JP2023527203A - Aerosol generation system, device - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol-generating device including an aerosol-generating chamber configured to receive a consumable comprising a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate, and a loading channel extending through the aerosol-generating device and intersecting the aerosol-generating chamber. , the loading channel includes at one end a loading port through which a consumable can be pushed into the loading channel, and the loading channel can be pushed along the loading channel into the aerosol generation chamber by adding further consumables to the loading port. An aerosol generating device configured to hold a plurality of consumables pushed toward it. An aerosol-generating system, an aerosol-generating device, comprising an aerosol-generating chamber configured to receive a consumable comprising a portion of an aerosol-generating substrate, and a loading port at one end and intersecting the aerosol-generating chamber. and a plurality of consumables within the loading channel, each consumable forcing an adjacent consumable along the loading channel when successive consumables are pushed into the loading port. 1. An aerosol-generating system including a plurality of consumables configured to push toward an aerosol-generating chamber and a heating element configured to heat a portion of an aerosol-generating substrate within the aerosol-generating chamber. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1B

Description

The present disclosure relates to aerosol-generating devices in which an aerosol-generating substrate is heated to form an aerosol. The present disclosure is particularly applicable to portable aerosol generating devices that can be self-contained and cryogenic. Such devices may heat tobacco or other suitable aerosol-based materials by conduction, convection, and/or radiation, rather than burning, to generate an aerosol for inhalation.

The popularity and use of risk-reducing or risk-modifying devices (also known as vaporizers) assist habitual smokers who wish to quit smoking traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and cigarettes. has grown rapidly in recent years as a subsidy for Various devices and systems are available for heating or warming an aerosolizable substrate, as opposed to burning tobacco in conventional tobacco products.

Commonly available risk reduction or risk modification devices are substrate-heated aerosol-generating devices or heated non-combustion devices. Devices of this type produce aerosols or vapors by heating an aerosol substrate, typically comprising moist tobacco or other suitable aerosolizable material, to a temperature typically in the range of 150°C to 350°C. generate By heating, rather than combusting or burning, the aerosol substrate, an aerosol is released that contains the components desired by the user, but is free of the toxic and carcinogenic by-products of combustion and burning. Additionally, aerosols produced by heating tobacco or other aerosolizable materials typically do not contain a burnt or bitter taste resulting from burning and burning, which can be unpleasant to the user. Thus, the substrate does not require sugars and other additives typically added to such materials to make smoke and/or vapors more palatable to the user.

In such devices, the aerosol substrate is heated by a heating element, for example, within a heating chamber. Aerosol substrates are consumed through aerosol generation and must be replaced periodically. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a convenient method of exchanging the aerosol substrate within the heating chamber.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides an aerosol-generating system, the aerosol-generating device being an aerosol-generating device configured to receive a consumable comprising a portion of an aerosol-generating substrate. a loading channel including a loading port at one end and intersecting the aerosol-generating chamber; and a plurality of consumables in the loading channel, each consumable being continuous A plurality of consumables configured to push adjacent consumables along the loading channel when the consumables are pushed into the loading port and a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate within the aerosol-generating chamber. and a heating element configured to

By providing a push loading mechanism for adding consumables and a loading channel in which multiple consumables can be stored, the aerosol generating device can be loaded at a reduced frequency. Additionally, the loading mechanism of the aerosol generating device is robust and requires no moving parts, thus increasing the life of the aerosol generating device.

Optionally, the length of the loading channel is equal to the length of the consumables. As a result, when the loading channel receives the maximum number of consumables, the loading channel will be full and the consumables will be properly aligned within the aerosol generation chamber.

According to a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a consumable for use in an aerosol-generating device, the consumable comprising a support frame configured to hold a portion of an aerosol-generating substrate; The support frame is substantially rigid or resilient along the loading axis and the consumable is configured to pass through the loading channel of the aerosol generating device along the loading axis.

By providing a support structure for pushing the continuous consumable, the consumable behaves more positively when pushed with the push loading mechanism, reducing the need to unblock and clean the push loading mechanism. be.

