WO2024010163A1

WO2024010163A1 - Aerosol generation device

Info

Publication number: WO2024010163A1
Application number: PCT/KR2023/001275
Authority: WO
Inventors: 현승목; 임동욱; 권중학; 정승규
Original assignee: 주식회사 이엠텍
Priority date: 2022-07-06
Filing date: 2023-01-27
Publication date: 2024-01-11

Abstract

An embodiment relates to an aerosol generation device Provided in an embodiment is the aerosol generation device comprising: a case comprising an insertion space; a porous adsorbent cartridge, which is embedded in the case and comprises a liquid aerogel generation substrate; and a heater which is arranged below the porous adsorbent cartridge, and which heats liquid having permeated into the porous adsorbent cartridge, so as to generate aerosol, wherein the porous adsorbent cartridge comprises a porous adsorbent into which the liquid permeates and a cartridge cover encompassing the porous adsorbent.

Description

Aerosol generator

The embodiment relates to an aerosol generating device.

Inhaling aerosols in the air, commonly referred to as smoking, can be achieved by inhaling aerosols. Previously, cigarette-type tobacco was almost the only means of inhaling these substances, but recently, electronic cigarettes have become another means.

In general, an electronic cigarette refers to an electronic device made to inhale a solution containing nicotine filled in a replaceable cartridge into an aerosol or gaseous state (atomized state).

Electronic cigarettes vaporize the inhaled material into vapor by applying heat or ultrasonic waves to the liquid inhaled material and generate an aerosol, so it is completely different from the conventional cigarette type of cigarette that generates smoke by combustion, and the resulting advantages. , In particular, it has the advantage of being able to prevent the generation of various harmful substances that can occur due to combustion.

In particular, in recent years, electronic cigarettes have been released that allow users to enjoy a variety of flavors by adding other flavors, such as fruit, to the taste of cigarettes.

In these electronic cigarettes, when an atomizer containing liquid nicotine is connected to the battery unit, the heating element of the atomizer generates heat and creates a haze that vaporizes the liquid nicotine.

The atomizer used in the electronic cigarette of the prior art uses a ceramic moisture absorber. If a metal heating element is sintered during sintering of the ceramic moisture absorber, there is a possibility that the heating element may be burned due to high temperature, and its electrical There is a problem where the characteristics can change.

The purpose of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide an aerosol generating device that separately includes a porous hygroscopic cartridge and a heater for heating the liquid contained in the porous hygroscopic cartridge.

In addition, another object of the embodiment of the present invention is to provide an aerosol generating device having a leak-proof structure.

Another object of the embodiment is to provide an aerosol generating device that increases the contact force between at least a portion of the porous moisture absorbent and the heater portion to apply heat energy to generate aerosol from the contacted portion and adjacent portions.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention aims to provide an aerosol generating device that performs a complex aerosol generating function by simultaneously or selectively performing a heating operation for a cigarette-type aerosol-forming article and a heating operation for a porous moisture absorbent. .

The embodiment includes a case having an insertion space; A porous moisture absorbent cartridge built into the case and moistened with a liquid aerosol-generating substrate; And a heater disposed on the lower side of the porous hygroscopic cartridge and generating an aerosol by heating the liquid contained in the porous hygroscopic cartridge. The porous hygroscopic cartridge includes a porous hygroscopic body containing the liquid and a cartridge surrounding the porous hygroscopic body. An aerosol generating device comprising a cover is provided.

Also, as another aspect of the embodiment, an upper cover coupled to the upper side of the case; It further includes a porous moisture absorbent cartridge and a lower cover coupled to the lower side of the case from the lower side of the heater, wherein the cartridge cover forms a plurality of ribs in contact with the porous moisture absorbent and is installed to surround the porous moisture absorbent to serve as a guide. An aerosol generating device is provided.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, an aerosol generating device is provided, wherein at least one protrusion is formed on the lower surface of the porous moisture absorbent, the lower cover is provided with a tear fluid storage portion, and the protrusion is installed in contact with the tear fluid storage portion. do.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, an aerosol generating device is provided, wherein the porous moisture absorbent includes a material having hydrophilic properties.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the hydrophilic porous material contained in the porous moisture absorbent includes magnesium silicate, aluminum silicate, silicate silicate, zeolite, titanium oxide, titanium carbide, zirconia, silica, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, mullite, and cordier. An aerosol generating device is provided, characterized in that it is at least one of light, tungsten carbide, zirconium carbide, and aluminum nitride.

Additionally, as another aspect of the embodiment, an aerosol generating device is provided wherein the porous moisture absorbent includes a hydrophobic material.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the hydrophobic porous material included in the porous moisture absorbent is alumina, zirconia, yttrium oxide, aluminum nitride, aluminum titanate, plsterite, steatite, β-spodumene, zircon, and zirconium. An aerosol generating device is provided, characterized in that it is at least one of light, coredeerite, mullite, and ordinary porcelain.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, an aerosol generating device is provided, wherein at least one side of the cartridge cover is open for entry and exit of liquid, and the remaining portion except for the open side is configured in a waterproof form.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, an aerosol generating device is provided, wherein a fixing member supporting a heater is formed on the lower cover.

Also, as another aspect of the embodiment, the upper cover unit is detached from the upper surface of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge and has a discharge pipe; and an elastic support part installed on the lower side of the heater and compressed and stretched in the vertical direction, wherein the elastic support part is compressed as the porous hygroscopic cartridge is inserted into the insertion space of the case and coupled to the bottom of the porous hygroscopic cartridge and the heater. It provides an aerosol generating device characterized in that it comes into contact with.

In another aspect of the embodiment, the case is provided with an inflow airflow pipe for introducing external air from an external space, the elastic support portion includes a first vertical airflow pipe communicating with the inflow airflow pipe of the case, and a first vertical airflow pipe communicating with the first vertical airflow pipe. and provides an aerosol generating device characterized by providing a first horizontal airflow pipe between the bottom of the heater and the upper side of the elastic support.

Additionally, as another aspect of the embodiment, an aerosol generating device is provided, wherein the first horizontal airflow conduit includes an atomization area of the aerosol-forming substrate in the porous moisture absorbent cartridge.

Also, as another aspect of the embodiment, the aerosol generating device communicates with the first horizontal airflow pipe, communicates with a second vertical airflow pipe between the outer surface of the porous moisture absorber cartridge and the inner surface of the case, and communicates with the second vertical airflow pipe and has a porous An aerosol generating device is provided, including a second horizontal airflow conduit formed between the upper side of the moisture absorbent cartridge and the upper cover unit, wherein the second horizontal airflow conduit communicates with the discharge conduit.

In another aspect of the embodiment, a control device for controlling the heater is mounted on the lower part of the case, and the elastic support portion is characterized by having a plurality of vertical through holes through which electrical connection lines for applying power from the control device to the heater pass. An aerosol generating device is provided.

Additionally, as another aspect of the embodiment, an aerosol generating device is provided wherein the elastic support unit has a plurality of through holes in a non-vertical direction.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, the first horizontal airflow pipe formed on the upper side of the elastic support portion includes an aerosol generating device characterized in that it includes at least one groove communicating with each other and a plurality of protrusions forming the one or more grooves. to provide.

In another aspect of the embodiment, the elastic support portion has an extension portion extending upward to form an insertion groove for receiving a portion of the lower end of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge, and the extension portion includes a first horizontal air flow conduit and a second vertical air flow channel. An aerosol generating device is provided, characterized in that it has an airflow through hole for communicating with a pipe.

In another aspect of the embodiment, an aerosol generating device is provided wherein the cartridge cover covers the upper side of the porous moisture absorbent, and the heater is in contact with the bottom of the porous moisture absorbent.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, the cartridge cover has an airflow groove formed on the upper side to discharge aerosol in a horizontal direction, a base that is detachably coupled to the upper cover unit, and a base formed on the lower side of the base to include a porous moisture absorbent. An aerosol generating device comprising an insertion protrusion that is inserted and fixed into the upper side, and a downward extension portion that extends downward from the outer side of the base and covers a portion of the outer side of the porous moisture absorbent.

