EA043873B1 - DEVICE GENERATING AEROSOL - Google Patents

Description

Field of technology

The invention relates to a device that generates an aerosol. The present invention is particularly applicable to a portable aerosol generating device which may be self-contained and low temperature. Such devices may heat, rather than burn, tobacco or other suitable aerosol-forming substrate materials by conduction, convection, and/or radiation to generate an inhalable aerosol.

Prerequisites for creating the invention

The popularity and use of reduced-risk or modified-risk devices (also known as vaporizers) have grown rapidly in the past few years as a way to help seasoned smokers want to quit smoking traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and roll-your-own tobacco. Various devices and systems are available that heat or preheat substances capable of forming an aerosol, as opposed to combustion of tobacco in conventional tobacco products.

A generally available reduced risk or modified risk device is a heated device that generates an aerosol from a substrate or a non-combustion heating device. Devices of this type generate an aerosol or vapor by heating an aerosol-forming substrate, typically containing moistened leaf tobacco or other suitable aerosol-forming material, to a temperature typically in the range of 150 to 300°C. When the aerosol-forming substrate is heated, but not combusted or burned, an aerosol is released containing components desirable to the user, but not toxic or carcinogenic byproducts of combustion and combustion. In addition, an aerosol produced by heating tobacco or other material capable of forming an aerosol generally does not produce a burnt or bitter taste resulting from combustion and combustion that may be unpalatable to the user, and therefore does not require sugars and other substances in the substrate. additives typically added to such materials to make the smoke and/or vapor more pleasant to the user.

It is advantageous to provide a device with increased safety and/or reliability.

In particular, in such aerosol-generating devices, the aerosol-generating substrate must be heated by a heater, and inevitably some heat will leak from the heater into the rest of the aerosol-generating device. This heat can damage other components, such as the heater's power supply or heat-sensitive electronics. In some cases, it can even pose a hazard with the risk of fire or explosion when components not designed to heat up become too hot.

In addition, power supplies may experience leaks or outgassing events when fluid (liquid or gas) emanates from the power supply. These cases may be within the normal operating range of the power supply and do not necessarily compromise the functionality of the aerosol generating device. However, the fluid produced as a result of such events may indirectly degrade functionality, for example through damage to fragile control circuit components or contamination of the heating chamber.

The essence of the invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aerosol generating device, comprising: a power supply; heating chamber; a heater configured to supply heat to the heating chamber; a control circuit configured to control the supply of power from the power source to the heater; frame; and a housing having an interior space housing a power supply, a heating chamber, a heater, a control circuit, and a frame. The frame is located between the first volume of the internal space containing the heater and the heating chamber, and the second volume of the internal space containing the power supply.

By positioning the frame between the first volume containing the heater and the second volume containing the power supply, the power supply can be thermally protected from any heat leakage from the heater and heating chamber, and the heater and heating chamber can be physically protected from a fluid leakage or outgassing event power supply.

Optionally, the body is an oblong body designed to be held in the hand, and the first volume, frame and second volume are all located along the longitudinal direction of the body.

Optionally, the first volume contains a region of air or vacuum adjacent to the heating chamber.

Optionally, the heating chamber and heater are supported by the frame so that they do not touch the housing.

By preventing the heating chamber and heater from contacting the housing, heat is prevented from transferring to the housing where such conduction would otherwise cause the housing to become painfully or even dangerously hot. This also protects the heater and heating chamber from external damage, such as if the aerosol generating device is dropped.

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Optionally, the power supply and control circuitry are supported by the frame.

Optionally, the control circuit includes a component mounted on a first PCB (printed circuit board) located along the frame and in the second volume.

By placing the first RSV on the side of the frame facing the second volume, the first RSV may be thermally protected by the frame from the heater and heating chamber. This reduces the impact of any heat leakage from the heating chamber on the component installed on the first RCB.

Optionally, the first RSV is a bilateral RSV.

Optionally, the aerosol generating device further comprises a second PCB that is located along the frame and between the first volume and the second volume. The substrate of the second RCB will act as an additional thermal shield to protect the control circuit in the second volume.

Optionally, the second DSV is a one-way DSV, and the control circuit further comprises a component installed on the second DSV and in the second volume.

Since one side of the second RCB may be subject to heat leakage from the heater and heating chamber in the first volume, it is preferable that the second RSV be a single-sided RCB and the control circuit components are mounted substantially on the side of the second RCB that is located in the second volume.

