JP2024515967A - Aerosol generator and medium containing rod - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol generating device according to one embodiment includes a storage section that stores a medium-containing rod, an atomization section that generates an aerosol, and a power supply section that transmits the power required to heat the atomization section, and the aerosol generated from the atomization section of the aerosol generating device passes through the medium-containing rod, causing the medium to be transferred, and the medium-containing rod stored in the storage section can be replaced and used.

Description

The following examples relate to an aerosol generating device and a medium containing rod.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for alternative products that overcome the shortcomings of traditional cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for devices that generate aerosols by electrically heating cigarette sticks (e.g., cigarette-type electronic cigarettes). As a result, research on electrically heated aerosol generating devices and cigarette sticks (or aerosol generating products) applied thereto has been actively conducted. For example, Published Patent Application No. 10-2017-0132823 discloses a non-combustion type flavor inhaler, a flavor source unit, and an atomization unit.

An object of one embodiment is to provide an aerosol generating device and a medium containing rod that transfers nicotine by indirect heating of the medium by the aerosol.

The objective of one embodiment is to provide an aerosol generator and a medium-containing rod that construct an indirectly heated (non-heated) electronic cigarette using a disposable stick, improving hygiene and providing a uniform flavor during nicotine transfer.

The aerosol generating device according to one embodiment includes a storage section that stores a medium-containing rod, an atomizing section that generates an aerosol, and a power supply section that transmits the power required to heat the atomizing section. The aerosol generated from the atomizing section of the aerosol generating device passes through the medium-containing rod, the medium is transferred, and the medium-containing rod contained in the storage section can be replaced and used, and medium granules can be filled into the filter segment included in the medium-containing rod.

The medium containing rod includes a first filter segment disposed at the most upstream position of the medium containing rod, a second filter segment disposed downstream of the first filter segment and containing medium granules, and a filter rod disposed at the most downstream position of the medium containing rod, and the filter rod may include a cooling segment and a mouthpiece segment.

The medium containing rod may include a basic pH adjuster.

The media-containing rod may contain tobacco granules, which may be produced by a crimping process.

The medium-containing rod may include a disposable cigarette.

The atomizing section may include a liquid storage tank that stores the liquid composition that generates the aerosol, a liquid transfer means that promotes the transfer of the liquid composition, and a heater that heats the liquid composition.

The second filter segment containing the medium granules can be formed by applying a moisturizing agent to one side of the filter member, arranging a plurality of the medium granules on the one side of the filter member to which the moisturizing agent has been applied, folding the one side of the filter member so that they face each other, and then folding the folded filter member a plurality of times, and wrapping the folded filter member in a wrapper.

A medium containing rod used with an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment includes a first filter segment disposed at the most upstream position of the medium containing rod, and a second filter segment disposed downstream of the first filter segment, the filter member of which is filled with medium granules, and a pH adjuster can be disposed in the second filter segment.

The pH adjuster may include a basic salt.

The device further includes a filter rod disposed at the most downstream side of the medium containing rod, and the filter rod may include a cooling segment and a mouthpiece segment.

The first filter segment and the second filter segment may include an acetate material.

The aerosol generating device and medium containing rod of one embodiment can transfer nicotine by indirectly heating the medium with the aerosol.

The aerosol generating device and medium containing rod according to one embodiment can be used to create an indirectly heated (non-heated) electronic cigarette using a disposable stick, improving hygiene and providing a uniform flavor during nicotine transfer.

The effects of the aerosol generating device and medium containing rod according to one embodiment are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the description below.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment; FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a medium-containing rod according to an embodiment. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a plurality of media granules disposed on a filter member of a second filter segment according to one embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a second filter segment according to one embodiment, showing a plurality of media granules disposed within a filter member; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a medium-containing rod according to an embodiment. 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating the structure of a medium-containing rod according to another embodiment.

The following describes the embodiments in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, since various modifications may be made to the embodiments, the scope of the patent application is not limited or restricted by these embodiments. It should be understood that all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives to the embodiments are included in the scope of the patent.

The terms used in the examples are merely used for explanatory purposes and should not be construed as limiting. The singular term includes the plural term unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "include" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and should not be understood to preclude the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments pertain. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as meanings consistent with the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted as idealized or overly formal unless expressly defined in this application.

