JP7206291B2 - suction device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a suction device.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, suction devices for sucking flavors and the like without burning materials are known. As such a suction device, for example, a smoking material heating device that forms an aerosol by heating a smoking material made of tobacco containing a volatile component is known (see Patent Document 1). A smoking material heating device described in Patent Document 1 has a hollow cylindrical heater.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-522551

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a suction device with a novel structure.

According to one aspect of the invention, a suction device is provided. This suction device comprises a cylindrical air channel forming body having a first end communicating with an air inlet and a second end communicating with an atomizing chamber, and a sensor installed on a wall surface of the air channel forming body. a temperature sensor installed in a part, and a control part that detects an air flow flowing from an air inlet into the air flow path forming body and directed to the atomization chamber in accordance with a change in the measurement value of the temperature sensor. .

1 is an overall perspective view of a suction device according to this embodiment; FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a suction device according to this embodiment in a state of holding a smoking article; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a smoking article; FIG. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 shown in FIG. 1A; 4 is a side view as seen from arrow 4-4 shown in FIG. 1A; FIG. Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the heating assembly; Fig. 3 shows a side view of the heating assembly; 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 shown in FIG. 6; FIG. It is a sectional side view of a bottom cap.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

FIG. 1A is an overall perspective view of a suction device according to this embodiment. FIG. 1B is an overall perspective view of the suction device according to the present embodiment holding a smoking article. The suction device 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to generate a flavored aerosol by, for example, heating a smoking article 110 having a flavor source that includes the aerosol source.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the suction device 10 has a top housing 11A, a bottom housing 11B, a cover 12, a switch 13, and a lid portion . The top housing 11A and the bottom housing 11B constitute the outermost housing 11 of the suction device 10 by being connected to each other. Housing 11 is sized to fit in the hand of a user. When the user uses the suction device 10, the user can hold the suction device 10 by hand and inhale the flavor.

The top housing 11A has an opening (not shown), and the cover 12 is coupled to the top housing 11A so as to close the opening. As shown in FIG. 1B, cover 12 has openings 12a into which smoking articles 110 can be inserted. The lid portion 14 is configured to open and close the opening 12 a of the cover 12 . Specifically, the lid portion 14 is attached to the cover 12 and configured to be movable along the surface of the cover 12 between a first position that closes the opening 12a and a second position that opens the opening 12a. . Thereby, the lid portion 14 can permit or restrict access of the smoking articles 110 to the inside of the suction device 10 (openings of the outer fins 17 or openings of the top cap 48, which will be described later).

A switch 13 is used to switch the operation of the suction device 10 on and off. For example, when the user operates the switch 13 with the smoking article 110 inserted into the opening 12a as shown in FIG. can be heated without When the smoking article 110 is heated, the aerosol evaporates from the aerosol source contained in the smoking article 110 and the aerosol incorporates the flavor of the flavor source. The user can inhale the flavored aerosol by inhaling the portion of the smoking article 110 protruding from the inhaler 10 (the portion illustrated in FIG. 1B). In this specification, the longitudinal direction of the suction device 10 refers to the direction in which the smoking article 110 is inserted into the opening 12a.

Next, the configuration of the smoking article 110 used in the suction device 10 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of smoking article 110 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the smoking article 110 includes a base portion 110A including a filler 111, a first wrapping paper 112 around which the filler 111 is wrapped, and and a mouthpiece 110B forming an end. The base material portion 110A and the mouthpiece portion 110B are connected by a second wrapping paper 113 different from the first wrapping paper 112 . However, it is also possible to omit the second wrapping paper 113 and use the first wrapping paper 112 to connect the base portion 110A and the mouthpiece portion 110B.

The mouthpiece portion 110B in FIG. 2 has a paper tube portion 114 , a filter portion 115 , and a hollow segment portion 116 arranged between the paper tube portion 114 and the filter portion 115 . The hollow segment portion 116 is composed of, for example, a packing layer having one or more hollow channels and a plug wrapper covering the packing layer. Since the packed bed has a high packing density of fibers, air and aerosol flow only through the hollow channels during suction, and hardly flow inside the packed bed. In the smoking article 110, when it is desired to reduce the reduction of the aerosol component due to filtration in the filter portion 115, shortening the length of the filter portion 115 and replacing it with the hollow segment portion 116 is effective for increasing the delivery amount of aerosol. is.

Although the mouthpiece 110B in FIG. 2 is composed of three segments, in this embodiment, the mouthpiece 110B may be composed of one or two segments, or four or more segments. may be configured. For example, the hollow segment portion 116 may be omitted, and the paper tube portion 114 and the filter portion 115 may be arranged adjacent to each other to form the mouthpiece portion 110B.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the longitudinal length of the smoking article 110 is preferably 40 mm or more and 90 mm or less, more preferably 50 mm or more and 75 mm or less, and even more preferably 50 mm or more and 60 mm or less. . The circumference of smoking article 110 is preferably between 15 mm and 25 mm, more preferably between 17 mm and 24 mm, and even more preferably between 20 mm and 23 mm. In the smoking article 110, the base portion 110A may have a length of 20 mm, the first wrapping paper 112 may have a length of 20 mm, the hollow segment portion 116 may have a length of 8 mm, and the filter portion 115 may have a length of 7 mm. , the length of each of these segments can be changed as appropriate according to manufacturability, required quality, and the like.