Optionally, the first PCB and the second PCB are connected by a flexible portion of the PCB, wherein the first PCB, the second PCB and the flexible portion of the PCB are located around the frame.

This use of a flexible PCB section not only means that when one of the first or second PCB is fixed, then the other is easily guided into the correct position, but also means that the control circuit can easily be printed on a larger area at one time and at the same time. time to divide it among several surfaces to accommodate the control circuit in an irregularly shaped space and reduce the space required for the control circuit, and this also helps to reduce the volume of the aerosol generating device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aerosol generating device, comprising: a power supply; heating chamber; a heater configured to supply heat to the heating chamber; a control circuit configured to control the supply of power from the power source to the heater; frame; and a housing having an interior space housing a power supply, a heating chamber, a heater, a control circuit, and a frame. The frame is located between a third internal space volume containing a heater, a heating chamber and a control circuit, and a fourth internal space volume containing a power supply.

Optionally positioned to prevent fluid from flowing from the fourth volume into the third volume.

This protects the heater, heating chamber and control circuitry from possible damage or contamination due to outgassing or leakage from the power supply.

Optionally, the body is an oblong body designed to be held in the hand, and the third volume, frame and fourth volume are all located along the longitudinal direction of the body.

Optionally, the power supply is supported by the frame.

Optionally, the first and second aspects can be combined to provide an aerosol generating device comprising: a first frame located between a first volume containing a heater and a heating chamber, and a fifth interior volume containing a control circuit; and a second frame located between the fifth volume containing the control circuit and the fourth volume containing the power supply.

This arrangement has the advantage that the control circuit is protected from heat leakage from the heating subassembly and is protected from fluid originating from the power supply.

Optionally, the control circuit includes a component mounted on a PCB supported between the first frame and the second frame.

Brief description of graphic materials

In fig. 1A and 1B are schematic views of an aerosol generating device;

in fig. 2A and 2B are schematic views of an intermediate subassembly and a housing subassembly;

in fig. 3A and 3B are schematic views of a portion of an intermediate subassembly;

in fig. 4A-4D are schematic views of another part of the intermediate subassembly;

in fig. 5A-5C show schematic views of the heating subassembly;

in fig. 6A and 6B are schematic views of parts of the intermediate subassembly;

in fig. 7A and 7B are schematic views of an access subassembly;

Detailed description

As a general overview of an aerosol generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B show a number of modular sub-assemblies assembled into an aerosol generating device. In fig. 3A-6B illustrate additional details of each of the subassemblies. It should be understood that many details of the embodiment are not relevant to explaining the claimed inventive aspects of the device, and therefore, for the sake of brevity, some features shown in the figures are not described in detail, and for simplicity, some features are completely removed in certain figures to better illustrate features important to understanding and practicing the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1A, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the aerosol generating device 1 includes an access subassembly 11 and a housing subassembly 12.

The aerosol generating device 1 has a generally oblong, pebble-like shape, with an upper end at which the aerosol is supplied, a lower end opposed to the upper end, and four sides between the lower end and the upper end, with a substantially quadrangular arrangement of the two large opposing sides and two smaller opposite sides.

The access subassembly 11 is located at the upper end and includes means for opening and closing access to the heating chamber within the aerosol generating device 1, so that a user can, for example, supply an aerosol-forming substrate such as tobacco for heating into the heating chamber, obtaining the generated aerosol and clean the heating chamber. In this embodiment, the access means includes a cover 111 attached to the sliding mechanism.

The housing subassembly 12 provides a housing for the internal components of the aerosol generating device 1, including a power supply, a heating chamber, a heater, a control circuit, and a frame, and provides at least a portion of the sides and a lower end of the aerosol generating device 1. In this embodiment, the housing is an elongated body designed to be held in the hand, although the advantages of the present invention can also be achieved in aerosol generating devices 1 that are not designed to be held in the hand. Additionally, as shown in the central linear region 121 of the housing subassembly 12 in FIG. 1A, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating device 1 includes one or more indicators (eg, indicator lights) and one or more input elements (eg, buttons) for controlling the aerosol generating device. In embodiments with indicator(s) or input element(s), the housing subassembly may include a translucent portion or a tactile portion, or may simply include a gap allowing access to the internal indicator(s) and input element(s).

Referring to FIG. 1B, in this schematic view, the access subassembly 11 and the housing subassembly 12 are shown as transparent (shown in dotted lines), and it can be seen that the aerosol generating device 1 further includes an intermediate subassembly 13 housed within the access subassembly 11 and the housing subassembly 12.