Optionally, the consumable further includes a sealing member for restricting airflow along the loading channel.

Restricting air flow along the loading channel allows more efficient aerosol extraction by forcing air through or through the substrate.

Optionally, the consumable further comprises an air inlet and an air outlet for allowing air to pass through a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate.

By providing air inlets and air outlets, air can flow through the substrate, increasing aerosol extraction from the substrate.

Optionally, the consumable further comprises a cleaning member for wiping the inner surface of the loading channel.

By providing a cleaning member on the consumable, residue build-up from aerosol generation is reduced, improving the life of the aerosol generating device. Residue can take the form of, for example, sticky, oily or charred substrates released during heating of the aerosol substrate.

Optionally, the consumable includes a lid for accessing and covering a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate.

By providing a lid, residue build-up from aerosol generation is reduced, improving the life of the aerosol generating device.

Optionally, the consumable further includes a heating element.

By providing the heating element within the consumable, the heating element can be easily replaced, improving the life of the aerosol generating device.

Optionally, the support frame includes a heat conducting plate configured to transfer heat from the heating element of the aerosol-generating device to the aerosol-generating substrate.

By providing a thermally conductive plate, heat can be more efficiently transferred to the substrate.

According to a third aspect, the present disclosure provides an aerosol-generating device, the aerosol-generating device comprising an aerosol-generating chamber configured to receive a consumable comprising a portion of an aerosol-generating substrate; a loading channel extending through and intersecting the aerosol-generating chamber, the loading channel including at one end a loading port through which a consumable can be pushed into the loading channel; Additional consumables are configured to hold multiple consumables pushed along the loading channel.

Optionally, the aerosol-generating device further includes a sealing member positioned to restrict airflow along the loading channel when the consumable is received within the aerosol-generating chamber.

Restricting the airflow along the loading channel allows for more efficient aerosol extraction by forcing air through or through the consumable.

Optionally, the loading channel includes an unloading port at the end of the loading channel opposite the loading port, and pushing additional consumables into the loading port forces the previous consumable out of the unloading port.

Providing a push unloading mechanism further facilitates operation of the device.

Optionally, the loading port and unloading port are similar such that the consumable can be pushed into the loading channel through either the loading port or the unloading port.

Providing a reversible loading/unloading system further facilitates operation of the device.

Optionally, the aerosol-generating device further comprises an elongated body and a mouthpiece disposed at one end of the elongated body, the loading channel being disposed along the elongated body.

Aerosol-generating devices are known to have an elongated shape so that they can be easily held in the hand. Orienting the loading channel longitudinally increases the number of consumables that can be stored in the loading channel.

Optionally, the aerosol generating device further comprises a driver for pushing the plurality of consumables into the loading channel. For example, the driver may be configured to shift the next consumable into the aerosol generation chamber after completing an aerosol generation session for the current consumable received in the aerosol generation chamber.

Providing an actuator allows the user to use multiple consumables while performing loading or unloading operations. The actuator can also provide a mechanism for emptying the loading channel.

1 schematically illustrates an aerosol generating device having loading channels for receiving multiple consumables; 1 schematically illustrates an aerosol generating device having loading channels for receiving multiple consumables; Figures 2A and 2B schematically show consumables for an aerosol generating device. Figures 3A and 3B schematically show a first example of a consumable with a support frame. Figures 4A and 4B schematically illustrate optional features of a consumable having a support frame. Figures 5A-5C schematically illustrate further optional features of consumables having a support frame. Figures 6A and 6B schematically illustrate a further optional feature of a consumable having a support frame. Fig. 10 shows an alternative configuration of an aerosol generating device with loading channels for receiving multiple consumables; Fig. 3 shows a further alternative configuration of an aerosol generating device having a loading channel with only one loading/unloading port;

Figures 1A and 1B schematically show a first example of an aerosol-generating device 1 in different cross-sections. 1A is a cross-sectional view from a "top" perspective, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view from a "lateral" perspective, dotted line X1 indicates the plane of FIG. 1B, and dotted line X2 indicates the plane of FIG. 1A. show.