In this embodiment, the fill 111 of the smoking article 110 may contain an aerosol source that is heated at a predetermined temperature to generate an aerosol. The type of aerosol source is not particularly limited, and extracts from various natural products and/or constituents thereof can be selected depending on the application. Aerosol sources can include, for example, glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and mixtures thereof. The content of the aerosol source in the filling 111 is not particularly limited, and is usually 5% by weight or more, preferably 10% by weight or more, from the viewpoint of sufficiently generating an aerosol and imparting a good flavor and taste. It is usually 50% by weight or less, preferably 20% by weight or less.

The filling 111 of the smoking article 110 in this embodiment may contain tobacco cuts as a flavor source. Materials for shredded tobacco are not particularly limited, and known materials such as lamina and backbone can be used. The range of content of filler 111 in smoking article 110 is, for example, 200 mg or more and 400 mg or less, preferably 250 mg or more and 320 mg or less, when the circumference is 22 mm and the length is 20 mm. The water content of the filler 111 is, for example, 8% by weight or more and 18% by weight or less, preferably 10% by weight or more and 16% by weight or less. Such a water content suppresses the occurrence of winding stains and improves the winding suitability during manufacturing of the base material portion 110A. There are no particular restrictions on the size of the shredded tobacco used as the filling 111 and the preparation method thereof. For example, dried tobacco leaves cut into pieces having a width of 0.8 mm or more and 1.2 mm or less may be used. Alternatively, dried tobacco leaves are pulverized to have an average particle size of about 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less and homogenized. good too. Furthermore, the above-described sheet-processed material may be gathered without being chopped, and used as the filling material 111 . Also, the filling 111 may contain one or more perfumes. The type of flavoring agent is not particularly limited, but menthol is preferable from the viewpoint of imparting a good smoking taste.

In this embodiment, the first wrapping paper 112 and the second wrapping paper 113 of the smoking article 110 can be made from base paper having a basis weight of, for example, 20 gsm to 65 gsm, preferably 25 gsm to 45 gsm. Although the thickness of the first wrapping paper 112 and the second wrapping paper 113 is not particularly limited, it is 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less, preferably 20 μm or more and 75 μm or less from the viewpoint of rigidity, air permeability, and ease of adjustment during paper manufacturing. and more preferably 30 μm or more and 50 μm or less.

In this embodiment, first wrapper 112 and second wrapper 113 of smoking article 110 may include filler. The content of the filler can be 10% by weight or more and less than 60% by weight, preferably 15% by weight or more and 45% by weight or less, based on the total weight of the first wrapping paper 112 and the second wrapping paper 113. . In the present embodiment, the filler is preferably 15% by weight or more and 45% by weight or less with respect to the preferred basis weight range (25 gsm or more and 45 gsm or less). Examples of fillers that can be used include calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, and kaolin. The paper containing such a filler exhibits a bright white color that is preferable from the viewpoint of appearance when used as wrapping paper for the smoking article 110, and can permanently maintain its whiteness. By including a large amount of such fillers, for example, the ISO whiteness of the wrapping paper can be increased to 83% or higher. From the practical viewpoint of using them as wrapping papers for smoking articles 110, first wrapping paper 112 and second wrapping paper 113 preferably have a tensile strength of 8 N/15 mm or more. This tensile strength can be increased by lowering the filler content. Specifically, it can be increased by making the content of the filler less than the upper limit of the content of the filler shown in each basis weight range exemplified above.

Next, the internal structure of the suction device 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B will be described. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 shown in FIG. 1A. FIG. 4 is a side view as seen from arrow 4-4 shown in FIG. 1A. As shown in FIG. 3 , the suction device 10 has a power source section 20 , a circuit section 30 (corresponding to one example of a control section), and a heating section 40 in the internal space of the housing 11 . The circuit section 30 has a first circuit board 31 and a second circuit board 32 electrically connected to the first circuit board 31 . The first circuit board 31 is, for example, arranged to extend in the longitudinal direction as shown. Thus, the power source section 20 and the heating section 40 are partitioned by the first circuit board 31 . As a result, transmission of heat generated in the heating unit 40 to the power supply unit 20 is suppressed.

The second circuit board 32 is arranged between the power supply section 20 and the switch 13 and extends in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the first circuit board 31 . The switch 13 is arranged adjacent to the second circuit board 32 . A portion of the switch 13 may come into contact with the second circuit board 32 when the user presses the switch 13 .

The first circuit board 31 and the second circuit board 32 include, for example, a microprocessor or the like, and can control power supply from the power supply unit 20 to the heating unit 40 . Thereby, the first circuit board 31 and the second circuit board 32 can control the heating of the smoking article 110 by the heating section 40 .

