WO2023188330A1

WO2023188330A1 - Atomization unit, inhalation device and method for manufacturing atomization unit

Info

Publication number: WO2023188330A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/016694
Authority: WO
Inventors: 光史松本; 毅長谷川; 貴久工藤
Original assignee: 日本たばこ産業株式会社
Priority date: 2022-03-31
Filing date: 2022-03-31
Publication date: 2023-10-05

Abstract

Provided is a technique by which deterioration of a load in an inhalation device can be inhibited. An atomization unit equipped with: a liquid housing part configured to house an aerosol-producing solution containing nicotine therein; and an electrical load into which the aerosol-producing liquid in the liquid housing part is introduced, and by which the introduced aerosol-producing liquid is atomized to generate an aerosol. A flavoring bag, which comprises a bag and a flavoring composition housed in the bag, is placed in the liquid housing part.

Description

Atomization unit, suction tool, and manufacturing method of atomization unit

The present invention relates to an atomization unit, a suction tool, and a method for manufacturing an atomization unit.

Conventionally, non-combustion heating type suction tools include a liquid storage section that stores a predetermined liquid, and an electrical load that introduces the liquid into the liquid storage section and atomizes the introduced liquid to generate an aerosol. There is known a suction tool that includes an atomizing unit having the following, and tobacco leaf powder is dispersed in the liquid in the liquid storage portion (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Note that other prior art documents include Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3, and Non-Patent Document 1. Patent Document 2 discloses a basic configuration of a non-combustion heating type suction tool. Patent Document 3 discloses information regarding tobacco leaf extract. Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to nicotine.

International Publication No. 2019/211332 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-141705 International Publication No. 2015/129679

In the case of a conventional suction tool as exemplified in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that tobacco leaves dispersed within the liquid in the liquid storage section may adhere to the electrical load of the suction tool. In this case, the load on the suction tool may deteriorate. In this respect, the conventional technology has room for improvement.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and one of its objects is to provide a technique that can suppress deterioration of the load on a suction tool.

(Aspect 1)
In order to achieve the above object, an atomization unit according to one aspect of the present invention includes a liquid storage section configured to accommodate an aerosol generation liquid containing nicotine, and a liquid storage section into which the aerosol generation liquid is introduced. and an electrical load for atomizing the introduced aerosol-generating liquid to generate an aerosol, and a bag and a flavor composition contained in the bag are contained inside the liquid storage part. The flavor composition includes a non-tobacco base material and a flavor material, and the flavor material contains a tobacco material and the content of the tobacco material in the flavor composition is 10% by weight or less. Bags are placed. The atomization unit according to one aspect of the present invention is used in a suction tool.

According to this aspect, since the flavor bag containing the flavor composition is placed in the liquid storage section, the flavor composition and the electrical load of the atomization unit are physically separated by the bag, and the flavor composition is physically separated from the electrical load of the atomization unit. It is possible to prevent the composition from adhering to the load of the atomization unit. Thereby, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the load on the atomization unit.

(Aspect 2)
In embodiment 1, the bag may be made of at least one of vegetable fiber, animal fiber, chemical fiber, and inorganic fiber.

According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a flavor bag using a bag that takes advantage of the characteristics of fibers such as flexibility and processability.

(Aspect 3)
In embodiment 1 or 2, the bag may be formed of paper.

According to this aspect, flavor bags can be manufactured efficiently and at low cost. Paper is easy to process, such as folding, and the flavor composition can be easily contained in the bag.

(Aspect 4)
In aspect 3, the paper may include at least one of nonwoven fabric, plain paper, waterproof paper, and oilproof paper.

According to this aspect, flavor bags can be manufactured efficiently and at low cost.

(Aspect 5)
In any of aspects 1 to 4, the flavor composition may be in the form of granules, powders, or granules.

According to this aspect, since the surface area of the flavor composition becomes relatively large, the flavor components contained in the flavor composition can be efficiently extracted into the solvent in the liquid storage section.

(Aspect 6)
In any one of aspects 1 to 5, the liquid storage portion may contain the nicotine-containing liquid that comes into contact with the flavor composition contained in the flavor bag.

According to this aspect, the flavor can be adjusted by atomizing the components contained in the flavor composition via the liquid. Furthermore, when a suction device is provided that contains an aerosol-generating liquid in advance, the user does not need to introduce the aerosol-generating liquid into the suction device himself.

(Aspect 7)
Further, in order to achieve the above object, a suction tool according to one aspect of the present invention includes the atomization unit according to any one of aspects 1 to 6 above, and a power source configured to supply power to the atomization unit. It has a unit.

According to this aspect, since the flavor bag containing the flavor composition is placed in the liquid storage part, the flavor composition and the electrical load of the suction tool are physically separated by the bag, and the flavor composition is It is possible to prevent objects from adhering to the load of the suction tool. Thereby, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the load on the suction tool.

(Aspect 8)
In addition, in order to achieve the above object, a method for manufacturing an atomization unit according to one aspect of the present invention includes a manufacturing process of storing a flavor composition in a bag to manufacture a flavor bag, and a process of manufacturing a flavor bag by accommodating a flavor composition in a bag; The method includes an assembling step of arranging a flavor bag in a liquid storage section, and a storage step of accommodating an aerosol-generating liquid containing nicotine in the liquid storage section.

(Aspect 9)
In aspect 8, the aerosol generation liquid may include a liquid containing one or more substances selected from the group consisting of glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and water.