Referring to FIG. 1A, aerosol-generating device 1 includes housing 11 surrounding aerosol-generating chamber 12 . Aerosol generation chamber 12 is configured to receive consumable 2 and heat consumable 2 to generate an aerosol.

Loading channel 13 is configured to receive a plurality of consumables 2 via loading port 131 and to transport consumables 2 to aerosol generation chamber 12 . A loading channel 13 extends through the aerosol-generating device 1 inside the housing 11 and intersects the aerosol-generating chamber 12 .

In this example, loading channel 13 is further configured to carry consumable 2 onto unloading port 132 at the end of the loading channel opposite loading port 131 . However, in other examples the aerosol-generating device 1 may be configured to unload the consumable 2 through the loading port 131 .

Preferably, the length of the loading channel 13 is equal to the length of a given plurality of consumables 2, in this case equal to the length of three consumables as shown in FIG. 1A. However, in some embodiments this need not be the case.

An airflow channel 14 is connected through the aerosol generation chamber 12 . The aerosol generated within the aerosol-generating chamber 12 is extracted from the aerosol-generating device 1 by pumping air along the airflow channel 14 . For example, one end of the aerosol-generating device 1 may be configured as a mouthpiece 15 that includes the end of the airflow channel 14 .

Referring to FIG. 1B, loading channel 13 intersects aerosol generation chamber 12 . As a result, as the consumable 2 is transported along the loading channel 13 , the consumable 2 is positioned for heating within the heating chamber 12 . Specifically, in FIG. 1B, consumable 2-C is positioned for heating.

In this embodiment, loading channel 13 and airflow channel 14 each intersect in a common plane with aerosol-generating chamber 12, with airflow channel 14 extending through the plane of FIG. 1B. As a result, air flows along the airflow channel 14 through the consumable 2 located within the aerosol-generating chamber 12 . However, this is not required in all embodiments, and the loading channel 13 and the air flow channel 14 do not intersect with each other, so that the air flows only past the consumable 2 . 12, respectively. The heating chamber 12 has a heating element 121 that provides heat to the consumable 2 to generate an aerosol. Specifically, heating element 121 is configured to heat a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate contained in the consumable within aerosol-generating chamber 12 . The aerosol is carried to mouthpiece 15 by air flowing along airflow channel 14 . Heating element 121 is preferably an electrical heating element, such as a resistive heating element, but any type of heating element suitable for supplying heat to heating chamber 12 can be used.

FIG. 1B shows the forward consumables (2-A, 2-B and 2-C) in loading channel 13 when the last consumable (2-D) is pushed through the end of loading port 131 of loading channel 13. ) are each inserted into the loading port 131 and in contact with each other within the loading channel 13 such that each is passed through and then extruded along the loading channel 13 toward the aerosol-generating chamber 12 . Consumables 2-A through 2-D are shown. Specifically, the last consumable 2-D can be pushed out of loading port 131 as additional consumables are added to loading port 131. FIG. The aerosol-generating device 1 thus has a push-loading action for loading the consumable 2 .

Additionally, when the last consumable (2-D) is pushed through loading port 131, the first consumable (2-A) is pushed through unloading port 132 (in embodiments where unloading port 132 is present). .

Loading port 131 and unloading port 132 are similar, whereby consumables 2 can be pushed into loading channel 13 via either loading port 131 or unloading port 132 . This can help, for example, to support both left-handed and right-handed operation of the aerosol-generating device 1 . However, to avoid confusion as to which end of loading channel 13 is loading port 131 , unloading port 132 is instead configured so that it pushes consumable 2 into unloading port 132 . It may be configured such that it is not possible.

