KR20230065399A - Aerosol-generating device and medium receiving rod - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol generating device according to an embodiment includes an accommodating portion accommodating a medium accommodating rod; an atomizing unit that generates an aerosol; and a power supply unit for delivering power required to heat the atomizing unit, wherein the aerosol generated in the atomizing unit of the aerosol generating device passes through the medium receiving rod and the medium is transferred, and the receiving unit is accommodated. The medium receiving rod may be used interchangeably.

Description

Aerosol generating device and medium receiving rod {AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE AND MEDIUM RECEIVING ROD}

The following embodiments relate to an aerosol-generating device and a medium-retaining rod.

In recent years, demand for alternative products that overcome the disadvantages of traditional cigarettes is increasing. For example, there is an increasing demand for devices that generate aerosols by electrically heating a cigarette stick (e.g. cigarette-type electronic cigarettes). Accordingly, research on an electrically heated aerosol generating device and a cigarette stick (or aerosol generating article) applied thereto is being actively conducted. For example, Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0132823 discloses a non-combustion type flavor inhaler, a taste source unit, and an atomization unit.

An object according to one embodiment is to provide an aerosol-generating device and a medium-retaining rod that deliver nicotine through indirect heating of the medium through the aerosol.

An object according to an embodiment is to provide an aerosol generating device and a medium accommodating rod that improve hygiene by constructing an indirect heating type (non-heating type) electronic cigarette using a disposable stick and provide a uniform flavor during nicotine transfer.

An aerosol generating device according to an embodiment includes an accommodating portion accommodating a medium accommodating rod; an atomizing unit that generates an aerosol; and a power supply unit for delivering power required to heat the atomizing unit, wherein the aerosol generated in the atomizing unit of the aerosol generating device passes through the medium receiving rod and the medium is transferred, and the receiving unit is accommodated. The medium accommodating rod may be replaced and used, and the medium granules may be filled in the filter segment included in the medium accommodating rod.

The medium accommodating rod may include a first filter segment disposed upstream of the medium accommodating rod; a second filter segment disposed downstream of the first filter segment and comprising media granules; and a filter rod disposed at the most downstream of the medium accommodating rod, wherein the filter rod may include a cooling segment and a mouthpiece segment.

The medium accommodating rod may include a basic pH adjusting agent.

The medium receiving rod may comprise tobacco granules, and the tobacco granules may be produced by a compression process.

The medium accommodating rod may include a disposable cigarette.

The atomizing unit may include a liquid storage tank for storing a liquid composition material that generates an aerosol; liquid delivery means for facilitating the delivery of the liquid composition; and a heater for heating the liquid composition material.

In the second filter segment including the medium granules, a moisturizer is applied to one surface of a filter member, and a plurality of medium granules are disposed on one surface of the filter member to which the moisturizer is applied. After being folded face-to-face, it may be additionally folded multiple times, and the filter member folded multiple times may be formed by wrapping the wrapper.

A medium accommodating rod used with an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment includes a first filter segment disposed upstream of the medium accommodating rod; and a second filter segment disposed downstream of the first filter segment and having a filter member filled with medium granules, wherein a pH adjuster may be disposed in the second filter segment.

The pH adjusting agent may include a basic salt.

It may further include a filter rod disposed at the most downstream of the medium accommodating rod, and the filter rod may include a cooling segment and a mouthpiece segment.

The first filter segment and the second filter segment may include an acetate material.

The aerosol generating device and the medium-accommodating rod according to an embodiment may deliver nicotine through indirect heating of the medium through the aerosol.

The aerosol generating device and the medium-accommodating rod according to an embodiment configure an indirect heating type (non-heating type) electronic cigarette using a disposable stick to improve hygiene and provide a uniform flavor during nicotine transfer.

Effects of the aerosol generating device and the medium receiving rod according to an embodiment are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

1A is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.
1B is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment.
2 is a view schematically showing the structure of a medium accommodating rod according to an embodiment.
Figure 3a is a view schematically showing a state in which a plurality of medium granules (P) are disposed on the filter member (F) of the second filter segment 124 according to an embodiment.
Figure 3b is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a plurality of medium granules (P) are disposed in the filter member (F) in the second filter segment 124 according to an embodiment.
4A is a diagram schematically illustrating a structure of a medium accommodating rod according to an exemplary embodiment.
4B is a view schematically showing the structure of a medium accommodating rod according to another embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, since various changes can be made to the embodiments, the scope of the patent application is not limited or limited by these embodiments. It should be understood that all changes, equivalents or substitutes to the embodiments are included within the scope of rights.

