JP3234645U - Tobacco capsules and indirect heat-not-burn tobacco products - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tobacco capsule for an indirect heating type tobacco product capable of increasing the amount of nicotine volatilized during smoking, and an indirect heating type tobacco product provided with the tobacco capsule. A tobacco capsule 30 is a tobacco capsule 30 for an indirect heat-not-burn tobacco product, which is arranged downstream of an aerosol source that generates an aerosol, and contains a flavor source 31A containing tobacco and a flavor source 31A. An accommodating body 31 and a non-woven fabric 33 provided on the mouthpiece end side of the accommodating body 31 so that the thickness direction is substantially parallel to the flow direction of the aerosol are provided. [Selection diagram] Fig. 5

Description

The present invention relates to tobacco capsules and indirect heat-not-burn tobacco products.

An indirect heating type tobacco product is known in which an aerosol source is atomized by electric power supplied from a battery, and the atomized aerosol is passed through a flavor source containing tobacco to contain a tobacco component in the aerosol. The indirect heat-not-burn tobacco product includes, for example, a power supply unit for supplying electric power to an aerosol source, a cartridge containing the aerosol source, and a tobacco capsule containing the flavor source, which is arranged downstream of the cartridge. The tobacco capsule is, for example, a flavor source, an accommodating body accommodating the flavor source, a mesh body arranged on the upstream side of the accommodating body, and an acetate filter which is a fiber filter arranged on the downstream side of the accommodating body. And (for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2016/0754749

In the indirect heating type tobacco product, the aerosol generated from the aerosol source is passed through the flavor source so that the aerosol contains the tobacco component, so that the flavor source is not directly heated. Therefore, the combustion gas of the chopped tobacco at the tip of the tobacco rod heats the chopped tobacco that is the wake of the tobacco rod to volatilize nicotine, and the cigarette that is directly reconstructed by the conduction heat from the heater that generates heat at 300 ° C or higher is heated. Not enough heat is given to the flavor source as compared to heat-not-burn tobacco products. As described above, in the indirect heating type tobacco product, a sufficient amount of heat is not given to the flavor source, so that the amount of nicotine volatilized during smoking is small. Therefore, in indirect heat-not-burn tobacco products, it is required to increase the amount of nicotine volatilized during smoking without changing the specifications and design of the entire product.

An object of the present invention is to provide a tobacco capsule for an indirectly heated tobacco product capable of increasing the amount of nicotine volatilized during smoking, and an indirectly heated tobacco product including the tobacco capsule.

The tobacco capsule according to the present invention is
Tobacco capsules for indirect heat-not-burn tobacco products located downstream of the aerosol source that produces the aerosol.
Flavor sources including tobacco and
An accommodating body accommodating the flavor source and
A non-woven fabric provided on the suction end side of the housing so that the thickness direction is substantially parallel to the flow direction of the aerosol.
To be equipped.

The indirect heating type tobacco product according to the present invention
A cartridge containing the aerosol source and
Tobacco capsules according to the present invention, which are arranged downstream of the cartridge,
To be equipped.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a tobacco capsule for an indirectly heated tobacco product capable of increasing the amount of nicotine volatilized during smoking, and an indirectly heated tobacco product including the tobacco capsule.

It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the indirect heating type tobacco product which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the power-source unit of the indirect heating type tobacco product which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the cartridge of the indirect heating type tobacco product which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the cartridge of the indirect heating type tobacco product which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the cigarette capsule which concerns on this invention. It is an exploded perspective view which shows an example of the cigarette capsule which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the containment body of the cigarette capsule which concerns on this invention. It is (a) an enlarged photograph of a cross section on a plane parallel to the thickness direction, and (b) an enlarged photograph of the surface observed from the thickness direction of an example of the nonwoven fabric according to the present invention. It is a graph which shows the amount of nicotine accretion in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. It is a graph which shows the amount of nicotine with respect to the number of puffs in Example 2 and Comparative Example 2. It is a graph which shows the amount of nicotine with respect to the number of puffs in Example 3 and Comparative Example 3.

The tobacco capsule according to the present invention is a tobacco capsule for indirect heat-not-burn tobacco products, which is arranged downstream of an aerosol source that generates an aerosol. Here, the tobacco capsule has a flavor source containing tobacco, an accommodating body accommodating the flavor source, and a mouthpiece end side of the accommodating body so that the thickness direction is substantially parallel to the flow direction of the aerosol. The non-woven fabric provided in the above is provided.