Details of the intermediate subassembly 13 are shown schematically in FIG. 2A, and the interior of the housing subassembly is shown schematically in FIG. 2B.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the intermediate subassembly 13 includes a heating subassembly 21 attached to the power and control subassembly 22.

The heating subassembly 21 includes a heater and a heating chamber, the heater being located in the heating subassembly for supplying heat to the heating chamber. The heating subassembly is described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 5.

The power and control subassembly 22 contains a power supply 221, in this case a battery. The power and control subassembly 22 further includes a control circuit 222 configured to control the supply of power from the power supply to the heater. In this embodiment, control circuit 222 is mounted on multiple PCBs, as described below.

The power supply 221 and the control circuit 222 are supported by the heating subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224 .

The heating subassembly support frame 223 is positioned to divide the interior space of the housing subassembly 12 into a first volume and a second volume. The first volume contains a heating subassembly 21 containing a heater and a heating chamber. The second volume contains a power supply 221. As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 1B, in this embodiment, the first volume, the heating subassembly support frame 223, and the second volume are all located along the longitudinal direction of the housing of the housing subassembly 12, although, as mentioned above, not all embodiments of the present invention are elongated, and in such non-oblong embodiments, the support frame The heating subassembly 223 may be arranged in any manner in which the interior of the housing is divided into a first volume and a second volume. This division is shown schematically in FIG. 2A using the dotted line A, the first volume being to the left of line A in the figure, and the second volume being to the right of line A in the figure. With this arrangement, in addition to supporting the heating subassembly 21, the heating subassembly support frame 223 protects the power supply 221 from any heat leakage from the heating subassembly 21. The heating subassembly support frame 223 is optionally made of a thermally insulating material in order to isolate the control circuit 222 and the power supply 221 from the heating subassembly 21, although the combined effects of frame and protection are also achieved when using materials with only slight thermal insulation properties, such as plastics. The heating subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224 may, for example, comprise PA (polyamide) and/or PEEK (polyetheretherketone).

Moreover, in this embodiment, the heating subassembly 21 including the heating chamber and the heater is supported by the heating subassembly support frame 223 such that neither the heating chamber nor the heater touches the body of the housing subassembly 12. The means for holding the heating subassembly 224 are further described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. This prevents conduction of heat from the heating subassembly to the housing where such conduction would otherwise make the housing painful or even dangerous to hold. This also protects the heating subassembly 21 from external damage, for example if the aerosol generating device 1 falls. However, these advantages are not associated with the volume separation feature, and in some embodiments may not include the features of holding and supporting the heater and/or heating chamber by the heating subassembly support frame 223.

The power supply support frame 224 is arranged to divide the interior space of the housing subassembly 12 into a third volume and a fourth volume. The third volume contains a heating subassembly 21, including a heater and a heating chamber, and also contains a control circuit 222. The fourth volume contains a power supply 221. As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 1B, in this embodiment, the third volume, the power supply support frame 224, and the fourth volume are all located along the longitudinal direction of the housing of the housing subassembly 12, although, as mentioned above, not all embodiments of the present invention are elongated, and in such non-oblong embodiments, the support frame The power supply 224 may be arranged in any manner in which the interior of the housing is divided into a third volume and a fourth volume. This division is shown schematically in FIG. 2A using the dotted line B, the third volume being to the left of line B in the figure and the fourth volume being to the right of line B in the figure. With this arrangement, in addition to supporting the power supply 221, the power supply support frame 224 has the function of preventing fluid from flowing from the fourth volume to the third volume. This protects the heater, heating chamber, and control circuitry from possible damage or contamination due to outgassing or leakage from power supply 221.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the power supply 221 is supported by the power supply support frame 224 such that the power supply 221 does not contact the housing of the housing subassembly 12. The power supply 221 may be held, for example, by an adhesive such as an adhesive, a solder joint that also forms an electrical contact, or mechanical connections such as snap connections. The lack of contact with the housing provides space for outgassing or leaks that may occur during normal operation of the power supply 221, even if the power supply support frame 224 prevents such leaks from propagating or entering the third volume. This also protects the power supply 221 from external damage, for example if the aerosol generating device 1 is dropped. However, these advantages are not associated with the volume division feature, and in some embodiments may not include the features of holding and supporting the power source 221 by the support frame 224.

