EP4577069A1

EP4577069A1 - Aerosol generating apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP4577069A1
Application number: EP23761882.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pier Paolo MONTICONE; Layth Sliman BOUCHUIGUIR
Original assignee: JT International SA
Current assignee: JT International SA
Priority date: 2022-08-26
Filing date: 2023-08-25
Publication date: 2025-07-02
Anticipated expiration: 2043-08-25
Also published as: WO2024042207A1; EP4577069B1; JP2025530014A; KR20250050867A; CN119730737A

Abstract

An aerosol generating apparatus (100, 300, 400) is disclosed, the apparatus comprising: a cavity (102, 302, 408) configured to receive an aerosol forming consumable; a heater (106, 306, 414) configured to heat but not burn an aerosol forming consumable (104, 304, 410) received in the cavity, thereby to generate an aerosol; and a gas supply device (108, 308, 404) comprising a separator, the gas supply device configured to remove oxygen from air by use of the separator so as to produce a gas having a reduced concentration of oxygen, relative to air, and to supply the gas to the cavity.

Description

AEROSOL GENERATING APPARATUS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an aerosol generating apparatus which provides a low oxygen or oxygen-free gas to a heatable cavity, or oven, of the apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Known heated tobacco ovens in aerosol generating apparatuses, in particular heat-not-burn systems, are often limited to a heating temperature that prevents or reduces the risk of burning the tobacco consumable provided within the oven. The burning of tobacco can occur when there is oxygen in the oven or cavity space which causes residual combustion, resulting in a higher toxicity aerosol for a user to inhale. In many cases the burnt tobacco consumable can also undesirably create a bad smell or taste in the generated aerosol.

An object of the invention is to provide a high heating temperature environment for heating an aerosol forming consumable that has a lower risk of burning the consumable.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided an aerosol generating apparatus, comprising: a cavity configured to receive an aerosol forming consumable; a heater configured to heat but not bum an aerosol forming consumable received in the cavity, thereby to generate an aerosol; and a gas supply device comprising a separator, the gas supply device configured to remove oxygen from air by use of the separator so as to produce a gas having a reduced concentration of oxygen, relative to air, and to supply the gas to the cavity.

In this way, a low oxygen or oxygen-free gas can be provided to the cavity of the aerosol generating apparatus. Advantageously a low oxygen or oxygen-free gas allows the temperature of the heater in the cavity to be increased whilst avoiding or reducing the combustion of the aerosol forming consumable received within the cavity. Heating an aerosol forming consumable at a higher temperature may make more efficient use of the consumable (i.e. less wastage of the consumable) as well as generate a more desirable aerosol, in which particles are more finely dispersed. For example, nicotine is dispersed into smaller particles at higher temperatures and can be better absorbed by a user’s lungs into their bloodstream, resulting in a more efficient nicotine delivery. In addition it has also been found that a tobaccobased consumable can be more effectively depleted when heated at a higher temperature.

Combustion or burning of an aerosol forming consumable may cause higher toxicity relating to burnt material and bad smells for the user. This may undesirably increase the risk of health-related problems for users and spoil user experience.

The separator of the gas supply device may be configured to use a gas separation technique such as a pressure swing adsorption technique or a membrane gas separation technique or any other suitable gas separation technique as will be apparent to the skilled person. The separator may be an oxygen removal device, also known as an oxygen concentrator device. It should be appreciated that the separator actively removes oxygen from the air (before it is delivered to the cavity) in order that a reduced-oxygen gas is provided to the cavity such that combustion or the risk of combustion in the cavity is prevented.

In known oxygen removal devices and oxygen concentrator devices, the oxygen removed from air is usually the desired gas and the nitrogen and/or other gasses in the remaining air are often discarded as useless by-product. In the present invention the non-oxygen gas product is advantageously used to provide the low or no-oxygen environment in the apparatus cavity. The removed oxygen may be re-inserted to the air flow path of the apparatus away from the heater and cavity. Preferably, the gas is substantially free of oxygen. In this way, the risk of combustion or residual combustion of the aerosol forming consumable in the cavity is significantly decreased and an optimal aerosol may be generated.

