EP4218445A1

EP4218445A1 - Heating assembly and aerosol-forming device

Info

Publication number: EP4218445A1
Application number: EP21870743.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Xingfu Zhang; Shouping Wang; Lijia SUN; Yafei Li; Yu Wang
Original assignee: Shenzhen Smoore Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Smoore Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-23
Filing date: 2021-03-31
Publication date: 2023-08-02
Also published as: EP4218445A4; CN114246373A; JP2023529879A; WO2022062354A1; KR20230011411A; JP7456014B2

Abstract

The present application provides a heater assembly and an aerosol-forming device. The heater assembly includes a heating body (91), a first electrode (92a), and a second electrode (92b). The heating body is configured to be inserted into and heat an aerosol-forming substance and has a first connection end (E) and a second connection end (F) opposite to the first connection end. The first electrode is disposed at the first connection end of the heating body and is electrically connected to the first connection end. An end of the second electrode is electrically connected to the second connection end, and the first electrode is insulated from the second electrode. When the heater assembly is heated at high temperatures, the heating body may not fall off from the substrate, failure of the heater assembly may be avoided, and the stability of the heater assembly may be improved significantly.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of heating-not-burning smoke-forming devices, and in particular to a heater assembly and an aerosol-forming device.

BACKGROUND

As an alternative to cigarettes, e-cigarettes are safe, can be conveniently used, healthy, and environmentally friendly. Therefore, the e-cigarettes, such as heating-not-burning e-cigarettes, also known as heating-not-burning aerosol-forming devices, are increasingly popular.
A heating-not-burning aerosol-forming device in the art may heat substances in a tubular peripheral heating manner or in a central embedding heating manner. The tubular peripheral heating manner refers to a heating tube surrounding an outside of an aerosol-forming substance (such as tobacco) to heat the aerosol-forming substance. The central embedding heating refers to a heating assembly being inserted into the aerosol-forming substance to heat the aerosol-forming substance. The heater assembly may be easily manufactured and may be used easily, and therefore, the heater assembly is widely used. A heating assembly in the art may be manufactured by configuring a ceramic or an insulated metal as a substrate, printing or coating a resistor heating circuit on the substrate, and performing a high temperature treatment to fix the resistor heating circuit on the substrate.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The resistor heating circuit on the heating assembly in the art is a thin film printed or coated on the substrate at a later stage. When the heating assembly is inserted into the aerosol-forming substance for a plurality of times, the substrate may be bent and deformed. Therefore, the resistor heating circuit may easily fall off from the substrate after being heated to a high temperature, and may not be stable. Further, in a heating process, the resistor heating circuit contacts only an aerosol-forming substance, which is disposed on a side of the substrate configured with the resistor heating circuit, but does not contact an aerosol-forming substance, which is disposed on a rear side of the substrate, such that the aerosol-forming substance may not be heated uniformly.
The present disclosure provides a heater assembly and an aerosol-forming device. The heater assembly may be configured to solve the technical problem that the resistor heating circuit of the heater assembly in the art may easily fall off from the substrate after being heated to a high temperature and may not be stable, and solve the technical problem that the aerosol-forming substance may not be heated uniformly in the heating process.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a heater assembly is provided and includes a heating body, a first electrode and a second electrode. The heating body is configured to be inserted into and heat an aerosol-forming substance and has a first connection end and a second connection end opposite to the first connection end. The first electrode is disposed at the first connection end of the heating body and electrically connected to the first connection end. An end of the second electrode is electrically connected to the second connection end, and the first electrode is insulated from the second electrode.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an aerosol-forming device is provided and includes: a housing, the heater assembly according to the above aspect, and a power supply assembly. The heater assembly and the power supply assembly are arranged inside the housing; the power supply assembly is connected to the heating body and is configured to supply power to the heating body.
