KR20210098114A - Porous wick and vaporizer including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A porous wick and a vaporizer including the same are provided. The vaporizer according to some embodiments of the present invention comprises: a liquid reservoir, in which a liquid aerosol-generating substrate is stored; a porous wick which absorbs the stored aerosol-generating substrate through a porous body formed by a plurality of beads; and a heating element which heats the aerosol-generating substrate absorbed by the porous wick to generate an aerosol, wherein the porous body formed by the plurality of beads are capable of having a uniform pore size and a uniform distribution, thereby ensuring the uniformity in the speed and amount at which the wick transfers the liquid.

Description

Porous wick and vaporizer comprising same

The present disclosure relates to a porous wick and a vaporizer comprising the same. More particularly, it relates to a porous wick capable of ensuring the uniformity of the liquid transfer rate and transfer amount, and a vaporizer including the same.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for alternative smoking articles that overcome the disadvantages of conventional cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for an aerosol-generating device (eg, a liquid electronic cigarette) that generates an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid composition other than a cigarette. .

In a liquid-vaporizing aerosol-generating device, a wick is one of the key components of the device, and serves to absorb and transfer the liquid to the heating element. Wicks are generally made of fiber bundles made of cotton or silica.

However, since the fiber bundle has a structure in which the pore distribution is not uniform and the pore control is impossible, the wick implemented therewith cannot guarantee the uniformity of the liquid conveying speed and the conveying amount. In addition, due to this, a large variation in the amount of atomization occurs depending on the wick (device), and a phenomenon in which the liquid is burned and burnt taste may occur frequently.

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

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

The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, 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 technical problem, the porous wick according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is a liquid storage tank for storing a liquid aerosol-generating substrate, and the stored aerosol-generating substrate through a porous body formed by a plurality of beads and a porous wick that absorbs the porous wick and a heating element that heats the aerosol-generating substrate absorbed by the porous wick to generate an aerosol.

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

In some embodiments, the bead may be a ceramic bead.

In some embodiments, the diameter of the bead may be 10 μm to 300 μm or 70 μm to 100 μm.

In some embodiments, the diameter distribution of the plurality of beads may have an error range of within 20% of the average diameter.

In some embodiments, the porous wick further comprises an airflow tube disposed in an upper direction for delivering the generated aerosol, wherein the heating element may be disposed under the porous body.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure described above, by implementing the body of the porous wick as a bead assembly, a porous wick having a uniform size and distribution of pores may be manufactured. Accordingly, the uniformity of the liquid transfer speed and transfer amount of the wick can be ensured, and the quality deviation of the wick, the vaporizer, and the aerosol generating device can be minimized.

In addition, since the physical properties of the porous wick (eg pore size, distribution and porosity, strength, etc.) are determined based on controllable factors such as the size of the bead, packing structure, etc., the liquid-phase transport capacity of the porous wick can be easily controlled. there is.

In addition, the diameter of the bead may be determined during manufacturing based on various factors such as the target transport speed of the liquid phase and the target strength of the wick. For example, the diameter of the beads may be determined to be about 70 µm to 100 µm, and a porous wick made of beads having such a diameter may have sufficient liquid transfer speed and commercially available strength.

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 of a vaporizer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
2 is an exemplary exploded view of a vaporizer in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
3 is an exemplary view illustrating a method of manufacturing the porous wick 15 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
4 and 5 illustrate a packing structure that may be applied to a porous wick according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
6 is a view for explaining the relationship between the bead size and the pore size.
7 shows experimental results regarding the bead size and the liquid transfer rate of the porous wick.
8 shows the experimental results regarding the bead size and the strength of the porous wick.
9 to 11 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 for 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 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. As used herein, 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 components from other components, and the essence, order, or order of the components are not limited by the terms. When a component is described as being “connected”, “coupled” or “connected” to another component, the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component is between each component. It should be understood that elements may 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 clarified.

