fig. 5 and 8, the heating element 31 further comprises:

a lead groove 312 arranged in the longitudinal direction, extending from an upper end to a lower end; conductive leads 321 are at least partially located or retained within lead slots 312.

And as shown in fig. 7, the wire slots 312 are exposed within the tube 40. Alternatively, the lead slots 312 are visible through the first end of the tube 40.

Or in yet other implementations, such as shown in fig. 9, the heating element 31b is provided with a spray or deposit formed coating formed electrode 32b and electrode 33b; the outer surface of the electrode 32b is soldered with a conductive lead 321b and then connected to the circuit board 140 through the conductive lead 321 b; and, the outer surface of the electrode 33b is soldered with a conductive lead 331b, and then connected to the circuit board 140 through the conductive lead 331 b.

thermocouple wires 361 and 362 are connected to heating element 31 by welding or the like; in implementation, thermocouple wires 361 and 362 are made of two different materials selected from nickel, nickel-chromium alloy, nickel-silicon alloy, nickel-chromium-copper alloy, bronze alloy, iron-chromium alloy, etc.; further, in use, a thermocouple operable to sense the temperature of the heating element 31 is formed between the thermocouple wire 361 and the thermocouple wire 362, thereby acquiring the temperature of the heating element 31. For example, in some implementations, thermocouple wire 361 is a nickel-chromium material and acts as the positive terminal, and thermocouple wire 362 is a nickel-silicon material and acts as the negative terminal, forming a K-type thermocouple therebetween. In still other or alternative implementations, thermocouple wires 361 and 362 may be substituted for other materials to form a j-type thermocouple therebetween.

And in practice, thermocouple wires 361 and/or thermocouple wires 362 have a diameter of about 0.1-0.5 mm. For example, in one specific implementation, thermocouple wires 361 and/or thermocouple wires 362 have a diameter of 0.3 mm.

And with further reference to the implementations shown in fig. 5 and 8, the heating element 31 further includes:

a recess 313 located at the portion 3130; thermocouple wires 361 and/or thermocouple wires 362 are connected to heating element 31 at recess 313.

Or in still other implementations, heater 30 may also include a temperature sensor, such as a temperature sensor of PT1000, in place of thermocouple wire 361 and/or thermocouple wire 362 above to sense the temperature of heating element 31; and, the circuit controls or adjusts the power supplied to the heating element 31 according to the sensing structure of the temperature sensor or thermocouple, thereby maintaining the temperature of the hot air supplied to the aerosol-generating article 1000 at a preset temperature.

And further referring to fig. 4-8, the heater 30 further includes:

an isolating or insulating member or sealing element 34 at least partially surrounding or enclosing the electrode 32; and surrounds and abuts against the upper end of the heating element 31; the isolation or insulation member or sealing element 34 comprises an insulating material such as rigid ceramic, PEEK, or a soft silicone, thermoplastic elastomer, or the like; after assembly, the insulating member 34 serves to provide insulation between the tube 40 and the electrode 32.

Alternatively, a spacer or insulating member or sealing element 34 may be used between the tube 40 and the heating element 31 to prevent the tube 40 and the heating element 31 from contacting, to space the tube 40 and the heating element 31 apart and maintain a spacing therebetween, to prevent substantial heat transfer from the heating element 31 directly to the tube 40. And a spacer or insulating member or sealing element 34 for spacing or providing insulation between the flange 411 and the upper end of the heating element 31.

And further referring to fig. 4-8, the heater 30 further includes:

a support 35 for at least partially providing support to the heating element 31 at the lower end of the heating element 31.

And in practice, the support 35 is positioned at least partially between the heating element 31 and the base 50.

And, the support 35 includes an insulating material such as ceramics, PEEK, or the like. And a side surface of the support 35 facing the base 50 is provided with a step 351; the support 35 extends at least partially into the assembly space 54 defined by the flange 53 of the base 50 and is positioned by the step 351 against the flange 53.

And, a side surface of the support 35 facing the heating element 31 is provided with a support portion 353 or a protrusion 353; and is supported against the lower end of the heating element 31 by the supporting portion 353 or the protrusion 353 after assembly, thereby supporting the heating element 31. And, since the support 353 or the protrusion 353 is convex on the side surface of the support 35 facing the heating element 31, an air gap 37 is maintained or defined between the support 35 and the heating element 31 after assembly, as shown in fig. 6, for example. The presence of this air gap 37 is advantageous for preventing or blocking the support 35 from covering or obscuring the port of the air channel 311 at the lower end of the heating element 31.