According to the present disclosure, the heater assembly is arranged with the heating body. The heating body may be inserted into the aerosol-forming substance to heat the aerosol-forming substance. Compared to the resistor heating circuit in the art, which is screen-printed on a substrate, the heating body of the present disclosure can be directly and independently inserted into the aerosol-forming substance, and may not be detached from the substrate when being heated to a high temperature. Failure of heater assembly may not occur, and reliability of the heater assembly may be improved significantly. At the same time, the first electrode and the second electrode insulated from the first electrode are arranged; the first electrode is arranged at the first connection end of the heating body and is electrically connected to the first connection end; and an end of the second electrode is electrically connected to the second connection end. In this way, a current circuit is generated between the first connection end and the second connection end of the heating body. The short circuit may be avoided, the processing may be simpler, and the strength of the heater assembly is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1a is a structural schematic view of a heater assembly according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 1b is a schematic view of a heater assembly inserted in to an aerosol-forming substance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the structure shown in FIG. 1a according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the structure shown in FIG. 1a according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of heating bodies, which are arranged side-by-side, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the heating bodies, which are arranged side-by-side, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a heater assembly according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the structure shown in FIG. 6 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a heater assembly where a protective layer is coated on the entire surface of a heater stick, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an aerosol-forming device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 10 is a front view of a mounting base being assembled with a heater assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below by referring to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of but not all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by any ordinary skilled person in the art without creative work shall fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Terms "first", "second", and "third" in the present disclosure are used for descriptive purposes only, and shall not be interpreted as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of an indicated technical feature. Therefore, a feature defined by the terms "first", "second", and "third" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present disclosure, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, and so on, unless otherwise expressly and specifically limited. All directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, forward, backward ......) in the present disclosure are used only to explain relative positions and movements of components in a particular attitude (the attitude shown in the corresponding drawing). When the particular attitude is changed, the directional indications may be changed accordingly. Terms "include", "have", and any variation thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, a method, a system, a product or an apparatus including a series of operations or units is not limited to the listed operations or units, but may further include operations or units that are not listed, or may include other may or units that are inherently included in the process, the method, the product or the apparatus.
The term "embodiments" may indicate that a particular feature, a structure or a property described in one embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Presence of the term in various sections in the specification does not necessarily mean a same embodiment or a separate or an alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It shall be understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by any ordinary skilled person in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.
The present disclosure will be described in detail below by referring to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.
As shown in FIGs. 1a to FIG. 2, FIG. 1a is a structural schematic view of a heater assembly according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 1b is a schematic view of the heater assembly inserted in to an aerosol-forming substance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the structure shown in FIG. 1a according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the present embodiment, a heater assembly 90 is provided. The heater assembly 90 is configured to be inserted into and heat an aerosol-forming substance 98. For example, in a specific embodiment, the heater assembly 90 is specifically configured to be inserted into and heat tobacco. The following embodiments will be described by taking the tobacco as an example. It shall be understood that, in the present embodiment, the aerosol-forming substance 98 may be tobacco or leaves or flower petal crumbs of a non-tobacco plant. The heater assembly 90 being inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98 may be illustrated in FIG. 1b.
In detail, the heater assembly 90 includes a heating body 91, a first electrode 92a, and a second electrode 92b.
The heating body 91 is configured to be inserted into and heat the aerosol-forming substance 98. Compared to the resistor heating circuit in the art, which is formed by being screen-printed or coated on the substrate, the heating body 91 of the present disclosure can be directly and independently inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98, and when being heated to a high temperature, the heating body 91 may not fall of from the substrate, and failure of the heater assembly may not be caused, the stability of the heater assembly 90 may be improved. Specifically, the heating body 91 has a first connection end E and a second connection end F opposite to the first connection end. When the heating body 91 is being inserted into the tobacco, the second connection end F of the heating body 91 is inserted into the tobacco firstly. Therefore, to facilitate the heating body 91 to be inserted into the tobacco, the second connection end F of the heating body 91 may be configured as a tip, i.e., configured to be triangular, forming a tip portion D. An angle between two adjacent sides of the tip may be in a range from 45 degrees to 90 degrees, such as 60 degrees. It shall be understood that each of the first connection end E and the second connection end F in the present disclosure refers to a certain area occupied by the respective end, instead of an end point or an end surface. Specifically, the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b are specifically arranged at (i.e., located at) the first connection end E of the heating body 91. Further, the first electrode 92a is electrically connected to the first connection end E of the heating body 91, and the second electrode 92b is insulated from the first connection end E of the heating body 91, such that a short circuit may be prevented. Further, the second electrode 92b extends from the first connection end E to the second connection end F of the heating body 91 and is electrically connected to the second connection end F, such that a current circuit is formed between the first connection end E and the second connection end F of the heating body 91. In this way, the heater assembly may be processed easily, and the overall strength of the heater assembly 90 may be improved. Further, a less amount of tobacco may be adhered to the heater assembly 90 while the device is in use, and a less amount of oil may be adhered to the heater assembly 90 after the atomization.
Specifically, a shape and a size of the heating body 91 is not limited and may be determined as desired. In a specific embodiment, the heating body 91 may be strip shaped, such as rectangular, and an end of the rectangle forms the tip.
In detail, as shown in FIG. 1a, the heating body 91 includes a first heat region A and a second heat region B connected to the first heat region A. The first heat region A is the main atomization region and is inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98 to heat the aerosol-forming substance 98. The atomization temperature on the first heat region A is concentrated within a range of 280°C to 350°C, and the concentrated area occupies more than 75% of the area of the atomization region. The second heat region B is the main mating section of the heating body 91 and has a temperature below 150°C. Specifically, a ratio of the heating temperature of the first heat region A to the heating temperature of the second heat region B of the heating body 91 is greater than 2. In a specific embodiment, the first electrode 92a is arranged at the second heat region B of the heating body 91 to reduce the atomization temperature of the portion of ceramic heating body 91 disposed at the second heat region B. It shall be understood that the first connection end E of the heating body 91 is disposed at the second heat region B of the heating body 91, and the second connection end F is disposed at the first heat region A of the heating body 91.