In order to increase the amount of nicotine volatilized during smoking in indirect heat-not-burn tobacco products, the present inventors, etc., increase the filling amount of the flavor source in the tobacco capsule without changing the specifications and design of the entire product. It was investigated. As a result, a fiber filter (hereinafter referred to as a fiber filter) in which fibers such as an acetate filter are oriented substantially parallel to the thickness direction, which is arranged on the downstream side of the container accommodating the flavor source, is referred to as an aerosol. It was found that the filling amount of the flavor source in the tobacco capsule can be increased by replacing it with a non-woven fiber provided so that the thickness direction is substantially parallel to the flow direction without changing the design of the tobacco capsule.

In the fiber filter, fibers such as cellulose acetate fibers are oriented substantially parallel to the thickness direction, and are bonded with a plasticizer at a part where the fibers intersect. When the fiber filter has a sufficient thickness, the shape of the fiber filter can be maintained because there are sufficient adhesive points to maintain the fiber bundle, but when the thickness of the fiber filter is reduced, the fiber bundle is formed. There are not enough adhesive points to maintain, the fiber bundles are unwound, and the shape of the filter cannot be maintained. For example, in an acetate filter in which cellulose acetate fibers are oriented substantially parallel to the thickness direction, if the thickness is made thinner than 5 mm, the fiber bundles may be unwound during smoking. On the other hand, in the non-woven fabric provided so that the thickness direction is substantially parallel to the flow direction of the aerosol, the fibers are oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the thickness direction of the non-woven fabric (plane direction of the non-woven fabric). Even if the thickness is reduced, the fiber bundle does not unravel, the shape of the filter can be maintained, and the fiber has sufficient strength. Therefore, by using the non-woven fabric instead of the fiber filter, the thickness of the filter portion can be reduced and the volume of the tobacco capsule in the container can be increased. As a result, the filling amount of the flavor source in the tobacco capsule can be increased without changing the design of the tobacco capsule, and as a result, the amount of nicotine volatilized during smoking can be increased in the indirect heat-not-burn tobacco product. can. By increasing the filling amount of the flavor source in the tobacco capsule, both the amount of nicotine volatilized by one smoking operation and the total amount of nicotine when the flavor source in the tobacco capsule is exhausted. It leads to improvement.

Further, the air permeability of the non-woven fabric is about the same as the air permeability of the fiber filter, and the ease of absorption is also the same. Further, the filterability of nicotine is about the same as that of the fiber filter, and a sufficient amount of nicotine is supplied to the user even if the non-woven fabric is used. Further, when the tobacco capsule is stored, the amount of nicotine that naturally volatilizes from the flavor source is smaller in the non-woven fabric than in the fiber filter. Therefore, in the tobacco capsule according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the reduction of the amount of nicotine before use, and it is possible to secure a sufficient amount of volatilization of nicotine at the time of use. It is presumed that this is because the non-woven fabric is thinner than the fiber filter and has a smaller volume for accommodating nicotine. Hereinafter, the details of the present invention will be described.

The indirect heat-not-burn tobacco product according to the present invention includes a cartridge containing an aerosol source and a tobacco capsule according to the present invention arranged downstream of the cartridge. An example of the indirect heating type tobacco product according to the present invention is shown in FIG. The indirect heating type tobacco product 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a power supply unit 10, a cartridge 20, and a tobacco capsule 30. The indirect heating type tobacco product 1 has a shape extending from the non-mouthpiece end 2 toward the mouthpiece end 3. The non-mouthpiece end 2 side is also referred to as upstream, and the mouthpiece end 3 side is also referred to as downstream. The cartridge 20 is removable from the power supply unit 10. Further, the tobacco capsule 30 is removable from the cartridge 20. That is, the cartridge 20 and the cigarette capsule 30 are interchangeable.

(Power supply unit)
An example of the power supply unit 10 is shown in FIG. The power supply unit 10 shown in FIG. 2 has a battery 11. The battery 11 may be a disposable type battery or a rechargeable type battery. The initial value of the output voltage of the battery 11 is preferably in the range of 1.2 V or more and 4.2 V or less. The battery capacity of the battery 11 is preferably in the range of 100 mAh or more and 1000 mAh or less.

(cartridge)
An example of the cartridge 20 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the cartridge 20, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an internal structure of an example of the cartridge 20. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cartridge 20 has a reservoir 21, an atomizing portion 22, a flow path forming body 23, an outer frame body 24, and an end cap 25. The cartridge 20 has a first flow path 20X arranged on the downstream side of the atomizing section 22 as an aerosol flow path.

The reservoir 21 stores the aerosol source 21A. The reservoir 21 is located around the flow path forming body 23 in a cross section orthogonal to the flow direction of the aerosol (the direction from the non-mouthpiece end to the mouthpiece end (upstream to downstream)). The reservoir 21 is located in the gap between the flow path forming body 23 and the outer frame body 24. The reservoir 21 is made of, for example, a porous body such as a resin web or cotton. Further, the reservoir 21 may be composed of a tank for accommodating the liquid aerosol source 21A. Examples of the aerosol source 21A include glycerin and propylene glycol.

