WO2024014802A1

WO2024014802A1 - Liquid cartridge

Info

Publication number: WO2024014802A1
Application number: PCT/KR2023/009748
Authority: WO
Inventors: 최윤희; 손현제
Original assignee: 주식회사 이엠텍
Priority date: 2022-07-13
Filing date: 2023-07-10
Publication date: 2024-01-18
Also published as: KR20240009037A

Abstract

An embodiment relates to a liquid cartridge comprising an air flow pass. The embodiment provides the liquid cartridge comprising: a case which stores a liquid, and which has inhalation channel that constitutes a part of an air flow pass; a heater which is coupled to the lower part of the case, and which receives a liquid and heats same so as to generate aerosol; and a lower case, which is coupled to the lower part of the case and fixes the heater, has an outside air inlet through which air flows in, and includes a transfer path for transferring outside air having flowed in through the outside air inlet, and the aerosol, generated at the heater, to the inhalation channel of the case, wherein a structure capable of increasing the contact area of the heater and the outside air having flowed therein is provided between the outside air inlet and the inhalation channel of the case.

Description

liquid cartridge

The embodiment relates to a liquid cartridge having an airflow path.

Figure 1 is an exploded view of a liquid cartridge provided with a ceramic heater according to the prior art, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid cartridge provided with a ceramic heater according to the prior art.

A liquid cartridge equipped with a ceramic heater according to the prior art stores the liquid phase and includes

cases

11, 12, and 13 having a flow path 11b through which fine particles generated by evaporation of the liquid phase can be sucked in.

Cases

11, 12, and 13 include a main case 11 having a liquid storage space 11a and a flow path 11b, a lower case 12 coupled to the inner lower part of the main case 11, and a main case It includes an upper case (13) coupled to the outer upper part of (11).

In the main case 11, a liquid storage space 11a and a flow path 11b are arranged side by side, and a wall 11c to which the lower case 12 is coupled is provided at the bottom thereof. The lower case 12 is inserted and coupled into the wall 11c. The lower case 12 has a wall 12a at the top that forms a space in which a ceramic heater, which will be described later, is accommodated, and fine particles are generated within the wall 12a by the ceramic heater. The wall 12a is formed with a through hole 12c, and the through hole 12c communicates the flow path 11b of the main case 11 with the space inside the wall 12a.

At this time, an O-ring 50 made of an elastic material may be installed on the outer circumference of the lower case 12 to prevent liquid leakage. The O-ring (50) maintains airtightness between the lower case (12) and the main case (11).

Meanwhile, a magnet 60 may be installed at the bottom of the lower case 12. The magnet 60 helps maintain the coupling of the liquid cartridge by acting as an attractive force between the magnet or steel plate installed with a fine particle generator (not shown), which is the counterpart to which the liquid cartridge is coupled.

The ceramic heater consists of a porous ceramic 20 fixed to the main case 11 and the lower case 12, and a heating wire 31 and a pad 32 coupled to the porous ceramic 20. The porous ceramic 20 is coupled to the lower side of the liquid storage space 11a of the main case 11, and a concave portion 20a that can store the liquid is formed at the top. At this time, in order to prevent liquid leakage from the joint between the porous ceramic 20, the main case 11, and the lower case 12, a heat-resistant rubber cover 21 surrounding the outer circumference of the porous ceramic 20 is further provided. It is desirable to do so. The upper case 13 is coupled to the upper part of the main case 11 and has a suction hole 13a through which fine particles transmitted through the flow path 11b of the main case 11 can be sucked in. At this time, a moisture absorbent material 13b or a sealing film 13c is placed between the upper case 13 and the main case 11 to prevent inhalation of liquid droplets that may be generated by cooling the liquid through the flow path 11b. This can be provided.

At this time, an external air inflow passage 12b is formed in the lower case 12 through which external air can be introduced for smooth inhalation of the user. The outside air inflow path 124 is formed perpendicular to the side with the highest temperature among the outer surfaces of the porous ceramic 20. In one embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the lower surface of the porous ceramic 20 is the surface closest to the heating wire 31, and accordingly, the lower surface of the porous ceramic 20 has the highest temperature among the outer surfaces. Accordingly, the external air inflow path 12b formed in the lower case 12 is disposed perpendicular to the lower surface of the porous ceramic 20.