In a specific embodiment, a resistivity of the material of the portion of the heating body 91 disposed at the second heat region B is less than a resistivity of the material of the portion of the heating body 91 disposed at the first heat region A, such that the temperature of the first heat region A is greater than the temperature of the second heat region B of the heating body 91. At the same time, since different heat regions are configured with materials of different resistivities, temperatures of the different heat regions may be regulated based on a difference in the resistivities. Specifically, a major component of the ceramic material of the portion of the heating body 91 disposed at the first heat region A may be the same as a major component of the ceramic material of the portion of the heating body 91 disposed at the second heat region B, and the first heat region A and the second heat region B may be configured as an integral one-piece structure. However, a proportion or other components of the ceramic materials of the portion of the heating body 91 disposed at the first heat region A may be different from a proportion or other components of the ceramic materials of the portion of the heating body 91 disposed at the second heat region B. In this way, the resistivity of the portion of the heating body 91 disposed at the first heat region A is different from the resistivity of the portion of the heating body 91 disposed at the second heat region B. In the art, the two heat regions are formed by splicing metal films formed by different conductive materials, for example, an aluminum film and a gold film, which are two different conductive materials, are spliced. In the present disclosure, a splicing manner is not performed, such that a conductive body made of the first heat region A and the second heat region B may be not be broken.
In a specific embodiment, for the first heat region A and the second heat region B of the heating body 91, only a majority of the first heat region A is inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98, and a small portion of the first heat region A and the entire second heat region B are disposed out of the aerosol-forming substance 98. Alternatively, the entire first heat region A is inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98, and the entire second heat region B is disposed out of the aerosol-forming substance 98. Alternatively, the entire first heat region A and a small portion of the second heat region B are inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98, and the majority of the second heat region B is disposed out of the aerosol-forming substance 98.
In detail, the above-mentioned heating body 91 may be a self-supporting structure. That is, the heating body 91 may be configured independently without any other carrier. Compared to the resistor heating circuit in the art, which is formed by being screen-printed or coated on the substrate, in the present disclosure, when the temperature is excessively high, the heating body 91 may not fall off from the substrate, and the stability of the heater assembly 90 may be improved significantly. Since the heating body 91 is the self-supporting structure, the heating body is not required to engage with the substrate. Two opposite surfaces of the heating body 91 may directly contact the tobacco 98, such that a high energy utilization rate is achieved, the tobacco may be heated more uniformly, a pre-defined temperature field has a clear boundary, and especially, when the device is initiated at a low pressure, a power may be controlled and determined in real time.
The heating body 91 may be made of conductive ceramics. Compared to the heating body in the art made of metals, the heating body 91 made of conductive ceramics has a high conductive efficiency, and the temperature generated by heating may be uniformly distributed on the heating body. Further, a power of the heating body 91 made of conductive ceramics may be adjusted between 3 watts and 4 watts, a conductive efficiency of the heating body 91 made of conductive ceramics may be in a range of 1^∗10^-4 to 1^∗10^-6 ohms. A strength of the heating body 91 made of conductive ceramics against bending may be greater than 400MPa. A fire-resistance of the heating body 91 made of conductive ceramics may be higher than 1200°C. In addition, the heating body 11 (or 32 or 91) made of conductive ceramics may have a full starting voltage. In detail, the heating body 91 made of the conductive ceramic includes a main component and a crystalline component. The main component may specifically be one or more of manganese, strontium, lanthanum, tin, antimony, zinc, bismuth, silicon, and titanium. The crystalline component may specifically be one or more of lanthanum manganate, lanthanum strontium manganate, tin oxide, zinc oxide, antimony oxide, bismuth oxide, silicon oxide, and yttrium oxide. In other embodiments, the heating body 91 may be made of a ceramic alloy made of metal alloys, or a ceramic alloy made of iron-silicon alloys or iron-silicon-aluminum alloys.
In detail, an electromagnetic heating wavelength of the heating body 91 made of the ceramic is a mid-infrared wavelength, allowing the tobacco oil to be atomized easily and providing an improved taste. In addition, the ceramic used to make the heating body 91 is oxide ceramic, and a microcrystalline structure of the ceramic is stable at high temperatures. Since the oxide ceramic is highly resistant to fatigue, has a high strength, and has a high density, harmful heavy metal volatilization and dust may be avoided, significantly increasing the service life of the heating body 91.
