KR20240073343A - Aerosol generating device with insulation structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment relates to an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure. More specifically, it relates to an aerosol generator with an insulating structure to improve the battery efficiency of an induction heater.
An embodiment provides a grippable, portable sized aerosol-generating device having a cavity into which a smoking article containing an aerosol-forming substrate can be inserted and heating the aerosol-forming substrate of the smoking article inserted into the cavity to form an aerosol. In, a case forming the appearance; A multi-turn excitation coil provided within the case; A susceptor made of metal that is provided inside the excitation coil to surround the excitation coil within the case, is made of a hollow cylindrical thin plate defining a cavity, and is heated by induction heating due to eddy current loss in reaction with the excitation coil; An excitation coil is installed on the outer periphery, and a bracket supports the top of the susceptor; and a mid bracket that supports the middle part of the susceptor and is installed inside the bracket. It provides an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure, wherein a first air insulating layer is formed between the susceptor and the bracket.

Description

Aerosol generating device with an insulating structure {AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE WITH INSULATION STRUCTURE}

The embodiment relates to an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure. More specifically, it relates to an aerosol generator with an insulating structure to improve the battery efficiency of an induction heater.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an induction heating device for heating an aerosol-forming substrate described in the prior art, International Publication No. WO 2015/177255. The induction heating device 1 comprises a device housing 10, which can be formed of plastic, and a DC power source comprising a rechargeable battery 11a.

The induction heating device 1 includes a docking port including a pin 12a for docking the induction heating device 1 to a charging station or charging device for charging a rechargeable battery 11a; 12) is included. Additionally, the induction heating device 1 comprises power supply electronics 13 configured to operate at a desired frequency, for example a frequency of 5 MHz. The power supply electronics 13 are electrically connected to the rechargeable battery 11a via suitable electrical connections 13a.

The tobacco-containing solid aerosol-forming substrate 20 comprising the susceptor 21 is received within the cavity 14 at the proximal end of the device housing 10 so that, during operation, the inductor L2 (a helically wound cylindrical an inductor coil) is inductively coupled to the susceptor 21 of the tobacco-containing solid aerosol forming substrate 20 of the smoking article 2. The filter part 22 of the smoking article 2 is arranged outside the cavity 14 of the induction heating device 1 so that, during operation, the consumer draws aerosols through the filter part 22 .

The induction heating device includes an inductor arranged thermally adjacent to an aerosol-forming substrate, and the aerosol-forming substrate includes a susceptor. The inductor's alternating magnetic field generates hysteresis loss and eddy currents in the susceptor, causing the susceptor to heat the aerosol-forming substrate to a temperature that releases volatile components that can form aerosols. do. At this time, the heat from the susceptor is transferred to the excitation coil, and as the temperature of the excitation coil increases, the induction heating performance deteriorates. Accordingly, a structure is needed to prevent the susceptor's radiant heat from being transferred to the excitation coil.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the prior art.

An aerosol-generating device according to the prior art has a cavity into which a smoking article 5, which includes an aerosol-forming substrate on the inside and is wrapped on the outside with wrapping paper, can be inserted, and is inserted into the cavity. An aerosol generating device of a grippable and portable size that heats the aerosol-forming substrate of a smoking article (5) to form an aerosol. In this aerosol generating device, electrical components are arranged in a lower case (not shown) and an upper case (40).

A rechargeable battery (not shown) functioning as a direct current power source in the present invention and a control board (not shown) constituting the control unit in the present invention are disposed at the bottom within the space defined by the lower case and the upper case 40, Electrical components used for actual heat generation are placed at the top.

Electrical components used for heat generation are components for induction heating, including an excitation coil (20) wound in a cylindrical shape multiple times, and a susceptor (magnetized heating element) in which induction heating occurs due to eddy current loss in reaction with the excitation coil (20). )(10) is provided. Here, the susceptor 10 is a hollow cylindrical sheet defining a cavity into which the smoking article 5 can be inserted, provided inside the excitation coil 20 to surround the excitation coil 20 within the device. It is a heat pipe made of metal that reacts with the excitation coil 200 and is heated to a temperature of 400 ℃ or less by induction heating due to eddy current loss.

