TW202135688A - Aerosol generating system - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol generating system comprising: a consumable comprising a rod-shaped portion containing aerosol generating substrate; a heating chamber comprising a first end, a second end and a side wall extending around the heating chamber between the first and second ends, the heating chamber being configured to receive the rod-shaped portion of the consumable; and a heater configured to deliver heat to the heating chamber from the side wall, wherein: a width of the chamber is greater than a width of the rod-shaped portion, the consumable comprises a resilient portion around a length axis of the rod-shaped portion, the heating chamber further comprises a plurality of inward protrusions extending from the side wall and distributed around an inner perimeter of the heating chamber, and the protrusions are configured to engage with and apply pressure to the resilient portion in order to position the consumable within the chamber.

Description

Aerosol generation system

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol generation system in which an aerosol generation substrate is heated to form an aerosol. The present disclosure is particularly suitable for a portable aerosol generating device, which can be self-contained and low temperature. Such devices can heat tobacco or other suitable aerosol matrix materials by conduction, convection, and/or radiation instead of igniting them to produce aerosols for inhalation.

In the past few years, the popularity and use of risk-reduced or risk-corrected devices (also called vaporizers) has grown rapidly, which helps habitual smokers who want to quit smoking, such as cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos. And traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes. Various devices and systems that heat or heat the aerosolizable substance can be used, which are completely different from those in traditional tobacco products for igniting tobacco.

Commonly used devices whose risks are reduced or whose risks are corrected are aerosol-generating devices or heated non-ignitable devices for heated substrates. This type of device generates an aerosol or vapor by heating an aerosol substrate to a temperature usually in the range of 150°C to 350°C. The aerosol substrate usually includes moist tobacco leaves or other suitable aerosolizable s material. Heating but not burning or burning the aerosol matrix will release an aerosol, which includes the components sought by the user but does not include the toxic carcinogenic by-products produced by burning and burning. In addition, the aerosol produced by heating tobacco or other aerosolizable materials usually does not include the burning or bitter taste that may be unpleasant to the user due to burning and burning. Therefore, the matrix does not require sugar and other materials. Additives, sugars and additives are usually added to such materials to make the smoke and/or vapor more delicious to the user.

In such devices, the aerosol substrate is usually provided in the form of a consumable containing a limited amount of aerosol generating substrate, and is capable of generating a limited amount of aerosol. For a given amount of substrate, it is desirable to increase aerosol production.

According to a first aspect, the present disclosure provides an aerosol generation system, the aerosol generation system includes: consumables, the consumables include a rod-shaped portion containing an aerosol-generating substrate; a heating chamber, the heating chamber includes a first End, a second end, and a side wall extending around the heating chamber between the first end and the second end, the heating chamber being configured to receive the rod-shaped portion of the consumable; and a heater, the The heater is configured to deliver heat through the side wall to the heating chamber, wherein: the width of the chamber is greater than the width of the rod-shaped portion, and the consumable includes an elastic portion surrounding the length axis of the rod-shaped portion, The heating chamber further includes a plurality of inward protrusions extending from the side wall and distributed around the inner circumference of the heating chamber, and the protrusions are configured to engage with the elastic part and apply pressure thereto to the The consumables are positioned in the chamber.

By providing the cavity with a width larger than that of the rod-shaped portion, consumables can be more easily inserted into the cavity.

However, the heater cannot heat the heating chamber completely and uniformly. Therefore, leaving consumables loosely in a wider chamber may reduce heating efficiency and aerosol generation efficiency. By providing the inward protrusions configured to be engaged with the consumables, the consumables can be held in a better position for heating.

In addition, by arranging the protrusion to apply pressure to the elastic portion, this prevents the consumable from deforming, disengaging from the protrusion, and moving away from a better position.

Furthermore, by applying pressure to the elastic portion around the length axis of the rod-shaped portion, the protrusion simultaneously applies pressure to at least a part of the aerosol generating substrate. This compression of the matrix improves the efficiency of aerosol generation.

The size of the protrusion can be determined such that the space between the protrusions in the cavity is smaller than the width of the elastic portion. Thereby, the elastic part is compressed and matched between the protrusions.

If necessary, the protrusions are arranged symmetrically with respect to the length axis to assist in positioning the consumables in the center of the chamber.

Positioning the consumables in the center of the chamber is suitable for an embodiment in which the heater is symmetrically arranged around the side wall in order to improve the efficiency of heat delivery to the heating chamber. Positioning the consumable in the center of the chamber also makes the system more intuitive to use, because the user inserts the consumable into the chamber in the same way, regardless of the orientation of the heating chamber about its length axis.

If necessary, the first end of the heating chamber is open to receive the rod-shaped portion, and the second end of the heating chamber is closed.

In the case where the heating chamber is only open at one end, the protrusion has a second advantage, that is, a space is provided between the consumables and the side wall of the heating chamber, and this space can be used as an air inlet for the user or the pump to Air is sucked into one end of the consumable and the generated aerosol is extracted from the other end of the consumable.

If necessary, when the elastic part is compressed by a force of 0.4 N perpendicular to the length axis of the rod shape, the consumable exhibits a strain rate of less than 10%.

More preferably, when the elastic part is compressed by a force of 0.4 N perpendicular to the length axis of the rod shape, the consumable exhibits a strain rate between 1% and 8%.

If necessary, when the elastic part is compressed by a force of 8 N perpendicular to the length axis of the rod shape, the consumable exhibits a strain rate of less than 15%.

