KR102402065B1 - Convection heater assembly and aerosol-generating apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A convection heater assembly and an aerosol-generating device comprising the same are provided. An aerosol-generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a housing and a heater assembly defining an exterior and an accommodation space for accommodating the aerosol-generating article. The heater assembly may include a heating element and a porous structure thermally coupled to the heating element, and may generate an aerosol by heating the received aerosol-generating article through an airflow. At this time, the porous structure functioning as a heat transfer medium can greatly improve the heating efficiency and heat transfer efficiency of the heating element by forming a complex airflow path in a small space, and thereby the heater assembly and the aerosol generating device are manufactured in a compact form can be

Description

CONVECTION HEATER ASSEMBLY AND AEROSOL-GENERATING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME

The present disclosure relates to a convection heater assembly and an aerosol-generating device comprising the same. More particularly, it relates to a convection heater assembly capable of effectively reducing the length of an airflow path functioning as a heat transfer medium by improving heating efficiency and heat transfer efficiency, and an aerosol generating device including the same.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for alternative smoking articles that overcome the disadvantages of traditional cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for an aerosol-generating device that generates an aerosol by electrically heating a cigarette (e.g. a cigarette-type electronic cigarette), and accordingly, research on an electrically heated aerosol-generating device is being actively conducted.

Some electrically heated aerosol-generating devices employ a convection heater structure that transfers heat to the cigarette through an airflow path rather than directly applying heat to the cigarette. However, in this heater structure, in order to make an appropriate temperature enough to heat the cigarette, the length of the airflow path functioning as the heating element and the heat transfer medium must be designed to be long enough, which makes it difficult to manufacture a compact aerosol-generating device. .

Technical problems to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure are, by improving heating efficiency and heat transfer efficiency, a convection heater assembly capable of effectively reducing the length of an airflow path functioning as a heat transfer medium, and an aerosol generating device including the same is to provide

Another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a convection heater assembly and an aerosol generating device having a compact structure.

The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an aerosol-generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes: a how to form a receiving space and an exterior for accommodating an aerosol-generating article; and a heater assembly comprising a heating element and a porous structure thermally coupled to the heating element, and generating an aerosol by heating the received aerosol-generating article through an airflow.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the heating element may have a mesh structure.

In some embodiments, the porous structure may include a plurality of beads (bead).

In some embodiments, it may further include a conductive part disposed to surround at least a portion of the receiving space, and transferring heat generated in the heater assembly to the received aerosol-generating article in a conductive manner.

In some embodiments, it is disposed inside the housing, at least a portion may further include a heat insulating portion implemented as a porous assembly of hollow beads.

In some embodiments, the heater assembly may further include a terminal electrically connected to the battery, wherein the terminal is disposed in close contact with a side surface of the heater assembly.

For solving the above technical problem, an aerosol-generating device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure is a porous structure that generates heat through a housing and a porous body that form an exterior and an accommodation space for accommodating an aerosol-generating article and a heater assembly that generates an aerosol by heating the contained aerosol-generating article through an airflow.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure described above, by utilizing a porous structure capable of forming a complex airflow path in a small space as a heat transfer medium, the heating efficiency and heat transfer efficiency of the convection heater structure can be greatly improved. have.

In addition, by innovatively reducing the length of the airflow path serving as a heat transfer medium through the porous structure, a compact aerosol-generating device that meets the needs of a user can be easily designed and manufactured.

In addition, by implementing the porous structure as a bead assembly, the complexity of the airflow path and the length of the airflow path serving as a heat transfer medium can be easily controlled.

In addition, by arranging a conductive portion that transfers heat to the aerosol-generating article in a conductive manner, the heating efficiency and heat transfer efficiency of the convection heater structure can be further improved.

In addition, by arranging the heat insulating portion implemented as an assembly of hollow beads inside the device, heat inside the aerosol-generating device can be prevented from being lost to the outside. Accordingly, the heating efficiency and heat transfer efficiency of the convection heater structure may be further improved.

In addition, by disposing a waterproofing membrane on the outer surface of the hollow bead assembly, the problem that the dropletized sidestream smoke is absorbed by the heat insulating material can be prevented in advance. Accordingly, the performance of the heat insulating unit may be continuously maintained.