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), 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 material. 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 depending on the embodiment, and the composition ratio thereof may also vary depending on the embodiment. In the following specification, "liquid phase" may be understood to refer to a liquid aerosol-generating substrate.

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 cigarette-type aerosol-generating device, a liquid-type aerosol-generating device, and a hybrid aerosol-generating device using a cigarette and a liquid together. However, in addition, various types of aerosol-generating devices may be further included, so that 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.

As used herein, "puff" means inhalation of a user, and inhalation may mean a situation in which the user is drawn into the user's oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs through the user's mouth or nose.

Hereinafter, the technical spirit of the present disclosure will be described in detail through various embodiments.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a wick (so-called "porous wick") having a porous body formed by a plurality of beads may be provided. For example, a porous wick may be manufactured by sphere packing a plurality of beads. In this case, the porosity (porosity), pore size, pore distribution, and the like of the porous wick can be easily controlled based on the bead size, packing method and/or packing structure. For example, a porous wick having a porosity equal to or greater than a reference value and having a uniform pore distribution can be easily manufactured, and the manufactured porous wick can ensure the uniformity of the liquid conveying speed and conveying amount.

The material of the bead on which the porous wick is based may be varied. For example, the material of the beads may be ceramic, and the ceramic beads may include glass ceramic beads or alumina ceramic beads. However, since beads of other materials may be utilized, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above.

The bead size (eg diameter) and/or packing structure (eg body-centered cubic structure, face-centered cubic structure) is closely related to the pore size and porosity of the porous wick, and ultimately the wick properties such as the liquid phase transfer rate and strength of the porous wick. is a determinant of For example, as the diameter of the bead increases, the size of the pores increases, which may increase the liquid transfer rate of the wick and decrease the strength of the wick. Accordingly, the size (e.g. diameter) and/or packing structure of the bead may be determined based on target factors such as target strength and target transport speed of the porous wick, and specific values may vary according to embodiments.

In some embodiments, the diameter of the beads may be between 10 μm and 300 μm. Preferably, the diameter of the beads may be 30 μm to 270 μm, or 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 In this numerical range, a porous wick having an appropriate strength can be manufactured, and the liquid phase transfer rate can be improved. For the relationship between the diameter of the bead, the strength of the wick, and the liquid transfer speed, reference will be made to the description related to FIGS. 3 to 8 further.

Also, in some embodiments, the diameter distribution of the plurality of beads forming the porous wick may have an error range of 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 wick can be greatly reduced within this error range. In addition, when a porous wick is manufactured by packing a plurality of beads having such an error range, an effect of improving the strength of the wick by increasing a contact area between the beads may be achieved.

In addition, 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 to ensure an adequate liquid transfer rate for highly viscous aerosol-generating substrates. 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 equal to or greater than a reference value, the error range of the bead size may be reduced. This is because, if the error range of the bead size is small, the size of the voids may be increased and the liquid phase transfer rate may be increased. In the opposite case, the error range of the bead size can be increased.

When a porous wick is implemented as a bead assembly, various advantages can be obtained as follows.

The 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 transfer speed and transfer amount, thereby minimizing the occurrence of burnt taste or damage to the wick.

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

On the other hand, the atomization amount (ie, aerosol generation amount) of the aerosol-generating device depends on the performance of the heating element (eg calorific value) and the liquid-phase transfer ability of the wick. Liquid depletion may cause the liquid to burn. In addition, when the liquid transfer capability of the wick exceeds the performance of the heating element, the liquid that is not vaporized may remain on the surface of the wick to cause leakage. Therefore, it is important that the liquid phase conveying speed of the wick and the performance of the heating element be controlled in a balanced way. Although the performance of the heating element can be easily controlled, controlling the liquid phase conveying ability of the wick is not an easy problem. In this regard, the porous wick implemented as a bead aggregate can easily control the liquid transfer capability, so that the atomization amount can be most effectively increased.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a vaporizer including the above-described porous wick may be provided. The vaporizer includes a liquid reservoir storing a liquid aerosol-generating substrate, a porous wick for absorbing the stored liquid aerosol-generating substrate, a heating element for heating the aerosol-generating substrate absorbed by the porous wick to generate an aerosol, and the generated aerosol. It may include an airflow tube for delivery. In addition, other components may be further included, and some examples of the vaporizer will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . Since such a vaporizer generates an aerosol by absorbing the liquid uniformly through the porous wick, it is possible to ensure the uniformity of the amount of aerosol generated.