The susceptor 10 is a susceptor in which the inner surface of the susceptor 10 is in contact with at least a portion of the outer surface of the smoking article 5 inserted into the cavity outside the generally cylindrical smoking article 5 and is inductively heated. (10) is a type in which the aerosol-forming substrate included in the smoking article (50) is heated by heat transfer.

At this time, a support 30 supporting at least a portion of one or more of the susceptor 10 and the excitation coil 20 is provided. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the susceptor 10 has a cylindrical body with an outwardly extending flange portion, and the support 30 has a cylindrical body with an inwardly extending flange portion, and the susceptor 10 The flange portion of and the flange portion of the support 30 overlap each other to form a first air insulation layer 51 between the susceptor 10 and the body and the body of the support 30. The air insulation layer 51 blocks radiant heat from being emitted from the susceptor 10 to the excitation coil 200. Additionally, a second air insulation layer 52 is formed between the excitation coil 20 and the upper case 40.

Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2465729

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an aerosol generator with an insulating structure that can improve battery efficiency by preventing power loss in the excitation coil by blocking heat emitted to the outside in addition to heat generated from the susceptor to the cavity.

An embodiment provides a grippable, portable sized aerosol-generating device having a cavity into which a smoking article containing an aerosol-forming substrate can be inserted and heating the aerosol-forming substrate of the smoking article inserted into the cavity to form an aerosol. In, a case forming the appearance; A multi-turn excitation coil provided within the case; A susceptor made of metal that is provided inside the excitation coil to surround the excitation coil within the case, is made of a hollow cylindrical thin plate defining a cavity, and is heated by induction heating due to eddy current loss in reaction with the excitation coil; An excitation coil is installed on the outer periphery, and a bracket supports the top of the susceptor; and a mid bracket that supports the middle part of the susceptor and is installed inside the bracket. It provides an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure, wherein a first air insulating layer is formed between the susceptor and the bracket.

As another example of the embodiment, the susceptor includes a first susceptor and a second susceptor disposed at intervals up and down, and the mid bracket is installed between the first susceptor and the second susceptor. An aerosol generating device having an insulating structure is provided.

As another example of the embodiment, an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure is provided, wherein the bracket and mid bracket are made of plastic resin having a heat resistance temperature of 300° C. or higher.

As another example of the embodiment, an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure is provided, wherein the bracket and mid bracket are made of any one of POLYIMIDE, PEEK, PSU, and PPSU.

As another example of the embodiment, the mid bracket provides an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure, characterized in that it has a second air insulating layer therein.

As another example of the embodiment, the mid bracket provides an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure, characterized in that it is provided with a second air insulating layer on the outer peripheral surface in contact with the bracket.

As another example of the embodiment, the mid bracket provides an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure, characterized in that it includes a second air insulating layer between the outer circumferential surface in contact with the bracket and the inner circumferential surface supporting the susceptor.

As another example of the embodiment, the mid bracket provides an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure characterized by having a thickness of 0.5 mm or more.

The present invention forms a first air insulation layer between the bracket and the susceptor, and forms a second air insulation layer inside the mid-susceptor that fixes the susceptor, thereby blocking radiant heat to the excitation coil and improving battery efficiency. .

1 is a diagram showing an induction heating device for heating an aerosol-forming substrate according to the prior art;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol generator having an insulating structure according to another prior art;
3 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the first embodiment;
Figure 4 is a diagram showing a susceptor of an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the first embodiment;
Figure 5 is a view showing a mid bracket installed on the susceptor of an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the first embodiment;
Figure 6 is a view showing the mid bracket of the aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the first embodiment;
Figure 7 is a view showing the mid bracket of the aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the second embodiment;
Figure 8 is a view showing the mid bracket of the aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the third embodiment;
Figure 9 is a graph comparing the temperature change of the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment and the aerosol generating device according to the second embodiment.