And, the base 50 is provided with a hole 51 and a hole 52.

And, in the longitudinal direction of the heater 30, the hole 51 is opposite to the lead groove 312 of the surface of the heating element 31; further, after assembly, the conductive leads 321 extend from the holes 51 to the outside of the base 50 or to the outside of the end 320; it is convenient for the conductive leads 321 to be connected to the circuit board 140 after penetrating the outside of the heater 30.

And, in the longitudinal direction of the heater 30, the hole 52 is opposite to the recess 313 of the surface of the heating element 31. Further, after assembly, conductive lead 331 and/or thermocouple wire 361 and/or thermocouple wire 362 extend from aperture 52 out of base 50 or out of end 320; it is convenient for the conductive leads 331 and/or the thermocouple wires 361 and/or the thermocouple wires 362 to be connected to the circuit board 140 after penetrating the outside of the heater 30.

And in some implementations, apertures 51 and 52 also serve to provide an inlet or passage for air entering from intake passage 150 into heater 30.

And further according to fig. 6, in suction, air entering from the air inlet channel 150 enters into the air gap 37 through the holes 51 and 52, then passes through the air channel 311 of the heating element 31 and is output to the aerosol-generating article 1000 after being heated to hot air, as shown by R12 in fig. 6.

Or in some implementations, the isolation or insulation or sealing element 34 also serves to at least partially block or seal the gap between the heating element 31 and the tube 40, thereby forming an airtight seal between the heating element 31 and the tube 40 to prevent air within the tube 40 from being output directly between the heating element 31 and the tube 40 during pumping. Alternatively, the sealing element 34 forms a seal with the tube 40 at the heating element 31 such that air within the air gap 37 can only be output to the aerosol-generating article 1000 through the air channel 311 of the heating element 31.

Or in still other implementations, the heating element 31 may be made of a resistive metal or alloy; and in some implementations, the heating element 31 includes a surface layer portion toward or adjacent the upper end of the chamber 12 that coats or covers the resistive metal or alloy body, the surface layer portion including graphite; the surface layer portion by comprising graphite is advantageous for preventing the surface of the heating element 31 from being adhered or deposited or corroded by the organic matter of the aerosol-generating article 1000. The skin portion may have a thickness of about 10 to 300 mm. May be formed at the upper end of the heating element 31 by spraying or deposition, etc.

Or in still other implementations, there may be at least two, three, or more heating elements 31 within the tube 40. At least two, three more heating elements 31 are spaced apart in sequence within section 4120.

Or in still other implementations at least two of the heating elements 31 may be independently activated for heating. Or in yet other implementations, at least two heating elements 31 are heated simultaneously.

Or in yet other implementations, the air is output to the aerosol-generating article 1000 after being heated to a predetermined temperature via at least two heating elements 31 in sequence. Or in yet other implementations, at least two of the heating elements 31 progressively heat the air to a predetermined temperature before outputting to the aerosol-generating article 1000.

For example, in one implementation, one of the at least two heating elements 31 heats air to a first predetermined temperature before outputting to the other, and the other further heats air to a second predetermined temperature before outputting to the aerosol-generating article 1000. And the second predetermined temperature is higher than the first predetermined temperature.

And in still other implementations, at least two heating elements 31 are connected to the circuit board 140 independently of each other, and are independently driven to heat by the circuit board 140. And in still other implementations, at least two heating elements 31 are heated simultaneously. And in yet other implementations, one of the at least two heating elements 31 is not heated simultaneously with the other.

And in still other implementations, one of the at least two heating elements 31 may be activated alternately with the other.

And in still other implementations, one of the at least two heating elements 31 heats air faster or at a greater power than the other.

Or further figures 10 to 14 show schematic views of a heater 30 of yet another embodiment, comprising ends 310a and 320a facing away in the longitudinal direction, and:

a tube 40a, such as a vacuum tube, is disposed proximate end 310 a; the tube 40a defines an interior hollow 41a therein; the inner hollow 41a is separated by a flange 411a defining a section 4110a and a section 4120a: the end 310a surrounds or defines at least part of a chamber for receiving the aerosol-generating article 1000; the section 4120a is used to heat air to form hot air that is output to the aerosol-generating article 1000;

a base 50a is disposed proximate the end 320a for supporting the tube 40a at least partially.