More preferably, when the elastic part is compressed by a force of 8 N perpendicular to the length axis of the rod shape, the consumable exhibits a strain rate between 5% and 14%.

The consumables provided by these parameters are stable enough to maintain the joint with the protrusion in a better position for heating. However, if the consumable is too stable, it may be difficult to insert the consumable at all.

Optionally, the rod-shaped portion includes a wrap surrounding the matrix, and the elastic portion includes a part of the wrap.

By providing an at least partially elastic wrapper, the consumable can better maintain its shape when in the heating chamber, thereby improving the flow of air through the consumable and the generation of aerosols.

Optionally, the wrapper includes cellulose paper. In the alternative, the wrapper includes cellulose paper with an aluminum foil layer.

Optionally, the substrate includes tobacco.

Optionally, the matrix includes randomly oriented tobacco shreds containing tobacco powder and an aerosol forming agent. Tobacco shreds can be obtained by cutting tobacco sheets formed through paper, extruding or casting.

It has been found that randomly oriented tobacco shreds provide a more stable or even more stable rod-shaped portion than when the aerosol generating substrate includes aggregated tobacco sheets.

If necessary, the density of the matrix is between 0.3 mg/mm ³ and 0.6 mg/mm ³ .

The inventors have found that, especially when the matrix includes randomly oriented tobacco shreds, increasing the density of the matrix (measured by the mass per unit volume in the wrapper) increases the stability of the rod-shaped part, and an excessive density may lead to inefficient Aerosol is produced.

If necessary, based on the total weight of the substrate, the substrate includes between 60 wt.% and 85 wt.% of tobacco leaves and between 8 wt.% and 20 wt.% of an aerosol forming agent and 5 wt. % To 15 wt.% of filler.

If necessary, the substrate is a compressed tobacco substrate or mousse with a soft granular texture.

Optionally, the heater is configured to heat the interior of the heating chamber to at least 190°C.

More preferably, the heater is configured to heat the inside of the heating chamber to between 230°C and 260°C.

Optionally, wherein the heater is configured to maintain the interior of the heating chamber at least preferably above 190°C, and most preferably above 200°C during the entire suction sequence time.

When the substrate includes tobacco, the aerosol is a nicotine aerosol. The inventors have found that the above-mentioned specific tobacco density range, tobacco form, and heating curve significantly improve the amount of nicotine. When pressure is applied to the substrate via the protrusion extending from the side wall of the heating chamber, the given amount of substrate Produce nicotine.

Optionally, the protrusion is a rib extending along the side wall so that when the rod-shaped portion is received in the heating chamber, the ribs extend parallel to the length axis of the rod-shaped portion.

If necessary, the matrix is arranged in a predetermined section of the rod-shaped portion extending along the length axis, and the length of the rib is at least 50% of the length of the predetermined section.

More preferably, the length of the rib is between 60% and 70% of the length of the predetermined section.

Consumables usually contain other sections in addition to the matrix section. For example, the consumable may include an air chamber or one or more filter sections. These sections do not need to be effectively heated by heaters. On the other hand, the predetermined section containing the matrix is preferably subjected to pressure along its length to improve heating efficiency and aerosol generation efficiency. By extending the ribs along the main part of the predetermined section, the aerosol generation efficiency can be significantly improved.

Figure 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating system implementing the present invention.

1A, the consumable 1 is located in the aerosol generating device 2 to generate aerosol.

The consumable 1 includes a rod-shaped part 11, an elastic part 12 surrounding the length axis of the rod-shaped part 11, and a filter 14.

The rod-shaped portion 11 contains an aerosol generating substrate. The aerosol-generating substrate is a material that generates aerosol when heated. The aerosol may be passively allowed to be dissipated from the aerosol generating system, but it is preferably sucked from the consumable 1 by the air flow through the filter 14.

The aerosol-generating substrate may, for example, include tobacco or nicotine. The matrix may be a solid block, or may be a loose material packaged in a wrapper 13. Preferably, the matrix includes randomly oriented tobacco shreds containing tobacco powder and an aerosol forming agent. Suitable aerosol-forming agents include: polyols such as sorbitol, glycerol, and ethylene glycol such as propylene glycol or triethylene glycol; non-polyols such as monohydric alcohols, acids such as lactic acid, glycerol derivatives, such as triethylene glycol; Ester of acetin, 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. Tobacco shreds can be obtained by the following processes: for example, mixing tobacco powder and aerosol forming agent, drying the mixture into a sheet, and cutting the sheet into shreds. The density of the matrix is preferably between 0.3 mg/mm ³ and 0.6 mg/mm ³ .

The matrix density represents the mass of the matrix per volume unit in the rod-shaped portion. For randomly oriented tobacco shreds, the density of the matrix can be controlled by adjusting the density of the tobacco sheet during the production process and by adjusting the filling rate of the silk in the rod-shaped portion. For example, the tobacco sheet has ^{a density of 0.45 mg/mm 3} and the filling rate of filaments is 75%, which provides a matrix density ^{of 0.337 mg/mm 3.}

The tobacco sheet may be a paper reconstituted tobacco sheet, an extruded tobacco sheet, or a cast tobacco sheet.

In one example, based on the total weight of the substrate, the substrate includes between 60 wt.% and 85 wt. %, preferably between 70 wt.% and 80 wt.% of tobacco leaves and at 8 wt. % And 20 wt. %, preferably between 10 wt.% and 18 wt.% aerosol forming agent. The matrix may further include fillers, such as cellulose pulp. The matrix may include filler between 2 wt.% and 20 wt. %, preferably between 5 wt.% and 15 wt. %. The base may further include flavor components. The flavor can be added to the matrix as shreds.

