CN212464915U - Aerosol generating device and susceptor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application provides an aerosol-generating device and susceptor; wherein the aerosol-generating device comprises: a magnetic field generator configured to generate a varying magnetic field; a susceptor which is penetrated by a varying magnetic field to generate heat and thereby heat the aerosol-generating article; the susceptor is sheet-shaped and includes first and second surfaces opposite to each other in a thickness direction, the first and second surfaces being flat surfaces; the susceptor also includes a receiving space between the first surface and the second surface and extending lengthwise, the receiving space for receiving or enclosing a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the susceptor. In the above aerosol-generating device, the sheet-like susceptor internally houses and encapsulates the temperature sensor for measuring temperature, and both side surfaces in the thickness direction are configured as flat surfaces for easy insertion into or removal from the aerosol-generating article.

Description

Aerosol generating device and susceptor

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of heating non-combustion electronic smoking articles, in particular to an aerosol generating device and a receptor.

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 compounds without burning.

An example of such a product is a heating device that releases a compound by heating rather than burning the material. For example, the material may be tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not include nicotine. As another example, the 201820056859.8 patent uses electromagnetic induction heating to heat tobacco products, and a temperature sensor is disposed inside a cylindrical hollow electromagnetic induction heating tube to measure temperature. The above induction heating tube produces damping effect to the operation of inserting into or removing from the tobacco product.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

It is an object of an embodiment of the present application to provide an aerosol-generating device for heating an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol, comprising: a chamber for receiving an aerosol-generating article; a magnetic field generator configured to generate a varying magnetic field; a susceptor configured to be penetrated by a varying magnetic field to generate heat to thereby heat an aerosol-generating article received within the chamber; the susceptor is configured as a sheet extending in an axial direction of the chamber; the susceptor includes first and second surfaces opposite in thickness, the first and second surfaces being flat surfaces; the susceptor also includes a receiving space located between the first and second surfaces and extending lengthwise, the receiving space being configured to receive or enclose a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the susceptor. In the above aerosol-generating device, the sheet-like susceptor internally houses and encapsulates the temperature sensor for measuring temperature, and both side surfaces in the thickness direction are configured as flat surfaces for easy insertion into or removal from the aerosol-generating article.

In a more preferred implementation, the susceptor comprises a first sheet-like portion and a second sheet-like portion opposite in the thickness direction, and the housing cavity is defined by the first sheet-like portion and the second sheet-like portion.

In a more preferred embodiment, the first and second sheet portions are formed by folding or folding a sheet-like body in half about an axis.

In a more preferred implementation, the first and second sheet portions are axisymmetrical about the axis.

In a more preferred implementation, the platelets are prepared by chemical etching.

In a more preferred implementation, the lamina comprises indentations arranged along the axis.

In a more preferred implementation, an outer surface of the first sheet portion in the thickness direction forms the first surface, and an outer surface of the second sheet portion in the thickness direction forms the second surface; the accommodation chamber is formed between an inner surface of the first sheet portion in the thickness direction and an inner surface of the second sheet portion in the thickness direction.

In a more preferred implementation, the receiving cavity includes a first groove extending on an inner surface of the first sheet portion in the thickness direction; and/or the receiving cavity includes a second groove extending along an inner surface of the second sheet portion in the thickness direction.

In a more preferred implementation, the first and/or second sheet portions further comprise a base portion extending outwardly in the width direction to provide support or retention of the susceptor by the base portion.

Yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes a susceptor for an aerosol-generating device configured to be penetrated by a varying magnetic field to generate heat to heat smokable material; the susceptor is configured in a sheet shape, and first and second surfaces facing away from each other in a thickness direction, the first and second surfaces being flat surfaces; the susceptor also includes a receiving space between the first and second surfaces and extending along a length of the susceptor, the receiving space being configured to receive or enclose a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the susceptor.

Yet another embodiment of the present application further provides a method of making a susceptor comprising the steps of:

a sheet-like body for providing a feeling material, the sheet-like body having a first sheet-like portion and a second sheet-like portion which can be folded in half or folded over about an axis;

and folding the first sheet-shaped part and the second sheet-shaped part in half or in a folded manner around the axis, and accommodating or packaging the temperature sensor in the first sheet-shaped part and the second sheet-shaped part.

