JP2023534357A - TOBACCO ROD AND AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE CONTAINING THE SAME AND AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE USED THEREWITH - Google Patents

Abstract

SUMMARY A tobacco rod, an aerosol-generating article containing the same, and an aerosol-generating device for use therewith are provided. A tobacco rod according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is formed by a first filter segment, a second filter segment upstream of the first filter segment, the first filter segment and the second filter segment, wherein tobacco granules are and filled cavity segments.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to tobacco rods, aerosol-generating articles containing the same, and aerosol-generating devices used therewith. More particularly, it relates to a tobacco rod filled with tobacco granules, an aerosol-generating article containing the tobacco rod, and an aerosol-generating device for use with the article.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for alternative articles that overcome the shortcomings of traditional cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for devices that generate an aerosol by electrically heating a cigarette stick (eg, cigarette-type electronic cigarettes). Accordingly, researches on electrically heated aerosol generators and cigarette sticks (or aerosol generating articles) applied thereto have been actively conducted.

On the other hand, as the tobacco material for the above-mentioned cigarette sticks, plate-like leaves are mainly used, and leaf tobacco shreds are also often used. Recently, a system using tobacco material in granule form has been proposed. For example, a method has been proposed in which a cartridge containing tobacco granules is attached to an aerosol generator and smoked.

However, the cartridge-type product is less familiar to consumers than the cigarette stick, and cannot provide the same smoking feeling as the cigarette stick, and also has the drawback of increasing manufacturing costs.

A technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a tobacco rod and an aerosol-generating article including the tobacco rod that reflects a structural design that can prevent the falling off of tobacco granules.

Another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol-generating article designed to allow a large number of tobacco granules to be uniformly heated.

Yet another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol-generating device for use with tobacco granule-based aerosol-generating articles.

Yet another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol generator capable of effectively heating a tobacco granule-based aerosol aerosol-generating article.

Still another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol generating device and an aerosol generating article used therewith that can operate in a set mode of a smokeless mode and a smoked mode. to do.

The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and still other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field of the present disclosure from the following description. can.

A tobacco rod according to some embodiments of the present disclosure for solving the technical problem includes a first filter segment, a second filter segment located upstream of the first filter segment, and the first filter segment and a cavity segment formed by said second filter segment and filled with tobacco granules.

In some embodiments, both the first filter segment and the second filter segment may be paper filters.

In some embodiments, the first filter segment may be a cellulose acetate filter and the second filter segment may be a paper filter.

In some embodiments, the tobacco granules may have a density between 0.5 g/cm ³ and 1.2 g/cm ³ .

In some embodiments, the tobacco granules may have a diameter of 0.3 mm to 1.2 mm.

In some embodiments, the filling rate of the tobacco granules to the cavity segments may be 80% by volume or less.

In some embodiments, the draw resistance of the first filter segment may be between 50 mm H ₂ O/60 mm and 150 mm H ₂ O/60 mm.

In some embodiments, the first filter segment comprises a paper material having a paper width of 100 mm to 200 mm, and the suction resistance of the first filter segment is 50 mm H ₂ O/60 mm to 100 mm H ₂ O/60 mm; good too.

An aerosol-generating article according to some embodiments of the present disclosure for solving the above technical problem is an aerosol-generating article used with an aerosol-generating device, comprising a tobacco rod filled with tobacco granules and a filter rod wherein said tobacco rod comprises a first filter segment, a second filter segment, and a cavity segment formed by said first filter segment and said second filter segment and filled with said tobacco granules.

In some embodiments, the filter rod may include a cooling segment and a mouthpiece segment.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure described above, filter segments located upstream and downstream of the tobacco rod form cavity segments into which tobacco granules are filled. Accordingly, it is possible to easily manufacture a tobacco rod that can prevent the dropping phenomenon of tobacco granules.

Also, the filter segments forming the cavity segments of the tobacco rod are made of paper filters. In this case, it is possible to prevent the problem that the physical properties of the filter segment change due to the heating of the heater section.

Also, an aerosol-generating article comprising a tobacco rod filled with tobacco granules and an aerosol-generating device for use therewith can be provided. The provided aerosol-generating articles can use tobacco granules to provide a smoking feel similar to other heat-not-burn cigarettes.

Also, the tobacco rod can be designed to create vortices within the cavity segments during puffing. In this case, the tobacco granules are well mixed and heated by the generated swirl flow, so that a large number of tobacco granules can be uniformly heated, and as a result, the burning taste can be reduced and the smoking taste can be improved.

Also, the heater part of the aerosol generator may have a structure that heats only the cavity segment or heats the inside and outside at the same time. This allows the tobacco granules filled in the cavity segments to be effectively heated.

The effects of the technical ideas of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the following description.

1 is an exemplary diagram that schematically illustrates an aerosol generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram that schematically illustrates an aerosol generating device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram that schematically illustrates an aerosol generating device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is an illustrative diagram showing an aerosol generating device operating in smokeless mode according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is an illustrative diagram showing an aerosol generating device operating in smoke mode according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure; 1 is an exemplary illustration that schematically illustrates a tobacco rod according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is an exemplary illustration that schematically illustrates an aerosol-generating article according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is an exemplary illustration that schematically illustrates an aerosol-generating article according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 10 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the principles and conditions under which vortices are generated in an aerosol-generating article according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram for explaining the heating structure of the heater section according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 10 is an exemplary diagram for explaining the heating structure of the heater section according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a heating structure of a heater section according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a heating structure of a heater section according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 shows experimental results on the effect of tobacco granule size on vortex generation. FIG. 4 shows experimental results on the effect of tobacco granule size on vortex generation. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing experimental results on the effect of tobacco granule filling rate on vortex generation. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing experimental results on the effect of tobacco granule filling rate on vortex generation. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing experimental results on the effect of tobacco granule filling rate on vortex generation. FIG. 5 shows experimental results on the effect of internal heating element thickness and shape on filter segment damage. FIG. 5 shows experimental results on the effect of internal heating element thickness and shape on filter segment damage. FIG. 5 shows experimental results on the effect of internal heating element thickness and shape on filter segment damage.

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present disclosure, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be embodied in various forms different from each other. This disclosure is provided so as to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains, and the technical idea of the disclosure is defined by the scope of the claims. only

In adding reference numerals to elements in each drawing, it should be noted that as much as possible the same elements have the same reference numerals, even if they appear on different drawings. In addition, when describing the present disclosure, if it is determined that a specific description of related known configurations or functions may obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description will be omitted.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. can be used. Also, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be ideally or overly interpreted unless explicitly specifically defined. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. In this specification, singular forms also include plural forms unless the text specifically states otherwise.

Also, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b) may be used in describing the components of the present disclosure. Such terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components and do not limit the nature, procedure or order of the component. When any component is described as being “coupled”, “coupled” or “connected” to another component, that component is either directly linked or connected to that other component. However, it should be understood that further components may be “linked”, “coupled” or “connected” between each component.

As used in this disclosure, the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising” refer to the components, steps, acts and/or elements referred to as one or more other components, steps, acts. and/or does not exclude the presence or addition of elements.

Prior to describing various embodiments of the present disclosure, some terminology used in the following embodiments is clarified.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol forming agent" can mean a substance capable of facilitating the formation of visible smoke and/or aerosol. Examples of aerosol forming agents include, but are not limited to, glycerin (GLY), propylene glycol (PG), ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol and oleyl alcohol. do not have. In the art, aerosol-forming agent may be used interchangeably with terms such as humectant, humectant, and the like.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-forming substrate" can mean a substance capable of forming an aerosol. The aerosol may contain volatile compounds. Aerosol-forming substrates may be solid or liquid.

