EP4696166A1

EP4696166A1 - Aerosol generating device

Info

Publication number: EP4696166A1
Application number: EP24788032.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Zhenyong DENG; Yang Deng; Feng Liang
Original assignee: Smoore International Holdings Ltd
Current assignee: Smoore International Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 2023-04-14
Filing date: 2024-04-08
Publication date: 2026-02-18
Also published as: JP2026512148A; CN118787143A; US20260033546A1; KR20250165372A; WO2024212929A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aerosol-generating device. The aerosol-generating device may include an accommodating seat and a drive assembly. The accommodating seat defines an accommodating cavity for accommodating an aerosol-forming article. The accommodating cavity has a central axis for the aerosol-forming article to be arranged in the accommodating cavity rotatably around the central axis. The drive assembly includes a drive motor and a transmission unit. The transmission unit is respectively connected to the drive motor and the aerosol-forming article, to transmit power generated by the drive motor to the aerosol-forming article, for the aerosol-forming article to rotate around the central axis. The device can ensure consistency of the taste of the aerosol within one rotation cycle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of atomization technologies, and in particular, to an aerosol-generating device.

BACKGROUND

An aerosol-generating device may heat and atomize an aerosol-forming article through microwave heating. The aerosol-forming article is generally cylindrical, and is inserted into the aerosol-generating device, and correspondingly arranged in a strong microwave field formed by a microwave heating assembly of the aerosol-generating device, to achieve microwave heating.
In the related art, the aerosol-generating device usually heats the entire substrate segment of the aerosol-forming article, resulting in that the aerosol generated from the aerosol-forming article through heating in the early stage is rich, its taste becomes weaker as time goes by, and consequently, consistency of the user experience cannot be ensured.

SUMMARY

A technical problem to be resolved by the present invention is to provide a novel aerosol-generating device.
A technical solution adopted in the present invention to resolve the technical problem thereof is to construct an aerosol-generating device, including:

an accommodating seat, defining an accommodating cavity for accommodating an aerosol-forming article, where the accommodating cavity has a central axis for the aerosol-forming article to be arranged in the accommodating cavity rotatably around the central axis; and
a drive assembly, including
a drive motor; and
a transmission unit, respectively connected to the drive motor and the aerosol-forming article, to transmit power generated by the drive motor to the aerosol-forming article, for the aerosol-forming article to rotate around the central axis.

In some embodiments, the transmission unit includes:

a driving member, mounted on a rotating shaft of the drive motor; and
a driven member, mounted on the accommodating seat rotatably around the central axis,
where the driving member cooperates with the driven member, to transmit the power generated by the drive motor to the driven member.

In some embodiments, a through hole for holding the peripheral surface of the aerosol-forming article is formed in the driven member, and the through hole is in communication with the accommodating cavity.
In some embodiments, the through hole includes a first hole segment and a second hole segment connected to the first hole segment;

a plurality of fixing teeth for holding the aerosol-forming article are formed on the peripheral wall of the first hole segment; and
the second hole segment is sleeved on the outer periphery of the accommodating seat.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fixing teeth are formed on the inner peripheral wall of the first hole segment along the circumference and in a same direction at intervals.
In some embodiments, a groove extending circumferentially around the second hole segment is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the second hole segment; and a flange matching the groove is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the accommodating seat.
In some embodiments, the driving member includes a driving gear, the driven member includes a driven gear, and the driving gear is meshed with the driven gear.
In some embodiments, the driving member includes a driving wheel, and the driven member includes a driven wheel; and
the transmission unit further includes a belt or a chain, where the driving wheel drives, through the belt or the chain, the driven wheel to rotate.
In some embodiments, the driving member includes a swing rod, and the driven member includes a ratchet sleeve; and
the transmission unit further includes a pawl, and the driving wheel drives, through the pawl, the ratchet sleeve to rotate.
In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating device further includes:

an outer conductor unit, configured to define a cavity, where the accommodating cavity is formed in the cavity; and
an inner conductor unit, arranged in the cavity and including a microwave radiation element, where the microwave radiation element is arranged deviating from the central axis and located at the periphery of the accommodating cavity,
where the aerosol-forming article is rotatable relative to the microwave radiation element through the drive assembly.