In addition, a porous structure implemented as an aggregate of electrically conductive beads may be used as a heating element and a heat transfer medium. In this case, since the porous structure performs volume heating over the entire three-dimensional porous body, heating efficiency and heat transfer efficiency of the convection heater structure may be further improved.

Effects according to the technical spirit of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically showing an aerosol-generating device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.
2 illustrates a convection heater structure using a simple airflow path as a heat transfer medium.
3 is a view for explaining a method of manufacturing a convection heater assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
4 is an exemplary configuration diagram illustrating a convection heater assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
5 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically showing an aerosol-generating device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.
6 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically showing an aerosol-generating device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.
7 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically showing an aerosol-generating device according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.
8 is an exemplary view for explaining a heat insulator according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
9 to 11 are exemplary block diagrams illustrating an aerosol-generating device to which a convection heater assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Advantages and features of the present disclosure, and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only the following embodiments complete the technical spirit of the present disclosure, and in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs It is provided to fully inform those of ordinary skill in the art of the scope of the present disclosure, and the technical spirit of the present disclosure is only defined by the scope of the claims.

In adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even though they are indicated on different drawings. In addition, in describing the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used with the meaning commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. In addition, terms defined in a commonly used dictionary are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless clearly defined in particular. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the embodiments and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase.

In addition, in describing the components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the elements from other elements, and the essence, order, or order of the elements are not limited by the terms. When it is described that a component is “connected”, “coupled” or “connected” to another component, the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component is formed between each component. It should be understood that elements may also be “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected.”

As used herein, “comprises” and/or “comprising” refers to a referenced component, step, operation and/or element of one or more other components, steps, operations and/or elements. The presence or addition is not excluded.

Prior to a description of various embodiments of the present disclosure, some terms used herein will be made clear.

In the present specification, "aerosol-generating substrate" may mean a material capable of generating an aerosol (aerosol). Aerosols may contain volatile compounds. The aerosol-generating substrate may be solid or liquid.

For example, the solid aerosol-generating substrate may include a solid material based on tobacco raw materials such as leaf tobacco, cut filler, reconstituted tobacco, etc., and the liquid aerosol-generating substrate contains nicotine, tobacco extract and/or various flavoring agents. liquid compositions based on it. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above.

As a more specific example, the liquid aerosol-generating substrate may include at least one of propylene glycol (PG) and glycerin (GLY), and ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol and oleic acid. It may further include at least one of one alcohol. As another example, the aerosol-generating substrate may further include at least one of nicotine, moisture, and a flavoring substance. As another example, the aerosol-generating substrate may further include various additives such as cinnamon and capsaicin. The aerosol-generating substrate may include a material in the form of a gel or solid as well as a liquid material having high flowability. As such, the composition of the aerosol-generating substrate may be variously selected according to the embodiment, and the composition ratio thereof may also vary depending on the embodiment.

As used herein, "aerosol-generating device" may refer to a device that generates an aerosol using an aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. The aerosol-generating device may include, for example, a liquid-type aerosol-generating device using a liquid cartridge, and a hybrid aerosol-generating device using a liquid cartridge and a cigarette together. However, in addition, various types of aerosol-generating devices may be further included, so the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above. Reference is made to FIGS. 9 to 11 for some examples of aerosol-generating devices.

In this specification, "puff" refers to inhalation of a user, and inhalation may refer to a situation in which the user is drawn into the user's mouth, nasal cavity, or lungs through the user's mouth or nose.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically showing an aerosol-generating device 10-1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the aerosol-generating device 10 - 1 may include an outer housing 11 , an inner housing 12 and a heater assembly 13 . However, only the components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated in FIG. 1 . Accordingly, one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can know that other general-purpose components other than those shown in FIG. 1 may be further included. For example, although not shown, the aerosol-generating device 10-1 includes a battery (not shown) that supplies power to the heater assembly 13, a component of the aerosol-generating device 10-1 (e.g. the heater assembly 13) , a battery, etc.) may further include a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation. Hereinafter, each component of the aerosol generating device 10-1 will be described.

The outer housing 11 may form the exterior of the aerosol-generating device 10 - 1 . In addition, the outer housing 11 may form a receiving space for receiving the aerosol-generating article 2 . The aerosol-generating article 2 may be electrically heated while being inserted into the receiving space to generate an aerosol, and the generated aerosol may be inhaled by a user. The aerosol-generating article 2 may be, for example, a cigarette, although the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to this example.