In another aspect of the embodiment, the upper cover unit includes a base cover that covers the air flow groove and is detachably coupled to the upper side of the base, and a mouth piece that is coupled to the upper side of the base cover, and the discharge pipe is connected to the base cover and the base cover. An aerosol generating device is provided, which is provided in a mouthpiece.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, the porous moisture absorbent cartridge is inserted into the insertion space and coupled to the case, and the bottom surface of the lower extension part contacts the upper surface of the extension part of the elastic support part, and the elastic support part is compressed. Provides a device.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, first and second coupling structures are formed on each of the side surfaces of the base and the inner surface of the case, and the compression of the elastic support is maintained by the coupling between the first and second coupling structures. An aerosol generating device is provided.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, a cigarette accommodating portion is formed to be separated from the porous hygroscopic cartridge accommodating portion in which the porous hygroscopic cartridge is accommodated in the insertion space of the case, and into which a cigarette-type aerosol-forming article is inserted or separated; A cigarette heating heater that heats the heating space; A power supply unit that supplies or blocks power to the heater and the cigarette heating heater, respectively; and an inflow path that communicates with the external space and each of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge accommodating portion and the cigarette accommodating portion; further comprising controlling the power supply so that the cigarette heating heater operates to heat and generate the first aerosol from the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article. and a processor that causes the heater to perform a heating operation to generate a second aerosol from the porous hygroscopic material, heats the inflow path or the porous hygroscopic cartridge receiving portion, or stops heating the heater.

In another aspect of the embodiment, when the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article is inserted into the cigarette receiving portion and the porous desiccant cartridge is inserted and mounted into the porous desiccant cartridge receiving portion, the processor generates the first and second aerosols. An aerosol generating device is provided that controls a power supply unit to discharge first and second aerosols through a cigarette-type aerosol-forming article when a user inhales.

When the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article is inserted into the cigarette receptacle, and the porous desiccant cartridge is not inserted and mounted into the porous desiccant cartridge receptacle,

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, the processor controls the power supply to generate the first aerosol, and provides an aerosol generating device characterized in that it controls the power supply to selectively perform heating operation and heating interruption of the heater.

In another aspect of the embodiment, when the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article is inserted into the cigarette accommodating portion and the porous desiccant cartridge is not inserted into the porous desiccant cartridge accommodating portion, the processor supplies power to generate the first aerosol. Aerosol generation, which controls the power supply to perform the heating operation of the heater, and controls the temperature of the air flowing into the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article when the user inhales by controlling the heating amount in the heater. Provides a device.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, the aerosol generating device includes a mounting detection unit that detects whether the porous moisture absorbent cartridge is inserted and mounted in the porous moisture absorbent cartridge receiving portion and applies the mounting detection value to the processor, and a cigarette-type aerosol-forming article is a cigarette. An aerosol generating device is provided, which includes an insertion detection unit that detects whether the device has been inserted into the receiving unit and applies the insertion detection value to the processor.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, the bottom and interior of the porous moisture absorbent in contact with the heater are hydrophilic, the other sides are hydrophobic, and the bottom and interior of the porous moisture absorbent have a porosity in the range of 1 to 70%. An aerosol generating device is provided wherein the porosity of other sides is at or close to 0%.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the porous moisture absorbent is one selected from the group consisting of magnesium, aluminum, magnesium aluminum mixture, titanium, chromium, nickel, cobalt-chromium, hydrochloric apatite, aluminum oxide, zirconium, tantalum, and titanium. An aerosol generating device comprising the above materials is provided.

In addition, as another aspect of the embodiment, an aerosol generating device is provided, wherein the pore size of the bottom of the porous moisture absorbent is in the range of 1 to 80㎛.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the aerosol-forming substrate accommodated or absorbed in the porous moisture absorbent is an aerosol comprising vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, nicotine, flavoring agent, caffeine, tonic, CBD, or some combination thereof. A generating device is provided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an aerosol generating device is provided that separately includes a porous hygroscopic cartridge and a heater that generates an aerosol by heating the liquid contained in the porous hygroscopic cartridge.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an aerosol generating device having a leak-proof structure is provided.

The embodiment increases the contact force between at least a portion of the porous moisture absorbent and the heater unit to apply heat energy to generate aerosol from the contacted part and its adjacent parts, thereby increasing the transfer efficiency of heat energy, thereby increasing the emission of aerosol. There is an effect that can be achieved.

In the embodiment, the heating operation of the cigarette heating heater for the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article and the heating operation of the heater for the porous moisture absorbent cartridge are simultaneously performed to increase the amount of atomization, and the heating operation of the heater when the porous moisture absorbent is not installed. By heating the air in the inlet passage, the heated air is introduced into the cigarette receiving portion where the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article is inserted and heated, thereby raising the temperature within the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article, thereby increasing the temperature in the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article and producing characteristics such as the hitting sensation of the aerosol. It has the effect of improving.

1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an aerosol generating device according to a first embodiment;

Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a cross section of the main part of the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment;

Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a porous moisture absorbent cartridge built into a case in the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment;

Figure 4 is a schematic side view of a porous moisture absorbent provided in the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment;

Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of (b) a porous moisture absorbent provided in the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment;

Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a lower cover provided by the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment;

Figure 7 is a diagram showing the separated state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment;

Figure 8 is an exploded cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line (A-A') of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a combined cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line (A-A') in Figure 7;

Figure 10 is a partially exploded perspective view of Figure 7;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the upper cover unit and the porous moisture absorbent cartridge combined;

Figure 12 is a combined cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line (B-B') in Figure 7

13 is a simplified vertical cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device according to the second embodiment;

Figure 14 is a control configuration diagram of an aerosol generating device according to a second embodiment.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

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

Hereinafter, embodiments are described in detail through the drawings. However, this is not intended to be limiting to specific embodiments, and the described embodiments should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and/or alternatives of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numbers may be used for similar components.

In this document, expressions such as “have,” “may have,” “includes,” or “may include” refer to the existence of the corresponding feature (e.g., a numerical value, function, operation, or component such as a part). , and does not rule out the existence of additional features.

In this document, expressions such as “A or B,” “at least one of A or/and B,” or “one or more of A or/and B” may include all possible combinations of the items listed together. . For example, “A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, or “at least one of A or B” (1) includes at least one A, (2) includes at least one B, or (3) it may refer to all cases including both at least one A and at least one B.

As used herein, expressions such as "first", "second", "first", or "second" may describe various elements in any order and/or importance, and may refer to one element as another. It is only used to distinguish from components and does not limit the components. For example, a first user device and a second user device may represent different user devices regardless of order or importance. For example, a first component may be renamed a second component without departing from the scope of rights described in this document, and similarly, the second component may also be renamed to the first component.

A component (e.g., a first component) is “(operatively or communicatively) coupled with/to” another component (e.g., a second component). When referred to as “connected to,” it should be understood that a certain component can be connected directly to another component or connected through another component (e.g., a third component). On the other hand, when a component (e.g., a first component) is said to be "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component (e.g., a second component), It may be understood that no other components (e.g., third components) exist between the elements.

The expression “configured to” used in this document may mean, for example, “suitable for,” “having the capacity to,” or “having the capacity to.” It can be used interchangeably with ", "designed to," "adapted to," "made to," or "capable of." The term “configured (or set) to” may not necessarily mean “specifically designed to” in hardware. Instead, in some contexts, the expression “a device configured to” may mean that the device is “capable of” working with other devices or components. For example, the phrase "processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C" refers to a processor dedicated to performing the operations (e.g., an embedded processor), or executing one or more software programs stored on a memory device. By doing so, it may mean a general-purpose processor (eg, CPU or application processor) capable of performing the corresponding operations.