Therefore, the cartridge according to the prior art combines the external air introduced through the external air inflow passage 12b formed in the lower case 12 with the aerosol generated in the porous ceramic 20 and the suction hole through the flow path 11b of the main case 11. It is provided for inhalation through (13a). However, in the case of the prior art, the aerosol generated in the area between the external air inlet 12b and the wall 12a in the lower area of the porous ceramic 20 is the external air introduced through the external air inlet 12b. It can be smoothly inhaled by the airflow formed by the aerosol, but the airflow tends to stagnate for aerosols generated in the outer area. Therefore, there is a need to develop a liquid cartridge with an airflow path structure that can smoothly inhale aerosols generated in all areas of the heater.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid cartridge equipped with a ceramic heater according to another prior art.

cases

Cases

The main case 11 includes a liquid storage space 11a and a flow path 11b passing through the center of the liquid storage space 11a. The lower case 12 is inserted and coupled to the lower part of the main case 11.

At this time, a sealing material 50 made of an elastic material may be installed between the lower case 12 and the main case 11 to prevent liquid leakage. The sealing material 50 maintains airtightness between the lower case 12 and the main case 11.

The heater 20 is fixed to the lower case 12 and communicates with the liquid storage space 11a of the main case 11 to receive liquid. The heater 20 consists of a hygroscopic body 22 that holds the liquid phase and a heating wire 24 that heats the liquid absorbed by the hygroscopic body 22. The aerosol generated from the heater 20 is provided for inhalation through the flow path 11b.

At this time, in order to prevent the liquid from flowing into the flow path 11b, the lower end of the flow path 11b is sealed with a sealing material 30.

The upper case 13 is coupled to the upper part of the main case 11 and has a suction hole through which fine particles transmitted through the flow path 11b of the main case 11 can be sucked in. At this time, a moisture absorbent material or a sealing film may be provided between the upper case 13 and the main case 11 to prevent liquid droplets that may be generated by cooling through the flow path 11b from being sucked in.

The lower case 12 is formed with an external air inflow passage 12b through which external air can be introduced for smooth inhalation by the user. However, the flow path 11b according to the prior art is formed in a straight line, and when droplets are generated due to cooling of the aerosol within the flow path 11b, the droplets may flow downward and flow through the external air inlet 12b, resulting in leakage. There was a downside.

The purpose of the embodiment is to provide a liquid cartridge that can smoothly inhale aerosols generated in all areas of the heater and has an airflow path structure that can prevent liquid droplets from leaking.

The embodiment includes a case in which a suction passage is formed that stores liquid and forms part of an airflow path; A heater that is coupled to the bottom of the case and generates an aerosol by receiving the liquid and heating it; and a lower case coupled to the lower part of the case, fixing the heater, forming an external air inlet hole through which air flows in, and having a transfer path for transporting the aerosol generated by the heater, which introduces external air into the external air inlet hole, to the intake passage of the case. It provides a liquid cartridge, which includes a structure capable of expanding the contact area between the heater and the incoming outside air between the outside air inlet hole and the suction passage of the case.

As another example of the embodiment, a liquid cartridge is provided, wherein the suction flow path of the case extends along one side of the case, and the outside air inlet hole and the suction flow path of the case are disposed on opposite sides of each other with a heater in between.

In addition, as another example of the embodiment, an external air inlet hole is formed in the lower part of the heater, and a liquid cartridge is provided, wherein the suction flow path of the case is two suction flow paths extending along both sides of the case.

In addition, as another example of the embodiment, a liquid cartridge is provided, wherein the external air inlet hole has a shape that becomes wider toward the top.

In addition, as another example of the embodiment, the lower case provides a liquid cartridge, characterized in that it has a concave liquid droplet storage portion that can store liquid droplets to prevent liquid droplets from leaking to the bottom.