For example, solid aerosol-forming substrates may include solid materials based on tobacco raw materials such as flat tobacco, cuts, reconstituted tobacco, and liquid aerosol-forming substrates may include nicotine, tobacco extract and/or Or it may comprise a liquid composition based on various flavoring agents. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such exemplifications. The aerosol-forming substrate may further comprise an aerosol-forming agent to stably form visible smoke and/or aerosols.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-generating device" can mean an aerosol-generating device that uses an aerosol-forming substrate to generate an inhalable aerosol directly into a user's lungs through the user's mouth. See FIGS. 1-3 for some examples of aerosol generating devices.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-generating article" can mean an article capable of generating an aerosol. Aerosol-generating articles may include an aerosol-forming substrate. Representative examples of aerosol-generating articles include cigarettes, although the scope of this disclosure is not so limited.

In the following embodiments, "upstream" or "upstream" means the direction away from the user's (smoker's) mouth, and "downstream" or "downstream" means the direction away from the user's mouth. It can mean the direction approaching from the part. The terms upstream and downstream may be used to describe the relative positions of the elements that make up the aerosol-generating article. For example, in the aerosol-generating article 2 illustrated in FIG. 7 , the tobacco rod 21 is positioned upstream or upstream of the filter rod 22 and the filter rod 22 is positioned downstream or downstream of the tobacco rod 21 .

In the following embodiments, "puff" means inhalation of the user, and inhalation can mean the situation of drawing through the user's mouth or nose into the user's oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs. .

In the following embodiments, "longitudinal direction" may mean the direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol-generating article.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram for explaining an aerosol generator 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 1 and subsequent drawings illustrate the state in which the aerosol-generating article 2 is inserted (contained).

As shown in FIG. 1, the aerosol generator 1 according to this embodiment may include a housing, a heater section 13, a battery 11 and a control section 12. FIG. However, FIG. 1 only shows components relevant to the embodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains will appreciate that other general-purpose components may be included in addition to the components shown in FIG. For example, the aerosol generator 1 includes an input module (eg button, touchable display, etc.) for receiving input such as commands from the user, and an input module for outputting information such as the status of the device, smoking information, and the like. It may further include an output module (eg LED, display, vibration motor, etc.). Each component of the aerosol generator 1 will be described below.

The housing can form the exterior of the aerosol generator 1 . The housing can also define a containment space for containing the aerosol-generating article 2 . The housing is preferably implemented with a material that can protect internal components.

Next, the heater section 13 can heat the aerosol-generating article 2 housed in the housing space. Specifically, when the aerosol-generating article 2 is accommodated in the accommodation space of the aerosol-generating device 1 , the heater section 13 can heat the aerosol-generating article 2 with electric power supplied from the battery 11 .

The heater unit 13 may be configured in various forms and/or manners.

For example, heater portion 13 may be configured to include an electrically resistive heating element. For example, the heater portion 13 includes an electrically insulating substrate (eg, a substrate made of polyimide) and an electrically conductive track, and includes a heating element that heats up as current flows through the electrically conductive track. It's okay. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples given above, and the heating element can be applied without limitation as long as it can be heated to the desired temperature. Here, the desired temperature may be preset in the aerosol generator 1 (eg, when the temperature profile is stored in advance), or may be set to a desired temperature by the user.

As another example, heater section 13 may be configured to include a heating element that operates in an induction heating manner. Specifically, the heater unit 13 may include an inductor (eg, induction coil) for heating the aerosol-generating article 2 by induction heating, and a susceptor that is induction-heated by the inductor. The susceptor may be located externally or internally to the aerosol-generating article 2 .

Further, for example, the heater section 13 includes a heating element for internally heating the aerosol-generating article 2 (hereinafter referred to as an "internal heating element"), a heating element for externally heating (hereinafter referred to as an "external heating element"), or It may be configured to include combinations. The internal heating element may be of a tubular, needle-like or rod-like shape, for example, and may be arranged to penetrate at least a portion of the aerosol-generating article 2, and the external heating element may be of a plate-like, cylindrical, etc. shape. and may be arranged in a manner surrounding at least a portion of the aerosol-generating article 2 . However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the shape, number, layout, etc. of the heating elements can be designed in various ways. A more detailed description of the heating structure of the heater section 13 will be given later with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13 in order to eliminate redundant description.

The battery 11 can then supply the power with which the aerosol generator 1 operates. For example, the battery 11 can supply power so that the heater unit 13 can heat the aerosol-generating article 2, and can supply the power necessary for the control unit 12 to operate.

In addition, the battery 11 can supply power necessary for operating electrical components such as a display (not shown), a sensor (not shown), and a motor (not shown) installed in the aerosol generator 1. can.

Next, the controller 12 can generally control the operation of the aerosol generator 1 . For example, the control unit 12 can control the operations of the heater unit 13 and the battery 11 and can also control the operations of other components included in the aerosol generator 1 . The control unit 12 can control the power supplied by the battery 11, the heating temperature of the heater unit 13, and the like. The control unit 12 can also check the state of each configuration of the aerosol generator 1 to determine whether the aerosol generator 1 is in an operable state.

The control unit 12 may be embodied by at least one control unit (processor). The controller may be implemented as an array of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microcontroller and a memory storing a program that can be executed by the microcontroller. Also, those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will readily understand that the controller 12 may be embodied in other forms of hardware.

The aerosol-generating article 2 may have a structure similar to a typical combustible cigarette. For example, the aerosol-generating article 2 can be divided into a first portion (eg tobacco rod) containing tobacco material (or aerosol-forming substrate) and a second portion (eg filter rod) containing a filter or the like. be done. The entire first portion may be inserted inside the aerosol generator 1 and the second portion may be exposed to the outside. Alternatively, only a portion of the first portion may be inserted inside the aerosol generator 1, or the entire first portion and a portion of the second portion may be inserted. The user can smoke while chewing the second portion with his mouth.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating article 2 may comprise a tobacco rod filled with tobacco granules. More specifically, the aerosol-generating article 2 may comprise a tobacco rod filled with tobacco granules within cavity segments. To avoid redundant description, the tobacco rod will be described later with reference to FIG. Further, the aerosol-generating article 2 according to this embodiment will be described later with reference to FIG. 7 and subsequent drawings.

On the other hand, in some embodiments, the aerosol generating device 1 may be equipped with a smokeless feature (i.e., no visible smoke or minimal visible smoke during use). . The aerosol-generating article 2 may also be designed to implement smokeless functionality. Specifically, the aerosol-generating article 2 is an article filled with tobacco granules, and the aerosol-generating device 1 can operate to heat the aerosol-generating article 2 at a heating temperature of about 270° C. or less. In this case, no visible smoke or minimal visible smoke is produced during smoking, but this is due to the fact that tobacco granules are chopped (e.g. leaf tobacco chopped, platelet chopped), platelets, etc. This is because it contains significantly less moisture and/or aerosol-forming agents than tobacco material, which can reduce visible smoke generation. In addition, tobacco granules can develop a sufficient smoking taste even at a heating temperature lower than that of tobacco substances such as chopped leaves and plate-like leaves (eg, the heating temperature of chopped pieces is usually 270° C. or higher) (i.e., nicotine can be sufficiently transferred), the heating temperature of the heater section 13 can be lowered, and the generation of visible smoke can be further reduced as the heating temperature is lowered. According to the present embodiment, since the smokeless function is provided, the user can use the aerosol generator without being restricted by the location or environment, and the user's convenience can be greatly improved. This embodiment will be described in more detail below together with the structure of the aerosol-generating article 2 with reference to FIG. 7 onwards.

Another type of aerosol generator 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. FIG. However, for the sake of clarity of the present disclosure, descriptions of content that overlaps with the above-described embodiments are omitted.