The atomizing unit 22 atomizes the aerosol source 21A by the electric power supplied from the battery 11 without combustion. The atomizing unit 22 is composed of heating wires (coils) wound at a predetermined pitch. The atomizing unit 22 is preferably composed of a heating wire having a resistance value in the range of 1.0Ω or more and 3.0Ω or less. The predetermined pitch is preferably a value equal to or higher than a value at which the heating wires do not contact, and a value smaller than the value. The predetermined pitch is preferably 0.40 mm or less, for example. The predetermined pitch is preferably constant in order to stabilize the atomization of the aerosol source 21A. The predetermined pitch is the distance between the centers of the heating wires adjacent to each other.

The flow path forming body 23 has a cylindrical shape that forms a first flow path 20X extending along the flow direction of the aerosol. The outer frame body 24 has a cylindrical shape that accommodates the flow path forming body 23. The outer frame body 24 extends downstream from the end cap 25 and accommodates a part of the tobacco capsule 30. The end cap 25 is a cap that closes the gap between the flow path forming body 23 and the outer frame body 24 from the downstream side. The end cap 25 suppresses a situation in which the aerosol source 21A stored in the reservoir 21 leaks to the tobacco capsule 30 side.

(Tobacco capsule)
An example of the tobacco capsule 30 according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5 to 7. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the tobacco capsule 30, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an example of the tobacco capsule 30, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the container 31 of the tobacco capsule 30 (AA cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 5). ). As shown in FIG. 5, the tobacco capsule 30 has a tobacco-containing flavor source 31A inside. The tobacco capsule 30 is connected to the cartridge 20. Specifically, a part of the cigarette capsule 30 is housed in the outer frame body 24 of the cartridge 20.

The tobacco capsule 30 has an accommodating body 31 for accommodating the flavor source 31A, a mesh body 32, a non-woven fabric 33, and a cap 34. The tobacco capsule 30 has a second flow path 30X arranged downstream of the first flow path 20X as an aerosol flow path.

The aerosol atomized by the atomizing unit 22 is introduced into the accommodating body 31 through the mesh body 32, and when it comes into contact with the flavor source 31A, the aerosol is given a flavor. The aerosol is then sucked into the user through the non-woven fabric 33. As described above, in the indirect heating type tobacco product 1, the aerosol can be flavored without heating the flavor source 31A. In addition, aerosol is not substantially generated from the flavor source 31A.

In the flow direction of the aerosol, the length of the tobacco capsule 30 (container 31) is preferably 40 mm or less, more preferably 25 mm or less. Further, in the flow direction of the aerosol, the length of the tobacco capsule 30 (container 31) is preferably 1 mm or more, and more preferably 5 mm or more. The maximum length of the container 31 of the tobacco capsule 30 (container 31) is preferably 20 mm or less, and more preferably 10 mm or less in the direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the aerosol. Further, in the direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the aerosol, the maximum length of the container 31 of the tobacco capsule 30 (container 31) is preferably 1 mm or more, and more preferably 3 mm or more.

The accommodating body 31 has a cylindrical shape and forms a second flow path 30X extending along the flow direction of the aerosol. The accommodating body 31 accommodates the flavor source 31A. The flavor source 31A, which imparts flavor to the aerosol, is housed in the second flow path 30X. Here, in order to secure the volume of the reservoir 21 for storing the aerosol source 21A in the cross section orthogonal to the flow direction of the aerosol, it is preferable that the size of the first flow path 20X is small. Therefore, when the tobacco capsule 30 is housed in the outer frame body 24 having a constant cross-sectional area in the flow direction of the aerosol, as a result, the size of the second flow path 30X is the size of the first flow path 20X described above. It tends to be larger than.

The tobacco-containing flavor source 31A is composed of raw material pieces that impart flavor to the aerosol. The lower limit of the size of the raw material piece is preferably 0.2 mm or more and 1.2 mm or less, and more preferably 0.2 mm or more and 0.7 mm or less. The smaller the size of the raw material piece constituting the flavor source 31A, the larger the specific surface area, so that the flavor component is likely to be released from the raw material piece constituting the flavor source 31A. As the raw material piece constituting the flavor source 31A, chopped tobacco, a molded product obtained by molding the tobacco raw material into granules, or the like can be used. The flavor source 31A may contain plants other than tobacco (eg, mint, herbs, etc.). Further, the flavor source 31A may be provided with a fragrance such as menthol.

