EP4250970A1 - Aerosol substrate carrier - Google Patents

Aerosol substrate carrier

Info

Publication number
EP4250970A1
EP4250970A1 EP21823516.6A EP21823516A EP4250970A1 EP 4250970 A1 EP4250970 A1 EP 4250970A1 EP 21823516 A EP21823516 A EP 21823516A EP 4250970 A1 EP4250970 A1 EP 4250970A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
substrate
heat
substrate carrier
retaining portion
carrier
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP21823516.6A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Tony Reevell
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
JT International SA
Original Assignee
JT International SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by JT International SA filed Critical JT International SA
Publication of EP4250970A1 publication Critical patent/EP4250970A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24D—CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
    • A24D1/00—Cigars; Cigarettes
    • A24D1/20—Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
    • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
    • A24F40/40—Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
    • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
    • A24F40/20—Devices using solid inhalable precursors

Definitions

  • Aerosol generating devices have become popular alternatives to traditional combustible tobacco products.
  • Heated tobacco products also referred to as heat- not-burn products, are one class of aerosol generating device that are configured to heat a tobacco substrate to a temperature that is sufficient to produce an aerosol from the substrate but is not so high that the tobacco combusts.
  • heat- not-burn products are one class of aerosol generating device that are configured to heat a tobacco substrate to a temperature that is sufficient to produce an aerosol from the substrate but is not so high that the tobacco combusts.
  • the tobacco substrate is provided as a separate article that is loaded into the aerosol generating device, which contains apparatus for heating the article.
  • the aerosol generating device may have a heating chamber into which the article is loaded for subsequent heating.
  • a substrate carrier for use with an aerosol generation device, the substrate carrier comprising: a first end comprising a mouth piece; a second end opposite the first end; a substrate arranged towards the second end; and a heat-retaining portion arranged between at least part of the substrate and the first end, wherein the heat-retaining portion comprises a portion of the substrate having a higher density than at least one upstream portion of the substrate, and is configured to inhibit heat transfer from the substrate toward the first end.
  • the “stream” of the substrate carrier is defined as passing from the second end of the carrier towards the first end to so as to correspond to a user drawing an aerosol generated at the substrate through the substrate carrier towards the mouthpiece.
  • a component nearby the first end of the substrate carrier is considered downstream of a component nearby the second end.
  • the higher density of the heat-retaining portion acts as a thermal insulator, preventing heat being undesirably transferred away from the substrate towards the first end of the carrier. As less energy is wasted during heating of the substrate carrier, the power-efficiency of an aerosol generation device used with the substrate carrier is increased.
  • the heat-retaining portion also acts to shield other portions and components of the substrate carrier from the high temperatures used to heat the substrate and generate an aerosol. Furthermore, using a higher density portion of the substrate as the heat-retaining portion allows for a simplified, and cheap, fabrication process, as well as increasing the quantity of substrate that may be included within the substrate carrier.
  • the heat-retaining portion is permeable to air and/or comprises at least one hole between an end of the heat-retaining portion closest to the first end of the carrier and an end of the heat-retaining portion closest to the second end of the carrier.
  • aerosol generated by heating the substrate can be drawn through the heat-retaining portion by a user for inhalation.
  • the heat-retaining portion has a higher density than an average density of the substrate.
  • the heat-retaining portion may comprise a material having a higher density than the substrate material.
  • the configuration of the heat-retaining portion varies depending on the substrate used in the substrate carrier.
  • the substrate may comprise an aerosol former and tobacco or non-tobacco (e.g. cellulose pulp) fibres.
  • the higher density of the heat-retaining portion is provided by increasing the amount of the aerosol former in a portion of the substrate. As the density of the aerosol former is higher than the density of the tobacco or non-tobacco fibres, this portion becomes the heat-retaining portion.
  • the higher density of the heat-retaining portion is provided by increasing also increasing the content of tobacco or non-tobacco fibres in the heat-retaining portion. That is, the ratio of aerosol former to fibres in the heat-retaining portion is equal to, or preferably lower, than the average ratio of the substrate.
  • the heat-retaining portion may comprise a portion of the substrate closest to the first end of the substrate carrier. In this way, the heat-retaining portion allows heat to transfer freely around the substrate, allowing for even heating of the substrate, while inhibiting heat from transferring past the end of the substrate.
  • the substrate carrier may further comprise an aerosol collection region arranged between the substrate and the first end.
  • the aerosol collection region allows aerosol, generated by heating the substrate, to build up before being inhaled by a user.
  • the properties of a generated aerosol can be more easily modified within the aerosol collection region.
  • the aerosol collection region may include a cooling region configured to reduce the temperature of a generated aerosol.
  • the aerosol collection region may comprise a hollow tube.
  • the heat-retaining portion may be arranged between at least part of the substrate and at least part of the aerosol collection region. This arrangement prevents heat from being transferred from the substrate to the aerosol collection region.
  • the heat-retaining portion may additionally comprise a high-density portion of the aerosol collection region having a higher density than at least one downstream portion of the aerosol collection region, wherein the high-density portion of the aerosol collection region is adjacent to the substrate.
  • the high-density portion of the aerosol collection region further inhibits heat transfer from the substrate toward the first end of the substrate carrier.
  • the high-density portion of the aerosol collection region may have a higher density than an average density of the aerosol collection region.
  • the substrate carrier may further comprise a second heat-retaining portion arranged at an end of the substrate closest to the second end of the substrate carrier, and configured to inhibit heat transfer from the substrate. This second heat-retaining portion of the substrate further inhibits heat transfer away from the substrate; in particular, from the second end of the substrate carrier.
  • the second heat-retaining portion may comprise a portion of the substrate with a higher density than at least one downstream portion of the substrate. In this way, heat loss from the substrate is reduced without introducing additional components or reducing the quantity of substrate comprised within the substrate carrier.
  • the second heat-retaining portion may have a higher density than an average density of the substrate. That is, the second heat-retaining portion may comprise a material having a higher density than the substrate material.
  • the substrate carrier may further comprise a cooling region arranged between the substrate and the first end of the substrate carrier. This allows the temperature of a generated aerosol to be reduced before inhalation; enabling the substrate to be heated to higher temperatures (without burning) in order to quickly generate an aerosol on demand.
  • the substrate may be arranged along less than 50% of a length of the substrate carrier. This ensures there is sufficient space within the substrate carrier for other components such as the aerosol collection region, cooling region, and mouthpiece.
  • the substrate may have a density which varies along its length. This may be implemented in a variety of manners. This may allow for the aerosol generation (and the smoking/vaping experience) to be modified.
  • the density of the substrate may progressively, i.e. , with a tendency continuum, change across the substrate with a highest density at or near the end of the substrate closest to the first end of the carrier.
  • the density of the substrate gradually changes between the heat-retaining portion and other regions of the substrate, providing a gradient of varying densities across (at least a portion of) the substrate.
  • several discrete regions of the substrate with different densities may be provided within the substrate. This means the density of substrate immediately and substantially changes between different discrete regions of the substrate (e.g. the heat-retaining portion and the rest of the substrate), such that clear density boundaries or step-changes are located between the discrete regions of the substrate.
  • the density of the substrate may generally be comprised between 0.260 and 0.8 mg/mm 3 .
  • the density of the heat-retaining portion is preferably higher than 0.4, more preferably higher than 0.5 and most preferably higher than 0.6 mg/mm 3 .
  • the density of the substrate upstream of the heat-retaining portion is preferably lower than 0.5 mg/mm 3 , preferably lower than 0.45 mg/mm 3 , more preferably lower than 0.4 mg/mm 3 .
  • the heat-retaining portion may be positioned closer to the second end than the first end of the substrate carrier.
  • the mouthpiece may comprise a filter. This may improve the smoking/vaping experience for the user and provides a compact substrate carrier.
  • the filter may comprise at least two filter segments having different characteristics, in particular different pressure drops, lengths and/or fibre densities (i.e., denier-per-filaments, total denier).
  • a filter segment may comprise a cavity or be filled.
  • the filter may be formed of filter tow constituted of filaments made of cellulose acetate or paper- based material.
  • the substrate carrier may further comprise a wrapping surrounding the substrate carrier. This increases the strength of the substrate carrier.
  • the wrapping may comprise at least one ventilation hole, preferably a plurality of circumferentially arranged holes. This allows the draw resistance and temperature of an aerosol to be controlled.
  • the wrapping is cigarette paper.
  • the substrate or substrate portions, aerosol collection region or paper tube and filter or filter segments can be individually wrapped in dedicated wrapping layers and combined together with one or more outer wrapping layers.
  • the filter or filter segments are usually wrapped in plug wrap or plug wraps and combined with the other elements (e.g. paper tube, substrate) using a tipping paper.