When describing the embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, the same reference numerals are used for the same components, regardless of the drawing numerals, and duplicate descriptions of these components will be omitted. When describing the embodiments, if it is determined that a detailed description of related publicly known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiments, the detailed description will be omitted.

Furthermore, in describing components of the embodiments, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are used to distinguish the components from other components, and do not limit the nature, order, or sequence of the components. When a component is described as being "coupled," "bonded," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component is directly coupled or connected to the other component, but that other components are "coupled," "bonded," or "connected" between each component.

Components included in any of the embodiments and components having common functions will be described using the same names in the other embodiments. Unless otherwise stated, the description of any of the embodiments may also be applied to the other embodiments, and detailed descriptions will be omitted to the extent that they overlap.

In the following examples, "humectant" may refer to a substance that can facilitate the formation of visible smoke and/or aerosol. Examples of humectants include, but are not limited to, glycerin (GLY), propylene glycol (PG), ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. In the art, humectant may be used interchangeably with terms such as aerosol formers and wetting agents.

In the following examples, "aerosol-forming substrate" may refer to a substance capable of forming an aerosol. The aerosol may include a volatile compound. The aerosol-forming substrate may be a solid or liquid.

For example, the solid aerosol-forming substrate may include a solid material based on tobacco raw materials such as tabular tobacco, shredded tobacco, and reconstituted tobacco, and the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may include a liquid composition based on nicotine, tobacco extract, and/or various flavoring agents. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.

In the following examples, "aerosol generating device" may refer to a device that generates an aerosol using an aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol that can be inhaled directly into the user's lungs through the user's mouth.

In the following examples, "medium-containing rod" can refer to an article that contains a medium. A representative example of a medium-containing rod is a cigarette, but the scope of this disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the following examples, "upstream" or "upstream direction" can mean a direction away from the mouth of the user, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" can mean a direction toward the mouth of the user. The terms upstream and downstream are used to describe the relative positions of the elements that make up the media-containing rod. For example, in the media-containing rod 100 shown in FIG. 2, the granule rod 120 is located upstream or in the upstream direction of the filter rod 140, and the filter rod 140 is located downstream or in the downstream direction of the granule rod 120.

In the following examples, "puff" refers to the user's inhalation, where inhalation refers to the situation where the liquid is drawn into the user's oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs through the user's mouth or nose.

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

1A and 1B are schematic diagrams illustrating an aerosol generating device according to some embodiments. FIG. 1A shows that the cartridge 222 and heater 224 are arranged in line, and FIG. 1B shows that the cartridge 222 and heater 224 are arranged in parallel.

Referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the aerosol generating device 200 according to the present embodiment may include a housing, a storage unit 210, an atomizing unit 220, and a power supply unit 230. Here, the atomizing unit 220 may include a cartridge 222 and a heater 224, and the atomizing unit 220 may generate an aerosol. However, FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B show only the components related to the present embodiment, and a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs will understand that other general components are further included in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B. For example, the aerosol generating device 200 may further include an input module for inputting commands from a user, and an output module for outputting information such as the device status and smoking information. Each component of the aerosol generating device 200 will be described below.

The housing can form the exterior of the aerosol generating device 200. Furthermore, the housing can form a housing portion 210 for housing the medium containing rod 100. It may be preferable that the housing is realized from a material that can protect the internal components.

Next, the receiving portion 210 may be a space capable of receiving the medium-containing rod 100. When the medium-containing rod 100 is received in the receiving portion 210, the receiving portion 210 may include a coupling structure so that the medium-containing rod is securely coupled without coming loose. The coupling structure may include, for example, a coupling structure using a restraining engagement, a coupling structure using a magnetic material, a coupling structure using an electromagnetic material, etc. Also, the medium-containing rod 100 received in the receiving portion 210 may be in the form of a stick or cigarette that can be replaced after one use, as described below.

Next, the nebulizer 220 may further include a liquid storage tank, a liquid transfer means, and a heater. However, without being limited thereto, the nebulizer 220 may further include other components. In addition, the cartridge 222 may be made detachable from the heater 224, or may be made integral with the heater 224.