In an embodiment, a cigarette-type aerosol-forming article includes a filter portion, a cooling portion, and an aerosol-forming substrate layer (e.g., cut wax, flavoring, nicotine, VG (vegetable glycerin), PG (propylene glycol), etc., which are a series of laminated structures). It is a substance containing at least one of flavoring agent, caffeine, tonic, and CBD). Additionally, the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article includes a filter portion, a cooling portion, and a wrapping portion surrounding the outer surface of the aerosol-forming base layer. Cigarette-type aerosol-forming articles include conventional cigarettes for electronic cigarettes, filters, and the like.

Terms used in this document are merely used to describe specific embodiments and may not be intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Singular expressions may include plural expressions, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field described in this document. Among the terms used in this document, terms defined in general dictionaries may be interpreted to have the same or similar meaning as the meaning they have in the context of related technology, and unless clearly defined in this document, they may be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense. It is not interpreted. In some cases, even terms defined in this document cannot be interpreted to exclude embodiments of this document.

Figure 1 is a diagram for conceptually explaining an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a main section of the aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the aerosol generating device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a case 110, an upper cover 120 coupled to the upper side of the case 110, and a case 110. A built-in porous hygroscopic cartridge 130 that moisturizes a liquid aerosol-generating substrate, and a porous hygroscopic cartridge 130 disposed below the porous hygroscopic cartridge 130, generate an aerosol by heating the liquid contained in the porous hygroscopic cartridge 130. It includes a heater 140, a porous moisture absorbent cartridge 130, and a lower cover 150 coupled to the lower side of the case 110 from the lower side of the heater 140.

The case 110 has a shape that forms the exterior, and can form a space for mounting component parts and a space for generating aerosols. The case 110 may be configured in various hollow shapes such as round, square, or oval to accommodate components such as the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 120 and the heater 130. Additionally, an airflow passage 111 is formed between the inner and outer surfaces of the case 110.

In addition, the aerosol generator 100 may be provided with a device unit containing a battery 160 and a microcontroller 170 for supplying and controlling power to the heater 140, and a case 110 that provides an atomization space. may be disposed in communication on the upper side of the device unit, or may be formed integrally with the exterior of the device unit, but is not limited thereto.

Additionally, the upper cover 120 is a type of mouth piece and may be detachably provided on the open upper side of the case 110. The upper part of the upper cover 120 may have a flat hollow shape that is easy to bite into, and the lower part of the upper cover 120 may have a cylindrical shape to form the same appearance as the case 110, but is not limited thereto.

Inside the upper cover 120, a discharge passage 121 for discharging aerosol to the outside is formed in a vertical direction, and at the same time, a connecting passage 122 communicating with the lower side of the discharge passage 121 is formed. The connection flow path 122 also communicates with the airflow passage 111 described above. In addition, external air flows into one side of the upper cover 120, and a passage 123 is formed that communicates with the airflow passage 111 formed in the case 110.

Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a porous moisture absorbent cartridge built into a case in an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 130 forms a porous moisture absorbent 131 and a plurality of ribs 132a in contact with the porous moisture absorbent 131 and is installed to surround the porous moisture absorbent 131. Includes cartridge cover 132.

The porous moisture absorbent 131 can absorb and retain the liquid aerosol-generating substrate, and the heater 130 described above has a size smaller than the size of the lower surface of the porous moisture absorbent 121, so that the porous moisture absorbent 131 The lower surface may be in contact with the heater 140 described above. Depending on the embodiment, the porous moisture absorber 131 includes a porous material having hydrophilic properties. Depending on the embodiment, the porous moisture absorber 131 includes a porous material with hydrophobicity. Additionally, depending on the embodiment, the porous moisture absorber 131 may be manufactured by double sintering a hydrophilic porous material and a hydrophobic porous material. The porous moisture absorbent 131 is preferably hydrophilic so that the portion in contact with the heater 140 can move the liquid phase.

In addition, according to the embodiment, the porous material with hydrophilicity included in the porous moisture absorber 131 includes magnesium silicate, aluminum silicate, silicate silicate, zeolite, titanium oxide, titanium carbide, zirconia, silica, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, mullite, and It may be at least one of aerite, tungsten carbide, zirconium carbide, and aluminum nitride.

In addition, according to the embodiment, the porous material with hydrophobicity contained in the porous moisture absorber 131 is alumina, zirconia, yttrium oxide, aluminum nitride, aluminum titanate, plsterite, steatite, β-spodumene, zircon, and zircon. It may be at least one of Deerite, Core Deerite, Mullite, and Ordinary porcelain.

The porous material constituting the porous moisture absorber 131 may be composed of bead-shaped granules or spherical granules, and the spherical granules may be made by freeze-drying using beads. Bead-shaped particles may have a size within 10~300㎛, and spherical particles may have a size within 200~500㎛. The porous moisture absorber 131 may be configured in a long shape in the axial direction, and its cross-section may be configured in a shape such as circular, polygonal, or star-shaped, and may be configured in a hollow shape so that it can store the liquid aerosol-generating substrate. It may be configured as follows, but is not limited.

Depending on the embodiment, the cartridge cover 132 is open on at least one side to allow liquid to enter and exit, and the remaining portion except for the open side is configured to be waterproof. A plurality of spaces are provided between the inner surface of the cartridge cover 132 and the plurality of ribs 132a and the outer peripheral surface of the porous moisture absorbent 131, so that liquid can be stored, and the tear fluid flowing out from the porous moisture absorbent 131 is stored. It could be.

Figure 4 is a schematic side view of a porous moisture absorbent provided in the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment, Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of the porous moisture absorbent (B) provided in the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment, Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a lower cover provided by the aerosol generating device according to the first embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6 , at least one protrusion 131a is formed on the bottom surface of the porous moisture absorber 131, and the lower cover 150 is provided with a tear storage portion 151. In addition, the protrusion 131a formed on the bottom surface of the porous moisture absorbent 131 is installed in contact with the tear storage portion 151. Accordingly, the tear fluid flowing out from the lower portion of the porous moisture absorbent 131 to the tear fluid storage portion 151 provided in the lower cover 150 is returned to the porous moisture absorbent (131a) by the protrusion (131a) formed on the lower surface of the porous moisture absorbent (131). 131) can be absorbed.

The lower cover 150 may be provided on the open lower side of the case 110. Of course, in the case of an aerosol generating device equipped with a device portion, the lower cover 130 may partition between the device portion and the case 110, but is not limited thereto. Depending on the embodiment, a fixing member 152 supporting the heater 140 described above is formed on the lower cover 150. Additionally,

openings

153 and 154 communicating with the airflow passage 111 described above may be provided on both sides of the lower cover 130, respectively.

Therefore, referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, the air flowing into the passage 123 formed in the upper cover 120 is transferred from the air flow passage 111 and flows into the lower cover 150 through the opening 153, The aerosol heated by the heater 140 and generated in the porous moisture absorbent 131 is discharged from the lower cover 150 through the opening 154 together with the air and moves upward through the airflow passage 111 by the user's inhalation. It is then transferred to the connection passage 122 and discharged into the discharge passage 121, so that the user can inhale the aerosol while holding the end of the upper cover 120 in his or her mouth.

Figure 7 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment, Figure 8 is an exploded cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line A-A' of Figure 7, and Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line A-A' of Figure 7. It is a combined cross-sectional view, FIG. 10 is a partially exploded perspective view of FIG. 7, FIG. 11 is a combined perspective view of the upper cover unit and the porous moisture absorbent cartridge, and FIG. 12 is a combined cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line B-B' of FIG. 7. .

The aerosol generator 1 includes an upper cover unit 1100 that discharges aerosol to the outside, and a porous moisture absorbent cartridge ( 1200) and the upper case 1300 and the internal space are controlled to generate aerosol by applying heat energy to the porous hygroscopic cartridge 1200 by applying power from a control device while accommodating the porous hygroscopic cartridge 1200. It is configured to include a lower case 1400 equipped with a device.