The elastic part 12 is a part of a consumable that resists deformation when external pressure is applied (in other words, force is required to deform the elastic part 12, and the elastic part 12 relaxes to a preset shape when no force is applied). The elastic portion 12 may take the form of a reinforced section of the wrap 13, where the wrap is thicker or made of a different material (such as cardboard or metal) compared to the main body of the wrap. In some cases, the wrapper may include a first layer extending along the length axis and a second layer located only at the elastic portion 12. Alternatively, the elastic characteristics of the elastic portion 12 may be provided by the rod-shaped portion 11. For example, randomly oriented tobacco shreds can be packaged in a wrapper to provide an elastic material. In some embodiments, the elastic portion 12 may be a complex structure including some internal voids, and may have some initial yield or relaxation, where the portion deforms inelastically and then exhibits elasticity when compressed beyond the initial yield.

The wrapper 13 may, for example, comprise a combination of paper, paper aluminum foil, cardboard, or any material suitable for storing the aerosol generating substrate and allowing the substrate to be heated in the heating chamber. For example, the wrapper can be paper with an air permeability of 0-50 CU, a basis weight of 25-80 g/m ² , and a thickness of 30-80 µm (with or without 20-30 µm aluminum foil). In a preferred example, the paper has ^{a basis weight between 35 and 50 g/m 2} and a thickness between 40 and 60 μm. In embodiments where the substrate is self-supporting, for example, when the substrate is a compressed tobacco substrate with a soft granular texture (for example, in the co-pending application EP 19209350.8 entitled "Crumpled Tobacco Substrate" or "Hot Pressed Tobacco matrix" described in EP 19209346.6), the wrapper 13 can be omitted. The matrix can also be a mousse, which includes tobacco materials, aerosol formers, foam stabilizers, foam formers, such as described in WO 2016122375 or WO 2020002607.

The aerosol generating device 2 includes a heating chamber 21 and a heater 22.

The heating chamber 21 has a hollow tubular structure in which the consumable 1 or the rod-shaped portion 11 of the consumable 1 can be received. Specifically, the heating chamber includes a side wall extending between the first end 212 and the second end 213. The first end 212 is open or can be opened in use to allow the rod-shaped portion 11 to be inserted. As shown in FIG. 1A, the second end 213 may be open to provide an air inlet for air to flow through the consumable. Alternatively, the second end 213 may be closed to improve the heating efficiency of the heating chamber 21.

The heating chamber 21 may be formed of ceramic or metal. For example, the heating chamber 21 may be formed by bending or stamping metal. In a preferred method, the chamber 21 is heated by deep drawing. The deep drawing includes: forming the metal disc blank into an initial metal cup, annealing under vacuum or inert gas; and deep drawing the initial metal cup into An elongated tubular cup with a reduced tubular wall thickness, as described in co-pending patent application EP 19196023.6 entitled "Heating Chamber".

The heater 22 may be any heater suitable for delivering heat through the side walls of the heating chamber 21 to the inner hollow of the heating chamber. For example, the heater 22 may be a flat heater attached to a flexible support and wound on the side wall of the heating chamber 21. Such planar heaters can be in the form of electrical resistance tracks, and the support can be one or more plastics or polymers (such as polyimide, fluoropolymers such as PTFE, or polyether ether ketone (PEEK) ))Sheet. Alternatively, other types of heaters may be used, such as heaters that provide heat by chemical reactions such as fuel combustion. The heating chamber may be further surrounded by insulators such as vacuum tubes, insulating fibers and/or aerogels.

Although the heater 22 is shown outside the heating chamber 21 in FIG. 1A, in some embodiments, the heater 22 may be arranged inside the heating chamber 21. This will allow heat insulating materials to be used to heat the side walls of the chamber 21. For example, one or more blade-type or pin-type heaters 22 may be designed to fit with one or more gaps in the rod-shaped portion 11 of the consumable 1.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the heating chamber 21 has a greater width than the rod-shaped portion 11 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rod-shaped portion 11. The gap formed between the heating chamber and the rod-shaped portion allows sufficient air to flow from the open first end 212 or the second end 213 to the rod-shaped portion to extract aerosol from the aerosol generating matrix. This also means that the end of the rod-shaped portion 11 can be more easily inserted into the heating chamber 21 without requiring precise alignment before or during insertion.

However, in order to effectively heat the rod-shaped portion 11 to generate aerosol, the expected temperature distribution in the heating chamber 21 must be considered, and the rod-shaped portion 11 must be accurately positioned in the heating chamber 21 to make more effective use of this Heat distribution. In order to position consumables in the chamber 21, a plurality of inward protrusions 211 are configured to extend from the side wall of the heating chamber 21.

When the rod-shaped portion 11 is located in the cavity 21, the protrusion 211 engages with the elastic portion 12 and applies pressure thereto, so as to firmly position the consumables at a position within the cavity 21 that can be heated more efficiently.

For example, when the heater 22 is configured to supply heat symmetrically through the side wall of the chamber 21 (for example, the heater extends around the entire chamber 21 or includes symmetrically arranged heater parts), the protrusions 211 may be similarly opposed to each other. It is arranged symmetrically about the length axis (that is, on the inner circumference of the heating chamber 21 around the length axis) to assist in positioning the consumables in the center of the heating chamber. In this context, “at the center” means that the width of the chamber 21 is substantially near the center.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the protrusion 211 may take the form of a rib extending along the side wall, which is parallel to the length axis of the rod-shaped portion 11. The ribs may be tapered toward the first end 212 of the heating chamber 21 to guide the consumables to a better position for heating.