Implementation of the present invention has the following beneficial effects: By designing the drive assembly, and through cooperation between the drive assembly and the accommodating seat, the aerosol-forming article inserted in the accommodating seat can rotate around the central axis of the accommodating cavity, to implement circumferential rotation and segmented heating. In this way, within one rotation cycle, each time the aerosol-forming article is rotated and heated, a heated part of the aerosol-forming article is an unheated local structure within this rotation cycle, so that consistency of the taste of the aerosol within one rotation cycle can be ensured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic overall outside view of an aerosol-generating device according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic local structural diagram of an aerosol-generating device with a housing omitted according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional diagram of cooperation between a drive assembly and a microwave heating assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an exploded structural diagram of the drive assembly and the microwave heating assembly shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an outer conductor unit according to the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an accommodating seat at a first angle according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an accommodating seat at a top-view angle according to the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional diagram of cooperation between a drive assembly, an accommodating seat, and an aerosol-forming article according to the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of cooperation between a drive assembly and an accommodating seat according to the present invention; and
FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a driven member of a drive assembly according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To provide a clearer understanding of the technical features, objectives, and effects of the present invention, specific implementations of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, it should be understood that orientation or position relationships indicated by the terms such as "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "longitudinal", "transverse", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "head", and "tail" are based on orientation or position relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and structures and operations in specific orientations, and are used only for ease of description of the technical solution, rather than indicating that the mentioned apparatus or element needs to have a particular orientation. Therefore, such terms should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.
It should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, terms such as "mounted", "connected", "connection", "fixed", and "arranged" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, a connection may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; or the connection may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; or may be a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate, or internal communication between two elements or an interaction relationship between two elements. When a component is referred to as "above" or "below" another component, the component may be "directly" or "indirectly" located above the other component, or there may also be one or more intermediate components. The terms such as "first", "second", and "third" are used only for ease of description of the technical solution, and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implying a quantity of indicated technical features. Therefore, features defined by "first", "second", and "third" may explicitly indicate or implicitly include one or more of the features. A person of ordinary skill in the art may understand the specific meanings of the foregoing terms in the present invention according to specific situations.
In the following descriptions, for the purpose of description rather than limitation, specific details such as specific system structures, and technologies are proposed to thoroughly understand the embodiments of the present invention. However, it should be clear to a person skilled in the art that the present invention may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted, to prevent unnecessary details from obscuring the descriptions of the present invention.
According to the present invention, an aerosol-generating device 100 is constructed. The aerosol-generating device 100 may be configured to heat an aerosol-forming article 200 through microwaves for atomization to generate an aerosol for a user to puff or inhale.
In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 1, the aerosol-generating device 100 may be formed into an elliptic cylindrical shape as a whole. Certainly, the shape of the aerosol-generating device 100 may alternatively be another shape. This is not specifically limited herein.
Then referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the aerosol-generating device 100 may include a microwave heating assembly 1, a microwave generation unit (not shown), a control assembly 2, a drive assembly 5, and a power supply assembly (not shown).
Certainly, optionally, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the aerosol-generating device 100 may further include a housing 3 and a mounting holder 4 arranged in the housing 3. The microwave heating assembly 1, the microwave generation unit, and the power supply assembly may be mounted on the mounting holder 4.
The power supply assembly is configured to supply power to the microwave heating assembly 1, the microwave generation unit, the control assembly 2, and the drive assembly 5. The control assembly 2 is configured to control operation of the microwave heating assembly 1, the microwave generation unit, and the drive assembly 5. The microwave generation unit may generate microwave signals and feed microwaves into the microwave heating assembly 1. The microwave heating assembly 1 uses the microwaves to locally heat the aerosol-forming article 200 in the circumferential direction, and uses the drive assembly 5 to drive the aerosol-forming article 200 to rotate relative to the microwave heating assembly 1, thereby achieving circumferential segmented heating. In this way, each time the aerosol-forming article 200 is rotated and heated, a heated part of the aerosol-forming article 200 is an unheated local structure within this rotation cycle, so that consistency of the taste of the aerosol within one rotation cycle can be ensured, thereby further improving the user experience.