And in the implementation of fig. 10 to 14, the heater 30 includes:

at least one heating element 32a;

at least one heat spreader 31a having a plurality of air passages 311a arranged sequentially in a predetermined direction; and, the heat spreader 31a is configured to absorb heat from the heating element 32a, and in use, heat the heat absorbed by the heat spreader 31a when passing through the air channel 311a, and output to the aerosol-generating article 1000.

In the implementation of fig. 10 to 14, the heat spreader 31a itself is non-heat generating; and, the heat spreader 31a heats the air passing through the air passage 311a only by absorbing or transferring heat of the heating element 32 a.

And in practice, the heat spreader 31a has upper and lower ends facing away in the axial direction; and in practice, the plurality of air passages 311a extend straight in the axial direction of the heat spreader 31a. And, several air passages 311a penetrate the heat spreader 31a in the axial direction of the heat spreader 31a. Several air channels 311a may be formed in the form of through holes in the heat spreader 31a made of dense material; and in some implementations, the cross-section of the air channel 311a is circular in shape; or in still other implementations the air channel 311a may also be a cross-sectional shape in the form of a hexagon, a quadrilateral, a triangle, etc.

And in practice, several air channels 311a are arranged in order within the heat spreader 31a. The extension of the air passage 311a is of a predetermined direction, not unordered. And in practice, several air channels 311a are arranged in an array within the heat spreader 31a. And in practice, the arrangement of several air channels 311a within the heat spreader 31a, causes the heat spreader 31a to be in the form of a honeycomb structure.

And in practice, the diameter of the air passage 311a is in the range of 0.01mm to 3mm, more preferably 0.01mm to 1.0mm, and air is smoothly flown therethrough.

And, in some implementations, the cross-sectional area or diameter of the air passage 311a is substantially constant and the same in the axial direction; or in still other variations, the cross-sectional area or diameter of the air passage 311a is varied, e.g., the cross-sectional area or diameter of at least a portion of the air passage 311a is tapered in a direction toward the upper end.

And in practice, the heat spreader 31a has an extension of about 5-30 mm; and, the heat spreader 31a has an outer diameter of about 5 to 10 mm.

In some embodiments, the heat spreader 31a is dense. Accordingly, the air passage 311a is formed by laser drilling, machining, or the like of the heat spreader 31 a. For example, the manner in which the air passages 311a are machined may include piercing the heat spreader 31a with an elongated needle or drill to form the air passages 311a.

Or in some implementations, the heat spreader 31a has a body that extends generally cylindrically between an upper end and a lower end; of course, the body may comprise graphite. And the main body is provided with a plurality of air channels or through holes 311a penetrating along the axial direction.

And in some implementations, the heat spreader 31a includes: graphite; and at least one of oxides such as silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, iron oxide, and calcium oxide.

And in some implementations, the heat spreader 31a includes: 47 to 85wt% of graphite, 15 to 53 wt% of an oxide such as at least one of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, iron oxide, calcium oxide, and the like. In practice, the heat spreader 31a is substantially free of elemental form of the metal.

And in some implementations, the oxide in the heat spreader 31a is added in the form of clay containing a mixture of a plurality of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, iron oxide, and calcium oxide. Alternatively, the heat spreader 31a includes: 47-85 wt% of graphite and 15-53 wt% of clay.

And in some implementations, the thermal conductivity of the heat spreader 31a is between 80 and 155W/m.k. Or in some implementations, the thermal conductivity of the heat spreader 31a is between 100 and 135W/m.k.

And in some implementations, the actual density of the heat spreader 31a is between 2.2 and 3.3g/cm ³ The method comprises the steps of carrying out a first treatment on the surface of the Or in some embodiments, the actual density of the heat spreader 31a is between 2.6 and 3.0g/cm ³ 。

And in some implementations, the ratio of the total surface area to the volume of the heat spreader 31a is at least 1.2:1. Or in still other implementations, the ratio of the total surface area to volume of the heat spreader 31a is at least 2.0:1, or further raised to at least 3.0:1.

And in some implementations, the heat spreader 31a, including graphite and oxides, is black.

And in some implementations, the heat spreader 31a comprising graphite and oxide has a hardness and/or blackness between 3B and 2H pencil lead. Or in some implementations, the heat spreader 31a has substantially the same or nearly the same hardness and/or blackness as the 2B pencil lead or HB pencil lead.