One advantage of the ribs extending along the side wall is that the elastic portion 12 can be easily aligned with the protrusion 211 along the length axis of the rod-shaped portion 11 without requiring the user to accurately position the consumable 1 along the length axis.

As an alternative, as shown in FIG. 1B, the protrusion 211 does not need to extend along the side wall parallel to the length axis of the rod-shaped portion 11. Instead, the elastic portion 12 may extend along the main part of the rod-shaped portion 11 so that there is a wide range of positions along the length axis for the protrusion 211 to be engaged with the elastic portion 12. Such a shorter protrusion 211 may be thin enough to bend in the direction of the length axis, instead of the tapering of the ribs, so as to guide the consumables to a better position.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the aerosol generating device 2 having the heating chamber 21 and the heater 22 as described above.

The aerosol generating device 2 of this example is a self-contained portable device having a power supply 24 and a controller 23 for controlling at least the heater 22. Preferably, the power supply and controller are electric power supply and electronic controller, but in some embodiments, the controller can be as simple as a physical switch, and when the heater uses fuel combustion, the power supply can be It is a fuel supply.

In a preferred embodiment where the controller 23 is an electronic controller, the device 2 may also include one or more thermistors for determining the temperature of the heater 22 or the heating chamber 21.

The controller 23 may be configured to control the heater 22 so as to heat the inside of the heating chamber according to a predetermined temperature profile.

Preferably, in the case where the aerosol generating substrate includes tobacco, the heater 22 is controlled to heat the inside of the heating chamber 21 to at least 190°C, and more preferably between 230°C and 260°C, to Produce aerosols.

In addition, it is preferable to control the heater 22 to maintain the interior of the heating chamber at at least 190°C, preferably higher than 200°C, for a predetermined suction sequence time, during which sufficient aerosol can be generated For the user to inhale a plume of aerosol. The puffing sequence time depends on the specific aerosol-generating substrate, and can be configured by testing the aerosol composition produced by different puffing sequence time, but it has been found that in some cases at least four minutes is appropriate. In other embodiments, instead of setting a predetermined puff sequence time, the length of time for maintaining the temperature may additionally or alternatively be based on the predetermined number of puffs of the aerosol to be inhaled by the user. When ambient air is sucked into the heating chamber to replace the heated aerosol-enriched air, the sucking can be detected by, for example, detecting a temperature drop.

As shown in Fig. 2, the device 2 also preferably includes a flip cover 25 to keep the heating chamber 21 closed and protected when not in use. The flip 25 may be, for example, a sliding flip that is restricted by a guide rail to move between a closed position and an open position.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross section of the heating chamber 21 in a specific embodiment of the aerosol generating system. The consumable 1 located in the heating position in the heating chamber 21 is also partially shown.

As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 211 may correspond to the notch 214 on the outer surface of the heating chamber 21. In this case, it is not necessary to add material to the side wall to form the protrusion 211, but the protrusion 211 may be formed by deforming the side wall. Since the walls at the notches are thinner, in addition to heat being transferred through the convection formed in the gaps between the notches or through the notches, heat can also be more effectively transferred to the consumables at the notches by conduction.

In this particular embodiment, the second end 213 of the heating chamber 21 is closed, and arrows F1, F2, and F3 are used to illustrate the air flow that draws the aerosol from the consumable. Air enters the heating chamber 21 at the first end 212 where the consumable 1 is spaced apart from the side wall of the heating chamber 21. This space is defined by a protrusion 211 that positions the consumable 1 in the cavity 21. Therefore, the additional benefit of the protrusion 211 is to support the air flow passage for drawing air through the consumable 1. After passing along the air flow passage supported by the protrusion 211, the air flows into the consumable 1 at the end adjacent to the second end 213 of the heating chamber 21. The air then flows through the rod-shaped portion 11 including the aerosol generating substrate, and picks up the generated aerosol, and flows out of the consumable along the arrow F3. The consumable 1 may include a space 15 for cooling air, and may include a filter 14. This space can advantageously be formed by a hollow paper tube. The filter 14 may advantageously be formed in two sections: one of the sections may be a hollow filter section and the other may be a flat filter section. These sections can be individually wrapped with a roll device and combined by a common roll device to form a filter. The paper tube, filter and rod-shaped part can be combined by single-layer or double-layer tipping paper. The ventilation holes can be formed, for example, by passing a laser through the wrapper, preferably through a paper tube and tipping paper near the filter (for example at a distance of 1-2 mm).

Alternatively, in the case where the consumable 1 is not configured for the user to directly inhale the aerosol from the consumable, the consumable 1 may only include the rod-shaped portion 11, and the aerosol-carrying air at arrow F3 can pass through The structure of the aerosol generating device 2 is further sucked into the reusable or semi-disposable suction nozzle of the aerosol generating device 2 which is separated from the consumable 1.

Preferably, the heating chamber 21 further includes a platform 215 at the second end 213 extending into the inner volume of the heating chamber 21. The longer width of the platform is preferably smaller than the width of the consumables. The platform 215 promotes air flow by supporting the consumable 1 to be at least partially separated from the second end 213, as shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, in addition to engaging with the elastic portion 12, the protrusion 211 can also partially compress the rod-shaped portion 11. The rod-shaped portion does not have to be elastic along the entire contact area with the protrusion. The aerosol generating matrix in the compressed rod-shaped portion 11 has an improved aerosol generating effect for a given temperature profile. Therefore, an additional benefit of the protrusion 211 is improved aerosol production.