With the above combination of separation by the heating subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224, the middle fifth volume is defined as the intersection of the second and third volumes so that in the aerosol generating device 1 as shown in FIG. 1B, a first volume containing a heater and a heating chamber is located on one side of the heating subassembly support frame 223, a fifth volume containing a control circuit 222 is located between the heating subassembly support frame 223 and the electrical power supply support frame 224, and a fourth volume containing a power supply 221 is located on the other side of the power supply support frame 224. However, it should be noted that although both frames are present in this embodiment, only one of the heating subassembly support frame 223 or the power supply support frame 224 is required, and the other may be omitted in alternative embodiments.

As further shown in FIG. 2A, the power and control subassembly 22 may include an indicator array 225 of one or more indicators (e.g., LEDs) to indicate device status and one or more input elements 226 (e.g., tactile switches) that correspond to a central linear region 121 of the housing subassembly 12 fig. 1A. The power and control subassembly 22 may further include a vibration subassembly 227 to provide additional indication of the state of the device. In addition, the power and control subassembly 22 may include an external electrical connector 228 for charging the power supply 221 and optionally also for transmitting data to or from the control circuit 222.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2A, in this embodiment, a space is left adjacent to the heating subassembly 21 in the first volume. This space corresponds to that part of the aerosol generating device 1 that is most vulnerable to heat leakage from the heating subassembly 21, and

- 4 043873 left blank to avoid heat leakage affecting vulnerable components. This void space may be maintained under a vacuum (vacuum herein meaning air at substantially less than standard pressure) to limit convective heat conduction from the heating subassembly 21. Alternatively, the void space may be filled with air. In this case, air may be allowed to flow between the empty space and the outside of the aerosol generating device 1 to mitigate the effect of internal heat leakage from the heating subassembly 21.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the housing subassembly 12 is substantially hollow to accommodate at least a portion of the intermediate subassembly 13. As can be seen in FIG. 1B, in this embodiment, the intermediate subassembly 13 protrudes from the housing subassembly 12 and is partially accommodated by the access subassembly 11. In other embodiments, the intermediate subassembly 13 may be completely contained within the housing subassembly 12.

Now with reference to FIG. 3A and 3B show a portion of the power and control subassembly of one embodiment. It may or may not actually represent a step in the manufacture of the corresponding aerosol generating device, but it is included here in particular to show details of the power and control subassembly of this embodiment. In fig. FOR, the heating subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224 are shown as. transparent using dotted lines so that the first PCB 31 is visible between the two frames, located along the length of the heating subassembly support frame 223. On the other hand, in FIG. 3B is a solid view showing that the first PCB 31 is partially enclosed between the heating subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224. In this embodiment, the heating subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224 are aligned with each other on each side of the first PCB 31. This arrangement has the advantage that the first PCB 31 is located in a second volume (protected from heat leakage from the heating element). subassembly 21) and in a third volume (protected from the fluid originating from the power source 221). Accordingly, one or more frangible components (i.e., components sensitive to heat or sensitive to fluids that may be generated by the power supply) of the control circuit 222 may be located on one or both sides of the first PCB 31 and to utilize a larger portion of the area surface of the first RSV 31, this RSV can be a double-sided RSV. For example, a processor chip or a memory chip may be installed on the first PCB 31.

To facilitate alignment of the heating subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224, in this embodiment, the heating subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224 include respective first guide members 32 and 32' that align when the frames are aligned correctly. For example, the first guide elements 32 and 32' may be projections or pins and corresponding recesses or holes. In other embodiments, additionally or instead, the first PCB 31 may include first guide elements for aligning the first PCB 31 with corresponding first guide elements of the heating subassembly support frame 223 and/or the power supply support frame.

To facilitate alignment of the power and control subassembly 22 with the heating subassembly 21, the heating subassembly support frame also includes second guide elements 33, 35 configured to fit corresponding second guide elements on the heating subassembly 21.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the power and control subassembly is formed using snap connectors 34 that secure the heating subassembly support frame 223 to the power supply support frame 224 and thereby hold the first PCB 31 in place.

Now with reference to FIG. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D show another portion of the power and control subassembly from different positions around the assembly. As with FIG. 3A and 3B, it may or may not actually represent a step in the manufacture of the corresponding aerosol generating device, but it is included here in particular to show details of the power and control subassembly of this embodiment. The power supply support frame 224 is shown in FIG. 4C and 4D, but omitted in FIG. 4A and 4B. To understand the meaning of comparing these figures, it should be noted that FIG. 4B is reflected horizontally relative to FIG. 4A, 4C and 4D to more effectively display the flexible portion 41 PCB.