Here, the raw material piece constituting the flavor source 31A is obtained by, for example, sieving according to JIS Z 8815 using a stainless steel sieve compliant with JIS Z 8801. For example, using a stainless steel sieve having a mesh size of 0.71 mm, the raw material pieces are sieved for 20 minutes by a dry and mechanical shaking method, and then passed through a stainless steel sieve having a mesh size of 0.71 mm. Obtain a piece of raw material. Subsequently, using a stainless steel sieve having a 0.212 mm opening, the raw material pieces were sieved for 20 minutes by a dry and mechanical shaking method, and passed through a stainless steel sieve having a 0.212 mm opening. Remove the raw material pieces. That is, the raw material piece constituting the flavor source 31A is a raw material piece that passes through the stainless sieve (opening = 0.71 mm) that defines the upper limit and does not pass through the stainless sieve (opening = 0.212 mm) that defines the lower limit. be. Therefore, the lower limit of the size of the raw material piece constituting the flavor source 31A is defined by the opening of the stainless sieve that defines the lower limit. Further, the upper limit of the size of the raw material piece constituting the flavor source 31A is defined by the opening of the stainless sieve that defines the upper limit.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the accommodating body 31 is upstream from the outer edge of the upstream end portion (mesh body 32) of the accommodating body 31 in a cross section orthogonal to the flow direction of the aerosol (flow path forming body 23 or end). It is preferable to have a protruding portion 31E protruding from the cap 25 side). The protruding portion 31E may be continuously provided along the outer edge of the upstream end portion (mesh body 32) of the accommodating body 31, or may be provided intermittently along the outer edge of the accommodating body 31. When there is a gap between the outer frame body 24 and the housing body 31, the protruding portion 31E is continuously provided along the outer edge of the upstream end portion (mesh body 32) of the housing body 31. Is preferable. As a result, it is possible to prevent the aerosol from staying in the space formed in the upstream portion of the tapered portion 31T.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the outer wall surface of the accommodating body 31 preferably includes a tapered portion 31T extending from the upstream to the downstream. The tapered portion 31T may be included in a part of the outer wall surface of the housing body 31. The taper angle α of the taper portion 31T is, for example, about 5 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 7, it is preferable that the inner wall surface of the accommodating body 31 is provided with a rib 31R extending in the flow direction of the aerosol. Although not particularly limited, the number of ribs 31R is preferably 2 or more. It is preferable that the downstream end of the rib 31R does not reach the downstream end of the housing 31. For example, the length L2 from the mesh body 32 to the downstream end of the rib 31R is shorter than the length L1 from the mesh body 32 to the downstream end of the accommodating body 31. That is, in a state where the non-woven fabric 33 is inserted into the accommodating body 31, it is preferable that the downstream end portion of the rib 31R is in contact with the non-woven fabric 33 without reaching the downstream end portion of the accommodating body 31.

The filling amount of the flavor source 31A contained in the container 31 is preferably 300 mg or more, and more preferably 350 mg or more, from the viewpoint of increasing the amount of nicotine volatilized during smoking. As shown in Table 1, the flavor source is a fiber filter having a temporary specific gravity of 470 mg / ml to 600 mg / 100 ml and fibers such as an acetate filter oriented substantially parallel to the thickness direction. When the fiber was replaced with a non-woven fabric provided so that the thickness direction was substantially parallel to the flow direction of, and 90% of the internal volume was filled by a machine, the filling of the flavor source was 350 mg to 450 mg. The amount can be increased from 440 mg to 560 mg and the replacement can increase the filling amount from 24.4% to 25.7%. Similarly, when 100% of the internal volume is mechanically filled, the filling amount of the flavor source, which was 390 mg to 500 mg, can be filled with the flavor source from 490 mg to 620 mg, and 24.0% by replacement. The filling amount can be increased by 25.6%.

The mesh body 32 is arranged upstream (non-mouthpiece end side) of the flavor source 31A, and can be arranged at the upstream end portion of the housing body 31. When the mesh body 32 is provided in the very small housing body 31, it is preferable that the housing body 31 and the mesh body 32 are integrally formed from the viewpoint of ensuring the strength of the mesh body 32. That is, the mesh body 32 is preferably a part of the housing body 31. In such a case, the accommodating body 31 and the mesh body 32 are preferably made of resin. As the resin, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene and ABS resin can be used. From the viewpoint of moldability and texture, the resin is preferably polypropylene. That is, the housing 31 preferably contains polypropylene. The accommodating body 31 and the mesh body 32 are formed by, for example, mold molding or injection molding.