In addition, in the related art, when the entire substrate segment of the aerosol-forming article 200 is initially heated, the temperature rises slowly. However, in the present invention, because the microwave heating assembly 1 emphatically heats a local region in the circumferential direction of the aerosol-forming article 200, a to-be-heated area becomes smaller. Therefore, the aerosol-generating device 100 can achieve a higher vapor outlet speed at the same power. In addition, because the present aerosol-generating device 100 heats only a local region, the heating power may be lower than that of the related art, and is more energy-efficient.
For example, the control assembly 2 includes an airflow sensing switch 21. During each puff, the airflow sensing switch 21 senses an airflow change, and the drive assembly 5 is controlled to drive the aerosol-forming article 200 to rotate relative to the microwave heating assembly 1, to change a region in which the aerosol-forming article 200 is heated in the circumferential direction.
Certainly, the drive assembly 5 is not a necessary component of the present invention. In some embodiments, the relative rotation between the aerosol-forming article 200 and the microwave heating assembly 1 may also be achieved through manual control.
In some embodiments, the microwave heating assembly 1 is roughly cylindrical in appearance. Certainly, the microwave heating assembly 1 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and it may also be in any other shape such as a square column or an elliptical column.
Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 together, the microwave heating assembly 1 may include an outer conductor unit 11, an inner conductor unit 12, an accommodating seat 14, and a microwave feeding unit 13. The outer conductor unit 11 has a closed end 111 and an open end 112 opposite to the closed end 111, and may define a semi-closed cavity 113. The inner conductor unit 12 includes an inner conductor body 121 and a microwave radiation element 122 combined with the inner conductor body 121. The inner conductor body 121 is connected to the closed end 111 of the outer conductor unit 11 and is in ohmic contact with the end wall of the closed end 111, thereby forming a short-circuit end of the microwave heating assembly 1. The microwave radiation element 122 is located in the cavity 113 but is not in contact with the outer conductor unit 11, thereby forming the open-circuit end of the microwave heating assembly 1. The microwave feeding unit 13 is detachably mounted on the outer conductor unit 11, and is configured to feed microwaves generated by the microwave generation unit into the cavity 113, thereby forming a microwave field that can act on the aerosol-forming article 200 in the cavity 113. The accommodating seat 14 is fixedly or detachably mounted at the open end 112 of the outer conductor unit 11, and is configured to define an accommodation cavity 141 for accommodating the aerosol-forming article 200. The accommodating seat 141 is located in a region in which the microwave field is mainly formed.
Certainly, the accommodating seat 14 is not a necessary component in the present invention, and instead, can be used in the present invention as a preferred solution, to protect the cavity 113 and the inner conductor body 121 from being contaminated by the aerosol as much as possible. In some other embodiments, the accommodating cavity 141 may be directly formed in the cavity 113. For example, the accommodating seat 14 is not arranged, and the aerosol-forming article 200 may be directly inserted into the cavity 113 from the open end 112 of the outer conductor unit 11. In this case, the space of the cavity 113 occupied by the aerosol-forming article 200 is the accommodating cavity 141.
As shown in FIG. 3, the accommodating cavity 141 may include a central axis 142. The aerosol-forming article 200 (referring to FIG. 8) may be cylindrical. When the aerosol-forming article 200 is inserted in the accommodating cavity 141, the central axis of the aerosol-forming article 200 coincides with the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141. The microwave radiation element 122 is arranged deviating from the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141, is located on the periphery of the accommodating cavity 141, and can rotate around the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141 relative to the aerosol-forming article 200 arranged in the accommodating cavity 141. It may be understood as that the microwave radiation element 122 can rotate around the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141, or the aerosol-forming article 200 can rotate around the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141 in the accommodating cavity 141.
For example, the microwave radiation element 122 may be fixed relative to the outer conductor unit 11, and the aerosol-forming article 200 may be rotatably arranged in the accommodating cavity 141. Optionally, the inner conductor body 121, the microwave radiation element 122, and the accommodating seat 14 are fixedly arranged in the cavity 113, respectively, and when the aerosol-forming article 200 is inserted into the accommodating seat 14, the aerosol-forming article 200 is fixed relative to the accommodating seat 14 in the axial direction, and the aerosol-forming article 200 may rotate around the central axis 142 of the accommodation cavity 141.
Alternatively, the microwave radiation element 122 may be rotatable relative to the outer conductor unit 11, and the aerosol-forming article 200 article may be fixedly arranged in the accommodating cavity 141. Optionally, the microwave radiation element 122 and the inner conductor body 121 synchronously rotate. The inner conductor body 121 and the microwave radiation element 122 are relatively fixed, the inner conductor body 121 and the microwave radiation element 122 are fixed relative to the cavity 113 in the axial direction. The inner conductor body 121 and the microwave radiation element 122 can rotate around the central axis 142 of the accommodation cavity 141. The microwave radiation element 122 is located in the circumferential direction of the accommodating cavity 141, and the aerosol-forming article 200 is fixedly inserted into the accommodating cavity 141. When the aerosol-forming article 200 is inserted in the accommodating seat 14, the microwave radiation element 122 can rotate around the circumferential direction of the aerosol-forming article 200. Alternatively, only the microwave radiation element 122 rotates. The inner conductor body 121 is fixed at the closed end 111 of the outer conductor unit 11, the microwave radiation element 122 is fixed relative to the inner conductor body 121 in the axial direction, and the microwave radiation element 122 is arranged in the circumferential direction of the accommodation cavity 141, and can rotate around the central axis 142 of the accommodation cavity 141 relative to the inner conductor body 121. The aerosol-forming article 200 is fixedly inserted into the accommodating cavity 141. When the aerosol-forming article 200 is inserted in the accommodating seat 14, the microwave radiation element 122 can rotate around the circumferential direction of the aerosol-forming article 200.