It shall be understood that, the heating body 91 in the above embodiments may be an entire sheet of ceramics, such that an area of the highest temperature hot spot may be reduced, a risk of fatigue cracking and an increase in the resistance due to the fatigue may be eliminated, and the heating body 91 may have better consistency. Further, since the ceramic heating material has a high strength, and the microcrystalline structure of the ceramic heating material provides smoothness, the surface of the heating body 91 may be cleaned easily, and substances may not be adhered to the surface of the heating body easily. In addition, the heating body 91 may be produced by performing a ceramic production process. The ceramic production process includes raw material mixing, forming and sintering, and a cutting process. The ceramic production process may be simple and may be controlled easily, and costs of the ceramic production process may be low. Therefore, the ceramic production process may be promoted for batch manufacturing, and economic benefits may be improved. Further, the above conductive ceramics may be a material having TCR properties, i.e., the temperature of the material may be correlated with the resistance value of the material. Therefore, while in use, the temperature of the material may be obtained by detecting the resistance value, such that the temperature of the heating body 91 may be controlled.
The first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b may be arranged on the surface of the heating body 91 by coating, such that the bonding between the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b and the heating body 91 may be improved, and stability of the connection between the electrode leads 95, which are connected to the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b, and the heating body 91 may be improved. It is understood that the ceramic has a microporous structure. The microporous structure of the ceramic enables the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b to be strongly bonded to the heating body 11, even when the thickness of the coating is large. In this way, the strength that the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b are bonded to the heating body 11 is improved significantly. Specifically, the above-mentioned coating may be silver paste. It can be understood that the first electrode 92a and at least a part of the second electrode 92b may be formed by depositing a metal film, such as depositing a metal material having a resistivity greater than 1^∗10^-6 ohms, such as gold, platinum, copper, and so on.
In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the structure shown in FIG. 1a according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The heating body 91 may be plate shaped and includes a body portion C and the tip portion D connected to an end of the body portion C. The second connection end F of the heating body 91 is the tip portion D. The first connection end E of the heating body 92 is the end of the body portion C away from the tip portion D. An end of the second electrode 92b away from the second connection end F is arranged on the first connection end E of the heating body 92. The body portion C may be rectangular, and the tip portion D may be triangular, arc-shaped or isosceles trapezoidal.
In detail, the heating body 91 may be an elongated heater plate.
In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b are arranged on opposite sides of the heater plate, respectively. In detail, the first electrode 92a is coated on the second surface N of the heater plate and is electrically connected to the first connection end E of the heater plate. The first surface M of the heater plate is arranged with an insulating layer 93. The insulating layer 93 extends from the first connection end E of the heater plate to a position near the second connection end F. A part of the first surface M disposed at the second connection end F of the heating body 91 is exposed out of the insulating layer 93. The second electrode 92b is arranged on a surface of the insulating layer 93 away from the heater plate and extends towards the second connection end F of the heating body 91. A portion of the second electrode 92b extends out of the insulating layer 93 to contact and to be electrically connected with the second connection end F of the heater plate. It shall be understood that the first electrode 92a may be coated on the first surface M, the second surface N, and a side of the heater plate, i.e., forming a ring. The portion of the first electrode 92a coated on the first surface M of the heater plate is disposed between the insulating layer 93 and the heater plate.
In detail, the first electrode 92a may be rectangular, and the insulating layer 93 may be T-shaped. Specifically, the second electrode 92b includes a first coating portion 921, a second coating portion 922, and a third coating portion 923. The first coating portion 921 is coated on a surface of the insulating layer 93 away from the heating body 91 and is opposite to the first electrode 92a. A shape of the first coating portion 921 may be the same as a shape of the first electrode 92a. The second coating portion 922 is connected to the first coating portion 921 and is coated on a surface of the insulating layer 93 away from the heating body 91. A shape of the second coating portion 922 may be the same as a shape of an extension portion of the insulating layer 93. The third coating portion 923 is connected to the second coating portion 922. The third coating portion 923 is directly coated on the first surface M of the heating body 91 and is electrically connected to the second connecting end F of the heating body 91. The third coating portion 923 is perpendicular to the second coating portion 922 and may be a rectangular strip. In detail, the first coating portion 921, the second coating portion 922, and the third coating portion 923 cooperatively form an I-shaped structure. It shall be understood that the insulating layer 93 and the second electrode 92b are not limited to the above-mentioned shapes and may be determined as desired. In specific embodiments, sizes of the first coating portion 921, the second coating portion 922, and the third coating portion 923 are less than sizes of the insulating layer 93 at corresponding positions. In the present disclosure, the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b are both arranged on the heater plate by coating. In other embodiments, the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b may be arranged on the heater plate by sputtering, coating, screen-printing, and so on.