First, the upper cover unit 1100 includes a base cover 1110 provided with a vertical through hole 1112 extending in the vertical direction, and a vertical through hole 1112 that is coupled to the upper side of the base cover 1110 and communicates with the vertical through hole 1112. It is configured to include a mouth piece 120 provided with a through hole 1122.

Next, the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 1200 includes a porous moisture absorbent 1210 with an open upper side and a receiving space S1 in which an aerosol-forming substrate is accommodated therein, and an open upper side of the porous moisture absorbent 1210. It is configured to include a covering cartridge cover 1216. In the second embodiment, the porous moisture absorbent 1210 is described as including a receiving space (S1), but in another embodiment, there is no receiving space (S1), and the inside of the porous moisture absorbent 1210 is filled and the pores therein are The aerosol-forming substrate may be hygroscopic or wetted. The cartridge cover 1216 is coupled to cover the upper side of the porous moisture absorbent 1210.

The porous moisture absorber 1210 is intended to absorb or accommodate a liquid or gel-like aerosol-forming substrate, such as magnesium silicate, aluminum silicate, silicic acid silicate, zeolite, titanium oxide, titanium carbide, zirconia, silica, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and mullite. , cordierite, tungsten carbide, zirconium carbide, and aluminum nitride. The form of the selected material is powder or bead, and the selected material is sintered to produce the porous moisture absorbent 1210. The bead diameter of the material of the porous moisture absorber 1210 is in the range of 10 to 300 μm. The horizontal cross-section of the porous moisture absorbent 1210 may have a circular, polygonal, or star-shaped shape.

The porous moisture absorbent 1210 may be configured to include only a body in the form of a block with a solid interior having a porosity in the range of 30 to 70%.

In this embodiment, the aerosol-forming substrate optionally includes, for example, cut herb, flavoring, nicotine, VG (vegetable glycerin), PG (propylene glycol), clove extract, health food liquid, etc.

The porous hygroscopic body 1210 is connected to the lower hygroscopic body 1212 forming the lower side of the receiving space (S1) and the upper side of the lower hygroscopic body 1212 and has a hollow in the vertical direction to form the receiving space (S1). It consists of a formed upper moisture absorber (1214).

The lower moisture absorber 1212 has a moisture-absorbing surface, which is an upper surface that contacts the aerosol-forming substrate in the receiving space (S1), and an atomized surface, which is a lower surface where heat energy is applied to atomize the aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol, and absorbs moisture. The aerosol-forming substrate from the cotton is transferred to the screenless surface through the internal pores. In order to smoothly transport this aerosol-forming substrate, the lower moisture absorber 1212 is made of a hydrophilic material.

The upper hygroscopic body 1214 is made of a hydrophobic material so that the aerosol-forming substrate is transported only through the lower hygroscopic body 1212.

The cartridge cover 1216 has an airflow groove 1216b formed on the upper side to discharge aerosol in a horizontal direction, and includes a base 1216a that is detachably coupled to the base cover 1110 of the upper cover unit 1100, and a base. An insertion protrusion 1216c is formed on the bottom side of the porous moisture absorber 1210 and is inserted and fixed into the upper side of the upper moisture absorber 1214 of the porous moisture absorber 1210, and extends downward from the bottom of the base 1216a and the porous moisture absorbent A downward extension portion 1216d that covers a portion of the outer surface of 1210, and a coupling groove 1216e formed on the side of the base 1216a and concave toward the center of the base 1216a. It is composed. The base cover 1110 is coupled to the upper side of the base 1216a, and the upper side of the airflow groove 1216b is covered by the base cover 1110 to form a horizontal airflow conduit. The lower extension portion 1216d is formed to be stepped on the bottom of the base 1216a, and a portion of the bottom of the base 1216a (step portion) is exposed to the outside of the lower extension portion 1216d. The coupling groove 1216e has a locking portion 1216f extending from the lower side of the base 1216a toward the center of the coupling groove 1216e.

The upper case 1300 is provided with an outer case 1310 that is hollow in the vertical direction and has an insertion space S2. The upper case 1300 has an inner surface of the insertion space S2 and an upper and lower inner surface of the outer case 1310. A connecting airflow groove 1312, at least one coupling groove 1314 formed on the lower inner surface of the outer case 1310, and a step portion 1316 for supporting the base 1216a on the inner surface of the outer case 1310. ) and an upper protrusion 1318 inserted into the coupling groove 1216e.

The aerosol generator 1 includes a horizontal fixing part 1324 that protrudes outward to be inserted into the insertion space S2 of the upper case 1300 and the coupling groove 1314 of the insertion space S2 of the upper case 1300. A support portion 1320 that is fixed and has at least one vertical through hole 1322a in the vertical direction and vertical through holes 1 (322b, 1322c) for electrical connection lines (1384a, 1384b), and a support portion (1320) It is supported by a support portion 1320 on the upper side, is compressed and tensioned in the vertical direction, and has at least one vertical through hole 1342a and vertical through

holes

1342b and 1342c for

electrical connection lines

1384a and 1384b. It is located on the upper side of the part 1340 and the elastic part 1340 and has at least one vertical through hole 1342a and vertical through

holes

1342b and 1342c for

electrical connection lines

1384a and 1384b, and is located on the upper side. It is provided with a seating portion 1360 having a first horizontal airflow pipe communicating with the vertical through hole 1342a. The support part 1320, the elastic part 1340, and the seating part 1360 are mounted in a stacked structure within the receiving space S2.

In detail, the support part 1320 is provided with at least one horizontal fixing part 1324 inserted into the coupling groove 1314 on the outer surface to prevent the bottom surface of the support part 1320 from being moved or separated by being pushed downward. In addition, the support portion 1320 has a vertical through hole 1322a communicating with the inlet airflow pipe 1420 of the lower case 1300, and the vertical through hole through which

electrical connection lines

1384a and 1384b connected to the control device penetrate. (1322b, 1322c). In addition, the support portion 1320 is provided with an upper protrusion 1326 for coupling with the elastic portion 1340, so that the vertical through hole 1322a and the vertical through

holes

1322b and 1322c penetrate the upper protrusion 1326 and extend upward. is extended to

In addition, the elastic portion 1340 includes a vertical through hole 1342a communicating with the vertical through hole 1322a, and vertical through

holes

1342b and 1342c communicating with the vertical through

holes

1322b and 1322c, respectively. In addition, the elastic portion 1340 is made of an elastic material and may be compressed and tensioned at least in the vertical direction. However, in this embodiment, it is provided with at least one non-vertical through hole 1344 penetrating in a non-vertical direction, so that external force can be applied vertically. When this is applied, downward compression and upward tension are facilitated. The elastic portion 1340 has a protrusion 1346 protruding outward on its outer surface and is in close contact with the inner surface of the outer case 1310. In addition, the elastic portion 1340 has a receiving groove 1348 extending upward from the lower side for coupling with the support portion 1320, and the vertical through hole 1342a extends upward through the receiving groove 1348. is formed

The seating portion 1360 has a vertical through hole 1362a that communicates with the vertical through hole 1342a to allow airflow to flow upward. Additionally, the seating portion 1360 includes vertical through

holes

1342b and 1342c, respectively, and vertical through

holes

1342b and 1342c, respectively. In addition, the heater 382 is seated on the upper side of the seating portion 1360, and the upper side has at least one groove 1364 communicating with each other and a plurality of protrusions 1366 spaced apart from each other to form the grooves 1364. It is provided to form a first horizontal airflow conduit. In addition, a tube-shaped extension part 1370 is provided on the upper side of the seating part 1360 to form an insertion groove S3, so that the heater 1382 is seated in the insertion groove S3, and the first It is in contact with or adjacent to a horizontal airflow duct. Additionally, the seating portion 1360 passes through the extension portion 1370 in the horizontal direction and includes at least one airflow through-hole 1368 that communicates with the first horizontal airflow conduit. The airflow through hole 1368 communicates with the airflow groove 1312. Since the seating portion 1360 must withstand the heat of the heater 382, it is made of, for example, a peek or pi series plastic material.