In a preferred embodiment, the preparation method further comprises: the joint of the first sheet portion and the second sheet portion is connected and fixed by laser welding.

Yet another embodiment of the present application further provides a method of making a susceptor comprising the steps of: a web is obtained and chemically etched.

In a more preferred embodiment, the preparation method further comprises: and welding a first thermocouple wire and a second thermocouple wire which are made of different materials on the susceptor in a laser welding mode to form a thermocouple for sensing the temperature of the susceptor.

Yet another embodiment of the present application also provides a method of making a susceptor, comprising the steps of:

preparing an etching mask, namely a film, having a shape pattern of a susceptor;

coating photosensitive ink on a sheet-like substrate;

attaching the film to the sheet-shaped substrate coated with the photosensitive ink, and performing exposure treatment; the part of the coated photosensitive ink corresponding to the pattern is subjected to polymerization crosslinking reaction in the exposure process to form a cured protective film layer;

after removing the film, soaking the flaky substrate in a developing solution; dissolving and removing the photosensitive ink which is not crosslinked and solidified by the developing solution;

and etching the sheet-shaped base material by using etching liquid, and obtaining the receptor after the etching is finished.

Compared with a machining mode, a stamping mode or a laser cutting mode, the method has the advantages that processing stress cannot be generated in the etching process, crystalline phase tissues in the base material cannot be changed, the prepared susceptor can keep the magnetic performance equivalent to that of a soft magnetic material, and heating efficiency is high in use.

Drawings

One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, which correspond to the figures in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and which are not to scale unless otherwise specified.

Figure 1 is a schematic structural view of an aerosol-generating device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the photoreceptor of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the formation of a susceptor precursor by etching on a web substrate during the fabrication of a susceptor according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of the photoreceptor precursor of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a susceptor precursor with a temperature sensor placed therein and then folded over to form a susceptor;

figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a susceptor precursor provided in accordance with yet another embodiment;

figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a susceptor precursor provided in accordance with yet another embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of an etch mask covering a web substrate in the preparation of a susceptor;

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of a susceptor made by a post-etch solder thermocouple in one embodiment.

Detailed Description

To facilitate an understanding of the present application, the present application is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed description.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an aerosol generating device, the structure of which is shown in fig. 1, including:

a chamber within which an aerosol-generating article a, such as a cigarette, is removably received;

an inductance coil L as a magnetic field generator for generating an alternating magnetic field under an alternating current;

a susceptor 30, at least a portion of which extends within the chamber and is configured to inductively couple with the inductor L to generate heat upon penetration by the alternating magnetic field, thereby heating the aerosol-generating article a to volatilize at least one component of the aerosol-generating article a to form an aerosol for inhalation;

the battery cell 10 is a rechargeable direct current battery cell and can provide direct current voltage and direct current;

the circuit 20 is electrically connected to the rechargeable battery cell 10, and converts the direct current output by the battery cell 10 into alternating current with a suitable frequency, and then supplies the alternating current to the inductance coil L.

The inductor L may comprise a helically wound cylindrical inductor coil, as shown in fig. 1, depending on the arrangement in use of the product. The helically wound cylindrical inductor L may have a radius r in the range of about 5mm to about 10mm, and in particular the radius r may be about 7 mm. The length of the helically wound cylindrical inductor L may be in the range of about 8mm to about 14mm, with the number of turns of the inductor L being in the range of about 8 to 15 turns. Accordingly, the internal volume may be about 0.15cm³To about 1.10cm³Within the range of (1).

In a more preferred implementation, the frequency of the alternating current supplied by the circuit 20 to the inductor L is between 80KHz and 400 KHz; more specifically, the frequency may be in the range of approximately 200KHz to 300 KHz.

In a preferred embodiment, the battery cell 10 provides a dc supply voltage in a range from about 2.5V to about 9.0V, and the battery cell 10 provides a dc current with an amperage in a range from about 2.5A to about 20A.