In FIG. 7, the mesh body 32 is used on the side opposite to the mouthpiece end (non-mouthpiece end side) of the housing body 31, but the non-woven fabric 33 according to the present invention described later may be used instead of the mesh body 32. .. That is, it is preferable to provide the non-woven fabric 33 provided on the side opposite to the mouthpiece end of the housing 31 so that the thickness direction is substantially parallel to the flow direction of the aerosol. As described above, since the non-woven fabric 33 is provided on both the mouthpiece end side and the non-mouthpiece end side of the housing body 31, the raw material piece constituting the above-mentioned 0.2 mm or more and 1.2 mm or less flavor source. Can be sealed more reliably.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the non-woven fabric 33, which is a filter, is arranged downstream from the flavor source 31A, and has a thickness direction substantially relative to the flow direction of the aerosol on the mouthpiece end side of the housing 31. It is provided so as to be parallel. An enlarged photograph of a cross section (a cross section in which the thickness direction appears) on a plane parallel to the thickness direction of an example of the non-woven fabric 33 is shown in FIG. 8 (a), and an enlarged photograph of the surface observed from the thickness direction is shown in FIG. 8 (b). In the non-woven fabric 33 shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the fibers are oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the thickness direction. Therefore, by arranging the non-woven fabric 33 so that the thickness direction thereof and the flow direction of the aerosol are substantially parallel to each other, the fiber bundles are not unraveled even if the thickness of the non-woven fabric 33 is reduced, and the shape of the filter can be maintained sufficiently. Has strong strength. The non-woven fabric 33 is provided so that the thickness direction is substantially parallel to the aerosol flow direction so that the thickness direction of the non-woven fabric 33 is within ± 10 ° with respect to the aerosol flow direction. Indicates that the non-woven fabric 33 is provided. The fact that the non-woven fabric 33 is provided so that the thickness direction is substantially parallel to the flow direction of the aerosol means that, for example, the housing 31 provided with the non-woven fabric 33 is cut on a surface parallel to the flow direction of the aerosol. , Judgment by observing or photographing the cross section of the non-woven fabric 33 with an optical microscope or an electron microscope, judging by an image of the cross section or a processed image, or non-destruction of the housing 31 provided with the non-woven fabric 33 by CT scanning. It can be confirmed by obtaining a cross-sectional image and making a visual judgment. For example, the non-woven fabric 33 with the cut surface exposed is placed so that the flow direction of the aerosol is up and down, a horizontally long photograph is taken so that the entire thickness is included, and the overall running direction (orientation) of the fiber is taken. Can be confirmed and judged. Further, the fiber orientation may be determined based on the tensile strength in the plane direction and the peel strength in the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric 33, which will be described later. The fibers of the non-woven fabric 33 may be overlapped with each other, or a part of the fibers may be welded to each other.

The fibers constituting the non-woven fabric 33 are not particularly limited, but natural fibers, cellulose fibers, wood pulp fibers, rice, etc. as biodegradable materials such as polyolefin fibers such as polypropylene fibers and polyethylene fibers and polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate fibers are used. Examples include family plant fiber, Ryuzetsuran family plant fiber, sisal hemp fiber, Aoi family Sonatsu genus plant fiber, jute fiber, polylactic acid fiber and the like. The non-woven fabric 33 may contain one kind of these fibers, or may contain two or more kinds of these fibers. Among these, fibers made of the same material as the material constituting the accommodating body 31 are preferable, polyolefin fibers are more preferable, and polypropylene fibers are further preferable, from the viewpoint of welding the non-woven fabric 33 to the accommodating body 31, as will be described later. In particular, polypropylene fibers have a smaller amount of nicotine collected by storage, and can further suppress a reduction in the amount of nicotine before use. That is, the non-woven fabric 33 preferably contains polypropylene fibers, and more preferably made of polypropylene fibers.

The thickness of the non-woven fabric 33 is preferably 4.0 mm or less, preferably 3.0 mm or less, from the viewpoint of increasing the filling amount of the flavor source 31A in the container 31 and increasing the amount of nicotine volatilized during smoking. More preferably, it is more preferably 2.0 mm or less. The thickness of the non-woven fabric 33 is preferably 0.5 mm or more, more preferably 0.7 mm or more, and even more preferably 1.0 mm or more, from the viewpoint of improving the strength of the filter. The thickness of the fiber filter is usually about 5 mm, and the thickness of the filter can be reduced by using the non-woven fabric 33. The ratio of the thickness of the non-woven fabric 33 to the length of the housing 31 in the flow direction of the aerosol is preferably 2 to 17%, more preferably 3 to 9%.