The power supply unit 20 has a power supply 21 electrically connected to the first circuit board 31 and the second circuit board 32 . Power source 21 may be, for example, a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery. The power supply 21 is electrically connected to the heating section 40 via at least one of the first circuit board 31 and the second circuit board 32 . This allows the power source 21 to power the heating portion 40 so as to properly heat the smoking article 110 . Also, as shown, the power supply 21 is arranged adjacent to the heating assembly 41 in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the heating section 40 . Thereby, even if the size of the power source 21 is increased, it is possible to suppress the length of the suction device 10 from increasing in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the suction device 10 has a terminal 22 that can be connected to an external power source. The terminal 22 can be connected to a cable such as micro USB. When the power source 21 is a rechargeable battery, by connecting an external power source to the terminal 22, a current can flow from the external power source to the power source 21 and the power source 21 can be charged. By connecting a data communication cable such as a micro USB to the terminal 22, data related to the operation of the suction device 10 may be transmitted to an external device.

The heating section 40 has a longitudinally extending heating assembly 41 as shown. The heating assembly 41 is composed of a plurality of tubular members and forms a tubular body as a whole. The heating assembly 41 is configured to accommodate a portion of the smoking article 110 therein, has the function of defining a flow path for air supplied to the smoking article 110, and the function of heating the smoking article 110 from its outer periphery.

The bottom housing 11B is formed with a vent 15 (corresponding to an example of an air inlet) for allowing air to flow into the interior of the heating assembly 41 . Specifically, vent 15 is in fluid communication with one end of heating assembly 41 (the left end in FIG. 2). Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the suction device 10 is attached to and detached from a vent 15 arranged opposite an upstream end 50b (see FIG. 5) of a bottom cap 50, which constitutes the heating assembly 41 and will be described later. It has a flexible cap 16 . The cap 16 has a through hole 16 a communicating with the internal flow path of the heating assembly 41 so that air can flow into the heating assembly 41 through the vent 15 even when the cap 16 is attached to the vent 15 . Note that the through hole 16 a may be a notch formed in the cap 16 . By attaching the cap 16 to the vent 15 , substances generated from the smoking articles 110 inserted into the heating assembly 41 can be prevented from falling out of the housing 11 through the vent 15 .

The other end of the heating assembly 41 (the right end in FIG. 3) is in fluid communication with the opening 12a shown in FIG. 1B (which corresponds to one example of an air outlet). A substantially cylindrical outer fin 17 is provided between the cover 12 having the opening 12 a and the other end of the heating assembly 41 . The outer fin 17 engages with a downstream end of a top cap 48, which will be described later. When the smoking article 110 is inserted into the suction device 10 through the opening 12a of the cover 12 as shown in FIG. It is arranged inside the assembly 41 . That is, the outer fins 17 form part of the opening for receiving the smoking article 110 . The outer fin 17 is preferably formed so that the opening on the cover 12 side (right side in FIG. 3) is larger than the opening on the heating assembly 41 side (left side in FIG. 3). This makes it easier to insert the smoking article 110 into the outer fin 17 through the opening 12a. Further, when the smoking article 110 is not inserted inside the heating assembly 41, the user can clean the inside of the heating assembly 41 by inserting a tool such as a brush through the opening 12a. Cleaning implements can also be inserted through one end of the heating assembly 41 (the left end in FIG. 3). In that case, the cap is removed from the vent 15 of the suction device 10 .

With the smoking article 110 inserted into the suction device 10 through the opening 12a as shown in FIG. When the air is sucked, air flows into the heating assembly 41 through the through hole 16 a of the cap 16 and the vent 15 . The incoming air passes through the interior of the heating assembly 41 and reaches the user's mouth along with the aerosol generated from the smoking article 110 . Therefore, the side of the heating assembly 41 closer to the vent 15 is the upstream side, and the side of the heating assembly 41 closer to the opening 12a (the side closer to the outer fins 17) is the downstream side.

Next, the configuration of the heating assembly 41 shown in FIG. 3 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of heating assembly 41 . FIG. 6 shows a side view of heating assembly 41 . FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 shown in FIG. 5, for convenience of explanation, the vent 15 of the housing 11 is virtually shown. As shown in FIG. 5, heating assembly 41 includes inner tube 42 , heating element 43 , airgel 44 and outer tube 45 . The inner tube 42 has a first opening 42a at one end through which the smoking article 110 can be inserted, and a second opening 42b at the other end forming an air inlet. In this embodiment, inner tube 42 is cylindrically shaped and configured to contact at least a portion of smoking article 110 inserted through first opening 42a. The second opening 42b is located on the upstream side of the air flow, and the first opening 42a is located on the downstream side.

The outer tube 45 is arranged to surround the inner tube 42 and a predetermined gap is formed between the inner tube 42 and the outer tube 45 . The heating member 43 may be, for example, a flexible film heater configured by sandwiching a heating resistor between two films such as PI (polyimide). A heating member 43 is arranged to abut the inner tube 42 . Specifically, in the illustrated example, the heating member 43 is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the inner tube 42 , and the inner surface of the heating member 43 contacts the outer surface of the inner tube 42 . Since the heating member 43 is arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube 42, the heating member 43 is deformed into a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole.