The above-described support portion 1320, elastic portion 1340, and seating portion 1360 are collectively referred to as elastic supports. The support portion 1320, elastic portion 1340, and seating portion 1360 may be formed as one piece, and the elastic portion 1360 may be formed as a single piece. The lower end of the support portion is fixed and supported to the inner surface of the upper case 1300 or lower case 1400. The elastic support part is compressed and tensioned in the vertical direction by an external force in the vertical direction, and a plurality of vertical through holes are formed in the vertical direction, and an atomization area is formed between the bottom surface of the heater unit 38 and the upper surface of the elastic support part.

A heater unit 380 for applying heat energy to the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 1200 is provided in the aerosol generator 1. The heater unit 380 includes a heater 1382 that generates heat energy, and

electrical connection lines

1384a and 1384b for applying power to the heater 1382 from the control device. The heater 1382 applies heat energy by contacting the central bottom surface of the lower moisture absorber 1212, and perforations or pores in the vertical direction may be formed. The area of the upper side of the heater 1382 is smaller than the area of the lower moisture absorber 1212. An aerosol is generated on the bottom of the porous moisture absorber 1210 in contact with or adjacent to the upper side of the heater 1382.

The lower case 1400 is detachably coupled to the bottom of the outer case 1310, has a control device in the inner space, and is provided with an inflow airflow conduit 1420 that communicates the external space with the vertical through hole 1322a. .

In FIG. 8, the upper cover unit 1100 and the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 1200 are combined, and the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 1200 is inserted into the insertion space S2 and the insertion groove S3 of the upper case 1300. This is before insertion. At this time, the non-vertical through hole 1344 maintains its shape (basic form) in an uncompressed state, and the height of the elastic portion 1340 is (D1).

In Figure 9, the upper cover unit 1100 and the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 1200 are moved downward and coupled to the upper case 1300. For coupling, the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 1200 is moved downward by the user and the lower moisture absorbent 1212 is inserted into the insertion groove S3, and the upper moisture absorbent 1214 is inserted into the insertion space S2 and the insertion groove ( S3), when the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 1200 compresses the seating portion 1360 downward, the stepped portion of the bottom of the base 1216a reaches the stepped portion 1316 and the upper protrusion 1318 engages. The elastic support portion is compressed until it is inserted into the groove 1216e, so that the lower moisture absorber 1212 of the porous moisture absorber 1210 and the heater 1382 come into close contact. In addition, when the user rotates the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 1200 and the upper protrusion 1318 rotates within the coupling groove 1216e and is positioned on the upper side of the locking portion 1216f, even if there is no compression by the user, the upper protrusion 1318 Although the protrusion 1318 attempts to move upward due to the tension of the elastic support portion, the upper protrusion 1318 is prevented from being separated from the coupling groove 1216e by the locking portion 1216f, thereby allowing the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 1200 and The upper case 1300 is firmly coupled. The coupling groove 1216e and the locking portion 1216f are the first coupling structure of the base 1216b, and the upper protrusion 1318 is the second coupling structure mounted on the inner surface of the outer case 1310, and the first and The porous moisture absorbent cartridge 1200 and the upper case 1300 are coupled by coupling between the two coupling structures, and the compressed state of the elastic portion 1340 is maintained by this coupling.

Additionally, when coupled, the bottom surface of the lower extension portion 1216d of the cartridge cover 1216 contacts the upper surface of the extension portion 1370, thereby compressing the seating portion 1360 downward.

When the upper protrusion 1318 is inserted and coupled to the coupling groove 1265e, the non-vertical through hole 1344 of the elastic portion 1340 is compressed, and the height of the elastic portion 1340 at this time is (D2). The height D2 is smaller than the height D1 of the elastic portion 1340 before compression of the non-vertical through hole 1344. As the elastic portion 1340 is compressed, the seating portion 1360 also moves downward, but due to the tensile force of the elastic portion 1340 and the downward movement of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 1200, the lower moisture absorbent 1212 The bottom surface and the top surface of the heater 1382 come into close contact with each other, and the contact force and contact area increase. Due to this increase in contact force and increase in contact area, heat energy can be transferred or spread even if the heater element is not directly mounted on the screen, which is the bottom of the porous moisture absorber cartridge 1200.

In the combined state of FIG. 9, the vertical through

holes

1322a, 1342a, and 1362a in the elastic support part communicate with each other to form a first vertical airflow conduit. The first vertical airflow pipe is connected to the inlet airflow pipe 420. The atomization area is adjacent to or included in the first horizontal airflow pipe, the first horizontal airflow pipe is in communication with the first vertical airflow pipe, and the first horizontal airflow pipe extends with the airflow groove 1312 through the airflow through hole 1368. It communicates with a second vertical airflow conduit formed between the outer surfaces of the portion 1216d. The second vertical airflow pipe communicates with the second horizontal airflow pipe formed between the airflow groove 1216b and the lower side of the base cover 1110. The second horizontal airflow pipe communicates with the vertical through

holes

1122 and 1112 of the upper cover unit 1100. As described above, the aerosol generating device 1 includes an inflow airflow pipe 1420 that communicates with each other, a first vertical airflow pipe, a first horizontal airflow pipe, a second vertical airflow pipe, a second horizontal airflow pipe, and It has an airflow path including vertical through

holes

1122 and 1112.

The aerosol generating process of the aerosol generating device 1 is explained. When the control device applies power to the heater 1382 through the

electrical connection lines

1384a and 1384b, the heater 1382 generates heat energy and transfers or diffuses it to the lower moisture absorber 1212. The bottom surface of the lower moisture absorber 1212 is atomized by heat energy to generate aerosol. When the user inhales through the mouth piece 1120, the airflow introduced through the inflow airflow pipe 1420 in communication with the external space is a first vertical airflow including the vertical through

holes

1322a, 1342a, and 1362a. It enters the first horizontal airflow pipe through the pipe. An aerosol is generated at the upper side of the first horizontal airflow pipe, and the generated aerosol moves along the first horizontal airflow pipe along with the airflow, proceeds to the second vertical airflow pipe through the airflow penetration hole 1368, and moves to the second vertical airflow pipe. It is discharged to the outside and inhaled by the user through the airflow groove 1216b and the vertical through

holes

1122 and 1112 that communicate through the second horizontal airflow pipe in communication with the airflow pipe. In this embodiment, vertical through

holes

1122 and 1112 may be referred to as discharge conduits.

Figure 13 is a simplified vertical cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device according to the second embodiment.

The aerosol generating device 2001 according to the second embodiment includes a first accommodating portion 2120 whose upper side is open to form a cigarette accommodating portion S11 into which the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 is inserted and separated; It is in contact with the second accommodating portion 2130 and the first accommodating portion 2120, which are open and form a porous hygroscopic cartridge accommodating portion S12 into which the porous hygroscopic cartridge 2020 is inserted and separated (or detached). A cigarette heating heater 2150 that is adjacent and causes the first accommodating part 2120 to generate heat energy or generates and transmits heat energy to the first accommodating part 2120, and is mounted on the bottom of the second accommodating part 2130. An upper case 2100 including a heater 2160 that applies heat energy to the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 2020, and a lower case mounted on the lower side of the upper case 2100 and having a receiving space S13 therein. Includes (2200).

The cigarette-type aerosol-forming article (2010) is as described above.

The porous moisture absorber cartridge (2020) is a porous ceramic moisture absorber selected from the group containing magnesium, aluminum, magnesium aluminum mixture, titanium, chromium, nickel, cobalt-chromium, hydrochloric apatite, aluminum oxide, zirconium, tantalum, and titanium. Composed of one or more substances.

The porous moisture absorbent cartridge (2020) is connected to the lower moisture absorbent (2022) forming the lower side of the internal space (S14) in which the aerosol-forming substrate in a liquid or gel state is accommodated, and the upper side of the lower moisture absorbent (2022) and is connected to the inner space. It consists of an upper moisture absorber (2024) forming (S14).