  • the heat retaining portion may be wrapped in a first wrapping layer and be assembled with the other portion of the substrate with a second wrapping layer.
  • the substrate may comprise tobacco treated with an aerosol-generating agent. This ensures the substrate generates a desired aerosol for a user to inhale.
  • the aerosol-generating agent, and quantity thereof, may be adjusted to modify the properties of a generated aerosol.
  • aerosol-generating agents includes polyols such as sorbitol, glycerol and glycols such as propylene glycol or triethylene glycol; non-polyols such as monohydric alcohol, acids such as lactic acid, glycerol derivatives, esters such as triacetin, triethylene glycol diacetate or triethyl citrate.
  • the substrate may comprise reconstituted tobacco such as paper reconstituted tobacco, extruded tobacco sheet and/or cast tobacco sheet.
  • Paper reconstituted tobacco refers to tobacco material formed by a process in which tobacco feedstock is extracted with a solvent to provide an extract of solubles and a residue comprising fibrous material and wherein the extract is recombined with fibrous material from the residue by deposition of the extract onto the fibrous material.
  • the aerosol generating agent can be added on the sheet, optionally with flavour and/or water.
  • Paper reconstituted tobacco may be blended with tobacco lamina.
  • Cast tobacco sheet may be made from a slurry comprising tobacco and the aerosol generating agent and water.
  • the slurry may be cast and then dried to form the substrate.
  • the substrate may be formed as gathered sheets, shredded sheet or strands, mousse, granules and combinations thereof.
  • the substrate comprises shredded sheet only with variable density.
  • the substrate is formed of a heat-retaining portion comprises of gathered sheet and the rest of the substrate is formed essentially of shredded sheet.
  • Shredded sheet generally comprises randomly disposed strands of reconstituted tobacco.
  • gathered sheet generally comprises one or more sheet of reconstituted tobacco folded in the tobacco rod and which may eventually be crimped before folding.
  • an aerosol generation device comprising a substrate carrier according to any example of the first aspect of the invention; a heating chamber configured to receive the second end of the substrate carrier; an electrical power source; a heater arranged to supply heat to the heating chamber; and control circuitry configured to control the supply of electrical power from the electrical power source to the heater wherein an opening of the heating chamber is aligned with a part of the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier when the substrate carrier is received in the heating chamber.
  • aligning the opening of the heating chamber with a part of the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier allows the substrate to be heated within the heating chamber while inhibiting heat from transferring along the aerosol carrier.
  • aligning the components in this manner reduces heat transfer between the heating chamber and portions of the substrate carrier closer to the first end of the carrier (relative to the heat-retaining portion of the substrate).
  • the heating chamber may comprise a heat-retaining portion for inhibiting heat transfer from the substrate of the substrate carrier.
  • the heat-retaining portion of the heating chamber inhibits heat transfer from the substrate of a substrate carrier to other components of the aerosol generation device.
  • the heat- retaining portion of the heating chamber may inhibit heat transfer from the heating chamber to other components of the device or portions of the substrate carrier outside of the heating chamber.
  • the heat-retaining portion of the heating chamber may be aligned with the heat- retaining portion of the substrate carrier. In this way, unwanted heat transfer away from the substrate of the substrate carrier is reduced both through the carrier (due to the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier) and through the interior volume of the heating chamber and device around the substrate carrier (due to the heat-retaining portion of the heating chamber). That is, heat transfer away from the heating chamber and the substrate is reduced.
  • the heating chamber may comprise one or more compression elements arranged to extend from an interior surface of the heating chamber such that a width of the heating chamber is reduced in at least one direction.
  • the one or more compression elements may securely hold a received substrate carrier within the heating chamber and limit how far a substrate carrier may be inserted into the heating chamber (without damaging the carrier). Furthermore, the compression element(s) may at as insertion guides for the substrate carrier, facilitating easy insertion and removal of the substrate carrier from the heating chamber.
  • the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier may be at least partially aligned with an upper end of the one or more compression elements. This provides additional support for the substrate carrier (as the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier is typically the strongest portion of the substrate) and a more effective thermal seal between the heat-retaining portion and the compression element(s).
  • an aerosol generation device comprising a heating chamber and a substrate carrier; wherein the heating chamber is configured to receive the substrate carrier; and the substrate carrier comprises a heat-retaining portion configured to align with an opening of the heating chamber when the substrate carrier is received in the heating chamber.
  • Aligning the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier with the opening of the heating chamber improves the thermal insulation of the heating chamber and inhibits heat transfer past the heat-retaining portion.
  • the heat- retaining portion of the substrate is positioned within the opening of the heating chamber to provide improved thermal sealing and reduce heat loss from the heating chamber through the opening, thereby improving the efficiency of the device.
  • the heat-retaining portion may be configured to inhibit heat transfer from the substrate toward a first end of the substrate carrier.
  • the heat-retaining portion may be permeable to air and/or comprise at least one hole between an end of the heat-retaining portion closest to the first end of the carrier and an end of the heat-retaining portion closest to the second end of the carrier, wherein the second end of the substrate carrier is opposite the first end.
  • the heat-retaining portion may have a lower thermal conductivity than at least one upstream portion of the substrate carrier. In some examples, the heat-retaining portion may have a lower thermal conductivity than the average thermal conductivity of the substrate carrier.
  • the heat-retaining portion may comprise a thermal insulator.
  • the thermal insulator may comprise polyimide or other high temperature plastics, ceramic, fiberglass, or an epoxy resin.
  • the heat-retaining portion may comprise a portion of the substrate having a higher density than at least one upstream portion of the substrate carrier. In some examples, the heat-retaining portion may comprise a portion of the substrate having a higher density than the average density of the substrate carrier.
  • the substrate carrier of the third aspect may comprise any of the features described above or below in relation to the first or second aspect of the invention.
  • FIGS. 1A and 1 B schematically illustrate an example aerosol generation device including a substrate carrier
  • Figure 2 schematically illustrates an example substrate carrier
  • FIG. 3 schematically illustrates another example substrate carrier
  • Figure 4 schematically illustrates a further example of a substrate carrier
  • FIGS. 5A and 5B schematically illustrate another example aerosol generation device including a substrate carrier
  • Figure 6 schematically illustrates a further example of an aerosol generation device including a substrate carrier
  • Figure 7 schematically illustrates yet another example of an aerosol generation device including a substrate carrier.
  • FIG. 1A An example aerosol generation device 100 is generally illustrated in an assembled configuration in Figures 1A and 1 B.
  • the device 100 comprises an outer housing provided with an aperture through which a substrate carrier 1 can be inserted into the device 100.
  • Figure 1A shows the device 100 during insertion of the substrate carrier 1 and
  • Figure 1 B shows the substrate carrier 1 held within the aerosol generation device 100.
  • the aerosol generation device 100 comprises a heating chamber 110 configured to receive the substrate carrier 1 through an opening 111 of the heating chamber 110.
  • a heating chamber 110 configured to receive the substrate carrier 1 through an opening 111 of the heating chamber 110.
  • the end of the heating chamber 110 near the opening 111 will be referred to as the “top” of the heating chamber 110 while the end of the heating chamber 110 furthest from the opening will be referred to as the “bottom” of the heating chamber.
  • the end of the heating chamber 110 near the opening 111 will be referred to as “downstream” of the end of the heating chamber 110 furthest from the opening 111.
  • a heater 120 is arranged nearby the heating chamber 110 in order to supply heat to the internal volume of the heating chamber 110, and is connected to an electrical power source 130.
  • Control circuity 140 is configured to control the supply of electrical power from the power source 130 to the heater 120.
  • the substrate carrier 1 comprises a substrate 20 configured, in use, to be received within the heating chamber 110 and heated so as to release vapours which form an aerosol.
  • the substrate 20 comprises tobacco treated with an aerosol generating agent such as propylene glycol or glycerol such as called reconstituted tobacco.
  • the dimensions of the substrate 20 are similar to those of the heating chamber 110. This facilitates even heating of the substrate 20 without wasting energy heating areas of the substrate carrier 1 other than the substrate 20.
  • the width or diameter of the substrate 20 is slightly smaller than that of the internal volume of the heating chamber 110, so as to allow for easy insertion of the substrate 20 into the heating chamber 110.
  • the carrier 1 comprises a first end 2 and a second end 3 with the substrate 20 arranged towards the second end 3 of the carrier 1.
  • an aerosol generated at the substrate 20 can be drawn through the substrate carrier 1 by a user for inhalation.
  • a portion of the substrate 20 comprises a heat-retaining portion 21 arranged at an end of the substrate 20 closest to the first end 2 of the carrier 1.
  • the heat-retaining portion 21 has a higher density than the average density of the substrate 20; this configuration acts as a thermal insulator and inhibits heat transfer from the substrate 20 toward the first end 1.
  • the heat-retaining portion 21 has a higher density than at least one second portion positioned upstream of the heat- retaining portion 21.