And in this implementation, the heat spreader 31a has formed or defined therein:

the receiving chamber 313a, the heating element 32a is received and held within the receiving chamber 313 a.

The receiving chamber 313a has an opening at a lower end of the heat spreader 31a, and the heating element 32a is received and fitted into the receiving chamber 313a of the heat spreader 31a from the opening at the lower end.

And, the accommodation chamber 313a is closed at the other end facing away from the opening. As shown, for example, in fig. 13 and 14, the surface portion 314a of the upper end surface of the heat spreader 31a opposite the accommodation chamber 313a is non-open or dense or has no holes.

And in practice, the air passage 311a is clear of the accommodation chamber 313 a. And the heat spreader 31a and the heating element 32a are thermally conductive with each other. Or in some implementations, the containment cavity 313a also has a filler material for filling the gap between the heating element 32a and the heat spreader 31a, promoting thermal conduction between the heating element 32a and the heat spreader 31 a. In some implementations, the filler material is formed, for example, by injecting a ceramic paste, a glass paste, an inorganic oxide paste, a nitride paste, or the like into the accommodating chamber 313a and curing after filling up the gap between the heating element 32a and the heat spreader 31 a. Or in yet other implementations, a filler material such as glass cement, resin cement, or the like.

Advantageously, in use, the heat spreader 31a absorbs heat from the heating element 32a and transfers the heat to the air drawn through the heat spreader 31a so that the air can heat the aerosol-forming article 1000 downstream of the heat spreader 31a primarily by convection. This may provide more uniform heating relative to prior devices in which the aerosol-forming article 1000 was formed primarily by directly heating the aerosol from the heating element 32 a. For example, it may reduce or prevent localized high temperature regions or "hot spots" from occurring in the aerosol-forming article 1000 that may otherwise be caused by conductive heating.

The heat spreader 31a may be arranged and configured to heat air to about 180 degrees celsius to 350 degrees celsius. In a preferred embodiment, the heat spreader 31a heats the air to 250 degrees celsius to 320 degrees celsius.

And further in accordance with the implementations shown in fig. 10-14, the heating element 32a is configured to be in the shape or form of a solenoid coil; and a first end of the heating element 32a in the form of a solenoid coil is connected with a conductive lead 321a and the other end is connected with a conductive lead 322a, and is in turn connected to the circuit board 140 through the conductive lead 321a and the conductive lead 322a for supplying power to the heating element 32a in use.

And in some implementations, the cross-sectional shape of the wire material of the heating element 32a configured in the form of a solenoid coil is a shape other than a conventional circle in accordance with the embodiments shown in fig. 11 and 13. The cross section of the wire material of the heating element 32a of the solenoid coil has a dimension extending in the axial direction that is larger than a dimension extending in the radial direction, so that the cross section of the wire material of the solenoid coil takes a flat rectangular shape.

Briefly, the heating element 32a of the above construction is in the form of a wire material that is completely or at least flattened, as compared to a conventional helical coil formed of a circular cross-section wire. Thus, the wire material extends in the radial direction to a lesser extent. By this measure, the energy loss in the heating element 32a can be reduced. In particular, the transfer of heat generated by the heating element 32a in the radial direction towards the heat spreader 31a can be facilitated.

And in some implementations, the cross-section of the wire material of the heating element 32a has a dimension extending in the axial direction of between 0.5 and 2.0mm; for example, in some implementations, the cross-section of the wire material of the heating element 32a has a dimension extending in the axial direction that is between 0.8mm and 1.5mm. And the dimension of the radial extension of the cross section of the wire material of the heating element 32a is between 0.1 and 0.5mm; for example, in some implementations, the cross-section of the wire material of the heating element 32a has a dimension extending in the radial direction that is between 0.15mm and 0.3mm.

Or in still other variations, the wire material of the solenoid coil heating element 32a is circular in cross-section.

And in some implementations, the solenoid coil heating element 32a may have about 6-18 turns and a length of about 8-15 mm. And, the outer diameter of the solenoid coil heating element 32a is no more than 1.9mm at maximum, for example, the outer diameter of the heating element 32a may be between 1.6 and 1.9mm.