Alternatively, the microwave radiation element 122 may rotate relative to the outer conductor unit 11, and the aerosol-forming article 200 may also be rotatably arranged in the accommodation cavity 141. Rotations of the two are different in at least one of the direction and the speed. Optionally, the inner conductor body 121 is fixed at the closed end 111 of the outer conductor unit 11, the microwave radiation element 122 is fixed relative to the inner conductor body 121 in the axial direction, and the microwave radiation element 122 is arranged in the circumferential direction of the accommodation cavity 141, and can rotate around the central axis 142 of the accommodation cavity 141 relative to the inner conductor body 121. The accommodating seat 14 is fixedly mounted on the outer conductor unit 11, and the microwave radiation element 122 is located in the circumferential direction of the accommodating cavity 141. When the aerosol-forming article 200 is inserted in the accommodating seat 14, the aerosol-forming article 200 is fixed relative to the accommodating seat 14 in the axial direction, but the aerosol-forming article 200 can rotate around the central axis 142 of the accommodation cavity 141. When the aerosol-forming article 200 is inserted in the accommodating seat 14, the microwave radiation element 122 and the aerosol-forming article 200 can rotate independently.
Second, the rotation direction of the aerosol-forming article 200 relative to the microwave heating assembly 1 may depend on actual needs. It may be rotating along a single direction, for example, only clockwise or counterclockwise. Alternatively, the rotation direction is switchable, for example, from clockwise to counterclockwise, or from counterclockwise to clockwise.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the outer conductor unit 11 may include a conductor side wall 114, a conductor end wall 115, and a conductor convex wall 116.
The conductor side wall 114 may be cylindrical, the top end of the conductor side wall 114 is designed open to form the open end 112 of the outer conductor unit 11, the bottom end of the conductor side wall 114 is also designed open, and the conductor end wall 115 is integrally sealed at the bottom end of the conductor side wall 114 to form the closed end 111 of the outer conductor unit 11.
The conductor convex wall 116 is integrally combined with the outer periphery of the conductor side wall 114, and the bottom surface of the conductor convex wall 116 (the surface away from the open end 112 of the outer conductor unit 11) may be flush with the outer end surface of the conductor end wall 115.
A feeding hole 117 is formed in the conductor side wall 114 and the conductor convex wall 116. The feeding hole 117 is formed by running straightly through the feeding hole 117 of the conductor side wall 114 and the conductor convex wall 116 along a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the conductor side wall 114, and is configured to allow the microwave feeding unit 13 to be inserted into the cavity 113. Certainly, the feeding hole 117 may also be formed at another position, for example, in the conductor end wall 115, and the microwave feeding unit 13 is inserted into the cavity 113 from below the microwave heating assembly 1.
A protruding connecting portion 1151 is formed on the inner end surface of the conductor end wall 115 (the end surface facing the open end 112 of the outer conductor unit 11). The connecting portion 1151 is configured to cooperate with the microwave feeding unit 13 to feed the microwaves generated by the microwave feeding unit 13 into the cavity 113.
The conductor side wall 114 is provided with a first vent hole 1141. The first vent hole 1141 communicates the outside of the conductor side wall 114 with the cavity 113. Optionally, the first vent hole 1141 and the drive assembly 5 are respectively located on opposite sides of the conductor side wall 114 in the circumferential direction.
As shown in FIG. 5, the outer conductor unit 11 may further include a first fixing plate 118 and a second fixing plate 119 integrally combined with the outer periphery of the conductor side wall 114. The first fixing plate 118 and the second fixing plate 119 are configured to cooperate with the mounting holder 4 to fix the entire outer conductor unit 11 on the mounting holder 4. Optionally, the first fixing plate 118 and the second fixing plate 119 are located on two opposite sides of the conductor side wall 114, the first fixing plate 118 is integrally connected to the top of the conductor convex wall 116, the second fixing plate 119 is adjacent to the conductor end wall 115, and the bottom surface of the second fixing plate 119 (the surface away from the open end 112 of the outer conductor unit 11) is flush with the outer end surface of the conductor end wall 115.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141 may not coincide with the central axis of the inner conductor body 121, that is, may be biased away from the central axis of the inner conductor body 121. Optionally, the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141 is parallel to the central axis of the inner conductor body 121. Certainly, the accommodating cavity 141 may also be coaxial with the inner conductor body 121. The accommodating cavity 141 is biased, to better achieve the circumferential segmented heating of the aerosol-forming article 200. There may be a gap between the bottom of the accommodating seat 14 and the top of the inner conductor body 121, and the two are not in direct contact.
As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, the accommodating seat 14 may include a fixing portion 144 mounted at the open end 112 of the outer conductor unit 11, and an accommodating portion 143 at least partially arranged in the cavity 113.