As shown in FIG. 4A-D, the power supply and control subassembly 22 according to this embodiment includes a first PCB 31, a second PCB 42, and a flexible PCB portion 41, the first and second PCB 31, 42 being connected to each other by the flexible PCB portion 41. Each of the first PCB 31 and the second PCB 42 has one or more control circuit components 222 mounted thereon. In this embodiment, the power and control subassembly 22 may include additional PCBs, such as those housing the indicator array 225 and input element 226 shown in FIG. 2A and 4C.

The flexible portion 41 PCB is wrapped around the heating subassembly support frame 223, and the second PCB 42 is attached to the heating subassembly support frame 223 so that the heating subassembly support frame 223

- 5 043873 subassembly is located between the first RSV 31 and the second RSV 42. This use of the flexible section RSV not only means that when one of the first and second RSV 31, 42 is fixed, then the other is easily guided into the correct position, but also means that that for the control circuit 222, a large area can be easily printed at one time and at the same time divided among multiple surfaces to accommodate the control circuit 222 in an irregularly shaped space and reduce the space required for the control circuit 222, and this also helps to reduce the volume of the device 1, generating an aerosol.

In fig. 4A also shows an example of the first guide element 32 in the first PCB 31, described above as an addition or alternative to the first guide elements 32 and 32' in the heating subassembly support frame 223 and the power supply support frame 224.

As shown in FIG. 4B, 4C, and 4D, a second PCB 42 is located along the heating subassembly support frame 223 to form part of the partition between the first volume and the second volume. In other words, one side of the second PCB 42 is exposed to the first volume where it can be exposed to heat leakage from the heating subassembly 21, and the other side of the second PCB 42 is either adjacent to or facing a gap therein in the heating subassembly support frame 223. Because one side of the second RCB 42 may be subject to heat leakage, it is preferable that the second RSV 42 be single-sided and the control circuit components 222 mounted substantially on the side of the second RCB 42 that is located in the second volume. The substrate of the second PCB 42 will then act as a thermal shield to protect the control circuit 222 in the second volume. However, to find some use for the side of the second board 42 facing the first volume, this surface can be provided with electrical contacts 44 for testing and/or connection to the heating subassembly 21. These contacts 44 remain open when the subassembly 22 is powered and control is assembled, which facilitates testing of the power and control subassembly and the establishment of electrical connections between the heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22. The heating subassembly support frame 223 may further include snap connectors 43 for attaching the second PCB 42 to the frame.

In fig. 4C shows a gap in the heater subassembly support frame 223 through which control circuit components 222 mounted on the first PCB 31 can be seen before the second PCB 42 was attached to the heating subassembly support frame. At this stage of assembly, the PCB 31 is, however, attached to the second PCB 42 by means of a flexible portion 41 of the PCB. In fig. 4C also shows control circuit components 222 mounted on the PCB 42. When the second PCB 42 is attached to the heating subassembly support frame 223, the control circuitry components 222 mounted on the first and second PCBs are protected by the substrate of the second PCB 42, along with the heating subassembly support frame 223. , separating the first volume, which is exposed to heat from the heating subassembly 21, from the second volume containing the control circuit 222 and the power supply 221. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4D, the reverse side of the second PCB 42, including the electrical contacts 44, faces the first volume.

In fig. 5A, 5B and 5C show some additional details of the heating subassembly 21, as described below.

In fig. 5A and 5B are end and side views of the heating subassembly 21, respectively. Referring to FIG. 5A and 5B, at each end of the heating subassembly 21, a heater end frame 51 is provided for supporting, aligning, and securing the heating subassembly. The heater end frames 51 include corresponding second guide members 33' and 35' to facilitate alignment of the heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22.

An insulating casing 52 is provided between the heater end frames 51. The insulating casing 52 surrounds the heating chamber 53 and the heater 54, which are shown in FIG. 5C are shown separately. The heating chamber is an elongated chamber open at one end corresponding to the access subassembly 11 and contains a thermally conductive material, such as metal, to conduct heat from the heater 54 wrapped around the outside of the heating chamber 53 to the aerosol-forming substrate material in the heating chamber. chamber 53. An insulating casing 52 is provided to isolate and contain the heat generated by the heater 54 so that heat is more efficiently supplied to the heating chamber 53 and so that other components of the aerosol generating device 1 are less exposed to heat from the heater 54. In this embodiment, the heating subassembly 21 further includes a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature in the heating subassembly.

The heater 54 and the temperature sensor have electrical contacts or connections, respectively, for receiving power and for obtaining measurement results.