The liquid storage tank can store a liquid composition. The liquid composition may be a liquid containing a tobacco-containing substance or a nicotine-containing substance, or may be a liquid containing a non-tobacco substance. For example, the liquid composition may include water, a solvent, ethanol, a plant extract (e.g., tobacco extract), a flavor, an aerosol-forming agent, a flavoring agent, or a vitamin mixture. The flavoring agent may include, but is not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit flavor components, and the like. The flavoring agent may include components that can provide a user with various flavors or tastes. The vitamin mixture may include, but is not limited to, at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E. The liquid composition may further include a humectant. The humectant may be, but is not limited to, glycerin (VG), polypropylene glycol (PG), sorbitol, or a mixture thereof.

The liquid transfer means can transfer the liquid composition stored in the liquid storage tank to the heater 224. For example, the liquid transfer means can be a wick element such as cotton fiber, ceramic fiber, glass fiber, porous ceramic, etc., but is not limited to these.

Next, the heater 224 can heat the liquid composition stored in the cartridge 222 to form an aerosol. For example, the heater 224 can heat the liquid composition transferred by the liquid transfer means to form an aerosol. The formed aerosol can be transferred to the user through the medium-containing rod 100. That is, the aerosol formed by the heating of the heater 224 can move along the air flow path of the medium-containing rod 100, and the air flow path can be configured so that the aerosol formed by the liquid composition stored in the cartridge can be transferred to the user through the medium-containing rod 100. The heater 224 can be composed of, for example, a coil, a ceramic, a metal mesh, a conductive filament, etc., but is not limited thereto. In addition, the heating temperature of the heater 224 may be 270°C or less, preferably 240°C or less, and more preferably 200°C or less. As described below, when the medium granules P contain a pH adjuster, the minimum temperature at which nicotine can be transferred is lowered, and the heating temperature of the heater 224 can be lowered, thereby forming an aerosol generating system with better electrical efficiency.

For reference, in the art, the cartridge 222 and heater 224 may also be referred to as a cartomizer, atomizer, vaporizer, and other terms.

Next, the power supply unit 230 can supply power used to operate the aerosol generating device 200. For example, the power supply unit 230 can supply power so that the heater 224 heats the medium containing rod 100. The power supply unit 230 can also supply power necessary for electrical components installed in the aerosol generating device 200, such as a display (not shown), a sensor (not shown), and a motor (not shown), to operate.

Below, several embodiments of the medium containing rod 100 are described with reference to FIG. 2.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a medium containing rod 100 according to some embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 2, the medium-containing rod 100 may include a granule rod 120 and a filter rod 140. The medium-containing rod 100 may contain a medium, and the medium may be in the form of granules, reconstituted tobacco, or general shredded tobacco, as described below, and may preferably be in the form of a granular medium. When the medium is contained in the medium-containing rod 100 in the form of granules, the amount of medium transferred to the user's mouth per puff may be more uniform than when the medium is contained in the form of general shredded tobacco. In addition, the granular medium, i.e., medium granules P, may be filled on the filter of the medium-containing rod 100 to improve the dispersibility of the granules, thereby providing consumers with a uniform smoking experience. The medium-containing rod 100 may further include a wrapper wrapping the rod. However, FIG. 2 shows only the components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure, and a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs may understand that the rod further includes other general components in addition to the components shown in FIG. Each component of the medium-containing rod 100 will be described below.

The granule rod 120 is a rod including medium granules P or a segment including medium granules P, and can supply tobacco components such as nicotine or flavor components by being heated. In this case, the heating of the granule rod 120 can be direct heating by a heater or indirect heating by a flow of high-temperature aerosol. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the granule rod 120 can include a filter segment, and can preferably include a first filter segment 122 and a second filter segment 124.

The first filter segment 122 may be disposed at the most upstream of the medium containing rod 100. The first filter segment 122 may function to prevent the medium granules P from falling off, and when the medium containing rod 100 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 200, the segment containing the medium granules P may be disposed at an appropriate position within the aerosol generating device 200. The first filter segment 122 may also prevent the aerosol liquefied during smoking from flowing into the aerosol generating device 200. The first filter segment 122 may include a paper filter or an acetate filter, and it is preferable that the filter material is disposed in the longitudinal direction to ensure a smooth air flow path, but is not limited thereto.

The second filter segment 124 may be disposed downstream of the first filter segment 122. The second filter segment 124 may include a medium, and the medium to be filled may be in the form of granules, reconstituted tobacco, general shredded grass, etc., and may preferably be in the form of a granular medium. The medium granules P may be, but are not limited to, tobacco granules or nicotine granules. The second filter segment 124 may further perform aerosol filtration, cooling, etc. The second filter segment 124 may include a paper filter or acetate filter, and it is preferable that the filter material is disposed in the longitudinal direction to ensure a smooth air flow path, but is not limited thereto.

