CN220712899U - Heating element and aerosol generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a heating element and aerosol generating device includes: the main body is provided with a controller and a power supply unit, and also comprises a connecting terminal electrically connected with the controller; a heating assembly removably connected with the body, comprising a heating element for insertion into an aerosol article to generate an aerosol, the heating element having a positive electrode and a negative electrode; wherein the connection terminals include a first positive connection terminal and a first negative connection terminal electrically connected with the controller, and a second positive connection terminal and a second negative connection terminal when the heating assembly is connected with the main body; the first positive connection terminal is electrically connected with the positive electrode, and the first negative connection terminal is electrically connected with the negative electrode so as to provide electric energy for the heating element; the second positive connecting terminal is electrically connected with the positive electrode, and the second negative connecting terminal is electrically connected with the negative electrode so as to measure the voltage at two ends of the heating element; the main body further comprises a signal terminal electrically connected with the controller, and the signal terminal is used for acquiring heating parameters of the heating assembly.

Description

Heating element and aerosol generating device

[ field of technology ]

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of aerosol, in particular to a heating assembly for heating an aerosol product to generate aerosol and an aerosol generating device.

[ background Art ]

Conventional tobacco-generating substrates (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, etc.) burn tobacco during use to produce tobacco smoke, and products exist in the prior art that release compounds upon heating without burning to replace these conventional tobacco-generating substrates.

An example of such a product is an aerosol-generating device comprising a heating element inside for heating an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol, the heating element being inserted into the aerosol-generating article for heating. Existing heating elements are typically packaged inside the aerosol-generating device and when damaged, will result in the entire aerosol-generating device being scrapped. Alternatively, over time, excessive heated solid residue may adhere to the heating element, and packaging the heating element inside the aerosol-generating device may be inconvenient for cleaning the solid residue on the heating element.

[ utility model ]

An embodiment of the present application provides an aerosol-generating device comprising:

the main body is provided with a controller and a power supply unit electrically connected with the controller, and the main body also comprises a connecting terminal electrically connected with the controller;

a heating assembly removably connected with the body, the heating assembly comprising a heating element for insertion into an aerosol article to generate an aerosol, the heating element having a positive electrode and a negative electrode;

wherein the connection terminals include a first positive connection terminal, a first negative connection terminal, and a second positive connection terminal, a second negative connection terminal electrically connected with the controller, when the heating assembly is connected with the main body;

the first positive connection terminal is electrically connected with the positive electrode, and the first negative connection terminal is electrically connected with the negative electrode to supply electric energy to the heating element; the second positive connection terminal is electrically connected with the positive electrode, and the second negative connection terminal is electrically connected with the negative electrode so as to measure the voltage at two ends of the heating element;

the main body further comprises a signal terminal electrically connected with the controller, wherein the signal terminal is used for acquiring heating parameters of the heating assembly.

In one embodiment, the first positive connection terminal, the first negative connection terminal, the second positive connection terminal, and the second negative connection terminal uniformly surround the signal terminal.

In one embodiment, the heating assembly includes a first circuit board, and the heating element includes an electrode lead electrically connected to the first circuit board for electrical connection with the connection terminal.

In one embodiment, a storage element is disposed on the first circuit board, and the signal terminal is electrically connected with the storage element to obtain a heating parameter of the heating element when the heating assembly is connected with the main body.

In one embodiment, the electrode leads include 4 electrode leads, each of which is electrically connected to one of the connection terminals through a corresponding one of the first circuit boards.

In one embodiment, the main body includes a second circuit board and a main board, the connection terminal is disposed on the second circuit board, the controller is disposed on the main board, the second circuit board transversely extends in the main body, and the main board longitudinally extends in the main body.

In one embodiment, the body defines a receiving chamber having oppositely disposed open ends for receiving the heating assembly and a bottom wall formed with a through hole for exposing the connection terminal for electrical connection with the heating element.

In one embodiment, a clamping groove is formed on the wall of the accommodating chamber, and when the heating component is connected with the main body, at least a part of the heating component is accommodated in the accommodating chamber and is in snap connection with the clamping groove.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a heating assembly for heating an aerosol product to produce an aerosol, comprising:

a housing defining a chamber for receiving at least a portion of the aerosol product;

a heating element extending longitudinally in the chamber, the heating element configured to be inserted into an aerosol article for heating;

wherein a detachable connection is provided on the housing for coupling or decoupling the heating assembly to or from the aerosol-generating device.