  • the heating efficiency of an aerosol generation device used with the substrate carrier 1 is increased, as less energy is used heating unnecessary portions of the carrier 1 (i.e. portions of the carrier 1 areas other than the substrate 20).
  • Using a higher density portion of the substrate 20 as the heat-retaining portion 21 also allows for simplified construction and reduced cost of the substrate carrier 1 compared with a substrate carrier that uses a separate heat-retaining component that must be integrated into such a carrier.
  • this configuration increases the quantity of substrate 20 that may be included within the substrate carrier 1 and so extends the lifespan of the carrier 1.
  • the substrate carrier 1 shown in Figure 3 comprises a second heat-retaining portion 22 arranged at an end of the substrate 20 closest to the second end 3 of the carrier 1.
  • the second heat-retaining portion 22 has a higher density than the average density of the substrate 20 in order to further inhibit heat transfer from the substrate 20.
  • at least one lower density portion of substrate is positioned between the first and second heat-retaining portions 21 , 22.
  • the size, shape, and density of the second heat-retaining portion 22 is the same as the first heat- retaining portion 21; though in other examples the different heat-retaining portions may have different properties.
  • the substrate carrier 1 may include additional components such as a mouthpiece 10 arranged at the first end 2 of the carrier 1.
  • the mouthpiece 10 may comprise a filter (not shown) to modify the properties of a generated aerosol prior to inhaling.
  • an aerosol collection region 30 arranged between the substrate 20 and the first end 2, typically the aerosol collection region 30 comprises a hollow tube.
  • the aerosol collection region may comprise folded and rolled up polymer film such as cellulose acetate.
  • the heat-retaining portion 21 additionally comprises a high-density portion 31 of the aerosol collection region 30 that further inhibits undesirable heat transfer away from the substrate 20.
  • the high-density portion 31 of the aerosol collection region 30 has a higher density than at least one downstream portion of the aerosol collection region 30.
  • the high-density portion 31 of the aerosol collection region 30 is adjacent to the substrate 20 to minimise heat transfer from the substrate 30. It is important that the high-density portion 31 of the collection region 30 allows an aerosol to pass through; this may be provided by the high-density portion 31 being permeable to air or comprising at least one hole through the portion 31.
  • a cooling region 40 may be disposed between the substrate 20 and the first end 2 of the substrate carrier 1.
  • the cooling region 40 may be incorporated into the mouthpiece 10 or aerosol collection region 30 though the example of Figure 4 shows the cooling region 40 as a separate component.
  • the cooling region 40 may be a hollow filter segment such as made of cellulose acetate.
  • the mouthpiece 10 may be a plain filter segment such as made of cellulose acetate.
  • the high-density portion 31 of the aerosol collection region 30 may comprise at least a portion of the cooling region 40.
  • the mouthpiece 10, cooling region 40, and aerosol collection region 30 all allow for the properties of a generated aerosol (e.g. the temperature and texture) to be customised and controlled in order to improve the smoking/vaping experience of a user.
  • the substrate carrier 1 may also comprise a wrapping 60 surrounding the substrate carrier 1.
  • the wrapping may be composed of distinct inner and outer wrapping layers enabling to produce the different components individually and to combine them together to produce the substrate carrier.
  • the substrate 20 may be wrapped by a plug wrap and be combined to the cooling region 30 and mouthpiece 10 by an outer wrapper.
  • the mouthpiece 10 and cooling region 40 may also be individually wrapped by individual plug wraps and/or wrapped together by a plug wrap. This increases the strength of the substrate carrier 1 and can be further used to customising the smoking/vaping experience of a user; for example, the wrapping 60 may comprise a ventilation hole for adjusting draw resistance and cooling an aerosol and/or the substrate carrier 1.
  • FIGS 5A and 5B show a substrate carrier 1 in use with another aerosol generation device 100.
  • the heating chamber 110 of this aerosol generation device 100 further comprises a compression element 112 and a heat-retaining portion 113.
  • the compression element 112 extends from an interior surface of the heating chamber 110 such that a width of the heating chamber 110 is reduced in at least one direction.
  • the compression element 112 is a single element arranged around the opening 111 of the heating chamber 110 that effectively reduces the size of the opening 111 ; thereby compressing the substrate carrier 1 as it is introduced into the heating chamber 110.
  • the substrate carrier 1 can be securely held within the heating chamber 110 in a predetermined configuration - e.g. in an arrangement where the substrate 20 is fixed in the centre of the internal volume of the heating chamber 110 and so may be evenly heated.
  • compression element 112 such as illustrated in Figure 6 may provide the same effects, for example there may be multiple compression elements 112 arranged as strips or elongated embossings along the length or width of the heating chamber 110 and extending from an interior surface of the heating chamber 110. This allows air to be drawn from the opening 111 down around the exterior of the carrier 1 towards the bottom of the heating chamber 110 and into the substrate 20 to entrain a generated aerosol.
  • Configuring the compression element(s) 112 such that the separation between opposing sides of the compression element 112 (e.g., the internal diameter of the compression element 112), or between opposing compression elements 112, decreases as proximity to the bottom of the heating chamber 110 increases allows the compression element(s) 112 to reliably guide a substrate carrier 1 into a desired position within the heating chamber 110.
  • the heat-retaining portion 21 of the substrate carrier 1 is at least partially aligned with an upper end of the compression element 112. This provides a seal between the substrate carrier 1 and the heating chamber 110 (via the compression element 112) to further reduce heat loss and supporting the substrate carrier 1 , preventing it from being pushed too far into the heating chamber 110. For example, if the substrate 20 directly contacts the bottom of the heating chamber 110 this may lead to the substrate 20 overheating.
  • the compression element(s) 112 may be configured to extend along the full length of the heating chamber 110, while in other examples the compression element(s) may only extend over a portion of the length of the heating chamber 110.
  • the compression element 112 does not extend to the bottom of the heating chamber 110. Instead, the compression element 112 only extends down to the second heat-retaining portion 22 - that is, when the substrate carrier 1 is received within the heating chamber 110 the compression element 112 does not overlap with the second heat-retaining portion 22. In this way, the second heat-retaining portion 22 forms a seal with the compression element 112, helping to support the substrate carrier 1 within the device 100.
  • the heat-retaining portion 113 of the heating chamber 110 inhibits heat transfer from the substrate 20 of the substrate carrier 1 to other components of the aerosol generation device 100.
  • the heat-retaining portion 113 of the heating chamber 110 may inhibit heat transfer from the heating chamber 110 to other components of the device 100 or portions of the substrate carrier 1 outside of the heating chamber 110.
  • the heat-retaining portion 113 of the heating chamber 110 is aligned with the heat-retaining portion 21 of the substrate carrier 1 when the substrate carrier 1 is received within the heating chamber 110. This prevents heat being undesirably transferred away from the substrate 20 both through the substrate carrier 1 (due to the heat-retaining portion 21) and through the interior space of the device 100 around the substrate carrier 1 (due to the heat- retaining portion 113).
  • the heat-retaining portion 113 is a thermal insulator arranged at or nearby the opening 111 of the heating chamber 110.
  • the heat-retaining portion 113 may be integrated together with the compression element 112 while in other examples, they may be separate components.
  • the compression element 112 is covered by a portion of the heat- retaining portion 113.
  • some devices 100 may comprise a heat- retaining portion 113 without compression element 112, while others comprise a compression element 112 without a heat-retaining portion, as shown in Figure 7.
  • the compression element 112 only causes a relatively small portion of the substrate 10 to be compressed when held in the heating chamber 110. This allows air to flow around the substrate more easily 10 within the heating chamber 110 which may decrease the draw resistance.
  • Figure 6 shows an aerosol generation device 100 with compression element 112 and heat-retaining portion 113.
  • the compression element 112 is arranged along the length of the heating chamber 110, from the opening 111 to the bottom of the heating chamber 110, such that the substrate 20 of a substrate carrier 1 is compressed along its length when received within the device 100. This ensures the substrate carrier 1 is held securely in position by the device 100 and facilitates consistent heat transfer to the substrate 10 from the heating chamber 110.
  • a portion of substrate having higher density can be achieved by filling more substrate to the rod wrapped with paper using a disk with grooves allowing more amount of tobacco to remain in the rod at groove areas. This forms a higher density at those areas once the rod is wrapped with paper. Another possible way is to produce separate wrapped segments of tobacco substrate having different densities and combining the segments with an additional wrapper.
  • the heat-retaining portion 21 of the substrate carrier 1 is provided by a portion of the substrate 20 having a higher density than at least one upstream portion of the substrate 20, in other examples the heat- retaining portion 21 is not necessarily solely provided by the substrate carrier 1.
  • the heat-retaining portion 21 may also include the high-density portion 31 of the aerosol collection region 30 that aligns with the opening 111 of the heating chamber 110 to improve insulation of the chamber 110 and inhibit heat transfer from the substrate 10.
  • the heat-retaining portion 21 may also include a separate component within the substrate carrier 1 , such as an insulating element configured to be permeable to aerosols, the insulating element arranged adjacent to the substrate 10, between the substrate 10 and the first end 2 of the carrier 1 and, in use, aligned with the opening 111 of the heating chamber 110.
  • a separate component within the substrate carrier 1 such as an insulating element configured to be permeable to aerosols, the insulating element arranged adjacent to the substrate 10, between the substrate 10 and the first end 2 of the carrier 1 and, in use, aligned with the opening 111 of the heating chamber 110.