2 and 3 are diagrams for explaining the aerosol generator 1 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the aerosol generator 1 according to this embodiment may further include a cartridge 15 and a cartridge heater section 14 . FIG. 2 illustrates that the heater section 13 (or the aerosol-generating article 2) and the cartridge heater section 14 are arranged in line, and FIG. 3 illustrates that the heater section 13 (or the aerosol-generating article 2) and the cartridge heater section 14 It illustrates that they are arranged in parallel. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generator 1 is not limited to the illustrations in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the arrangement of the components can be changed as much as desired.

Cartridge 15 may include a liquid reservoir and a liquid transfer means. However, rather than being limited to this, the cartridge 15 may further include other components. Further, the cartridge 15 may be manufactured to be detachable from the cartridge heater section 14 or may be manufactured integrally with the cartridge heater section 14 .

A liquid reservoir can store a liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition may be a liquid containing tobacco-containing substances (or nicotine-containing substances) or a liquid containing non-tobacco substances. For example, the liquid composition may contain water, solvent, ethanol, plant extracts (eg tobacco extract), nicotine, flavoring agents, aerosol forming agents, flavoring agents or vitamin mixtures. Flavors may include, but are not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit flavor components, and the like. Flavoring agents may include ingredients that can provide a variety of flavors or flavors to the user. The vitamin mixture may be a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C and vitamin E, but is not limited thereto. Examples of aerosol forming agents also include, but are not limited to, glycerin or propylene glycol.

Next, the liquid transfer means can transfer the liquid composition stored in the liquid reservoir to the cartridge heater section 14 . For example, liquid transfer means may include, but are not limited to, wick elements such as cotton fibers, ceramic fibers, glass fibers, and porous ceramics.

The cartridge heater section 14 can then heat the liquid aerosol-forming substrate (eg liquid composition) stored in the cartridge 15 to form an aerosol. For example, the cartridge heater section 14 can heat the liquid composition delivered by the liquid delivery means to form an aerosol. The formed aerosol can pass through the aerosol-generating article 2 and be transmitted to the user. In other words, the aerosol formed by heating the cartridge heater section 14 can move along the airflow path of the aerosol generating device 1 , and the airflow path allows the formed aerosol to pass through the aerosol-generating article 2 and reach the user. may be configured to be transmitted to The operation, heating temperature, etc. of the cartridge heater section 14 can be controlled by the control section 12 .

Examples of the cartridge heater section 14 include, but are not limited to, a metal hot wire, a metal hot plate, and a ceramic heater section. Further, the cartridge heater section 14 may be composed of, for example, a conductive filament such as a nichrome wire, and may be arranged so as to be surrounded by the liquid transfer means. However, it is not limited to this.

For reference, the cartridge heater unit 14 and cartridge 15 are sometimes referred to in the art by terms such as cartomizer, atomizer, vaporizer, and the like.

On the other hand, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the aerosol generating device 1 illustrated in FIG. 2 or 3 can operate in smokeless mode or smoke mode. Specifically, the aerosol generator 1 can operate in a set mode out of a smokeless mode and a smoked mode, and the operation mode can be set by the user. Each operation mode and the operation of the aerosol generator 1 will be additionally described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, smokeless mode can mean a mode in which aerosol is generated by the aerosol generator 1 and no visible smoke is generated (or a mode in which visible smoke generation is minimized). In order to implement the smokeless mode, the control unit 12 can operate only the heater unit 13 out of the cartridge heater unit 14 and the heater unit 13 . In other words, the control unit 12 can operate only the heater unit 13 in response to the determination that the set mode is the smokeless mode. In this case, the cartridge 15 is not heated, and only the aerosol-generating article 2 is heated, thereby preventing visible smoke from being generated during use of the device. Specifically, the liquid stored in the cartridge 15 generates an aerosol containing visible smoke as it is heated, but since the heating of the liquid is prevented, the generation of visible smoke can also be prevented.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the smoke mode can mean a mode in which the aerosol generator 1 generates aerosol and also generates visible smoke. There are various methods for implementing the smoke mode, and a specific implementation method may vary according to embodiments.

In some embodiments, the control unit 12 can operate both the cartridge heater unit 14 and the heater unit 13 . In this case, an aerosol containing visible smoke is formed as the liquid stored in the cartridge 15 is heated, and the formed aerosol is emitted through the aerosol-generating article 2, thereby embodying a smoke mode. At this time, the heating temperature of the heater part 13 may be set lower than the heating temperature in the smokeless mode. In the smoke mode, the high-temperature aerosol formed by the cartridge 15 passes through the aerosol-generating article 2, so even if the aerosol-generating article 2 is heated to a relatively low temperature, sufficient smoking can be ensured. is. For example, the heating temperature of the heater section 13 may be about 230° C. or higher (e.g. about 230° C. to 270° C.) in the smokeless mode, and about 230° C. or lower (e.g. about 230° C. or lower) in the smoked mode. about 220° C.).

In some other embodiments, the control section 12 can operate only the cartridge heater section 14 . This is because an aerosol containing visible smoke is formed even if only the cartridge 15 is heated. In order to form a hotter aerosol, the heating temperature of the cartridge heater section 14 according to this embodiment may be higher than the heating temperature of the above-described embodiments.

The aerosol generator 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIGS. 1-5. A tobacco rod 21 and an aerosol-generating article 2 including the same according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to FIG. 6 et seq.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary illustration that schematically illustrates a tobacco rod 21 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 6, tobacco rod 21 is a tobacco rod that includes a cavity or cavity segment 212 that, as heated, contains a tobacco component (or smoking component) such as nicotine. can be supplied.

As shown, tobacco rod 21 may include first filter segment 211 , second filter segment 213 , and cavity segment 212 formed by first filter segment 211 and second filter segment 213 . Cavity segments 212 may then be filled with tobacco granules 214 (ie, tobacco material in granular form). Tobacco rod 21 may further include a wrapper wrapping the rod.

The first filter segment 211 is the filter segment forming the cavity segment 212 and may be located downstream of the cavity segment 212 . The first filter segment 211 may perform functions such as filtering aerosols and cooling in addition to forming a cavity.

In some embodiments, first filter segment 211 may comprise paper material. In other words, the first filter segment 211 consists of a paper filter. In order to ensure a smooth airflow path, the paper material is preferably arranged lengthwise. However, it is not limited to this. According to this embodiment, the tobacco rod 21 suitable for the heating type aerosol generator 1 can be manufactured. Specifically, the cellulose acetate fiber melts or shrinks when heated above a certain temperature, so it is difficult to apply to the tobacco rod portion heated by the heater part 13 . On the other hand, the paper material is hardly denatured by heat, so it can be easily applied to the tobacco rod portion, and through this, the tobacco rod 21 suitable for the heating type aerosol generator 1 can be manufactured. However, in some other embodiments, first filter segment 211 comprises a cellulose acetate filter. In this case, the effect of improving the removing ability of the first filter segment 211 can be achieved.

Also, in some embodiments, the first filter segment 211 may comprise a water or grease resistant paper material. In this case, the problem that smoke components (eg, moisture, aerosol-forming agent components) contained in the aerosol are absorbed while passing through the first filter segment 211 and the amount of visible atomization is reduced is greatly reduced. can do. For example, if the first filter segment 211 comprises a common paper material, the above-described smoke components may be absorbed due to the hygroscopic nature of the paper material, reducing the amount of visible atomization. However, when a water- or oil-resistant paper material is applied, little absorption of the smoke components mentioned above occurs, thus solving the problem of reduced atomization.