The heating assembly 41 further comprises the downstream end of the inner tube 42 (the end on the first opening 42a side) and the downstream end of the outer tube 45 (the end of the inner tube 42 near the first opening 42a). ) and a circumferentially extending first annular member 46 . In addition, the heating assembly 41 includes the upstream end of the inner tube 42 (the end on the second opening 42b side) and the upstream end of the outer tube 45 (the end near the second opening 42b of the inner tube 42). ) and has a second annular member 47 extending in the circumferential direction. The first annular member 46 is tightly connected to the downstream end of the inner tube 42 via a top cap 48 and a heat-shrinkable tube 52 which will be described later. The second annular member 47 is tightly connected to the upstream end of the inner tube 42 via a bottom cap 50 and a heat-shrinkable tube 52 which will be described later. Also, the first annular member 46 and the second annular member are tightly connected to the outer tube 45 . A closed space 54 is thereby provided between the inner tube 42 and the outer tube 45 . The closed space 54 accommodates the heating member 43 and the airgel 44 .

A heat-shrinkable tube 52 is arranged between the heating member 43 and the airgel 44 . The heat-shrinkable tube 52 is cylindrical and keeps the heating member 43 in contact with the inner tube 42 . Specifically, the heat-shrinkable tube 52 is heat-shrunk by applying heat while it is placed on the outer peripheral side of the heating member 43 . 43 is stressed. The heat-shrinkable tube 52 may be made of thermoplastic resin such as perfluoroalkoxy fluororesin (PFA), for example. In this embodiment, the heat-shrinkable tube 52 is used for the purpose of maintaining the state in which the heating member 43 is in contact with the inner tube 42. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any member that can achieve the same purpose can be used. can be adopted. For example, instead of the heat-shrinkable tube 52, an elastic tube or the like may be employed.

The inner tube 42 is preferably made of a metallic material such as SUS having high thermal conductivity. Thereby, the heat of the heating member 43 is easily conducted to the entire inner tube 42, and as a result, the inner tube 42 itself can exhibit the function of the heating means. When the heating member 43 generates heat while the smoking article 110 is housed in the inner tube 42, the smoking article 110 is heated to generate an aerosol. The inner tube 42 thus constitutes an atomization chamber, which is the space in which the aerosol source is atomized. The outer tube 45 can be made of the same metal material as the inner tube 42, for example. Since the airgel 44 is arranged between the heating member 43 and the outer tube 45 , the heat generated from the heating member 43 is less likely to be transmitted to the outer tube 45 . The present embodiment also employs airgel 44 to insulate the heat generated by heating member 43, which can be made of various airgel materials such as silica aerogel, carbon aerogel, and alumina aerogel. However, other heat insulating materials may be used instead of airgel, for example, fiber heat insulating materials such as glass wool and rock wool, foam heat insulating materials such as urethane foam and phenol foam, and the like may be used. Alternatively, the closed space 54 may be evacuated to constitute a vacuum heat insulating space. When the silica airgel 44 is used as a heat insulating material, the ratio of the volume of the airgel 44 to the volume of the closed space 54 is preferably 85% or more and 100% or less. As a result, it is possible to prevent air bubbles from entering the closed space 54, thereby preventing the heat of the heating member 43, the inner tube 42, and the like from being transmitted to the outer tube 45 via the air bubbles. If air bubbles enter the closed space 54, the air bubbles can move freely according to the orientation of the heating assembly 41 and transfer heat.

The heating assembly 41 further includes a top cap 48 and a bottom cap 50 (corresponding to one example of an air flow channel forming body). The top cap 48 and the bottom cap 50 can be made of resin material, for example. The top cap 48 is a cylindrical member having an internal space that communicates with the first opening 42a of the inner tube 42, and is configured so that the smoking article 110 can be inserted therein. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the top cap 48 is connected to the downstream end of the inner tube 42 (the end on the first opening 42a side). The inner peripheral surface of the top cap 48 is provided with one or more protrusions 48a that are evenly spaced apart in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, four protrusions 48 a are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the top cap 48 . As a result, the smoking article 110 inserted into the top cap 48 is locked by applying frictional resistance, and the smoking article 110 is prevented from being unexpectedly removed from the suction device 10 .