In one embodiment, the housing comprises a hollow cylindrical body having a first open end and a second open end disposed opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction, the first open end being adapted to receive the aerosol product, the second open end being provided with a base detachably connected to the cylindrical body, and the heating element being fixedly connected to the base.

The aerosol-generating device provided by the above embodiments avoids scrapping of the entire aerosol-generating device by detachably connecting the heating assembly to the main body, thereby enabling the heating assembly to be individually replaced when the heating element is damaged and removed for replacement. Meanwhile, a first positive connecting terminal, a first negative connecting terminal, a second positive connecting terminal and a second negative connecting terminal are arranged in the main body, the first positive connecting terminal and the first negative connecting terminal are used for supplying power to the heating element, and the second positive connecting terminal and the second negative connecting terminal are used for measuring the voltage at two ends of the heating element, so that the power supply and the measured voltage are separated, and errors generated when the voltage at two ends of the heating element is measured due to contact resistance generated when the heating assembly is connected with the main body are avoided, and further the temperature control of the heating element is affected; and when the heating component is connected with the main body, the signal terminal of the main body can also acquire the heating parameter of the heating component, so that a controller in the main body can read the heating parameter, and further, the heating component is subjected to heating control to different degrees according to the heating parameter, and therefore, aerosol products can be heated better.

[ description of the 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 scale, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of an aerosol-generating device according to an embodiment of the present application at a single viewing angle;

fig. 2 is an exploded view of the heating assembly of the aerosol-generating device of fig. 1 in one direction;

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heating assembly of FIG. 2 in one direction;

fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the body of the aerosol-generating device of fig. 1 in one direction;

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heating assembly of FIG. 4 after being hidden;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial schematic view of FIG. 5;

fig. 7 is a circuit configuration diagram of a connection between a controller and a heating element of the aerosol-generating device of fig. 1.

[ detailed description ] of the utility model

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 specific examples. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "fixed" to/affixed to "another element, it can be directly on the other element or one or more intervening elements may be present therebetween. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or one or more intervening elements may be present therebetween. The terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer" and the like are used in this specification for illustrative purposes only.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in the description of the present application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and/or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

In addition, the technical features described below in the different embodiments of the present application may be combined with each other as long as they do not collide with each other.

In the embodiments of the present application, the "mounting" includes welding, screwing, clamping, adhering, etc. to fix or limit a certain element or device to a specific position or place, where the element or device may be fixed at the specific position or place or may be movable within a limited range, and the element or device may be removable or not removable after being fixed at the specific position or place, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more such feature. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless explicitly defined otherwise.

An embodiment of the present application provides an aerosol-generating device 100, as shown in fig. 1, the aerosol-generating device 100 includes a main body 10 and a heating element 20, an opening 11 is formed in the main body 10, the heating element 20 is detachably connected to the main body 10, and when the heating element 20 is connected to the main body 10, the heating element 20 is accommodated in the main body 10 through the opening 11; when the heating assembly 20 is separated from the main body 10, the heating assembly 20 may be removed from the main body 10 through the opening 11.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the heating assembly 20 comprises a cylindrical body 21, the cylindrical body 21 extending longitudinally and having a first open end 211 and a second open end 212 disposed opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, the first open end 211 for receiving an aerosol-product 200 for use with an aerosol-generating device, the cylindrical body 21 being hollow so as to form a chamber 213 for receiving at least a portion of the aerosol-product 200, the aerosol-product 200 being receivable in the chamber 213 from at least a portion of the first open end 211. The heating assembly 20 further comprises a base 22 mounted at the second open end 212, the base 22 being detachably connected to the cartridge 21, the base 22 forming a housing of the heating assembly 20 when connected to the cartridge 21. The heating assembly 20 further comprises a heating element 23 extending longitudinally in the chamber 213, the end of the heating element 23 adjacent the first open end 211 being configured in a pin or sheet form so that the heating element 23 may be inserted into the aerosol article 200 for heating, the opposite end of the heating element 23 being fixedly connected to the base 22. In some embodiments, the heating element 23 may be a ceramic heating element, which is a resistance heating element made by sintering and fixing an electrothermal body and ceramic together at high temperature, so that heat can be generated after the heating element 23 is powered on.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the base 22 is formed with a slot 221, and the inner wall of the barrel 21 is correspondingly provided with a clip, and when the base 22 is mounted inside the barrel 21 through the second opening end 212, the clip is snapped into connection with the slot 221, so as to connect the base 22 with the barrel 21.