The detailed structure of the vaporizer may be designed in various ways, which may vary depending on the embodiment. In some embodiments, the airflow conduit and the liquid reservoir may be disposed in an upper direction (ie, a bend side direction) of the porous wick and the heating element may be disposed below the porous wick. In this case, the aerosol-generating substrate absorbed by the porous wick may be uniformly heated by the heating element disposed underneath, thereby increasing the amount of aerosol generation.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an aerosol-generating device (or system) including the vaporizer described above may be provided. The aerosol-generating device may be of a pure liquid type or a hybrid type, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 .

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more 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 arrow indicates the delivery path of air or aerosol.

1 or 2, the vaporizer 1 includes an upper case 11, an airflow tube 12, a liquid reservoir 13, a wick housing 14, a porous wick 15, a heating element ( 16) and a lower case 17 . However, only the components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated in FIG. 1 . Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can see that other general-purpose components other than those shown in FIG. 1 may be further included.

Also, not all of the components 11 to 17 shown in FIG. 1 may be essential components of the vaporizer 1 . That is, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, at least some of the components illustrated 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 portion of the vaporizer 1 . In some embodiments, the upper case 11 may also serve as a mouthpiece.

The airflow conduit 12 may then serve as an airflow path for air and/or aerosol. For example, the aerosol generated by the heating element 16 may be discharged in the direction of the upper case 11 through the airflow tube 12 to 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 airflow pipe 12 according to the design method of the aerosol generating device and/or the airflow pipe 12 Paths can be modified.

Next, the liquid storage tank 13 may have a predetermined space therein, and may store a liquid aerosol-generating substrate in the space. The liquid reservoir 13 may also supply the stored aerosol-generating substrate to the heating element 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 then absorb the aerosol-generating substrate stored in the liquid reservoir 13 through the porous body and deliver the absorbed substrate to the heating element 16 .

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 , the body of the porous wick 15 may be formed by a plurality of beads. Since the porous body implemented as a bead assembly may have a uniform pore size and distribution, the uniformity of the liquid transport rate and transport amount may be guaranteed. This embodiment will be described in more detail later with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8 .

Next, the heating element 16 may heat the liquid absorbed in the porous wick 15 to generate an aerosol.

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

In addition, in some embodiments, the terminal may be disposed in a form in close contact with both sides of the body of the porous wick 15 (see FIG. 2 ). In this case, the space occupied by the heating element 16 can be minimized, and the problem that the terminal obstructs the airflow and reduces the amount of aerosol generated can be alleviated.

Also, in some embodiments, the heating pattern may be embedded at a distance (depth) of 0 to 400 μm from the lower surface of the body of the porous wick 15 . In this numerical range, the amount of aerosol generation can be maximized and the breakage of the wick can be minimized.

Next, the lower case 17 is a housing located at the lower portion, and may serve to support the lower portion of the vaporizer 1 , the porous wick 15 , the heating element 16 , and the like.

In some embodiments, an air hole or airflow tube may be included in the lower case 17 to allow air to flow smoothly toward the heating element 16 (see FIG. 1 ).

Also, in some embodiments, the lower case 17 may include a connection terminal for electrically connecting a terminal of the heating element 16 and a battery (not shown) (see FIG. 1 ).

So far, the vaporizer 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . As described above, since the body of the porous wick 15 is implemented as a bead assembly, the uniformity of the liquid transfer speed and the transfer amount can be guaranteed. Accordingly, the carbonization phenomenon of the wick can also be solved, and the aerosol generation amount of the vaporizer 1 can be maintained uniformly.