Terms used in the examples are used only for the purpose of explanation and should not be construed as limiting. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiment belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and unless explicitly defined in the present application, they should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning. don't

In addition, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same components regardless of reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions thereof will be omitted. In describing the embodiment, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiment, the detailed description will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the components of the embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. 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 may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but there may be another element between the elements. It should be understood that may be "connected", "coupled" or "connected".

Components included in one embodiment and components including common functions will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless stated to the contrary, descriptions described in one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, and detailed descriptions will be omitted to the extent of overlap.

In the following embodiments, “moisturizing agent” may refer to a substance capable of facilitating the formation of visible smoke and/or aerosol. Examples of humectants include, but are not limited to, glycerin (GLY), propylene glycol (PG), ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. In the art, a moisturizer may be used interchangeably with terms such as an aerosol former and a humectant.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-forming substrate" may mean a material capable of forming an aerosol. Aerosols may contain volatile compounds. Aerosol-forming substrates may be solid or liquid.

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

In the following embodiments, an “aerosol generating device” may refer to an aerosol generating device using an aerosol forming substrate to generate an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the user's mouth.

In the following embodiments, a “medium accommodating rod” may refer to an article accommodating a medium. A representative example of the medium accommodating rod may be a cigarette, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the following embodiments, "upstream" or "upstream direction" means a direction away from the user's (smoker's) mouth, and "downstream" or "downstream" means a direction closer to the user's mouth can mean The terms upstream and downstream may be used to describe the relative positions of elements constituting the media receiving rod. For example, in the medium accommodating rod 100 illustrated in FIG. 2, the granule rod 120 is located upstream or upstream of the filter rod 140, and the filter rod 140 is located downstream or upstream of the granule rod 120. located in the downstream direction.

In the following embodiments, “puff” refers to a user's inhalation, and inhalation refers 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 according to the accompanying drawings will be described.

1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of an aerosol generating device according to some embodiments. FIG. 1A shows that the cartridge 222 and heater 224 are arranged in line, and FIG. 1B shows that the cartridge 222 and heater 224 are arranged in parallel.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B , the aerosol generating device 200 according to the present embodiment may include a housing, an accommodating part 210, an atomizing part 220, and a power supply part 230. At this time, the atomization unit 220 may include a cartridge 222 and a heater 224, the atomization unit 220 may generate an aerosol. However, only components related to the present embodiment are shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and other general-purpose components other than the components shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B for those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It can be seen that more may be included. For example, the aerosol generating device 200 may further include an input module for receiving commands from a user and an output module for outputting information such as device status and smoking information. Hereinafter, each component of the aerosol generating device 200 will be described.

The housing may form the exterior of the aerosol-generating device 200. Also, the housing may form an accommodating portion 210 for accommodating the medium accommodating rod 100 . The housing may be preferably implemented with a material capable of protecting internal components.

Next, the accommodating part 210 may be a space capable of accommodating the medium accommodating rod 100 . When the medium accommodating rod 100 is accommodated in the accommodating part 210, the accommodating part 210 may include a coupling structure so that the medium accommodating rod is firmly coupled without falling out. The coupling structure may include, for example, a coupling structure using an interference fit, a coupling structure using a magnetic material, a coupling structure using an electromagnetic force material, and the like. In addition, the medium accommodating rod 100 accommodated in the accommodating portion 210 may be in the form of a stick or cigarette that is replaced after being used once, as will be described later.

Next, the atomization unit 220 may further include a liquid storage tank, a liquid delivery unit, and a heater. However, it is not limited thereto, and the atomization unit 220 may further include other components. In addition, the cartridge 222 may be manufactured to be detached/attached from the heater 224 or may be manufactured integrally with the heater 224 .

The liquid storage tank may store liquid composition materials. The liquid composition material may be a liquid containing a tobacco-containing material or a nicotine-containing material, or may be a liquid containing a non-tobacco material. For example, liquid composition materials may include water, solvents, ethanol, plant extracts (eg, tobacco extracts), fragrances, aerosol formers, flavoring agents, or vitamin mixtures. Fragrance may include menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit flavor components, etc., but is not limited thereto. Flavoring agents can include ingredients that can provide a variety of flavors or flavors to the user. The vitamin mixture may be a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but is not limited thereto. The liquid composition may further include a moisturizing agent. The humectant may be glycerin (VG), polypropylene glycol (PG), sorbitol, or a mixture thereof, but is not limited thereto.