The present invention may be subject to various modifications and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. The effects and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described in detail below along with the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various forms.

In the following examples, singular terms include plural terms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the following embodiments, terms such as include or have mean that the features or components described in the specification exist, and do not preclude the possibility of adding one or more other features or components.

In the drawings, the sizes of components may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience of explanation. For example, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are shown arbitrarily for convenience of explanation, so the present invention is not necessarily limited to what is shown.

Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Hereinafter, a liquid cartridge that can be inserted into a smoking article that generates an aerosol by heating, which can be used in an aerosol generating device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and a heated smoking article including such a liquid cartridge are attached. The description will be made with reference to the drawings, and for convenience of explanation, each component of the heated smoking article will be described while the liquid cartridge included therein will be described. Here, a heated smoking article refers to a type in which an aerosol is generated from the smoking article by heating the smoking article using an electric resistance method or an induction heating method, rather than combustion, and the user inhales this aerosol. These smoking articles include within the smoking article an amount of aerosol-forming substrate and/or tobacco filler sufficient to produce a similar number of puffs as a conventional smoking article cigarette, and the aerosol is released in a predetermined amount. Once generated, it no longer produces significant amounts of aerosol and will be discarded by the user after one use.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the first embodiment, FIG. 4 is a view showing a susceptor of an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a first embodiment. A diagram showing a mid bracket installed on the susceptor of an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to , and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a mid bracket of an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the first embodiment. The heated smoking article that can be used in the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment is an aerosol-forming substrate, and as described later, includes only a conventional tobacco cut filler, a cut filler and a liquid composition, or a combination of cut filler and granules.

The aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment has a cavity into which a smoking article, which includes an aerosol-forming substrate on the inside and is wrapped on the outside with wrapping paper, can be inserted, and is inserted into the cavity. An aerosol generating device of a grippable and portable size that heats the aerosol-forming substrate of a smoking article to form an aerosol. In this aerosol generating device, electrical components are placed within a case (not shown).

In the space defined by the case, a rechargeable battery (not shown) functioning as a direct current power source and a control board (not shown) constituting the control unit are placed, and electrical components used for actual heat generation are placed on top of them. The rechargeable battery (not shown) can be recharged through a charging means such as a USB cable, and the user inserts a smoking article into the cavity of the aerosol generating device in a charged state and heats the susceptor by induction heating as described later. By heating, an aerosol is generated within the smoking article and can be inhaled. In this case, the battery functions as a direct current power source, and as described later, alternating current is supplied to the excitation coil 200 through the control unit. The aerosol generating device according to the embodiment has a grippable size and can be easily carried and used by the user.

The electrical components used for heat generation are components for induction heating, including an excitation coil 200 wound in a cylindrical shape multiple times, and a susceptor (magnetized heating element) in which induction heating occurs due to eddy current loss in reaction with the excitation coil 200. ) (100) is provided. Here, the susceptor 100 is provided inside the excitation coil 200 so that the excitation coil 200 is surrounded within the device. The susceptor 100 is made of a hollow cylindrical thin plate that defines a cavity into which a smoking article can be inserted, and is a metal material that reacts with the excitation coil 200 and is heated to a temperature of 400°C or lower by induction heating due to eddy current loss. It is preferable that it is a heat pipe made of material. The thickness of the susceptor 100 is preferably 1.0 mm or less, and it is preferably made of a thin stainless steel plate such as SPCC, SPCE, or SUS.