In an embodiment, at least one surface of the heating body 91 is further coated with a protective layer 94. The protective layer 94 covers at least the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b to prevent the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b from being damaged by the oil, which is generated while the tobacco is being heated. Of course, the protective layer 94 may cover the entire surface of the heating body 91 (see FIG. 2), such that the entire heating body 91 has a smooth surface while the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b are protected. Specifically, the protective layer 94 may be a vitreous glaze layer.
In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the structure shown in FIG. 1a according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Being different from the above embodiments, in the present embodiment, the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b are arranged on a same side of the heating body 91. Specifically, the first electrode 92a is coated on the first surface M of the heating body 91 and is electrically connected to the first connection end E of the heater plate. Specifically, the surface of the first electrode 92a away from the heater plate is arranged with the insulating layer 93. The insulating layer 93 covers the first electrode 92a and extends from the first connection end E of the heater plate to a position near the second connection end F. The second electrode 92b is arranged on a surface of the insulating layer 93 away from the first electrode 92a and extends towards the second connection end F of the heating body 91. A portion of the second electrode 92b extends out of the insulating layer 93 to contact and to be electrically connected to the second connection end F of the heater plate
In detail, the first electrode 92a may be rectangular, and the insulating layer 93 may be T-shaped. Specifically, a shape of a portion of the insulating layer 93 that covers the first electrode 92a is the same as a shape of the first electrode 92a, and a size of the portion of the insulating layer 93 that covers the first electrode 92a is slightly greater than or equal to a size of the first electrode 92a. It shall be understood that the shape and the size of the portion of the insulating layer 93 that covers the first electrode 92a is not limited, as long as the portion can insulate the first electrode 92a from the second electrode 92b. For example, the insulating layer 93 covers the entire first electrode 92a or a part of the first electrode 92a, but the size of the insulating layer 93 is greater than the size of the second electrode 92b.
In a specific embodiment, another first electrode 92a is arranged on a position of the second surface N of the heating body 91 opposite to the first electrode 92a, and another second electrode 92b is arranged at a position opposite to the second electrode 92b through the insulating layer 93. That is, the number of first electrodes 92a is two, and the number of second electrodes 92b is two. In this way, the conductive components of the conductive ceramic, which are disposed near the two surfaces of the conductive ceramic, may generate a shorter current path, such that a temperature field of the two surfaces of the heating body 91 may be more uniform.
According to the present disclosure, the heater assembly 90 is arranged with the heating body 91. The heating body 91 is inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98 to heat the aerosol-forming substance 98. Compared to the resistor heating circuit in the art, which is screen-printed or coated on the substrate, the heating body 91 of the present disclosure may be directly and independently inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98. Further, when the temperature is excessively high, the heating body 91 may not fall off from the substrate, failure of the heater assembly 90 may not be caused, the stability of the heater assembly 90 may be improved significantly. In addition, the heating body 91 is configured to be plate-shaped, the contact area between the aerosol-forming substance 98 and the heating body 91 is effectively increased, and the energy utilization and the heating efficiency may be improved. In addition, the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b insulated from the first electrode 92a are arranged, the first electrode 92a is arranged at the first connection end E of the heating body 91 and is electrically connected to the first connection end E, and an end of the second electrode 92b is connected to the second connection end F. In this way, the current circuit is formed between the first connection end E and the second connection end F of the heating body 91. The short circuit may be solved, the processing may be simpler, and the strength of the heater assembly 90 may be improved.
In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of heating bodies, which are arranged side-by-side, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the heating bodies, which are arranged side-by-side, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The heater assembly 90 includes at least two heating bodies 91. The at least two heating bodies 91 are arranged side by side. In a specific embodiment, the number of the at least two heating bodies 91 may be two, and the two heating bodies 91 are arranged opposite to each other. The insulating layer 93 is disposed between the two heating bodies 91.
In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, each of a surface of one of the two heating bodies 91 away from the other one of the two heating bodies 91 and a surface of the other of the two heating bodies 91 away from the one of the two heating bodies 91 is arranged with the first electrode 92a, and the first electrode 92a is arranged at the first connection end E of each of the two heating bodies 91. In the present embodiment, the second electrode 92b is arranged on the insulating layer 93 and extends from the first connection end E of the heating body 91 to the position near the second connection end F. The second electrode 92b is electrically connected to the second connection end F of each of the two heating bodies 91. In this way, for each of the two heating bodies 91, the current circuit is generated between the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b; and the two heating bodies 91 are arranged side by side.