In fig. 6A and 6B schematically illustrate how the mounting cap 23 is used to complete the intermediate subassembly 13.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the respective second guide members 33, 33', 35 and 35' of the heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22 are aligned and matched to each other. As with the first guide elements, the second guide elements may be

- 6 043873 projections or pins and corresponding recesses or holes. As a result of this alignment and adjustment, the heating sub-assembly 21 and the power and control sub-assembly 22 are positioned correctly, but are still not secured.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the mounting cap 23 (shown as transparent in dashed lines) is configured to be mounted on the end of the aligned heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22 in the longitudinal direction, at least partially covering the heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22. The mounting cap 23 defines the top of a frame assembly that is approximately T-shaped and includes a heating subassembly support frame 223 and a power supply support frame 224, and may be positioned to cover the top of volumes one through five (where the top orientation is defined by based on the orientation of the device, as shown in Fig. 1A), when the intermediate subassembly 13 is located in the housing subassembly 12. Thus, when the components of the intermediate subassembly 13 need to be suspended in the housing without touching the housing, this can be realized by direct or indirect attachment to the mounting cap 23.

The heating subassembly 21, the power and control subassembly 22, and the mounting cap 23 are arranged to interlock with each other so that when the mounting cap 23 is placed over the end, the heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22 cannot be separated from each other. Specifically, in this embodiment, the mounting cap 23 is adapted to surround and partially cover the end of the aligned heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22 about a longitudinal axis, and the second guide members 33, 33', 35, 35' are arranged to prevent relative movements in the longitudinal direction between the heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22, since it is perpendicular to the direction of the second guide elements. Thus, by attaching the mounting cap 23 to one or both of the heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22, relative movement between the heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22 is prevented in both the longitudinal direction, as it would be transverse to the direction of the second guide members, as well as around the longitudinal axis, since this would either be transverse to the direction of the second guide elements, or would be prevented by the covering and surrounding mounting cap. Thus, the heating subassembly 21 is fixed to the power and control subassembly 22.

In this embodiment, the mounting cap 23 is attached to the power supply support frame 224 of the power and control subassembly 22 at the mounting cap attachment point 61. Fastening may be accomplished using one or more double-sided fasteners such as screws. When such fastening is performed using double-sided fasteners, the heating subassembly 21 is easier to remove for cleaning, although other embodiments use a snap or interference fit at the installation cap attachment point 61.

It should be noted that the mounting cap 23 is not essential for securing the heating sub-assembly 21 to the power and control sub-assembly 22 and in other embodiments such fastening may instead be accomplished by providing additional snap or interference connectors in place of the second guide members 33, 33' , 35, 35' or in addition to them. This alternative embodiment further reduces the number of components and steps required to manufacture the aerosol generating device. However, even if the mounting cap 23 is not used to attach the heating subassembly 21 to the power and control subassembly 22, providing the mounting cap 23 is advantageous for attaching the access subassembly 11 and the housing subassembly 12. In particular, the mounting cap 23 provides a modular mounting interface that is independent of other components of the intermediate subassembly 13 and that can be adapted to be conveniently attached to the device body separate from any adaptation of the heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22 for other purposes.

When the heating subassembly 21 has been secured to the power and control subassembly 22, as shown in FIG. 6B, electrical connections, such as wires, can be easily made between the heating subassembly 21 and the power and control subassembly 22 using the exposed electrical contacts 44 of the power and control subassembly 22 and the electrical contacts or connections of the heater 54 and the temperature sensor of the heating subassembly 21.

Now with reference to FIG. 7A and 7B describe some additional details of the access subassembly 11.

In fig. 7A shows a view of the access subassembly 11 in which the access housing 71 is made transparent (shown in dotted lines) so that the internal features of the access subassembly 11 can be easily seen.

The cover 111 is attached to the runner carriage 73. The slider carriage is slidable along the slider guide 74 so that the cover 111 slides between an open position and a closed position. In the closed position, the hole in the access housing 71 is blocked by a cover

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111. In the open position, the hole in the access housing 71 is open. When the aerosol generating device 1 is assembled and the cover 111 is in the open position, an opening in the access housing 71 provides access to the heating chamber 53.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the access housing 71 includes snap connectors 75 for attaching the access subassembly 11 to the intermediate subassembly 13. In this embodiment, two opposing snap connectors 75 are provided corresponding to two smaller opposing sides of the aerosol generating device 1, although any effective arrangement of connectors can be used. . As with the snap connectors above, these snap connectors can alternatively be push fit connectors.