The accommodating portion 143 may be cylindrical. Certainly, the shape of accommodating portion 143 is not limited to the cylindrical shape, and may also be any other shape such as a rectangular tube. The accommodating portion 143 has a spacing from the cavity 113 in the circumferential direction. In addition, the outer diameter of the accommodating portion 143 is smaller than the inner diameter of the cavity 113, and the inner diameter of the accommodating portion 143 matches the outer diameter of the aerosol-forming article 200. The accommodating portion 143 may include an accommodating bottom wall 1431 for supporting the aerosol-forming article 200, and a cylindrical accommodating side wall 1432 surrounding the periphery of the accommodating bottom wall 1431. The accommodating bottom wall 1431 and the accommodating side wall 1432 together form the accommodating cavity 141. The accommodating cavity 141 is cylindrical. A second vent hole 1434 for communication with the first vent hole 1141 is further formed in the accommodating side wall 1432. The second vent hole 1434 may be arranged opposite to the first vent hole 1141.
The fixing portion 144 may be annular, is integrally combined with the outer periphery of the accommodating side wall 1432, and may be close to the top end of the accommodating side wall 1432. During assembling, the bottom end surface of the fixing portion 144 (the end surface facing the closed end 111 of the outer conductor unit 11) abuts against the open end 112 of the outer conductor unit 11, thereby allowing the accommodating seat 14 to be mounted on the outer conductor unit 11 and restricting the downward movement of the accommodating seat 14.
The accommodating seat 14 further includes a slot 1435 formed in the accommodating portion 143. The slot 1435 runs through the accommodating bottom wall 1431, extends along a direction parallel to the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141 on the accommodating side wall 1432, and is configured to cooperate with the microwave radiation element 122.
As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7, the accommodating seat 14 further includes an air inlet channel 1436 formed in the accommodating portion 143. The air inlet channel 1436 can not only introduce external air into the bottom of the aerosol-forming article 200, but also trigger the airflow sensing switch 21. The air inlet channel 1436 may include a first air channel formed in the accommodating bottom wall 1431 and a second air channel formed in the accommodating side wall 1432. The second vent hole 1434 is provided at a position corresponding to the second air channel on accommodating the side wall 1432. The second air channel may be in air guiding communication with the airflow sensing switch 21 through the second vent hole 1434. Optionally, the second air channel and the slot 1435 are respectively located on two opposite sides of the accommodating seat 14 in the circumferential direction.
It can be understood that, as shown in FIG. 8, when the aerosol-forming article 200 is inserted into the accommodating seat 14, the air inlet channel 1436 and the inside of the aerosol-forming article 200 together form an airflow channel 6, and external air may flow from the air inlet channel 1436 to the bottom of the aerosol-forming article 200, then vertically flow upward from the bottom of the aerosol-forming article 200 into the inside of the aerosol-forming article 200, and finally reach the top of the aerosol-forming article aerosol-forming article 200.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the inner conductor body 121 includes a conductor column 1211 and a conductor disc 1212 integrally combined with the conductor column 1211.
The conductor column 1211 may be cylindrical and coaxially arranged in the cavity 113. In addition, the outer diameter of the conductor column 1211 is smaller than the inner diameter of the cavity 113. Certainly, the conductor column 1211 is not limited to being cylindrical, and may also be in any other shape such as a square column. The top end of the conductor column 1211 (the end close to the open end 112 of the outer conductor unit 11) is a free end, and extends toward the open end 112 of the outer conductor unit 11. The bottom end of the conductor column 1211 (the end far away from the open end 112 of the outer conductor unit 11) is a fixed end, and may be connected to the conductor end wall 115 of the outer conductor unit 11.
Optionally, the conductor column 1211 may include a mounting portion for being mounted on the conductor end wall 115, and the mounting portion is threadedly connected to the conductor end wall 115 to form reliable ohmic contact. Certainly, the conductor column 1211 may also be directly integrally combined with the conductor end wall 115.
The conductor disc 1212 is coaxially combined with the top end of the conductor column 1211. In addition, the outer diameter of the conductor disc 1212 is larger than the outer diameter of the conductor column 1211 and smaller than the diameter of the cavity 113. The radial distance from the conductor disc 1212 to the inner wall surface of the cavity 113 is much smaller than the radial distance from the conductor column 1211 to the inner wall surface of the cavity 113.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the microwave radiation element 122 is biased away from the central axis of the inner conductor body 121, and may be located on the circumferential outer side of the aerosol-forming article 200.
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the microwave radiation element 122 may include a probe. The probe may be longitudinally elongated. One end of the probe is embedded into the top end of the conductor disc 1212 of the inner conductor body 121 (the end far away from the conductor column 1211), and the other end of the probe extends toward the open end 112 and into the slot 1435 in the accommodating seat 14. The axis of the probe is parallel to the axis of the conductor disc 1212 and is biased away from the axis of the conductor disc 1212, so that the probe is arranged on the circumferential outer side of the aerosol-forming article 200 and heat the local region in the circumferential direction of the aerosol-forming article 200 in a centralized manner.