And in some implementations, the spacing between adjacent turns of the heating element 32a is constant; for example, in some implementations, the spacing between adjacent turns of heating element 32a is in the range of 0.025-0.3 mm; for example, in some implementations, the spacing between adjacent turns of the heating element 32a is in the range of 0.05-0.15 mm. Or in still other implementations, the spacing between adjacent turns of the heating element 32a is varied. Or in yet other implementations, adjacent turns of the heating element 32a have varying spacing therebetween.

And in some implementations the cross-section of the heating element 32a in the shape of a solenoid coil may be generally circular. Or in still other implementations the solenoid-shaped heating element 32a may be rectangular, oval, square, etc. in cross-section.

In some implementations, the heating element 32a is a resistive heating element that generates heat by being driven by a DC current provided by circuitry on the circuit board 140. In this implementation, the heating element 32a is made of a resistive material and the heating element 32a comprises a resistive metal or alloy. For example, the heating element 32a includes 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, or stainless steel, among others.

And in yet other implementations, the solenoid coil heating element 32a comprises an electrically conductive magnetic material operably coupled to the circuit through the electrically conductive lead 321a and the electrically conductive lead 322a and configured to cause the electrically conductive magnetic material heating element 32a to heat up due to joule heating when an AC drive current provided by the circuit is passed through the heating element 32 a. In some implementations, the heating element 32a of electrically conductive magnetic material is, for example, a ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic material. In some implementations, at least a portion of the heating element 32a of the electrically conductive magnetic material may be made of at least one of ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic materials: nickel cobalt iron alloys (such as, for example, kovar or iron nickel cobalt alloy 1), armoium iron, permalloy (such as, for example, permalloy C), or ferritic or martensitic stainless steels. Or in still other implementations, the heating element 32a of the electrically conductive magnetic material includes a magnetic conductor material having a curie temperature of not less than 450 c, such as SUS430 grade stainless steel, SUS420 grade stainless steel, iron-aluminum alloy, iron-nickel alloy, and the like. The heating element 32a includes a ferritic stainless steel such as SUS430 grade stainless steel, SUS420 grade stainless steel.

In some implementations, the heating element 32a comprises an electrically conductive ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic material having an absolute permeability of at least 10 μh/m (microhenry/m), specifically at least 100 μh/m (microhenry/m), preferably at least 1mH/m (millihenry/m), most preferably at least 10mH/m or even at least 25 mH/m. Likewise, the electrically conductive ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic material may have a relative permeability of at least 10, in particular at least 100, preferably at least 1000, most preferably at least 5000 or even at least 10000.

In practice, by passing an AC drive current through the heating element 32a of electrically conductive magnetic material instead of a DC drive current, the effective resistance of the magnetic heating element 32a, and thus the heating efficiency of the heating element 32a, is significantly improved. Unlike DC current, AC current flows primarily at the "skin" of the electrical conductor, between the outer surface of the heating element 32a and a level called skin depth. The AC current density is greatest near the surface of the conductor and decreases with increasing depth in the conductor. As the frequency of the AC drive current increases, the skin depth decreases, which results in a decrease in the effective cross section of the heating element 32a, thereby increasing the effective resistance of the heating element 32 a. This phenomenon is called the skin effect, which is basically the generation of opposite eddy currents induced by a change in the magnetic field generated by the AC drive current.

Operating the heating element 32a of an electrically conductive magnetic material using an AC drive current further allows the heating element 32a of an electrically conductive magnetic material to be substantially made of or consist essentially of a magnetic metal, such as an electrically conductive ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic material, in particular a solid material, while still providing a sufficiently high electrical resistance to heat generation. For example, in some implementations, the heating element 32a is formed or prepared from a spiral winding of the wire of the above electrically conductive magnetic material.

And in practice the skin depth depends not only on the conductive magnetic material and in practice not only on the permeability of the heating element 32a of the conductive magnetic material, but also on its resistivity and the frequency of the AC drive current. Thus, the skin depth may be reduced by at least one of reducing the resistivity of the conductive heating element 32a, increasing the permeability of the conductive heating element 32a, or increasing the frequency of the AC drive current. In some implementations, the frequency of the alternating current supplied by the circuit to the heating element 32a is between 80KHz and 2000KHz; more specifically, the frequency may be in the range of about 200KHz to 500 KHz. In one most general implementation, the circuit typically includes a capacitor and constitutes an LC resonant circuit with the heating element 32a via the capacitor; and the circuit oscillates by driving the LC resonant circuit at the above predetermined frequency to form an alternating current flowing through the heating element 32 a.