The liquid cartridge provided by the embodiment has the advantage that the outside air flowing into the outside air inlet hole passes over the entire lower surface of the heater where the aerosol is generated, thereby providing the entire aerosol generated to the suction path without an area where the aerosol stagnates.

In addition, the liquid cartridge provided by the embodiment has the advantage of being able to prevent liquid droplets from leaking into the external air inlet hole even if the suction passage constituting a part of the air flow path is bent in a U-shape and liquid droplets accumulate in the pipe and flow.

1 is an exploded view of a liquid cartridge equipped with a ceramic heater according to the prior art;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid cartridge equipped with a ceramic heater according to the prior art;

4 is an exploded view of a liquid cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

7 is an exploded view of a liquid cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

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

Figure 4 is an exploded view of a liquid cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The liquid cartridge according to the first embodiment largely includes a case 100, a heater 200, and a lower case 300.

The case 100 is provided with a liquid storage space 110 for storing liquid, and a suction flow path 620 is formed on one side of the liquid storage space 110 to inhale the aerosol generated by the heater 200, which will be described later. . The suction passage 620 is formed to surround the sides and top of the liquid storage space 110. A suction hole 130 is formed at the top of the case 100 to discharge aerosol so that the user can inhale the aerosol, and the end of the suction passage 620 is connected to the suction hole 130.

If necessary, the mouth piece 400 may be detachably attached to the upper side of the case 100. At this time, the mouth piece 400 also has a hole 410 at a position corresponding to the suction hole 130 of the case 100. The mouth piece 400 can be separated from the case 100 and cleaned, which is advantageous for hygienically inhaling aerosol. At this time, a gasket 500 made of an elastic material may be interposed to prevent aerosol from leaking through the gap between the mouth piece 400 and the case 100.

A heater 200 is coupled to the lower side of the case 100, and receives the liquid stored in the liquid storage space 110 and heats it to generate an aerosol. At this time, the heater 200 may be of any type as long as it is a heater used in a conventional aerosol generating device, such as a ceramic heater, a coil heater with a coil wound on a wick, or a heater using an induction heating method.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the heater 200 is a ceramic heater and has a thin and long block shape. Block-shaped ceramic heaters are advantageous for liquid transfer because the liquid contact area is large and the thickness is thin. In addition, there is an advantage that the area in contact with the heating element can be increased, thereby increasing the amount of aerosol generated.

At this time, if the ceramic heater is installed directly in the case 100, liquid leakage is likely to occur, and because the heat of the heater 200 is directly transferred to the case 100, the case 100 is likely to become high in temperature. Therefore, in order to install the heater 200, it is installed in the case 100 with its outer circumference surrounded by a sealing material 210 made of an elastic insulating material such as heat-resistant rubber or heat-resistant silicon.

A lower case 300 is disposed below the heater 200, and the lower case 300 is combined with the capsule 100 to form the overall appearance of the liquid cartridge. An external air inflow hole 310 is formed on the lower side of the lower case 300 to introduce external air. The lower case 300 forms an atomization space where aerosol generated from the lower surface of the heater 200 temporarily stays. One side of the atomization space communicates with the suction passage 620 of the case 100, and a transfer passage 610 is formed connecting the outside air inlet hole 310 to the suction passage 620.

In other words, the air flow path within the liquid cartridge can be viewed as consisting of an external air inlet hole 310, a transfer path 610, a suction passage 620, and a suction hole 130.

At this time, the outside air inlet hole 310 is located further to the left than the left end of the heater 200 in the drawing, and the suction passage 620 of the case 100 is located further to the right than the right end of the heater 200.

That is, the outside air inlet hole 310 and the suction flow path 620 are arranged in opposite directions with the heater 200 in between, so that the outside air flowing in through the outside air inlet hole 310 covers the entire lower surface of the heater 200. It passes by. Therefore, all aerosol generated from the lower surface of the heater 200 can be transferred to the suction passage 620.

That is, the airflow path is formed in a U-shape as a whole, and the suction passage 620 is located on the outside of the airflow path, so there is an advantage in that the aerosol can be sufficiently cooled so that the user does not feel hot when inhaling the aerosol.