Also, in some embodiments, the suction resistance of the first filter segment 211 or the second filter segment 213 may be between about 50 mm H ₂ O/60 mm and 150 mm _{H 2} O/60 mm, preferably about 50 mm H ₂ O. /60 mm to 130 mm _H2O /60 mm, about 50 mm _H2O /60 mm to 120 mm H2O/60 mm, about 50 mm _H2O /60 mm to 110 mm H2O/60 mm _{, about 50 mm H2O /} 60 mm to 100 mm _H2O /60 mm _, about 50 mmH ₂ O/60 mm to 90 mm H ₂ O/60 mm, about 50 mm H ₂ O/60 mm to 100 mm H ₂ O/80 mm or about 50 mm H ₂ O/60 mm to 70 mm _{H 2} O/60 mm. Appropriate absorbability can be ensured within such a numerical range. Adequate drawability also increases the probability of vortex generation within the cavity segment 212, thus achieving the effect of uniformly heating a large number of tobacco granules 214, which will be added later with reference to FIG. explain. Moreover, it was confirmed that when the filter segments 211 and 213 were paper filters, an appropriate atomization amount was ensured within the illustrated numerical range (see Experimental Example 1).

Second filter segment 213 is the filter segment forming cavity segment 212 and may be upstream of cavity segment 212 . The second filter segment 213 may further perform a fall-off prevention function for the tobacco granules 214 . In addition, the second filter segment 213 can ensure that the cavity segment 212 is positioned appropriately within the aerosol-generating device 1 when the aerosol-generating article 2 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 1 . In addition, the second filter segment 213 can prevent the tobacco rod 21 from detaching to the outside and prevent the liquefied aerosol from the tobacco rod 21 from flowing to the aerosol generator 1 during smoking. can also

In some embodiments, second filter segment 213 may comprise paper material. In other words, the second filter segment 213 consists of paper filters. In order to ensure a smooth airflow path, the paper material is preferably arranged lengthwise. However, it is not limited to this. According to this embodiment, the tobacco rod 21 suitable for the heating type aerosol generator 1 can be manufactured. Specifically, the cellulose acetate fiber melts or shrinks when it comes into contact with the internal heating element, thereby accelerating the shedding of the tobacco granules 214 . However, heat resistant paper materials can greatly mitigate this phenomenon.

Also, in some embodiments, the second filter segment 213 may comprise a water or grease resistant paper material. In this case, as mentioned above, the problem that the amount of visible atomization decreases can be greatly reduced.

On the other hand, the physical properties of the paper materials included in the filter segments 211 and 213 are diverse.

In some embodiments, the oil resistance of the paper material may be about 4 or greater (i.e., about 4 or greater on a range of 1 to 12) as measured by the 3M Kit Test, preferably about 5, It may be 6, 7 or 8 or more. Within these numerical ranges, the problem of reduced visible atomization (i.e., the amount of visible smoke generated) due to moisture absorption of the paper material (e.g. reduction in visible atomization in smoke mode) ) can be resolved.

Also, in some embodiments, the thickness of the paper substance may be between about 30 μm and 50 μm, preferably between about 33 μm and 47 μm, between about 35 μm and 45 μm, or between about 37 μm and 42 μm.

Also, in some embodiments, the basis weight of the paper material may be ^about 20 g/m ² to 40 g/m 2 , preferably about 23 g/m ² to 37 g/m ² , about 25 g/m 2 ² to 35 g/m ² , may be about 27 g/m ² to 33 g/m ² .

Also, in some embodiments, the tensile strength of the paper material may be about 2.5 kgf/15 mm or greater, preferably about 2.8 kgf/15 mm, 3.2 kgf/15 mm or 3.5 kgf/15 mm. or more.

Also, in some embodiments, the elongation of the paper material may be about 0.8% or greater, preferably about 1.0%, 1.2% or about 1.5% or greater. may

Also, in some embodiments, the warp stiffness of the paper material may be about 100 cm ³ or greater, preferably about 120 cm ³ , 150 cm ³ or 180 cm ³ or greater.

Also, in some embodiments, the ash content of the paper material may be about 1.5% or less, preferably about 1.2%, 1.0% or 0.8% or less. may

Also, in some embodiments, the paper width of the paper substance may be between about 80 mm and 250 mm, preferably between about 90 mm and 230 mm, between about 100 mm and 200 mm, between about 120 mm and 180 mm, or between about 120 mm and 150 mm. good too. It was confirmed that the filter segments 211 and 213 have appropriate suction resistance within such a numerical range, and an appropriate amount of atomization is ensured (see Experimental Example 1).

Next, cavity segment 212 is a segment with a cavity and may be located between first filter segment 211 and second filter segment 213 . That is, cavity segment 212 is formed by filter segment 211 and second filter segment 213 .

Cavity segment 212 can be manufactured in a variety of ways. As an example, the cavity segment 212 can be manufactured in a form including a tubular structure such as a paper tube. Alternatively, the cavity segment 212 can be manufactured by wrapping the cavity formed by the two filter segments 211, 213 with a wrapper of suitable material. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not so limited, and the cavity segments 212 can be manufactured in any manner, provided that they can be filled with tobacco granules 214 .

The length of cavity segment 212 can be freely selected within approximately 8 mm to 12 mm, although the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such numerical ranges.

As shown, cavity segment 212 may be filled with tobacco granules 214 . Since the tobacco granules 214 can develop sufficient smoking taste even at a low heating temperature compared to other types of tobacco substances (eg, chopped tobacco, tabular leaves, etc.), the power consumption of the heater unit 13 can be reduced. can. In addition, tobacco granules 214 are easier to reduce moisture and/or aerosol-forming agent content than other types of tobacco material (e.g., tobacco cuts, leaflets, etc.) (i.e., It is easy to produce tobacco granules with low water content or low aerosol-forming agent content), and with the exemplified tobacco rod 21, the aerosol generation suitable for implementing the smokeless function of the aerosol generation device 1 Articles (eg, FIG. 7 or 2 in FIG. 8) can be easily manufactured.

The tobacco granules 214 may have various diameters, densities, packing ratios, composition ratios of constituent materials, heating temperatures, etc., and may vary according to embodiments.

In some embodiments, tobacco granules 214 may have a diameter of about 0.3 mm to 1.2 mm. Within this numerical range, proper hardness and manufacturability of the tobacco granules 214 can be ensured, and the probability of vortex generation within the cavity segment 212 can be increased. Further discussion regarding vortex generation will be provided later with reference to FIG.

Also, in some embodiments, the size of the tobacco granules 214 may be about 15 mesh to 50 mesh, preferably about 15 mesh to 45 mesh, about 20 mesh to 45 mesh, about 25 mesh. It may be from mesh to 45 mesh or from about 25 mesh to 40 mesh. Within this numerical range, proper hardness and manufacturability of the tobacco granules 214 can be ensured, the shedding phenomenon can be minimized, and the probability of vortex generation within the cavity segment 212 can be increased.

Also, in some embodiments, the density of tobacco granules 214 may be between about 0.5 g/cm ³ and 1.2 g/cm ³ , preferably between about 0.6 g/cm ³ and 1.0 g. /cm ³ , 0.7 g/cm 3 to 0.9 g/cm ³ or 0.6 g/cm ³ to 0.8 g/cm ³ . Within this numerical range, proper hardness of the tobacco granules 214 can be ensured, and the probability of vortex generation within the cavity segments 212 can be increased. Further discussion regarding vortex generation will be provided later with reference to FIG.

Also, in some embodiments, the hardness of the tobacco granules 214 may be about 80% or greater, preferably 85% or 90% or greater, more preferably 91%, 93%, 95% or 97% or greater. % or more. Within this numerical range, the ease of manufacture of the tobacco granules 214 is improved, the phenomenon of shattering is minimized, and the ease of manufacture of the aerosol-generating article 2 can also be improved. In this embodiment, the hardness of the tobacco granules 214 is a numerical value measured based on the national standard test method KSM-1802 (“activated carbon test method”). Refer to the national standard KSM-1802 for the details of the hardness measurement method and the meaning of the measured values.