Depending on the size of the alternating current applied to the excitation coil 200, the temperature of the susceptor 100 may be heated to a temperature of 1000 ℃ or higher. However, in the embodiment, the susceptor 100 is heated to a temperature of 400 ℃ or lower. It is characterized by The susceptor 100 is heated to a temperature of 100 to 400° C. depending on the magnitude of the alternating current applied to the excitation coil 200, thereby heating the aerosol-forming substrate provided inside the smoking article inserted into the cavity to generate an aerosol. . According to a preferred example, the target temperature may be in the range of 200 to 350 ℃, and according to a more preferred example, the target temperature may be in the range of 250 to 320 ℃ (for example, 280 ℃ may be set as the target) (maybe). In some cases, the target temperature may be in the range of 150 to 250 ℃ (for example, 180 ℃ may be set as the target temperature), which depends on whether the object to generate aerosol is liquid or gel glycerin, a cigarette pack, or glycerin. This may vary depending on the absorbed cigarette change. In any case, the aerosol generated within the smoking article is inhaled into the user's mouth through a tube and filter, so even considering cooling during the inhalation process, if the temperature of the generated aerosol is excessively high, it may cause discomfort to the user or cause burns. Since too much aerosol may be generated and multiple puffs may be difficult, the target temperature of the susceptor must be determined in advance, taking this into account. However, for the above reasons, the upper limit of the target temperature of the susceptor is limited as above.

According to a preferred embodiment, the temperature at which the generated aerosol passes through the tube and filter can be measured as the mouth end temperature. In order to avoid discomfort to the user, the temperature of the aerosol is less than 50° C., preferably 45° C. The temperature should be below ℃. The mouth end temperature of a preferred aerosol is in the temperature range of 25 to 45° C., and the more preferred mouth end temperature of the aerosol is in the temperature range of 30 to 40° C.

In the first embodiment, the susceptor 100 is a susceptor ( 100) is a form of heating the aerosol-forming substrate included in the smoking article by heat transfer.

At this time, brackets 310, 320, and 330 are provided to support at least a portion of the case (not shown) and allow the susceptor 100 and the exciting coil 200 to be installed in the case (not shown).

In the first embodiment, the susceptor 100 consists of a first susceptor 110 and a second susceptor 120, which are composed of two stages, upper and lower. At this time, each susceptor (110, 120) has a cylindrical body with flange portions (112, 122) extending outward.

A mid bracket 310 is installed between each susceptor (110, 120). The body of the first susceptor 110 and the flange portion 122 of the second susceptor 120 are fixed to the mid bracket 310.

The mid bracket 310 is generally cylindrical and has a first coupling surface 312 to which the flange portion 122 of the second susceptor 120 is coupled to the inner peripheral surface, and a second coupling surface to which the lower end of the first susceptor 110 is coupled. It has a surface 314, and a step 316 is formed at the bottom of the second coupling surface 314 to maintain the height of the first susceptor 110 and the second susceptor 120. The outer peripheral surface 318 of the mid bracket 310 provided in the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment is cylindrical and has a gap from the inner peripheral surface of the bracket 320.

The bracket 320 has a cylindrical side wall 321 and a top surface 322, and a hole 323 is formed on the top surface to allow smoking articles to be inserted into the susceptor 100. At this time, the diameter of the hole 323 is smaller than that of the flange portion 122 of the first susceptor 110, and the upper end of the first susceptor 110 is supported by the bracket 320. A first excitation coil 210 for inductively heating the first susceptor 110 and a second excitation coil 220 for inductively heating the second susceptor 120 are installed on the outer periphery of the bracket 320. At this time, ribs 324 may be formed on the side wall 321 of the bracket 320 to ensure a gap between the first excitation coil 210 and the second excitation coil 220.

Meanwhile, a lower bracket 330 is also provided to support the lower end of the second susceptor 120. The bracket 320 and the lower bracket 330 can be easily combined with a hook type.

At this time, an empty space exists between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical side wall 321 of the bracket 320 and the outer peripheral surface of the susceptor 100, and this gap becomes the first air insulation layer 410. The first air insulation layer 410 blocks radiant heat from being emitted from the susceptor 100 to the excitation coil 200.