According to this aspect, the substance serves as a suitable solvent for the flavor component, so the flavor can be efficiently adjusted. Furthermore, if a suction tool is provided that contains liquid in advance, the user does not need to introduce the liquid into the suction tool himself.

According to this aspect, by arranging the flavor bag in the liquid storage section, the aerosol-generating liquid added to the flavor composition is supplied to the liquid stored in the liquid storage section, and the flavor when the liquid is atomized is improved. Can be adjusted.

(Aspect 10)
In aspect 8 or 9, the accommodation step may include directly supplying the aerosol-generating liquid containing nicotine to the liquid storage section.

According to this aspect, it is possible to easily adjust the amount of aerosol-generating liquid stored in the liquid storage section.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the atomization unit of the suction tool according to Embodiment 1. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section taken along the line A1-A1 in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a flavor bag according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for explaining a manufacturing method according to a second embodiment. FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of a suction tool according to Embodiment 3.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, a suction tool 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings of the present application are schematically illustrated to facilitate understanding of the features of the embodiments, and the dimensional ratios of each component are not necessarily the same as the actual ones. Further, in the drawings of the present application, XYZ orthogonal coordinates are illustrated as necessary.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the atomization unit 12 of the suction tool 10 of FIG. 5. Specifically, FIG. 1 schematically shows a cross section of the main part of the atomization unit 12 taken along a plane including the central axis CL. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section taken along the line A1-A1 in FIG. 1 (that is, a cross section cut along a plane normal to the central axis CL). The atomization unit 12 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The atomization unit 12 includes a plurality of walls (walls 70a to 70g) extending in the longitudinal direction (direction of the central axis CL), and a plurality of walls (walls 71a to 70g) extending in the width direction. ~ wall portion 71c). Further, the atomization unit 12 includes an air passage 20, a wick 30, an electrical load 40, a liquid storage section 50, and a flavor bag 60.

The air passage 20 is a passage through which air passes when the user suctions air (that is, when suctioning an aerosol). The air passage 20 according to this embodiment includes an upstream passage section, a load passage section 22, and a downstream passage section 23. As an example, the upstream passage section according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of upstream passage sections, specifically, an upstream passage section 21a ("first upstream passage section") and an upstream passage section 21b. ("second upstream passage section").

The

upstream passage portions

21a and 21b are arranged upstream of the load passage portion 22 (upstream in the air flow direction). The downstream ends of the

upstream passage sections

21a and 21b communicate with the load passage section 22. The load passage section 22 is a passage section in which a load 40 is disposed. The downstream passage section 23 is a passage section disposed downstream of the load passage section 22 (downstream side in the air flow direction). An upstream end of the downstream passage section 23 communicates with the load passage section 22 . Further, the downstream end of the downstream passage section 23 communicates with the discharge port 13 described above. The air that has passed through the downstream passage section 23 is discharged from the discharge port 13.

Specifically, the upstream passage section 21a according to the present embodiment is provided in an area surrounded by a wall 70a, a wall 70b, a wall 70e, a wall 70f, a wall 71a, and a wall 71b. There is. Further, the upstream passage portion 21b is provided in an area surrounded by the wall portion 70c, the wall portion 70d, the wall portion 70e, the wall portion 70f, the wall portion 71a, and the wall portion 71b. The load passage section 22 is provided in an area surrounded by a wall 70a, a wall 70d, a wall 70e, a wall 70f, a wall 71b, and a wall 71c. The downstream passage section 23 is provided in an area surrounded by the cylindrical wall section 70g.

A hole 72a and a hole 72b are provided in the wall portion 71a. Air flows into the upstream passage section 21a through the hole 72a, and flows into the upstream passage section 21b through the hole 72b. Further, the wall portion 71b is provided with a hole 72c and a hole 72d. Air that has passed through the upstream passage section 21a flows into the load passage section 22 through the hole 72c, and air that has passed through the upstream passage section 21b flows into the load passage section 22 through the hole 72d.

In this embodiment, the direction of air flow in the

upstream passages

21a and 21b is opposite to the direction of air flow in the downstream passage 23. Specifically, in this embodiment, the direction of air flow in the

upstream passage sections

21a and 21b is the -Z direction, and the direction of air flow in the downstream passage section 23 is the Z direction.

Further, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the upstream passage section 21a and the upstream passage section 21b according to the present embodiment sandwich the liquid storage section 50 between the upstream passage section 21a and the upstream passage section 21b. As such, it is arranged adjacent to the liquid storage section 50.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the upstream passage section 21a according to the present embodiment has one side with the liquid storage section 50 in between, in a cross-sectional view taken along a section normal to the central axis CL. side (-X direction side). On the other hand, the upstream passage section 21b is arranged on the other side (the side in the X direction) with the liquid storage section 50 in between in this cross-sectional view. In other words, the upstream passage section 21a is arranged on one side of the liquid storage section 50 in the width direction of the suction tool 10, and the upstream passage section 21b is arranged on one side of the liquid storage section 50 in the width direction of the suction tool 10. placed on the other side.

The wick 30 is a member for introducing the aerosol generating liquid in the liquid storage section 50 into the load 40 in the load passage section 22. Although the specific configuration of the wick 30 is not particularly limited as long as it has such a function, the wick 30 according to the present embodiment utilizes capillary phenomenon to connect the liquid storage part. 50 aerosol generating liquids are introduced into the load 40. Note that the cross section of the flavor bag 60 in FIG. 2 is a general shape, and please refer to FIG. 3 described later for details.