Also, in some embodiments, the fill factor of tobacco granules 214 to cavity segment 212 may be about 80% by volume or less, preferably about 70%, 60% or 50% by volume or less. may Within such a numerical range, the probability of eddy current generation within cavity segment 212 can be increased. Further discussion regarding vortex generation will be provided later with reference to FIG. Also, the filling rate of the tobacco granules 214 is preferably about 20% by volume, 30% by volume, or about 40% by volume or more in order to ensure proper smoking taste.

Also, in some embodiments, the tobacco granules 214 may contain less than or equal to about 20 wt% moisture, preferably less than or equal to about 15 wt%, 12 wt%, 10 wt%, 7 wt%, or 5 wt%. of moisture. Within this numerical range, the generation of visible smoke can be greatly reduced, and the smokeless function of the aerosol generator 1 can be easily realized. However, in some other embodiments, tobacco granules 214 may contain about 20% or more by weight of moisture.

Also, in some embodiments, the tobacco granules 214 may contain up to about 10% by weight aerosol forming agent, preferably about 7%, 5%, 3% or 1% by weight aerosol forming agent. agent. Alternatively, tobacco granules 214 may be free of aerosol forming agents. Within this numerical range, the generation of visible smoke can be greatly reduced, and the smokeless function of the aerosol generator 1 can be easily realized. However, in some other embodiments, the tobacco granules 214 may contain about 10% or more by weight of the aerosol forming agent.

Also, in some embodiments, the heating temperature of the tobacco granules 214 may be about 270°C, 260°C, 250°C, 240°C, or 230°C or less. In other words, the heater portion 13 can heat the tobacco rod 21 at a heating temperature within the exemplified numerical range. Within this numerical range, it is possible to solve the problem that the tobacco granules 214 are overheated and burnt. In addition, the smokeless function of the aerosol generator 1 can be easily implemented by minimizing the generation of visible smoke while ensuring proper smoking taste. As an additional explanation, tobacco materials such as cuts, leaflets, etc. develop a satisfactory palatability when heated above about 270° C., whereas tobacco granules 214 exhibit a satisfactory palatability at lower temperatures. can be expressed, the power consumption of the heater section 13 can be reduced, and the generation of visible smoke can be easily suppressed. In addition, due to these characteristics, the tobacco granules 214 are more suitable than other types of tobacco materials for implementing the smokeless function of the aerosol generator 1 .

Also, in some embodiments, the wet basis nicotine content of the tobacco granules 214 is between about 1.0% and 4.0%, preferably between about 1.5% and 3.5%. %, 1.8% to 3.0% or 2.0% to 2.5%. An appropriate level of taste can be ensured within such a numerical range.

Also, in some embodiments, the dry basis nicotine content of tobacco granules 214 is between about 1.2% and 4.2%, preferably between about 1.7% and 3.7%. , 2.0% to 3.2% or 2.2% to 2.7%. An appropriate level of taste can be ensured within such a numerical range.

Tobacco rod 21 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIG. According to the above, the two filter segments 211, 213 form a cavity segment 212 into which tobacco granules 214 are filled. Accordingly, it is possible to easily manufacture the tobacco rod 21 capable of minimizing the dropping phenomenon of the tobacco granules 214 . Filter segments 211 and 213 are made of paper filters. This tobacco rod 21 is suitable for manufacturing the heated aerosol-generating article 2 because the physical properties of the filter segments 211 and 213 hardly change even when heated by the heater section 13 .

Embodiments relating to aerosol-generating articles 2 including tobacco rods 21 are described below, and descriptions of tobacco rods 21 are omitted for the sake of clarity of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary illustration that schematically illustrates an aerosol-generating article 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7, aerosol-generating article 2 may include filter rod 22 and tobacco rod 21 . However, FIG. 7 only shows components relevant to embodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains will appreciate that other general-purpose components may be included in addition to the components shown in FIG. The filter rod 22 will be described below.

Filter rod 22 is positioned downstream of tobacco rod 21 and can perform a filtering function for aerosols. To this end, filter rod 22 may include a filter material such as paper, cellulose acetate fibers, or the like. Filter rod 22 may further include a wrapper wrapping the filter material.

Filter rod 22 can be made in a variety of shapes. For example, the filter rod 22 may be a cylindrical type rod or a tubular rod containing a hollow inside. Alternatively, the filter rod 22 may be a recessed rod. If the filter rod 22 is composed of multiple segments, at least one of the multiple segments may be manufactured with a different shape.

The filter rod 22 can also be made to generate flavor. For example, the filter rod 22 may be sprayed with a perfumed liquid, or a separate fiber coated with the perfumed liquid may be inserted into the filter rod 22 . As another example, filter rod 22 may include at least one capsule (not shown) containing perfume.

Although FIG. 7 illustrates that the filter rod 22 is composed of a single segment, the scope of the present disclosure is not so limited and the filter rod 22 can be composed of multiple segments. good. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the filter rod 22 may consist of a cooling segment 222 that performs a cooling function for aerosols and a mouthpiece segment 221 that performs a filtering function for aerosols. Or, optionally, filter rod 22 may further include at least one segment that performs other functions.

For reference, cooling segment 222 can be manufactured in a variety of forms. For example, the cooling segment 222 may be manufactured in the form of a paper tube, a hollow cellulose acetate filter, a cellulose acetate filter with a plurality of holes, a filter filled with a polymer or a biodegradable polymer, or the like. can do. However, without limitation, the cooling segment 222 may be manufactured in any form as long as it is capable of performing the function of cooling the aerosol. The polymer or biodegradable polymer may be, but is not limited to, polylactic acid (PLA) fabric.

Also, the mouthpiece segment 221 may be, for example, a cellulose acetate filter (that is, a filter made of cellulose acetate fibers), but is not limited to this. The discussion above regarding filter rod 22 is also applicable to mouthpiece segment 221 .

Alternatively, although not explicitly shown, the aerosol-generating article 2 can be wrapped by at least one wrapper. As an example, the aerosol-generating article 2 can be packaged with one wrapper. As another example, the aerosol-generating article 2 can be redundantly wrapped with two or more wrappers. For example, a first wrapper may wrap the tobacco rod 21 and a second wrapper may wrap the filter rod 22 . Tobacco rod 21 and filter rod 22 wrapped in separate wrappers are then combined, allowing the entire aerosol-generating article 2 to be rewrapped in a third wrapper. If each tobacco rod 21 or filter rod 22 is composed of multiple segments, each segment can be wrapped in an individual wrapper. The entire aerosol-generating article 2 combined with segments wrapped in individual wrappers can then be repackaged in a different wrapper. The wrapper may have at least one hole through which external air is introduced and internal gas is discharged.

Aerosol-generating articles 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to FIGS. According to the above, an aerosol-generating article 2 filled with tobacco granules 214 can be provided. Such an aerosol-generating article 2 can provide the user with a better smoking experience and intimacy than a cartridge-type product (i.e., a cartridge product filled with tobacco granules), and can also reduce manufacturing costs. .

Also, the aerosol-generating article 2 suitable for implementing the smokeless function of the aerosol-generating device 1 can be provided. Specifically, the aerosol-generating article 2 comprises a tobacco rod 21 filled with tobacco granules 214, which are cut (e.g. leaf tobacco cut, plate leaf cut), plate leaves, etc. Visible smoke generation can be greatly reduced due to the significantly lower moisture and/or aerosol-forming agent content compared to such tobacco materials. In addition, since the tobacco granules 214 develop a sufficient smoking taste even at a relatively low temperature compared to other types of tobacco substances, the heating temperature of the aerosol generator 1 can be set relatively low. Visible smoke generation can be further reduced as the heating temperature is lowered.