In a preferred embodiment, the susceptor 30 of fig. 1 is made of a metal or alloy material having suitable magnetic permeability to generate heat in response to a magnetic field in use, thereby heating the received aerosol-generating article a to generate an aerosol for inhalation. These susceptors 30 may be made from grade 430 stainless steel (SS430), as well as iron-nickel containing alloy materials such as 1J85/1J66 permalloy.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the aerosol-generating device further comprises a tubular support 40 for arranging the inductor L and the mounting susceptor 30, the material of the tubular support 40 may comprise a high temperature resistant non-metallic material such as PEEK or ceramic. In implementation, the inductor coil L is arranged on the outer wall of the tubular support 40 in a spirally wound manner, and at least a portion of the interior of the tubular support 40 is hollow forming a chamber for receiving the aerosol-generating article a.

With further reference to fig. 2, for the sheet-like configuration of the susceptor 30, there is a first end 310 and a second end 320; wherein the first end 310 is opposite the opening of the chamber for receiving the aerosol-generating article a, the first end 310 being configured as a free end to facilitate insertion into the aerosol-generating article a received in the chamber in use, and the second end 320 being a mounted and connected end for stably retaining and mounting securing the susceptor 30 within the device by providing support thereto.

To facilitate support and securement of the second end 320, at least a portion of the susceptor 30 proximate the second end 320 has a base portion 33 of increased size, e.g., in the width direction in fig. 3, as shown in fig. 2.

With further reference to fig. 1, the susceptor 30 has a receiving or holding space therein for receiving, enclosing or holding a temperature sensor 34 extending in a length direction, the temperature sensor 34 being operative to sense a temperature of the susceptor 30. In the preferred embodiment of fig. 2, at least a portion of the temperature sensor 34 extends from the second end 320 to facilitate connection to the circuit 20. The portion of the temperature sensor 34 extending or exposed outside the susceptor 30 is in the form of an elongated electrical pin.

In alternative implementations, the temperature sensor 34 may be a thermistor type temperature sensor such as PT1000 that calculates temperature by monitoring resistance change, or a thermocouple type temperature sensor that calculates temperature by calculating thermoelectromotive force at both ends.

In the preferred embodiment shown in fig. 3 in particular, the sheet-like susceptor 30 is formed by laminating a first sheet-like portion 31 and a second sheet-like portion 32 in the thickness direction.

In the implementation shown in fig. 2, the outer surface of the sheet susceptor 30 is flat.

The present application further proposes a process suitable for the mass production of the above susceptor 30, comprising in particular the following steps:

s10, obtaining a sheet-like susceptor substrate 100 for preparing the susceptor 30a, and processing the sheet-like susceptor substrate 100 into a plurality of susceptor precursors 30a, as shown in fig. 3;

in practice, the sheet-like susceptor substrate 100 is made of a susceptor metal material as described above, such as a NiFe alloy soft magnetic plate material with a thickness of 0.5 mm. The manner in which the susceptor precursor 30a is formed may include a chemical etching manner, after which excess portions are etched away, to form the susceptor precursor 30 a.

Of course, in the preferred implementation shown in fig. 3, the several susceptor precursors 30a obtained by the process are arranged in a matrix, based on the ease of batch preparation.

The particular construction of the susceptor precursor 30a is further illustrated in fig. 4, and includes a first sheet portion 31 and a second sheet portion 32 in the same plane. Meanwhile, the first sheet portion 31 and the second sheet portion 32 are connected, not separated. The first sheet portion 31 and the second sheet portion 32 are symmetrical, and are symmetrical to each other along the center axis L in fig. 5.

Further, the first receiving groove 311 for receiving and holding the temperature sensor 34 is provided in the first sheet portion 31, or the second receiving groove 321 for receiving and holding the temperature sensor 34 is also provided in the second sheet portion 32.

S20, as shown in fig. 5, the temperature sensor 34 is placed in the first receiving groove 311 of the first sheet portion 31, the second sheet portion 32 is folded or folded around the central axis L toward the first sheet portion 31 along the direction of arrow R in the figure, after the folding, the temperature sensor 34 is clamped or fixed between the first sheet portion 31 and the second sheet portion 32, and then the first sheet portion 31 and the second sheet portion 32 are stably joined by laser welding or the like, so that the susceptor 30 shown in fig. 3 is obtained.

In the preferred embodiment shown in fig. 4 and 5, in order to facilitate the folding of the second sheet portion 32 towards the first sheet portion 31, the susceptor precursor 30a is provided with a plurality of indentations or grooves 35 arranged around the central axis L; the susceptor precursor 30a having the indentations or grooves 35 is advantageous for the folding or doubling operation.