The portion 21 of the aerosol-generating article 2 may comprise a solid aerosol-generating substrate. The solid aerosol-generating substrate may be heated by the heater assembly 13 to form an aerosol.

Next, the inner housing 12 may define a structure inside the aerosol-generating device 10 - 1 . The material, arrangement, etc. of the inner housing 12 may be variously modified according to the internal design of the aerosol generating device 10 - 1 .

Next, the heater assembly 13 may heat the aerosol-generating article 2 contained in the receiving space. More specifically, the heater assembly 13 may be spaced apart in the receiving space to heat the aerosol-generating article 2 by transferring heat through an airflow (ie, in a convection manner). For example, the aerosol-generating article 2 may be heated by passing ambient air heated by the heater assembly 13 along the airflow towards the aerosol-generating article 2 in the course of smoking, for example.

In some embodiments, the heater assembly 13 includes a porous structure 131 , a heating element 132 thermally coupled to the porous structure 131 , and one or more terminals 133 for supplying electricity to the heating element 132 through a battery. ) may be included. Here, the porous structure 131 functions as a heat transfer medium. The reason for using the porous structure 131 is that a complex airflow path can be formed in a small space due to structural characteristics, and the heat preservation performance is excellent, so the heating efficiency of the heating element is excellent. and heat transfer efficiency can be improved at the same time. In order to provide more convenience of understanding, detailed components of the heater assembly 13 and their effects will be described in detail.

The porous structure 131 may function as a heat transfer (diffusion) medium of the heating element 132 . More specifically, efficient heat transfer (diffusion) may be achieved by the complex airflow path formed in the porous structure 131 acting as a heat transfer medium. Accordingly, the length L of the heated airflow path and the size of the heater assembly 13 may be greatly reduced. In order to provide more convenience of understanding, it will be described in comparison with the convection heater structure illustrated in FIG. 2 .

2 illustrates a convection heater structure using a simple airflow path as a heat transfer medium.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the heater assembly 3 has a shape in which a heating wire is wound around a ceramic rod, and the air around the heating wire is transmitted through a simple airflow path, so that the aerosol-generating article 2 is heated. are doing In this structure, since heated air is difficult to sufficiently accumulate, the heating area of the heater assembly 3 must be significantly increased, and thus the length L of the heater assembly 3 and the airflow path acting as a heat transfer medium is reduced. It must be designed long enough. That is, in the structure illustrated in FIG. 2 , the size of the heater assembly 3 has to be increased, and it is difficult to manufacture the aerosol-generating device compactly.

In contrast, in the heater assembly 13 illustrated in FIG. 1 , a complicated air flow path is formed inside the porous structure 131 so that air can be sufficiently heated in a small space. Accordingly, the length L of the heated airflow path can be much shorter, and the aerosol-generating device 10-1 can also be manufactured in a compact form.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the porous structure 131 may be implemented as an aggregate (aggregate) for a plurality of beads. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the porous structure 131 may be formed by packing a plurality of beads 20 . The packing method may be sphere packing, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For the packing structure, various structures such as, for example, a body-centered cubic structure (BCC), a face-centered cubic structure (FCC), etc. will be possible, which may be variously selected and designed according to the complexity of the airflow path. can

In the above-described embodiment, the beads may be, for example, ceramic beads. However, since beads of other materials may be applied, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to beads made of a specific material.

The beads may also be, for example, spherical beads or hollow beads. However, other types of beads may be applied, so that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to a particular type of beads.

In addition, the diameter distribution of the plurality of beads may have an error range within 30% of the average diameter. Preferably, the diameter distribution of the plurality of beads may have an error range of within 25%, 23% or 21%. More preferably, the diameter distribution of the plurality of beads may have an error range of within 20%, 18%, 16%, 14%, 12% or 10%. Even more preferably, the diameter distribution of the plurality of beads may have an error range of within 8%, 6% or 5%. Since it is not easy to continuously manufacture beads having the same diameter, the cost and difficulty required for manufacturing the porous structure 131 within this error range can be greatly reduced.