Housing 11, aerosol-generating chamber 12, loading channel 13 and airflow channel 14 may generally be made from any rigid material such as thermoplastics or metals (eg, aluminum). The device 1 may be made substantially of heat-resistant materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) or polyamide (PA), for example to prevent thermal deformation or thermal melting. The heat resistant material can be a super engineering plastic such as polyimide (PI), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

In the embodiment of FIG. 1B, the aerosol-generating device 1 further includes a sealing member 133 positioned to restrict airflow along the loading channel 13 when the consumable 2 is received within the aerosol-generating chamber 12. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1B, sealing member 133 takes the form of a protrusion from the surface of loading channel 13 . When consumable 2 is placed in heating chamber 12 (in FIG. 1B, consumable 2-C is placed in heating chamber 12), seal member 133 is positioned between the walls of loading channel 13 and the surface of consumable 2. extends across the gap between A single seal member 133 is positioned within the loading channel 13 on each side of the aerosol-generating chamber 12 to restrict airflow between the aerosol-generating chamber 12 and either loading port 131 or unloading port 132 . In other embodiments, either of the two sealing members 133 may be omitted.

Seal member 133 may be made of a different material than the rest of the loading channel. For example, the seal member 133 may be made of a flexible material such as an elastomer (e.g., rubber) that allows the seal member 133 to flex while the consumable 2 is pushed along the loading channel 13. , the wear on the seal member 133 is reduced. Alternatively, the sealing member 133 can be a rigid protrusion arranged to closely fit the consumable 2 within the loading channel 13 .

Figures 2A and 2B are schematic perspective views of basic types of consumables 2 that can be used in the aerosol-generating device 1 described above.

In the example of Figures 2A and 2B, the consumable 2 simply comprises a portion 21 of an aerosol-generating substrate that emits an aerosol when heated.

In FIG. 2A, portion 21 is a simple cuboid with length L, width W and depth D. In FIG. By way of example, the substrate can be on the order of 18 x 12 x 1.2 mm.

Substrates can include, for example, nicotine or tobacco and an aerosol forming agent. Tobacco may take the form of various materials such as cut tobacco, granulated tobacco, tobacco leaf and/or reconstituted tobacco. Suitable aerosol forming agents include polyols (such as sorbitol, glycerol and glycols such as propylene glycol or triethylene glycol), non-polyols (monohydric alcohols, acids such as lactic acid, glycerol derivatives, triacetin, triethylene glycol diacetate, esters such as triethyl citrate, glycerin or vegetable glycerin). In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating agent can be glycerol, propylene glycol, or a mixture of glycerol and propylene glycol. The substrate may also include at least one of gelling agents, binders, stabilizers and wetting agents.

The substrate is porous so that air can flow through the substrate and collect aerosols in doing so. The substrate can be, for example, foam or packed strands or fibers. The substrate may be formed into a stable shape by an extrusion and/or rolling process.

In addition to being porous, the portion 21 of the aerosol-generating substrate may be shaped with one or more protrusions and recesses, as shown in FIG. 2B. Loading channel 13 also has protrusions to increase grip on consumable 2 within loading channel 13 and reduce the likelihood of the consumable becoming misaligned or stuck as it is pushed along loading channel 13 . and recesses.

In each of Figures 2A and 2B, portion 21 has a bare outer surface where the aerosol-generating substrate is exposed. Alternatively, portion 21 may comprise an air permeable wrapper covering at least a portion of the surface of the aerosol-generating substrate. Wrappers can include, for example, paper and/or nonwovens.

Although the exemplary consumable 2 of FIGS. 2A and 2B is simple to manufacture, a reinforced consumable is used to reduce the likelihood of consumables getting stuck in the loading channel 13, allowing the device 1 It is preferable to make the cleaning of the cleaning easier. 3A-6B show different examples of consumables 2 having a support frame 22 configured to hold a portion 21 of an aerosol-generating substrate. The support frame may be omitted (as in FIGS. 2A and 2B) if the portion 21 has sufficient rigidity to maintain itself during loading/unloading operations.

Referring first to the exemplary consumable 2 of Figures 3A and 3B, Figure 3A is a schematic perspective view and Figure 3B is a view of the top surface 222 shown in Figure 3A. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the support frame 22 can be a cubical structure that includes recesses for holding portions 21 of the aerosol-generating substrate.