The bottom cap 50 has a downstream end 50a (corresponding to an example of a second end) connected to the upstream end of the inner pipe 42 (the end on the side of the second opening 42b), and an upstream end 50b on the opposite side of the downstream end 50a. (corresponding to an example of a first end). The upstream end 50b of the bottom cap 50 communicates with the vent 15 shown in FIG. 3, and the downstream end 50a communicates with the interior of the inner tube 42. The bottom cap 50 forms an internal flow path that introduces air toward the second opening 42 b of the inner tube 42 . The diameter of the internal channel of the bottom cap 50 is formed smaller than the outer diameter of the smoking article 110 . Therefore, the tip of the smoking article 110 inserted into the inner tube 42 abuts against the bottom cap 50 and is positioned. Also, an upstream end 50b (lower end in the figure) of the bottom cap 50 is arranged close to or adjacent to the vent 15 shown in FIG. Air from this vent 15 can flow from the upstream end 50b of the bottom cap 50 to the downstream end 50a, pass through the inner tube 42 and the top cap 48, and reach the user's mouth. That is, the bottom cap 50, the inner tube 42, and the top cap 48 form an air flow path that pneumatically communicates the vent 15 and the opening 12a of the cover 12 with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the heating assembly 41 according to this embodiment has a temperature sensor 60 . The temperature sensor 60 is installed in a sensor installation portion 62 provided on the wall surface of the bottom cap 50 . The temperature sensor 60 measures the temperature at predetermined time intervals when the switch 13 shown in FIG. The circuit unit 30 can detect the airflow from the vent 15 into the bottom cap 50 and toward the inner pipe 42 according to changes in the measured value of the temperature sensor 60 . In other words, the circuit unit 30 can detect the user's puff based on the data received from the temperature sensor 60 . In addition, since the temperature sensor 60 is provided on the wall surface of the bottom cap 50 located between the air vent 15 and the heating member 43, the circuit section 30 takes into account both the temperature of the heating member 43 and the temperature of the outside air. As a result, the user's puff can be detected, and the accuracy of puff detection can be improved.

In this embodiment, the sensor installation portion 62 is positioned on the outer wall of the bottom cap 50 . Accordingly, since the temperature sensor 60 is arranged outside the air flow path, the temperature sensor 60 is prevented from being physically affected by air passing through the air flow path or aerosols that may flow back into the air flow path. be done.

When the distance from the upstream end of the heating member 43 to the axial center of the temperature sensor 60 in the axial direction of the bottom cap 50 is d1, the distance d1 is, for example, 5 mm or more and 9 mm or less, preferably 6 mm or more and 8 mm or less. Yes, typically 7 mm. Further, when the distance in the axial direction of the bottom cap 50 from the vent hole 15 to the axial central portion of the temperature sensor 60 is d2, the distance d2 is, for example, 38 mm or more and 42 mm or less, preferably 39 mm or more and 41 mm or less. Yes, typically 40 mm. Further, the ratio (d2/d1) of the distance d2 to the distance d1 is, for example, 4.22 or more and 8.40 or less, preferably 4.88 or more and 6.83 or less, and typically 5.71. be. When the ratio is within this range, the temperature sensor 60 is affected by both the air flowing from the vent 15 and the heating member 43 in a balanced manner. In other words, in this case, it is possible to prevent the temperature sensor 60 from being excessively affected by either the air flowing from the vent 15 or the heating member 43 . Thereby, the detection accuracy of the temperature sensor 60 can be improved, and as a result, the puff detection accuracy of the circuit section 30 can be improved.

When the heating member 43 arranged along the inner tube 42 generates heat, heat conduction through the inner tube 42 and the bottom cap 50 raises the temperature of the sensor mounting portion 62 . When the temperature rise at this time is ΔT1, the temperature rise ΔT1 is, for example, 45°C or higher and 55°C or lower, preferably 47.5°C or higher and 52.5°C or lower, and typically 50°C. This temperature rise ΔT1 can be adjusted by changing the amount of heat generated by the heating member 43, the distance d1 and the distance d2, and the like. In the present embodiment, the temperature rise ΔT1 is a signal indicating that the smoking article 110 is heated and the smoking period is started, specifically, the preheating by the heating member 43 is finished and the smoking is possible. It is the temperature rise from the external ambient temperature (eg, 25° C.) of the suction device 10 when the command (eg, lighting of an LED not shown) is issued. The temperature of the heating unit 43 can be generally maintained within a predetermined range for most of the period including the starting point of the smoking permitted period. This temperature range is, for example, a range having an upper limit of 240°C and a lower limit of 185°C. The temperature rise ΔT1 may be generally constant throughout the smokeable period.