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  • Resistance Heating (AREA)
  • Catching Or Destruction (AREA)
  • Cigarettes, Filters, And Manufacturing Of Filters (AREA)

Abstract

A substrate carrier (1) for use with an aerosol generation device (100) comprises: a first end (2) comprising a mouthpiece (10); a second end (3) opposite the first end; a substrate (20) arranged towards the second end; and a heat-retaining portion (21) arranged between at least part of the substrate and the first end, wherein the heat- retaining portion is a portion of the substrate having a higher density than at least one upstream portion of the substrate, and is configured to inhibit heat transfer from the substrate toward the first end. By configuring the substrate carrier in this manner, the substrate may be efficiently heated by an aerosol generation device during use.

Description

AEROSOL SUBSTRATE CARRIER
BACKGROUND
Aerosol generating devices have become popular alternatives to traditional combustible tobacco products. Heated tobacco products, also referred to as heat- not-burn products, are one class of aerosol generating device that are configured to heat a tobacco substrate to a temperature that is sufficient to produce an aerosol from the substrate but is not so high that the tobacco combusts. Although this specification makes reference to heated tobacco products in particular, it will be appreciated that the discussion that follows applies equally to aerosol generating systems that incorporate other kinds of heatable substrate.
In some heated tobacco products, the tobacco substrate is provided as a separate article that is loaded into the aerosol generating device, which contains apparatus for heating the article. For example, the aerosol generating device may have a heating chamber into which the article is loaded for subsequent heating. This arrangement provides advantages over, for example, disposable devices, since it minimises waste (as the only waste is the spent articles) and only requires the user to carry a single reusable device. However, many current aerosol generating systems that use the separate article-device arrangement suffer from heat loss and inefficient power use, and those systems that attempt to remedy these issues are costly.
Accordingly, there is a need for an aerosol generating system that overcomes these problems.
SUMMARY
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a substrate carrier for use with an aerosol generation device, the substrate carrier comprising: a first end comprising a mouth piece; a second end opposite the first end; a substrate arranged towards the second end; and a heat-retaining portion arranged between at least part of the substrate and the first end, wherein the heat-retaining portion comprises a portion of the substrate having a higher density than at least one upstream portion of the substrate, and is configured to inhibit heat transfer from the substrate toward the first end.
The “stream” of the substrate carrier is defined as passing from the second end of the carrier towards the first end to so as to correspond to a user drawing an aerosol generated at the substrate through the substrate carrier towards the mouthpiece. For example, a component nearby the first end of the substrate carrier is considered downstream of a component nearby the second end.
The higher density of the heat-retaining portion acts as a thermal insulator, preventing heat being undesirably transferred away from the substrate towards the first end of the carrier. As less energy is wasted during heating of the substrate carrier, the power-efficiency of an aerosol generation device used with the substrate carrier is increased. The heat-retaining portion also acts to shield other portions and components of the substrate carrier from the high temperatures used to heat the substrate and generate an aerosol. Furthermore, using a higher density portion of the substrate as the heat-retaining portion allows for a simplified, and cheap, fabrication process, as well as increasing the quantity of substrate that may be included within the substrate carrier.
Preferably, the heat-retaining portion is permeable to air and/or comprises at least one hole between an end of the heat-retaining portion closest to the first end of the carrier and an end of the heat-retaining portion closest to the second end of the carrier. In this way, aerosol generated by heating the substrate can be drawn through the heat-retaining portion by a user for inhalation.
In some examples of the invention, the heat-retaining portion has a higher density than an average density of the substrate. In particular, the heat-retaining portion may comprise a material having a higher density than the substrate material.
The configuration of the heat-retaining portion varies depending on the substrate used in the substrate carrier. For example, the substrate may comprise an aerosol former and tobacco or non-tobacco (e.g. cellulose pulp) fibres. In an example, the higher density of the heat-retaining portion is provided by increasing the amount of the aerosol former in a portion of the substrate. As the density of the aerosol former is higher than the density of the tobacco or non-tobacco fibres, this portion becomes the heat-retaining portion. In a preferred example, the higher density of the heat-retaining portion is provided by increasing also increasing the content of tobacco or non-tobacco fibres in the heat-retaining portion. That is, the ratio of aerosol former to fibres in the heat-retaining portion is equal to, or preferably lower, than the average ratio of the substrate. As the content of the aerosol former decreases during aerosol generation (thereby decreasing the density of the heat- retaining portion), this maintains effective levels of aerosol former in the substrate (and in particular, in the heat-retaining portion) so that desired aerosol generation continues, and the thermal insulation properties of the heat-retaining portion continue.
The heat-retaining portion may comprise a portion of the substrate closest to the first end of the substrate carrier. In this way, the heat-retaining portion allows heat to transfer freely around the substrate, allowing for even heating of the substrate, while inhibiting heat from transferring past the end of the substrate.
The substrate carrier may further comprise an aerosol collection region arranged between the substrate and the first end. In use, the aerosol collection region allows aerosol, generated by heating the substrate, to build up before being inhaled by a user. The properties of a generated aerosol can be more easily modified within the aerosol collection region. For example, the aerosol collection region may include a cooling region configured to reduce the temperature of a generated aerosol.
The aerosol collection region may comprise a hollow tube.
The heat-retaining portion may be arranged between at least part of the substrate and at least part of the aerosol collection region. This arrangement prevents heat from being transferred from the substrate to the aerosol collection region.
The heat-retaining portion may additionally comprise a high-density portion of the aerosol collection region having a higher density than at least one downstream portion of the aerosol collection region, wherein the high-density portion of the aerosol collection region is adjacent to the substrate. The high-density portion of the aerosol collection region further inhibits heat transfer from the substrate toward the first end of the substrate carrier. In some examples, the high-density portion of the aerosol collection region may have a higher density than an average density of the aerosol collection region.
The substrate carrier may further comprise a second heat-retaining portion arranged at an end of the substrate closest to the second end of the substrate carrier, and configured to inhibit heat transfer from the substrate. This second heat-retaining portion of the substrate further inhibits heat transfer away from the substrate; in particular, from the second end of the substrate carrier.
The second heat-retaining portion may comprise a portion of the substrate with a higher density than at least one downstream portion of the substrate. In this way, heat loss from the substrate is reduced without introducing additional components or reducing the quantity of substrate comprised within the substrate carrier. In some examples, the second heat-retaining portion may have a higher density than an average density of the substrate. That is, the second heat-retaining portion may comprise a material having a higher density than the substrate material.
The substrate carrier may further comprise a cooling region arranged between the substrate and the first end of the substrate carrier. This allows the temperature of a generated aerosol to be reduced before inhalation; enabling the substrate to be heated to higher temperatures (without burning) in order to quickly generate an aerosol on demand.