The support frame 22 is substantially rigid or elastic along the loading axis, ie the direction along which the consumable 2 is configured to move along the loading channel 13 . As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, support frame 22 includes ends 23 configured to push adjacent consumables 2 along loading channel 13 . By providing this support frame 22 , the aerosol substrate (which can be a softer material that is easily deformed or creases) directly applies a pressing force to push the consumable 2 along the loading channel 13 . I do not receive.

The support frame 22 may be made from materials similar to those used for the structural features of the aerosol-generating device 1 (housing 11, aerosol-generating chamber 12, etc.), such as thermoplastics or metals. For example, support frame 22 may be substantially hollow and formed by bending a sheet of material.

As further shown in FIG. 3A, the surface 221 of the support frame 22 allows the heating elements 121 of the aerosol-generating device 1 to directly contact the portion 21 of the aerosol substrate to heat the portion 21 of the aerosol substrate. It may contain an enabling gap. In the example shown in FIG. 3A, surface 221 is the bottom surface of support frame 22 opposite top surface 222 .

As further shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the support frame 22 includes an air inlet 24 configured to allow air to flow through the portion 21 of the aerosol substrate to extract the generated aerosol. and an air outlet 25 . In the example shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, air inlet 24 and air outlet 25 are located on opposite side walls of support frame 22 . The size of air inlet 24 and air outlet 25 is preferably as large as possible up to the size of portion 21 of the aerosol substrate, but the inlet and outlet should be slightly smaller so that portion 21 cannot move out of support frame 22 . obtain. In some embodiments, the air inlet 24 may be omitted and the air may be directed to flow through the consumable rather than through the consumable 2, which relies on diffusion. to extract the aerosol from the portion 21 of the aerosol substrate.

4A and 4B schematically show a second example consumable 2 including a support frame 22. FIG. A second example may be the same as the first example, except as otherwise described below.

The main difference from the first example is that the consumable contains one or more sealing elements 26 . These may be provided in addition to or instead of the sealing element 133 of the aerosol-generating device 1 , sealing element 26 to seal the loading channel 13 when the consumable 2 is placed in the aerosol-generating chamber 12 . has a structure similar to that of the sealing element 133 described above, except that protrudes from the surface of the consumable 2 . In addition to optionally providing a plurality of sealing elements 26 (similar to sealing elements 133) to seal loading channel 13 on both sides of aerosol-generating chamber 12, as shown in FIG. Elements 26 may also be provided on multiple surfaces of support frame 22 . In the example shown in FIG. 4B, two sealing elements 26 are arranged on each side of the portion 21 of the aerosol substrate, on each of the top and bottom surfaces of the consumable 2 .

In addition, separate from sealing element 26, FIG. 4A illustrates an optional feature of a hollow buffer region within support frame 22, between portion 21 of the aerosol substrate and end 23 of support frame 22. show. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4A, top surface 222 is omitted. This space further protects part 21 from any creases due to push loading of consumable 2 .

5A-5C are schematic perspective and cross-sectional views of additional optional structural features of consumable 2. FIG.

In each of FIGS. 5A-5C, consumable 2 includes base 27 . The base 27 can be a thicker portion of the support frame 22 to increase the strength of the support frame 22 or simply to assist the user in orienting the consumable 2 for insertion into the aerosol generating device 1 . can be configured.

5A-5C, consumable 2 includes lid 28 for accessing and covering a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate. Lid 28 may be completely separable from support frame 22 or may be movably attached, for example by a hinge.

In each of the examples of Figures 3A-6B, the portion 21 of the aerosol substrate can be replaced after the consumable 2 has been used and the support frame 22 can be reused. The lid 28 ensures that the aerosol substrate does not move from the consumable 2 and remains within the loading channel 13 or the aerosol generation chamber 12 while still allowing such replacement of the portion 21 of the aerosol substrate. have the advantage of

Referring specifically to FIG. 5B, consumable 2 in this example has an alternative configuration of heating elements. Specifically, the base 27 includes a heating element 271 and the buffer areas of the support frame 22 also each include a heating element 222 . Any combination of these heating elements mounted on consumable 2 may be used in addition to or as an alternative to heating element 121 of aerosol generating device 1 .