As shown in fig. 4, the main body 10 further includes a main board 12, a second circuit board 13, and a power supply unit 14, where the power supply unit 14 may be a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery, the main board 12 is provided with a controller of the aerosol generating device 100, the second circuit board 13 and the power supply unit 14 are both electrically connected with the controller, the second circuit board 13 is provided with a connection terminal 131, when the heating assembly 20 is connected with the main body 10, the connection terminal 131 is electrically connected with the heating element 23, the controller can control the power supply unit 14 to provide electric energy to the heating element 23 through the connection terminal 131, and after the heating element 23 obtains electric energy, heat can be generated, so that part of active substances filled inside the aerosol product 200 is heated and volatilized to generate aerosol, and a user can suck the aerosol on the aerosol product 200.

The aerosol article 200 preferably employs tobacco-containing materials that release volatile compounds from the article upon heating; or may be a non-tobacco material capable of being heated and thereafter adapted for electrical heating for smoking. The aerosol article 200 preferably employs a solid matrix, which may include 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 matrix may contain additional volatile flavour compounds, either tobacco or non-tobacco, to be released upon heating.

Further in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, to reduce the volume of the aerosol-generating device 100, the second circuit board 13 is configured to extend transversely to the aerosol-generating device 100, and the main board 12 is configured to extend longitudinally in the aerosol-generating device 100, such that the main board 12 and the second circuit board 13 are perpendicular to each other, facilitating on the one hand the electrical connection of the main board 12 and the second circuit board 13, and on the other hand the arrangement may also reduce the structural space occupied by the main board 12 and the second circuit board 13, which is advantageous for reducing the volume of the aerosol-generating device 100.

In some embodiments, the controller may be a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a single-chip, ARM (Acorn RISC Machine) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of these components.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, the main body 20 further includes a bracket 15, and the power unit 14 and the main board 12 may be mounted on the bracket 15, and the bracket 15 extends longitudinally to the opening 11 and forms a receiving chamber 151 adjacent to the opening 11, so that when the heating element 20 is connected to the main body 10, the heating element 20 enters the main body 10 through the opening 11 and is at least partially received in the receiving chamber 151. The wall of the accommodating chamber 151 is provided with a clamping groove 152, and the surface of the cylindrical body 21 is provided with a clamping part 214, so that when at least a part of the heating assembly 20 is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 151, the clamping part 214 on the cylindrical body 21 is clamped with the clamping groove 152, and the heating assembly 20 is connected with the main body 10.

And when the heating element 23 is damaged, the heating element 23 can be directly removed from the receiving chamber 151 and then replaced with a new heating assembly 20. Alternatively, since the heating element 23 is inserted into the aerosol product 200 for heating, the heating element 23 is easy to adhere the solid residue remained after heating due to high temperature, and when the solid residue on the heating element 23 needs to be cleaned, the heating element 20 can also be directly removed from the accommodating chamber 151, and since the cylindrical body 21 of the heating element 20 and the base 22 are also detachably connected, the cylindrical body 21 and the base 22 can be detached from each other after the heating element 20 is removed, so that the heating element 23 can be cleaned conveniently.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, the accommodating chamber 151 has a bottom wall 113 disposed opposite to the opening 11, a through hole is formed in the bottom wall 113, and the connection terminal 131 penetrates through the through hole to be exposed in the accommodating chamber 151, so that when the heating assembly 20 is connected to the main body 10, at least a portion of the heating assembly 20 is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 151, and the connection terminal 131 can be electrically connected to the heating element 23 to supply electric power to the heating element 23.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the electrode of the heating element 23 includes a positive electrode 231 and a negative electrode 232, the connection terminal 131 includes a first positive connection terminal 1311, a first negative connection terminal 1312, a second positive connection terminal 1313, and a second negative connection terminal 1314, the first positive connection terminal 1311 is electrically connected to the positive electrode 231, the first negative connection terminal 1312 is electrically connected to the negative electrode 232, and both the first positive connection terminal 1311 and the first negative connection terminal 1312 are electrically connected to the controller, when the heating assembly 20 and the main body 10 are connected, so that the controller can control the power supply unit 14 to supply electric power to the heating element 23, and substantially the same contact resistance R1 exists between the first positive connection terminal 1311 and the heating element 23, and between the first negative connection terminal 1312 and the heating element 23 when they are in contact.