Density of the nonwoven fabric 33, from the viewpoint of improving the strength and improve the sealing of the flavor source 31A of the filter, is preferably 0.05 g / cm ³ or more, more preferably 0.08 g / cm ³ or more , 0.11 g / cm ³ or more is more preferable. The density of the nonwoven fabric 33, from the viewpoint of improving the suck ease and filterability reduction of nicotine is preferably 0.20 g / cm ³ or less, more preferably 0.15 g / cm ³ or less, It is more preferably 0.12 g / cm ^{3 or less.}

Air permeability of the nonwoven fabric 33, from the viewpoint of filterability reduction in breathability and improving the nicotine aerosol, is preferably 100cc ^/ cm 2 ^/ sec or more, more preferably 105cc ^/ cm 2 ^/ sec or more. Further, the air permeability of the nonwoven fabric 33, from the viewpoint of sealing properties improve flavor source 31A, is preferably not more than 140cc ^/ cm 2 ^/ sec, more preferably not more than 120cc ^/ cm 2 ^/ sec. The air permeability of the non-woven fabric can be measured by the JIS air permeability test (L 1096).

The tensile strength of the non-woven fabric 33 in the plane direction is generally directional. The tensile strength of the non-woven fabric 33 in the plane direction is preferably at least 0.27 kg / 15 mm, more preferably 0.58 kg / 15 mm or more, from the viewpoint of preventing the non-woven fabric 33 from being torn during smoking. The upper limit of the range of tensile strength in the plane direction of the nonwoven fabric 33 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 2.84 kg / 15 mm or less. The tensile strength of the non-woven fabric 33 in the plane direction can be measured by appropriately adjusting the sample dimensions, the gripping interval, and the tensile speed according to the JISL1096 strip method or the like. From the stress strain curve obtained when the measurement is performed by the autograph, three values having a large intensity value and three values having a small intensity value are selected to obtain an average value of a total of six values. The number of tests of the measurement sample is 5. Such measurements are carried out in the same manner in the vertical direction (hereinafter abbreviated as MD) and the horizontal direction (hereinafter abbreviated as CD) in the plane direction of the non-woven fabric 33, and the average value of the MD and CD is used in the plane direction of the non-woven fabric 33. The tensile strength of.

The orientation of the fibers in the non-woven fabric 33 may be determined based on the tensile strength in the plane direction of the non-woven fabric 33 described above and the peel strength in the thickness direction of the non-woven fabric 33 described later. Specifically, when the tensile strength in the plane direction is larger than the peel strength in the thickness direction, it can be confirmed that the fibers are oriented in the plane direction. The peel strength of the non-woven fabric 33 in the thickness direction can be measured as follows. The non-woven fabric 33 is cut into a circle having a diameter of 10 mm or less. Prepare an adhesive tape (manufactured by Sony Chemical Co., Ltd., trade name: D3200), cure the adhesive surface with masking tape (3M, flat paper masking tape 244), leaving a circle with the same size as the non-woven piece, and bond. After adhering the non-woven piece to the uncured adhesive surface of the tape, press it at 200 ° C. for 30 seconds at a pressure of ^{70 g / cm 2 to bond it.} Adhesive tape is also attached to the opposite side. Grasp the ends of the two adhesive tapes of the measurement sample thus obtained with an autograph vise and perform the measurement. The measurement conditions of the autograph are set as follows. Tensile speed: 10 cm / min, chart speed: 10 cm / min.

In this case, the tape is strong and the tape and the non-woven fabric 33 are firmly adhered to each other. Therefore, when the tape of the measurement sample is peeled off from the measurement sample, the tape is cut or the adhesive surface between the tape and the non-woven fabric 33 is bonded. It is not peeled off, and the peeling force acts to peel off a part of the non-woven fabric 33 from the other part. Therefore, the peel strength of the non-woven fabric 33 can be measured by this method. From the stress stoylen curve obtained when the measurement is performed by an autograph, three values having a larger intensity value and three values having a smaller intensity value are selected, and an average value of a total of six values is obtained. The number of tests of the measurement sample is 5. Such measurement is performed in the same manner in the vertical direction (hereinafter, abbreviated as MD) and the horizontal direction (hereinafter, abbreviated as CD) of the non-woven fabric 33, and the average value of the MD and CD is used as the peel strength of the non-woven fabric 33.

Negative pressure is applied to the non-woven fabric 33 as the smoking operation occurs. Therefore, in order to prevent the non-woven fabric 33 from falling off from the container 31, the non-woven fabric 33 can be adhered or welded to the container 31 with an adhesive. In particular, it is preferable that the non-woven fabric 33 is welded to the housing 31 from the viewpoint of preventing the non-woven fabric 33 from falling off even when the negative pressure is applied. Since the non-woven fabric 33 is welded to the container 31, the material of the fibers constituting the non-woven fabric 33 is preferably the same as the material constituting the container 31. As described above, since the accommodating body 31 preferably contains polypropylene, the non-woven fabric 33 preferably contains polypropylene fibers. The welding of the non-woven fabric 33 to the housing 31 can be, for example, heat welding by a laser welding method or the like, or ultrasonic welding by an ultrasonic welding method. Among these, the welding is preferably ultrasonic welding.

