KR20230080420A - Aerosol generating device with leveraged ejection mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aerosol-generating device having a lever-assisted ejection mechanism. More specifically, the aerosol generating device 1 includes an aerosol generating chamber 103 configured to receive and heat a substrate 2 to generate an aerosol; a cover 102 which may be in a closed position 31 covering the aerosol generation chamber 103 and in an open position 33 exposing the aerosol generation chamber 103; and a release mechanism 101 having a lever 1011, at least partially interlocking with the cover 102 to release at least a portion of the substrate 2 out of the aerosol generating chamber 103 when the cover 102 is in the open position. It includes an interlocking release mechanism (101).

Description

Aerosol generating device with leveraged ejection mechanism

The present invention relates to an aerosol-generating device for heating an aerosol-generating substrate to form an aerosol; More specifically, it relates to an aerosol-generating device having a lever-based ejection mechanism.

The popularity and use of aerosol-generating devices (also called heated non-combustible products, vaporizers or e-cigarettes) has grown rapidly over the past few years. A variety of devices and systems are available that heat or warm the aerosolizable species other than burning tobacco in conventional tobacco products.

Commonly available risk reduction or risk modified devices are heated substrate aerosol generating devices or heated non-combustion devices. Devices of this type generally heat an aerosol substrate comprising moist tobacco or other suitable aerosolizable material to a temperature generally in the range of 150° C. to 350° C. to produce an aerosol or vapor. Heating the aerosol substrate but not burning or burning can release an aerosol that contains the components desired by the user but does not contain the toxic and carcinogenic by-products of burning and burning. In addition, aerosols produced by heating tobacco or other aerosolizable materials generally do not contain a burnt or bitter taste resulting from burning and burning that may be objectionable to the user, and thus the substrate dissipates smoke and/or vapors to the user's taste. It does not require sugar and other additives commonly added to these materials to make it fit.

In such devices, the substrate is generally contained substantially within the aerosol generating chamber for heating, and the user generally needs to press a button to expel the substrate out of the aerosol generating chamber to exchange for a new substrate after consumption. However, placing a button on the device can create a gap in the housing of the aerosol-generating device, reducing entry of the aerosol-generating device and complicating the user's operation of the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides smoking articles for aerosol generating devices that address some or all of the foregoing problems.

A first embodiment of the present invention is an aerosol generating device,

- an aerosol generating chamber configured to receive and heat a substrate to generate an aerosol;

- a cover which can be in a closed position covering the aerosol generating chamber and in an open position exposing the aerosol generating chamber, and

- a release mechanism having a lever, the release mechanism at least partially engaging the cover to release at least a portion of the substrate out of the aerosol generating chamber when the cover is in the open position;

contains; The ejection mechanism can be in an ejected state in which at least a portion of the substrate protrudes from the aerosol generating chamber, and a non-ejected condition in which the substrate is completely contained by the aerosol generating chamber;

The release mechanism switches from a non-ejected state to a released state by rotating a lever to release the substrate when the cover is moved from the closed position to the open position.

It relates to an aerosol generating device.

The release mechanism enhances the convenience of the user to use and replace the aerosol substrate. The substrate is automatically released just by opening the cover. This provides an intuitive and robust way to change the substrate and also allows for a simple internal structure of the aerosol generating device.

According to the second embodiment, when the cover in the first embodiment is moved from the open position to the closed position, the lever rotates back to the original position to enter the non-ejected state in which the substrate is fully inserted into the aerosol generating chamber. .

According to the third embodiment, in the first or second embodiment, the cover may be in an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position, and when the cover moves from the closed position to the intermediate position, the lever moves. Without rotation, the lever rotates as the cover moves from the intermediate position to the open position to eject the substrate.

This arrangement ensures that the substrate is only released when the aerosol generating chamber is fully exposed, preventing unintentional manipulation by the user.

According to a fourth embodiment, according to any one of the first to third embodiments, the lever at least partially forms the bottom surface of the aerosol generating chamber.

According to the fifth embodiment, according to any one of the first to fourth embodiments, the release mechanism has a slide track, and the slide block connected to the cover and the lever is configured to slide on the slide track to trigger rotation of the lever. are placed

According to the sixth embodiment, in the fifth embodiment, the fixing mechanism mechanically engages the lever with the slide block so that the lever rotates when the slide block slides and vice versa.