Next, the heating element 132 is an element that generates heat, and may generate heat by receiving electricity through the terminal 133 . The heating element 132 may be implemented with an electrically resistive material, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The type, structure, and/or shape of the heating element 132 may vary depending on the embodiment.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the heating element 132 may also be implemented as a porous structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , at least a portion of the heating element 132 may be formed of a mesh structure (eg, a mesh heater). As another example, at least a portion of the heating element 132 may be implemented with metal foam. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above. According to the present embodiment, since most of the heater assembly 13 is implemented as a porous structure, heating efficiency and heat transfer efficiency of the heater assembly 13 may be maximized.

Next, the terminal 133 may be electrically connected to a battery (not shown) to supply electricity to the heating element 132 . Such a control process may be performed by a controller (not shown).

Meanwhile, when the heater assembly 13 is implemented as an induction heating type, the heating element 132 may operate as a susceptor.

So far, the aerosol-generating device 10-1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 . As described above, by using a porous structure capable of forming a complex airflow path in a small space as a heat transfer medium, the heating efficiency and heat transfer efficiency of the convection heater structure can be greatly improved. In addition, by innovatively reducing the length (L) of the airflow path serving as a heat transfer medium through the porous structure, a compact aerosol-generating device that meets the user's needs can be easily designed and manufactured. Furthermore, by implementing the porous structure as a bead assembly, the complexity of the airflow path and the length (L) of the airflow path serving as a heat transfer medium can be easily controlled.

Hereinafter, the aerosol generating device 10-2 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the following description, for the sake of clarity of the specification, redundant descriptions are excluded and the description continues with a focus on differences from the previous embodiments.

5 is an exemplary configuration diagram illustrating an aerosol-generating device 10-2 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

5 , the heating element 132 of the heater assembly 13 according to the second embodiment may be implemented as a flat heating pattern. For example, the heating pattern 132 may be embedded or attached to the lower side of the porous structure 131 .

In addition, the terminals 133 may be disposed in a form in close contact with both sides of the porous structure 131 . In this case, the space occupied by the terminal 133 is minimized, and the aerosol generating device 10 - 2 can be manufactured in a more compact form.

So far, the aerosol generating device 10 - 2 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 5 . Hereinafter, the aerosol generating device 10-3 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

6 is an exemplary configuration diagram illustrating an aerosol-generating device 10-3 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the aerosol-generating device 10 - 3 may further include a conductive portion 14 disposed in thermal proximity to the aerosol-generating article 2 received in the receiving space.

The conductive portion 14 may be implemented with a thermally conductive material to transfer the heat of the heater assembly 13 to the aerosol-generating article 2 in a conductive manner. Accordingly, the heat transfer efficiency of the heater assembly 13 may be further improved, and the heater assembly 13 and the aerosol generating device 10 - 3 may be manufactured in a more compact form.

So far, the aerosol-generating device 10-3 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 6 . Hereinafter, an aerosol generating device 10 - 4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 7 .

7 is an exemplary configuration diagram illustrating an aerosol generating device 10 - 4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the aerosol-generating device 10 - 4 may further include an insulating portion 15 disposed between the inner housing 12 and the conductive portion 14 . However, in some embodiments, the conductive part 14 may be omitted, and in this case, the heat insulating part 15 may be disposed inside the inner housing 12 .

The heat insulating unit 15 blocks heat inside the aerosol generating device 10 - 4 from being lost to the outside, thereby further improving the heating efficiency of the heater assembly 13 .

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8 , the heat insulating part 15 may include an assembly of hollow beads 151 and a waterproofing film 152 formed on an outer surface of the assembly. The hollow bead may be, for example, a hollow bead made of a ceramic material, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, the waterproof film may include, for example, a glass film, a polyimide coating film, a water-repellent coating film, and a combination thereof, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. According to this embodiment, the problem that the performance of the heat insulating unit 15 is reduced due to moisture absorption can be solved. For example, if sidestream smoke penetrates into the device and forms droplets, the insulation may become wet and the insulation ability may gradually deteriorate. However, according to the present embodiment, this problem can be solved by blocking the absorption of sidestream smoke that has been liquidated through the waterproofing membrane.