Preferably, the aerosol generating apparatus further comprises a gas tank that is connectable to the gas supply device to receive the gas having a reduced concentration of oxygen, relative to air. In this way, the gas may be stored in the gas tank and released into the cavity as required. Advantageously, a storage gas tank will allow a greater variability of the delivery rates of the gas to the cavity. For instance, a higher delivery rate may involve a gas supply device or oxygen removal device operating in tandem with a supply of gas from the gas tank. In another example, the gas supply device may build up an amount of gas to be stored in the gas tank for gas to be supplied only from the gas tank (i.e. without an active or continuous supply from the gas supply device) for one or more uses (i.e. vaping sessions) of the apparatus. It has also been found that the gas tank and the gas supply device can be housed in different and separable parts of the overall aerosol generating apparatus to improve the ease of use of the apparatus.

Preferably, the aerosol generating apparatus further comprises a second gas tank that is connectable to the gas supply device to receive the removed oxygen. In this way, removed oxygen may be stored in a second gas tank for release as required. For instance, oxygen can be added to the generated aerosol before it is inhaled by a user.

Preferably, the aerosol generating apparatus further comprises an oxygen supply conduit configured to supply the removed oxygen to an airflow channel extending away from the heater in the cavity. In this way, the oxygen removed by the gas supply device can be directed away from the heater and/or cavity to reduce the risk of residual combustion. Preferably, the oxygen supply conduit is configured to supply the removed oxygen to the airflow channel in a mouthpiece. In this way, the removed oxygen can be directed into the airflow path for user inhalation. In another example, a mouthpiece may comprise one or more holes to allow additional air to be combined with generated aerosol before user inhalation. Preferably, the aerosol generating apparatus further comprises an additional gas supply configured to supply a second gas having a reduced concentration of oxygen, relative to air, to the cavity. Preferably, the second gas is nitrogen. In this way, the amount of oxygen in the cavity may be further reduced. The second gas may be combined with the gas provided by the gas supply device before it is suppled to the cavity, or in another example the additional gas supply may provide an alternative low oxygen or oxygen-free gas supply that is independent of the gas supply device. The additional gas supply may comprise a pressurised cylinder or gas tank of a low-oxygen gas. Alternatively, the additional gas supply may comprise a solid, liquid and/or solid-liquid material that is configured to generate a non-oxygen gas that can be provided to the cavity.

Preferably, the aerosol generating apparatus further comprises a puff sensor connected to an actuator, wherein the actuator is configured to supply the gas to the cavity during an inhalation, as detected by the puff sensor. In this way, the supply of gas to the cavity can be controlled to only occur when a user takes a puff from the apparatus. This may provide a more efficient use of the gas supply device and extend the usage time of the apparatus. Preferably, the aerosol generating apparatus is further configured to supply the removed oxygen to the airflow channel during the inhalation, as detected by the puff sensor. A similar technique can also be employed with the removed oxygen provide oxygen to generated aerosol when a user puff is detected. Preferably, the actuator comprises a solenoid valve.

Preferably, the aerosol generating apparatus further comprises an aerosol generating device, and a case in which the aerosol generating device can be contained. In this way, the functions of the overall aerosol generating apparatus can be separated to optimise user experience. For instance, the aerosol generating device may be used for user inhalation and the gas supply device and/or other components of the apparatus are separate from the device. The aerosol generating device can be taken from the case when a user wishes to take a puff, and returned to the case when finished. The case may hold the gas supply device and/or other components which may not be particularly useful for the user inhalation aspect provided by the device. Preferably, the case includes the gas supply device. As an example, the gas supply device in the case may recharge one or more gas tanks provided in the aerosol generating device to provide a more lightweight device for user handling and inhalation. In a further example, the aerosol generating device may be returned to the case of the aerosol generating apparatus to charge a battery of the device.

