Patent Publication Number: US-2023157365-A1

Title: Aerosol generation apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 2020204371957, filed on Mar. 30, 2020 and entitled “AEROSOL GENERATION APPARATUS”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of heat-not-burn smoking sets, and in particular relates to an aerosol generation apparatus. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, etc.) burn tobacco during use to produce tobacco smoke. Attempts have been made to replace these articles that burn tobacco by making products that release compounds without burning. 
     Examples of such products are heating apparatuses, which release compounds by heating, rather than burning materials. For example, the material may be tobacco or other non-tobacco products, and the non-tobacco products may or may not contain nicotine. As another example, there is a heating apparatus that heats tobacco products by a heater to release compounds to form an aerosol. For example, Patent No. 201680049874.3, which is known in the art, proposes a heating apparatus for heating tobacco products by an electromagnetic induction type heater. When the above known apparatus is in use, heat from the heater is radiated or transferred radially outwards to the housing of the apparatus, thereby increasing the temperature of the housing. 
     SUMMARY 
     In order to solve the problem of temperature rising of the housing of the aerosol generation apparatus in the prior art, an embodiment of the present application provides an aerosol generation apparatus that prevents the temperature of the housing from rising. 
     Based on the above, the present application proposes an aerosol generation apparatus, for heating a smokable material to generate an aerosol for smoking, including a housing, where a heat insulation cylinder including an open end and a closed end is disposed in the housing; the heat insulation cylinder is internally provided with: 
     a bracket, configured as a tubular shape extending along the axial direction of the heat insulation cylinder, at least a part of a tubular hollow of the bracket forming a cavity, and a smokable material being capable of being at least partially received within or removed from the cavity through the open end; 
     a heater, configured as a pin or blade shape at least partially extending along the axial direction of the cavity; 
     a first air medium layer, formed around the cavity due to that a certain interval is kept between the bracket and the heat insulation cylinder, the first air medium layer being configured to reduce outward conduction of heat generated by the heater along the radial direction; and 
     an airflow channel, including a first portion extending at least partially within the first air medium layer from the closed end to the open end, and a second portion extending within the cavity from the open end to the closed end. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the bracket is provided with an air hole close to the open end, and the first portion and the second portion are converged at the position, close to the open end, within the heat insulation cylinder through the air hole. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the heater is a susceptor that is penetrated by a varying magnetic field to generate heat, thereby heating the smokable material. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the aerosol generation apparatus further includes an extractor configured as a cylinder shape extending along the axial direction of the cavity, the smokable material is at least partially received within or removed from the cavity through the open end under the retention of the extractor, and 
     the second portion is configured to extend between an outer surface of the extractor and an inner surface of the bracket along the radial direction of the cavity. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the airflow channel further includes a third portion extending within the extractor from the closed end to the open end. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the third portion and the second portion are converged at the portion, close to the closed end, of the cavity. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the heat insulation cylinder is provided with an air inlet close to the closed end, the first portion is in airflow communication with the air inlet, and the heat insulation cylinder is configured to only allow external air to enter the heat insulation cylinder from the air inlet. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the heat insulation cylinder is configured to prevent air or aerosol inside the heat insulation cylinder from exiting other than through the open end when in use. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the heat insulation cylinder is further provided with a retaining portion extending outwards along the radial direction, and is stably retained in the housing by the retaining portion. 
     In a preferred embodiment, a certain interval is kept between the heat insulation cylinder and the housing along the radial direction to form a second air medium layer, and the second air medium layer is configured to reduce conduction of heat generated by the heater to the housing. 
     In the above aerosol generation apparatus, a heating mechanism is separated from the space inside the housing by the heat insulation cylinder, an airflow structure enables air inside the housing to flow back and forth after entering the heat insulation cylinder and then exit by smoking, diffused heat is recovered as much as possible, and the surface temperature of the housing can be reduced while a heat utilization rate is increased. Due to the design of the heat insulation cylinder, the air can only flow unidirectionally, convection between the air in the heating portion and the housing is prevented, and convection diffusion of the heat is effectively restrained. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       One or more embodiments are illustrated by pictures in the corresponding accompanying drawings, which are not intended to limit the embodiments, in which elements having the same reference numerals represent similar elements, and the figures of the accompanying drawings are not intended to constitute a scale limitation unless specifically stated otherwise. 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generation apparatus according to an embodiment; 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic diagram of the aerosol generation apparatus of  FIG.  1    in another state; 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of the aerosol generation apparatus of  FIG.  2    in use; 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic diagram of a cross section of the aerosol generation apparatus of  FIG.  3   ; 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic diagram of a heating mechanism in  FIG.  4   ; 
         FIG.  6    is an exploded schematic diagram of components of the heating mechanism of  FIG.  5    before assembly; 
         FIG.  7    is a schematic diagram of an extractor extracting a smokable material; 
         FIG.  8    is a schematic diagram of a cross section of the extractor extracting the smokable material of  FIG.  7   ; and 
         FIG.  9    is a schematic diagram of an airflow path of the aerosol generation apparatus of  FIG.  4    when in use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     To facilitate the understanding of the present application, the application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation. 