The length L1 of the rod-shaped portion 11 can be compared with the length L2 of the rib 211 (ie, the length of the protrusion 211 parallel to the length axis of the rod-shaped portion 11). For visual convenience, one end of the rib 211 is aligned with one end of the rod-shaped portion 11 (as shown by the horizontal dashed line 19), but this is usually not necessary. The length L2 is preferably at least 50% of L1 (or if it is not the entire length L1 of the rod-shaped portion 11, the length of the predetermined section containing the aerosol generating substrate), and more preferably between 60% and 70% In order to significantly increase aerosol production by compressing the aerosol-generating substrate.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross section of the aerosol generating system similar to that shown in FIG. 3 in a plane passing through the protrusion 211 and perpendicular to the length axis of the rod-shaped portion 11. This plane corresponds to the dashed line X1 in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, the four protrusions 211 are symmetrically distributed around the inner circumference of the circular heating chamber 21. The heater 22 is arranged to surround the outside of the heating chamber 21 and supply heat symmetrically toward the center of the heating chamber 21. In this case, the elastic part 12 of the consumable 1 is positioned in the center of the heating chamber 21 by the protrusion 211. In addition, although the elastic portion 12 is rounded when not compressed, when positioned in the heating chamber 21, the elastic portion 12 is locally deformed. This is because the space between the ends of the protrusion 211 is smaller than the width of the elastic portion 12 when it is not compressed.

The protrusion 211 has a rounded contour that can be formed, for example, when the side wall of the heating chamber 21 is bent to form the protrusion 211. (For simplicity, the corresponding notch 214 on the outer surface of the heating chamber 21 as shown in FIG. 3 is omitted).

A specific example corresponding to the shape of the heating chamber and consumables shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is constructed. 3, the rod-shaped portion 11 has a length L1 of 20 mm, and the distance L2 between the platform 213 and the proximal end of the rib 211 along the length axis is 8 mm. 4, in a specific example, the rod-shaped portion has a width of 7.0 mm, and the heating chamber has a maximum inner diameter of 7.6 mm and a maximum radial length of 0.4 mm (measured from the inner surface of the chamber). Round protrusions.

As described above, the elastic portion 12 is a part of the consumable, which resists deformation when external pressure is applied. This resistance to deformation can be measured by comparing the strain on the elastic portion 12 under a given applied force. Figures 5A and 5B provide schematic illustrations of strain measurement of consumables.

FIG. 5A shows a test device 3 for applying a predetermined force between two surfaces 31 and 32 to an object. The test device 3 may be, for example, a jig or a press. As shown in FIG. 5B, the actuator 33 applies a predetermined force to a surface 31 and moves the surface 31 until the force is balanced by the stress in the object.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the elastic portion 12 initially has a width W1 perpendicular to the length axis of the rod-shaped portion 11. When the sample of the 10 mm rod-shaped portion including the elastic portion 12 is subjected to a predetermined force perpendicular to the length axis of the rod-shaped portion 11 at a speed of 50 mm/min in the test device 3, the width of the elastic portion 12 is W2, which shows that The strain rate is equal to (W1-W2)/W1.

Preferably, for the system according to the present invention, when compressed by an applied force of 0.4 N in the configuration shown in FIG. 5B, the elastic portion 12 exhibits less than 10%, and more preferably between 1% and 8%. The strain rate between% (expressed in %).

Additionally or alternatively, when compressed by an applied force of 8 N in the configuration shown in FIG. 5B, the elastic portion 12 preferably exhibits less than 15%, and more preferably between 5% and 14%. Strain rate between %.

For example, when the first consumable with a paper wrapper and a rod-shaped portion of reconstituted tobacco filaments with a matrix density of about 0.3 is compressed with an applied force of 0.4 N and 8 N, respectively, the strain rates are about 6% and 12%, respectively . When the second consumable with paper and aluminum wrapper and the rod-shaped portion of randomly oriented reconstituted tobacco shredded tobacco with a matrix density of about 0.3 is compressed with an applied force of 0.4 N and 8 N, respectively, the strain rate is about 2.5%. And 5.5%. For comparison, when the third consumable having the paper wrapper and the rod-shaped portion of the reconstituted tobacco aggregated sheet with a matrix density of about 0.65 is compressed with an applied force of 0.4 N and 8 N, respectively, the strain rate is about 10%. And 15%. The third consumable exhibits a lower ability to position itself in the center of the heating chamber and has a higher risk of misalignment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic illustration of an alternative aerosol generating system, in which the heating chamber 21 has three protrusions 211 instead of four as in the above example. In addition, instead of the rounded protrusion 211 shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion of this alternative solution has straight sides. Depending on the technology used to manufacture the heating chamber 21, this straight side can be easier to produce than a curved side. As shown in Fig. 6, the positioning element can still be engaged with the elastic portion 12 and position the consumable in the cavity. In addition, as in the example of FIG. 4, the elastic portion 12 is compressed where it engages with the protrusions 211 and protrudes between the protrusions 211. However, in this case, the deformation is less localized and spreads around the surface of the elastic portion 12. More generally, the heating chamber 21 may have any number of protrusions 211 extending from the side walls and distributed around the inner circumference of the heating chamber 21, and except for adopting different shapes parallel to the length axis as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B In addition, the cross section of each protrusion 211 perpendicular to the length axis may also have any surface shape.