Preferably, the aerosol generating apparatus further comprises an aerosol forming consumable received in the cavity and positioned adjacent the heater. In this way, the aerosol forming consumable can be effectively heated by the heater when provided in the cavity so as to generate the aerosol.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of generating an aerosol for user inhalation, comprising: receiving an aerosol forming consumable in a cavity of an aerosol generating apparatus; receiving air in a gas supply device of the aerosol generating apparatus; removing oxygen, by use of a separator in the gas supply device, from the received air to produce a gas having a reduced concentration of oxygen, relative to air; supplying the gas to the cavity; and heating, by a heater of the aerosol generating apparatus, but not burning, the aerosol forming consumable so as to generate the aerosol.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are now described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic flow diagram of an aerosol generating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic view of a gas supply device;

Figure 3 is a schematic flow diagram of an aerosol generating apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is a schematic flow diagram of an aerosol generating apparatus according to a third embodiment of the invention; and

Figures 5A and 5B are schematic views of different actuator systems.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 illustrates a schematic view of the control and airflow through an aerosol generating apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The aerosol generating apparatus 100 includes a cavity 102 in which a consumable 104, such as a tobacco portion or sim card, can be inserted and heated by a heater 106 of the apparatus 100. The cavity 102 and the heater 106 together can be considered as the oven of the aerosol generating apparatus 100.

The aerosol generating apparatus 100 also includes a gas supply device 108, which functions as an oxygen removal device or oxygen concentrator by providing a gas that has a lower amount of oxygen than outside air to the cavity 102 through a gas pipe 110. In this particular example, the gas supply device 108 is an oxygen concentrator device which will be explained in further detail with reference to Figure 2. However, as will be apparent to the skilled person, alternative gas supply techniques may be employed to provide a low oxygen or oxygen-free gas to the oven. For example, a supply of a non-oxygen gas such as nitrogen may be stored in a pressurised cylinder and allow the gas to be released into the oven on demand. In another example, a solid and/or liquid material may be used which generates a non-oxygen gas when heated. Supplying a low oxygen or oxygen- free gas to the cavity 102 allows an inserted consumable 104 to be heated in a low oxygen or oxygen-free environment which reduces the likelihood of combustion or burning of the consumable 104.

When a consumable 104 received in the cavity 102 is heated, an aerosol is formed which is directed to a user through a vapour pipe 112 of the aerosol generating apparatus 100. The vapour pipe 112 may optionally connect to a mouthpiece 114 from which the user inhales the generated aerosol. The vapour pipe 112 may also optionally comprise one or more holes 115 which allow air from outside the vapour pipe 112 the aerosol generating apparatus 100 to be combined with the generated aerosol before user inhalation.

In this particular example, the aerosol generating apparatus 100 also includes an oxygen supply pipe 116 which delivers the oxygen removed from the outside air by the gas supply device 108 to the vapour pipe 112. In another example, the oxygen supply pipe 116 may connect to a refillable gas tank (not shown) or alternatively the removed oxygen may simply be released by the gas supply device 108 back into the surrounding air of the apparatus 100.

The aerosol generating apparatus 100 further comprises a control system which includes a microcontroller 118 connected to a puff sensor 120, the heater 106 and the gas supply device 108. The microcontroller 118 is configured to receive a signal from the puff sensor 120 that a user is taking a puff from the mouthpiece 114. The microcontroller 118 is then further configured to send instructions to the gas supply device 108 to supply a low oxygen or oxygen-free gas to the cavity 102 and instructions to the heater 106 to generate heat for heating an inserted consumable in the cavity 102. The control system and gas supply device 108 should be sufficiently reactive to generate a suitable amount of gas on demand and as required as a user inhales or takes a puff from the apparatus 100. In some examples, the control system may further include a puff prediction algorithm to predict and control production and supply of gas from the gas supply device 108. In a further example, the control system may further include an accelerometer configured to send a trigger signal to the microcontroller 118 to initiate the gas supply device 108 prior to (so as to pre-empt) a user puff. This advantageously minimises the lag between a user taking a puff and the gas supply device 108 supplying the gas to the cavity 102.