The liquid delivery unit may deliver the liquid composition material stored in the liquid storage tank to the heater 224 . For example, the liquid delivery means may be a wick element such as cotton fiber, ceramic fiber, glass fiber, or porous ceramic, but is not limited thereto.

Next, the heater 224 may heat the liquid composition material stored in the cartridge 222 to form an aerosol. For example, the heater 224 may form an aerosol by heating the liquid composition material delivered by the liquid delivery means. The formed aerosol may pass through the medium accommodating rod 100 and be delivered to the user. That is, the aerosol formed by the heating of the heater 224 can move along the air flow path of the medium accommodating rod 100, and the aerosol formed by the liquid composition material stored in the cartridge moves along the air flow path through the medium accommodating rod 100. It can be configured so that it can be delivered to the user by passing through. The heater 224 may be made of, for example, a coil, ceramic, metal mesh, conductive filament, etc., but is not limited thereto. In addition, the heating temperature of the heater 224 may be 270 degrees or less, preferably 240 degrees or less, and more preferably 200 degrees or less. As will be described later, when the medium granules (P) include a pH adjusting agent, the minimum temperature at which nicotine can be transferred is lowered and the heating temperature of the heater 224 can be lowered, thereby generating aerosols with better electrical efficiency. system can be configured.

For reference, in the art, the cartridge 222 and the heater 224 may also be referred to by terms such as a cartomizer, an atomizer, and a vaporizer.

Next, the power supply unit 230 may supply power used for the operation of the aerosol generating device 200 . For example, the power supply unit 230 may supply power so that the heater 224 can heat the medium accommodating rod 100 . In addition, the power supply unit 230 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 200 .

Hereinafter, a medium accommodating rod 100 according to some embodiments will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a structure of a medium accommodating rod 100 according to some embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the media receiving rod 100 may include a granule rod 120 and a filter rod 140 . In addition, the medium accommodating rod 100 can accommodate the medium, and as will be described later, the filled medium may be in the form of granules, reconstituted tobacco, common cut filler, etc., preferably in the form of a granular medium. there is. When the medium is accommodated in the medium accommodating rod 100 in the form of granules, the amount of the medium transferred to the user's mouth per puff may be uniform compared to the case where the medium is accommodated in the form of a general cut filler or the like. In addition, the granular medium, that is, the medium granules P, can be filled on the filter of the medium receiving rod 100 to improve the dispersibility of the granules, thereby providing a uniform taste to consumers. In addition, the medium accommodating rod 100 may further include a wrapper wrapping the rod. However, only components related to the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in FIG. 2, and other general-purpose components other than the components shown in FIG. 2 may be further included by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. it can be seen that there is Hereinafter, each component of the medium accommodating rod 100 will be described.

The granule rod 120 is a rod including a medium granule (P) or a segment including the medium granule (P), and may supply a tobacco component or a smoking component such as nicotine as it is heated. At this time, the heating of the granule rod 120 may be direct heating by a heater or indirect heating by a flow of high-temperature aerosol. Also, as shown in FIG. 2 , the granule rod 120 may include a filter segment, preferably a first filter segment 122 and a second filter segment 124 .

The first filter segment 122 may be disposed upstream of the medium accommodating rod 100 . The first filter segment 122 may perform a function of preventing the medium granules P from falling off, and when the medium accommodating rod 100 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 200, the segment including the medium granules P It can be placed in an appropriate position within the aerosol generating device 200. In addition, the first filter segment 122 may prevent liquefied aerosol from flowing into the aerosol generating device 200 during smoking. The first filter segment 122 may include a paper filter or an acetate filter, and in order to secure a smooth air flow path, it may be preferable that the filter material is disposed in the longitudinal direction, but is not limited thereto.

The second filter segment 124 may be disposed downstream of the first filter segment 122 . The second filter segment 124 may include a medium, and the form of the medium to be filled may be in the form of granules, reconstituted tobacco, common cut filler, etc., preferably in the form of a granular medium. The medium granules (P) may be tobacco granules or nicotine granules, but are not limited thereto. In addition, the second filter segment 124 may further perform filtering and cooling functions for aerosols. In addition, the second filter segment 124 may include a paper filter or an acetate filter, and in order to secure a smooth air flow path, it may be preferable that the filter material is disposed in the longitudinal direction, but is not limited thereto.