One end of the second positive connection terminal 1313 is electrically connected to the positive electrode 231, one end of the second negative connection terminal 1314 is electrically connected to the negative electrode 232, and when the controller is an MCU (Microcontroller Unit, micro control unit, also may be referred to as a single chip microcomputer), the other end of the second positive connection terminal 1313 is also electrically connected to one of the ADC1 pins of the MCU, and the other end of the second negative connection terminal 1314 is electrically connected to the other ADC2 pin of the MCU. There is substantially the same contact resistance R2 between the second positive connection terminal 1313 and the heating element 23, and between the second negative connection terminal 1314 and the heating element 23.

If only the first positive connection terminal 1311 and the first negative connection terminal 1312 are provided in the main body 10, when the heating assembly 20 is connected to the main body 10, the above-mentioned contact resistance R1 exists between the heating element 23 and the main body 10, and since the resistance of the heating element 23 itself is small, the voltage division on the contact resistance R1 will affect the measurement of the voltages at the two ends of the heating element 23, resulting in errors in the measurement of the voltages at the two ends of the heating element 23, and according to the relationship between the resistance and the temperature of the heating element 23, the errors in the measurement of the voltages at the two ends of the heating element 23 will further result in errors in the measurement of the temperature of the heating element 23, thereby affecting the temperature control of the heating element 23, and finally affecting the suction taste of the user.

In the above manner, the current measurement and the voltage measurement are separated by the first positive connection terminal 1311, the first negative connection terminal 1312, the second positive connection terminal 1313, and the second negative connection terminal 1314, and the controller supplies the electric power to the heating element 23 through the first positive connection terminal 1311 and the first negative connection terminal 1312, and the second positive connection terminal 1313 and the second negative connection terminal 1314 are used to measure the voltage across the heating element 23, and although there is a contact resistance R2 between the second positive connection terminal 1313 and the heating element 23 and between the second negative connection terminal 1314 and the heating element 23, since the ADC pin of the controller (MCU) generally has a large internal resistance, the current flowing through the second positive connection terminal 1313 and the second negative connection terminal 1314 is substantially zero, and the voltage separated by the contact resistance R2 generated between the second positive connection terminal 1313 and the second negative connection terminal 1314 and the heating element 20 is also very small, and the difference between the voltage acquired at the pin of the ADC1 and the pin of the ADC2 and the voltage acquired at the pin of the MCU is substantially the voltage across the heating element 23.

In addition, the MCU can obtain the current flowing through the first positive connection terminal 1311 and the first negative connection terminal 1312 through the current detection circuit 121, and the current is the current flowing through the heating element 23, and the current resistance value of the heating element 23 can be obtained according to ohm's law, and then the temperature of the heating element 23 can be obtained according to the current resistance value, so that the influence of the contact resistance R1 on the voltage measurement at two ends of the heating element 23 is eliminated.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, to facilitate reliable and stable electrical connection between the heating element 23 and the connection terminal 131 when the heating element 20 is connected to the main body 10, the heating element 20 further includes a first circuit board 24, the first circuit board 24 is fixed on the base 22, the heating element 23 includes an electrode lead 231 electrically connected to an electrode thereof, the electrode lead 231 is electrically connected to the first circuit board 24, the first circuit board 24 may be provided with conductive contacts (not shown), and each of the first positive connection terminal 1311, the first negative connection terminal 1312, the second positive connection terminal 1313, and the second negative connection terminal 1314 may employ conductive spring pins pogo pins, each of which corresponds to one of the connection terminals 131. Accordingly, when the heating assembly 20 is connected to the main body 10, the connection terminal 131 elastically abuts against the conductive contact on the first circuit board 24, and the conductive contact electrically connects the connection terminal 131 to the heating element 23 through the electrode lead 231, thereby enabling the electrical connection between the heating element 23 and the connection terminal 131 to be reliable and stable.

When the heating element 23 is heated to different temperatures, the resistance value of the heating element 23 changes with the temperature, and the correspondence between the resistance value of the heating element 23 and the temperature is referred to as a "temperature (T) -resistance value (R)" curve of the heating element 23, that is, the real-time temperature of the heating element 23 can be known by monitoring and acquiring the resistance value of the heating element 23 in real time. However, the different heating elements 23 have different parameters such as "temperature (T) -resistance (R)" curve, initial resistance, TCR (temperature coefficient of resistance) due to factors such as materials, processes, manufacturing equipment, etc., and these parameters may be referred to as "heating parameters".