As will be appreciated by the skilled person, the heater 106, the gas supply device 108 and the control system are powered by one or more power sources (not shown) such as a battery. The different components may be all powered from a single power source or have some shared or separate power sources. Figure 2 is a schematic view of a gas supply device 200 according to the invention. The gas supply device 200 is described below with reference to the aerosol generating apparatus 100 of Figure 1 , but it should be understood that the same gas supply device 200 can be used in the other aerosol generating apparatuses 300, 400 described herein.

Oxygen concentrators are known in the art, typically in the medical field, to concentrate oxygen from received air by selectively removing nitrogen and providing an oxygen-enriched gas to a user. Essentially such devices (oxygen removal or oxygen concentrators) separate the different gasses, e.g. oxygen or nitrogen, in air and direct them along different paths. The gas supply device 200 in the present invention separates oxygen from received air and directs the remaining gas and supplies the gas to the oven cavity 102 of an aerosol generating apparatus 100.

The gas supply device 200 includes a separator 202 which may use a pressure swing adsorption technique or a membrane gas separation technique or other suitable gas separation technique as will be apparent to the skilled person. The gas supply device 200 also includes an air inlet 204 and a first outlet 206, where the air inlet 204 receives air from outside the aerosol generating device and directs it to the separator 202. The separator 202 removes oxygen from the received air to produce a gas having a reduced concentration of oxygen, relative to the outside air I received air, and sends the produced gas to the cavity 102 of the aerosol generating device via the gas pipe 110.

The gas supply device 200 includes a second outlet 208 which directs the oxygen removed from the received air along an oxygen supply pipe to a vapour pipe 112 of the aerosol generating apparatus 100, where the removed oxygen can be combined with the aerosol generated from a consumable 104 heated in the cavity 102 in the vapour pipe 112 before the combined aerosol and oxygen is inhaled by a user.

Figure 3 illustrates a schematic flow diagram of an aerosol generating apparatus 300 according to another embodiment of the invention. The aerosol generating apparatus 300, similar to that described in reference to Figure 1 , includes a cavity 302 for an aerosol forming consumable 304, a heater 306, and a gas supply device 308. The aerosol generating apparatus 300 also includes a gas pipe 310 that extends from the gas supply device 308 to the cavity 302, and a vapour pipe 312 that extends from the cavity 302 to a mouthpiece 314 from which a user can inhale aerosol generated from the consumable 304 heated in the cavity 302.

In the aerosol generating apparatus 300, there is also a gas tank 316 and an actuator 318 provided along the gas pipe 310 between the gas supply device 308 and the cavity 302. The gas tank 316 stores gas having a reduced concentration of oxygen or oxygen-free gas produced by the gas supply device 308. The gas tank 316 may have capacity for one or more vaping sessions of the aerosol generating apparatus 300 according to design requirements.

The actuator 318 acts as a release mechanism for the gas tank 316 to control the flow of produced gas from the gas tank 316 to the cavity 302. As an example, the actuator 318 is solenoid valve that is controlled by a microcontroller 320 of the aerosol generating apparatus 300. The microcontroller 320 is also configured to control the heater 306 and receive signals from a puff sensor 322 when a user takes a puff from the apparatus 300. To put it in another way, when a user takes a puff from the mouthpiece 314, the puff sensor 322 positioned along the vapour pipe 312 detects the user puff and sends a signal to the microcontroller 320. The microcontroller 320 then operates the heater 306 and the actuator 318 such that low or no oxygen gas in the gas tank 316 is allowed to pass along the gas pipe 310 through the actuator 318 or valve and into the cavity 302. A cavity 302 is heated by the heater 306 such that the consumable 304 received in the cavity 302 generates an aerosol which is delivered to the user through the vapour pipe 312 and mouthpiece 314. The microcontroller 320 may control the heater 306 and actuator 318 simultaneously or sequentially according to design requirements. As will be appreciated by the skilled person, the temperature of the heater 306 and cavity 302 may not reach a combustible temperature of an aerosol forming consumable in the time it takes for the low/no oxygen gas to be suppled to the cavity 302. In other words, the heat-up time of the heater 306 may be less than the delivery time of the gas from the gas tank 316 to the cavity 302 and a sequential operation of the actuator 318 and the heater 306 may not be necessary.