Figure 6 shows a schematic view of a structure of a susceptor precursor 30b in yet another alternative embodiment, the susceptor precursor 30b comprising a first sheet portion 31b and a second sheet portion 32b opposite along the length. Meanwhile, the susceptor precursor 30b further includes an indentation 35b between the first sheet portion 31b and the second sheet portion 32b in the length direction, the indentation 35b extending in the width direction. In the preparation, the susceptor is prepared by folding or doubling the first sheet portion 31b toward the second sheet portion 32b with the dent 35b as an axis. Of course, the first sheet portion 31b is also provided with a first accommodation groove 311b for accommodating the temperature sensor 34; and/or, the second sheet portion 32b is further provided with a second receiving groove 321 b.

Or in the variant of implementation shown in fig. 7, the first sheet portion 31c and the second sheet portion 32c of the susceptor precursor 30c are fixedly obtained after being turned around with the broken line m as an axis.

In the above alternative implementation, the susceptor 30 is approximately 19mm in length, and 4.9mm in width, and about 0.5mm in thickness. The first receiving grooves 311/311b/311c and/or the second receiving grooves 321/321b/321c, which correspond to the extension from the second end 320 to the first end 310, extend approximately between one-half to two-thirds of the length of the susceptor 30. This length of area is the area where the susceptor 30 is most concentrated in heat during operation, and the temperature of the susceptor 30 can be more accurately obtained when the front end of the temperature sensor 34 abuts against this area.

In yet another alternative embodiment, the first receiving groove 311/311b/311c and/or the second receiving groove 321/321b/321c has a depth of about 0.1 mm.

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

s100, obtaining a sheet-shaped substrate 100a with material feeling, and covering an etching mask 200a on the surface of the sheet-shaped substrate 100a, as shown in FIG. 8;

in general, the sheet-like base material 100a is a coil material, and a plate material cut into the above size from the coil material has a certain degree of curvature; before use, the sheet-like base material 100a is shaped into a flat surface from a curved metal coil by shaping the sheet-like base material with a suitable pressure (usually less than 10 MPa);

referring to fig. 8, the etching mask 200a is usually made of photo-drawn film (commonly called film) in the photochemical etching; meanwhile, the etching mask 200a includes a pattern 210a having the same shape as the susceptor, and a non-patterned blank region 220 a;

s200, etching the sheet-shaped base material 100a covered with the etching mask 200 a; this can be carried out by using an acidic etching solution, for example, an etching solution containing hydrofluoric acid;

in the etching process, the portion of the sheet-like substrate 100a covered by the pattern 210a is not etched, and the portion opposite to the blank area 220a is etched away; forming a plurality of susceptors identical to the pattern 210a on the sheet substrate 100a after the etching is completed; then the susceptor can be separated by manually and lightly breaking the susceptor, thereby obtaining a large amount of prepared susceptors.

When the substrate 100a with the length and width dimensions of 250mm × 120mm is used as a material, 100-200 susceptors can be obtained by etching one substrate 100a at a time.

Compared with a machining mode, a stamping mode or a laser cutting mode, the method has the advantages that processing stress cannot be generated in the etching process, crystalline phase tissues in the base material cannot be changed, the prepared susceptor can keep the magnetic performance equivalent to that of a soft magnetic material, and heating efficiency is high in use.

The susceptor obtained is processed by etching, the edges of the susceptor obtained have smooth rounded corners, the smooth edge surfaces have low surface free energy while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the surface, and the adhesion of debris or condensate of the aerosol-generating article is also reduced.

In another preferred embodiment of the present application, the etching process of the above steps is performed by using a conventional photochemical wet etching; the detailed steps comprise:

s110, preparing an etching mask 200a, i.e., a film (commonly called a film), according to a shape pattern of a susceptor to be prepared in a photo-drawing manner;

s120, after photosensitive ink is coated on the sheet-shaped base material 100a, pre-drying for 10-15 minutes by using hot air at the temperature of 30-40 ℃ to solidify the photosensitive ink so as to prevent the film from sticking in subsequent film development;

s130, attaching the film to the sheet-like substrate 100a coated with the photosensitive ink, and performing exposure processing; the exposure can be usually performed by using a high-pressure mercury lamp, an iodine gallium lamp, or a metal halogen lamp for about twenty seconds.