Additionally, the access body 71 includes a stepped edge along its lower edge (as shown in the figure). An inner edge 77 extends downwardly beyond the outer edge 76. This stepped edge helps secure the access subassembly 11 to the housing subassembly 12 and can absorb shock loads from the snap connectors 75, thereby helping to prevent a weak point in the design at the interface between the access subassembly 11 and intermediate subassembly 13.

Referring to FIG. 7B, in this figure, the slider guide 74 is hidden, providing a better view of the slider bias mechanism 78, which operates to return the slider carriage 73 and cover 111 to the closed position. This helps ensure that heating chamber 53 is closed when not in use.

Definitions and Alternative Embodiments

It will be clear from the above description that many features of the described embodiment perform independent functions with independent benefits. Therefore, the inclusion or exclusion of each of these independent features from the embodiments of the present invention as defined in the claims may be independently selected.

For example, the embodiment described above uses a special design of power and control subassembly 22 containing multiple PCBs. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the control circuit 222 may be provided without the use of a PCB, particularly in the case where the control is simple, as in the very simple case of a switch and impedance setting circuit for turning a heater on and off. Alternatively, embodiments of the present invention may have only one of the first PCB 31 and the second PCB 42, as described above.

The term heater should be understood to mean any device for extracting thermal energy sufficient to generate an aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate. Transfer of thermal energy from heater 54 to the aerosol-forming substrate may be accomplished by conduction, convection, radiation, or any combination of these methods. As non-limiting examples, heaters using the conductivity principle may come into direct contact with and compress the aerosol-forming substrate, or may contact a separate component, such as a heating chamber, which itself causes the aerosol-forming substrate to be heated by conduction. , convection and/or radiation.

The heaters may be electrically powered, combustion powered, or any other suitable means. Electric heaters may include resistive track elements (optionally containing insulating padding), induction heating systems (eg, containing an electromagnet and a high frequency generator), etc. The heater 54 may be located around the outside of the aerosol-forming substrate, it may partially or completely penetrate the aerosol-forming substrate, or any combination of these options may be implemented. For example, instead of the heater of the embodiment described above, the aerosol generating device may have a plate heater that extends into the aerosol-generating substrate in the heating chamber.

The term temperature sensor is used to describe an element configured to determine the absolute or relative temperature of the aerosol generating portion of the device 1. It may include thermocouples, thermocouples, thermistors, etc. The temperature sensor may be provided as part of another component, or it may be a separate component. In some examples, more than one temperature sensor may be provided, for example to monitor the heating of different parts of the aerosol generating device 1, for example to determine temperature profiles. Alternatively, in some examples there is no temperature sensor; for example, this may be possible if the thermal profiles have already been reliably established and the temperature can be guessed based on the operation of the heater 54.

The control circuit 222 in the figures is shown as including one button actuated by the user to turn on the aerosol generating device 1. This maintains ease of operation and reduces the chances of the user misusing the aerosol generating device 1 or making an error in operating the aerosol generating device 1. In some cases, however, the input controls available to the user may be more complex than specified, for example to control the temperature within preset limits, for example, to change the flavor balance of the steam, or to switch between energy saving and fast heat modes, for example.

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The aerosol-forming substrate contains tobacco, for example in dried or fermented form, in some cases with additional ingredients to flavor or provide a more uniform or otherwise more pleasant experience. In some examples, an aerosol-forming substrate, such as tobacco, may be treated with a volatilizing agent. The evaporation promoting agent may improve the generation of vapor from the aerosol-forming substrate. The evaporative agent may include, for example, a polyol such as glycerin or a glycol such as propylene glycol. In some cases, the aerosol-forming substrate may not contain tobacco or even contain nicotine, but instead may contain ingredients of natural or artificial origin to flavor, impart volatility, increase uniformity and/or provide other pleasurable effects. The aerosol-forming substrate may be provided as a solid or paste type material in cut, briquetted, powder, granular, strip or sheet form, optionally a combination of these forms. Equally, the aerosol-forming substrate may be a liquid or a gel. Of course, some examples may contain both solid and liquid/gel parts.

Therefore, the aerosol generating device 1 may equally be called a heated tobacco device, a non-burning tobacco heating device, a tobacco product evaporation device and the like, and it should be interpreted as a device suitable for achieving these effects. The features described herein are equally applicable to devices configured to vaporize any aerosol-forming substrate.