According to the seventh embodiment, in either the fifth or sixth embodiment, the protruding portion 1021 of the cover moves from the closed position to the open position or moves from the open position to the closed position. The lever is slidably engaged with the protrusion of the slide block so that the lever is pressed down or raised when the lever is pushed up.

According to the eighth embodiment, in any one of the fifth to seventh embodiments, the protruding portion 1021 of the cover and/or the protruding portion of the slide block is made of metal.

This arrangement prolongs the lifetime of the ejection mechanism and device.

According to the ninth embodiment, in any one of the first to eighth embodiments, the aerosol generating device has an elongated shape, and the cover is arranged to slide in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating device.

Preferred embodiments will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device having a substrate according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
3A-3C show exposed schematic views of an aerosol-generating device in different states according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The terms "aerosol generating device", "vaporizer system", "inhaler" or "electronic cigarette" as used herein may include an electronic cigarette configured to deliver an aerosol comprising a smoking aerosol to a user. An illustrated embodiment of the aerosol-generating system of the present invention is schematic.

Referring to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1 , an electronic cigarette 1 for consuming a substrate is shown. The electronic cigarette 1 can be used as a substitute for conventional cigarettes. The electronic cigarette 1 has a substantially elongated shape comprising a cover 102 and a body 106 . The cover 102 slidably engages the body 106 via a sliding track (not shown). When the surface of the device 1 perpendicular to the insertion direction 21 is referred to as the side surface of the aerosol generating device 1, the cover is disposed on the side surface of the main body of the device 1, and the insertion direction of the substrate 2 slide along the direction perpendicular to If a direction parallel to the insertion direction 21 is referred to as a transverse direction and a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction 21 is referred to as a longitudinal direction, the cover 102 is arranged to slide in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating device 1 . The cover 102 is included in the aerosol generating device 1 in a closed position 31 to cover the aerosol generating chamber 103 when the user consumes the substrate 103, and to insert or discard the substrate 103. It has an open position (33) exposing the opening of the aerosol generation chamber (103). The aerosol-generating chamber 33 is oriented vertically in the body, ie along the transverse direction of the device 1 . In this embodiment, there is also an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position. The opening of the aerosol generating chamber 103 is fully exposed when the cover 102 is slid to the intermediate position. In a preferred embodiment, when the cover 102 slides from the closed position to the intermediate position, the cover 102 reveals the complete opening of the aerosol generating chamber 103 .

A schematic perspective view of an aerosol generating substrate 2 is shown in FIG. 1 . Substrate 2 may include, for example, nicotine or tobacco and an aerosol former. Tobacco can take the form of various materials such as shredded tobacco, granulated tobacco, leaf tobacco and/or reconstituted tobacco. Suitable aerosol formers include polyols such as sorbitol, glycerol, and glycols such as propylene glycol or triethylene glycol; non-polyols such as monohydric alcohols, acids such as lactic acid, glycerol derivatives, esters such as triacetin, triethylene glycol diacetate, triethyl citrate, glycerin or vegetable glycerin. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating agent may be glycerol, propylene glycol, or a mixture of glycerol and propylene glycol. Substrate 103 may also include at least one of a gelling agent, a binder, a stabilizer, and a wetting agent.

The substrate 2 is porous such that air can flow through the substrate 2 and collect aerosols as the air flows through the substrate. Substrate 2 may be, for example, a foam or packed strands or fibers. The substrate 2 may be molded into a stable shape through an extrusion and/or rolling process. The aerosol-generating substrate 2 may be formed to provide one air flow channel on one side or, in a preferred embodiment, more preferably multiple air flow channels as shown in FIG. 1 on both sides. This channel can be aligned with the air flow channel of the aerosol generating device 1 to increase the air flow through the aerosol generating chamber 103 . Substrate 103 is exposed with a bare outer surface. Alternatively, the substrate 103 may include a breathable wrapper covering at least a portion of the surface of the substrate 103 . The wrapper may include, for example, paper and/or nonwoven fabric.