     An embodiment of the present application proposes an aerosol generation apparatus that heats, rather than burns, a smokable material such as a cigarette, to volatilize or release at least one component of the smokable material to form an aerosol for smoking. 
     In a preferred embodiment, heating of the smokable material by the aerosol generation apparatus is performed by means of electromagnetic induction type heating. For example, by using a varying magnetic field formed by a magnetic field generator, a susceptor in the magnetic field is induced to generate an eddy current effect to generate heat, thereby heating the smokable material to volatilize at least one volatile component to generate an aerosol for smoking. 
     Configuration of an aerosol generation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application can be seen in  FIG.  1    to  FIG.  3   . The entire appearance of the apparatus is generally configured as a flat cylinder shape. Outer components of the aerosol generation apparatus include: 
     a housing  10 , having a hollow structure inside and thus forming an assembly space for induction heating and other necessary functional components; and 
     an upper cover  11  located at the upper end of the housing  10  along the length direction. On one hand, the upper cover  11  can cover the upper end of the housing  10 , such that the appearance of the aerosol generation apparatus is complete and attractive; and on the other hand, the apparatus can be disassembled from the upper end of the housing  10 , thereby facilitating assembly, disassembly and replacement of each functional component inside the housing  10 . 
     It can be further seen from  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  3    that the upper cover  20  is provided with a sliding groove  21  extending along the width direction, and an opening  22 . A movable cover  30  is disposed in the sliding groove  21  and can slide along the extending direction of the sliding groove so as to open or close the opening. When in use, the smokable material A may be at least partially received within the housing  10  along the length direction of the housing  10  through the opening  22  to be heated, or may be removed from the housing  10  through the opening  22 . 
     Further referring to  FIG.  4   , the housing  10  is internally provided with: 
     a battery cell  50  for supplying power; and 
     a control circuit board  51 , integrated with a circuit and configured to control the operation of the aerosol generation apparatus. 
     In order to achieve heating of the smokable material A, a heating mechanism  40  is disposed within the housing  10 , and the form and configuration of the heating mechanism  40  after assembly can be seen in  FIG.  5   . The heating mechanism  40  is of a cylindrical structure having an opening in the upper end after entire assembly, and is installed within the housing  10  along the length direction of the housing  10 , for receiving and heating the smokable material A. 
     Specifically, the heating mechanism  40  includes: 
     a heat insulation cylinder  41 , located on the outer layer along the radial direction, the heat insulation cylinder  41  being provided with an open end  41   a  and a closed end  41   b , and the open end  41   a  and the closed end  41   b  being respectively located at two ends of the heat insulation cylinder  41 ; where the heat insulation cylinder  41  is preferably prepared from materials with a relatively low heat conductivity coefficient such as PEEK and ceramic, and a certain interval is reserved between the inner wall of the housing  10  and the heat insulation cylinder  41  in implementation, for reserving air as a medium, and further utilizing the low heat conductivity coefficient of the air to reduce outward conduction of heat; 
     a bracket  42 , located within the heat insulation cylinder  41  along the radial direction, the bracket being configured as a tubular shape extending in the length direction of the heat insulation cylinder  41 , and at least a part of the tubular hollow of the bracket forming a cavity  42   a  for receiving the smokable material A; where similarly, a certain interval is also reserved between the bracket  42  and the heat insulation cylinder  41 , and the air is reserved as a medium to form a first air medium layer, thereby further utilizing the low heat conductivity coefficient of the air to reduce outward conduction of heat; 
     an induction coil  43 , disposed outside the bracket  42  and having a helical design extending along the axial direction of the bracket  42 , for generating an alternating magnetic field when an alternating current is supplied; and 
     a heater, configured as a pin or blade shape at least partially extending within the cavity along the axial direction of the bracket  42 . In some embodiments, the heater is a susceptor  44  that can be penetrated by the alternating magnetic field generated by the induction coil  43  to generate heat, and thus can be inserted into the smokable material A for heating when the smokable material A is received within the cavity. 
     Further referring to  FIG.  4   ,  FIG.  7    and  FIG.  8   , in order to facilitate extraction of the smokable material A when in use, the upper cover  20  is also provided with an extractor  23  extending towards the heating mechanism  40 , where the extractor  23  is configured as a cylindrical shape extending along the length direction, when in use, the smokable material A is retained within the extractor  23  and stretches into the cavity of the bracket  42  from the opening in the upper end of the heating mechanism  40 , and after smoking is complete, the smokable material A, retained by the extractor  23 , can be removed by lifting the upper cover  20  upwards. Certainly, in the implementation, a hole  231  through which the susceptor  44  can pass is formed in the lower bottom end of the extractor  23 , such that the susceptor  44  can pass through the hole  231  into the smokable material A retained within the extractor  23  for heating when in use. 