Certainly, the set quantity of the probes may be adjusted according to an actual situation, and is not limited to one. Correspondingly, the quantity of the slots 1435 may be adjusted according to the set quantity of the probes.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the microwave feeding unit 13 may be a coaxial connector, one end of the microwave feeding unit 13 is connected to the microwave generation unit through a coaxial joint or micro-strip line, and the other end of the microwave feeding unit 13 is mounted on the outer conductor unit 11 and extends into the cavity 113 to form ohmic contact with the cavity 113.
As shown in FIG. 4, the microwave feeding unit 13 may include an inner conductor 131, an outer conductor 132, and a dielectric layer 133 between the inner conductor 131 and the outer conductor 132.
The outer conductor 132 may be cylindrical, and two ends of the outer conductor 132 are respectively designed to be open. During assembling, the outer peripheral side of the outer conductor 132 is in ohmic contact with the inner wall surface of the feeding hole 117.
The inner conductor 131 is a needle-like structure in the shape of a straight line. One end of the inner conductor 131 is a connecting end, is located inside the outer conductor 132, and is configured to connect to the microwave generation unit and access microwaves. The other end of the inner conductor 131 is a feeding end 1311, is located outside the outer conductor 132, and may be located in the cavity 113 and connected to the connecting portion 1151 during assembling to form good ohmic contact.
Certainly, the feeding end 1311 of the inner conductor 131 is not limited to being in ohmic contact with the connecting portion 1151, and may also directly form ohmic contact with the inner conductor body 121. In addition, the shape of the inner conductor 131 is also not limited to the shape of a straight line. The inner conductor 131 may also be L-shaped (not shown). For example, the inner conductor 131 may include a first segment perpendicular to the central axis of the cavity 113 and a second segment parallel to the central axis of the cavity 113. The first segment is located in the outer conductor 132 and is integrally connected to one end of the second segment. The other end of the second segment is arranged outside the outer conductor 132 and is in direct ohmic contact with the conductor end wall 115 of the outer conductor unit 11.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the drive assembly 5 is mounted on the accommodating seat 14 and cooperates with the aerosol-forming article 200, to drive the aerosol-forming article 200 to rotate around the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141.
As shown in FIG. 8, the drive assembly 5 may include a drive member and a transmission unit 52. The drive member is electrically connected to the control assembly 2. Whether the drive member works or not is controlled by the control assembly 2. The drive member may generate power and transmits the power the transmission unit 52. The transmission unit 52 may fix the aerosol-forming article 200. Under the transmission of the transmission unit 52, the aerosol-forming article 200 can be enabled to rotate.
It can be understood that, a drive motor 51, under the control of the control assembly 2, may drive the aerosol-forming article 200 to rotate by a preset angle each time the atomizable medium is puffed. For example, for each puff, the aerosol-forming article 200 rotates by an angle of 30°, and one cycle can be completed through twelve puffs. Certainly, the preset angle may be adjusted according to the actual situation, and is not be specifically limited herein.
The drive member is fixedly mounted on the mounting holder 4, and the drive member may be the drive motor 51. A rotating shaft 511 of the drive motor 51 is parallel to the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141. Optionally, the drive motor 51 may include a stepping motor.
As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the transmission unit 52 may include a driving member 521, mounted on the rotating shaft 511 of the drive motor 51, and a driven member 522 that can rotate around the central axis 142 of the accommodation cavity 141 and that is mounted on the accommodating seat 14. The driving member 521 cooperates with the driven member 522, to transmit the power generated by the drive motor 51 to the driven member 522.
Optionally, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the transmission unit 52 may be a gear transmission structure, which may include a driving gear (driving member 521) fixed on the rotating shaft 511 of the drive motor 51 and a driven gear (driven member 522) mounted on the accommodating seat 14. The driving gear may rotate synchronously with the rotating shaft 511 of the drive motor 51. The driven gear is rotatably sleeved on the accommodating seat 14 and can rotate relative to the accommodating seat 14. The driving gear and the driven gear are meshed with each other, and the plane in which they are located is perpendicular to the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141. The inner periphery of the driven gear may abut against the aerosol-forming article 200 inserted into the accommodating seat 14, and be fixed relative to the aerosol-forming article 200.
A plurality of teeth are formed on the circumferential outermost side of the driven gear for meshing with the driving gear. A through hole 523 is also formed in the driven gear. The through hole 523 may communicate with the accommodating cavity 141 after assembling. The aerosol-forming article 200 may pass through the through hole 523 to extend into the accommodating cavity 141.
As shown in FIG. 10, the through hole 523 includes a first hole segment 5231 and a second hole segment 5232 coaxially connected to the first hole segment 5231.
The first hole segment 5231 is located at the top of the accommodating seat 14, and a plurality of fixing teeth 5234 are formed on the peripheral wall of the first hole segment 5231. The diameter formed by the fixing teeth 5234 is smaller than the outer diameter of the aerosol-forming article 200, and the fixing teeth 5234 are configured to hold the peripheral surface of the aerosol-forming article 200, so that the aerosol-forming article 200 and the driven gear are relatively fixed and the aerosol-forming article 200 can rotate synchronously with the driven gear. Optionally, these fixing teeth 5234 may be pawl teeth, and are formed on the peripheral surface of the first hole segment 5231 along the circumference and in a same direction at intervals.