The substrate may be arranged along less than 50% of a length of the substrate carrier. This ensures there is sufficient space within the substrate carrier for other components such as the aerosol collection region, cooling region, and mouthpiece.
The substrate may have a density which varies along its length. This may be implemented in a variety of manners. This may allow for the aerosol generation (and the smoking/vaping experience) to be modified. For example, the density of the substrate may progressively, i.e. , with a tendency continuum, change across the substrate with a highest density at or near the end of the substrate closest to the first end of the carrier. This means, in a specific example, the density of the substrate gradually changes between the heat-retaining portion and other regions of the substrate, providing a gradient of varying densities across (at least a portion of) the substrate. In another example, several discrete regions of the substrate with different densities may be provided within the substrate. This means the density of substrate immediately and substantially changes between different discrete regions of the substrate (e.g. the heat-retaining portion and the rest of the substrate), such that clear density boundaries or step-changes are located between the discrete regions of the substrate.
The density of the substrate may generally be comprised between 0.260 and 0.8 mg/mm3. The density of the heat-retaining portion is preferably higher than 0.4, more preferably higher than 0.5 and most preferably higher than 0.6 mg/mm3. The density of the substrate upstream of the heat-retaining portion is preferably lower than 0.5 mg/mm3, preferably lower than 0.45 mg/mm3, more preferably lower than 0.4 mg/mm3.
The heat-retaining portion may be positioned closer to the second end than the first end of the substrate carrier.
The mouthpiece may comprise a filter. This may improve the smoking/vaping experience for the user and provides a compact substrate carrier. The filter may comprise at least two filter segments having different characteristics, in particular different pressure drops, lengths and/or fibre densities (i.e., denier-per-filaments, total denier). A filter segment may comprise a cavity or be filled. The filter may be formed of filter tow constituted of filaments made of cellulose acetate or paper- based material.
The substrate carrier may further comprise a wrapping surrounding the substrate carrier. This increases the strength of the substrate carrier. Optionally, the wrapping may comprise at least one ventilation hole, preferably a plurality of circumferentially arranged holes. This allows the draw resistance and temperature of an aerosol to be controlled. Preferably, the wrapping is cigarette paper. The substrate or substrate portions, aerosol collection region or paper tube and filter or filter segments can be individually wrapped in dedicated wrapping layers and combined together with one or more outer wrapping layers. The filter or filter segments are usually wrapped in plug wrap or plug wraps and combined with the other elements (e.g. paper tube, substrate) using a tipping paper. The heat retaining portion may be wrapped in a first wrapping layer and be assembled with the other portion of the substrate with a second wrapping layer.
The substrate may comprise tobacco treated with an aerosol-generating agent. This ensures the substrate generates a desired aerosol for a user to inhale. The aerosol-generating agent, and quantity thereof, may be adjusted to modify the properties of a generated aerosol. Examples of aerosol-generating agents includes polyols such as sorbitol, glycerol and glycols such as propylene glycol or triethylene glycol; non-polyols such as monohydric alcohol, acids such as lactic acid, glycerol derivatives, esters such as triacetin, triethylene glycol diacetate or triethyl citrate.
The substrate may comprise reconstituted tobacco such as paper reconstituted tobacco, extruded tobacco sheet and/or cast tobacco sheet.
Paper reconstituted tobacco refers to tobacco material formed by a process in which tobacco feedstock is extracted with a solvent to provide an extract of solubles and a residue comprising fibrous material and wherein the extract is recombined with fibrous material from the residue by deposition of the extract onto the fibrous material. The aerosol generating agent can be added on the sheet, optionally with flavour and/or water. Paper reconstituted tobacco may be blended with tobacco lamina.
Cast tobacco sheet may be made from a slurry comprising tobacco and the aerosol generating agent and water. The slurry may be cast and then dried to form the substrate. The substrate may be formed as gathered sheets, shredded sheet or strands, mousse, granules and combinations thereof.
In an embodiment, the substrate comprises shredded sheet only with variable density. In another embodiment the substrate is formed of a heat-retaining portion comprises of gathered sheet and the rest of the substrate is formed essentially of shredded sheet. Shredded sheet generally comprises randomly disposed strands of reconstituted tobacco. As opposed to strands, gathered sheet generally comprises one or more sheet of reconstituted tobacco folded in the tobacco rod and which may eventually be crimped before folding.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an aerosol generation device comprising a substrate carrier according to any example of the first aspect of the invention; a heating chamber configured to receive the second end of the substrate carrier; an electrical power source; a heater arranged to supply heat to the heating chamber; and control circuitry configured to control the supply of electrical power from the electrical power source to the heater wherein an opening of the heating chamber is aligned with a part of the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier when the substrate carrier is received in the heating chamber.
As the opening of the heating chamber is the edge of the heating region provided by the heating chamber, aligning the opening of the heating chamber with a part of the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier allows the substrate to be heated within the heating chamber while inhibiting heat from transferring along the aerosol carrier. In addition, aligning the components in this manner reduces heat transfer between the heating chamber and portions of the substrate carrier closer to the first end of the carrier (relative to the heat-retaining portion of the substrate).
The heating chamber may comprise a heat-retaining portion for inhibiting heat transfer from the substrate of the substrate carrier. The heat-retaining portion of the heating chamber inhibits heat transfer from the substrate of a substrate carrier to other components of the aerosol generation device. In addition, the heat- retaining portion of the heating chamber may inhibit heat transfer from the heating chamber to other components of the device or portions of the substrate carrier outside of the heating chamber.
The heat-retaining portion of the heating chamber may be aligned with the heat- retaining portion of the substrate carrier. In this way, unwanted heat transfer away from the substrate of the substrate carrier is reduced both through the carrier (due to the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier) and through the interior volume of the heating chamber and device around the substrate carrier (due to the heat-retaining portion of the heating chamber). That is, heat transfer away from the heating chamber and the substrate is reduced.
The heating chamber may comprise one or more compression elements arranged to extend from an interior surface of the heating chamber such that a width of the heating chamber is reduced in at least one direction.
The one or more compression elements may securely hold a received substrate carrier within the heating chamber and limit how far a substrate carrier may be inserted into the heating chamber (without damaging the carrier). Furthermore, the compression element(s) may at as insertion guides for the substrate carrier, facilitating easy insertion and removal of the substrate carrier from the heating chamber.
The heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier may be at least partially aligned with an upper end of the one or more compression elements. This provides additional support for the substrate carrier (as the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier is typically the strongest portion of the substrate) and a more effective thermal seal between the heat-retaining portion and the compression element(s).
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an aerosol generation device comprising a heating chamber and a substrate carrier; wherein the heating chamber is configured to receive the substrate carrier; and the substrate carrier comprises a heat-retaining portion configured to align with an opening of the heating chamber when the substrate carrier is received in the heating chamber.