The aerosol generating apparatus 300 also includes an oxygen supply pipe 324 which delivers the oxygen separated by the gas supply device 308 to the vapour pipe 312. In another example, the oxygen supply pipe 324 may connect to a second gas tank (not shown) and oxygen can be supplied to the vapour pipe 312 by a second actuator (not shown) in a similar way to that described above. The vapour pipe 312 may also have one or more holes 326 to allow outside air to enter the pipe and mix with generated aerosol from the cavity 302.

In this particular example in Figure 3, the aerosol generating apparatus 300 is a single piece of equipment. However, in another example, the apparatus 300 may be split into an aerosol generating device and a case (not shown), where the gas supply device 308 is provided in the case and the aerosol generating device is a removable component from the case. In the removable device, the gas tank 316, control system, oven and mouthpiece would be part of the device, which can be re-inserted back into the case to recharge the gas tank(s). As will be apparent to the skilled person, the separate device and case system would require a different power source arrangement where the gas supply device 308 in the case is powered separately to the components in the removable device. The apparatus can also be configured to recharge the power source of the removable device when it is inserted in the case. A specific example of a two-part system is described below with reference to Figure 4.

Figure 4 illustrates a schematic view of the control and air flow through an aerosol generating apparatus 400 according to another embodiment of the invention. The apparatus 400 includes an aerosol generating device 402 and a gas supply device 404. The gas supply device 404 is housed in a case (not shown) and the aerosol generating device 402 can be removably inserted into the case. When the aerosol generating device 402 is inserted in the case, it is connected to the gas supply device 404 to receive a low/no-oxygen gas produced by the gas supply device 404. The aerosol generating device 402 includes a gas tank 406 to receive the produced gas from the gas supply device 404 and a cavity 408 for receiving an aerosol forming consumable 410. The gas stored in the gas tank 406 is supplied to the cavity 408 through a gas pipe 412 and the aerosol generating device 402 also includes a heater 414 for providing heat to the cavity 408 and the consumable 410 received within the cavity. Aerosol formed from heating the consumable 410 is delivered to a user through a vapour pipe 416. The vapour pipe 416 may optionally include one or more holes 415 to allow outside air to combine with the generated aerosol before it is inhaled by the user through a mouthpiece 417.

The aerosol generating device 402 also includes a control system comprising a puff sensor 418, a microcontroller 420 and an actuator 422 such as a solenoid valve. The control system operates in a similar way to that described with reference to Figure 3, where the microcontroller 420 is configured to receive a signal from the puff sensor 418 that the user is taking a puff, and sends one or more signals to operate the actuator 422 and the heater 414 so as to release the gas from the gas tank 406 to the cavity 408 and heat the consumable 410 inserted into the cavity 408 respectively. In this particular example, the aerosol generating device 402 does not include an oxygen supply pipe, but it would be apparent to the skilled person that an oxygen storage and supply system can also be incorporated into the aerosol generating device 402 in a similar way to the low/no oxygen gas system.

Figure 5A and 5B are schematic views of different actuator systems that can be used with the aerosol generating system of the present invention.

Figure 5A shows a mechanical pressure regulator system 500 having a diaphragm section 502 with an inlet 504 and an outlet 506. The inlet 504 is configured to draw produced gas from the gas tank of the above-described aerosol generating systems, and the outlet 506 is configured to deliver the produced gas to the cavity of the aerosol generating systems. The inlet 504 and outlet 506 optionally have respective pressure gauges 508, 510. The diaphragm section 502 includes an aperture 512 and a pressure adjustment handle 514 comprising a screw handle 516 connected to a plug 518 and springs 520 positioned between the handle 516 and the plug 518 and between the plug and a wall opposite the handle 516. The two springs 520 suspends the plug 518 through the aperture 512 and a first end 522 of the plug 518 is configured to prevent airflow through the aperture 512 (and as such block the produced gas from travelling from the inlet 504 to the outlet 506 when the apparatus is not in use I no puff is taken by the user). The second end 524 of the plug 518 is connected to a flexible diaphragm 526 in the diaphragm section 502, such that when a user takes a puff, the diaphragm 526 and connecting plug 518 is displaced and allow produced gas can flow from the inlet 504 to the outlet 506 (and to the cavity).