Fig. 7 is a schematic illustration of an alternative aerosol generating system, in which the heating chamber 21 and the elastic portion 12 are not rounded but approximately square. In polygonal heating chambers or heating chambers that generally have partially curved and partially flat side walls, the advantages of the protrusion 211 described above are equally applicable, because the consumables can be positioned to withstand pressure to obtain increased heating efficiency and increased aerosol production. And to make air flow through consumables. Likewise, the cross-section of the elastic portion 12 when it is not compressed does not have to be circular, and may adopt any shape that can be positioned using the protrusion 211 of an appropriate size and position. In the example of FIG. 7, the elastic portion 12 is rectangular when uncompressed, and has four sides, which are compressed at positions where they engage with the protrusions 211 and protrude between the protrusions 211, but The protruding part is also limited by the rectangular corner formed in the elastic part (for example, the corner formed in the wrapper).

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an alternative aerosol generating system, in which the heater 22 is arranged on a specific side of the rectangular heating chamber 21. In this asymmetric configuration of the heater 22, positioning the elastic part 12 in the center of the heating chamber 21 does not allow the aerosol generating substrate to be most effectively heated, and the rod-shaped part 11 is preferably heated against The cavity 21 is positioned on a specific side. In this case, only two protrusions 211 are included, and the two protrusions are arranged to extend inwardly from the side of the heating chamber 21 opposite to the specific side where the heater 22 is arranged. In addition, since the protrusion 211 only needs to apply pressure toward a specific side surface in parallel, the protrusion may have a simple rectangular cross section. More generally, it can be understood that, based on the position of the heater 22 and the shape of the chamber 21, the protrusions 211 may preferably adopt different distributions around the inner circumference of the heating chamber 21 according to the expected temperature distribution.

It can also be seen from FIG. 8 that in this case, the position of the elastic part 12 between the two remaining sides of the heating chamber 21 is not important because the heater 22 extends on a specific side. In this case, the rod-shaped portion 11 can be allowed to move freely in the chamber without being unnecessarily positioned by the additional protrusion 211 between the remaining two sides.

Fig. 9 is an example temperature curve of the heating chamber when aerosol is generated, where the y-axis shows the heating temperature (degree Celsius °C), and the x-axis shows the time (arbitrary unit). The heating temperature can be measured at the heater 22 or the heating chamber, for example, using a temperature sensor or using the thermistor characteristics of the heater 22.

In this example, the aerosol generation period includes a temperature increase stage t ₁ , in which the heating temperature is increased to at least the aerosol generation temperature T ₂ . The length of the temperature increase period t ₁ may be predetermined, or may be until the aerosol generation temperature T ₂ is reached. In another example, the temperature increase stage t ₁ may continue until the feedback from the temperature sensor 13 indicates that the aerosol generation temperature T ₂ has been reached. The aerosol generation temperature T ₂ is selected based on the type of the aerosol generating substrate, and is the temperature at which the aerosol is generated by heating the aerosol generating substrate. 3, the temperature of the heater in some way above the temperature was raised to the aerosol generating T _2, and the lower limit of a temperature of the aerosol-generating aerosols generated. Example of generating an aerosol comprising tobacco and a matrix forming agent in the aerosol, it has been found suitable for 190 ℃ value T _2, and the aerosol-generating substrate by heating was continued to between 230 to 260 ℃ deg.] C to increase the aerosol-generating.

Then, a temperature maintenance phase t ₂ occurs, during which the heating temperature is maintained. Although the temperature appears to be flat, it may vary around the desired temperature. For example, pulse width modulation (PWM) control of the heater can be used to maintain the temperature. During this time, the aerosol can be extracted from the aerosol-generating matrix by one or more suctions. In the example where the aerosol generating substrate includes tobacco and an aerosol forming agent, a suitable example length _{of t 2 has been found to be 4 minutes and 10 seconds.}

Finally, a temperature reduction stage t ₃ occurs, in which the heating temperature is allowed to fall below the _{aerosol generation temperature T 2.} Normally, the heater is not powered during the temperature reduction phase, but for example, in cleaning the heating chamber after use, controlling the cooling rate can have advantages. Temperature lowering phase generally unlimited length of time t _3, and in some cases, reduce the temperature of the start phase may be generated aerosol next interrupt period. However, in some embodiments, a minimum time length t ₃ may be set, and the minimum time length is, for example, 20 seconds.

In one example, it was found that such a temperature profile (especially by continuing to heat the aerosol-generating substrate to between 230°C and 260°C during the vaporization time) combined with the pressure exerted by the protrusions can remove the pressure from the tobacco matrix. The delivery of nicotine was increased by 50%, in one case the nicotine delivery increased from 0.462 mg per rod to 0.708 mg per rod. At the same time, in the case of the aerosol forming agent, plant glycerin, it was found that the delivery of glycerol increased from 2.84 mg per rod-shaped part to 4.718 mg per rod-shaped part, and therefore the amount of aerosol produced was also significantly increased.

In an environment with a room temperature of 22°C, a relative humidity of 60%, and a wind speed of 0.2 m/s and the violent smoking method of Health Canada (pumping volume 55 cc/2sec, puffing time 2sec, puffing interval 30sec, smoking 8 times), insert the tobacco rod into the Borgwaldt automatic smoking machine. The air dilution perforation is not closed. The mouth end of the tobacco rod is set in the automatic smoking machine, and the device is turned on. When the pre-heating is detected by the signal (vibration) of the device, the first suction operation is performed. Thereafter, the suction operation was performed at intervals of 30 seconds. The Cambridge filter (Borgwaldt, 400 filter 44 mm) is used to collect particulate components in mainstream smoke. For the particle component, the amount of TPM (Particle Composition: Total Specific Matter) is calculated based on the weight change of the Cambridge filter. After shaking and extracting with 10 mL of isopropanol for 20 minutes, use GC-FID/TCD (6890N, Agilent) to measure the levels of water, nicotine and glycerin.