The load 40 is an electrical load into which the aerosol generation liquid in the liquid storage section 50 is introduced and which atomizes the introduced aerosol generation liquid to generate an aerosol. The specific configuration of the load 40 is not particularly limited, and for example, a heating element such as a heater or an element such as an ultrasonic generator may be used. In this embodiment, a heater is used as an example of the load 40. As this heater, a heating resistor (that is, a heating wire), a ceramic heater, a dielectric heater, or the like can be used. In this embodiment, a heating resistor is used as an example of this heater. Moreover, in this embodiment, the heater as the load 40 has a coil shape. That is, the load 40 according to this embodiment is a so-called coil heater. This coil heater is wound around the wick 30.

Further, the load 40 according to the present embodiment is arranged in the wick 30 inside the load passage section 22, for example. The load 40 is electrically connected to the power source and control device of the power supply unit 11 described above, and generates heat when electricity from the power source is supplied to the load 40 (that is, generates heat when energized). Further, the operation of the load 40 is controlled by a control device. The load 40 heats and atomizes the aerosol-generating liquid in the liquid storage section 50 introduced into the load 40 via the wick 30 to generate an aerosol.

Note that the configurations of the wick 30 and the load 40 are similar to those used in known suction tools such as those exemplified in Patent Document 2, so any further detailed explanation will be omitted.

The liquid storage section 50 is a part for storing an aerosol generating liquid (Le) containing nicotine. The liquid storage section 50 according to the present embodiment is provided in an area surrounded by a wall 70b, a wall 70c, a wall 70e, a wall 70f, a wall 71a, and a wall 71b. Further, in this embodiment, the aforementioned downstream passage section 23 is provided so as to penetrate the liquid storage section 50 in the direction of the central axis CL. The user may be provided with the aerosol generation liquid stored in the liquid storage section 50, or the user may be provided with the aerosol generation liquid stored in the liquid storage section 50, so that the user can enjoy nicotine. It is also possible to use a structure in which a liquid containing liquid is introduced and used.

[Aerosol generation liquid]
The aerosol generation liquid Le stored in the liquid storage section 50 is not particularly limited as long as it contains nicotine. The form of nicotine contained in the aerosol generation liquid Le is not particularly limited, and examples include one or more types of nicotine selected from synthetic nicotine and natural nicotine. Note that these synthetic nicotine and natural nicotine may exist as nicotine or as nicotine-containing compounds such as nicotine salts.

The form of the aerosol generation liquid Le is not particularly limited, and for example, one in which a predetermined solvent contains one or more types of nicotine selected from synthetic nicotine and natural nicotine can be used.
The specific type of the predetermined solvent is not particularly limited, but for example, one or more types selected from the group consisting of glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and water. A liquid containing a substance can be used. In this embodiment, glycerin and/or propylene glycol is used as an example of the predetermined solvent.

When using natural nicotine as the nicotine contained in the aerosol generation liquid Le, specifically, natural nicotine extracted and purified from tobacco leaves can be used. For such a method for producing natural nicotine, a known technique such as that exemplified in Non-Patent Document 1 can be applied, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

In addition, when using natural nicotine as the nicotine contained in the aerosol generation liquid Le, by purifying the extract of tobacco materials such as tobacco leaves and removing as much as possible components other than natural nicotine from the extract of tobacco materials, The purity of natural nicotine may be increased, and natural nicotine with increased purity may be used. To give a specific numerical example, the purity of the natural nicotine contained in the predetermined solvent of the aerosol generation liquid Le may be 99.9% by weight or more (that is, in this case, the purity of the natural nicotine contained in the natural nicotine ( (components other than natural nicotine) are less than 0.1% by weight). Furthermore, in this specification, components obtained by extracting tobacco materials are referred to as tobacco extract components (containing at least nicotine).

On the other hand, when synthetic nicotine is used as the nicotine contained in the aerosol generation liquid Le, nicotine produced by chemical synthesis using a chemical substance can be used as the synthetic nicotine. The purity of this synthetic nicotine may also be 99.9% by weight or more, similar to natural nicotine.

The method for producing synthetic nicotine is not particularly limited, and any known production method can be used.

The type of nicotine-containing compound is not particularly limited, and examples include nicotine pyruvate, nicotine citrate, nicotine lactate, nicotine salicylate, nicotine fumarate, nicotine levulinate, nicotine benzoate, or nicotine tartrate. When a nicotine-containing compound such as a nicotine salt is synthesized, the production method is not particularly limited, and any known production method can be used.