In this embodiment, the substrate may have a substantially flat cuboid shape or pod shape having a size of 18 x 12 x 1.2 mm, and each of the length, width and depth of the cuboid is within a range of +/- 40%, for example. is chosen Generally, in a preferred embodiment, the length of the substrate is between 40 mm and 10 mm, preferably between 30 mm and 12 mm, more preferably between 25 mm and 14 mm, and most preferably between 22 mm and 15 mm. In a preferred embodiment, the width of the substrate is 30 mm to 6 mm, preferably 25 mm to 8 mm, more preferably 20 mm to 9 mm, most preferably 16 mm to 9 mm. In a preferred embodiment, the depth of the substrate is 3 mm to 0.5 mm, preferably 2 mm to 0.6 mm, more preferably 1.8 mm to 0.8 mm, most preferably 1.6 mm to 0.9 mm.

The aerosol-generating substrate is aerosol-generating in the longitudinal direction 21 such that the substrate can be completely enclosed and contained within the aerosol-generating chamber 103 when the substrate is completely covered by the cover 102 and the cover is in the closed position of the cover 102. It is preferable to be designed to be shorter than or equal to the length of the chamber 103 . In other words, the aerosol generating chamber 107 has a substantially cuboid shape corresponding to the shape of the substrate 103 having a size of, for example, 20 x 12 x 1.2 mm, and each of the length, width and depth of the cuboid is +/ - Selected within the range of 40%. The length of the aerosol-generating chamber is preferably greater than the length of the substrate 2 (here 18 mm), and the width and depth of the aerosol-generating chamber 107 are greater than the width and depth of the substrate 2, which are 12 mm and 1.2 mm, respectively. desirable. More specifically, in a preferred embodiment the length of the aerosol generating chamber is between 45 mm and 11 mm, preferably between 35 mm and 13 mm, more preferably between 30 mm and 14 mm, most preferably between 25 mm and 15 mm. In a preferred embodiment the width of the chamber is between 31 mm and 6 mm, preferably between 26 mm and 8 mm, more preferably between 21 mm and 9 mm, and most preferably between 17 mm and 9 mm. In a preferred embodiment, the depth of the chamber is between 4 mm and 0.5 mm, preferably between 3 mm and 0.6 mm, more preferably between 2.8 mm and 0.8 mm, and most preferably between 2 mm and 0.9 mm.

The cuboid of the aerosol-generating chamber has two openings at two opposite ends forming two surfaces perpendicular to the transverse direction. One of the openings ("first opening") is configured as an opening for inserting and discarding the substrate 2, and may be covered by a cover 102.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the body includes a discharge mechanism 101 (shown in black), a LiPo battery 106, a PCBA 104 including a controller or CPU, and a LiPo battery 1061 for charging and/or device 1 ) and a USB-C connector 1063 for transmitting data. The releasing mechanism 101 is configured to release the substrate 2 out of the aerosol generating chamber 103 by holding the substrate 2 through the second opening of the aerosol generating chamber 103 . The aerosol generating chamber 103 is engaged with the ejection device. This means that when the substrate 2 is ejected by the ejection mechanism, at least a part of the substrate 2 can automatically pop out of the first opening of the aerosol generating chamber, and the substrate 2 can be removed by the user's hand after the cover is opened. means it can be taken out.

Before using the device 1 and consuming the substrate 2, the user first opens the cover 102 of the device 1 by sliding the cover 102 along the longitudinal direction to an intermediate or opened position. The user then inserts the substrate 103 into the first opening of the aerosol generating chamber 103 along the insertion direction 21 . The user then closes the cover 102 by sliding the cover to the closed position 31 . The user switches on the device by means of a button on the device 1 and starts consuming the substrate 2 . In an alternative embodiment, a sensor may be disposed on the device 1 to sense the closure of the cover and/or the presence of the substrate 2 within the device 1 and automatically trigger heating of the substrate 2 . After the user finishes consuming the substrate 2, the user simply opens the cover 2 until the cover slides to the open position 33. At least a portion of the substrate 2 pops up automatically from the first opening of the aerosol generating chamber 103 . In a preferred embodiment, the sensor is configured to detect opening of the cover 102 to stop heating of the aerosol generation chamber 103 . Finally, the user discards the substrate 2 from the device 1 .