The lower moisture absorber 2022 has a moisture-absorbing surface, which is the upper side that contacts the aerosol-forming substrate in the internal space (S14), and a lower surface, which is the opposite side of the moisture-absorbing surface, where heat energy is applied to atomize the aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol. It is provided with a screen, and the aerosol-forming substrate from the moisture-absorbing surface is transferred to the screen-free screen through internal pores. For smooth transport of this aerosol-forming substrate, the lower moisture absorbent 2022 has hydrophilic properties. The porosity of the lower hygroscopic body 2022 is preferably in the range of 1 to 70%, and the pore size of the lower hygroscopic body 2022 is preferably in the range of 1 to 80 ㎛.

The upper hygroscopic body 2024 has hydrophobic properties such that the aerosol-forming substrate is transported only through the lower hygroscopic body 2022. The porosity of the upper moisture absorber 2024 is preferably 0% or close to 0%.

A lid portion for introducing an aerosol-forming substrate may be formed on the upper moisture absorber 2024.

The porous moisture absorbent cartridge 2020 in this embodiment is described as including an internal space (S14), but in another embodiment, there is no internal space (S14), and the inside of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge (2020) is filled and the inside of the The pores may be hygroscopic or wetted with the aerosol-forming substrate. The bottom (screenless) or interior of the porous hygroscopic body without an internal space (S14) has the same hydrophilic characteristics as the bottom hygroscopic body, and the other sides other than the bottom and the interior have hydrophobic characteristics, and the porosity of the porous hygroscopic body is It is preferable that it falls within the range of 1~70%, and the pore size is preferably within the range of 1~80㎛.

The aerosol-forming substrate accommodated in the internal space S14 or absorbed or wetted by the porous moisture absorbent 2020 may be composed of VG, PG, nicotine, flavoring agent, caffeine, tonic, CBD, or some combination thereof.

The cigarette receiving portion 2120 includes an insertion hole 2122 formed at the upper side and an inlet hole 2124 for introducing air at the lower side.

When the resistance heating method is applied to the first heating device consisting of the cigarette receiving portion 2120 and the cigarette heating heater 2150, the cigarette heating heater 2150 is composed of an F-PCB type resistance heater for resistance heating, The cigarette receiving portion 2120 is made of a metal material with high thermal conductivity. The F-PCB type resistance heater consists of a heating wire on the F-PCB and a plurality of connection pads at both ends of the heating wire for electrical contact with the power supply, and the heating wire is made of copper or constantan material.

In another embodiment, when the induction heating method is applied to the first heating device, the cigarette heating heater 2150 is composed of an induction heating coil for electromagnetic induction, and the cigarette receiving portion 2120 is composed of a susceptor pipe that is a ferromagnetic material. .

The porous moisture absorbent cartridge receiving portion 2130 has an insertion hole 2132 formed at the upper side, a lid portion 2134 that opens and closes the insertion hole 2132, and a communication hole 2134 for communicating with the inflow path 2170 on the lower side. It is composed including.

The heater 2160 includes a resistance heating type heater, and the heater is made of a heating wire containing one or more of Sus, kanthal, and nichrome. It is preferable that one side of the heater 2160 contacts the non-screen surface of the lower moisture absorber 2022, and the other side of the heater 2160 contacts the inflow path 2170 or the communication hole 134. In the second embodiment, a resistance heating method is applied to the second heating device composed of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge accommodation portion 2130 and the heater 2160.

An inflow path 2170 is formed between the upper case 2100 and the lower case 2200, which communicates with the external space and each of the cigarette accommodating part S11 and the porous moisture absorbent cartridge accommodating part S12. The inflow path 2170 may be formed in the upper case 2100 or the lower case 2200.

The inlet path 2170 is a hollow pipe structure, and has a first inlet 2172 at one end, a second inlet 2174 at the other end, and communication with the cigarette receiving portion S11 (or inlet hole 2124). A communication hole (2176) is provided for this purpose.

First, the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 is inserted into the cigarette receiving portion S11, and the porous moisture absorbent 2020 is inserted and mounted into the porous moisture absorbing cartridge receiving portion S12, so that the lid portion 2134 is closed and the insertion hole ( The first aerosol generating function is described when 2132) is closed and the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 2020 is in contact with the heater 2160. The power supply unit mounted on the lower case 2200 applies power to each of the cigarette heating heater 2150 and the heater 2160, and heat energy is transferred to the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 through the cigarette receiving portion 2120. , heat energy is transferred to the lower moisture absorbent 2022 of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 2020. The cigarette-type aerosol-forming article (2010) is heated to generate a first aerosol, and the non-screen surface, which is the lower side of the lower moisture absorber (2022), is heated and flows into the non-screen surface through the moisture-absorbent surface, which is the upper side of the lower moisture absorber (2022). The transferred aerosol-forming substrate is heated and a second aerosol is generated on the screen and discharged through the communication hole 2134.

When a user inhales (puffs) through the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010, external air flows in through the first and

second inlets

2172 and 2174, respectively. Most of the air flowing in through the first inlet 2172 flows into the cigarette receiving portion S11 through the communication hole 2176 and the inlet hole 2124. In addition, as the second aerosol is discharged through the communication hole 2134 and flows into the inflow path 2170, most of the external air and the second aerosol flowing in from the second inlet 2174 flow into the communication hole 2176 and the inlet hole. It flows into the cigarette receiving part (S11) through (2124). In this first aerosol generating function, the first and second aerosols are discharged to the outside together, thereby increasing the amount of atomization or mist discharged.

Next, the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 is inserted into the cigarette receiving portion S11, and the porous moisture absorbent 2020 is not inserted and mounted (i.e., separated) into the porous moisture absorbent cartridge receiving portion S12. The second aerosol generating function is described.

In the first embodiment of the second aerosol generating function, the power supply unit mounted on the lower case 2200 applies power to the cigarette heating heater 2150 to produce the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 through the cigarette receiving unit 2120. Thermal energy is transferred to, and the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 is heated to generate a first aerosol. The power supply unit does not apply power to the heater 2160, so the heater 2160 stops heating.

second inlets

2172 and 2174, respectively. Most of the air flowing in through the first inlet 2172 and the second inlet 2174 flows into the cigarette receiving portion S11 through the communication hole 2176 and the inlet hole 2124. This first embodiment is the same as the process of inhaling an aerosol by heating only a general cigarette-type aerosol-forming article.

In the second embodiment of the second aerosol generating function, the power supply unit mounted on the lower case 2200 applies power to each of the cigarette heating heater 2150 and the heater 2160 to produce a cigarette type through the cigarette receiving unit 2120. Thermal energy is transferred to the aerosol-forming article 2010, and the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 is heated to generate a first aerosol. Additionally, the heater 2160 performs a heating operation to heat the air within the inlet path 2170.

second inlets

2172 and 2174, respectively. Most of the air flowing in through the first inlet 2172 flows into the cigarette receiving portion S11 through the communication hole 2176 and the inlet hole 2124. In addition, as the second aerosol is discharged through the communication hole 2134 and flows into the inlet path 2170, most of the air heated by the heater 2160 and the external air introduced from the second inlet 2174 are communicated. It flows into the cigarette receiving portion (S11) through the hole 2176 and the inlet hole 124. That is, heated air flows into the cigarette receiving portion (S11). Due to this inflow of heated air, the temperature at the bottom of the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 10 increases, thereby increasing the amount of first aerosol generated or atomized, thereby providing a stronger hitting sensation to the user.

As in the first and second embodiments of the second aerosol generating device described above, the heating operation and stopping of heating of the heater 160 can be selectively performed.

Figure 14 is a control configuration diagram of the aerosol generating device according to the second embodiment of Figure 13.