Tobacco extract components are generally substances contained in tobacco plants, and examples of substances other than nicotine include neophytadiene, solanone, or solanesol, and these components other than nicotine are not included even if they are contained. It does not have to be a fragrance, but if it is contained, it can function as a fragrance. Note that there are two types of nicotine: (S)-nicotine and (R)-nicotine, and most naturally occurring nicotine is usually in the S form, with the R form accounting for less than 1 mol%. On the other hand, in synthetic nicotine, the ratio of S-form and R-form is usually close to 1:1, although it depends on the synthesis method and purification method. Therefore, the amount of R-isomer relative to the total amount of nicotine in the oral composition is 5 mol% or more (may be 1 mol% or more, 10 mol% or more, or 40 to 60 mol%). For example, it can be assumed that the nicotine in the oral composition is synthetic nicotine.
The target to be extracted may be, for example, tissues of tobacco plants themselves such as leaves, stems, flowers, roots, reproductive organs, or embryos, or processed products using these tobacco plant tissues (for example, known Tobacco powder, shredded tobacco, tobacco sheets, tobacco granules, etc. used in tobacco products) may be used, but from the viewpoint of ensuring a sufficient amount of use and avoiding the inclusion of unnecessary ingredients, tobacco leaves may be used. It is preferable. The embodiment using tobacco extract components obtained by extraction of tobacco materials can lower the raw material cost and manufacturing cost of the aerosol generation liquid Le compared to the embodiment using nicotine obtained by synthesis or the like.
The method of incorporating nicotine into the aerosol generation liquid Le is not particularly limited, and examples include methods of dissolving nicotine-containing compounds such as nicotine or nicotine salts obtained by synthesis or extraction of tobacco materials in the aerosol generation liquid Le; Examples include a method in which nicotine or a nicotine-containing compound is dissolved in a solvent and then mixed with the aerosol generation liquid Le. In addition, when a substance that can also be used as an aerosol base material is used as a solvent for extracting tobacco materials, the tobacco extract can be used as it is as the aerosol generation liquid Le. Examples of such substances include, for example. , glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and water.
In this embodiment, by using the liquid aerosol generating liquid containing nicotine as described above as a nicotine supply source, a powdery tobacco material that can form a deposit as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used as a nicotine supply source. Deterioration of the load 40 of the atomization unit 11 that occurs when using the atomization unit 11 can be suppressed.

The nicotine content of Le in the aerosol generation liquid is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of enabling a sufficient supply of nicotine, it may be, for example, 0.1% by weight or more and 10% by weight or less, and 0.5% by weight. % or more and 7.5% by weight or less, and 1% or more and 5% by weight or less.
In the embodiment using the aerosol generation liquid Le containing tobacco extract components, the tobacco extract can be used as the source of the tobacco extract component, but in this case, the content of the tobacco extract in the aerosol generation liquid is not particularly limited. , from the viewpoint of enabling a sufficient supply of nicotine, may be, for example, 0.1% by weight or more and 10% by weight or less, 0.5% by weight or more and 7.5% by weight or less, 1 It may be more than 5% by weight and less than 5% by weight.

The predetermined solvent that can be included in the aerosol generation liquid is not particularly limited, and for example, an aerosol base material (a base material for generating an aerosol) can be used. The type of aerosol base material is not particularly limited, and for example, one or more substances selected from the group consisting of glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and water can be used.
The content of the aerosol base material in the aerosol generation liquid Le is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of achieving desired aerosol generation, it may be, for example, 40% by weight or more and 95% by weight or less, 50% by weight or more, It may be 90% by weight or less, and may be 60% by weight or more and 80% by weight or less.

The type of solvent used in the extraction to obtain the above tobacco extract component is not particularly limited as long as it can dissolve nicotine, and examples include glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and water. One or more substances selected from the group or a liquid containing this substance can be used. In this embodiment, glycerin and/or propylene glycol is used as an example of the predetermined solvent. In addition, if the solvent also acts as an aerosol base material, tobacco extract can be used as is as an aerosol generation liquid, but tobacco extract does not contain components that can cause charring when heated (for example, lipids, metal ions, sugars, proteins, etc.), it is preferable to remove substances that cause scorching using means such as vacuum distillation.
Note that the tobacco extract contains flavor components in the tobacco material other than nicotine, and specific examples thereof include neophytadiene and the like.

The aerosol generation liquid Le may contain components other than nicotine and the aerosol base material (other components), such as flavor components other than nicotine (including the above-mentioned tobacco extract components other than nicotine).
Flavor components other than nicotine and flavor components derived from tobacco materials include, for example, menthol, natural vegetable flavorings (for example, cognac oil, orange oil, jasmine oil, spearmint oil, peppermint oil, anise oil, coriander oil, lemon oil, chamomile oil, labdanum, vetiver oil, rose oil, lovage oil), esters (e.g. menthyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, butyl butyrate, methyl salicylate, etc.), ketones (e.g. menthone, ionone, ethyl maltol, etc.), alcohols (e.g., phenylethyl alcohol, anethole, cis-6-nonen-1-ol, eucalyptol, etc.), aldehydes (e.g., benzaldehyde, etc.), lactones (e.g., ω-pentadeca lactone, etc.), neophytadiene, solanone, or solanesol.

[Flavor bag]
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the flavor bag 60. Although FIGS. 1 and 2 show the flavor bag 60 having a generally cylindrical shape, as shown in FIG. 3, the flavor bag 60 includes a bag 62, a flavor composition 64 housed in the bag 62, has. As shown in FIG. 1, two flavor bags 60 according to this embodiment are arranged inside the aerosol generation liquid of the liquid storage section 50. However, the number of flavor bags 60 is not limited to this, and may be one, or three or more.