In the above-described embodiment, the diameter of the hollow beads may be 75 μm to 500 μm. Preferably, the diameter of the hollow beads may be 100 μm to 450 μm, 150 μm to 450 μm, or 150 μm to 400 μm. Within this numerical range, excellent thermal insulation performance and ease of manufacture may be secured. For example, it may be preferable that the diameter of the hollow beads be 75 μm or more, because the larger the size of the hollow beads, the better the thermal insulation performance of the porous structure. In addition, it may be preferable that the diameter of the hollow beads be 500 μm or less, because as the size of the hollow beads increases, the surface curvature increases, thereby increasing the cost and difficulty required to form the waterproofing film.

So far, the aerosol generating device 10-4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 . According to the above, by disposing the heat insulating portion 15 implemented as an assembly of hollow beads inside the device, the heat inside the aerosol generating device 10-4 can be prevented from being lost to the outside. Accordingly, the heating efficiency and heat transfer efficiency of the convection heater structure 13 may be further improved. In addition, by disposing the waterproofing membrane 152 on the outer surface of the hollow bead assembly, the problem that the dropletized sidestream smoke is absorbed by the heat insulating material can be prevented in advance. Accordingly, even if time elapses, the performance of the heat insulating unit 15 can be preserved.

Meanwhile, the description has been made on the assumption that the porous structure 131 constituting the heater assembly 13 is a component separated from the heating element 132 . That is, the porous structure 131 has been described as a component that performs a function of transferring (diffusion) the heat generated by the heating element 132 without self-heating. However, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the porous structure 131 may operate as a heating element that performs volume heating and a heat transfer medium.

In the above-described embodiment, the porous structure 131 may heat the aerosol-generating article 2 by generating heat through a three-dimensional porous body and transferring the generated heat through an airflow. More specifically, the porous structure 131 may be implemented as a bead assembly of an electrically conductive material, and may generate heat by itself as power is applied. In addition, the porous structure 131 may accumulate heat generated through the porous body and transfer the accumulated heat through the airflow. By doing so, the heating efficiency and heat transfer efficiency of the heater assembly 13 are further improved, and the heater assembly 13 and the aerosol-generating device (e.g. 10-1 to 10-4) can be manufactured more compactly.

The porous structure 131 may be implemented as a bead of an electrically conductive material. The bead of the electrically conductive material may include, for example, an electrically conductive bead and a bead coated with an electrically conductive material, but is not limited thereto. The electrically conductive beads may include, for example, metal beads such as aluminum beads. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may include various types of beads through which electricity is conducted. In addition, the beads coated with an electrically conductive material may include, for example, ceramic beads coated with an electrically conductive material. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In some other embodiments, the porous structure 131 may be implemented as a foam having electrical conductivity rather than a bead assembly. For example, the porous structure 131 may be implemented as a metal foam.

Hereinafter, the aerosol-generating devices 100-1 to 100-3 to which the heater assembly 13 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 .

9 to 11 are exemplary block diagrams illustrating the aerosol-generating devices 100-1 to 100-3. Although not shown in detail in the drawings, the aforementioned heater assembly 13 and related technical components (eg, the conductive part 14 and the heat insulating part 15 ) may be applied to implement the heater part 140 .

9 illustrates a cigarette-type aerosol-generating device 100-1, and FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate hybrid-type aerosol-generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 using a liquid and a cigarette together. Hereinafter, each aerosol generating device 100-1 to 100-3 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 may include a heater unit 140 , a battery 130 , and a control unit 120 . However, this is only a preferred embodiment for achieving the purpose of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some components may be added or omitted as necessary. In addition, each component of the aerosol-generating device 100-1 shown in FIG. 9 represents functionally distinct functional elements, in which a plurality of components are implemented in a form that is integrated with each other in an actual physical environment, or a single component The element may be implemented in a form in which the element is divided into a plurality of detailed functional elements. Hereinafter, each component of the aerosol generating device 100-1 will be described.

The heater unit 140 may heat the cigarette 150 in a convection manner. The cigarette 150 includes a solid aerosol-generating substrate and is capable of generating an aerosol as it is heated. The generated aerosol can be inhaled through the mouth of the user. The heater unit 140 or the heating temperature of the heater unit 140 may be controlled by the controller 120 . For the heater unit 140 , reference will be made to the description of the heater assembly 13 described above.

Next, the battery 130 may supply power used to operate the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 . For example, the battery 130 may supply power to the heater unit 140 to heat the aerosol-generating substrate included in the cigarette 150 , and may supply power required for the control unit 120 to operate.