Figure 3a is a view schematically showing a state in which a plurality of medium granules (P) are disposed on the filter member (F) of the second filter segment 124 according to some embodiments, Figure 3b is a view according to some embodiments 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a plurality of medium granules (P) are disposed in the filter member (F) in the filter segment (124). The medium accommodating rod 100 in which the filter segment 124 and the plurality of medium granules P of FIGS. 3A and 3B are disposed together has a smaller number of segments than the structure in which the medium granules are disposed in the cavity structure, and the medium in the rod Since it is easy to place the granules, the process can be streamlined in the manufacturing process.

3A and 3B , the filter member F included in the second filter segment 124 may be a flat filter sheet. A plurality of medium granules P may be irregularly scattered on a flat filter sheet, and disposed on the second filter segment 124 in such a manner that one side of the filter sheet is folded to face each other and further folded multiple times.

More specifically, referring to FIG. 3A , a medium may be disposed on a flat filter sheet to form the second filter segment 124, and the medium may preferably be a plurality of medium granules P. The plurality of medium granules (P) can be well settled on the filter sheet as the roundness (P) is lower, that is, the more irregular the shape of the granule is, the plurality of medium granules (P) can be evenly distributed on the filter sheet, while , Possibility of contamination of the exterior of the filter segment or the like may increase due to fine powder generated when a part of the medium granules P is broken during the manufacturing process. Therefore, at this time, the roundness of the granules may be preferably 30% or more and 90% or less, more preferably 60% or more and 90% or less. Continuing to refer to FIG. 3B , the second filter segment 124 may be formed by a process of folding the filter sheet on which the medium granules P are disposed multiple times in the longitudinal direction and wrapping it with a wrapper (not shown). When the medium is filled in the medium accommodating rod 100 in this way, the phenomenon of the medium being biased or leaned to one side is reduced and evenly distributed in the cross section of the medium accommodating rod 100, thereby improving the uniformity of the taste. can

At this time, a binder may be applied to one surface of the filter sheet to improve adhesion between the medium granules P and the filter sheet. That is, in the second filter segment 124, a binder is applied to one surface of the filter sheet, a plurality of medium granules P are scattered on one surface of the filter member F to which the binder is applied, and then the filter member F A plurality of medium granules (P) are disposed in the space between the folded filter members (F) while one side of the is folded facing each other, and the filter member (F) folded a plurality of times is further folded in a wrapper (not shown). It can be formed by being surrounded by

Additionally, the second filter segment 124 may include a pH adjusting agent. The pH adjusting agent may preferably be a basic salt, and may be, for example, potassium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, calcium oxide, etc., but is not limited thereto. In addition, a pH adjusting agent that generates the least amount of negative odor during puffing may be selected and used. When the pH adjuster is included in the second filter segment 124, the pH of the tobacco granules included in the second filter segment 124 increases, and thus nicotine in the tobacco granules even when the medium is heated to a relatively low temperature. This can be fully implemented. Therefore, as a result, the hot aerosol generated by the heater 224 of the aerosol generating device 200 heating the cartridge 222 without directly heating the second filter segment 124 flows through the medium accommodating rod 100. Only the heat transferred to the tobacco granules as it flows along the pathway can deliver the nicotine. The pH adjuster may be mixed together during manufacture of the medium granules (P) and included in the granules themselves, or may be separately disposed in a separate location from the medium granules (P), and the pH adjuster may be included in the filter sheet instead of the binder material. By being applied, the adhesion of the medium granules P to the filter sheet can be temporarily improved.

Medium granules (P), in particular tobacco granules, can be produced by a compression process. The compression granulation process corresponds to a wet process, so the nicotine conversion rate of the resulting tobacco granules is relatively high compared to the fluid bed granulation process. Therefore, when the temperature at which the medium granules (P) are heated is relatively low, including the tobacco granules (P) prepared by the compression granulation process rather than the tobacco granules prepared by the fluidized bed granulation process is more effective in the implementation of nicotine. may be more advantageous.

A filter rod 140 may be positioned downstream of the granule rod 120 to perform a filtering function for aerosols. To this end, the filter rod 140 may include a filter material such as paper, cellulose acetate fiber, or the like. The filter rod 140 may further include a wrapper surrounding the filter material.

Filter rod 140 may include cooling segment 142 and mouthpiece segment 144 . The cooling segment 142 may perform a cooling function for the aerosol, and the mouthpiece segment 144 may perform a filtering function for the aerosol.

In addition, the filter rod 140 may be manufactured to generate flavor. For example, flavoring liquid may be sprayed onto the filter rod 140, and a separate fiber coated with flavoring liquid may be inserted into the filter rod 140. Referring to FIG. 2B, a mouthpiece segment ( 144) may also include a flavor capsule (C). In some cases, the filter rod 140 may further include at least one segment performing other functions.