The material of the bag 62 is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that allows liquid to pass through while preventing the flavor composition 64 from leaking to the outside. For example, the bag 62 may be formed of at least one of vegetable fiber, animal fiber, chemical fiber, and inorganic fiber. By containing these fibers in the bag 62, it is possible to provide a flavor bag 60 that takes advantage of the characteristics of the fibers, such as flexibility and processability. As the chemical fiber or inorganic fiber, for example, glass fiber, ceramic fiber, or synthetic resin fiber can be used for the bag 62. Bag 62 is preferably formed of paper. Here, paper refers to paper manufactured by adhering plant and other fibers together, and also includes synthetic paper manufactured using synthetic polymers and paper blended with fibrous inorganic materials. The paper used for the bag 62 can include at least one of nonwoven fabric, plain paper, water-resistant paper treated with water resistance, and oil-proof paper treated with oil resistance. These papers have excellent flexibility and processability, and are easy to procure at low cost. Here, the bag includes an embodiment in which the raw material input port is sealed with glue or the like (three-sided or four-sided sealed) to prevent the flavor composition 64 from leaking out after putting the flavor composition 64 therein.

In the following embodiments, "nonwoven fabric" refers to fabric processed into a cloth without woven fibers. A nonwoven fabric is, for example, a fabric formed by adhering or intertwining fibers by thermal, mechanical, or chemical action.

In the following embodiments, "plain paper" is paper whose main component is pulp. Plain paper is made from wood pulps such as softwood pulp or hardwood pulp, as well as non-wood pulps commonly used in wrapping paper for tobacco products, such as flax pulp, hemp pulp, sisal pulp or esparto. It may also be obtained by manufacturing. Plain paper shall be manufactured using chemical pulp, ground pulp, chemical ground pulp, thermomechanical pulp, etc. obtained by kraft cooking method, acidic/neutral/alkaline sulfite cooking method, soda salt cooking method, etc. as raw materials. Can be done. As the plain paper, wrapping paper used in cigarettes or paper used in tipping paper may be used.

The method for producing plain paper is not particularly limited, and for example, known methods can be used. Plain paper can be produced by using the above-mentioned pulp to prepare and homogenize the texture during the papermaking process, which is carried out using a fourdrinier paper machine, a circular mesh paper machine, a circle-contact composite paper machine, or the like. If necessary, a wet paper strength enhancer can be added to impart water resistance to the plain paper, and a sizing agent can be added to adjust the printing quality of the plain paper. Furthermore, when manufacturing plain paper, internal additives for papermaking such as sulfuric acid, various anionic, cationic, nonionic, or amphoteric retention improvers, freeness improvers, or paper strength enhancers are used. Alternatively, papermaking additives such as dyes, pH adjusters, defoamers, pitch control agents, or slime control agents can be added. The basis weight of the base paper is, for example, usually 20 gsm (Grams per Square Meter) or more, preferably 25 gsm or more. On the other hand, the basis weight is usually 65 gsm or less, preferably 50 gsm or less, and more preferably 45 gsm or less.

When the bag 62 is made of paper, the flavor bag 60 can be manufactured efficiently and at low cost. Paper is easy to process, such as folding, and the flavor composition 64 can be easily accommodated in the bag 62. In the following embodiment, an example in which the bag 62 is made of nonwoven fabric will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bag 62 of the flavor bag 60 is closed to prevent the flavor composition 64 from leaking. Specifically, the bag 62 has a first end 65a and a second end 65b that are closed to prevent the flavor composition 64 from leaking. The second end 65b is an end opposite to the first end 65a. The bag 62 further includes an adhesive section 66 that adheres the ends of the bag material extending between the first end 65a and the second end 65b. The shape of the flavor bag 60 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 3, as long as it is closed so that the flavor composition 64 does not leak. For example, the shape of the flavor bag 60 may be a rod shape (that is, a shape where the length is longer than the width) extending in a predetermined direction, or a cubic shape (a shape with sides of the same length). , or other shapes.

The shape of the flavor composition 64 is not particularly limited, but is preferably granular, powdery, or granular. In this case, since the surface area of the flavor composition 64 becomes relatively large, the flavor components contained in the flavor composition 64 can be efficiently extracted into the solvent in the liquid storage section 50.

The flavor composition 64 of this embodiment will be specifically explained. The flavor composition 64 includes a non-tobacco base material and a flavor material, the flavor material includes a tobacco material, and the content of the tobacco material in the flavor composition is 10% by weight or less.
The type of material for the non-tobacco base material is not particularly limited as long as it is derived from tobacco materials (specifically, tobacco plants), such as ceramics, synthetic polymers, pulp derived from plants other than tobacco plants, etc. It may be. Examples of the ceramic include alumina, zirconia, aluminum nitride, and silicon carbide. Examples of the synthetic polymer include polyolefin resin, polyester, polycarbonate, PAN, and EVOH. Examples of plants other than tobacco plants include softwood pulp, hardwood pulp, cotton, fruit pulp, and tea leaves. Furthermore, when a synthetic polymer is used as the non-tobacco base material, an ion exchange resin on which nicotine is supported, such as nicotine pracrylex, may be used.
The content of the non-tobacco base material in the flavor composition 64 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 10% by weight or more and 99% by weight or less, 30% by weight or more and 90% by weight or less, 50% by weight or more and 99% by weight or less, It may be more than 80% by weight and less than 80% by weight.