In the ultrasonic welding method, welding can be performed in 0.5 seconds / piece. On the other hand, in the laser welding method, welding is possible at 2.87 seconds / piece with a laser application energy of 30 W and 0.58 seconds / piece with a laser application energy of 90 W. Therefore, the ultrasonic welding method can perform welding in a shorter time than the laser welding method. In the ultrasonic welding method, it is not necessary to adjust the laser wavelength and the laser output according to the color of the resin of the housing 31 required in the laser welding method, and the same wavelength is not required regardless of the difference in the color of the resin of the housing 31. -Since it can be welded at the output, manufacturing efficiency is good.

On the other hand, when welding the non-woven fabric 33 to the housing 31 by a laser welding method, it is preferable to weld the entire circumference of the edge of the housing 31, and if it is a circular edge, the circumference is the central angle 60. It is more preferable to provide welding portions and non-welding portions alternately in an arc divided into six at each ° for welding. In this case, welding is possible in 0.32 seconds / piece with a laser application energy of 90 W. When welding the entire circumference, it can be welded in 0.58 seconds / piece. When laser welding is performed by providing a welded portion and a non-welded portion at every 60 °, welding can be performed in a shorter time than when laser welding is performed on the entire circumference.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cap 34 is provided on the downstream side of the non-woven fabric 33. The cap 34 is preferably adhered or welded to the housing 31 and the non-woven fabric 33.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to these Examples.

(1) Evaluation of nicotine accretion amount by storage [Example 1]
In a screw vial, a non-woven fabric consisting of 1000 mg of fragrance granules, which is a flavor source containing tobacco, and polypropylene fibers in which the fibers are oriented in a direction (planar direction) substantially perpendicular to the thickness direction (manufactured by Oji Kinocross Co., Ltd., diameter: 8 mm, thickness: 1 mm, density: 0.12 g / cm ³ , air permeability: 110 cc / cm ² / sec) are put in so that they do not come into direct contact with each other, and Eval film (trade name, manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.) It was sealed with. After storing the screw vial at 40 ° C. for 2 weeks and at 40 ° C. for 4 weeks, the mass of the non-woven fabric was measured to calculate the amount of nicotine adhering to the non-woven fabric. The results are shown in FIG.

[Comparative Example 1]
The same procedure as in Example 1 was carried out except that an acetate filter, which is a fiber filter in which cellulose acetate fibers were oriented in a direction substantially parallel to the thickness direction, was used instead of the non-woven fabric, and nicotine was deposited on the acetate filter. The amount of was calculated. The results are shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, in Example 1 using the non-woven fabric according to the present invention, it was observed that the amount of nicotine collected after storage was smaller than that in Comparative Example 1 using the acetate filter. From this, it can be understood that the tobacco capsule using the non-woven fabric according to the present invention as a filter can suppress the reduction of the amount of nicotine due to the sorption of nicotine before use, and can secure a sufficient amount of volatilization of nicotine at the time of use.

(2) Evaluation of nicotine filterability during smoking [Example 2]
Two non-woven fabrics used in Example 1 were prepared. One was not stored and the other was stored at 40 ° C. for 4 weeks as in Example 1. Then, using the non-woven fabric as a filter, the non-woven fabric was provided on the mouthpiece end side of the container so that the thickness direction was substantially parallel to the flow direction of the aerosol, and an indirect heat-not-burn tobacco product similar to that in FIG. 1 was produced. As a flavor source, 200 mg of reconstituted tobacco granules contained in Mevius Regular for Plume Tech (trade name, manufactured by Japan Tobacco Inc.) was taken out and used. In addition, the aerosol source of Mevius Regular for Plume Tech was attached to Plume Tech (trade name, manufactured by Japan Tobacco Inc.) and used. Indirectly heated tobacco products were prepared in accordance with the Humidity Control and Harmonization Law for Heated Smoking Articles stipulated by ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) 3402: 1999. Smoking is performed by the prescribed suction method of the smoking machine defined by ISO 3308: 2012 (for example, suction amount 55 mL / time, suction time: 2.0 seconds / time, suction interval: every 30 seconds, but the suction amount is adjusted as appropriate). According to the conditions for starting and ending suction in. The puff was repeated 200 times, and the Cambridge filter that collected the aerosol that passed through the non-woven fabric was collected every 10 puffs, and the amount of nicotine was measured by gas chromatography. The results are shown in FIG. The Cambridge filter is a flat circular glass fiber filter having a diameter of about 44 or 92 mm and a thickness of 1.5 mm, and is well known and widely used by those skilled in the art as a filter capable of capturing particulate matter. The Cambridge filter can be obtained from Nippon Cambridge Filter Co., Ltd., Borgwald Co., Ltd. (catalog number 8020 2852) and the like.

