Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
  • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
  • A24F40/40—Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
  • A24F40/46—Shape or structure of electric heating means
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
  • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
  • A24F40/20—Devices using solid inhalable precursors
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
  • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
  • A24F40/40—Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
  • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
  • A24F40/40—Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
  • A24F40/42—Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
  • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
  • A24F40/70—Manufacture

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to an aerosol generation device having a thermal bridge.
• the thermal bridge may dissipate heat from a heating chamber of the aerosol generation device to a casing of the aerosol generation device or to the exterior of the aerosol generation device.
• the disclosure is particularly, but not exclusively, applicable to a portable aerosol generation device, which may be self-contained and operate at low temperatures.
• Such devices may be configured to heat but not burn tobacco or other suitable aerosolisable material by conduction, convection, and/or radiation, to generate an aerosol for inhalation.
• reduced-risk or modified-risk devices also known as vapourisers
• vapourisers have grown rapidly in the past few years as an aid to assist habitual smokers wishing to quit smoking traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, and rolling tobacco.
• Various devices and systems are available that heat or warm aerosolisable substances as opposed to burning tobacco in conventional tobacco products.
• the aerosol produced by heating the tobacco or other aersolisable material does not typically comprise the burnt or bitter taste resulting from combustion and burning that can be unpleasant for the user and so the substrate does not therefore require the sugars and other additives that are typically added to such materials to make the smoke and/or vapour more palatable for the user.
• the aerosol generation device In order to minimise the time between the user first activating the device and the user being able to draw the desired aerosol from the aerosol substrate, it is desirable to heat the aerosol substrate as rapidly as possible to a temperature at which the aerosol may be released. This involves the use of a powerful heater, which inevitably causes the aerosol generation device as a whole to become hot. Moreover, the user may typically use the aerosol generation device over a fairly prolonged period, exacerbating problems associated with heating the overall aerosol generation device. If the aerosol generation device becomes too hot, it may become uncomfortable for the user to hold it in their hand. Worse, if there is any a risk that the user may be injured by the heat, the aerosol generation device would become completely unsuitable for consumer use.
• Aerosol generation devices include insulation intended to reduce the transfer of heat from the heating chamber to the outside of the aerosol generation device, with varying degrees of effectiveness.
• aerosol generation devices have an opening or aperture through which the aerosol substrate is inserted into the heating chamber, and heat generated during the heating of the aerosol substrate is inclined to escape out of this opening by radiation, convection and/or conduction. This is hard to mitigate and can be particularly problematic in aerosol generation devices used by the user bringing their mouth and lips into close proximity with the opening during use, e.g. to draw the aerosol from the device.
• the thermal bridge may provide a way to conduct heat away from the heating chamber and around the casing, so it may be dispersed to the surroundings. Effectively, the thermal bridge may act as a heat sink. However, by conducting heat to the casing, the ability of the aerosol generation device to dissipate the heat may be further improved.
• the thermal bridge at least partly defines the aperture.
• the thermal bridge is arranged at least partly between the heating chamber and the aperture.
• the thermal bridge comprises a heat dissipation surface facing outward from the aerosol generation device
• the thermal bridge comprises a heat dissipation surface facing a heat dissipating wall of the casing.
• the heat dissipation surface is in direct contact with the heat dissipating wall of the casing.
• the thermal bridge is in contact with the heating chamber, e.g. direct contact.
• the thermal bridge comprises a first material and the casing comprises a second material, the first material having a higher thermal conductivity than the second material.
• the thermal bridge and the casing comprise the same material.
• the thermal bridge may comprise metal, and preferably is essentially made of metal. More specifically, the thermal bridge may comprise aluminium, and more preferably is essentially made of aluminium.
• the chassis is externally ribbed or the casing is internally ribbed.
• the chassis is essentially made of plastic and the thermal bridge is essentially made of metal, preferably aluminium.
• the casing covers the chassis.
• the casing comprises metal, and preferably is essentially made of metal.
• the thermal bridge comprises a/the first material and the aerosol generation device has an outer trim at least partially defining the aperture, the outer trim comprising a third material, the third material having a lower thermal conductivity than the first material.
• the heating chamber has a flange and the thermal bridge is located against a surface of the flange.
• the thermal bridge is located against a surface of the flange of the heating chamber opposite to a surface of the flange at which the mounting element is located.
• the spacing component comprises a heat resistant polymer material, preferably polyether ether ketone, PEEK.
• the term“aerosol” shall mean a system of particles dispersed in the air or in a gas, such as mist, fog, or smoke. Accordingly the term“aerosolise” (or “aerosolize”) means to make into an aerosol and/or to disperse as an aerosol. Note that the meaning of aerosol/aerosolise is consistent with each of volatilise, atomise and vaporise as defined above. For the avoidance of doubt, aerosol is used to consistently describe mists or droplets comprising atomised, volatilised or vaporised particles. Aerosol also includes mists or droplets comprising any combination of atomised, volatilised or vaporised particles.
• Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an aerosol generation device according to a first embodiment, with a closure in a closed position.
• Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of the aerosol generation device according to the first embodiment, with an aerosol substrate carrier inserted.
• Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of the aerosol generation device according to the first embodiment, with the casing and part of a chassis removed.
• Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of the aerosol generation device according to the first embodiment, with the casing and another part of the chassis removed.
• Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of an aerosol generation device according to a second embodiment, with a casing removed.
• Figure 9 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of a part of the aerosol generation device according to the second embodiment, in the region of an aperture.
• an aerosol generation device 100 comprises a casing 110 housing various components of the aerosol generation device 100.
• An aperture 103 is provided through which an aerosol substrate can be inserted into a heating chamber 102.
• the aerosol substrate is provided in a substrate carrier 104.
• the substrate carrier 104 is generally elongate, and the aerosol substrate is located towards or at a first end of the substrate carrier 104.
• the substrate carrier 104 provides a conduit, e.g. in the form of a tube of cardboard or plastics material, optionally with a filter provided along its length, e.g. at the second end of the substrate carrier 104.
• the consumable item has aerosol former containing nicotine and other flavourings.
• the consumable item typically contains other solid porous matter to absorb the aerosol former liquid, for example a mousse formed with a gelling agent and a suitable binder which may or may not contain tobacco.
• the chassis 107 comprises a plastics material and the casing 1 10 comprises a metal.
• the chassis 107 being plastics material means it can be easily and cheaply formed by moulding. Plastics materials also tend to have much lower thermal conductivity than metals, meaning that the chassis 107 is generally more thermally insulating than the casing 110.
• the casing 110 being metal allows the outer casing 1 10 to be pleasant for a user to hold. It can also be anodised, treated or coated, e.g. by powder coating, to have an attractive appearance and to resist scratches, wear, tarnishing or other deterioration.
• the casing 1 10 does not extend over the entirety of the first end 1 13 of the aerosol generation device 100, where the aperture 103 and the closure 109 are provided. Rather, the aerosol generation device 100 has a trim 1 11 at the first end 113.
• the trim 11 1 extends at least partially, and in the illustrated embodiment entirely, around the aperture 103. In other words, the trim 1 11 at least partly defines the aperture 103. It also extends under the closure 109, that is between the closure 109 and the rest of the aerosol generation device 100.
• the trim 1 11 comprises a plastics material, e.g. the same material as the chassis 107. It is retained between the left part 107a and the right part 107b of the chassis 107.
• the trim 1 11 is the part of the aerosol generation device 100 that is in closest proximity to the mouth of the user during use.
• the heating chamber 102 is mounted within the insulation 121. As can be seen most clearly in Figure 7, the heating chamber 102 has a flange 116 protruding outwardly at the open end 114.
• the flange 1 16 is annular, e.g. it extends all the way around the open end 1 14 of the heating chamber 102.
• the flange 116 extends radially outward from a side wall of the heating chamber 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the flange 1 16 extends perpendicularly to the side wall, e.g. in a plane having a central axis of the heating chamber 102 as a normal to it.
• the mounting element 108 extends from between the heating chamber 102 and the insulation 121 , around an end of the insulation 121 proximate to the open end 114 of the heating chamber 102 to an outer surface of the insulation 121.
• the mounting element 108 cooperates with the chassis 107 and the outer surface of the insulation 121 to secure the insulation 121 and the heating chamber 102 in position in the aerosol generation device 100.
• An additional mounting element (not shown) is provided at an end of the insulation
• the thermal bridge 119 comprises an aperture part 118 and a casing part 120.
• the aperture part 1 18 of the thermal bridge 119 is located proximate to the aperture 103 and the casing part 120 is located between a portion of the length of the insulation 121 and the casing 1 10.
• the aperture part 1 18 of the thermal bridge 1 19 at least partly defines the aperture 103, in particular an internal part of the aperture 103, of the aerosol generation device 100.
• the aperture part 1 18 of the thermal bridge 1 19 extends all the way around the aperture 103 in this embodiment, although in other embodiments it extends only part of the way around the aperture 103.
• a spacer 220 extends between the thermal bridge 219 and the flange 116 of the heating chamber 102.
• the spacer 220 has a hole through it of similar dimensions to that of the thermal bridge 219, and the two holes are aligned so that they together further define the aperture 103.
• the spacer 220 is generally tubular.
• the spacer 220 comprises PEEK. PEEK is useful as it inhibits or restricts transfer of heat from the flange 116 of the heating chamber 102 to the thermal bridge 219 by conduction.
• the thermal bridge 219 comprises metal, in this embodiment aluminium.
• the thermal bridge 219 may alternatively comprise an alloy of aluminium. Other materials may also be used, such as copper, iron, steel or any alloy thereof.
• the thermal bridge 219 of the second embodiment again seeks to allow heat escaping from the heating chamber 102 at the open end 114 to move away from the aperture 103 of the aerosol generation device 100. This is achieved by the thermal bridge 219 conducting heat away from the periphery of the aperture 103 towards the casing 1 10. Specifically, the thermal bridge 219 extends over the first end 1 13 of the aerosol generation device, around the aperture 103. It also extends under the closure

Landscapes

• Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
• Resistance Heating (AREA)
• Thermotherapy And Cooling Therapy Devices (AREA)

Priority Applications (14)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=66429208

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (15)

Cited By (7)

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Citations (3)

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• 2020
  • 2020-04-30 US US17/601,777 patent/US20220202088A1/en active Pending
  • 2020-04-30 WO PCT/EP2020/062054 patent/WO2020225098A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2020-04-30 CN CN202080031813.0A patent/CN113747808A/zh active Pending
  • 2020-04-30 EP EP23155074.0A patent/EP4197377A1/en active Pending
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  • 2020-04-30 PH PH1/2021/552673A patent/PH12021552673A1/en unknown
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