The form of the flavor material contained in the flavor composition 64 is not particularly limited, and for example, it may be the flavor component itself, or it may be a material that imparts a flavor component ("flavor component imparting material"), and may be a flavor component. Examples of component-imparting materials include tobacco materials that provide nicotine. For example, when a tobacco material is used as a flavoring material, it is possible to impart flavor with tobacco components such as nicotine as a spice. In this specification, when the flavor composition 64 includes a flavor component imparting material, the flavor component imparting material is treated as a flavor material, not the flavor component contained in the flavor component imparting material. For example, when flavor composition 64 includes tobacco material, the flavor material is the tobacco material rather than the nicotine contained in the tobacco material.
The flavoring material may include tobacco material, but the form of the tobacco material is not particularly limited, and may include, for example, tobacco plant leaves, stems, flowers, roots, reproductive organs, or tissues themselves such as embryos; , processed products using tissues of these tobacco plants (for example, tobacco powder, shredded tobacco, or tobacco sheets obtained by pressing, tableting, or extruding tobacco powder used in known tobacco products; Although tobacco tablets, tobacco granules, etc.) may be included, tobacco leaves or processed products using tobacco leaves are preferred from the viewpoint of ensuring a sufficient amount of use and ease of processing. Further, the tobacco material may be tobacco residue obtained after extracting these materials, or may be a combination of unextracted tobacco material and tobacco residue, or may be used as a mixed mixture. The tobacco material included in the flavor composition 64 plays the role of a spice in terms of aroma and taste. As used herein, "the flavor material contains tobacco material" does not mean that the flavor material contains tobacco material, but rather that tobacco material is included as one of the types of flavor material. , the expression "the flavoring material contains a tobacco material and the content of the tobacco material in the flavor composition is 10% by weight or less" means "the flavoring material contains at least a tobacco material and the content of the tobacco material in the flavor composition is 10% by weight or less". The content of the material is 10% by weight or less."
Flavor ingredients that serve as flavor materials are not particularly limited, and include, for example, nicotine, menthol, natural vegetable flavorings (e.g., cognac oil, orange oil, jasmine oil, spearmint oil, peppermint oil, anise oil, coriander oil, lemon oil, chamomile). oil, labdanum, vetiver oil, rose oil, lovage oil), esters (e.g. menthyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, butyl butyrate, methyl salicylate, etc.), ketones (e.g. menthone, ionone, ethyl maltol, etc.), alcohols (e.g., phenylethyl alcohol, anethole, cis-6-nonen-1-ol, eucalyptol, etc.), aldehydes (e.g., benzaldehyde, etc.), or lactones (e.g., ω-pentadeca), lactone, etc.).

The flavor component in the flavor material (the flavor component itself may be a flavor material) is eluted into the aerosol generating liquid stored in the liquid storage section 50, and is finally used as an aerosol generated by using the atomization unit. delivered to the person.

The method of applying the flavoring material to the non-tobacco base material is not particularly limited; for example, the flavoring material may be added by mixing it into the raw material of the non-tobacco base material during the production of the non-tobacco base material; The flavor material may be applied to the surface of the non-tobacco substrate by coating, spraying, etc., or a combination of these may be used.

The content of the flavor material in the flavor composition 64 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.1% by weight or more and 70% by weight or less, 1% by weight or more and 60% by weight or less, 3 It may be more than 50% by weight and less than 50% by weight.
In particular, the flavor composition 64 contains at least a tobacco material as a flavor material, but the content of the tobacco material in the flavor composition 64 is usually 1% by weight or more in order to fulfill its role as a flavor spice. The content is preferably 2% by weight or more, more preferably 3% by weight or more, and from the viewpoint of suppressing the amount of components contained in the tobacco material that may cause scorching of the load 40 due to heating. It is preferably at most 7% by weight, more preferably at most 5% by weight.

Flavor composition 64 may be particulate, powdered, or granular. According to this aspect, since the surface area of the flavor composition becomes relatively large, the flavor components contained in the flavor composition 64 can be efficiently extracted into the solvent in the liquid storage section.
When the flavor composition is in the form of particles, powder or granules, the size thereof is not particularly limited. For example, it is preferable that the components of the dried flavor composition satisfy the following classification conditions.
The dried flavor composition 64 is preferably one that has been classified using a sieve having the following mesh size. From the viewpoint of ease of handling during manufacturing and control of quality variations, products that pass through a sieve with a sieve opening of 15 mm (<15 mm) are usually passed through a sieve with a sieve opening of 10 mm (<10 mm). It is preferable that it passes through a sieve with a sieve opening of 5 mm (<5 mm), and it is more preferable that it passes through a sieve with a sieve opening of 3.2 mm (<3.2 mm). is even more preferable. For example, if all of the dried flavor composition passes through a sieve with a sieve mesh size of 3.2 mm, this indicates that the maximum dry particle size of the components of the flavor composition is 3.2 mm or less.
Although it is not necessary to set a lower limit on the particle size of the components of the flavor composition when dried, it is usually 3 μm or more from the viewpoint of preventing leakage from the bag.

Suction using the suction tool 10 is performed as follows. First, when the user starts suctioning air, the air passes through the

upstream passage sections

21 a and 21 b of the air passage 20 and flows into the load passage section 22 . Aerosol generated in the load 40 is added to the air that has flowed into the load passage section 22 . This aerosol contains flavor components contained in the aerosol generation liquid and flavor components eluted from the flavor bag 60 placed in the aerosol generation liquid. The air to which this aerosol has been added passes through the downstream passage section 23, is discharged from the discharge port 13, and is sucked into the user.

According to the suction device 10 according to the present embodiment as described above, the flavor component contained in the flavor bag 60 can be added to the aerosol generated by the load 40 in addition to the nicotine contained in the aerosol generation liquid. . This allows you to fully enjoy the flavor.