A specific configuration of the ejection mechanism 101 is shown in FIGS. 3A-3C.

The ejection device 101 is at least indirectly connected to the aerosol generating chamber 103 and the cover 102 and at least partially engages the cover 102 . The release mechanism 101 includes a seesaw-like or seesaw-shaped lever 1011 . The lever 1011 has two straight beams or rods pivoting on the fixed hinges of the device 1 . The two beams are integrated into one piece to form a fixed predetermined angle. The upper end of one of the two beams is configured to support the substrate as the bottom (inner lower surface or floor) of the aerosol generation chamber 103 while the substrate 2 is heated and projects into the aerosol generation chamber 103. do. Thus, at least a portion of the substrate 2 is expelled out of the first opening of the aerosol generating chamber 103 when the cover 102 is slidably opened. The lever movement of the lever 1011 is triggered by the cover 102, and can be separated into two states, a released state and a non-released state. In the ejected state, the substrate 2 protrudes from the aerosol-generating chamber 103, and in the non-ejected state, the substrate 2 is completely contained by the aerosol-generating chamber 103. The ejection mechanism 101 rotates the lever 1011 to eject the substrate 2 when the cover 102 is moved from the closed position 31 to the open position 33, thereby changing the discharged state from the non-ejected state. make a transition More specifically, the lever 1011 does not rotate when the cover 102 slides from the closed position 31 to the intermediate position 32, and the lever 1011 causes the cover 102 to slide from the intermediate position 32. When sliding to the open position 33, it releases the substrate 2 by means of a lever motion.

The release mechanism further includes a slide track 1013 arranged and configured such that the slide block 1012 engages the cover and lever to trigger lever motion of the lever 1011 . The sliding track 1013 is arranged along the transverse direction of the device 1, where the sliding blocks 1012 move along the same axis. Along this axis the sliding block has two opposite ends. The first end has an inclined flat surface and at least part of the second end forms an arc portion. The cover 102 includes a protrusion having an inclined flat surface that slidably engages and cooperates with the inclined surface of the slide block 1012 between an intermediate position 32 and a closed position 33 . In other words, when the cover moves from the intermediate position 32 to the closed position 33, the inclined surface of the projection of the cover 102 presses the slide block 1012 to move the slide block downward, and the slide block ( The arc portion of 1012 pushes down one beam of lever 1011, and the other beam of lever 1011 is lifted up due to the lever motion.

In a preferred embodiment, at least a portion of the ejection device comprises or preferably consists of a metallic material; Preferably, the protrusion 1021 of the cover 102 and/or the inclined surface of the sliding block 1012 are made of metal.

In another preferred embodiment, a locking mechanism (not shown) is provided so that the lever 1011 rotates when the slide block 1012 slides and vice versa, so that the lever 1011 is an arc portion of the slide block 1012. It is configured to be mechanically engaged with. More specifically, in one embodiment, a spring may be placed under the beam of lever 1011. In another embodiment, a ring through which the beam of the lever 1011 extends may be configured on the slide block 1012. In another embodiment, magnets may be placed on the lever 1011 and slide block 1012. With this fixing mechanism, the beam of the lever rotates and moves together with the slide block 1012 and the cover 102. Accordingly, the substrate 2 is automatically inserted into the heating chamber 103 from the closed position 33 to the intermediate position 32 while the beam of the lever 1011 supporting the substrate 2 rotates downward.

In other embodiments, device 1 may not be configured to have a fixed device. A user may insert the substrate 2 into the aerosol generating chamber 102 when the cover 102 is in the open position 33 . Since the beam of the lever 1011 close to the heating chamber is raised and projects into the aerosol generating chamber 102 , the substrate 2 also projects at least partially out of the aerosol generating chamber 102 . The user can simply hold the device 1 horizontally so that when the cover slides from the intermediate position 32 to the closed position 31 the weight of the substrate 2 causes the lever to be reset by gravity again.

Hereinafter, the process performed by the ejection mechanism 101 of the device 1 and the different states of the ejection mechanism, more specifically the ejected state and the non-ejected state, are discussed with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3C .

non-emission state

3A and 3B, the ejection mechanism 101 is in a non-ejected state. The substrate 2 is completely inserted into the aerosol generating chamber 103 . One beam of the lever 1011 supporting the substrate 2 is pressed down by the substrate, and the other beam of the lever 1011 is lifted up together with the slide block 1012.