[Comparative Example 2]
The same procedure as in Example 2 was carried out except that an acetate filter, which is a fiber filter in which cellulose acetate fibers were oriented in a direction substantially parallel to the thickness direction, was used instead of the non-woven fabric, and the amount of nicotine was adjusted every 10 puffs. It was measured. The filling amount of the flavor source in the tobacco capsule is the same as in Example 2. The results are shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, in Example 2 and Comparative Example 2, although the amount of nicotine decreased as the number of puffs increased, there was no difference between the two. From this, it can be understood that the nicotine filterability of the non-woven fabric according to the present invention during smoking is equivalent to that of the acetate filter, and that a sufficient amount of nicotine is supplied to the user even if the non-woven fabric is used.

(3) Evaluation of filling amount of flavor source [Example 3]
The non-woven fabric used in Example 1 was prepared. The acetate filter of the tobacco capsule of Plume Tech (trade name, manufactured by Japan Tobacco Inc.) was replaced with the non-woven fabric. At this time, the non-woven fabric was arranged so that the thickness direction was substantially parallel to the flow direction of the aerosol. Then, 390 mg of a granular flavor source having an average particle size of 0.21 mm to 0.6 mm was filled. Using the tobacco capsule, an indirect heat-not-burn tobacco product similar to that in FIG. 1 was produced. As the flavor source, the reconstituted tobacco granules contained in Mevius Regular for Plume Tech (trade name, manufactured by Japan Tobacco Inc.) were taken out and used. In addition, the aerosol source of Mevius Regular for Plume Tech was attached to Plume Tech (trade name, manufactured by Japan Tobacco Inc.) and used. Indirect heat-not-burn tobacco products were prepared in accordance with the Humidity Control and Harmonization Law for Heat-not-burn Smoking Articles stipulated in ISO 3402: 1999. Smoking is performed by the prescribed suction method of the smoking machine defined by ISO 3308: 2012 (for example, suction amount 55 mL / time, suction time: 2.0 seconds / time, suction interval: every 30 seconds, but only suction time 2.0. The second was changed to 3.0 seconds) according to the conditions for starting and ending suction. The puff was repeated 100 times, and the Cambridge filter that collected the aerosol that passed through the non-woven fabric was collected every 20 puffs, and the amount of nicotine was measured by gas chromatography. The results are shown in FIG.

[Comparative Example 3]
The same procedure as in Example 3 was carried out except that the tobacco capsules filled with 310 mg of the flavor source were used without replacement with the non-woven fabric, and the amount of nicotine was measured every 20 puffs. The results are shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, the amount of nicotine in Example 3 was higher than that in Comparative Example 3. From this, it can be understood that the amount of nicotine volatilized increases during smoking in the indirect heat-not-burn tobacco product provided with the tobacco capsule in which the non-woven fabric is used as the filter instead of the fiber filter and the filling amount of the flavor source is increased.

1 Indirect heating type tobacco product 2 Non-suction end 3 Suction end 10 Power supply unit 11 Battery 20 Cartridge 20X 1st flow path 21 Reservoir 21A Aerosol source 22 Atomized part 23 Flow path forming body 24 Outer frame body 25 End cap 30 Tobacco capsule 30X Second flow path 31 Containing body 31A Flavor source 31E Protruding part 31R Rib 31T Tapered part 32 Mesh body 33 Non-woven fabric 34 Cap

Claims (11)

Tobacco capsules for indirect heat-not-burn tobacco products located downstream of the aerosol source that produces the aerosol.
Flavor sources including tobacco and
An accommodating body accommodating the flavor source and
A non-woven fabric provided on the suction end side of the housing so that the thickness direction is substantially parallel to the flow direction of the aerosol.
Tobacco capsule with. The tobacco capsule according to claim 1, wherein the non-woven fabric contains polypropylene fibers. The tobacco capsule according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container contains polypropylene. The tobacco capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the non-woven fabric is welded to the container. The tobacco capsule according to claim 4, wherein the non-woven fabric is ultrasonically welded to the container. The tobacco capsule according to claim 4, wherein the non-woven fabric is heat-welded to the container. The tobacco capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the thickness of the non-woven fabric is 4.0 mm or less. The tobacco capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the density of the non-woven fabric is 0.05 to 0.2 g / cm ^3. The tobacco capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the non-woven fabric has an air permeability of 100 to 140 cc / cm ^{2 / sec.} The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising the non-woven fabric provided on the side opposite to the mouthpiece end of the housing so that the thickness direction is substantially parallel to the flow direction of the aerosol. Tobacco capsule. A cartridge containing the aerosol source and
The tobacco capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which is arranged downstream of the cartridge.
Indirectly heated tobacco products equipped with.

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