In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the first electrode 92a is arranged at a position of the insulating layer 93 corresponding to the first connection end E of the heating body 91, and is electrically connected to the first connection end E of each of the two heating bodies 91. In the present embodiment, the second connection end F of each of the two heating bodies 91 is connected to a corresponding second electrode 92b. In this way, the two heating bodies 91 are connected with each other side by side by allowing the first electrode 92a to be connected to the respective second electrode 92b of each of the two heating bodies 91. Specifically, each of the surface of one of the two heating bodies 91 away from the other one of the two heating bodies 91 and the surface of the other of the two heating bodies 91 away from the one of the two heating bodies 91 is coated with the insulating layer 93. For each of the two heating bodies 91, the second electrode 92b is arranged on a surface of the insulating layer 93 away from the heating body 91, and the second electrode 92b extends from the first connection end E of the heating body 91 to the position near the second connecting end F to be connected to the second connecting end F of the heating body 91.
In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the heater assembly according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Being different from the first embodiment above, in the present embodiment, the heating body 91 may be cylindrical and may include the body portion C and the tip portion D connected to the end of the body portion C. The second connection end F of the heating body 91 is the tip portion D. The first connection end E of the heating body 91 is the end of the body portion C away from the tip portion D. In a specific embodiment, the body portion C may be cylindrical, and the tip portion D may be conical or dome-shaped. Specifically, the heating body 91 may be the heater stick as shown in FIG. 6. The second connection end F of the heater stick may be the tip, enabling the heater stick to be inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98 easily.
In detail, as shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the structure shown in FIG. 6 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The first electrode 92a is arranged on at least a part of the surface of the first connection end E of the heater stick. The outer wall of the body portion C of the heater stick is arranged with the insulating layer 93. The insulating layer 93 extends from the first connection end E of the heater stick to a position near the second connection end F, and a position of the body portion C near the tip portion D is exposed out of the insulating layer 93. The second electrode 92b is arranged on the surface of the insulating layer 93 away from the heater stick. A portion of the second electrode 92b extends out of the insulating layer 93 and contacts the second connecting end F of the heater stick. That is, the portion of the second electrode 92b extends out of the insulating layer 93 and contacts the second connection end F, which is located at a position of the body portion C of the heating body 91 near the tip portion D and is exposed out of the insulating layer 93.
Further, in a specific embodiment, the first electrode 92a surrounds the outer wall of the heater stick and may be arc shaped. In the present embodiment, the insulating layer 93 is arranged in the circumferential direction of the heater stick and forms one loop. The insulating layer 93 has a notch at a position corresponding to a position of the heater stick where the first electrode 92a is arranged. At least a portion of the first electrode 92a is exposed through the notch, enabling the first electrode 92a to be connected to the electrode leads 95. In a specific embodiment, the portion of the second electrode 92b extending to the outside of the insulating layer 93 may surround the body portion C of the heater stick and may be ring shaped, ensuring the second electrode 92b to be effectively connected to the second connection end F of the heater stick. Of course, in other embodiments, the first electrode 92a may further include a bottom surface that extends to a position near the first connection end E of the heater stick to strengthen the overall bonding and improve electrical reliability.
In another embodiment, the first electrode 92a surrounds the outer wall of the heater stick and may be arc shaped. The insulating layer 93 may cover the entire first electrode 92a and surrounds the outer wall of the heater stick to form one loop. The present embodiment does not specifically limit the above structure, as long as the short circuit between the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b can be prevented by the insulating layer 93.
In a specific embodiment, at least one surface of the heater stick is coated with the protective layer 94. The protective layer 94 covers at least the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b to prevent the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b from being damaged by the oil, which is generated when the tobacco is being heated. Of course, in other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the heater assembly where the protective layer is coated on the entire surface of the heater stick, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The protective layer 94 may cover the entire surface of the heater stick. In this way, the first electrode 92a, the second electrode 92b, and the heater stick are protected, while the entire heater stick has a smooth surface. Specifically, the protective layer 94 may be the vitreous glaze layer.
In a specific embodiment, the resistance of the heater stick may be in a range from 0.3 ohms to 1 ohm, such as 0.6 ohms; the resistivity of the heater stick may be in a range from 1^∗10^-4 ohms to 4^∗10^-4 ohms, specifically may be 2^∗10^-4 ohms; and an in-use power of the heater stick may be in a range of 2 watts to 5 watts, specifically may be 3.5 watts. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the overall length L41 of the heater stick may be in a range from 18 mm to 20 mm. The length L42 of the portion of the heater stick inserted into the tobacco may specifically be in a range from 14 mm to 15 mm. The diameter ϕ of the portion of the heater stick inserted into the tobacco may specifically be in a range from 2.0 mm to 3.0 mm, such as 3 mm.
To be noted that, while performing the processing, a silver pole is firstly coated on the heater stick to form the electrode. Subsequently, an insulating medium layer is coated on the rest of the surface of the heater stick. Further, the electrode leads 95 are soldered, such that the electrode leads 95 are prevented from contacting the heater stick.