The aperture of the second hole segment 5232 is larger than that of the first hole segment 5231 and matches the outer diameter of the accommodating portion 143, so that a step is formed between the first hole segment 5231 and the second hole segment 5232. During assembling, the second hole segment 5232 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the accommodating portion 143, and a step surface abuts against the top end of the accommodating portion 143. Preferably, a groove 5235 extending circumferentially around the second hole segment 5232 is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the second hole segment 5232. The groove 5235 is annular, and is configured to match a flange 1433 formed on accommodating portion 143. During assembling, the flange 1433 may be snapped into the groove 5235, and the size of the flange 1433 is slightly smaller than that of the groove 5235, so that the driven gear can rotate relative to a fixed seat. The design of the groove 5235 and the flange 1433 not only can ensure the reliable mounting of the driven gear on the accommodating portion 143, but also can reduce the rotational contact area between the driven gear and the accommodating portion 143, and reduce the frictional resistance during rotation.
Certainly, the driving gear and the driven gear may be directly connected in a meshed manner, or connected by one or more gears for transmission between the driving gear and the driven gear. Whether to arrange the driven gear and the quantity of the gears arranged may depend on factors such as the preset angle of rotation of the aerosol-forming article 200 and the position relationship between the drive motor 51 and the accommodating seat 14.
Optionally, the transmission unit 52 may be a belt transmission unit 52 (not shown), and may include a driving wheel (the driving member 521), a driven wheel (the driven member 522), and a belt. The driving wheel and the driven wheel are perpendicular to the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141, the driving wheel is fixed on the rotating shaft 511 of the drive motor 51, and the driven wheel is mounted on the accommodating seat 14 and located above the accommodating seat 14. In addition, a through hole 523 and a plurality of fixing teeth 5234 arranged on the through hole 523 are formed in the driven wheel, and when the aerosol-forming article 200 passes through the driven wheel and is inserted into the accommodating seat 14, the driven wheel is fixed relative to the aerosol-forming article 200 through the plurality of fixing teeth 5234. By tensioning the belt on the driving wheel and the driven wheel, power may be transmitted to the driven wheel, and the driven wheel drives the aerosol-forming article 200 to rotate synchronously.
Optionally, the transmission unit 52 may be a chain transmission unit 52 (not shown), and may include a driving wheel (the driving member 521), a driven wheel (the driven member 522), and a chain. The driving wheel and the driven wheel are perpendicular to the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141, the driving wheel is fixed on the rotating shaft 511 of the drive motor 51, and the driven wheel is mounted on the accommodating seat 14 and located above the accommodating seat 14. In addition, a through hole 523 and a plurality of fixing teeth 5234 arranged on the through hole 523 are formed in the driven wheel, and when the aerosol-forming article 200 passes through the driven wheel and is inserted into the accommodating seat 14, the driven wheel is fixed relative to the aerosol-forming article 200 through the plurality of fixing teeth 5234. Power may be transmitted to the driven wheel through the chain, and the driven wheel drives the aerosol-forming article 200 to rotate synchronously.
Optionally, the transmission unit 52 may be a ratchet transmission unit 52, and may include a swing rod (the driving member 521) fixed on the rotating shaft 511 of the drive motor 51, a pawl connected to the swing rod, and a ratchet sleeve (the driven member 522) mounted above the accommodating seat 14. The plane in which the ratchet sleeve is located is perpendicular to the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141, and a through hole 523 and a plurality of fixing teeth 5234 arranged on the through hole 523 are formed in the ratchet sleeve. When the aerosol-forming article 200 passes through the ratchet sleeve and is inserted in the accommodating seat 14, the ratchet sleeve is fixed relative to the aerosol-forming article 200 through the plurality of fixing teeth 5234. It can be understood that, the swing rod drives the pawl to swing back and forth, the pawl pokes the ratchet sleeve to make unidirectional intermittent motion, and the aerosol-forming article 200 rotates synchronously with the ratchet sleeve.
In some embodiments, the mounting holder 4 may be a metal holder made of a metal material and has a heat conducting effect. As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting holder 4 includes a first holder portion for mounting the microwave heating assembly 1 and a second holder portion for mounting the drive motor 51 of the drive assembly 5.
In conclusion, in the present invention, by designing the drive assembly 5, and through cooperation between the drive assembly 5 and the accommodating seat 14, during use of the device, after each puff by a user, the aerosol-forming article 200 inserted in the accommodating seat 14 can automatically rotate around the central axis 142 of the accommodating cavity 141 by a preset angle, to implement circumferential rotation and segmented heating. In this way, within one rotation cycle, each time the aerosol-forming article 200 is rotated and heated, a heated part of the aerosol-forming article is an unheated local structure within this rotation cycle, so that consistency of the taste of the aerosol within one rotation cycle can be ensured.
In addition, compared with an aerosol-generating device in the related art, the aerosol-generating device 100 can achieve a high vapor outlet speed and is more energy-saving.
It may be understood that, the above embodiments only describe preferred implementations of the present invention in a more specific and detailed manner, but should not be accordingly understood as the limitation on the scope of the patent of the present invention. It should be noted that: a person of ordinary skill in the art may combine the foregoing technical features freely and make various changes and improvements without departing from the ideas of this application, which shall all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent transformations and modifications made to the claims of the present invention should fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