Further, according to the suction tool 10 according to the present embodiment, since the flavor bag 60 containing the flavor composition 64 is placed in the liquid storage section 50, the flavor composition 64 and the atomization unit 12 are electrically connected. The bag 62 physically separates the flavor composition 64 from the load 40 of the atomization unit 12, thereby suppressing the flavor composition 64 from adhering to the load 40 of the atomization unit 12. Thereby, deterioration of the load 40 of the atomization unit 12 can be suppressed.

Furthermore, the amount (mg) of the carbonized component contained in 1 g of the aerosol generation liquid with the flavor bag 60 placed therein is preferably 6 mg or less, more preferably 3 mg or less.

According to this configuration, the flavor of the flavor composition 64 can be enjoyed while suppressing the amount of carbonized components adhering to the electrical load 40 as much as possible. Thereby, it is possible to enjoy the flavor of the flavor composition 64 while suppressing the occurrence of burnt on the load 40 as much as possible.

In addition, "the carbonized component contained in the aerosol generation liquid in the state in which the flavor bag 60 is placed" specifically refers to the amount of carbonized component contained in the aerosol generation liquid in the state before the flavor bag 60 is placed. and the amount of carbonized components eluted into the aerosol generation liquid from the flavor bag 60 placed in the aerosol generation liquid.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the term "carbonized component" refers to a component that becomes carbide when heated to 250°C. Specifically, the "carbonized component" refers to a component that does not become a carbide at a temperature below 250°C, but becomes a carbide when maintained at a temperature of 250°C for a predetermined period of time.

Note that this "amount (mg) of carbonized components contained in 1 g of aerosol generation liquid in a state in which the flavor bag 60 is placed" can be measured, for example, by the following method. First, a predetermined amount (g) of the aerosol generation liquid with the flavor bag 60 placed therein is prepared. Next, this aerosol generation liquid is heated to 180° C. to volatilize the solvent (liquid component) contained in the aerosol generation liquid, thereby obtaining a “residue consisting of non-volatile components”. Next, the residue is carbonized by heating it to 250° C. to obtain a carbide. Next, the amount (mg) of this carbide is measured. By the above method, it is possible to measure the amount (mg) of carbide contained in a predetermined amount (g) of aerosol generation liquid, and based on this measurement value, the amount of carbide contained in 1 g of aerosol generation liquid (i.e. , the amount of carbonized components (mg)).

(Embodiment 2)
Next, Embodiment 2 will be described. This embodiment is an embodiment of a method for manufacturing the atomization unit 12 of the suction tool 10. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram for explaining the method for manufacturing the atomization unit 12 according to this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4, the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment is a manufacturing method of an atomization unit of a suction tool having a liquid storage section, comprising:
a manufacturing process of manufacturing a flavor bag by accommodating a flavor composition in the bag;
an assembly step of arranging the flavor bag manufactured in the manufacturing step in a liquid storage section;
The method of manufacturing an atomization unit includes a step of storing an aerosol generating liquid containing nicotine in the liquid storage section.
The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may include steps other than the above-described manufacturing step, assembly step, and housing step. Further, the above-mentioned bag can be used as is with the contents explained in the above-mentioned [flavor bag].

In the atomization unit obtained by the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, flavor containing tobacco material is used as a source of nicotine instead of powdered tobacco material that can become deposits as disclosed in Patent Document 1. Since the flavor bag containing the composition is used, the contents do not dissipate, so it is possible to suppress the nicotine supply source from adhering to the load of the atomization unit, and thus to suppress the deterioration of the load. Furthermore, the tobacco material contained in the flavor composition plays the role of a spice in terms of aroma and taste. On the other hand, since the tobacco material contains components that can cause charring of the load when heated, it is advantageous not to exceed the above upper limit in order to suppress the occurrence of charring.

In the manufacturing process according to step S10, the flavor composition includes a non-tobacco base material and a flavoring material, the flavoring material contains a tobacco material, and the content of the tobacco material in the flavor composition is 10% by weight or less. Prepare the composition.
As the non-tobacco base material and flavor material, those explained in Embodiment 1 above can be used. The flavor composition can be prepared by mixing the non-tobacco base material and the flavor material using known methods.

In step S10, the flavor composition 64 is placed in the bag 62 to produce the flavor bag 60. When manufacturing the flavor bag 60, as described in Embodiment 1, the bag 62 of the flavor bag 60 is closed so that the flavor composition 64 does not leak. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the first end 65a and second end 65b of the bag 62 are closed to prevent the flavor composition 64 from leaking. The second end 65b is an end opposite to the first end 65a. The bag 62 further has an adhesive section 66 that is formed by bonding the ends of the bag material extending between the first end 65a and the second end 65b.

After preparing the flavor bag 60 in step S10, the assembly process in step S20 is executed. Specifically, in step S20, the atomization unit 12 in which no flavor bag 60 is housed is prepared, and the flavor bag 60 after step S10 is housed in the liquid storage section 50 of this atomization unit 12. do.