Specifically, in the above embodiments, the heating body 91 may be cylindrical, such that the heating body 91 may be inserted into the tobacco easily, and the cylindrical heating body 91 may be processed easily, reducing the processing difficulty effectively.
The heater assembly 90 provided in the present embodiment may take the self-supporting ceramic heater plate (or heater stick) to generate heat directly. Further, the heating body 91 may be arranged as single-strip connected in series based on locations where the electrodes are arranged and based on requirements about resistance values. In addition, the heating body 91 is made of ceramic. Compared to the resistor heating circuit in the art, which is formed by coating a metal heating material on the substrate, two sides of the heating body 91 made of ceramic may contact and heat the tobacco simultaneously, such that the tobacco may be heated more uniformly and stably.
As shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an aerosol-forming device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the present embodiment, an aerosol-forming device 900 is provided and includes a housing 901, and the heater assembly 90 arranged inside the housing 901, and a power supply assembly 97 arranged inside housing 901.
The heater assembly 90 may be the heater assembly 90 provided in the above embodiments. The specific structure and function of the heater assembly 90 may be referred to the description of the heater assembly 90 in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here. Specifically, the heater assembly 90 is mounted the mounting base 96 and is fixedly arranged on the inner wall of the housing 901 through the mounting base 96. Further, the heater assembly 90 is connected to the power supply assembly 97, such that the power supply assembly 97 supplies power to the heating body in the heater assembly 90. In an embodiment, the power supply assembly 97 may be a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
In detail, a specific structure of the heater assembly 90 mounted on the mounting base 96 can be seen in FIG. 1a and FIG. 8 above. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the mounting base 96 includes a mounting body 961 and a mounting hole 962. The heater assembly 90 is inserted into the mounting hole 962 of the mounting base 96 to be fixed to the mounting base 96. Specifically, the second heat region B of the heater assembly 90 is inserted into the mounting hole 962 of the mounting base 96 to be secured to the mounting base 96. After the heater assembly is inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98, a bottom of the aerosol-forming substance 98 abuts against an upper surface of the mounting base 96. Specifically, the side wall of the mounting hole 962 is arranged with a reserved slot, the electrode lead 95 extends through the reserved slot to reach the inside of the mounting base 96 to be connected with the electrode arranged on the heating body 91. Further, the mounting body 961 is arranged with at least two fastening portions 963, and the mounting base 96 is fixed to the housing 901 of the aerosol-forming device 900 through the fastening portions 963.
In detail, as shown in FIG. 10, FIG. 10 is a front view of the mounting base being assembled with the heater assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The heating body 91 is fastened within the mounting hole 962 of the mounting base 96. In an embodiment, a surface of the portion of the heating assembly 91 inserted into the mounting base 96 has a first fastening structure 964. A second fastening structure 965 is arranged inside the mounting hole 962 of the mounting base 96 at a position corresponding to the first fastening structure 964. The mounting base 96 may be fixed with the heating body 91 by fastening the first fastening structure 964 with the second fastening structure 965, such that stability of connection between the mounting base 96 and the heating body 91 is improved. The first fastening structure 964 may be a plurality of projections (or recesses), and the second fastening structure 965 may be a plurality of recesses (or projections) matched with the first fastening structure 964.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1a, a side of the mounting body 21 may define an extension slot 966 communicated with the mounting hole 962. The extension slot 966 is arranged on a surface of the second connection end F away from the heating body 91. A shape of the extension slot 966 may be the same as a shape of a portion of the heater assembly 90 inserted into the mounting base 96. In this way, the portion of the heater assembly 90 inserted into the mounting base 96 may be reinforced by the extension slot 966 and may be prevented from being broken. In an embodiment, the mounting base 96 may define two extension slots 966, and the two extension slots 966 may cross with and may be perpendicular to each other.
In detail, the mounting base 96 may be made of an organic or an inorganic material having a melting point of greater than 160°C, such as PEEK. The mounting base 96 may be adhered to the heater assembly 90 by an adhesive, and the adhesive may be a glue resistant to high temperatures.
The aerosol-forming device 900 in the present embodiment is arranged with the heater assembly 90, and the heater assembly 90 includes the heating body 91. After being inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98, the heating body 91 heats the aerosol-forming substance 98. Compared to the resistor heating circuit in the art, which is screen-printed on the substrate, the heating body 91 of the present disclosure can be directly and independently inserted into the aerosol-forming substance 98. Further, when the temperature is excessively high, the heating body may not fall off from the substrate, failure of the heater assembly may not be caused, and the stability of the heater assembly 90 may be improved significantly. In addition, the first electrode 92a and the second electrode 92b insulated from the first electrode 92a are arranged; the first electrode 92a is arranged at the first connection end E of the heating body 91 and is electrically connected to the first connection end E; and an end of the second electrode 92b is electrically connected to the second connection end F. In this way, a current circuit is generated between the first connection end E and the second connection end F of the heating body 91, the short circuit may be avoided, the processing may be simpler, and the strength of the heater assembly 90 may be
The above description shows only embodiments of the present disclosure and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation performed based on the description and the accompanying drawings of the present disclosure, applied directly or indirectly in other related fields, shall be equally covered by the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

A heater assembly, comprising:
a heating body, configured to be inserted into and heat an aerosol-forming substance and having a first connection end and a second connection end opposite to the first connection end;

a first electrode, disposed at the first connection end of the heating body and electrically connected to the first connection end; and

a second electrode, wherein an end of the second electrode is electrically connected to the second connection end, and the first electrode is insulated from the second electrode.