Further, when air flows in from the vent hole 15 and passes through the internal flow path of the bottom cap 50 while the heating member 43 is generating heat, the air receives heat from the bottom cap 50 and the like, and the temperature rises. When the temperature rise of the air that flows into the bottom cap 50 from the vent 15 and reaches the sensor installation portion 62 is ΔT2, the temperature rise ΔT2 is, for example, 10° C. or more and 20° C. or less, preferably 12.5° C. above 17.5°C and below 17.5°C, typically 15°C. This temperature rise ΔT2 can be adjusted by changing the amount of heat generated by the heating member 43, the distance d1 and the distance d2, and the like. In this embodiment, the temperature rise ΔT2 is detected by the temperature sensor 60, for example, when the mouthpiece of the smoking article 110 inserted in the atomization chamber is sucked for 2 seconds at a suction volume of 27.5 ml/second. It can be obtained from the temperature. More specifically, the temperature rise ΔT2 can correspond to the difference between the ambient temperature (for example, 25° C.) outside the suction device 10 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 60 under the above suction conditions. Also, the ratio (ΔT1/ΔT2) of the temperature rise ΔT1 to the temperature rise ΔT2 is, for example, 2.25 or more and 5.50 or less, preferably 2.71 or more and 4.20 or less, and typically 3.33. is. As a result, the temperature of the sensor mounting portion 62 can be prevented from being dominantly influenced by either the heating member 43 or the external atmosphere, so that the temperature sensor 60 can accurately detect the temperature change accompanying the user's puffing action. be able to measure.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the bottom cap 50 has a downstream portion 64 positioned on the inner pipe 42 side when viewed from the sensor mounting portion 62 and an upstream portion 66 positioned on the vent port 15 side when viewed from the sensor mounting portion 62 . have. Here, the thickness of the bottom cap 50 at the sensor installation portion 62 is preferably smaller than the thickness of the bottom cap 50 at the upstream portion 66 . Similarly, the thickness of the bottom cap 50 at the sensor installation portion 62 is preferably smaller than the thickness of the bottom cap 50 at the downstream portion 64 . That is, it is preferable that the sensor installation portion 62 be positioned at a portion where the wall thickness is the smallest in the axial direction of the bottom cap 50 . Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the outer surface of the bottom cap 50 including the sensor mounting portion 62 is formed substantially flat. As shown in FIG. 7, the sensor installation portion 62 is preferably located at a portion where the wall thickness is the smallest in the circumferential direction of the bottom cap 50 . Since the wall thickness of the sensor installation portion 62 is small, the heat capacity of the sensor installation portion 62 is relatively small. The temperature tends to drop. As a result, the temperature sensor 60 can more accurately detect temperature changes due to air passing through the internal flow path of the bottom cap 50 .

Next, a specific structure of the bottom cap 50 will be described. 8 is a side sectional view of the bottom cap 50. FIG. In FIG. 8, the inner tube 42 is also shown for convenience of explanation. The bottom cap 50 has an internal channel 72 through which air entering from the vent 15 passes. The internal channel 72 is a channel extending from the upstream end 50 b of the bottom cap 50 to the upstream end of the inner tube 42 . The internal flow path 72 of this embodiment forms a tapered shape expanding from the upstream end 50b toward the downstream end 50a as shown. This makes the cross-sectional area of the internal flow path 72 at the upstream end 50b smaller than the cross-sectional area of the internal flow path at the downstream end 50a. Therefore, when the flow rate of the air flowing in from the vent 15 is constant, the flow velocity at the upstream end 50b of the bottom cap 50 is relatively high, and the flow velocity at the downstream end 50a is relatively low. As a result, the flow velocity of the air from the upstream end 50b of the bottom cap 50 to the sensor installation portion 62 is relatively increased, so that the puff detection response time can be shortened. Furthermore, since the flow velocity of the air flowing into the inner pipe 42 is relatively small, it is possible to prevent the heat in the inner pipe 42 from being excessively lost due to the inflow of air.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the maximum diameter of the internal flow path 72 of the bottom cap 50 is Dmax and the diameter of the inner tube 42 is Dc, the ratio of the diameter Dc to the maximum diameter Dmax (Dc/Dmax) is, for example, 1. 0.40 or more and 2.34 or less, preferably 1.56 or more and 2.01 or less, and typically 1.75. Therefore, when the diameter Dc of the inner tube 42 is 7.00 mm, the maximum diameter Dmax of the internal flow path 72 of the bottom cap 50 is, for example, 2.99 mm or more and 4.99 mm or less, preferably 3.49 mm or more and 4.0 mm. 49 mm or less, typically 3.99 mm. If the ratio of the diameter Dc to the maximum diameter Dmax increases, the ventilation resistance (that is, pressure loss) increases, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if this ratio is too small, the step between the inner channel 72 and the inner tube 42 will become too small to stably hold the smoking article.

Further, when the inclination angle of the inner wall surface of the bottom cap 50 forming the internal flow path 72 with respect to the central axis of the internal flow path 72 of the bottom cap 50, that is, the taper angle is θ, the taper angle θ is, for example, 0.5. It is 25 degrees or more and 1.0 degrees or less, typically 0.5 degrees. Table 1 shows the measurement results (Rt) of the ventilation resistance of the internal flow passage 72 of the bottom cap 50 when the taper angle θ is varied while the maximum cross-sectional area Smax of the internal flow passage 72 is kept constant. In addition, Table 1 shows the taper angle θ with respect to the ventilation resistance (Rd) of a straight tubular flow channel having a cross-sectional area equal to the maximum cross-sectional area Smax of the internal flow channel 72 and having no taper angle. The ratio (Rt/Rd) of the ventilation resistance (Rt) of the internal flow path 72 is shown. The airflow resistance (Rt) and the airflow resistance ratio (Rt/Rd) in Table 1 are measured through the mouthpiece of the smoking article inserted into the atomization chamber using the bottom cap 50 with the internal flow path 72 having a total length of 40 mm. This is the measurement result when the amount of sucked was 25.0 ml/sec.

