Patent Publication Number: US-2022218030-A1

Title: Atomizing core and electronic atomizing device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims to the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 202120058904.5, filed on Jan. 11, 2021, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of atomizing technology, in particular, to an atomizing core and an electronic atomizing device including the atomizing core. 
     BACKGROUND 
     An atomizing core generally includes a base and a heating element. The heating element is disposed on the base and used to atomize liquid on the base to form an aerosol that can be inhaled by a user. However, for conventional atomizing cores, for example, the heating element is usually dry burned, which causes the temperature of the aerosol to be higher, and thus causes oral burns to the user, causes the aerosol to have a certain burnt smell. For another example, the heating element is usually over-permeated by the e-liquid, which results in the e-liquid splashing phenomenon on the heating element, such that the utilization rate of the e-liquid is low, which causes the e-liquid to be wasted, and also causes the temperature of the aerosol to be lower and causes the fragrance to have an insufficient sense level. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to various embodiments, an atomizing core and an electronic atomizing device are provided. 
     An atomizing core includes: a base including an atomizing surface; and a heating element disposed on the base, and capable of atomizing liquid on the atomizing surface. The heating element includes a first surface that is in a thickness direction thereof and attached to the base. The heating element is provided with liquid guiding channels that are kept at a set distance from the first surface. 
     In one of the embodiments, the heating element further includes a second surface that is spaced apart from the first surface in the thickness direction thereof. The second surface and the first surface face oppositely. The liquid guiding channels extend through the second surface and are in communication with outside. 
     In one of the embodiments, the liquid guiding channels are micro holes. A cross section of each of the micro holes is in a shape of circle, ellipse, rectangle, or regular polygon. 
     In one of the embodiments, the micro holes are arranged on at least part of the second surface along a plurality of rows of parallel lines. 
     In one of the embodiments, orthographic projections of any two adjacent rows of micro holes in a column direction do not completely overlap with each other. The column direction is a direction perpendicular to the parallel lines. 
     In one of the embodiments, the liquid guiding channels are elongated grooves. A plurality of the elongated grooves are arranged at intervals on at least part of the second surface. 
     In one of the embodiments, a thickness of the heating element is in a range from 10 μm to 150 μm. A depth of the liquid guiding channel is in a range from 5 μm to 120 μm. 
     In one of the embodiments, the heating element further includes a first side surface and a second side surface that are arranged oppositely. The first surface is connected between the first side surface and the second side surface. Both ends of the liquid guiding channel extend through the first side surface and the second side surface respectively. 
     In one of the embodiments, the atomizing core further includes: a first electrode connected to one end of the heating element; and a second electrode connected to the other end of the heating element. 
     In one of the embodiments, the heating element is directly attached to the atomizing surface. 
     In one of the embodiments, the atomizing surface is provided with a groove. The heating element is entirely or partially accommodated in the groove. 
     An electronic atomizing device includes the atomizing core according to any one of the embodiments. 
     An embodiment of the present disclosure can achieve the following technical effects. The liquid guiding channel is kept at a set distance from the first surface, and the liquid guiding channel does not extend to the lower part of the heating element adjacent to the first surface, such that the lower part of the heating element is in a “fully dense state”. The upper part of the heating element away from the first surface is provided with the liquid guiding channel, such that the upper part of the heating element is in a “fully permeable state”. Therefore, the lower part in the “fully dense state” and the upper part in the “fully permeable state” are connected to form the heating element in the “semi-permeable state”. In this way, the wettability of the heating element is neither too high nor too low, so as to ensure that the heating element has reasonable wettability, and can generate an appropriate temperature, preventing the generation of the aerosol with excessively high temperature and the burning smell due to dry burning, and avoiding that the heating element is separated from the base and even fused due to dry burning, which improves the service life and safety of the heating element. In addition, it can be ensured that the temperature of the aerosol is appropriate, neither too hot nor too cold. Furthermore, the fragrance of the aerosol has a certain sense level. The liquid guiding channel can further increase the resistance of the heating element. Under the same input power, the heating element can generate more heat, and the e-liquid atomized per unit time is increased, thereby increasing the concentration of the aerosol. In addition, the liquid guiding channel can cause the heating element to have reasonable wettability, so that the thickness of the heating element can be appropriately increased to increase its structural strength, preventing the heating element from being warped or wrinkled under thermal stress, avoiding the heating element from being fused due to dry burning, and eliminating the generation of toxic gases, further improving the service life and safety of the heating element. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a plane schematic view of an atomizing core according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a partial perspective schematic view of the atomizing core shown in  FIG. 1  according to a first example. 
         FIG. 3  is a partial cross-sectional schematic view of the atomizing core shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top schematic view of the atomizing core shown in  FIG. 3  according to a first example. 
         FIG. 5  is a top schematic view of the atomizing core shown in  FIG. 3  according to a second example. 