Hereinafter, the porous wick 15 implemented as a bead assembly will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8 .

3 is an exemplary view illustrating a method of manufacturing the porous wick 15 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the body of the porous wick 15 may be formed by packing a plurality of beads 20 . For example, by sphere packing and firing a plurality of beads 20 , the body of the porous wick 15 may be formed.

The packing structure of the bead may be, for example, a body-centered cubic structure (BCC), a face-centered cubic structure, or the like. However, since various packing structures may be utilized, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For the face-centered cubic structure and the body-centered cubic structure, refer to the structures 21 and 23 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively, and since the structure is a sphere packing structure widely known in the art, a description thereof will be omitted. do.

The material of the bead may be various. In some embodiments, the bead forming the porous wick 15 may be a ceramic bead. The ceramic beads may include, for example, glass ceramic beads or alumina ceramic beads. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples.

On the other hand, since the size of the bead is closely related to the pore size of the porous wick 15, and the size of the pore is related to the transport speed of the liquid phase and the strength of the wick, it may be important to properly determine the size of the bead. there is. Briefly explaining the relationship between the size of the beads and the size of the pores, the size of the pores may be proportional to the size of the beads. For example, in the octahedral site 27 illustrated in FIG. 6 , the diameter d ^* of the octahedral pore 27 is proportional (about 0.414 times) to the bead 25 diameter d, and the tetrahedral pore 27 (tetrahedral site) is of course proportional to the diameter of the bead (25). In addition, as the size of the pores increases, the transfer speed of the liquid phase increases while the strength of the wick decreases (refer to the experimental results of FIGS. 7 and 8). can

In some embodiments, the diameter of the beads may be between 10 μm and 300 μm. Preferably, the diameter of the beads may be 30 μm to 270 μm, or 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, the porous wick 15 can ensure adequate strength and liquid transfer rate.

Hereinafter, the relationship between the bead size, the liquid transfer rate, and the wick strength will be made clearer through Examples and Comparative Examples. However, since the following examples are only some of various examples, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

First, the configurations of the examples related to the porous wick 15 and the comparative examples compared thereto are shown in Table 1 below.

division Type (Manufacturing Method) Bead diameter (μm) Material Example 1 Bead Based Porous Wick 75-90 ceramic glass Example 2 Bead Based Porous Wick 90~105 ceramic glass Example 3 Bead Based Porous Wick 105-150 ceramic glass Example 4 Bead Based Porous Wick 150-180 ceramic glass Comparative Example 1 Fiber bundle based wick - cotton

Experimental Example 1 below is to clarify the relationship between the bead size and the liquid transfer speed, and Experimental Example 2 is to clarify the relationship between the bead size and the wick strength. Finally, Experimental Example 3 is to demonstrate the liquid-phase transport capability of the porous wick according to the embodiment. Hereinafter, each experimental example will be described.

Experimental Example 1: Comparison of liquid transfer rates of porous wicks according to Examples 1 to 4

In this experimental example, the liquid phase transfer rates of the porous wicks according to Examples 1 to 4 were measured, and the experimental results are shown in FIG. 7 . As shown in FIG. 7 , it can be seen that the liquid phase transfer rate of the porous wick increases as the diameter of the bead increases, because the size (or porosity) of the pores increases as the diameter of the bead increases. According to this experimental example, it can be confirmed that the liquid-phase transfer rate increases as the bead size increases, which means that the liquid-phase transfer rate can be adjusted (controlled) by the bead size.

Experimental Example 2: Comparison of strength of porous wicks according to Examples 1 to 4

In this experimental example, the yield load of the porous wick according to Examples 1 to 4 was measured, and the experimental results are shown in FIG. 8 . As shown in FIG. 8, as the diameter of the beads increases, the mechanical strength of the porous wick is greatly reduced. This is because the number of beads per unit volume decreases as the size of the beads increases, and the number of contact interfaces during sintering decreases. .