Additionally, consumable 2 may include electrical contacts 272 for powering a heating element mounted on consumable 2 . Similarly, loading channel 13 may include electrical rails or electrical contacts specifically positioned within aerosol-generating chamber 12 to power electrical contacts 272 .

As a further addition or alternative, referring to FIG. 5C, the base 27 may include a thermally conductive plate 273 configured to transfer heat from the heating element 121 of the aerosol-generating device 1 to the aerosol-generating substrate. Thermally conductive plate 273 can be, for example, a thin portion of support frame 22 or a portion comprising a different material than the rest of support frame 22 . Alternatively, the entire base 27 or the entire support frame 22 may be thermally conductive. This example of FIG. 5C allows heating from external heating element 121 without requiring consumable 2 to be in direct contact with external heating element 121 and without requiring heating elements 271 or 222 within consumable 2 . It is meant to improve heat transfer to the portion 21 of the aerosol substrate within the consumable 2 . By avoiding direct contact between portion 21 and external heating element 121, the aerosol substrate is less likely to leave residue from aerosol generation.

6A and 6B are schematic cross-sectional views of consumable 2 having cleaning member 29 for wiping the inner surface of loading channel 13. FIG. The cleaning member 29 can remove any residue left by the aerosol substrate as the consumable 2 moves along the loading channel 13 . A cleaning member 29 , like the sealing element 26 , is arranged on the outer surface of the consumable 2 to scrape or absorb residue produced from the aerosol substrate and deposited on the surface of the loading channel 13 . , is configured to slide along the surface of the loading channel 13 as the consumable 2 moves along the loading channel. The cleaning member 29 may comprise, for example, a heat resistant cloth that can withstand the temperatures used within the aerosol generation chamber 12 to generate the aerosol.

The consumable 2 may have multiple cleaning members 29 . As shown in FIG. 6A, for example, when the consumable 2 is in the loading channel 13, one cleaning member 29 is in front of the portion 21 of the aerosol substrate along the loading direction and one It may be arranged such that the cleaning member 29 is behind the portion 21 of the aerosol substrate along the loading direction. Additionally or alternatively, multiple cleaning members 29 may be positioned to clean different surfaces of the loading channel 13, as shown in FIG. 6B.

Any of the features described above with reference to FIGS. 3A-6B can be combined together to provide their different functions as described above.

Figure 7 schematically shows a second example of an aerosol-generating device 1 that can be used with any of the consumables described above. The second example of the aerosol-generating device 1 has many features in common with the first example of FIGS. 1A and 1B, and references to like figures indicate like features.

The second example of the aerosol-generating device 1 is primarily in that the loading channel 13 is arranged along the elongated axis of the housing 11, where the housing 11 forms an elongated body having a mouthpiece 15 at one end. This is different from example 1.

It is known to use an elongated body in the aerosol generating device 1 to make it easier to hold in the hand. By aligning the loading channel 13 parallel to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating device 1 , this configuration is meant to increase the length of the loading channel 13 available for holding the consumable 2 .

In addition, with loading channel 13 extending along the elongated axis of housing 11 , the user can either adjacent mouthpiece 15 or at the end of housing 11 opposite mouthpiece 15 to A consumable 2 can be pushed into the loading channel 13 . Any of these loading port configurations can be conveniently and intuitively operated while the user extends one hand around the elongated shaft to hold the aerosol generating device 1 .

A further optional feature shown in the second example of FIG. It is to be arranged so that it will not be This has the advantage that the consumable 2 has time to cool after it has been used in the aerosol generation chamber 12 and before it can be handled by a user.

In addition, the second example of FIG. 7 is not only partially parallel to the loading channel 13, but also has a bend to direct the airflow through the loading channel 13, resulting in FIG. 3B. An exemplary airflow channel 14 is shown through which air can flow through the consumable 2 in a manner similar to the arrows shown in FIG.

Figure 8 schematically shows a third example of an aerosol-generating device 1 that can be used with any of the consumables described above. The third example of the aerosol-generating device 1 has many features in common with the first example of FIGS. 1A and 1B, and references to like figures indicate like features.