On the other hand, the inventors of the present disclosure have found that when certain conditions are satisfied, a vortex is generated in the cavity segment 212 during puffing, and due to the generated vortex, a large number of tobacco granules 214 are mixed and heated uniformly. It was confirmed that the phenomenon to be done appears. The principle and conditions for generating such a vortex will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the principles and conditions under which vortices are generated in the aerosol-generating article 2 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, FIG. 9 and subsequent drawings show only the tobacco rod 21 without the filter rod 22 .

As shown in FIG. 9, when certain conditions are satisfied, the puff causes the airflow (see the dotted arrow) flowing through the second filter segment 213 to swirl within the cavity segment 212 . . For example, the airflow introduced by the puff meets a number of tobacco granules 214 moving downstream by the puff to form an irregular airflow stream, and vortices are generated during this process. In addition, due to the generated vortex, a large number of tobacco granules 214 can be well mixed and uniformly heated. For example, more heated tobacco granules 214 and less heated tobacco granules 214 can be mixed to achieve the effect of uniformly heating a large number of tobacco granules 214 as the position of the tobacco granules 214 is changed. As a result, the burning taste is reduced during smoking, and the smoking taste can be improved.

The inventors of the present invention confirmed that the phenomenon of vortex generation as described above appeared during continuous research, and confirmed through experiments that the probability of vortex generation is greatly increased under the following conditions. The conditions under which vortices are generated will be described below.

First, the first condition relates to the filling rate of cavity segment 212 . This is because when there is sufficient empty space within the cavity segment 212, a large number of tobacco granules 214 can easily move and mix. According to the experimental results, it was confirmed that when the filling rate of the tobacco granules 214 in the cavity segment 212 is about 80% by volume or less, vortex flow is often generated. A further increase was confirmed.

Next, the second condition relates to the density of tobacco granules 214 . This is because if the tobacco granules 214 are too heavy, they will be difficult to move by the puff or air current and can act as a strong resistance to the incoming air current. According to the experimental results, it was confirmed that when the density of the tobacco granules 214 is about 1.2 g/cm ³ or less, vortex flow is generated well, and when it is about 1.0 g/cm ³ or less, the probability of vortex generation is low. was confirmed to increase further.

Next, the third condition relates to the diameter of tobacco granules 214 . This is because even if the diameter of the tobacco granules 214 is very large, it can act as a strong resistance against the incoming airflow. According to experimental results, when the diameter of the tobacco granules 214 is about 1.2 mm or less, vortex flow is more likely to occur. confirmed.

Next, the fourth condition relates to the suction resistance of the first filter segment 211 . This is because if the suction resistance is too low, a suction error may occur and the suction force from the puff may not be transmitted to the cavity segment 212 . According to experimental results, it was confirmed that when the suction resistance of the first filter segment 211 was about 50 mmH ₂ O/60 mm or more, vortex flow was well generated, and when it was about 70 mmH ₂ O/60 mm or more, vortex flow was generated. It was confirmed that the probability further increased.

The conditions related to the principle of vortex generation have been described above with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, the heating structure of the heater section 13 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 10-13.

First, the heating structure of the heater section 13 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 10 .

As shown in FIG. 10, the heater portion 13 according to this embodiment may be configured to include an external heating element 131, which is arranged to heat only the cavity segment 212. good too. For example, external heating element 131 may be arranged in a manner surrounding at least a portion of cavity segment 212 .

In this case, there is a problem that the physical properties of the filter segments 211 and 213 change due to the heat of the heater part 13, and a problem that the visible atomization amount (that is, the amount of visible smoke generated) decreases due to the moisture absorption of the filter segments 211 and 213. can be resolved. For example, if the filter segments 211 and 213 are cellulose acetate filters, the cellulose acetate fibers may melt or shrink due to the heat of the heater part 13, but this problem can be solved. As another example, if the filter segments 211 and 213 are paper filters, the heat of the heater unit 13 increases the hygroscopicity of the paper material, which may cause a problem in that the amount of atomization decreases in the smoke mode. Problems like this can be solved.

The heating structure of the heater section 13 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG. 11 . For the sake of clarity of the present disclosure, descriptions of content that overlaps with the previously described embodiments are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the heater section 13 according to this embodiment may be configured to include an external heating element 131 . Also, the external heating element 131 may be positioned to heat only the cavity segment 212 and positioned such that an unheated portion 215 is formed near the downstream end of the cavity segment 212 . For example, the external heating elements 131 may be arranged in a manner surrounding the remainder of the cavity segment 212 except for the unheated portion 215 .

In this case, the heating efficiency of the heater portion 13 can be improved, and the probability of occurrence of eddy currents can be further improved. Specifically, the reduction in the heating area of the external heating element 131 reduces the power consumption, while maintaining the heating performance for the tobacco granules 214, thereby improving the heating efficiency. In other words, when smoking, gravity causes more tobacco granules 214 to be located upstream of the cavity segment 212, but the external heating element 131 heats the upstream portion where more tobacco granules 214 are located, thus reducing the heating area. However, the amount of heat transferred to the tobacco granules 214 is substantially not reduced. In addition, a temperature difference is generated within the cavity segment 212 to improve the probability of vortex generation. For example, temperature differentials within the cavity segment 212 (e.g., the upstream is heated at a relatively high temperature) may enhance the flow of the airflow in the downstream direction, further increasing the probability of eddy current generation. can be done.

On the other hand, in some embodiments, the heater section 13 may be configured to include a first external heating element that heats the upstream of the cavity segment 212 and a second external heating element that heats the downstream, and the control section 12 , the heating temperature of the first external heating element can be controlled to be higher than the second external heating element. In this case also, an effect similar to that described above can be achieved.

Also, in some embodiments, the heater portion 13 may be configured to include multiple external heating elements that heat various portions of the cavity segment 212 at different temperatures. For example, the heater section 13 includes a first external heating element that heats the first portion of the cavity segment 212, a second external heating element that heats the second portion, and a third external heating element that heats the third portion. The controller 12 can operate each external heating element at a different temperature from each other. In this case, the flow of the internal airflow may become complicated as each part of the cavity segment 212 is heated to different temperatures, which may further increase the probability of eddy current generation.

The heating structure of the heater section 13 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG. 12 .

As shown in FIG. 12, the heater section 13 according to this embodiment may be configured to include an internal heating element 132 and an external heating element 131 . The heater part 13 can heat the plurality of tobacco granules 214 uniformly by simultaneously heating the inner and outer cavity segments 212 through the two heating elements 131 and 132 . However, a specific implementation method of the heater part 13 may be changed.

For example, the internal heating element 132 and the external heating element 131 may be implemented in a form controlled simultaneously by the controller 12 . At this time, the two heating elements 131 and 132 can be physically integrated as shown in the figure, or can be manufactured separately from each other. In any case, the complexity of the circuit configuration between the control unit 12 and the heater unit 13 can be reduced.

As another example, the internal heating element 132 and the external heating element 131 may be independently controlled by the controller 12 . For example, the two heating elements 131 and 132 can be manufactured separately from each other and controlled at different temperatures by the controller 12 . In this example, the controller 12 can also operate the internal heating element 132 at a lower heating temperature than the external heating element 131, or operate the internal heating element 132 only under certain conditions (e.g. every puff). only during warm-up time, etc.). In this case, the problem that the tobacco granules 214 are overheated due to the internal heating element 132 and develop a burnt taste can be greatly reduced. For example, the problem of browning developing as some tobacco granules 214 are heated in continuous contact with the internal heating element 132 can be greatly reduced.