Aligning the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier with the opening of the heating chamber improves the thermal insulation of the heating chamber and inhibits heat transfer past the heat-retaining portion. In particular, the heat- retaining portion of the substrate is positioned within the opening of the heating chamber to provide improved thermal sealing and reduce heat loss from the heating chamber through the opening, thereby improving the efficiency of the device.
The heat-retaining portion may be configured to inhibit heat transfer from the substrate toward a first end of the substrate carrier.
The heat-retaining portion may be permeable to air and/or comprise at least one hole between an end of the heat-retaining portion closest to the first end of the carrier and an end of the heat-retaining portion closest to the second end of the carrier, wherein the second end of the substrate carrier is opposite the first end.
The heat-retaining portion may have a lower thermal conductivity than at least one upstream portion of the substrate carrier. In some examples, the heat-retaining portion may have a lower thermal conductivity than the average thermal conductivity of the substrate carrier.
The heat-retaining portion may comprise a thermal insulator. The thermal insulator may comprise polyimide or other high temperature plastics, ceramic, fiberglass, or an epoxy resin.
The heat-retaining portion may comprise a portion of the substrate having a higher density than at least one upstream portion of the substrate carrier. In some examples, the heat-retaining portion may comprise a portion of the substrate having a higher density than the average density of the substrate carrier.
The substrate carrier of the third aspect may comprise any of the features described above or below in relation to the first or second aspect of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figures 1A and 1 B schematically illustrate an example aerosol generation device including a substrate carrier;
Figure 2 schematically illustrates an example substrate carrier;
Figure 3 schematically illustrates another example substrate carrier;
Figure 4 schematically illustrates a further example of a substrate carrier;
Figures 5A and 5B schematically illustrate another example aerosol generation device including a substrate carrier;
Figure 6 schematically illustrates a further example of an aerosol generation device including a substrate carrier; and
Figure 7 schematically illustrates yet another example of an aerosol generation device including a substrate carrier.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
An example aerosol generation device 100 is generally illustrated in an assembled configuration in Figures 1A and 1 B. The device 100 comprises an outer housing provided with an aperture through which a substrate carrier 1 can be inserted into the device 100. Figure 1A shows the device 100 during insertion of the substrate carrier 1 and Figure 1 B shows the substrate carrier 1 held within the aerosol generation device 100.
Within the housing, the aerosol generation device 100 comprises a heating chamber 110 configured to receive the substrate carrier 1 through an opening 111 of the heating chamber 110. For the purpose of this description, the end of the heating chamber 110 near the opening 111 will be referred to as the “top” of the heating chamber 110 while the end of the heating chamber 110 furthest from the opening will be referred to as the “bottom” of the heating chamber. In addition, the end of the heating chamber 110 near the opening 111 will be referred to as “downstream” of the end of the heating chamber 110 furthest from the opening 111. A heater 120 is arranged nearby the heating chamber 110 in order to supply heat to the internal volume of the heating chamber 110, and is connected to an electrical power source 130. Control circuity 140 is configured to control the supply of electrical power from the power source 130 to the heater 120.
The substrate carrier 1 comprises a substrate 20 configured, in use, to be received within the heating chamber 110 and heated so as to release vapours which form an aerosol. Typically, the substrate 20 comprises tobacco treated with an aerosol generating agent such as propylene glycol or glycerol such as called reconstituted tobacco.
As shown in Figure 1 B, the dimensions of the substrate 20 are similar to those of the heating chamber 110. This facilitates even heating of the substrate 20 without wasting energy heating areas of the substrate carrier 1 other than the substrate 20. The width or diameter of the substrate 20 is slightly smaller than that of the internal volume of the heating chamber 110, so as to allow for easy insertion of the substrate 20 into the heating chamber 110.
As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, the carrier 1 comprises a first end 2 and a second end 3 with the substrate 20 arranged towards the second end 3 of the carrier 1. In use, an aerosol generated at the substrate 20 can be drawn through the substrate carrier 1 by a user for inhalation. Advantageously, a portion of the substrate 20 comprises a heat-retaining portion 21 arranged at an end of the substrate 20 closest to the first end 2 of the carrier 1. The heat-retaining portion 21 has a higher density than the average density of the substrate 20; this configuration acts as a thermal insulator and inhibits heat transfer from the substrate 20 toward the first end 1. In particular, the heat-retaining portion 21 has a higher density than at least one second portion positioned upstream of the heat- retaining portion 21. In this way, the heating efficiency of an aerosol generation device used with the substrate carrier 1 is increased, as less energy is used heating unnecessary portions of the carrier 1 (i.e. portions of the carrier 1 areas other than the substrate 20). Using a higher density portion of the substrate 20 as the heat-retaining portion 21 also allows for simplified construction and reduced cost of the substrate carrier 1 compared with a substrate carrier that uses a separate heat-retaining component that must be integrated into such a carrier. In addition, this configuration increases the quantity of substrate 20 that may be included within the substrate carrier 1 and so extends the lifespan of the carrier 1.
The substrate carrier 1 shown in Figure 3 comprises a second heat-retaining portion 22 arranged at an end of the substrate 20 closest to the second end 3 of the carrier 1. As with the first heat-retaining portion 21 , the second heat-retaining portion 22 has a higher density than the average density of the substrate 20 in order to further inhibit heat transfer from the substrate 20. In this case, at least one lower density portion of substrate is positioned between the first and second heat-retaining portions 21 , 22. In some examples of the invention the size, shape, and density of the second heat-retaining portion 22 is the same as the first heat- retaining portion 21; though in other examples the different heat-retaining portions may have different properties.
As illustrated in Figure 4, the substrate carrier 1 may include additional components such as a mouthpiece 10 arranged at the first end 2 of the carrier 1. The mouthpiece 10 may comprise a filter (not shown) to modify the properties of a generated aerosol prior to inhaling. There is also provided an aerosol collection region 30 arranged between the substrate 20 and the first end 2, typically the aerosol collection region 30 comprises a hollow tube. In some examples, the aerosol collection region may comprise folded and rolled up polymer film such as cellulose acetate. In some examples of the invention, the heat-retaining portion 21 additionally comprises a high-density portion 31 of the aerosol collection region 30 that further inhibits undesirable heat transfer away from the substrate 20. The high-density portion 31 of the aerosol collection region 30 has a higher density than at least one downstream portion of the aerosol collection region 30. Preferably, the high-density portion 31 of the aerosol collection region 30 is adjacent to the substrate 20 to minimise heat transfer from the substrate 30. It is important that the high-density portion 31 of the collection region 30 allows an aerosol to pass through; this may be provided by the high-density portion 31 being permeable to air or comprising at least one hole through the portion 31.