When the user slides the cover longitudinally from the closed position 31 to the intermediate position 32, the ejection device remains in a non-ejected state. The distance L1 between the protrusion of the cover 102 and the end of the cover covering the aerosol generating chamber 103 is configured to be longer than the width of the aerosol generating chamber 103 . With this arrangement, the lever 1011 begins to rotate and pivot at the fulcrum or fixed hinge of the device when the cover slides to the intermediate position 32, thereby opening the aerosol-generating chamber during the transition from the non-ejected state to the ejected state. The first opening of 103 and the substrate 2 are completely exposed.

released state

3C shows the released state of the ejection mechanism 101 . The cover is slid to an open position (33). A stop structure (not shown) is arranged in the device 1 to stop the cover 102 from sliding further back. A fixing structure (not shown) may be disposed on the device 1 to make the cover 102 bistable, that is, to be able to stably maintain its position in an open or closed state. The stationary structure may consist of a central spring or a magnet. The slide block 1012 slides down as it is pressed by the projecting portion of the cover 102 having a trapezoidal shape.

The beam of the lever 1011 connected with the slide block 1012 is pushed down, while the other beam of the lever 1011 is raised up and protrudes into the aerosol generating chamber 103. Substrate 2 is supported and protrudes out of the aerosol-generating device, allowing the user to discard the substrate out of the device.

Claims (9)

As an aerosol generating device (1),
- an aerosol generating chamber 103 configured to receive and heat the substrate 2 to generate an aerosol;
- a cover 102 which can be in a closed position 31 covering the aerosol generating chamber 103 and in an open position 33 exposing the aerosol generating chamber 103, and
- a release mechanism (101) with a lever (1011), such that when the cover (102) is in the open position, the cover (102) releases at least a portion of the substrate (2) out of the aerosol generating chamber (103). ) and an ejection mechanism (101) at least partially engaged with
including,
The ejection mechanism 101 is in a discharged state in which the substrate 2 protrudes from the aerosol generating chamber 103 and in a non-ejected state in which the substrate 2 is completely contained within the aerosol generating chamber 103. can be;
The ejection mechanism 101 rotates the lever 1011 to release the substrate 2 when the cover 102 moves from the closed position 31 to the open position 33, thereby releasing the non-discharge. an aerosol-generating device (1), which is converted from a discharged state to said emitted state. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the cover (102) is moved from the open position (33) to the closed position (31), the lever (1011) moves the substrate (2) to the aerosol generating chamber (103). an aerosol-generating device (1), which rotates back to its original position to enter said non-ejected state fully inserted into the 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cover (102) can be in an intermediate position (32) between the open position (33) and the closed position (31), and the lever (1011) is When the cover 102 moves from the closed position 31 to the intermediate position 32, it does not rotate, and the lever 1011 moves the cover 102 from the intermediate position 32 to the open position ( An aerosol generating device (1), which ejects said substrate (2) by rotating when moving to 33). 4. Aerosol-generating device (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the lever (1011) forms at least partly the bottom surface of the aerosol-generating chamber (103). 5. The slide block (1012) slidably engaged with the cover (102) and the lever (1011) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the release mechanism (101) has a slide track (1013). is arranged to slide on the sliding track (1013) to trigger rotation of the lever (1011). 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the lock mechanism mechanically engages the lever (1011) with the slide block (1012) so that the lever (1011) rotates when the slide block (1012) slides and vice versa. , aerosol generating device (1). The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the protrusion (1021) of the cover (102) moves the cover (102) from the closed position (31) to the open position (33) or the open position ( The aerosol-generating device (1) slidably engages one end of the slide block (1012) such that when moving from 33 to the closed position (31) the lever (1011) is pushed down or raised, respectively. 8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein at least a part of the ejection mechanism comprises or preferably consists of a metal material, preferably a protrusion (1021) of the cover (102) and/or or the end of the sliding block (1012) is made of metal. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the aerosol generating device (1) has an elongated shape and the cover (102) is arranged to slide in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating device (1). Aerosol generating device (1).

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