Experimental Example 3: Comparison of liquid transfer speed of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1

Experimental Example 3 is to compare the liquid transfer capability of the fiber bundle-based wick (hereinafter, “fiber wick”) generally used in vaporizers and the porous wick according to the embodiment. In this experimental example, Example 1, which had the lowest liquid transfer ability among the above-described examples, was selected and compared with the fiber wick, and the time until the two wicks were completely wetted with the liquid was measured. For reference, the fiber wick was manufactured as a cylindrical rod having a diameter of 2.0 mm and a length of 11 mm, and the porous wick was manufactured as a cuboid having a width of 2.0 mm, a width of 2.0 mm, and a length of 11 mm. The experimental results according to this experimental example are shown in Table 2 below.

division Transfer time (sec) Example 1 3:03.28 Comparative Example 1 2:23.49

As shown in Table 2, the transfer completion time of the porous wick according to Example 1 was measured to be about 40 sec faster, which means that the porous wick according to Example greatly exceeds the liquid transfer capability of the fiber wick. Summarizing the experimental examples, it can be seen that since the bead size greatly affects the strength of the wick and the liquid transfer rate, it is preferable to determine the bead size by comprehensively considering the target strength and the target transfer rate of the wick. In addition, as the bead size increases, the mechanical strength decreases relatively large, so it can be seen that it is preferable to set the bead size to a value as small as possible if the target feed rate is satisfied. For example, since the porous wick according to Example 1 has a higher strength than other embodiments while having a liquid phase transfer rate significantly higher than that of the fiber wick, it may be preferable to manufacture the porous wick according to Example 1.

Meanwhile, the size of the bead may be determined by further considering factors such as the performance of the heating element, the viscosity of the target aerosol-generating substrate, and the nicotine content of the target aerosol-generating substrate in addition to the target strength and the target feed rate of the wick. In addition, the factors listed above may also be considered in determining the packing structure.

For example, the porous wick may be manufactured through a process of determining the diameter of beads based on the viscosity of the target aerosol-generating substrate, and a process of packing a plurality of beads having the determined diameters. In this case, the higher the viscosity of the target aerosol-generating substrate, the larger the diameter of the beads may be determined. This is because it is necessary to increase the liquid transport rate as the viscosity increases. In the opposite case, the diameter of the bead can be determined with a smaller value.

In the above-described example, the viscosity of the target aerosol-generating substrate may be proportional to the glycerin content and inversely proportional to the propylene glycol content. Accordingly, the bead size may be determined based on the glycerin content and/or the propylene glycol content.

As another example, the porous wick may be manufactured through a process of determining the diameter of beads based on the nicotine content of the target aerosol-generating substrate and a process of packing a plurality of beads having the determined diameters. At this time, the larger the nicotine content, the smaller the diameter of the beads may be determined. By doing so, you can limit the amount of nicotine transfer per puff. However, in another example, the diameter of the beads may be determined to be a larger value in order to increase the amount of nicotine transfer.

As another example, a porous wick may be manufactured through a process of determining an error range or a packing structure of a bead size based on the target strength of the wick, and a process of packing a plurality of beads having the determined error range according to the determined packing structure. there is. In this case, the higher the target strength of the wick, the greater the error range of the bead size may be determined. This is because when beads of various sizes are packed, the contact area increases and thus the strength of the wick can be increased. Also, the higher the target strength of the wick, the more dense the packing structure (e.g. a structure with a higher fill factor). This is because, in general, the strength of the wick may increase as the fill factor increases.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, in order to improve the strength of the porous wick 15, a process of strengthening the strength of the outer edge portion of the porous body may be performed. This is because the outer edge portion plays an important role in maintaining the skeleton of the porous body without significantly affecting the absorption of the liquid, and thus the overall strength of the porous wick 15 may be improved if the portion is strengthened. The strength strengthening process can be performed in a variety of ways. For example, the strength strengthening process is a method of applying a denser bead to the reinforcing portion, a method of applying a denser packing structure to the reinforcing portion, a method of packing the reinforcing portion with beads of various sizes, and a method of applying a denser bead to the reinforcing portion. This can be done by applying a different material with a higher height or by packing the reinforced part with a smaller size bead. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

So far, the porous wick 15 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8 . Hereinafter, an aerosol-generating device 100-1 to 100-3 to which the vaporizer 1 (or porous wick 15) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 . let it do

9 to 11 are exemplary block diagrams illustrating the aerosol-generating devices 100-1 to 100-3. Specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates a liquid-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. .