Such a medium accommodating rod 100 may be a disposable cigarette that is accommodated in the aerosol generating device 200 and discarded after being used once. When the medium accommodating rod 100 is disposable, the uniformity and durability of the taste may be higher than that of a multi-use cartridge that puffs about 50 to 100 times. In addition, when configured for disposable use, hygiene may be improved compared to the case configured for multi-use use.

4A and 4B show an aerosol generating system 10 according to some embodiments, showing a state in which the medium accommodating rod 100 is accommodated in the aerosol generating device 200 as an example. 1A shows an aerosol-generating system 10 in which a cartridge 222 and a heater 224 are arranged in series, and FIG. 1B shows an aerosol-generating system 10 in which a cartridge 222 and a heater 224 are arranged in parallel. ) is shown.

4a and 4b, in the aerosol generating system 10 according to the present disclosure, the heater 224 of the aerosol generating device 200 heats the liquid composition material inside the cartridge 222 to generate an aerosol, , Nicotine may be generated as the generated aerosol passes through the medium receiving rod 100 and the medium granules (P), particularly tobacco granules, are indirectly heated by the aerosol. As described above, the pH adjuster included in the second filter segment 124 has an effect of lowering the minimum temperature at which nicotine can be transferred, resulting in a relatively lower temperature than when nicotine is transferred by burning tobacco leaves. Even when delivered in granules, nicotine can be delivered. The nicotine thus produced may be delivered to the user along the air flow path (refer to the direction of the arrow in FIGS. 4A and 4B) together with the aerosol.

As described above, although the embodiments have been described with limited drawings, those skilled in the art can apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques may be performed in an order different from the method described, and/or components of the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. may be combined or combined in a different form than the method described, or other components may be used. Or even if it is replaced or substituted by equivalents, appropriate results can be achieved.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents of the claims are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (12)

In the aerosol generating device,
an accommodating portion accommodating the medium accommodating rod;
an atomizing unit that generates an aerosol; and
A power supply unit for delivering power required to heat the atomizing unit;
including,
The aerosol generated in the atomizing unit of the aerosol generating device passes through the medium accommodating rod and the medium is transferred, and the medium accommodating rod accommodated in the accommodating unit can be replaced and used,
Medium granules are filled in the filter segment included in the medium receiving rod,
Aerosol generating device.
According to claim 1,
The medium accommodating rod,
a first filter segment disposed upstream of the medium accommodating rod;
a second filter segment disposed downstream of the first filter segment and comprising media granules; and
a filter rod disposed at the most downstream of the medium accommodating rod;
including,
the filter rod comprises a cooling segment and a mouthpiece segment;
Aerosol generating device.
According to claim 1,
The medium receiving rod comprises a basic pH adjusting agent,
Aerosol generating device.
According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
wherein the medium granules comprise tobacco granules, wherein the tobacco granules are produced by a compression process;
Aerosol generating device.
According to claim 1,
wherein the medium-receiving rod comprises a disposable cigarette;
Aerosol generating device.
According to claim 1,
The fig part,
a liquid storage tank for storing a liquid composition material generating an aerosol;
liquid delivery means for facilitating the delivery of the liquid composition; and
a heater for heating the liquid composition;
including,
Aerosol generating device.
A medium receiving rod used with an aerosol generating device,
a first filter segment disposed upstream of the medium accommodating rod; and
a second filter segment disposed downstream of the first filter segment and filled with medium granules on a filter member;
including,
A pH adjuster is disposed in the second filter segment,
medium-accepting load.
According to claim 7,
In the second filter segment including the medium granules, a binder is applied to one surface of a filter member, a plurality of the medium granules are disposed on one surface of the filter member to which the binder is applied, and then one surface of the filter member is mutually connected with each other. After being folded face-to-face, it is additionally folded multiple times, and the filter member folded multiple times is wrapped by a wrapper and formed.
medium-accepting load.
According to claim 8,
The pH adjusting agent comprises a basic salt,
medium-accepting load.
According to claim 8,
Further comprising a filter rod disposed at the most downstream of the medium accommodating rod,
the filter rod comprises a cooling segment and a mouthpiece segment;
medium-accepting load.
According to claim 8,
wherein the first filter segment and the second filter segment comprise an acetate material.
medium-accepting load.
According to claim 8,
wherein the medium granules comprise tobacco granules;
medium-accepting load.

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