An aerosol-generating device, comprising:
an accommodating seat (14), defining an accommodating cavity (141) for accommodating an aerosol-forming article (200), wherein the accommodating cavity (141) has a central axis (142) for the aerosol-forming article (200) to be arranged in the accommodating cavity (141) rotatably around the central axis (142); and

a drive assembly (5), comprising:
a drive motor (51); and

a transmission unit (52), respectively connected to the drive motor (51) and the aerosol-forming article (200), to transmit power generated by the drive motor (51) to the aerosol-forming article (200), for the aerosol-forming article (200) to rotate around the central axis (142).
The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the transmission unit (52) comprises:
a driving member (521), mounted on a rotating shaft (511) of the drive motor (51); and

a driven member (522), mounted on the accommodating seat (14) rotatably around the central axis (142),

wherein the driving member (521) cooperates with the driven member (522), to transmit the power generated by the drive motor (51) to the driven member (522).
The aerosol-generating device of claim 2, wherein a through hole (523) for holding the peripheral surface of the aerosol-forming article (200) is formed in the driven member (522), and the through hole (523) is in communication with the accommodating cavity (141).
The aerosol-generating device of claim 3, wherein the through hole (523) comprises a first hole segment (5231) and a second hole segment (5232) connected to the first hole segment (5231);
a plurality of fixing teeth (5234) for holding the aerosol-forming article (200) are formed on the peripheral wall of the first hole segment (5231); and

the second hole segment (5232) is sleeved on the outer periphery of the accommodating seat (14).
The aerosol-generating device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of fixing teeth (5234) are formed on the inner peripheral wall of the first hole segment (5231) along the circumference and in a same direction at intervals.
The aerosol-generating device of claim 4, wherein a groove (5235) extending circumferentially around the second hole segment (5232) is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the second hole segment (5232); and a flange (1433) matching the groove (5235) is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the accommodating seat (14).
The aerosol-generating device of claim 2, wherein the driving member (521) comprises a driving gear, the driven member (522) comprises a driven gear, and the driving gear is meshed with the driven gear.
The aerosol-generating device of claim 2, wherein the driving member (521) comprises a driving wheel, and the driven member (522) comprises a driven wheel; and
the transmission unit (52) further comprises a belt or a chain, wherein the driving wheel drives, through the belt or the chain, the driven wheel to rotate.
The aerosol-generating device of claim 2, wherein the driving member (521) comprises a swing rod, and the driven member (522) comprises a ratchet sleeve; and
the transmission unit (52) further comprises a pawl, and the swing rod drives, through the pawl, the ratchet sleeve to rotate.
The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the aerosol-generating device (100) further comprises:
an outer conductor unit (11), configured to define a cavity (113), wherein the accommodating cavity (141) is formed in the cavity (113); and

an inner conductor unit (12), arranged in the cavity (113) and comprising a microwave radiation element (122), wherein the microwave radiation element (122) is arranged deviating from the central axis (142) and located at the periphery of the accommodating cavity (141),

wherein the aerosol-forming article (200) is rotatable relative to the microwave radiation element (122) through the drive assembly (5).