The control device of the aerosol generator 2001 according to the second embodiment includes an input unit 2220 that obtains input from the user (for example, power on/off, etc.) and applies it to the processor 2290, and a processor 2290. ), a display unit 2225 that receives and displays information (e.g., power status, etc.), and a power unit 2230 that has a rechargeable battery and supplies power to the power supply unit 2240 and the processor 2290, etc. , a power supply unit (e.g., FET, etc.) that receives power from the power unit 2230 and supplies or blocks the supplied power to the

first heater

2150 and 2160, respectively, under the control of the processor 2290. (2240) and a puff that is mounted on the inflow path 2170 and detects the pressure (or reduced pressure) in the inflow path 2170 that changes due to the user's puff, generates a puff detection value, and applies it to the processor 2290. A detection sensor 2260 and a mounting detection unit 2262 that detects whether the porous moisture absorbent 2020 is inserted into the porous moisture absorbent cartridge accommodating portion S12 and applies the mounting detection value to the processor 2290, A first temperature sensor 2264 that detects the temperature of the cigarette accommodating part S11 and applies the first temperature detection value to the processor 2290, and a porous moisture absorbent cartridge accommodating part S13 heated by the heater 2160 Or, a second temperature sensor 2266 that detects the temperature of the inlet path 2170 or the heater 2160 and applies a second temperature detection value to the processor 2290, and controls the above-described components to control the first and second It is configured to include a processor 2290 that performs one of the aerosol generating functions. However, the input unit 2220, the display unit 2225, the power unit 2230, the first and

heaters

2150 and 2160, the puff detection sensor 2260, and the first and

second temperature sensors

2264 and 2266. ), etc. correspond to technologies that are clearly recognized by those skilled in the art to which this embodiment belongs, and their detailed description is omitted. The control device of the aerosol generating device 2001 according to the second embodiment is mounted on the upper case 2100 and/or the lower case 2200.

The power supply unit 2240 is connected to the first and

heaters

2150 and 2160, respectively, and may be composed of first and second sub-power supply units that supply or block power from the power supply unit 2230, and may include a single switching element. It may be composed of a plurality of switching elements. The processor 2290 generates a control signal (for example, a PWM signal or an EN signal) and applies it to the power supply unit 2240 to independently supply and turn off power to each of the first and

heaters

2150 and 2160. Perform.

The installation detection unit 2262 may be composed of a sensor or switch that detects whether the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 2020 has been inserted and installed into the porous moisture absorbent cartridge accommodating part S12. For example, the mounting detection unit 2262 may be an optical sensor mounted within the porous moisture absorbent cartridge accommodation unit S12, or may be a contact detection switch formed on the bottom of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge accommodation unit 2130. The mounting detection unit 2262 generates a mounting detection value (mounted/not mounted) and applies it to the processor 2290.

In another embodiment, the control device of the aerosol generating device 2001 includes an insertion detection unit that detects whether the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 is inserted or mounted in the cigarette receiving portion S11, and the insertion detection unit detects an insertion detection value. (insertion/non-insertion) is generated and applied to the processor 2290, and the processor 2290 determines whether the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 has been inserted into the cigarette receiving portion S11 according to the insertion detection value, According to the judgment or the insertion detection value, the power supply unit 2240 may be controlled to perform a heating operation and a heating stop operation of the cigarette heating heater 2150.

Processor 2290 stores temperature profiles (e.g., target temperature, heating time, etc.) for performing the first and second aerosol generating functions described above. The processor 290 generates a control signal such that each of the first and second temperature detection values from each of the first and

second temperature sensors

2264 and 2266 corresponds to or is equal to each of the temperature profiles, so that the power supply unit 2240 ) is approved. Supplying and cutting off power using such temperature profiles and temperature detection values corresponds to technology already widely known to those skilled in the art to which this embodiment belongs, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

The performance of the first aerosol generating function is first described. The processor 2290 confirms the installation of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 2020 according to the installation detection value from the installation detection unit 2262, and according to the insertion detection value, the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 is inserted into the cigarette receiving unit S11. ) and check whether it has been inserted.

When the porous hygroscopic cartridge 2020 is mounted on the porous hygroscopic cartridge accommodating part S12 and the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 is inserted into the cigarette accommodating part S11, the processor 2290 operates the power supply unit 2240 ) is controlled so that the first and the

heaters

2150 and 2160 each perform a heating operation, so that the first and second aerosols are discharged together with air through the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 when the user inhales. Make it possible.

Next, the implementation of the first embodiment of the second aerosol generating function is described.

The processor 2290 confirms that the porous moisture absorbent cartridge 2020 is not installed according to the installation detection value from the installation detection unit 2262, and according to the insertion detection value, the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 is inserted into the cigarette receiving unit S11. ) and check whether it has been inserted.

When the porous hygroscopic cartridge 2020 is not mounted in the porous hygroscopic cartridge accommodating part S2 and the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 is inserted into the cigarette accommodating part S11, the processor 2290 operates the power supply unit 2240 ) is controlled so that the cigarette heating heater 2150 performs a heating operation, so that the first aerosol is discharged along with air through the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 when the user inhales. At this time, the processor 2290 controls the power supply unit 2240 so that the heater 2160 stops heating.

Next, the implementation of the second embodiment of the second aerosol generating function is described.

When the porous hygroscopic cartridge 2020 is not mounted in the porous hygroscopic cartridge accommodating part S12 and the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 is inserted into the cigarette accommodating part S11, the processor 2290 operates the power supply unit 2240 ) is controlled so that the first and

heaters

2150 and 2160 perform a heating operation, so that the air heated by the heater 2160 flows into the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 when the user inhales, It is discharged through the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 together with the first aerosol. This heated air is allowed to flow into the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 within the cigarette receiving portion S11, thereby improving the properties of the aerosol (improvement of the amount of fume, impact, and taste). In addition, the processor 2290 controls the power supply unit 2240 to adjust the heating amount (calorific value) in the heater 2160 to control the temperature of the air flowing into the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article 2010 in the cigarette receiving portion S11. can be adjusted.

At least a portion of the device (e.g., processor or functions thereof) or method (e.g., operations) according to various embodiments is stored in a computer-readable storage media, for example, in the form of a program module. Can be implemented as stored instructions. When the instruction is executed by a processor, the one or more processors may perform the function corresponding to the instruction. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, memory.

Computer-readable recording media include hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic media (e.g. magnetic tape), optical media (e.g. CD-ROM, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), magnetic media) It may include magnetic media (e.g., a floptical disk), hardware devices (e.g., ROM, RAM, or flash memory, etc.), etc. Additionally, program instructions may include strings such as those generated by the compiler. It may include not only machine language code but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc. The above-described hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of various embodiments, The same goes for the station.

The processor or functions provided by the processor according to various embodiments may include at least one of the above-described components, some of them may be omitted, or other additional components may be included. Operations performed by modules, program modules, or other components according to various embodiments may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or in a heuristic manner. Additionally, some operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or other operations may be added.

The present invention is not limited to the specific preferred embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made by anyone skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed in the claims. Of course, such changes are within the scope of the claims.