Figure 3A is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a plurality of media granules P are arranged on a filter member F of a second filter segment 124 according to some embodiments, and Figure 3B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a plurality of media granules P are arranged in a filter member F of the second filter segment 124 according to some embodiments. The media-containing rod 100 in which the filter segment 124 and a plurality of media granules P are arranged together in Figures 3A and 3B has a smaller number of segments than a structure in which media granules are arranged in a cavity structure, and it is easy to arrange the media granules in the rod, so that the manufacturing process can be simplified.

3A and 3B, the filter member F included in the second filter segment 124 can be a filter sheet in a flat, spread-out form. A plurality of medium granules P can be arranged in the second filter segment 124 in a manner in which the filter sheet is irregularly scattered on the flat filter sheet, folded so that one side of the filter sheet faces each other, and then folded multiple times.

More specifically, referring to FIG. 3A, a medium may be placed on a flat filter sheet to form the second filter segment 124, and the medium may be preferably a plurality of medium granules P. The lower the roundness of the plurality of medium granules P, i.e., the more irregular the granule shape, the better the medium granules P can be placed on the filter sheet, and while the plurality of medium granules P are uniformly distributed on the filter sheet, the possibility of the appearance of the filter segment being contaminated by fine powder generated by breaking some of the medium granules P during the manufacturing process may increase. Therefore, the roundness of the granules here may be preferably 30% to 90%, more preferably 60% to 90%. Next, referring to FIG. 3B, the second filter segment 124 may be formed by folding the filter sheet on which the medium granules P are placed multiple times in the longitudinal direction and wrapping it with a wrapper (not shown). When the medium is filled into the medium-containing rod 100 in this manner, the phenomenon of the medium being biased or tilted to one side is reduced, and the medium is distributed evenly within the cross section of the medium-containing rod 100, which improves the uniformity of the smoking taste.

At this time, in order to improve the adhesion between the medium granules P and the filter sheet, a binder may be applied to one side of the filter sheet. That is, the second filter segment 124 may be formed by applying a binder to one side of the filter sheet, scattering a plurality of medium granules P on one side of the filter member F to which the binder is applied, folding the filter member F so that one side faces each other, and then disposing a plurality of medium granules P in the spaces between the folded filter member F, and wrapping the folded filter member F in a wrapper (not shown).

In addition, the second filter segment 124 may contain a pH adjuster. The pH adjuster may be preferably a basic salt, for example, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, calcium oxide, etc., but is not limited thereto. In addition, a pH adjuster that generates the least negative odor during puffing may be selected and used. When the pH adjuster is contained in the second filter segment 124, the pH of the tobacco granules contained in the second filter segment 124 increases, and nicotine can be sufficiently transferred from the tobacco granules even when the medium is heated to a relatively low temperature. Therefore, as a result, nicotine can be transferred only by the heat transferred to the tobacco granules by the hot aerosol generated by the heater 224 of the aerosol generating device 200 heating the cartridge 222 while flowing along the air flow path to the medium containing rod 100 without directly heating the second filter segment 124. The pH adjuster can be mixed with the medium granules P during production and contained in the granules themselves, or can be placed separately from the medium granules P in a different location. The pH adjuster can also be applied to the filter sheet in place of a binder material to temporarily improve the adhesion of the medium granules P to the filter sheet.

The medium granules P, particularly the tobacco granules, can be manufactured by a compression process. The compression granulation process corresponds to a wet process, and the tobacco granules produced have a relatively high nicotine transfer rate compared to the fluidized bed granulation process. Therefore, when the temperature to which the medium granules P are heated is relatively low, it may be more advantageous for nicotine transfer to include tobacco granules P manufactured by a compression granulation process than tobacco granules manufactured by a fluidized bed granulation process.

The filter rod 140 is located downstream of the granule rod 120 and can perform a filtering function for the aerosol. To this end, the filter rod 140 can include a filter material such as paper or cellulose acetate fiber. The filter rod 140 can further include a wrapper that encases the filter material.

The filter rod 140 can include a cooling segment 142 and a mouthpiece segment 144. The cooling segment 142 can perform a cooling function on the aerosol, and the mouthpiece segment 144 can perform a filtering function on the aerosol.