A schematic of a portion of the device in one implementation of the circuit is shown, for example, in fig. 15, where a capacitor C is connected in series with a heating element 32a to form a series LC resonant circuit in the implementation of fig. 15; the half bridge composed of the switch tube Q1 and the switch tube Q2 guides current between the battery cell 130 and the LC resonance circuit; and in practice, the switching tube Q1 and the switching tube Q2 are driven by the controller chip or the switching tube driver chip to turn on and off at a desired frequency, thereby forming an alternating current flowing through the heating element 32 a. Or in still other implementations, the circuit may also employ a capacitor C to form an LC resonant circuit in parallel with the heating element 32a and the LC resonant circuit is driven by the switch to oscillate to produce an AC drive current through the heating element 32 a.

Or in still other variant implementations the frequency of the alternating current supplied by the circuit to the heating element 32a may be higher, for example greater than 1MHz; specifically, the frequency can be, for example, 1MHz to 20MHz.

And in practice, the diameter of the containment chamber 313a is less than 1/2 of the outer diameter of the heat spreader 31 a; it is advantageous to provide an appropriate resistance to suction for maintaining a proper number of air passages 311 a.

Or in still other variations, the heating element 32a may also be wrapped around or bonded to the peripheral side surface of the heat spreader 31 a. The heating element 32a transfers heat from the outside to the heat spreader 31 a.

And in some implementations, the heater 30 further includes:

thermocouple wires 361a and 362a are connected to the heat spreader 31a or heating element 32a by welding or the like for forming a thermocouple for sensing temperature. And, the circuit determines the sensed temperature of the heat spreader 31a or heating element 32a by sampling or taking the thermoelectric voltage difference between thermocouple wires 361a and 362 a.

Or in still other variant implementations, the body may also sense the temperature of the heat spreader 31a or the heating element 32a through a temperature sensor.

And further in accordance with the implementation shown in fig. 11-13, the base 50a is generally annular in shape disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the heater 30, and the conductive leads 321 a/conductive leads 322 a/thermocouple wires 361 a/thermocouple wires 362a extend through the base 50a to the outside of the end 320a to facilitate connection with the circuit board 140.

And, the annular central aperture of the base 50a also serves to provide an inlet and passage for air into the tube 40 a.

And, a side surface of the base 50a facing the tube 40a is provided with an annular flange 53a; the outer side surface of the flange 53a is provided with a ridge flange 531a arranged around the circumferential direction of the flange 53 a. In assembly, the end of the tube 40a close to the base 50a abuts against the base 50a to form a stop in the longitudinal direction; and, an inner side surface of the tube 40a is adjacent to at least part of the surrounding ledge 53a of the base 50a and abuts against the ridge 531a to form a stop in the radial direction.

And, the base 50a is surrounded by an annular flange 53a defining an assembly space 54a for receiving and mounting the support 35a.

And, a support 35a for providing support to the heat spreader 31a at the lower end of the heat spreader 31 a. And, the support 35a is located between the base 50a and the heat spreader 31 a. And, the support 35a has a step 351a, providing positioning and stopping by the step 351a abutting against the ledge 53 a.

And, the support 35a is further provided with a support portion 352a or a projection 352a on a surface facing or near the heat spreader 31 a; and is abutted against the lower end of the heat spreader 31a by the supporting portion 353a or the protrusion 353a after assembly, thereby supporting the heat spreader 31 a. And, since the supporting portion 353a or the protrusion 353a is protruded on the side surface of the supporting member 35 facing the heat spreader 31a, an air gap 37a is maintained or defined between the supporting member 35a and the heat spreader 31a after assembly, as shown in fig. 11, for example. The presence of this air gap 37a is advantageous for preventing or blocking the support 35a from covering or obscuring the port of the air passage 311a at the lower end of the heat spreader 31a, so that the entering air can smoothly enter into the air passage 311 a.

And further shown in fig. 11 to 13, the heater 30 further includes:

a spacer member or seal element 34a surrounding or enclosing at least a portion of the heat spreader 31a proximate the upper end; and surrounds and abuts against the upper end of the heat spreader 31 a; the spacer member or sealing element 34 comprises an insulating material such as rigid ceramic, PEEK, or the like, or a soft silicone, thermoplastic elastomer, or the like. After assembly, the spacer member or sealing element 34a prevents the heat spreader 31a from directly contacting the tube 40a, or alternatively, maintains the heat spreader 31a spaced from the inner surface of the tube 40a, preventing heat from the heat spreader 31a from being directly transferred to the tube 40a.