In addition, the battery 130 may supply power required to operate electrical components such as a display (not shown), a sensor (not shown), and a motor (not shown) installed in the aerosol generating device 100-1.

Next, the controller 120 may control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 . For example, the controller 120 may control the operation of the heater unit 140 and the battery 130 , and may also control the operation of other components included in the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 . The control unit 120 may control the power supplied by the battery 130 , the heating temperature of the heater unit 140 , and the like. In addition, the controller 120 may determine whether the aerosol-generating device 100-1 is in an operable state by checking the state of each of the components of the aerosol-generating device 100-1.

The controller 120 may be implemented by at least one processor. The processor may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory in which a program executable in the microprocessor is stored. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can clearly understand that the controller 120 may be implemented with other types of hardware.

Hereinafter, the hybrid aerosol generating apparatuses 100-2 and 100-3 will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 .

10 illustrates an aerosol-generating device 100-2 in which a vaporizer 1 and a cigarette 150 are arranged in parallel, and FIG. 11 is an aerosol in which the vaporizer 1 and the cigarette 150 are arranged in series. A generating device 100-3 is illustrated. However, the internal structure of the aerosol-generating device is not limited to that illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11 , and the arrangement of components may be changed according to a design method.

10 and 11 , the vaporizer 1 comprises a liquid reservoir for storing a liquid aerosol-generating substrate, a wick for absorbing the aerosol-generating substrate, and a heating element for heating the absorbed aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol. may include The aerosol generated by the vaporizer 1 may pass through the cigarette 150 and be inhaled through the user's mouth. The heating element of the vaporizer 1 may also be controlled by the control unit 120 .

So far, exemplary aerosol-generating devices 100-1 to 100-3 to which the heater assembly 13 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied have been described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 .

In the above, even though all components constituting the embodiment of the present disclosure are described as being combined or operated in combination, the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to this embodiment. That is, within the scope of the present disclosure, all of the components may operate by selectively combining one or more.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains may practice the present disclosure in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features. can understand that there is Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The protection scope of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent range should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

1: Vaporizer 2: Aerosol-generating article
10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4, 100-1, 100-2, 100-3: aerosol generating device
11: outer housing 12: inner housing
13: heater assembly 14: conductive part
15: thermal insulation 131: porous structure
132: heating element 133: terminal
120: control unit 130: battery
140: heater unit 150: cigarette

Claims (12)

a housing defining an exterior and a receiving space for receiving the aerosol-generating article; and
It includes a heating element and a porous structure thermally coupled to the heating element,
Comprising a heater assembly for generating an aerosol by heating the contained aerosol-generating article using a heated airflow while passing through the heated porous structure with the heating of the heating element,
aerosol-generating device. According to claim 1,
At least a portion of the heating element is made of a mesh (mesh) structure,
aerosol-generating device. According to claim 1,
The porous structure comprises a plurality of beads (bead),
aerosol-generating device. 4. The method of claim 3,
The bead is a ceramic bead,
aerosol-generating device. 4. The method of claim 3,
The bead is a hollow bead,
aerosol-generating device. According to claim 1,
It is disposed to surround at least a portion of the receiving space, and further comprising a conductive portion that transfers heat generated in the heater assembly to the received aerosol-generating article in a conductive manner.
aerosol-generating device. According to claim 1,
It is disposed inside the housing, at least a portion further comprising a heat insulating portion implemented as a porous assembly of hollow beads,
aerosol-generating device. 8. The method of claim 7,
The heat insulating portion further comprises a glass film formed on the outer surface of the porous assembly,
aerosol-generating device. 8. The method of claim 7,
The heat insulating part further comprises a polyimide coating film or a water-repellent coating film formed on the outer surface of the porous assembly,
aerosol-generating device. According to claim 1,
The heater assembly further includes a terminal electrically connected to the battery,
The terminal is disposed in a form in close contact with the side surface of the heater assembly,
aerosol-generating device. a housing defining an exterior and a receiving space for receiving the aerosol-generating article; and
A porous structure that generates heat through a porous body, and a heater assembly that generates an aerosol by heating the contained aerosol-generating article using a heated airflow while passing through the heated porous structure.
aerosol-generating device. 12. The method of claim 11,
The porous body is implemented by at least one of electrically conductive beads or beads coated with an electrically conductive material,
aerosol-generating device.

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