The heater assembly according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the second electrode is extending towards the first connection end of the heating body.
The heater assembly according to claim 2, wherein the heating body is plate-shaped and comprises a body portion and a tip portion connected to an end of the body portion;
the second connection end of the heating body is the tip portion, the first connection end of the heating body is an end of the body portion away from the tip portion; and

an end of the second electrode away from the second connection end is arranged at the first connection end of the heating body.
The heater assembly according to claim 3, wherein the first electrode is arranged on a first surface of the heating body;
an insulating layer is arranged on a second surface of the heating body, the insulating layer extends from the first connection end of the heating body to a position near the second connection end, the second surface of the heating body disposed at the second connection end is exposed out of the insulating layer, the second electrode is arranged on a surface of the insulating layer away from the heating body, a portion of the second electrode extends to the outside of the insulating layer and is in contact with the second connection end of the heating body; wherein the first surface is opposite to the second surface.
The heater assembly according to claim 3, wherein the first electrode is arranged on a first surface of the heating body;
an insulating layer is arranged on a surface of the first electrode away from the heating body, the insulating layer extends from the first connection end of the heating body to a position near the second connection end, the second electrode is arranged on a surface of the insulating layer away from the first electrode, and a portion of the second electrode extends to the outside of the insulating layer and is in contact with the second connection end of the heating body.
The heater assembly according to claim 4, wherein the first electrode is rectangular, the second electrode is I-shaped, and the insulating layer is T-shaped.
The heater assembly according to claim 3, wherein the body portion is rectangular, and the tip portion is triangular, arc-shaped or isosceles trapezoidal.
The heater assembly according to claim 1, wherein the heating body is cylindrical and comprises a body portion and a tip portion connected to an end of the body portion; the second connection end of the heating body is the tip portion; and the first connection end of the heating body is an end of the body portion away from the tip portion.
The heater assembly according to claim 8, wherein the first electrode is arranged on at least a portion of the surface of the first connection end of the heating body;
the outer wall of the body portion of the heating body is arranged with an insulating layer; the insulating layer extends from the first connection end of the heating body to a position near the second connection end, and a portion of the body portion near the tip portion is exposed out of the insulating layer;

the second electrode is arranged on a surface of the insulating layer away from the heating body; and a portion of the second electrode extends to the outside of the insulating layer and contacts the second connection end, which is located at a position of the body portion of the heating body near the tip portion and is exposed out of the insulating layer.
The heater assembly according to claim 9, wherein the insulating layer surrounds the outer wall of the heating body and has a notch at a position corresponding to a position where the first electrode is arranged, and at least a portion of the first electrode is exposed through the notch.
The heater assembly according to claim 9, wherein the first electrode surrounds the heating body, and the portion of the second electrode extending to the outside of the insulating layer surrounds the body portion of the heating body.
The heater assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a protective layer, wherein the protective layer is coated on the surface of the heating body and covers the first electrode and the second electrode.
The heater assembly according to claim 12, wherein the protective layer is a vitreous glaze layer and covers the entire surface of the heating body.
The heater assembly according to claim 8, wherein the body portion is cylindrical, and the tip portion is conical or dome-shaped.
The heater assembly according to claim 1, wherein the heating body comprises a first heat region and a second heat region, wherein a ratio of a heating temperature of the first heat region to a heating temperature of the second heat region is greater than 2.
The heater assembly according to claim 1, wherein the heating body is made of conductive ceramics.
The heater assembly according to claim 16, wherein the heating body made of the conductive ceramics includes a main component and a crystalline component;
the main component is one or more of manganese, strontium, lanthanum, tin, antimony, zinc, bismuth, silicon, and titanium; and

the crystalline component is one or more of lanthanum manganate, lanthanum strontium manganate, tin oxide, zinc oxide, antimony oxide, bismuth oxide, silicon oxide, and yttrium oxide.
An aerosol-forming device, comprising: a housing, the heater assembly according to claim 1, and a power supply assembly, wherein the heater assembly and the power supply assembly are arranged inside the housing; the power supply assembly is connected to the heating body and is configured to supply power to the heating body.