Alternatively, the spacer member or sealing element 34a is used to provide a seal between the tube 40a and the heat spreader 31a such that air can be substantially only output through the heat spreader 31 a; it is advantageous to prevent air from bypassing the heat spreader 31a output.

Alternatively, in still other embodiments, the heat spreader 31a may be made of other materials having a higher thermal conductivity, such as materials having a thermal conductivity greater than 200W/m.k. For example, the heat spreader 31a includes aluminum, copper, titanium, or an alloy containing at least one of them.

Alternatively, the heat spreader 31a is directed toward or near the upper end of the chamber 12, and has a surface layer portion coated or formed by deposition or spraying or the like; the surface layer portion comprises graphite, or the surface layer portion is made of graphite; for preventing the upper end surface of the heat spreader 31a from being adhered or deposited or corroded by residues, organics or aerosol condensate originating from the aerosol-generating article 1000.

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:

the heating element comprises graphite and an oxide.

2. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the heating element comprises: 47-85 wt% of graphite and 15-53 wt% of oxide.

3. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the oxide comprises at least one of silica, alumina, iron oxide or calcium oxide.

4. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating element is substantially free of elemental form of the metal.

5. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating element has a thermal conductivity of 80 to 155W/m.k.

6. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the actual density of the heating element is between 2.2 and 3.3g/cm ³ 。

7. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ratio of the total surface area of the heating element to the volume is at least 1.2:1.

8. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the volume resistivity of the heating element is between 0.8 x 10 ^-5 ～9.6×10 ^-5 Ω·m。

9. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating element is black.

10. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the heating element has a hardness and/or blackness of between 3B and 2H pencil lead.

11. The aerosol-generating device of claim 10, wherein the heating element has substantially the same or similar hardness and/or blackness as the 2B pencil lead;

12. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air channels are configured to be arranged orderly in a predetermined direction within the heating element.

13. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air passage has a diameter of 0.01mm to 3 mm.

14. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating element is arranged to extend substantially in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating device;

15. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating element is configured as a honeycomb structure.

16. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 14, wherein the heating element has an extension of 5 to 30 mm.

17. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

a tubular element within which the heating element is housed or held.

18. The aerosol-generating device of claim 17, further comprising:

a chamber for receiving at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article;

the tubular element at least partially surrounds or defines the chamber.

19. The aerosol-generating device of claim 18, wherein the tubular element comprises first and second ends facing away from each other;

20. The aerosol-generating device of claim 19, wherein the flange is configured to provide a stop for aerosol-generating articles received in the chamber;

21. The aerosol-generating device of claim 19, wherein the flange defines a first aperture; in use, air output by the air passage of the heating element is provided to the aerosol-generating article after passing through the first aperture.

22. The aerosol-generating device of claim 17, wherein the tubular element comprises inner and outer walls facing away in a radial direction, and a central region between the inner and outer walls;

23. The aerosol-generating device of claim 18, wherein the tubular element is further configured to provide insulation at least partially outside the heating element and/or the chamber.

24. The aerosol-generating device of claim 17, wherein the heating element is non-contact with the tubular element to reduce heat transfer from the heating element to the tubular element.

25. The aerosol-generating device of claim 17, further comprising:

26. The aerosol-generating device of claim 17, wherein the tubular element comprises a metal or alloy;

27. The aerosol-generating device of claim 17, further comprising:

28. The aerosol-generating device of claim 19, further comprising:

29. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 28, wherein the base is arranged substantially perpendicular to the tubular element.

30. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 29, wherein the base comprises a first surface facing the tubular element, the first surface having a ledge disposed thereon that extends at least partially into the tubular element.

31. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 30, wherein the inner surface of the tubular element abuts the ledge to form a stop in the radial direction of the tubular element.

32. The aerosol-generating device of claim 28, wherein the base further defines:

an air inlet for providing air to the heating element.

33. The aerosol-generating device of claim 19, further comprising:

34. The aerosol-generating device of claim 33, wherein an air gap is defined between the support and the heating element.

35. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

36. The aerosol-generating device of claim 35, wherein the first electrode surrounds or encloses at least a portion of the heating element;

37. The aerosol-generating device of claim 35, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are spaced apart along an axial direction of the heating element.