Meanwhile, the lower case 300 is preferably provided with concave

droplet storage units

320 and 330 that can store droplets in order to prevent droplets generated by condensation of aerosol from leaking to the bottom. Therefore, even if droplets are generated and flow downward, there is an advantage in that the droplets can be prevented from leaking into the external air inlet hole 310.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The liquid cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as the first embodiment except for the location of the external air inlet hole 310a and the number and location of the suction passages 620a.

In the liquid cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the external air inlet hole 310a formed in the lower case 300a is formed on the center side, and the suction flow path 620a is formed on both sides of the case 100a. Accordingly, the outside air flowing in through the central outside air inlet hole 310a is divided into two sides and transfers the aerosol generated on the lower surface of the heater 200a to the suction passage 620a formed on both sides.

Figure 7 is an exploded view of a liquid cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The liquid cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention has a liquid storage space (110b) in a case (100b) and a pipe (120b) crossing the center of the liquid storage space (110b). The suction flow path 620b is formed within the pipe 120b. The lower end of the pipe 120b and the heater 200b are spaced apart from each other, and a sealing member 210b is installed between the lower end of the pipe 120b and the heater 120b to prevent liquid leakage.

In addition, a lower case 220b is disposed below the heater 120b, and the lower case 220b is coupled to the inner lower part of the case 100b to support the heater 200b. The lower case 220b has an atomization space 320b where liquid is supplied from the liquid storage space 110b and is heated by a heater 200b to generate aerosol, and is provided with an external air inlet hole 310b through which external air is supplied. .

The outside air inlet hole 310b is formed in a shape whose cross-section becomes wider toward the top in order to maximize the contact area with the heater 200b.

Meanwhile, a lower cover 350b may be further provided on the lower side of the lower case 300b, and the lower cover 350b may be provided with

flow paths

352b and 354b for introducing external air into the external air inlet hole 310b. .

At this time, the outside air inlet hole 310b is a funnel-shaped lower outside air whose diameter is wide at the bottom and narrows toward the top in order to better introduce outside air introduced through the

passages

352b and 354b of the lower case 300b. In order to maximize the contact area between the inlet hole (310b) and the heater (200b), an upper outside air inlet hole (320b) is attached in the form of a diffuser, that is, the diameter becomes wider toward the outlet to spread outside air widely. am.

The outside air introduced into the atomization space (320b) through the upper outside air inlet hole (313b) spreads and moves upward while sweeping over the heater (200b), passes through the sealing member (210b) and the suction flow path (620b), and flows through the suction hole ( It is inhaled through 130b).

Meanwhile, a liquid droplet storage portion 330b is formed in the lower case 300b around the external air inlet hole 310b.

Claims

A case in which a suction flow path is formed that stores liquid and forms part of an airflow path;

A heater that is coupled to the bottom of the case and generates an aerosol by receiving the liquid and heating it; and

A lower case that is coupled to the lower part of the case and secures the heater, has an external air inlet hole through which air flows in, and has a transfer path for transporting the aerosol generated by the heater, which introduces external air into the external air inlet hole, to the intake passage of the case; Contains,

A liquid cartridge, characterized in that it has a structure that can expand the contact area between the heater and the inflowing outside air between the outside air inlet hole and the intake passage of the case.
According to paragraph 1,

The suction flow path of the case extends along one side of the case,

A liquid cartridge, characterized in that the external air inlet hole and the suction flow path of the case are arranged on opposite sides of each other with a heater in between.
According to paragraph 1,

A liquid cartridge characterized in that the external air inlet hole is formed in the lower part of the heater, and the suction flow path of the case is two suction flow paths extending along both sides of the case.
According to paragraph 1,

A liquid cartridge characterized in that the external air inlet hole becomes wider toward the top.
According to any one of claims 1 to 4,

The lower case is a liquid cartridge characterized in that it is provided with a concave liquid droplet storage portion that can store liquid droplets to prevent liquid droplets from leaking to the lower part.