Therefore, the first circuit board 24 may further be provided with a storage element (not shown), which may be a chip, in which the above heating parameters are stored, and the main body 20 is further provided with a signal terminal 1315 electrically connected to the controller, and when the heating assembly 20 is connected to the main body 10, the signal terminal 1315 is electrically connected to the storage element, so that the controller can read the heating parameters stored in the storage element, and further perform heating control on the heating element 23 to different degrees according to the heating parameters, so as to heat the aerosol product 200 better.

Further in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, the first positive connection terminal 1311, the first negative connection terminal 1312, the second positive connection terminal 1313, and the second negative connection terminal 1314 are uniformly arranged around the signal terminal 1315 to minimize the space occupied by these terminals. For example, when the first positive connection terminal 1311, the first negative connection terminal 1312, the second positive connection terminal 1313, and the second negative connection terminal 1314 define a square area, then the signal terminal 1315 may be located at the center of the square area.

Further in some embodiments, the number of electrode leads 231 is preferably 4, and each electrode lead 231 is electrically connected to the first circuit board 24, and is further electrically connected to one of the connection terminals 131 through a corresponding conductive contact on the first circuit board 24. By providing 4 electrode leads 231, two electrode leads 231 are used for providing electric energy required for heating the heating element 23, and the remaining two electrode leads 231 are used for measuring the voltage across the heating element 23, so that the power supply and the measured voltage are separated, and the measurement accuracy of the voltage across the heating element 23 is further improved. It is readily understood that in some embodiments, the electrode leads 231 may also be 2.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present application, and are not limiting thereof; the technical features of the above embodiments or in the different embodiments may also be combined under the idea of the present application, the steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the present application as described above, which are not provided in details for the sake of brevity; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims (10)

1. An aerosol-generating device, comprising:

the main body is provided with a controller and a power supply unit electrically connected with the controller, and the main body also comprises a connecting terminal electrically connected with the controller;

a heating assembly removably connected with the body, the heating assembly comprising a heating element for insertion into an aerosol article to generate an aerosol, the heating element having a positive electrode and a negative electrode;

wherein the connection terminals include a first positive connection terminal, a first negative connection terminal, and a second positive connection terminal, a second negative connection terminal electrically connected with the controller, when the heating assembly is connected with the main body;

the first positive connection terminal is electrically connected with the positive electrode, and the first negative connection terminal is electrically connected with the negative electrode to supply electric energy to the heating element; the second positive connection terminal is electrically connected with the positive electrode, and the second negative connection terminal is electrically connected with the negative electrode so as to measure the voltage at two ends of the heating element;

the main body further comprises a signal terminal electrically connected with the controller, wherein the signal terminal is used for acquiring heating parameters of the heating assembly.

2. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the first positive connection terminal, the first negative connection terminal and the second positive connection terminal, the second negative connection terminal evenly surround the signal terminal.

3. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the heating assembly comprises a first circuit board, the heating element comprising electrode leads electrically connected to the first circuit board, the first circuit board being for electrical connection with the connection terminals.

4. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 3, wherein a memory element is provided on the first circuit board, the signal terminals being electrically connected to the memory element to obtain heating parameters of the heating element when the heating assembly is connected to the body.

5. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 3, wherein the electrode leads comprise 4, each of the electrode leads being electrically connected to one of the connection terminals by a corresponding one of the first circuit boards.

6. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the body comprises a second circuit board and a motherboard, the connection terminals being disposed on the second circuit board, the controller being disposed on the motherboard, the second circuit board extending transversely into the body, the motherboard extending longitudinally into the body.

7. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the body defines a receiving chamber having oppositely disposed open ends for receiving the heating element and a bottom wall formed with a through hole for exposing the connection terminal for electrical connection with the heating element.

8. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 7, wherein the housing chamber has a wall formed with a slot, and wherein at least a portion of the heating element is received in the housing chamber and snap-fitted into the slot when the heating element is coupled to the body.

9. A heating assembly for heating an aerosol product to produce an aerosol, comprising:

a housing defining a chamber for receiving at least a portion of the aerosol product;

a heating element extending longitudinally in the chamber, the heating element configured to be inserted into an aerosol article for heating;

wherein a detachable connection is provided on the housing for coupling or decoupling the heating assembly to or from the aerosol-generating device.

10. The heating assembly of claim 9, wherein the housing comprises a hollow cylindrical body having longitudinally opposed first and second open ends, the first open end for receiving the aerosol product and the second open end having a base removably attached thereto, the heating element being fixedly attached to the base.