     Further referring to  FIG.  5    and  FIG.  6   , the heat insulation cylinder  41  is provided with an upper end  410  and a lower end  420  opposite to each other along the length direction, where the upper end  410  has an opening  413 , the opening  43  is configured to be inserted by the extractor  23 , and the lower end is closed. Meanwhile, in order to keep the airtightness in use, a silica gel ring  46  is disposed within the opening  413 , which is configured to flexibly fit the outer wall of the extractor  23  after the extractor  23  is inserted, and prevent the internal air or aerosol from escaping through the opening  413  and prevent the outside air from entering through the opening  413 . 
     Furthermore, in terms of airflow design, a first air hole  411  is formed in the position, close to the lower end  420 , of the heat insulation cylinder  41 , and the first air hole  411  is in airflow communication with structures such as an airflow gap or an air inlet in the housing  10 , such that the external air can only enter the heating mechanism  40  through the first air hole  411  during a smoking process. 
     A second air hole  421  is formed in the position, close to the upper end  410  of the heat insulation cylinder  41 , of the bracket  42 , such that the air entering through the first air hole  411  can only enter the cavity of the bracket  42  through the second air hole  421 . 
     An airflow path during a smoking process can be seen in  FIG.  9   . After entering the heat insulation cylinder  41  through the first air hole  411 , the air flows upwards within an air layer between the heat insulation cylinder  41  and the bracket  42  to the second air hole  421  and enters the bracket  42 , then moves downwards from the second air hole  421  to the bottom of the cavity, and enters the smokable material A through a gap between the susceptor  30  and the hole  231  of the extractor  23 , thereby finally being smoked by a user. 
     In the preferred embodiment shown in  FIG.  6   , a temperature sensor  441  for sensing a temperature of the susceptor  44  is also disposed within the bracket  42 . The temperature sensor  441  is installed by abutting against the bottom of the susceptor  44 , and meanwhile, a flexible silica gel sheet  442  is also disposed within the bracket  42 , for providing a resilient force to keep the temperature sensor  441  and the susceptor  44  in close contact all the time, so as to prevent looseness from causing a gap to affect the accuracy of temperature measurement. 
     Meanwhile, an end cover  45  is further disposed at the lower end of the bracket  42  for sealing the lower end of the bracket  42  and supporting the susceptor  44 , the temperature sensor  441  and the flexible silica gel sheet  442 , such that the susceptor, the temperature sensor and the flexible silica gel sheet can be stably packaged in the bracket  42 . 
     In the preferred embodiment shown in  FIG.  6   , the heat insulation cylinder  41  is further provided with a connecting portion  412  extending outwards along the radial direction, and when in use, an abutment, clamping, or other retaining structure in cooperation with the connecting portion  412  is disposed in the housing  10  such that the heating mechanism  40  is retained in the housing  10 . 
     Meanwhile, at least relative quantities of heat quality silicone rings  47  protruding from the outer surface of the heat insulation cylinder  41  are further disposed at the position, close to the lower end  420 , of the heat insulation cylinder, and mounting grooves  414  assisting in installation of the silicone rings  47  are correspondingly disposed to facilitate installation of the heat insulation cylinder  41 . It can be seen from  FIG.  6    that the silicone rings  47  are respectively disposed on upper and lower sides of the first air hole  411 . When in use, after assembly, a gap is kept between the first air hole  411  and the inner wall of the housing  10  by flexible support, without being blocked all the time, and thus smooth air intake can be realized. 
     On the basis of actual data in implementation, a comparison test is performed on the heating mechanism  40  having the heat insulation cylinder  41  and the heating apparatus not having the heat insulation cylinder  41  in smoking. According to the above aerosol generation apparatus having the heat insulation cylinder  41 , after three cigarettes are continuously smoked, the highest temperature of the housing can be reduced by 5-13° C. 
     In the above aerosol generation apparatus, a heating mechanism is separated from the space inside the housing by the heat insulation cylinder, an airflow structure enables air inside the housing to flow back and forth after entering the heat insulation cylinder and then exit by smoking, diffused heat is recovered as much as possible, and the surface temperature of the housing can be reduced while a heat utilization rate is increased. Due to the design of the heat insulation cylinder, the air can only flow unidirectionally, convection between the air in the heating portion and the housing is prevented, and convection diffusion of the heat is effectively restrained. 
     It should be noted that the preferred embodiments of the present application are given in the description and the accompanying drawings of the present application, but are not limited to the embodiments described in the description, and furthermore, for those of ordinary skill in the art, improvements or transformations can be made according to the above description, and all these improvements and transformations should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims of the present application.