The aerosol generating device 1 may be configured to receive an aerosol-generating substrate in a pre-packaged substrate carrier. The substrate carrier may be broadly similar to a cigarette, having a tubular portion with the aerosol-forming substrate suitably positioned. Some designs may also include filters, vapor collection areas, cooling areas, and other structures. An outer layer of paper or other flexible flat material such as foil may also be provided, for example to hold the aerosol-forming substrate in place, to provide additional cigarette-like appearance, etc. The substrate carrier may be configured to be accommodated in the heating chamber 53 or may be longer than the heating chamber 53 so that the lid 111 remains open while the aerosol generating device 1 is provided with the substrate carrier. In such embodiments, the aerosol may be provided directly from a substrate carrier that functions as a mouthpiece for the aerosol generating device.

As used herein, the term fluid should be interpreted to generally describe non-solid materials of a type that are capable of flowing, including, but not limited to, gases, liquids, pastes, gels, powders and the like. Accordingly, the term fluidized materials should be interpreted to mean materials that are essentially fluids or have been modified to behave like fluids. Fluidization may include, but is not limited to, pulverization, dissolution in a solvent, gelation, thickening, dilution, and the like.

As used herein, the term volatile means a substance capable of readily changing from a solid or liquid state to a gaseous state. By way of non-limiting example, a volatile substance may be a substance having a boiling or sublimation point close to room temperature at atmospheric pressure. Accordingly, the term volatilize or make volatile should be interpreted to mean making (a material) volatile and/or causing evaporation or dispersion in a vapor.

As used herein, the term vapor (or vapor) means: (i) the form into which liquids naturally change when exposed to a sufficient degree of heat; or (ii) particles of liquid/moisture suspended in the atmosphere and visible as clouds of vapor/smoke; or (iii) a fluid which fills a volume like a gas, but, being below its critical temperature, can be liquefied by pressure alone.

According to this definition, the term to vaporize (or to vaporize) means: (i) to transform or cause to become vaporized; and (ii) change the physical state of the particles (i.e. from liquid or solid to gaseous state).

As used herein, the term atomize (or pulverize) means: (i) to reduce (a substance, especially a liquid) into very small particles or droplets; and (ii) maintain the particles in the same physical state (liquid or solid) as before atomization.

As used herein, the term aerosol means a system of particles dispersed in air or gas such as fog, haze or smoke. Accordingly, the term aerosolize (or aerosolize) means to aerosolize and/or disperse as an aerosol. It should be noted that the meaning of the term aerosolize/form an aerosol is consistent with each of the terms volatile, atomize, and evaporate defined above. To avoid confusion, the term aerosol is used to consistently describe a mist or droplet containing atomized, volatilized or evaporated particles. The term aerosol also includes mist or droplets containing any combination of atomized, volatilized or vaporized particles.

Claims (12)

1. An aerosol generating device comprising a power supply; heating chamber; a heater configured to supply heat to the heating chamber; a control circuit configured to control the supply of power from the power source to the heater; a frame configured to support a power supply; and a housing having an interior space housing a power supply, a heating chamber, a heater, a control circuit, and a frame, wherein the frame is positioned to divide the interior space of the housing into a first volume containing a heater, a heating chamber, and a control circuit, and a second volume containing a power source, said frame being configured to prevent fluid from flowing from the second volume into the first volume. 2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing is an oblong body designed to be held in the hand, and the first volume, frame and second volume are located along the longitudinal direction of the housing. 3. An aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first volume contains an area of air or vacuum adjacent to the heating chamber. 4. An aerosol generating device according to any of the preceding paragraphs, characterized in that the power source is supported by a frame. 5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 4, characterized in that the power supply and the control circuit are supported by the frame. 6. The aerosol generating device according to any of the preceding paragraphs, characterized in that it further comprises a second frame located between the first part of the first volume containing the heater and the heating chamber, and the second part of the first volume containing the control circuit. 7. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6, wherein the control circuit comprises a component mounted on a first printed circuit board (PCB) held between the frame and the second frame. 8. The aerosol generating device according to claim 7, characterized in that the first RSV is a double-sided RSV. 9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that it further comprises a second RSV, which is located along the second frame and between the first part of the first volume and the second part of the first volume. 10. The aerosol generating device according to claim 9, characterized in that the second RSV is a one-way RSV, and the control circuit additionally contains a component installed on the second RSV and in the second part of the first volume. 11. The aerosol generating device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the first RSV and the second RSV are connected by a flexible section of the RSV, while the first RSV, the second RSV and the flexible section of the RSV are located around the second frame. 12. An aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that the heating chamber and the heater are held by the second frame so that they do not touch the housing.