Meanwhile, the mid bracket 310, bracket 320, and lower bracket 330 are preferably made of plastic resin with a heat resistance temperature of 300°C or higher, and may be made of, for example, any one of POLYIMIDE, PEEK, PSU, and PPSU. You can. At this time, the thermal conductivity of the mid bracket 310, bracket 320, and lower bracket 330 is preferably 0.5 W/mk or less. In addition, a portion is in contact with the susceptor 100, and heat resistance is required because it must support the susceptor 100 and the exciting coil 200. Therefore, it is preferable that it is manufactured from engineering plastic resin having a heat resistance temperature of 300°C or higher.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing the mid bracket of the aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the second embodiment.

The mid bracket 310a provided in the aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the second embodiment does not fill the space between the outer peripheral surface 318a and the inner peripheral surface with an injection material, but forms a space so that an air layer can be formed. Accordingly, a second air insulation layer is formed within the mid bracket 310, and heat conduction through the mid bracket 310 can be minimized.

At this time, the minimum thickness of the mid bracket 310 is preferably 0.5 mm or more.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing the mid bracket of the aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the third embodiment.

The mid bracket 310b provided by the aerosol generating device having an insulating structure according to the third embodiment is provided with a second coupling surface 314b on the inner peripheral surface to which the lower end of the first susceptor 110 is coupled, and the second coupling surface 314b is coupled to the lower end of the first susceptor 110. A step 316b is formed at the bottom of the surface 314b to maintain the height of the first susceptor 110 and the second susceptor 120.

At this time, a second air insulation layer 319b perforated to form an air layer is formed between the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface 318b. Here, the lower end of the inner peripheral surface and the lower end of the outer peripheral surface (318b) have a height difference, the outer peripheral part of the flange portion 122 of the second susceptor 120 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface (318b), and the upper end of the second susceptor 120 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface (318b). The second susceptor 120 is coupled to the mid bracket 310b so as to contact the bottom of the inner peripheral surface.

There is no significant limitation on the shape of the mid bracket as long as it can form an air layer inside and secure the first susceptor and the second susceptor.

Figure 9 is a graph comparing the temperature change of the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment and the aerosol generating device according to the second embodiment.

This is a graph measuring the temperature change of the case over time with the susceptor heated to 250℃. By analyzing the graph, it can be seen that the insulation performance is excellent in the second embodiment in which the second air insulation layer is formed on the mid bracket.

Claims (8)

An aerosol-generating device of a grippable and portable size having a cavity into which a smoking article containing an aerosol-forming substrate can be inserted, the device comprising:
The case that forms the exterior;
A multi-turn excitation coil provided within the case;
A susceptor made of metal that is provided inside the excitation coil to surround the excitation coil within the case, is made of a hollow cylindrical thin plate defining a cavity, and is heated by induction heating due to eddy current loss in reaction with the excitation coil;
An excitation coil is installed on the outer periphery, and a bracket supports the top of the susceptor; and
It includes a mid bracket that supports the middle of the susceptor and is installed inside the bracket,
An aerosol generator having an insulating structure, characterized in that a first air insulating layer is formed between the susceptor and the bracket. According to paragraph 1,
The susceptor includes a first susceptor and a second susceptor arranged at intervals up and down,
The mid bracket is an aerosol generator having an insulating structure, characterized in that it is installed between the first susceptor and the second susceptor. According to paragraph 2,
An aerosol generator with an insulating structure, wherein the bracket and mid-bracket are made of plastic resin with a heat resistance temperature of 300°C or higher. According to paragraph 3,
An aerosol generator with an insulating structure, wherein the bracket and mid-bracket are made of any one of POLYIMIDE, PEEK, PSU, and PPSU. According to paragraph 1,
The mid bracket is an aerosol generator having an insulating structure, characterized in that it has a second air insulating layer inside. According to clause 5,
The mid bracket is an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure, characterized in that it is provided with a second air insulating layer on the outer peripheral surface in contact with the bracket. According to clause 5,
The mid bracket is an aerosol generating device having an insulating structure, characterized in that it has a second air insulation layer between the outer circumferential surface in contact with the bracket and the inner circumferential surface supporting the susceptor. According to clause 5,
The mid bracket is an aerosol generating device with an insulating structure characterized by having a thickness of 0.5 mm or more.