As will be appreciated by the skilled person, the screw handle 516 can adjust the height of the plug 518 to ensure that the plug 518 blocks the aperture 512 when the apparatus is not in use and to set a desirable user inhalation pressure for the plug 518 to be sufficiently displaced.

Figure 5B shows a solenoid valve actuator system 550, which is a type of electromechanical valve system. As described above, when a puff sensor sends a signal to a microcontroller, the microcontroller can operate the solenoid valve by drawing power from a power source 552 and generating an electromagnetic field between a solenoid coil 554. The electromagnetic field then moves the valve plunger 556 from a first sealing position to a second release position. When the plunger 556 is in the first position, the produced gas is prevented from passing through the actuator system 550 and when the plunger 556 is in the second position, produced gas flows from the system inlet 558 to the system outlet 560 in the direction from a gas tank to a cavity in the aerosol generating apparatuses described above.

Claims

1 . An aerosol generating apparatus, comprising: a cavity configured to receive an aerosol forming consumable; a heater configured to heat but not bum an aerosol forming consumable received in the cavity, thereby to generate an aerosol; and a gas supply device comprising a separator, the gas supply device configured to remove oxygen from air by use of the separator so as to produce a gas having a reduced concentration of oxygen, relative to air, and to supply the gas to the cavity.

2. The aerosol generating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gas is substantially free of oxygen.

3. The aerosol generating apparatus of claims 1 or 2, further comprising a gas tank that is connectable to the gas supply device to receive the gas having a reduced concentration of oxygen, relative to air.

4. The aerosol generating apparatus of claims 1 , 2 or 3, further comprising a second gas tank that is connectable to the gas supply device to receive the removed oxygen.

5. The aerosol generating apparatus of any of the preceding claims, further comprising an oxygen supply conduit configured to supply the removed oxygen to an airflow channel extending away from the heater in the cavity.

6. The aerosol generating apparatus of claim 5, wherein the oxygen supply conduit is configured to supply the removed oxygen to the airflow channel in a mouthpiece.

7. The aerosol generating apparatus of any of the preceding claims, further comprising an additional gas supply configured to supply a second gas having a reduced concentration of oxygen, relative to air, to the cavity.

8. The aerosol generating apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second gas is nitrogen.

9. The aerosol generating apparatus of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a puff sensor connected to an actuator, wherein the actuator is configured to supply the gas to the cavity during an inhalation, as detected by the puff sensor.

10. The aerosol generating apparatus of claim 9, further configured to supply the removed oxygen to the airflow channel during the inhalation, as detected by the puff sensor.

11 . The aerosol generating apparatus of claims 9 or 10, wherein the actuator comprises a solenoid valve.

12. The aerosol generating apparatus of any of the preceding claims, further comprising an aerosol generating device, and a case in which the aerosol generating device can be contained.

13. The aerosol generating apparatus of claim 12, wherein the case includes the gas supply device.

14. The aerosol generating apparatus of any of the preceding claims, further comprising an aerosol forming consumable received in the cavity and positioned adjacent the heater.

15. A method of generating an aerosol for user inhalation, comprising: receiving an aerosol forming consumable in a cavity of an aerosol generating apparatus; receiving air in a gas supply device of the aerosol generating apparatus; removing oxygen, by use of a separator in the gas supply device, from the received air to produce a gas having a reduced concentration of oxygen, relative to air; supplying the gas to the cavity; and heating, by a heater of the aerosol generating apparatus, but not burning, the aerosol forming consumable so as to generate the aerosol.