38. The aerosol-generating device of claim 35, wherein the first electrode and/or the second electrode comprises at least one of an electrode ring, an electrode cap, an electrode sheet, an orbital electrode, or an electrode coating.

39. The aerosol-generating device of claim 37, wherein the equivalent resistance of the heating element is between 150 and 800mΩ when current is directed across the heating element by the first and second electrodes.

40. The aerosol-generating device of claim 35, further comprising:

a circuit;

41. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 40, wherein the heating element is provided with a wire groove extending in an axial direction;

42. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the heating element;

43. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

44. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 22, wherein the inner wall of the tubular element is further configured to transfer heat to the aerosol-generating article to assist in heating the aerosol-generating article.

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

a chamber for receiving at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article;

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

the heating element comprises graphite and clay.

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

48. The aerosol-generating device of claim 47, wherein the tubular element comprises inner and outer walls facing away in a radial direction, and a central region between the inner and outer walls;

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

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

the heating element comprises graphite and an oxide.

51. The heater of claim 50, further comprising:

52. A thermal insulation pipe for an aerosol-generating device, comprising:

The inner wall is provided with a flange.

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

at least one heating element;

the heat spreader comprises graphite.

54. An aerosol-generating device as defined in claim 53, wherein the heat spreader comprises: 47-85 wt% of graphite and 15-53 wt% of oxide.

55. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the oxide comprises at least one of silica, alumina, iron oxide or calcium oxide.

56. An aerosol generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the thermal diffuser has a thermal conductivity of from 80 to 155W/m.k.

57. An aerosol generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the ratio of the total surface area to the volume of the heat spreader is at least 1.2:1.

58. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the heat spreader is black.

59. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the heat spreader has a hardness and/or blackness of between 3B and 2H pencil lead.

60. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the air channels are configured to be arranged orderly in a predetermined direction within the heat diffuser.

61. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the air passage has a diameter of 0.01mm to 3 mm.

62. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the heat diffuser is arranged to extend substantially in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating device;

63. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the heat spreader is configured as a honeycomb structure.

64. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 63, wherein the heat spreader has an extension of 5 to 30 mm.

65. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the heating element comprises a solenoid coil.

66. The aerosol-generating device of claim 65, wherein the cross-section of the wire material of the solenoid coil extends in an axial direction to a greater extent than in a radial direction.

67. The aerosol-generating device of claim 65, wherein the cross-section of the wire material of the solenoid coil has an axially extending dimension of between 0.5mm and 2.0mm;

68. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the heating element comprises an electrically conductive magnetic material; the method comprises the steps of,

69. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 68, wherein the heating element comprises an electrically conductive ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic material.

70. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the heat spreader has a receiving cavity therein, the heating element being received or retained within the receiving cavity;

The air channel is arranged avoiding the accommodation chamber.

71. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, further comprising:

a tubular element within which the heat spreader is received or retained.

72. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 71, wherein the tubular element comprises first and second ends that diverge, and a first section proximate the first end and a second section proximate the second end;

73. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 72, wherein the inner surface of the tubular element is provided with a flange;

74. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 73, wherein the flange is configured to provide a stop for aerosol-generating articles received in the first section;

75. An aerosol-generating device as defined in claim 71, further comprising:

76. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 71, wherein the heat spreader is non-contacting with the tubular element to reduce heat transfer from the heat spreader to the tubular element.

77. An aerosol-generating device as defined in claim 71, further comprising:

78. An aerosol-generating device as defined in claim 71, further comprising:

79. The aerosol-generating device of claim 78, wherein the base is arranged substantially perpendicular to the tubular element.

80. The aerosol-generating device of claim 77, wherein the base comprises a first surface facing the tubular member, the first surface having a ledge disposed thereon that extends at least partially into the tubular member.

81. The aerosol-generating device of claim 80, wherein the inner surface of the tubular element abuts the ledge to form a stop in a radial direction of the tubular element.

82. The aerosol-generating device of claim 78, wherein the base further defines:

an air inlet for providing air to the heat spreader.

83. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 53 or 54, further comprising:

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

at least one heating element;

The heat spreader includes graphite and clay.

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

at least one heating element located within the tubular element;

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

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

at least one heating coil;

the heat spreader comprises graphite.

88. A heat spreader for an aerosol-generating device, comprising: