KR102487584B1 - Vaporizer and aerosol-generating apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A vaporizer and an aerosol generating device including the vaporizer are provided. A vaporizer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a liquid reservoir for storing a liquid aerosol generating substrate, a porous wick for absorbing the stored aerosol generating substrate through a porous body, and the absorbed aerosol generating substrate. A wick-heater assembly including a heater assembly that heats to generate an aerosol, a wick housing located above the wick-heater assembly and coupled to the wick-heater assembly and the liquid reservoir, and located below the wick-heater assembly It may include a lower case coupled to the wick heater-assembly.

Description

Vaporizer and aerosol generating device including the same {VAPORIZER AND AEROSOL-GENERATING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME}

The present disclosure relates to a vaporizer and an aerosol generating device including the same. More specifically, it relates to a vaporizer capable of ensuring uniformity of liquid transport rate and transport amount and easily manufacturable, and an aerosol generating device including the same.

In recent years there has been a growing demand for alternative smoking articles that overcome the disadvantages of conventional cigarettes. For example, the demand for an aerosol generating device (e.g. liquid electronic cigarette) that generates an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid composition other than a cigarette is increasing, and accordingly, research on a liquid vaporizing aerosol generating device is being actively conducted. .

In the liquid vaporizing aerosol generating device, a wick is one of the key components of the device, and serves to absorb the liquid phase and transfer it to the heater assembly. The wick is generally made of a fiber bundle made of cotton or silica.

However, since the fiber bundle has a structure in which the pore distribution is uneven and the pore control is impossible, the wick implemented therefrom cannot guarantee the uniformity of the liquid phase transport speed and the transport amount. In addition, due to this, a large deviation in the amount of atomization occurs depending on the wick (device), and a phenomenon in which a burnt taste is expressed due to burning of the liquid may also frequently occur.

A technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a porous wick capable of ensuring uniformity of liquid transport rate and transport amount.

Another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a vaporizer capable of ensuring uniformity of aerosol generation and an aerosol generating device including the vaporizer.

Another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a vaporizer having a structure that can be easily manufactured and an aerosol generating device including the same.

Another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an optimal coupling structure of a wick and heater assembly capable of increasing the amount of aerosol generation and reducing the risk of damage and carbonization of the wick.

Another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a vaporizer to which an optimal coupling structure of a wick and a heater assembly is applied and an aerosol generating device including the vaporizer.

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 description below.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the vaporizer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a liquid reservoir for storing the liquid aerosol generating substrate, and a porous wick for absorbing the stored aerosol generating substrate through a porous body. A wick-heater assembly including a heater assembly configured to generate aerosol by heating the absorbed aerosol-generating substrate, a wick housing positioned on top of the wick-heater assembly and coupled to the wick-heater assembly and the liquid reservoir, and the wick - A lower case located under the heater assembly and coupled to the wick-heater assembly may be included.

In some embodiments, the heater assembly includes a flat heating pattern embedded in the porous body, and the heating pattern may be embedded in a position deflected in a specific direction from an intermediate point of the porous body.

In some embodiments, the upper case lower case may include a groove member, and the lower case and the wick-heater assembly may be coupled by inserting a protruding member bonded to the wick-heater assembly into the groove member.

In some embodiments, the heater assembly may include one or more terminals electrically connected to a battery, and the one or more terminals may be disposed in close contact with one side of the porous body.

In some embodiments, the porous body may be formed by a plurality of beads.

In some embodiments, the wick-heater assembly may further include an air flow pipe disposed in an upper direction and delivering the generated aerosol, wherein the heater assembly is disposed below the porous body to form the wick-heater assembly. can do.

In some embodiments, the liquid reservoir is disposed in an upper direction of the wick-heater assembly, the stored aerosol-generating substrate is absorbed through both sides of the porous body, and both sides of the porous body are in the wick-heater assembly. It may have a shape protruding and extending upward.

In some embodiments, a coating film that blocks or limits absorption of the aerosol-generating substrate may be formed on a surface of at least a portion of the porous body that is not associated with an absorption path of the stored aerosol-generating substrate.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure described above, a vaporizer and an aerosol generating device that can be easily manufactured and increase the amount of aerosol generation can be provided. For example, since the wick-heater assembly is inserted into the lower case rather than bonded to it, the vaporizer can be easily manufactured and the defect rate can be reduced.

In addition, by manufacturing a wick by packing a plurality of beads, a porous wick having a uniform pore size and/or distribution may be formed. Accordingly, a uniform liquid phase transfer speed and transfer amount can be guaranteed, and the atomization amount of the vaporizer (or aerosol generating device) can also be maintained uniformly. Furthermore, carbonization of the porous wick can be minimized.

In addition, a coating film may be formed on some of the surfaces not associated with the target transport path among the plurality of surfaces forming the body of the porous wick. Accordingly, the liquid phase can be intensively transferred along the target transfer path. In addition, as the liquid phase transfer is concentrated on the target transfer path, the liquid supply capability of the porous wick and the amount of atomization of the vaporizer (or aerosol generating device) may be greatly increased.

In addition, the heater assembly may be embedded between 0 μm and 400 μm from the surface of the porous wick body. By doing so, the amount of aerosol generated can be increased, and the risk of breakage of the porous wick can be reduced.

In addition, terminals electrically connected to the heating pattern may be disposed to be in close contact with both side surfaces of the porous wick body. Accordingly, the space occupied by the heater assembly is reduced so that the vaporizer or aerosol generating device can be manufactured in a more compact form. In addition, the problem of reducing the amount of aerosol generation due to the terminal obstructing the air flow can be solved.

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

1 is an exemplary configuration diagram of a vaporizer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
2 is an exemplary exploded view of a vaporizer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
3 and 4 are views for explaining the shape of a porous wick and effects thereof according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
5 is a view for explaining a coupling structure of a porous wick and a heater assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
6 is a diagram for explaining a terminal arrangement of a wick-heater assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
7 is a view for explaining a coupling structure between a wick-heater assembly and a lower case according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
8 to 10 are views for explaining a bead aggregate-based porous wick according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
11 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a liquid phase transfer control method of a porous wick according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
12 to 14 are exemplary block diagrams illustrating an aerosol generating device to which a vaporizer 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 clear with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and can be implemented in various different forms, and only the following embodiments complete the technical idea of the present disclosure, and in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs. It is provided to completely inform those skilled 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 components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components have the same numerals as much as possible even if they are displayed 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 will be omitted.

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

Also, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used in describing the components of the present disclosure. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, order, or order of the corresponding component is not limited by the term. When an element is described as being “connected,” “coupled to,” or “connected” to another element, that element is directly connected or connectable to the other element, but there is another element between the elements. It will be understood that elements may be “connected”, “coupled” or “connected”.

As used in this disclosure, "comprises" and/or "comprising" means that a stated component, step, operation, and/or element is one or more other components, steps, operations, and/or elements. Existence or additions are not excluded.

Prior to description of various embodiments of the present disclosure, some terms used in this specification will be clarified.

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

For example, the solid aerosol-generating substrate may include solid materials based on tobacco raw materials such as leaf tobacco, cut filler, and reconstituted tobacco, and the liquid aerosol-generating substrate may contain nicotine, tobacco extracts, and/or various flavoring agents. It may contain a liquid composition 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 may include ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol and oleic acid. It may further contain at least one of one alcohol. As another example, the aerosol-generating substrate may further include at least one of nicotine, moisture, and flavoring substances. As another example, the aerosol-generating substrate may further include various additives such as cinnamon and capsaicin. The aerosol-generating substrate may include a liquid material with high fluidity as well as a material in the form of a gel or solid. In this way, the composition of the aerosol-generating substrate may be variously selected according to the embodiment, and the composition ratio may also vary according to the embodiment. In the following specification, "liquid phase" can be understood to refer to a liquid aerosol-generating substrate.

In the present specification, an “aerosol generating device” may refer to an aerosol generating device 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 vaporizer and a hybrid type aerosol generating device using both a vaporizer and a cigarette. However, since various types of aerosol generating devices may be further included, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above. See FIGS. 12-14 for some examples of aerosol-generating devices.

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

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

1 is an exemplary configuration diagram illustrating a vaporizer 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is an exemplary exploded view illustrating the vaporizer 1. In Fig. 1, the dotted line arrow indicates the delivery path of air or aerosol.

As shown in FIG. 1 or 2, the vaporizer 1 includes an upper case 11, an air flow pipe 12, a liquid reservoir 13, a wick housing 14, a porous wick 15, and a heater assembly ( 16) and a lower case 17. However, only components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure are shown in FIG. 1 . Accordingly, those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs may know that other general-purpose components may be further included in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1 .

Also, all of the components 11 to 17 shown in FIG. 1 may not be essential components of the vaporizer 1. That is, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, at least some of the components shown in FIG. 1 may be omitted or replaced with other components. Hereinafter, each component of the vaporizer 1 will be described.

The upper case 11 may serve as a cover or housing covering the upper part of the vaporizer 1. In some embodiments, the upper case 11 may also serve as a mouthpiece.

The air flow tube 12 can then serve as an air flow path for air and/or aerosols. For example, the aerosol generated by the heater assembly 16 may be discharged toward the upper case through the curing tube 12 and be inhaled by the user. However, FIG. 1 only assumes that the user's suction is made in the upper direction of the vaporizer 1, and the shape and delivery of the air flow pipe 12 depend on the design method of the aerosol generating device and/or the air flow pipe 12. Routes can be modified.

Next, the liquid storage tank 13 may have a predetermined space therein, and store the liquid aerosol-generating substrate in the space. In addition, the liquid reservoir 13 may supply the stored aerosol-generating substrate to the heater assembly 16 through the porous wick 15 .

Next, the wick housing 14 may refer to a housing disposed between the liquid storage tank 13 and the porous wick 15 and surrounding at least a portion of the porous wick 15 . The porous wick 15 may form a wick-heater assembly together with the heater assembly 16, and the wick housing 14 may be positioned on top of the wick-heater assembly. In addition, the wick housing 14 may be coupled with the wick-heater assembly located in the lower direction and the liquid storage tank 13 located in the upper direction.

Next, the porous wick 15 may absorb the aerosol-generating substrate stored in the liquid reservoir 13 through the porous body and deliver it to the heater assembly 16 . 1 and 2 show that the porous wick 15 has an H-shaped porous body as an example, but the porous wick 15 may be designed and implemented in various forms. For example, the porous wick 15 may be implemented to have a porous body having a rectangular parallelepiped shape (see FIG. 7 or FIG. 11 ).

In some embodiments, the porous wick 15 may have a shape in which both sides protrude toward the liquid phase reservoir 13 (e.g., a shape similar to H or U), and may absorb the liquid phase through the protruding both sides. In this case, since the liquid phase absorption area increases, the liquid phase transport capability of the porous wick 15 may increase. In order to provide more convenience of understanding, the present embodiment will be further described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .

3 shows a porous wick 15 according to an embodiment, and FIG. 4 shows a wick 3 having a straight line shape. Also, on the right side of FIG. 3 , one side region 10 of the porous wick 15 is enlarged, and on the right side of FIG. 4 , one side region 30 of the wick 3 is enlarged.

Comparing the liquid phase absorption areas of the two wicks 15 and 3, the side of the porous wick 15 according to the embodiment protrudes and extends toward the liquid reservoir 13 (see 31 and 158), so that the liquid phase through a larger area absorption can be seen. Therefore, the porous wick 15 according to the embodiment may have better liquid phase transport capability than the straight wick 3 .

Also, in some embodiments, a coating layer may be formed on at least a portion of the porous body. Preferably, a coating film may be formed on a surface not associated with a target transport path of the liquid phase among a plurality of surfaces forming the porous body. At this time, the coating film may play a role of blocking or limiting the movement of the liquid phase. This is because, by doing so, the liquid phase transport can be concentrated on the target transport path. This embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 11 later.

Also, in some embodiments, the porous body may be formed by a plurality of beads. For example, the porous body may be formed by sphere packing a plurality of beads. According to this embodiment, by forming a porous body by packing beads, a porous wick having a uniform distribution of voids can be manufactured, and thus uniformity of liquid phase transport rate and transport amount of the porous wick can be guaranteed. This embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10 later.

Again, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the description of the components of the vaporizer 1 will be continued.

The heater assembly 16 may generate an aerosol by heating the aerosol-generating substrate absorbed by the porous wick 15 .

In some embodiments, the heater assembly 16 may include a flat heating pattern and a terminal for receiving electricity from a battery (not shown) (see FIGS. 2 or 5 ). The heating pattern may be attached to or built into the lower part of the body of the porous wick 15 to heat the absorbed liquid phase in a bottom heating method. In this case, since the heater assembly 16 can evenly heat the liquid absorbed in the porous wick 15, the amount of aerosol generation (ie, the amount of atomization) can be greatly increased. The aerosol generated by heating may be inhaled by the user through the airflow pipe 12 disposed in the upper direction.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, the heater assembly 16 includes a flat heating pattern 161, a terminal 163 for receiving electricity from a battery (not shown) and a heating pattern 161. and a connecting member 162 connecting the terminal 163 to each other. The connection member 162 may also serve to fix the heater assembly 16 to the body of the porous wick 15 . In this case, problems in which the heater assembly 16 attached to (or embedded in) the porous wick 15 falls due to breakage of the wick or weakening of adhesive force may be solved.

In addition, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5 , the heater assembly 16, precisely the heating pattern 161 and the connection member 162, may be embedded in the body of the porous wick 15. . For example, the heater assembly 16 may be built in a position deflected from the midpoint of the body of the porous wick 15 in a downward direction (ie, in the direction of the lower case 17). As another example, the heater assembly 16 may be incorporated in a lateral or upward biased position. As such, the direction in which the heater assembly 16 is deflected may vary depending on the embodiment, and the inflow direction and / or path of the air flow, the coupling structure of the porous wick 15 and the heater assembly 16, steam It may be determined in consideration of the structure of the firearm 1 and the like.

Also, in some embodiments, the heater assembly 16 may be embedded at a depth from the surface of the porous wick 15 body. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , the heater assembly 16 may be embedded at a predetermined depth d from the lower surface of the body of the porous wick 15 . In-mold molding techniques may be utilized to embed the heater assembly 16, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the above-described embodiment, since the amount of aerosol generation and the risk of breakage of the wick vary according to the embedment depth d, it may be important to appropriately determine the embedment depth d. For example, since the amount of aerosol generation may increase as the heater assembly 16 is built closer to the surface of the porous wick 15, but the risk of breakage of the wick 15 may also increase, the heater assembly 16 is installed at an appropriate depth ( It may be important to embed in d).

In some embodiments, the embedding depth d may be between 0 μm and 400 μm. Preferably, the embedding depth (d) may be 50 μm to 400 μm, 0 μm to 350 μm, 50 μm to 350 μm, or 0 μm to 300 μm. Alternatively, preferably, the embedding depth (d) may be 100 μm to 300 μm, 100 μm to 250 μm, 150 μm to 350 μm, 150 μm to 300 μm, or 150 μm to 250 μm. When the heater assembly 16 and the porous wick 15 are coupled within this numerical range, aerosol is sufficiently generated, and the risk of breakage of the wick may be reduced.

Also, in some embodiments, the terminals 163 may be disposed to be in close contact with both sides of the body of the porous wick 15 . For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , the terminals 163 protruding in both lateral directions may be folded so as to come into close contact with the lateral surfaces of the body of the wick 15 . In this case, the space occupied by the heater assembly is reduced so that the vaporizer 1 can be manufactured in a more compact form. In addition, the problem of reducing the amount of aerosol generation due to the terminal obstructing the air flow can be alleviated. For example, when the terminal protrudes in the lower direction (ie, the lower case direction), the protruding terminal may block air inflow through the air hole of the lower case 17, and this problem can be prevented in advance. can

Again, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the description of the components of the vaporizer 1 will be continued.

The lower case 17 is a lower housing and may serve to support the lower part of the vaporizer 1, the porous wick 15, the heater assembly 16, and the like. The porous wick 15 may form a wick-heater assembly together with the heater assembly 16, and the lower case 17 may be combined with the wick-heater assembly.

In some embodiments, the lower case 17 may include an air hole or an air flow pipe through which air is introduced toward the heater assembly 16 (see FIG. 1 ). Also, in some embodiments, the lower case 17 may include a connection terminal for electrically connecting a terminal of the heater assembly 16 and a battery (not shown) (see FIG. 1 ).

Also, in some embodiments, the lower case 17 may include a groove member, and the wick-heater assembly may include a protruding member (eg, a stud). For example, as shown in FIG. 7 , a protruding member 164 (e.g. stud) protruding downward may be bonded to the wick-heater assembly. In this case, since the wick-heater assembly and the lower case 17 can be coupled by a simple assembly method in which the protruding member 164 is inserted into the groove member, the ease of manufacture of the vaporizer 1 can be improved. In addition, as the assembly process of the vaporizer 1 is simplified, the defect rate in the manufacturing process of the vaporizer 1 can be reduced.

So far, the vaporizer 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 . Hereinafter, a bead aggregate-based porous wick 15 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10 .

8 illustrates a manufacturing process of the porous wick 15.

As illustrated in FIG. 8 , a porous wick 15 may be manufactured by packing a plurality of beads 20 . For example, the body of the porous wick 15 may be formed by sphere packing and firing a plurality of beads 20 . The packing structure of the beads may be, for example, Body-Centered Cubic (BCC) or Face-Centered Cubic (FCC). However, since various other packing structures may be utilized, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Since the face-centered cubic structure and the body-centered cubic structure are sphere packing structures widely known in the art, descriptions thereof will be omitted.

When the porous wick 15 is made of a bead assembly, the porosity (porosity), pore size, pore distribution, etc. can be easily controlled based on the bead size, packing method, and/or packing structure. For example, a porous wick having a porosity greater than a standard value and a uniform pore distribution can be easily manufactured, and the manufactured porous wick can ensure uniformity of liquid phase transport rate and transport amount.

The material of the bead, which is the basis of the porous wick, may vary. For example, the material of the beads may be ceramic, and the ceramic beads may include glass ceramic beads or alumina ceramic beads. However, in addition, beads of other materials may be utilized, so the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above.

On the other hand, since the size (e.g. diameter) of the bead is related to the liquid phase transport speed and the wick strength, it may be important to properly determine the size of the bead. For example, as shown in the experimental results of FIGS. 9 and 10 , when the diameter of a bead increases, the liquid phase transport speed of the wick increases while the strength of the wick may decrease. This is because the size of the pores increases as the diameter of the beads increases, and the number of beads per unit volume decreases, resulting in a decrease in the number of contact interfaces during sintering. Therefore, it may be important to properly determine the size of the bead in order to achieve both appropriate wick strength and liquid transport speed.

In some embodiments, the diameter of a bead may be between 10 μm and 300 μm. Preferably, the diameter of the beads may be 30 μm to 270 μm, 50 μm to 250 μm. More preferably, the diameter of the beads is 60 μm to 100 μm, 65 μm to 90 μm, 70 μm to 95 μm, 75 μm to 90 μm, 80 μm to 95 μm, 75 μm to 85 μm, or 75 μm to 80 μm. can be Within this numerical range, a porous wick having appropriate strength can be manufactured, and the liquid transport speed can be improved compared to a fiber bundle-based wick.

Also, in some embodiments, the diameter distribution of the plurality of beads forming the porous wick may have an error range of less than 30% compared to the average diameter. Preferably, the diameter distribution of the plurality of beads may have an error range within 25%, 23% or 21%. More preferably, the diameter distribution of the plurality of beads may have an error range within 20%, 18%, 16%, 14%, 12% or 10%. Even more preferably, the diameter distribution of the plurality of beads may have an error range 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 a porous wick within this error range can be greatly reduced. In addition, when a porous wick is manufactured by packing a plurality of beads having such an error range, the contact area between the beads increases, thereby improving the strength of the wick.

Additionally, the size and/or packing structure of the beads may be determined further based on the viscosity of the target aerosol-generating substrate. This is because it is necessary to increase the porosity of the wick in order to ensure an appropriate liquid phase transport rate for an aerosol-generating substrate having a high viscosity. Here, the target aerosol generating substrate may mean a substrate to be stored in the liquid storage tank. In some embodiments, the error range of the bead size may be adjusted based on the viscosity of the target aerosol-generating substrate. For example, when the viscosity of the target aerosol generating substrate is greater than or equal to a reference value, the error range of the bead size may be reduced. This is because when the error range of the bead size is reduced, the size of the void increases and the liquid phase transport speed may increase. In the opposite case, the error range of the bead size may be increased.

In the case of implementing a porous wick with a bead aggregate, the following various advantages can be obtained.

A first advantage is that a porous wick having a uniform pore size and distribution can be easily manufactured and the quality variation of the wick can be minimized. In addition, the manufactured porous wick can ensure the uniformity of the liquid phase transport speed and the transport amount, thereby minimizing the occurrence of burnt taste or damage to the wick.

A second advantage is that the physical properties (e.g. porosity, pore size, pore distribution, strength) of the porous wick can be easily controlled. Since the physical properties of the porous wick are closely related to the liquid phase transport capability (e.g. transport speed, transport amount), this means that the liquid transport capability of the wick can be controlled. For example, the liquid phase transfer capability of the porous wick can be controlled by adjusting controllable factors such as bead size, packing method, and/or packing structure.

On the other hand, the amount of atomization (i.e., the amount of aerosol generation) of the aerosol generating device depends on the performance of the heater assembly (e.g. calorific value) and the liquid phase transport capability of the wick. Depletion of the liquid may cause the liquid to burn out. In addition, when the liquid phase transfer capability of the wick exceeds the performance of the heater assembly, the unvaporized liquid phase may remain on the surface of the wick and cause a liquid leakage phenomenon. Therefore, it is important to balance the liquid phase transport rate of the wick and the performance of the heater assembly. Although the performance of the heater assembly can be easily controlled, controlling the liquid transport capability of the wick is not an easy problem. In this respect, the porous wick implemented as a bead assembly can easily control the liquid phase transport ability, and thus can increase the amount of atomization most effectively.

So far, the porous wick 15 based on the bead aggregate according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10 . Hereinafter, a method of controlling the liquid transport path of the porous wick 15 will be described. For convenience of understanding, the description will be continued on the assumption that the porous wick 15 has a rectangular parallelepiped body.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a coating film may be formed on at least a part of the body of the porous wick 15 in order to control a liquid phase transfer path of the porous wick 15 . More specifically, a coating layer may be formed on at least some of the plurality of surfaces forming the body of the porous wick 15 in order to control the transfer of the liquid phase along the target transfer path.

Here, the coating film may serve to block or limit the transfer (e.g. inflow or outflow) of the liquid phase, and the formation position of the coating film may be determined based on a target transfer path (or transfer direction) of the liquid phase. For example, the coating film may be formed on a surface not associated with a target transport path among a plurality of surfaces forming the body of the porous wick 15 . In order to provide more convenience of understanding, the description will be amplified with reference to the example shown in FIG. 11 . In the developed view shown on the right side of FIG. 11, the porous wick 15 body on the left side is developed on a plane.

For example, assume that the target transfer direction of the liquid phase is as shown in FIG. 11 . In this case, the target transport path passes through two surfaces 152 and 154 of the plurality of surfaces 151 to 156 forming the porous wick 15 body. Accordingly, the surfaces associated with the target transport path become the surfaces 152 and 154, and coating films may be formed on the other surfaces 151, 153, 155, and 156 except for the surfaces 152 and 154. This is because, by doing so, the transfer of the liquid phase can be controlled to follow the target transfer path. For reference, since the destination of the target transport path is where the heater assembly 16 exists, the surface 154 associated with the heater assembly 16 is inevitably associated with the target transport path.

So far, the liquid phase transfer control method of the porous wick 15 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 11 . According to the foregoing, the coating film may be formed on some of the surfaces not associated with the target transport path among the plurality of surfaces forming the body of the porous wick 15 . Accordingly, the liquid phase can be intensively transported along the target transport path, and the liquid supply capability of the porous wick 15 and the amount of atomization of the vaporizer (or aerosol generating device) can be greatly increased.

Hereinafter, aerosol generating devices 100-1 to 100-3 to which the vaporizer 1 according to the embodiment can be applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14.

12 to 14 are exemplary block diagrams showing aerosol generating devices 100-1 to 100-3. Specifically, FIG. 12 illustrates a liquid-type aerosol generating device 100-1, and FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate hybrid-type aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 using both a liquid and a cigarette. .

As shown in FIG. 12 , the aerosol generating device 100-1 may include a mouthpiece 110, a vaporizer 1, a battery 130, and a controller 120. However, this is only a preferred embodiment for achieving the object of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some components may be added or omitted as needed. In addition, each component of the aerosol generating device 100-1 shown in FIG. 12 represents functionally differentiated functional elements, and a plurality of components are implemented in a form integrated with each other in an actual physical environment, or a single component An element may be implemented in a form in which a plurality of detailed functional elements are separated. Hereinafter, each component of the aerosol generating device 100-1 will be described.

The mouthpiece 110 is located at one end of the aerosol generating device 100-1 and may come into contact with the user's mouth to inhale the aerosol generated from the vaporizer 1. In some embodiments, mouthpiece 110 may be a component of vaporizer 1 .

Next, the vaporizer 1 may generate an aerosol by vaporizing the liquid aerosol-generating substrate. In order to exclude redundant descriptions, the description of the vaporizer 1 will be omitted.

Next, the battery 130 may supply power used for the operation of the aerosol generating device 100-1. For example, the battery 130 may supply power so that the heater assembly 16 of the vaporizer 1 can heat the aerosol-generating substrate and supply power necessary for the controller 120 to operate.

In addition, the battery 130 may supply power necessary for operating electrical components such as a display (not shown), a sensor (not shown), and a motor (not shown) installed in the aerosol 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 vaporizer 1 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 power supplied by the battery 130, heating temperature of the heater assembly 16 included in the vaporizer 1, and the like. In addition, the controller 120 may determine whether or not the aerosol generating device 100-1 is in an operable state by checking the state of each component 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 programs executable by the microprocessor are stored. In addition, those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains can clearly understand that the control unit 120 may be implemented with other types of hardware.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the aerosol generating device 100-1 may further include an input unit (not shown) for receiving a user input. The input unit may be implemented as a switch or button, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the controller 120 may control the aerosol generating device 100-1 in response to a user input received through the input unit. For example, the controller 120 may control the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 to generate aerosol as the user operates a switch or button.

Hereinafter, the hybrid aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.

13 illustrates an aerosol generating device 100-2 in which a vaporizer 1 and a cigarette 150 are arranged in parallel, and FIG. 14 shows an aerosol in which a vaporizer 1 and a cigarette 150 are arranged in series. The generator 100-3 is exemplified. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device to which the vaporizer 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied is not limited to those illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14, and the arrangement of components may be changed according to the design method. there is.

13 or 14, the heater 140 may be disposed around the cigarette 150 to heat the cigarette 150. The heater 140 may be, for example, an electrical resistance heater, but is not limited thereto. The heater 140 or the heating temperature of the heater 140 may be controlled by the controller 120 . The aerosol generated in the vaporizer 1 may pass through the cigarette 150 and be inhaled into the user's mouth.

So far, various types of aerosol generating devices 100-1 to 100-3 to which the vaporizer 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied have been described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14.

In the above, even though all the components constituting the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described as being combined or operated as one, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to these embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the present disclosure, all of the components may be selectively combined with one or more to operate.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art may implement 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 limiting. The protection scope of the present disclosure should be construed by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent range should be construed as being included in the scope of rights of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

1: vaporizer 11: upper case
12: air flow pipe 13: liquid reservoir
14: wick housing 15: porous wick
16: heater assembly 17: lower case
161: heating pattern 162: connecting member
163 terminal
100-1, 100-2, 100-3: aerosol generating device
110: mouthpiece 120: control unit
130: battery 140: heater
150: cigarette

Claims (12)

a liquid storage tank for storing a liquid aerosol-generating substrate;
a wick-heater assembly including a porous wick absorbing the stored aerosol-generating substrate through a porous body and a heater assembly generating an aerosol by heating the absorbed aerosol-generating substrate;
a wick housing located above the wick-heater assembly and coupled to the wick-heater assembly and the liquid reservoir; and
a lower case positioned below the wick-heater assembly and coupled to the wick-heater assembly;
The heater assembly includes a flat heating pattern,
The heater assembly includes one or more terminals electrically connected to a battery,
The one or more terminals are arranged to be in close contact with one side of the porous body,
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
The heater assembly includes a flat heating pattern embedded in the porous body,
The heating pattern is embedded in a position deflected in a specific direction from the midpoint of the porous body,
vaporizer. According to claim 2,
The heating pattern is embedded at a distance of 0 μm to 400 μm in an upward direction from the lower surface of the porous body,
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
The upper and lower case has a groove member,
The protruding member bonded to the wick-heater assembly is inserted into the groove member so that the lower case and the wick-heater assembly are coupled.
vaporizer. delete According to claim 1,
The porous body is formed by a plurality of beads,
vaporizer. According to claim 6,
The beads are ceramic beads,
vaporizer. According to claim 6,
The diameter of the bead is 70㎛ to 100㎛,
vaporizer. According to claim 6,
The diameter distribution of the plurality of beads has an error range of less than 20% compared to the average diameter,
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
Further comprising an air flow pipe disposed in an upper direction of the wick-heater assembly and delivering the generated aerosol,
The heater assembly is disposed under the porous body to form the wick-heater assembly.
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
The liquid storage tank is disposed in an upper direction of the wick-heater assembly,
The stored aerosol-generating substrate is absorbed through both sides of the porous body,
Both sides of the porous body protrude and extend upwardly of the wick-heater assembly.
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
A coating film is formed on the surface of at least a portion of the porous body that is not associated with the absorption path of the stored aerosol-generating substrate to block or limit absorption of the aerosol-generating substrate,
vaporizer.

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