As can be seen from Table 1, when the taper angle .theta. Therefore, when the taper angle θ is 0.25 degrees or more, the effect of increasing the flow velocity of the air at the upstream end 50b of the bottom cap 50 increases. Further, when the taper angle θ is 1.0 degrees or less, the ventilation resistance is suppressed to about three times the ventilation resistance in the case where the bottom cap 50 has a straight tubular shape. With an increase rate of about three times, the effect on the user's inhalation sensation can be suppressed by adjusting the ventilation resistance of the smoking article 110 . Therefore, by setting the airflow resistance ratio (Rt/Rd) within the above range, the responsiveness of the puff detection by the temperature sensor 60 and the circuit unit 30 is enhanced, and the airflow resistance of the internal flow path 72 increases, resulting in a suction sensation. can suppress the influence of

Furthermore, when the cross-sectional area of the through hole 16a of the cap 16 shown in FIG. 4 is So, the cross-sectional area So can have a predetermined upper limit value and a lower limit value. The upper limit of the cross-sectional area So can be set, for example, so that liquid by-products generated from the smoking article 110 do not flow out of the suction device 10 through the through-holes 16a. Also, the lower limit of the cross-sectional area So of the through-hole 16a can be set, for example, so as not to excessively increase the ventilation resistance of the entire air flow path composed of the through-hole 16a and the internal flow path 72 .

As shown in FIG. 8, the axial length of the bottom cap 50 of this embodiment is designed to be longer than the axial length of the inner tube 42 . This increases the length of the bottom cap 50 in the axial direction, thereby suppressing the aerosol generated inside the inner tube 42 from flowing out from the upstream end 50b of the bottom cap 50 .

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, specification and drawings. is possible. Any shape or material that is not directly described in the specification and drawings is within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention as long as it produces the action and effect of the present invention.

Some of the forms disclosed in this specification are described below.

According to a first aspect, a suction device is provided. This suction device comprises a cylindrical air channel forming body having a first end communicating with an air inlet and a second end communicating with an atomizing chamber, and a sensor installed on a wall surface of the air channel forming body. a temperature sensor installed in a part, and a control part that detects an air flow flowing from an air inlet into the air flow path forming body and directed to the atomization chamber in accordance with a change in the measurement value of the temperature sensor. .

According to the second aspect, in the suction device of the first aspect, the air channel forming body forms a tapered internal channel expanding from the first end toward the second end.

According to a third aspect, in the suction device of the first aspect or the second aspect, the heating member is arranged along the atomization chamber, upstream of the heating member in the axial direction of the air channel forming body. When the distance from the end to the temperature sensor is d1 and the distance from the air inlet to the temperature sensor in the axial direction of the air flow path forming body is d2, d2/d1 is 4.22 or more and 8.40 or less. is.

According to the fourth embodiment, in the suction device of the third embodiment, d2/d1 is 4.88 or more and 6.83 or less.

According to the fifth embodiment, in the suction device according to any one of the first to fourth embodiments, the heating member is provided. is 45° C. or higher and 55° C. or lower.

According to the sixth embodiment, in the suction device of the fifth embodiment, ΔT1 is 47.5° C. or more and 52.5° C. or less.

According to the seventh embodiment, in the suction devices of the first to sixth embodiments, when the temperature rise of the air that flows from the air inlet into the air flow path forming body and reaches the sensor installation portion is ΔT2, ΔT2 is 10° C. or more and 20° C. or less.

According to the eighth embodiment, in the suction device of the seventh embodiment, ΔT2 is 12.5° C. or more and 17.5° C. or less.

According to a ninth embodiment, in the suction device according to any one of the first embodiment to the eighth embodiment, a heating member is provided, the temperature rise of the sensor installation portion due to heat conduction from the heating member is set to ΔT1, and the air inlet ΔT1/ΔT2 is 2.25 or more and 5.50 or less, where ΔT2 is the temperature rise of the air that flows into the air flow path forming body from the air flow path forming body and reaches the sensor installation portion.

According to the tenth embodiment, in the suction device of the ninth embodiment, ΔT1/ΔT2 is 2.71 or more and 4.20 or less.

According to an eleventh form, in the suction device according to any one of the first to tenth forms, the sensor installation portion is positioned on the outer wall of the air flow path forming body.

According to a twelfth embodiment, in the suction device according to any one of the first to eleventh embodiments, the air flow path forming body has an upstream portion positioned on the air inlet side when viewed from the sensor installation portion, The thickness of the air channel forming body at the sensor installation portion is smaller than the thickness of the air channel forming body at the upstream portion.

According to a thirteenth embodiment, in the suction device according to any one of the first to twelfth embodiments, the air flow path forming body has a downstream portion located on the atomization chamber side when viewed from the sensor installation portion. , the thickness of the air channel forming body at the sensor installation portion is smaller than the thickness of the air channel forming body at the downstream portion.