The third example of the aerosol generating device 1 mainly differs from the first example in that the loading port 131 is also used as an unloading port. This configuration allows a user to push load multiple consumables 2 one by one and use each consumable 2 for a respective aerosol generation session. However, the aerosol-generating device 1 does not have to be emptied after each aerosol-generating session, instead more consumables 2 can be added until the loading channel 13 is full.

The aerosol-generating device 1 may also include a driver 134 for pushing multiple consumables into the loading channel 13 .

In a third example, driver 134 is configured to push consumables 2-A, 2-B, 2-C back from loading channel 13 to empty the loading channel. Driver 134 may be an electronic actuator controlled by the user using buttons or automatically controlled by a control circuit. Instead, the driver 134 is a purely mechanical system, such as a telescoping element configured to retract when the loading channel 13 is pushed to full and to fully extend when the loading channel is pushed to full. could be.

The driver 134 is additionally or alternatively configured to shift the next consumable into the aerosol-generation chamber 12 after the aerosol-generation session for the current consumable 2 received in the aerosol-generation chamber is completed. obtain.

The aerosol-generating device 1 according to the first or second example likewise empties the loading channel through the loading port 131 or the unloading port 132 or shifts the next consumable 2 into the aerosol-generating chamber 12. may include a driver 134 for enabling.

Claims (15)

An aerosol generating system comprising:
An aerosol generating device comprising:
an aerosol-generating chamber configured to receive a consumable comprising a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate;
an aerosol generation device comprising a loading channel including a loading port at one end and intersecting said aerosol generation chamber;
A plurality of said consumables in said loading channel, each consumable pushing an adjacent consumable along said loading channel toward said aerosol generation chamber as successive consumables are pushed into said loading port. a plurality of said consumables configured to be pressed against;
and a heating element configured to heat a portion of an aerosol-generating substrate within the aerosol-generating chamber. 2. The aerosol generating system of claim 1, wherein the length of said loading channel is equal to the length of said plurality of said consumables. each of the plurality of consumables,
a support frame configured to hold a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate, the support frame being substantially rigid or resilient along the loading axis; 3. The aerosol generating system of claim 1 or 2, configured to pass through the loading channel. 4. The aerosol generating system of claim 3, further comprising a sealing member for restricting airflow along said loading channel. 5. The aerosol-generating system of claim 3 or 4, further comprising an air inlet and an air outlet for allowing air to pass through a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate. The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 3-5, further comprising a cleaning member for wiping the inner surface of the loading channel. The aerosol-generating system of any one of claims 3-6, comprising a lid for accessing and covering a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate. The aerosol generating system of any one of claims 3-7, further comprising a heating element. The aerosol-generating system of any one of claims 3-8, wherein the support frame comprises a heat-conducting plate configured to transfer heat from a heating element of the aerosol-generating device to the aerosol-generating substrate. . An aerosol generating device comprising:
an aerosol-generating chamber configured to receive a consumable comprising a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate;
a loading channel extending through said aerosol-generating device and intersecting said aerosol-generating chamber, said loading channel at one end allowing consumables to be pushed into said loading channel toward said aerosol-generating chamber. An aerosol generating device comprising a port, and wherein the loading channel is configured to hold a plurality of consumables pushed along the loading channel by adding additional consumables to the loading port. 11. The aerosol generating device of claim 10, further comprising a sealing member positioned to restrict airflow along the loading channel when a consumable is received within the aerosol generating chamber. the loading channel includes an unloading port at an end of the loading channel opposite the loading port, wherein pushing additional consumables into the loading port forces previous consumables out of the unloading port; 12. An aerosol generating device according to claim 10 or 11. 13. The loading port and the unloading port are similar, whereby the consumable can be pushed into the loading channel through either the loading port or the unloading port. The aerosol-generating device according to . The aerosol generator of any one of claims 10-13, further comprising an elongated body and a mouthpiece positioned at one end of said elongated body, said loading channel positioned along said elongated body. device. The aerosol generating device of any one of claims 10-14, further comprising a driver for pushing a plurality of consumables into the loading channel.

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