The filter rod 140 may also be fabricated to generate flavor. For example, a flavoring liquid may be sprayed onto the filter rod 140, or separate fibers coated with the flavoring liquid may be inserted into the filter rod 140, and referring to FIG. 2B, the mouthpiece segment 144 may include a flavoring capsule (C). In some cases, the filter rod 140 may further include at least one segment that performs another function.

The medium-containing rod 100 can be a disposable cigarette that is housed in the aerosol generating device 200 and disposed of after a single use. When the medium-containing rod 100 is configured as a disposable one, it is possible that the smoking taste will be more uniform and lasting than when it is configured as a multi-use cartridge that is puffed approximately 50 to 100 times. In addition, when it is configured as a disposable one, it can be more hygienic than when it is configured as a multi-use one.

Figures 4A and 4B show some embodiments of an aerosol generation system 10, illustrating a state in which the medium containing rod 100 is housed in the aerosol generation device 200. Figure 1A shows an aerosol generation system 10 in which the cartridge 222 and heater 224 are arranged in a row, and Figure 1B shows an aerosol generation system 10 in which the cartridge 222 and heater 224 are arranged in parallel.

4A and 4B, in the aerosol generating system 10 according to the present disclosure, the heater 224 of the aerosol generating device 200 heats the liquid composition inside the cartridge 222 to generate an aerosol, and the generated aerosol passes through the medium containing rod 100, and the medium granules P, particularly the tobacco granules, are indirectly heated by the aerosol to generate nicotine. As described above, the pH adjuster contained in the second filter segment 124 has the effect of lowering the minimum transferable temperature of nicotine, and nicotine can be transferred even when a relatively lower temperature is transferred to the tobacco granules than when nicotine is transferred by burning tobacco leaves. The nicotine generated in this way can be transferred to the user along the air flow path (see the direction of the arrow in FIGS. 4A and 4B) together with the aerosol.

As described above, even if the embodiments are described using limited drawings, a person having ordinary skill in the art can apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order than described, and/or the components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. may be combined or combined in a different manner than described, or may be replaced or substituted by other components or equivalents, and still achieve suitable results.

Therefore, other embodiments, other examples, and equivalents to the claims are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (12)

An aerosol generating device, comprising:
A container for accommodating a medium containing rod;
An atomizing unit that generates an aerosol;
A power supply unit that transmits power required to heat the atomization unit;
Including,
The aerosol generated from the atomizing unit of the aerosol generating device passes through the medium containing rod, and the medium is transferred, and the medium containing rod contained in the containing unit can be replaced and used;
Media granules are loaded into the filter segments contained in the media-containing rod.
Aerosol generator. The medium containing rod is
a first filter segment disposed at the most upstream position of the media containing rod;
a second filter segment disposed downstream of the first filter segment and containing media granules;
A filter rod disposed at the most downstream side of the medium containing rod;
Including,
The filter rod includes a cooling segment and a mouthpiece segment.
2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1. the media-containing rod comprises a basic pH adjuster;
2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1. The medium granules include tobacco granules, and the tobacco granules are produced by a compression-type process.
The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. the media-containing rod includes a disposable cigarette;
2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1. The atomization unit includes:
A liquid storage tank for storing a liquid composition for generating an aerosol;
A liquid transfer means for promoting the transfer of the liquid composition;
A heater for heating the liquid composition;
including,
2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1. 1. A media containment rod for use with an aerosol generating device, comprising:
a first filter segment disposed at the most upstream position of the media containing rod;
a second filter segment disposed downstream of the first filter segment and having a filter element loaded with media granules;
Including,
A pH adjuster is disposed on the second filter segment.
Medium containing rod. The second filter segment including the medium granules is formed by applying a binder to one side of a filter member, arranging a plurality of the medium granules on the one side of the filter member to which the binder is applied, folding the one side of the filter member so that the one sides face each other, folding the filter member a plurality of times, and wrapping the folded filter member in a wrapper.
8. The aerosol generating device according to claim 7. The pH adjuster comprises a basic salt.
9. The media containment rod of claim 8. Further comprising a filter rod disposed at the most downstream side of the medium containing rod;
The filter rod includes a cooling segment and a mouthpiece segment.
9. The media containment rod of claim 8. the first filter segment and the second filter segment comprise an acetate material;
9. The media containment rod of claim 8. The medium granules include tobacco granules;
9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 8.