According to a fourteenth embodiment, in the suction device according to any one of the first to thirteenth embodiments, the sensor installation portion is positioned at a portion having the smallest wall thickness in the circumferential direction of the air flow path forming body.

According to the fifteenth embodiment, in the suction device according to any one of the first to fourteenth embodiments, when the inclination angle of the inner wall surface forming the internal flow path with respect to the central axis of the internal flow path is θ, θ is It is 0.25 degrees or more and 1.0 degrees or less.

According to the sixteenth embodiment, in the suction device according to any one of the first to fifteenth embodiments, where Dmax is the maximum diameter of the internal flow path and Dc is the diameter of the cylindrical atomization chamber, Dc/ Dmax is 1.40 or more and 2.34 or less.

According to the seventeenth form, in the suction device of the sixteenth form, Dc/Dmax is 1.56 or more and 2.01 or less.

According to an eighteenth form, in the suction device according to any one of the first to seventeenth forms, a cap is arranged to face the first end of the air flow path forming body, and the cap includes the It has a through hole that communicates with the internal channel of the air channel forming body.

According to a nineteenth form, in the suction device according to any one of the first to eighteenth forms, the axial length of the air flow path forming body is longer than the axial length of the atomization chamber.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Suction device 15... Vent 16... Cap 16a... Through hole 30... Circuit part 42... Inner pipe 43... Heating member 50... Bottom cap 50a... Downstream end 50b... Upstream end 60... Temperature sensor 62... Sensor installation part 64... Downstream part 66...Upstream part 72...Internal flow path 110...Smoking article

Claims (15)

a tubular air channel former having a first end in communication with the air inlet and a second end in communication with the atomization chamber;
a temperature sensor installed in a sensor installation portion provided on the wall surface of the air flow path forming body;
a control unit that detects an air flow that flows from the air inlet into the air flow path forming body and heads for the atomization chamber in response to a change in the measured value of the temperature sensor;
The suction device, wherein the air channel forming body forms a tapered internal channel expanding from the first end toward the second end. A suction device according to claim 1, wherein
a heating member positioned along the atomization chamber;
Let d1 be the distance from the upstream end of the heating member to the temperature sensor in the axial direction of the air channel forming body, and d2 be the distance from the air inlet to the temperature sensor in the axial direction of the air channel forming body. d2/d1 is 4.22 or more and 8.40 or less. In the suction device according to claim 2,
The suction device, wherein d2/d1 is 4.88 or more and 6.83 or less. In the suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
having a heating element;
A temperature rise of the sensor installation portion due to heat conduction from the heating member when a signal indicating that the suction device is ready for smoking is issued after preheating by the heating member is completed, and the suction device ΔT1 is 45° C. or higher and 55° C. or lower, where ΔT1 is the temperature rise of the sensor installation portion from the ambient temperature outside the suction device. A suction device according to claim 4,
The suction device, wherein ΔT1 is 47.5°C or higher and 52.5°C or lower. In the suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The suction device, wherein the sensor installation portion is positioned on an outer wall of the air flow path forming body. In the suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The air flow path forming body has an upstream portion located on the air inlet side when viewed from the sensor installation portion,
The suction device, wherein the thickness of the air channel forming body in the sensor installation portion is smaller than the thickness of the air channel forming body in the upstream portion. In the suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
the air flow path forming body has a downstream portion located on the atomization chamber side when viewed from the sensor installation portion;
The suction device, wherein the thickness of the air channel forming body at the sensor installation portion is smaller than the thickness of the air channel forming body at the downstream portion. In the suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
The suction device, wherein the sensor installation portion is located at a portion having the smallest wall thickness in the circumferential direction of the air flow path forming body. In the suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
The suction device, wherein θ is 0.25 degrees or more and 1.0 degrees or less, where θ is an inclination angle of the inner wall surface forming the internal flow channel with respect to the central axis of the internal flow channel. In the suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
The suction device, wherein Dc/Dmax is 1.40 or more and 2.34 or less, where Dmax is the maximum diameter of the internal flow path and Dc is the diameter of the cylindrical atomization chamber. A suction device according to claim 11 , wherein
The suction device, wherein Dc/Dmax is 1.56 or more and 2.01 or less. A suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 12 ,
a cap disposed opposite the first end of the air channel forming body;
The suction device, wherein the cap has a through hole communicating with the internal channel of the air channel forming body. A suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 13 ,
The suction device, wherein the axial length of the air channel forming body is longer than the axial length of the atomization chamber. a tubular air channel former having a first end in communication with the air inlet and a second end in communication with the atomization chamber;
a temperature sensor installed in a sensor installation portion provided on the wall surface of the air flow path forming body;
a control unit that detects an air flow that flows from the air inlet into the air flow path forming body and heads for the atomization chamber in response to a change in the measured value of the temperature sensor;
wherein θ is 0.25 degrees or more and 1.0 degrees or less, where θ is an inclination angle of the inner wall surface forming the internal flow path with respect to the central axis of the internal flow path of the air flow path forming body.

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