However, in some embodiments, the thickness of the internal heating element 132 may be about 4.0 mm or less, preferably about 3.0 mm, 2.5 mm or 2.0 mm or less.
Within this numerical range, the problem of the tobacco rod 21 being pushed during insertion or the filter segment (e.g. 213) being damaged by the internal heating element 132 can be easily solved. .213) can also be minimized. For example, if the second filter segment 213 is a paper filter and the thickness of the internal heating element 132 is large, there may be a problem that the internal heating element 132 is jammed by the paper material and pushes the tobacco rod 21 during insertion. Alternatively, the second filter segment 213 may be severely damaged due to the penetration of the internal heating element 132, and the tobacco granules 214 may drop out through the damaged portion. However, if the thickness of the internal heating element 132 has the illustrated numerical range, the illustrated problem can be solved.

Also, in some embodiments, the internal heating element 132 may have a pointed shape, such as a semi-conical shape. In this case, damage to the second filter segment 213 by the internal heating element 132 and falling off of the tobacco granules 214 can be minimized.

The heating structure of the heater section 13 according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG. 13 .

As shown in FIG. 13 , the heater section 13 according to this embodiment may be configured to include an external heating element 131 and a heat conducting element 133 for heating the interior of the tobacco rod 21 . Here, the heat-conducting element 133 is made of a heat-conducting material and placed in thermal contact with the external heating element 131 to transfer the heat generated from the external heating element 131 to the inside of the tobacco rod 21 . can play a role.

In this case, since the tobacco granules 214 are heated by conductive heat inside the cavity segment 212, the problem of overheating the tobacco granules 214 can be greatly alleviated. In addition, since only the controller 12 and the external heating element 131 are connected in a circuit, the complexity of the circuit configuration can be reduced.

The heating structure of the heater section 13 according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below.

The heater unit 13 according to the present embodiment can heat the cavity segment 212 by induction heating through a particle-shaped susceptor material (hereinafter referred to as 'susceptor particles'). Specifically, the heater section 13 may be configured to include an inductor (eg, an induction coil) for inductively heating the susceptor material, and a large number of susceptor particles are arranged inside the cavity segment 212 . good too. In this case, a large number of susceptor particles are mixed with the tobacco granules 214 inside the cavity segment 212 to heat the tobacco granules 214, so that the tobacco granules 214 can be uniformly heated.

There are various ways to arrange the susceptor particles. For example, susceptor particles may be packed inside cavity segments 212 with tobacco granules 214 . As another example, the susceptor particles may form part of the tobacco granules 214 . For example, tobacco granules 214 containing susceptor particles can be produced by adding susceptor particles during production of tobacco granules 214 .

The heating structure of the heater section 13 according to the first to fifth embodiments of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13. FIG. Although the embodiments are described separately for convenience of understanding, the first to fifth embodiments can be matched in various forms. For example, heater portion 13 according to some embodiments may be configured to include an internal heating element and an external heating element that heats only cavity segment 212 .

Below, the configuration and effects of the tobacco granules 214 and/or the aerosol-generating article 2 described above through Examples and Experimental Examples will be described in more detail. However, the following examples are merely examples of part of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the following examples.

Example 1
A cigarette having the same construction as the aerosol-generating article 2 illustrated in FIG. 8 was produced. Specifically, a cigarette having a circumference of about 22 mm and a length of about 48 mm was produced, and about 150 mg of tobacco granules were put into the cavity segment of the tobacco rod. Then, a creep paper having a paper width of about 150 mm (that is, a paper that has undergone the crimping process) is put in to produce a paper filter with a suction resistance of about 70 mmH ₂ O/60 mm (see Table 1 below), The paper filters produced were cut and used as filter segments for tobacco rods. A paper tube was used as the cooling segment of the filter rod, and a cellulose acetate filter was used as the mouthpiece segment.

Example 2
A paper with a width of about 150 mm was put in to produce a paper filter with a suction resistance of about 70 mmH ₂ O/60 mm (see Table 1 below), and the produced paper filter was cut to obtain a tobacco rod filter. The same cigarette as in Example 1 was produced, except that it was used as a segment. In order to make the suction resistance lower than that of Example 1, creep paper having crimping strength weaker than that of Example 1 was used to manufacture a paper filter.

Example 3
A paper with a width of about 120 mm was put in to produce a paper filter with a suction resistance of about 70 mm _{H 2} O/60 mm (see Table 1 below), and the produced paper filter was cut into filter segments of tobacco rods. The same cigarette as in Example 1 was produced, except that it was used as In order to match the suction resistance to the same as in Example 1, a paper filter was manufactured by inserting creep paper with a higher crimping strength than in Example 1.

Example 4
A paper with a width of about 120 mm was put in to produce a paper filter with a suction resistance of about 50 mm _{H 2} O/60 mm (see Table 1 below), and the produced paper filter was cut into filter segments of tobacco rods. The same cigarette as in Example 1 was produced, except that it was used as In order to match the suction resistance to the same as in Example 2, a paper filter was manufactured by inserting creep paper with a higher crimping strength than in Example 2.

Example 5
A paper with a width of about 120 mm was put in to produce a paper filter with a suction resistance of about 100 mm H ₂ O/60 mm (see Table 1 below), and the produced paper filter was cut into filter segments of tobacco rods. The same cigarette as in Example 1 was produced, except that it was used as In order to make the suction resistance higher than that of Example 3, creep paper having crimping strength higher than that of Example 3 was added to manufacture a paper filter.

Table 1 below summarizes the specifications of the paper filters used to manufacture the cigarettes according to Examples 1 to 5, and Table 2 shows the structures and specifications of the cigarettes according to Examples 1 to 5. It is organized.

Experimental Example 1 Evaluation of Atomization Amount An experiment was conducted to evaluate the atomization amount of the cigarettes according to Examples 1-5. Specifically, in order to evaluate whether the paper material introduced into the cigarette filter segment has any effect on the atomization amount, the amount of weight increase of the paper material after smoking (i.e., the amount of aerosol generated in the liquid cartridge) The weight increased by absorbing moisture, etc.) was measured, and an experiment was conducted to analyze the smoke components. In addition, the extent of the actual visual atomization amount (that is, the visible atomization amount) during smoking was relatively evaluated. Experiments were conducted using a hybrid-type aerosol generator equipped with a liquid cartridge (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) in a smoking room with a temperature of approximately 20° C. and a humidity of approximately 62.5% for component analysis. The smoke collection was repeated three times for each sample, with 8 puffs per time, and the average values for the three collection results are shown in Table 3 below. In addition, the weight increase of the filter segment described in Table 3 was also calculated as an average value of three measurements.

Referring to Table 3 above, it was shown that the atomization of cigarettes according to Example 2 was generally superior to that of Example 1. Specifically, the weight gain of the filter segment according to Example 2 is less than that of Example 1 (that is, the amount of moisture absorbed by the paper material is less), and the visible atomization amount of the cigarette according to Example 2 is also superior to that of Example 1. It was shown that It is believed that this is the result of introducing a paper material having a relatively weak crimping strength in order to reduce the suction resistance from that of Example 1. In addition, although the cigarette of Example 5 was evaluated to have the worst atomization amount (i.e., relatively low visible atomization amount and high weight gain), this is also due to the reasons described above. is judged to have In other words, a paper with a very high crimping strength was used to match the suction resistance of about 100 mm H ₂ O/60 mm with a relatively small paper width when manufacturing the filter segment according to Example 5. It is determined that these points affected the amount of atomization.

Further, when Example 1 and Example 3 (or Example 2 and Example 4) were compared, it was shown that the atomization amount of the cigarette of Example 1 was even better. This is considered to mean that the crimping strength has a greater effect on the atomization amount than the paper width of the paper fed into the filter segment. In other words, even if the width of the paper fed into the filter segment is large (i.e., the amount of paper is large), the effect on the atomization amount can be adjusted by weakening the crimping strength.