After step S20, the accommodation process related to step S30 is executed. In step S30, an aerosol generating liquid containing nicotine is stored in the liquid storage section 50. Specifically, in the storage step, the aerosol generating liquid is directly supplied to the liquid storage section 50. In this specification, "directly supplying" means not to store the aerosol-generated liquid in the liquid storage part 50 with the liquid holding member holding the aerosol-generated liquid in the liquid storage part 50. This means pouring it directly into the water. Thereby, the amount of aerosol generating liquid stored in the liquid storage section 50 can be easily adjusted. The aerosol production liquid described in Embodiment 1 can be used. Since the solvent of the aerosol generation liquid described in Embodiment 1 is a suitable solvent for the flavor component (for example, nicotine), the flavor can be efficiently adjusted. Furthermore, the user does not have to introduce the liquid into the suction tool 10 himself. In this case, a flavor component may be further added to the above-mentioned liquid contained in the liquid storage section 50, in addition to the flavor material added to the flavor bag 60. Through the above steps, the atomization unit 12 of the suction tool 10 according to the present embodiment is manufactured. Further, the manufactured atomization unit 12 is connected to the power supply unit 11 (FIG. 5), etc., and the suction tool 10 is manufactured.

<Embodiment 3>
A suction tool (hereinafter also simply referred to as "suction tool") according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of the suction tool 10 according to this embodiment. The suction device 10 according to the present embodiment is a non-combustion heating type suction device, and specifically, is a non-combustion heating type electronic cigarette.

As an example, the suction tool 10 according to the present embodiment extends in the direction of the central axis CL of the suction tool 10. Specifically, the suction tool 10 has, for example, a "long axis direction (direction of the central axis CL)", a "width direction" perpendicular to the long axis direction, and a "thickness" perpendicular to the long axis direction and the width direction. It has an external shape having a direction. The dimensions of the suction tool 10 in the long axis direction, width direction, and thickness direction decrease in this order. In this embodiment, among the orthogonal coordinates of X-Y-Z, the Z-axis direction (Z direction or -Z direction) corresponds to the major axis direction, and the X-axis direction (X direction or -X direction) corresponds to the width direction, and the Y-axis direction (Y direction or −Y direction) corresponds to the thickness direction.

The suction tool 10 includes a power supply unit 11 and the atomization unit 12 described above. The power supply unit 11 is detachably connected to the atomization unit 12. Inside the power supply unit 11, a battery as a power source, a control device, etc. are arranged. When the atomization unit 12 is connected to the power supply unit 11, the power supply of the power supply unit 11 and the load 40 of the atomization unit 12, which will be described later, are electrically connected.

The atomization unit 12 is provided with an outlet 13 for discharging air (that is, air). Air containing aerosol is discharged from this discharge port 13. When using the suction tool 10, the user of the suction tool 10 can inhale the air discharged from the outlet 13.

A sensor is arranged in the power supply unit 11 to output the value of the pressure change inside the suction tool 10 caused by the user's suction through the discharge port 13. When the user starts suctioning air, a sensor detects the start of suctioning air and notifies the control device, and the control device starts energizing the load 40 of the atomization unit 12, which will be described later. Furthermore, when the user finishes suctioning the air, the sensor detects the end of the suction of air, notifies the control device, and the control device ends the energization of the load 40.

Note that the power supply unit 11 may be provided with an operation switch for transmitting a request to start air suction and a request to end air suction to the control device by a user's operation. In this case, the user can transmit a request to start air suction or a request to end suction to the control device by operating the operation switch. The control device that receives the air suction start request or suction end request starts or ends energization to the load 40.

Note that the configuration of the power supply unit 11 as described above is the same as that of a known suction tool power supply unit as exemplified in Patent Document 2, for example, and therefore a more detailed explanation will be omitted.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments or modified examples, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention as described in the claims. It is possible to transform and change.

10: Suction tool 11: Power supply unit 12: Atomization unit 40: Load 50: Liquid storage section 60: Flavor bag 62: Bag 64: Flavor composition

Claims

a liquid storage portion configured to contain an aerosol-generating liquid containing nicotine;
The aerosol generating liquid in the liquid storage section is introduced, and an electric load is configured to atomize the introduced aerosol generating liquid and generate an aerosol,
The interior of the liquid storage part includes a bag and a flavor composition contained in the bag, the flavor composition includes a non-tobacco base material and a flavor material, and the flavor material includes a tobacco material. and a flavoring bag in which the content of the tobacco material in the flavoring composition is 10% by weight or less is arranged.
In the atomization unit according to claim 1,
The bag is an atomizing unit made of at least one of vegetable fiber, animal fiber, chemical fiber, and inorganic fiber.
In the atomization unit according to claim 1 or 2,
An atomization unit, wherein the bag is formed of paper.
In the atomization unit according to claim 3,
The atomizing unit, wherein the paper includes at least one of nonwoven fabric, plain paper, waterproof paper, and oilproof paper.
The atomization unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The atomizing unit, wherein the tobacco leaves are in the form of granules, powder, or granules.
The atomization unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The liquid storage section is an atomization unit containing the aerosol-generating liquid that comes into contact with the flavor composition contained in the flavor bag.
The atomization unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
and a power supply unit configured to supply power to the atomization unit.
a manufacturing process of manufacturing a flavor bag by accommodating a flavor composition in the bag;
an assembly step of arranging the flavor bag manufactured in the manufacturing step in a liquid storage section;
A method for manufacturing an atomization unit, comprising a step of storing an aerosol generating liquid containing nicotine in the liquid storage section.
In the method for manufacturing an atomization unit according to claim 8,
The aerosol generating liquid includes a liquid containing one or more substances selected from the group consisting of glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and water.
In the method for manufacturing an atomization unit according to claim 8 or 9,
The method for manufacturing an atomization unit, wherein the storage step includes directly supplying the aerosol generating liquid containing nicotine to the liquid storage section.