In the exposure process, the part of the coated photosensitive ink corresponding to the film pattern 210a is photosensitive, and then a polymerization crosslinking reaction is carried out to form a solidified protective film layer; the portion of the blank area 220a corresponding to the film will not be polymerized and crosslinked to form a cured;

s140, developing: after removing the film, soaking the film in a developing solution; specifically, 1% sodium carbonate aqueous solution or directly soaking the flaky substrate 100a in clear water at 25-30 ℃; the non-crosslinked and cured photosensitive ink is dissolved and removed by the developing solution, and then a protective film layer is formed on the surface of the sheet-shaped substrate 100a corresponding to the pattern 210a, and the portion corresponding to the blank area 220a of the film is exposed;

s150, the developed sheet-shaped base material 100a can be subjected to light supplementing curing and drying treatment again according to the curing effect; the light supplementing curing and the drying treatment increase the bonding force between the protective film and the sheet-shaped substrate 100a, and improve the etching resistance. This step S150 may be omitted if a photosensitive ink with good adhesion and curing ability is used.

S210, etching the sheet-shaped base material 100a prepared in the step by using a strong acid etching solution; the etching speed is 0.04 mm/min, and the higher the etching speed is, the smaller the side etching degree is;

s220, after the etching in the step S210 is finished, a stripping treatment is carried out: soaking the substrate for about ten minutes at 50-60 ℃ by using 20% sodium hydroxide aqueous solution, dissolving the protective film layer, cleaning to obtain a plurality of sensors arranged in a matrix, and manually separating and sampling to obtain a large number of sensor monomers.

Figure 9 shows yet another susceptor 30d with indentations 36d prepared by etching; subsequently, the first thermocouple wire and the second thermocouple wire made of different materials are welded on the inner wall of the notch 36d by laser welding, so as to form a thermocouple 34d for sensing the temperature of the susceptor 30 d.

In an alternative embodiment, the first wire of thermocouple 34d is a nichrome wire for the positive electrode and the second wire is a K-type thermocouple using a nickel-silicon wire for the negative electrode.

It should be noted that the description and drawings of the present application illustrate 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 claims appended to the present application.

Claims (10)

1. An aerosol-generating device for heating an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol, comprising:

a chamber for receiving an aerosol-generating article;

a magnetic field generator configured to generate a varying magnetic field;

a susceptor configured to be penetrated by a varying magnetic field to generate heat to thereby heat an aerosol-generating article received within the chamber; it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the susceptor is configured as a sheet extending in an axial direction of the chamber;

the susceptor includes first and second surfaces opposite in thickness, the first and second surfaces being flat surfaces; the susceptor also includes a receiving space located between the first and second surfaces and extending lengthwise, the receiving space being configured to receive or enclose a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the susceptor.

2. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the susceptor comprises first and second sheet portions opposed in the thickness direction and the receiving cavity is defined between the first and second sheet portions.

3. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 2, wherein the first and second sheet portions are formed by a sheet folded in half about an axis.

4. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 3, wherein the first and second sheet portions are axisymmetric about the axis.

5. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 3 in which the wafer is prepared by chemical etching.

6. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 3, wherein the wafer comprises indentations arranged along the axis.

7. An aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the outer surface of the first sheet portion in the thickness direction forms the first surface and the outer surface of the second sheet portion in the thickness direction forms the second surface;

the accommodation chamber is formed between an inner surface of the first sheet portion in the thickness direction and an inner surface of the second sheet portion in the thickness direction.

8. The aerosol-generating device of claim 7, wherein the receiving cavity comprises a first groove extending on an inner thickness-wise surface of the first sheet portion;

and/or the receiving cavity includes a second groove extending along an inner surface of the second sheet portion in the thickness direction.

9. An aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the first sheet portion and/or the second sheet portion further comprises a base portion extending outwardly in the width direction to provide support or retention for the susceptor by the base portion.

10. A susceptor for an aerosol-generating device configured to be penetrated by a varying magnetic field to generate heat to thereby heat an smokable material; it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the susceptor is configured in a sheet shape and includes first and second surfaces facing away from each other in a thickness direction, the first and second surfaces being flat surfaces; the susceptor also includes a receiving space between the first and second surfaces and extending along a length of the susceptor, the receiving space being configured to receive or enclose a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the susceptor.

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