As shown in FIG. 9 , the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 may include a mouthpiece 110 , a vaporizer 1 , a battery 130 , and a control unit 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 necessary. In addition, each component of the aerosol-generating device 100-1 shown in FIG. 9 represents functionally distinct functional elements, and 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 mouthpiece 110 is located at one end of the aerosol generating device 100-1, and may be in contact with the user's mouth to inhale the aerosol generated from the vaporizer 1 . In some embodiments, the mouthpiece 110 may be a component of the vaporizer 1 .

Next, the vaporizer 1 may vaporize the liquid aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol. In order to exclude redundant description, the description of the vaporizer 1 is omitted.

Next, the battery 130 may supply power used to operate the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 . For example, battery 130 may supply power to allow heating element 16 of vaporizer 1 to heat the aerosol-generating substrate, and may supply power necessary for 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 operations of the vaporizer 1 and the battery 130 , and may also control the operations 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 heating element 16 included in the vaporizer 1 , and the like. Also, 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 may clearly understand that the controller 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 a 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 an aerosol according to the user operating a switch or button.

Hereinafter, the hybrid-type aerosol generating devices 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 to which the vaporizer 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied is not limited to that illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, and the arrangement of components may be changed according to the design method. there is.

10 or 11 , the aerosol-generating devices 100 - 2 and 100 - 3 may further include a heater 140 for heating the cigarette 150 . The heater 140 may be disposed around the cigarette 150 to heat the cigarette 150 . The heater 140 may be, for example, an electrically resistive 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 by the vaporizer 1 may pass through the cigarette 150 and be inhaled through the mouth of the user.

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. 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 object 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 construed as being included in the scope of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

1: Vaporizer 11: Upper case
12: airflow pipe 13: liquid storage tank
14: wick housing 15: porous wick
16: heating element 17: lower case
100-1, 100-2, 100-3: aerosol generating device
110: mouthpiece 120: control unit
130: battery 140: heater
150: cigarette

Claims (11)

a liquid storage tank for storing a liquid aerosol-generating substrate;
a porous wick for absorbing the stored aerosol-generating substrate through a porous body formed by a plurality of beads; and
a heating element for heating the aerosol-generating substrate absorbed by the porous wick to generate an aerosol;
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
The porous body is formed by sphere packing the plurality of beads,
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
The bead is a ceramic bead,
vaporizer. 4. The method of claim 3,
The beads are glass ceramic beads or alumina ceramic beads,
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
The diameter of the bead is 10㎛ to 300㎛,
vaporizer. 6. The method of claim 5,
The diameter of the bead is 70㎛ to 100㎛,
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
The diameter distribution of the plurality of beads has an error range within 20% of the average diameter,
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
The porous body,
a process of determining the diameter of the beads based on the viscosity of the aerosol-generating substrate; and
Formed through the process of packing the plurality of beads having the determined diameter,
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
The porous body,
The process of determining the diameter of the beads based on the content of glycerin contained in the aerosol-generating substrate and
Formed through the process of packing the plurality of beads having the determined diameter,
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
Further comprising an airflow tube disposed in the upper direction of the porous wick and delivering the generated aerosol,
wherein the heating element is disposed under the porous body;
vaporizer. 11. The method of claim 10,
The heating element comprises a heating pattern in the form of a flat,
The heating pattern is embedded at a distance of 0 to 400 μm from the lower surface of the porous body,
vaporizer.

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