A cooling region 40 may be disposed between the substrate 20 and the first end 2 of the substrate carrier 1. In some examples of the invention the cooling region 40 may be incorporated into the mouthpiece 10 or aerosol collection region 30 though the example of Figure 4 shows the cooling region 40 as a separate component. In particular, in Figure 4, the cooling region 40 may be a hollow filter segment such as made of cellulose acetate. The mouthpiece 10 may be a plain filter segment such as made of cellulose acetate. In an example where the cooling region 40 is incorporated into the aerosol collection region 30, the high-density portion 31 of the aerosol collection region 30 may comprise at least a portion of the cooling region 40.
The mouthpiece 10, cooling region 40, and aerosol collection region 30 all allow for the properties of a generated aerosol (e.g. the temperature and texture) to be customised and controlled in order to improve the smoking/vaping experience of a user. In some examples, the substrate carrier 1 may also comprise a wrapping 60 surrounding the substrate carrier 1. The wrapping may be composed of distinct inner and outer wrapping layers enabling to produce the different components individually and to combine them together to produce the substrate carrier. In particular, the substrate 20 may be wrapped by a plug wrap and be combined to the cooling region 30 and mouthpiece 10 by an outer wrapper. The mouthpiece 10 and cooling region 40 may also be individually wrapped by individual plug wraps and/or wrapped together by a plug wrap. This increases the strength of the substrate carrier 1 and can be further used to customising the smoking/vaping experience of a user; for example, the wrapping 60 may comprise a ventilation hole for adjusting draw resistance and cooling an aerosol and/or the substrate carrier 1.
Figures 5A and 5B show a substrate carrier 1 in use with another aerosol generation device 100. In contrast with the device 100 described above in relation to Figures 1A and 1 B, the heating chamber 110 of this aerosol generation device 100 further comprises a compression element 112 and a heat-retaining portion 113.
The compression element 112 extends from an interior surface of the heating chamber 110 such that a width of the heating chamber 110 is reduced in at least one direction. For example, in Figures 5A and 5B the compression element 112 is a single element arranged around the opening 111 of the heating chamber 110 that effectively reduces the size of the opening 111 ; thereby compressing the substrate carrier 1 as it is introduced into the heating chamber 110. In this way, the substrate carrier 1 can be securely held within the heating chamber 110 in a predetermined configuration - e.g. in an arrangement where the substrate 20 is fixed in the centre of the internal volume of the heating chamber 110 and so may be evenly heated. Other forms of compression element 112 such as illustrated in Figure 6 may provide the same effects, for example there may be multiple compression elements 112 arranged as strips or elongated embossings along the length or width of the heating chamber 110 and extending from an interior surface of the heating chamber 110. This allows air to be drawn from the opening 111 down around the exterior of the carrier 1 towards the bottom of the heating chamber 110 and into the substrate 20 to entrain a generated aerosol. Configuring the compression element(s) 112 such that the separation between opposing sides of the compression element 112 (e.g., the internal diameter of the compression element 112), or between opposing compression elements 112, decreases as proximity to the bottom of the heating chamber 110 increases allows the compression element(s) 112 to reliably guide a substrate carrier 1 into a desired position within the heating chamber 110.
Preferably, the heat-retaining portion 21 of the substrate carrier 1 is at least partially aligned with an upper end of the compression element 112. This provides a seal between the substrate carrier 1 and the heating chamber 110 (via the compression element 112) to further reduce heat loss and supporting the substrate carrier 1 , preventing it from being pushed too far into the heating chamber 110. For example, if the substrate 20 directly contacts the bottom of the heating chamber 110 this may lead to the substrate 20 overheating. In some examples of the aerosol generation device 100, the compression element(s) 112 may be configured to extend along the full length of the heating chamber 110, while in other examples the compression element(s) may only extend over a portion of the length of the heating chamber 110.
For a device 100 configured to receive a substrate carrier 1 with a second heat- retaining portion 22 close to the second end 3 of the carrier 1 (as described above), preferably the compression element 112 does not extend to the bottom of the heating chamber 110. Instead, the compression element 112 only extends down to the second heat-retaining portion 22 - that is, when the substrate carrier 1 is received within the heating chamber 110 the compression element 112 does not overlap with the second heat-retaining portion 22. In this way, the second heat-retaining portion 22 forms a seal with the compression element 112, helping to support the substrate carrier 1 within the device 100.
The heat-retaining portion 113 of the heating chamber 110 inhibits heat transfer from the substrate 20 of the substrate carrier 1 to other components of the aerosol generation device 100. In addition, the heat-retaining portion 113 of the heating chamber 110 may inhibit heat transfer from the heating chamber 110 to other components of the device 100 or portions of the substrate carrier 1 outside of the heating chamber 110. Preferably, the heat-retaining portion 113 of the heating chamber 110 is aligned with the heat-retaining portion 21 of the substrate carrier 1 when the substrate carrier 1 is received within the heating chamber 110. This prevents heat being undesirably transferred away from the substrate 20 both through the substrate carrier 1 (due to the heat-retaining portion 21) and through the interior space of the device 100 around the substrate carrier 1 (due to the heat- retaining portion 113). Typically, the heat-retaining portion 113 is a thermal insulator arranged at or nearby the opening 111 of the heating chamber 110.
In some examples of the aerosol generation device 100, the heat-retaining portion 113 may be integrated together with the compression element 112 while in other examples, they may be separate components. For example, as shown in Figures 5A, 5B, and 6, the compression element 112 is covered by a portion of the heat- retaining portion 113. Alternatively, some devices 100 may comprise a heat- retaining portion 113 without compression element 112, while others comprise a compression element 112 without a heat-retaining portion, as shown in Figure 7.
As shown in Figure 5B, the compression element 112 only causes a relatively small portion of the substrate 10 to be compressed when held in the heating chamber 110. This allows air to flow around the substrate more easily 10 within the heating chamber 110 which may decrease the draw resistance.
Figure 6 shows an aerosol generation device 100 with compression element 112 and heat-retaining portion 113. In contrast with the device 100 shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the compression element 112 is arranged along the length of the heating chamber 110, from the opening 111 to the bottom of the heating chamber 110, such that the substrate 20 of a substrate carrier 1 is compressed along its length when received within the device 100. This ensures the substrate carrier 1 is held securely in position by the device 100 and facilitates consistent heat transfer to the substrate 10 from the heating chamber 110.
A portion of substrate having higher density can be achieved by filling more substrate to the rod wrapped with paper using a disk with grooves allowing more amount of tobacco to remain in the rod at groove areas. This forms a higher density at those areas once the rod is wrapped with paper. Another possible way is to produce separate wrapped segments of tobacco substrate having different densities and combining the segments with an additional wrapper.
Although in the above description the heat-retaining portion 21 of the substrate carrier 1 is provided by a portion of the substrate 20 having a higher density than at least one upstream portion of the substrate 20, in other examples the heat- retaining portion 21 is not necessarily solely provided by the substrate carrier 1. For example, the heat-retaining portion 21 may also include the high-density portion 31 of the aerosol collection region 30 that aligns with the opening 111 of the heating chamber 110 to improve insulation of the chamber 110 and inhibit heat transfer from the substrate 10. In another example, the heat-retaining portion 21 may also include a separate component within the substrate carrier 1 , such as an insulating element configured to be permeable to aerosols, the insulating element arranged adjacent to the substrate 10, between the substrate 10 and the first end 2 of the carrier 1 and, in use, aligned with the opening 111 of the heating chamber 110.