In FIG. 1A, the consumable 1 includes a filter 14, which can be used as a mouthpiece by a user to inhale the generated aerosol. However, in other embodiments, the consumable may not be designed for the user to directly inhale the aerosol. For example, the consumable 1 may be completely enclosed within the device 2, which generates an aerosol and provides the aerosol through a separate outlet or mouthpiece.

In some embodiments, the length axis of the consumable 1 as a whole may be different from the length axis of the rod-shaped portion 11 inserted into the heating chamber 21. For example, the consumable 1 may include additional features that are not designed to fit into the heating chamber 21. In this case, the length axis of the rod-shaped portion 11 is an axis related to the identification of the elastic portion 12.

The term "heater" should be understood to refer to any device used to output sufficient heat energy to form an aerosol from the aerosol matrix. The transfer of heat energy from the heater 54 to the aerosol substrate can be conductive, convective, radiant, or any combination of these. As a non-limiting example, conductive heaters can directly contact and press the aerosol substrate, or the heaters can be in contact with a separate component (such as a heating chamber), which itself causes gas by conduction, convection, and/or radiation. The sol matrix heats up.

The heater may be electric, combustion-driven, or driven in any other suitable manner. Electric-driven heaters can include resistive track elements (including insulation packaging as needed), induction heating systems (including electromagnets and high-frequency oscillators, for example), and so on. The heater 54 may be arranged around the exterior of the aerosol matrix, it may partially or completely penetrate into the aerosol matrix, or any combination thereof. For example, in addition to the heater of the above embodiment, the aerosol generating device may have a blade heater extending into the aerosol matrix in the heating chamber.

The term “temperature sensor” is used to describe an element capable of determining the absolute temperature or relative temperature of a part of the aerosol generating device 2. This can include thermocouples, thermopiles, thermistors, etc. The temperature sensor may be provided as part of another component, or it may be a separate component. In some examples, more than one temperature sensor may be provided, for example for monitoring the heating of different parts of the aerosol generating device 2 in order to determine the heat distribution curve, for example. Alternatively, in some examples, no temperature sensor is included; for example, this would be possible where the heat profile has been reliably established and the temperature can be assumed based on the operation of the heater 22.

The aerosol-generating substrate includes, for example, tobacco in dried or roasted form, with additional ingredients for flavoring or producing a smoother or other more pleasant experience in some cases. In some examples, a substrate such as tobacco can be treated with a vaporizing agent. Vaporizers can improve the generation of vapor from the substrate. For example, the vaporizing agent may include polyhydric alcohols such as glycerol or ethylene glycol such as propylene glycol. In some cases, the matrix may contain no tobacco or even nicotine, but may contain natural or artificially extracted ingredients for flavoring, volatilization, improving smoothness and/or providing other pleasing effects. The matrix can be set as a solid or paste-type material in the form of shredded, pellet, powder, granular, strip or sheet form, and a combination thereof as required. In addition, the aerosol matrix may include liquids or gels.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating device 2 may be referred to as a "heated tobacco device", a "heated but not burned tobacco device", "a device for vaporizing tobacco products", etc., and this is interpreted as Suitable for devices that achieve these effects. The features disclosed herein are equally applicable to devices designed to vaporize any aerosol substrate.

The aerosol generating device 2 may be arranged to receive an aerosol matrix in a prepackaged matrix carrier. The matrix carrier may be substantially similar to a cigarette, having a tubular area with an aerosol matrix arranged in a suitable manner. In some designs, filters, vapor collection areas, cooling areas, and other structures can also be included. It is also possible to provide an outer layer of paper or other flexible flat material (such as foil) to hold the aerosol matrix in place, for example, to further resemble a cigarette or the like. The matrix carrier may be fitted in the heating chamber 11, or may be longer than the heating chamber 11, so that while the aerosol generating device 2 is provided with the matrix carrier, the flip 25 is kept open. In such an embodiment, the aerosol may be provided directly from the matrix carrier, which serves as the suction nozzle of the aerosol generating device.

As used herein, the term "fluid" should be understood to generally refer to non-solid types of materials that can flow, including but not limited to liquids, pastes, gels, powders, and the like. "Fluidized materials" should be interpreted accordingly as materials that are fluid in nature, or materials that have been modified to behave as fluids. Fluidization can include, but is not limited to: powdering, dissolving in solvents, gelation, thickening, dilution, and the like.

As used herein, the term "volatiles" refers to substances that can easily change from solid or liquid to gaseous state. As a non-limiting example, the volatile substance may be a substance whose boiling or sublimation temperature is close to room temperature under ambient pressure. Therefore, "volatilize or volatilise" should be interpreted as referring to volatilizing (a material) and/or evaporating or dispersing in vapor.

As used herein, the term "vapour" ("vapour" or "vapor") refers to: (i) a form in which a liquid is naturally transformed under the action of sufficient heat; or (ii) suspended in the atmosphere and in the form of steam/smoke Visible liquid/moisture particles in the form of a gas cloud; or (iii) a fluid that fills a space like a gas, but can liquefy by pressure only when it is below its critical temperature.

Consistent with this definition, the term "vaporise or vaporize" refers to: (i) changing or causing a change to vapor; and (ii) a situation in which particles change their physical state (ie, change from a liquid or solid state to a gas state).