Claims

A case having an insertion space;

A porous moisture absorbent cartridge built into the case and moistened with a liquid aerosol-generating substrate; and

A heater disposed below the porous hygroscopic cartridge and generating an aerosol by heating the liquid contained in the porous hygroscopic cartridge,

The porous hygroscopic cartridge is an aerosol generating device characterized in that it includes a porous hygroscopic material containing a liquid phase and a cartridge cover surrounding the porous hygroscopic material.
According to paragraph 1,

an upper cover coupled to the upper side of the case;

It further includes a porous moisture absorbent cartridge and a lower cover coupled to the lower side of the case from the lower side of the heater,

The cartridge cover is an aerosol generating device characterized in that it forms a plurality of ribs in contact with the porous moisture absorbent and is installed to surround the porous moisture absorbent to serve as a guide.
According to paragraph 2,

An aerosol generating device characterized in that at least one protrusion is formed on the bottom surface of the porous moisture absorbent, the lower cover is provided with a tear storage portion, and the protrusion is installed in contact with the tear fluid storage portion.
According to paragraph 2 or 3,

An aerosol generator, characterized in that the porous moisture absorbent contains a material having hydrophilic properties.
According to paragraph 4,

Porous materials with hydrophilic properties contained in the porous moisture absorbent include magnesium silicate, aluminum silicate, silicate silicate, zeolite, titanium oxide, titanium carbide, zirconia, silica, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, mullite, cordierite, tungsten carbide, zirconium carbide, An aerosol generator comprising at least one of aluminum nitride.
According to paragraph 2 or 3,

An aerosol generator wherein the porous moisture absorbent contains a hydrophobic material.
According to clause 6,

Porous materials with hydrophobicity contained in the porous moisture absorbent include alumina, zirconia, yttrium oxide, aluminum nitride, aluminum titanate, plsterite, steatite, β-spodumene, zircon, zircon dierite, core dierite, and mullite. An aerosol generator, characterized in that it is at least one of Ordinary porcelain.
According to paragraph 2 or 3,

An aerosol generating device characterized in that the cartridge cover is open on at least one side to allow liquid to enter and exit, and the remaining portion except for the open side is constructed in a waterproof form.
According to paragraph 2 or 3,

An aerosol generator, characterized in that a fixing member supporting the heater is formed on the lower cover.
According to paragraph 1,

An upper cover unit detached from the upper surface of the porous hygroscopic cartridge and having a discharge pipe; and

It further includes an elastic support part installed on the lower side of the heater and compressed and tensioned in the vertical direction,

An aerosol generating device wherein the porous hygroscopic cartridge is inserted into the insertion space of the case and combined, thereby compressing the elastic support portion so that the bottom of the porous hygroscopic cartridge comes into contact with the heater.
According to clause 10,

The case is provided with an inflow airflow pipe that introduces external air from the external space,

The elastic support unit is an aerosol generator, characterized in that it has a first vertical airflow pipe communicating with the inflow airflow pipe of the case, and a first horizontal airflow pipe communicating with the first vertical airflow pipe and between the bottom of the heater and the upper side of the elastic support. Device.
According to clause 11,

An aerosol generating device characterized in that the first horizontal airflow conduit includes an atomization area of the aerosol-forming substrate in the porous hygroscopic cartridge.
According to clause 11,

The aerosol generator communicates with the first horizontal airflow pipe, communicates with the second vertical airflow pipe between the outer surface of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge and the inner surface of the case, and communicates with the second vertical airflow pipe and is connected to the upper and upper sides of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge. Including a second horizontal airflow conduit formed between the cover units,

An aerosol generator, characterized in that the second horizontal airflow pipe is connected to the discharge pipe.
According to clause 10,

A control device for controlling the heater is mounted at the bottom of the case,

An aerosol generator, characterized in that the elastic support unit has a plurality of vertical through holes through which electrical connection lines for applying power from the control device to the heater pass.
According to any one of claims 10 to 14,

An aerosol generating device characterized in that the elastic support unit has a plurality of through holes in a non-vertical direction.
According to clause 15,

An aerosol generating device, wherein the first horizontal airflow conduit formed on the upper side of the elastic support unit includes at least one groove communicating with each other and a plurality of protrusions forming the one or more grooves.
According to clause 13,

The elastic support portion has an extension portion extending upwardly to form an insertion groove that receives a portion of the lower end of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge,

An aerosol generating device characterized in that the extension portion is provided with an airflow through-hole for communicating the first horizontal airflow pipe and the second vertical airflow pipe.
According to clause 17,

The cartridge cover covers the upper side of the porous moisture absorbent,

An aerosol generator characterized in that the heater is in contact with the bottom of the porous moisture absorbent.
According to clause 18,

The cartridge cover has an airflow groove formed on the upper side to discharge aerosol in a horizontal direction, a base that is detachably coupled to the upper cover unit, an insertion protrusion formed on the lower side of the base and inserted and fixed to the upper side of the porous moisture absorbent, and , An aerosol generating device, characterized in that it has a downward extension part that extends downward from the outer surface of the base and covers a portion of the outer surface of the porous moisture absorbent.
According to clause 19,

The upper cover unit includes a base cover that covers the airflow groove and is detachably coupled to the upper side of the base, and a mouth piece that is coupled to the upper side of the base cover, and the discharge pipe is provided in the base cover and the mouth piece. Aerosol generating device.
According to clause 19,

An aerosol generating device, wherein the porous moisture absorbent cartridge is inserted into the insertion space and coupled to the case, and the bottom surface of the lower extension part contacts the upper surface of the extension part of the elastic support part, and the elastic support part is compressed.
According to clause 19,

An aerosol generating device, wherein first and second coupling structures are formed on each of the side surfaces of the base and the inner surface of the case, and the compression of the elastic support portion is maintained by the coupling between the first and second coupling structures.
According to paragraph 1,

a cigarette accommodating portion formed to be partitioned from the porous hygroscopic cartridge accommodating portion in which the porous hygroscopic cartridge is accommodated in the insertion space of the case, and into which the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article is inserted or separated;

A cigarette heating heater that heats the heating space;

A power supply unit that supplies or blocks power to the heater and the cigarette heating heater, respectively; and

It further includes an inflow path communicating with the external space and each of the porous moisture absorbent cartridge accommodating portion and the cigarette accommodating portion,

By controlling the power supply, the cigarette heating heater operates to heat and operate to generate a first aerosol from a cigarette-type aerosol-forming article, and the heater operates to heat to generate a second aerosol from a porous hygroscopic material, or accommodates the inlet path or porous hygroscopic material cartridge. An aerosol generating device comprising a processor that heats the unit or stops heating the heater.
According to clause 23,

When the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article is inserted into the cigarette receiving portion and the porous moisture absorbent cartridge is inserted and mounted into the porous moisture absorbing cartridge receiving portion,

The processor controls the power supply to generate the first and second aerosols, so that the first and second aerosols are discharged through the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article when the user inhales.
According to clause 23,

When the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article is inserted into the cigarette receptacle, and the porous desiccant cartridge is not inserted and mounted into the porous desiccant cartridge receptacle,

An aerosol generating device, wherein the processor controls the power supply to generate the first aerosol, and controls the power supply to selectively perform the heating operation and stopping of the heater.
According to clause 23,

When the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article is inserted into the cigarette receptacle, and the porous desiccant cartridge is not inserted and mounted into the porous desiccant cartridge receptacle,

The processor controls the power supply to generate the first aerosol, controls the power supply to perform the heating operation of the heater, and controls the heating amount in the heater to control the amount of air flowing into the cigarette-type aerosol-forming article when the user inhales. An aerosol generating device characterized by controlling temperature.
According to any one of claims 24 to 26,

The aerosol generator includes an installation detection unit that detects whether the porous hygroscopic cartridge is inserted into the porous hygroscopic cartridge receiving part and applies the installation detection value to the processor, and detects whether a cigarette-type aerosol-forming article is inserted into the cigarette receiving part. An aerosol generator comprising an insertion detection unit that applies an insertion detection value to the processor.
According to clause 23,

The bottom and interior of the porous moisture absorbent in contact with the heater are hydrophilic, and the other sides are hydrophobic.

An aerosol generating device characterized in that the bottom and interior of the porous moisture absorbent have a porosity in the range of 1 to 70%, and the porosity of the other sides is 0% or close to it.
According to claim 23 or 28,

The porous moisture absorbent is characterized in that it is composed of one or more materials selected from the group including magnesium, aluminum, magnesium aluminum mixture, titanium, chromium, nickel, cobalt-chromium, hydroapatite, aluminum oxide, zirconium, tantalum, and titanium. Aerosol generator.
According to clause 28,

An aerosol generator, characterized in that the pore size of the bottom of the porous moisture absorbent is in the range of 1 to 80㎛.
According to clause 23,

An aerosol-generating device characterized in that the aerosol-forming substrate absorbed or absorbed by the porous moisture absorbent is composed of vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, nicotine, flavoring agent, caffeine, tonic, CBD, or some combination thereof.