Claims

1. A substrate carrier for use with an aerosol generation device, the substrate carrier comprising: a first end comprising a mouthpiece; a second end opposite the first end; a substrate arranged towards the second end; and a heat-retaining portion arranged between at least part of the substrate and the first end, wherein the heat-retaining portion comprises a portion of the substrate having a higher density than at least one upstream portion of the substrate, and is configured to inhibit heat transfer from the substrate toward the first end.
2. The substrate carrier of claim 1 , wherein the heat-retaining portion comprises a portion of the substrate closest to the first end of the substrate carrier.
3. The substrate carrier of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an aerosol collection region arranged between the substrate and the first end.
4. The substrate carrier of claim 2 or 3, wherein the heat-retaining portion additionally comprises a high-density portion of the aerosol collection region having a higher density than at least one downstream portion of the aerosol collection region, wherein the high-density portion of the aerosol collection region is adjacent to the substrate.
5. The substrate carrier of claim 3 or 4, wherein the aerosol collection region comprises a hollow tube.
6. The substrate carrier of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a second heat-retaining portion arranged at an end of the substrate closest to the second end of the substrate carrier, and configured to inhibit heat transfer from the substrate.
7. The substrate carrier of claim 6, wherein the second heat-retaining portion comprises a portion of the substrate having a higher density than at least one downstream portion of the substrate.
8. The substrate carrier of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a cooling region arranged between the substrate and the first end of the substrate carrier.
9. The substrate carrier of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate is arranged along less than 50% of a length of the substrate carrier.
10. The substrate carrier of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate has a density which varies along its length.
11. The substrate carrier of claim 10, wherein the density of the substrate progressively changes across the length of the substrate, and wherein a highest substrate density is at or near the end of the substrate closest to the first end of the substrate carrier.
12. The substrate carrier of any preceding claim, wherein the density of the substrate is greater than or equal to 0.26 mg/mm3 and less than or equal to 0.8 mg/mm3.
13. The substrate carrier of claim 12, wherein the density of the heat-retaining portion is greater than or equal to 0.4 mg/mm3.
14. The substrate carrier of claim 13, wherein the density of the heat-retaining portion is greater than or equal to 0.5 mg/mm3.
15. The substrate carrier of claim 14, wherein the density of the heat-retaining portion is greater than or equal to 0.6 mg/mm3.
16. The substrate carrier of any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the density of the substrate upstream of the heat-retaining portion is less than or equal to 0.5 mg/mm3.
17. The substrate carrier of any of claims 12 to 16, wherein the density of the substrate upstream of the heat-retaining portion is less than or equal to 0.45 mg/mm3.
18. The substrate carrier of any of claims 12 to 17, wherein the density of the substrate upstream of the heat-retaining portion is less than or equal to 0.4 mg/mm3.
19. The substrate carrier of any preceding claim, wherein the mouthpiece comprises a filter.
20. An aerosol generation device, comprising: a substrate carrier according to any one of the preceding claims; a heating chamber configured to receive the second end of the substrate carrier; an electrical power source; a heater arranged to supply heat to the heating chamber; and control circuitry configured to control the supply of electrical power from the electrical power source to the heater, wherein an opening of the heating chamber is aligned with a part of the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier when the substrate carrier is received in the heating chamber.
21. The aerosol generation device of claim 20, wherein the heating chamber comprises a heat-retaining portion for inhibiting heat transfer from the substrate of the substrate carrier.
22. The aerosol generation device of claim 21, wherein the heat-retaining portion of the heating chamber is aligned with the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier.
23. The aerosol generation device of any of claims 20 to 22, wherein the heating chamber comprises one or more compression elements arranged to extend from an interior surface of the heating chamber such that a width of the heating chamber is reduced in at least one direction.
24. The aerosol generation device of claim 23, wherein the heat-retaining portion of the substrate carrier is at least partially aligned with an upper end of the one or more compression elements.
EP21823516.6A 2020-11-27 2021-11-29 Aerosol substrate carrier Pending EP4250970A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP20210465 2020-11-27
PCT/EP2021/083428 WO2022112577A1 (en) 2020-11-27 2021-11-29 Aerosol substrate carrier

Publications (1)

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EP4250970A1 true EP4250970A1 (en) 2023-10-04

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JP (1) JP2023551138A (en)
WO (1) WO2022112577A1 (en)

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1372691A (en) * 1971-08-11 1974-11-06 Molins Ltd Cigarettes
GB2503644A (en) * 2012-05-03 2014-01-08 British American Tobacco Co Filter
CN107536113B (en) * 2017-09-05 2023-10-27 惠州市新泓威科技有限公司 Heating non-combustible electronic smoking set
PL3636084T3 (en) * 2018-10-12 2022-05-02 Jt International S.A. Aerosol generation device, and heating chamber therefor
BR112021005881A2 (en) * 2018-12-06 2021-07-27 Philip Morris Products S.A. aerosol generating article with high aerosol former content

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