As a reference, although not described, a paper filter having a suction resistance of about 30 mmH ₂ O/60 mm was produced by making the crimping strength very weak, and the paper filter was cut to produce cigarettes. The phenomenon that the granules fell off appeared intermittently. Therefore, the atomization amount evaluation experiment according to Experimental Example 1 was conducted except for the manufactured cigarette.

Summarizing the above, it is preferable to use a paper filter with a suction resistance of about 50 mmH ₂ O/60 mm to 100 mmH ₂ O/60 mm using appropriately crimped paper for the filter segment of the tobacco rod. It can be seen that even if the paper width range is further extended from about 120 mm to 150 mm, it does not significantly affect the atomization amount.

Example 6
Tobacco granules with a size of about 30 mesh to 45 mesh are produced, and the tobacco granules produced to have a filling rate of about 75% by volume are added to have the same structure as the article 2 illustrated in FIG. manufactured cigarettes. The two filter segments (eg 211, 213) that make up the tobacco rod (eg 21) are made of paper material with an oil resistance (measured by 3M Kit Test) of about 2. A filter was used.

Example 7
Cigarettes were made identical to Example 6, except that a filter made of a paper material with an oil resistance of about 6 was used.

Example 8
Cigarettes were made identical to Example 6, except that the size of the tobacco granules was about 20-30 mesh.

Example 9
A cigarette was produced in the same manner as in Example 6, except that the tobacco granules were added so that the filling rate was about 50% by volume.

Example 10
A cigarette was produced in the same manner as in Example 6, except that the tobacco granules were added so that the filling rate was about 100% by volume.

Experimental Example 2: Evaluation of effect of oil resistance of paper material on atomization amount , an experiment was carried out to analyze the smoke components of the cigarettes according to Examples 6 and 7 in the smoke mode to measure the TPM (Total Particulate Matter) content. The experimental method was the same as in Experimental Example 1, and the experimental results are listed in Table 4 below.

Referring to Table 4, it was shown that cigarettes according to Example 7 (i.e. cigarettes with a high oil resistance paper material input) had a significantly higher TPM content than Example 6. This is believed to be the result of increased migration of the aerosol-forming agent and moisture due to the reduced moisture absorption of the aerosol passing through the filter segment by the highly oil-resistant paper material. From these experimental results, it can be seen that the amount of atomization can be improved when a paper material with high oil resistance is used.

Experimental Example 3 Evaluation of Effect of Tobacco Granule Size on Vortex Generation To evaluate the effect of tobacco granule size on vortex generation inside the cavity segment (eg 212), Examples 6 and 8 were used. To confirm the extent to which tobacco granules agglomerate after smoking, a smoking experiment was conducted on cigarettes. Tobacco granules are evenly mixed and agglomeration phenomenon is reduced as vortex can be generated well inside the cavity segment (e.g. 212). It's for. The experimental results are shown in Figures 14 and 15, which photograph the extent to which tobacco granules are agglomerated after smoking, respectively, for Example 6 (approximately 30 mesh to 45 mesh). ) and Example 8 (about 20 mesh to 30 mesh).

14 and 15, it was shown that the degree of agglomeration of the tobacco granules according to Example 8 (ie tobacco granules with large size) was worse than that of Example 6. That is, it was confirmed that the tobacco granules according to Example 6 spread relatively uniformly, whereas the tobacco granules according to Example 8 had strongly agglomerated portions. This is because larger sized tobacco granules act as greater resistance to airflow (e.g., they are better able to block airflow due to their weight, increased size, etc.) and reduce the probability of vortex generation. be judged.

Experimental Example 4 Evaluation of Effect of Tobacco Granule Packing Factor on Vortex Generation , 9 and 10, to determine the extent to which tobacco granules are agglomerated after smoking. The experimental results are shown in FIGS. 16-18. 16, 17 and 18 are photographs of the degree of aggregation of tobacco granules after smoking, respectively, Example 6 (filling rate of about 50% by volume) and Example 9 (filling rate of about 75% by volume). ) and Example 10 (filling rate of about 100% by volume).

Referring to FIGS. 16 to 18, it was confirmed that as the filling rate of tobacco granules increased, the degree of agglomeration of tobacco granules worsened. For example, it was confirmed that the degree of agglomeration of tobacco granules according to Example 9, which has a filling rate of about 50% by volume, is significantly lower than that of Example 10, which has a filling rate of about 100% by volume. This is because the lower the filling factor, the more empty space in the cavity segment (e.g. 212) and the more the air flow is promoted, and the more the air flow is promoted, the higher the probability of eddy current generation. is judged. Through these experimental results, it can be seen that the filling rate of tobacco granules is preferably about 75% by volume or about 80% by volume or less.

Experimental Example 5: Evaluation of the effect of the thickness and shape of the heating element on the degree of damage to the filter segment. ) is the thickness and shape of the filter segment (e.g.
213) was conducted to evaluate the effect on the degree of damage. Specifically, an experiment was conducted to confirm the degree of filter segment damage of the cigarette according to Example 6 while changing the thickness and shape of the internal heating element. The experimental results are shown in FIGS. 19-21. 19-21 are photographed cross-sections of the filter segment (e.g. 213) pierced by the internal heating element, with a semi-conical heating element approximately 2 mm thick and a cylindrical heating element approximately 2 mm thick, respectively. Experimental results for a (rod-shaped) heating element and a cylindrical heating element with a thickness of about 3 mm are shown.

19 to 21, it can be seen that the greater the thickness of the heating element, the greater the degree of damage to the filter segment. Through this, it can be seen that the thickness of the heating element should preferably be about 3 mm or less in order to minimize the damage to the filter segments and the dropping of tobacco granules.

It can also be seen that it is preferable to use a pointed heating element, such as a semi-conical shape, rather than a cylindrical one, to minimize damage to the filter segments.

For reference, when the thickness of the heating element is about 4 mm or more, it was confirmed that the filter segment was pushed during insertion, making it difficult to insert the filter segment, thereby increasing the degree of damage to the filter segment.

Above, the configuration and effects of the tobacco granules 214 and/or the aerosol-generating article 2 described above through examples and experimental examples have been described in more detail.

As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. can be embodied in other specific forms. Accordingly, the embodiments described above are to be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The protection scope of the present disclosure should be construed by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope are considered to be included in the scope of rights of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure. It should be.

Claims (10)

a first filter segment;
a second filter segment located upstream of the first filter segment;
a cavity segment formed by said first filter segment and said second filter segment and filled with tobacco granules. 2. The tobacco rod of claim 1, wherein both the first filter segment and the second filter segment are paper filters. the first filter segment is a cellulose acetate filter;
2. The tobacco rod of claim 1, wherein said second filter segment is a paper filter. 2. The tobacco rod of claim 1, wherein the tobacco granules have a density of 0.5 g/cm ³ to 1.2 g/cm ³ . 2. The tobacco rod of claim 1, wherein the tobacco granules have a diameter of 0.3 mm to 1.2 mm. 2. The tobacco rod according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco granule filling rate for the cavity segment is 80% by volume or less. 2. The tobacco rod of claim 1, wherein the suction resistance of said first filter segment is between 50 mm _H2O /60 mm and 150 mm _H2O /60 mm. the first filter segment comprises a paper material having a paper width of 100 mm to 200 mm;
2. The tobacco rod of claim 1, wherein the suction resistance of said first filter segment is between 50 mm _H2O /60 mm and 100 mm _H2O /60 mm. An aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device, comprising:
a tobacco rod filled with tobacco granules;
a filter rod;
The tobacco rod is
a first filter segment;
a second filter segment;
a cavity segment formed by said first filter segment and said second filter segment and filled with said tobacco granules. The filter rod is
a cooling segment;
10. The aerosol-generating article of claim 9, comprising a mouthpiece segment.

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