As used herein, the term "atomise or atomize" shall refer to: (i) making (a substance, especially a liquid) into very small particles or droplets; and (ii) keeping the particles in contact with The same physical state (liquid or solid) that it was in before atomization.

As used herein, the term "aerosol" shall refer to a system of particles dispersed in air or gas (such as mist, dust mist or smoke). Therefore, the term "aerosolise (or aerosolize)" refers to making an aerosol and/or dispersing into an aerosol. It should be noted that the meaning of aerosol/aerosolization is consistent with each of the volatilization, atomization, and vaporization defined above. For the avoidance of doubt, aerosols are used to consistently describe mists or droplets that include atomized, volatile, or vaporized particles. Aerosols also include mists or droplets containing any combination of atomized, volatile, or vaporized particles.

1: consumables 2: Aerosol generating device 11: Rod-shaped part 12: Elastic part 14: filter 13: Wrap 21: Heating chamber 22: heater 212: first end 213: second end 21: Chamber 211: Multiple inward protrusions 211: protruding part 2: Aerosol generating device 24: power supply 23: Controller 2: device 25: flip 15: space 215: platform 211: rib 21: Trimming the circular heating chamber 214: Corresponding notch 213: Platform 3: Test device 33: Actuator 31: Surface 211: rounded protrusions 211: protruding part 21: Rectangular heating chamber 13: Temperature sensor 54: heater 11: Heating chamber

[Figure 1A and Figure 1B] is a schematic cross section of the aerosol generating system in a plane including the length axis;

[Figure 2] is a schematic block diagram of an aerosol generating device;

[Figure 3] is a schematic cross section of the heating chamber in a plane including the length axis;

[Figure 4] is a schematic cross section of the aerosol generating system perpendicular to the length axis;

[Figures 5A and 5B] provide schematic illustrations of strain measurement of consumables;

[Figure 6 to Figure 8] is a schematic cross section of another aerosol generating system perpendicular to the longitudinal axis;

[Figure 9] is an example temperature curve of the heating chamber when an aerosol is generated.

without

1: consumables

2: Aerosol generating device

11: Rod-shaped part

12: Elastic part

13: Wrap

14: filter

21: Heating chamber

22: heater

211: protruding part

212: first end

213: second end

Claims (19)

An aerosol generation system, including: Consumables, the consumables include a rod-shaped part containing an aerosol generating substrate; A heating chamber including a first end, a second end, and a side wall extending around the heating chamber between the first end and the second end, the heating chamber being configured to receive the consumption The rod-shaped part of the product; and A heater configured to deliver heat from the side wall to the heating chamber, wherein: The width of the cavity is greater than the width of the rod-shaped portion, The consumable includes an elastic part surrounding the length axis of the rod-shaped part, The heating chamber further includes a plurality of inward protrusions extending from the side wall and distributed around the inner circumference of the heating chamber, and The protrusions are configured to engage with the elastic part and apply pressure thereto to position the consumable in the cavity. The aerosol generation system according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions are configured to be symmetrical with respect to the length axis to assist in positioning the consumable in the center of the chamber. The aerosol generation system according to claim 1, wherein the first end of the heating chamber is open to receive the rod-shaped portion, and the second end of the heating chamber is closed. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein when the elastic part is compressed by a force of 0.4 N perpendicular to the length axis of the rod shape, the consumable exhibits a strain rate of less than 10%. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein when the elastic part is compressed by a force of 8 N perpendicular to the length axis of the rod shape, the consumable exhibits a strain rate of less than 15%. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein when the elastic part is compressed by a force of 0.4 N perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rod shape, the consumable exhibits a strain rate between 1% and 8% . The aerosol generation system according to claim 1, wherein the rod-shaped portion includes a wrapper surrounding the substrate, and the elastic portion includes a part of the wrapper. The aerosol generation system according to claim 7, wherein the wrapper comprises cellulose paper or cellulose paper with an aluminum foil layer. The aerosol generation system according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes tobacco. The aerosol generation system according to claim 9, wherein the substrate comprises randomly oriented tobacco shreds containing tobacco powder and an aerosol forming agent. The aerosol generation system according to claim 10, wherein the tobacco shreds have a matrix density between ^{0.3 mg/mm 3} and 0.6 mg/mm ^3. The aerosol generating system according to claim 10, wherein, based on the total weight of the substrate, the substrate includes tobacco leaves between 60 wt.% and 85 wt. %, and between 8 wt.% and 20 wt. % Between the aerosol forming agent and between 5 wt.% and 15 wt.% filler. The aerosol generation system according to claim 9, wherein the substrate is a compressed tobacco substrate with a soft granular texture, or a mousse. The aerosol generation system according to claim 9, wherein the heater is configured to heat the inside of the heating chamber to at least 190°C. The aerosol generation system according to claim 14, wherein the heater is configured to heat the inside of the heating chamber to between 230°C and 260°C. The aerosol generation system according to claim 14, wherein the heater is configured to maintain the interior of the heating chamber at at least 190°C for a predetermined suction sequence time. The aerosol generation system according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions are ribs, and the ribs are along the side wall and parallel to the rod-shaped part when the rod-shaped part is received in the heating chamber. The length axis extends. The aerosol generation system according to claim 17, wherein the substrate is arranged in a predetermined section of the rod-shaped portion extending along the length axis, and the length of the ribs is equal to that of the predetermined section. At least 50%. The aerosol generation system according to claim 18, wherein the length of the ribs is between 60% and 70% of the length of the predetermined section.

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