         FIG. 6  is a top schematic view of the atomizing core shown in  FIG. 3  according to a third example. 
         FIG. 7  is a partial top schematic view of the atomizing core shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional schematic view of the atomizing core shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a partial perspective schematic view of the atomizing core shown in  FIG. 1  according to a second example. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     In order to facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure, the present disclosure will be described in a more comprehensive manner with reference to the relevant drawings. Preferred embodiments of the disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, providing these embodiments is to make the disclosure of the disclosure more thorough and comprehensive. 
     It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being “fixed to” another element, it can be directly on another element or there may be an intermediate element therebetween. When an element is considered to be “connected to” another element, it can be directly connected to another element or there may be an intermediate element therebetween at the same time. The terms “inner”, “outer”, “left”, “right”, and the like used herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be the only embodiments. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 , an electronic atomizing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an atomizer and a power supply. The atomizer is provided with a liquid storage cavity and includes an atomizing core  10 . The atomizing core  10  includes a base  100 , a heating element  200 , a first electrode  310 , and a second electrode  320 . The base  100  can be made of a porous ceramic material. The base  100  has a certain porosity, so that liquid in the liquid storage cavity can be transferred through the base  100  and temporarily stored in the base  100 . The liquid in the liquid storage cavity can be a liquid aerosol generating substrate such as e-liquid. The base  100  has an atomizing surface  110 . The liquid temporarily stored in the base  100  can be transferred to the atomizing surface  110 . 
     The heating element  200  is disposed on the base  100 . The first electrode  310  can be electrically connected to one end of the heating element  200  and a positive electrode of the power supply. The second electrode  320  can be electrically connected to the other end of the heating element  200  and a negative electrode of the power supply. In this way, the power supply can supply power to the heating element  200  through the first electrode  310  and the second electrode  320 . The heating element  200  may be directly attached to the atomizing surface  110 . That is, the heating element  200  is directly spread on the atomizing surface  110 . A groove may further be provided on the atomizing surface  110 . The heating element  200  is entirely or partially accommodated in the groove. When the heating element  200  is entirely accommodated in the groove, the atomizing surface  110  may be exactly flush with a surface of the heating element  200 , or the atomizing surface  110  is higher than the surface of the heating body  200  by a certain distance. When the power supply supplies power to the heating element  200  through the first electrode  310  and the second electrode  320 , the heating element  200  converts electrical energy into heat. The liquid on the atomizing surface  110  can absorb the heat generated by the heating element  200  to be atomized to form an aerosol that can be inhaled by a user. When the first electrode  310  and the second electrode  320  have a film-like structure, the first electrode  310  and the second electrode  320  can be directly attached to the atomizing surface  110 , or can be accommodated in the groove formed on the atomizing surface  110 . When the first electrode  310  and the second electrode  320  have a linear structure, the first electrode  310  and the second electrode  320  can also directly extend through the base  100 . 
     In some embodiments, the atomizer and the power supply can be in a detachable connection. For example, the atomizer is detachably fixed to the power supply through a magnetic attraction connection, a threaded connection, or a snap connection. Therefore, the atomizer can be a disposable consumable, and the power supply can be recycled multiple times. When the e-liquid in the atomizer is completely consumed, the atomizer whose e-liquid has been consumed can be detached from the power supply and discarded. Then, a new atomizer filled with the e-liquid can be remounted on the power supply. In other embodiments, the atomizer and the power supply can be in a non-detachable connection. 
     The atomizing core  10  can be manufactured by the following methods. For example, firstly, a viscous electrode slurry and a heating slurry are printed on the atomizing surface  110  of the base  100  by screen printing, and then the base  100  with the electrode slurry and the heating slurry are sintered, so that the viscous electrode slurry forms the first electrode  310  and the second electrode  320  attached to the atomizing surface  110 , and the viscous heating slurry forms the heating element  200  attached to the atomizing surface  110 . Finally, the atomizing core  10  is formed. For another example, firstly, the heating element  200 , the first electrode  310 , and the second electrode  320  that are connected together and in a solid state are manufactured, and then, the heating element  200 , the first electrode  310 , and the second electrode  320  that are in a solid state are placed in a die cavity of an injection mold. A porous ceramic slurry for forming the base  100  is injected into the die cavity of the injection mold, and then cooled and cured, the porous ceramic slurry for forming the base  100  will be transformed into a blank body. Then, the blank body attached with the heating element  200 , the first electrode  310 , and the second electrode  320  is taken out of the die cavity and sintered, so that the blank body is transformed into the shaped base  100 , as such, the atomizing core  10  can be formed as well. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 , in some embodiments, the heating element  200  has a substantially curved film-like structure. A thickness H of the heating element  200  can be in a range from 10 μm to 150 μm, for example, can specifically be 10 μm, 20 μm, 80 μm, or 150 μm, etc. The heating element  200  may be made of a metal alloy such as iron-chromium alloy, iron-chromium-aluminum alloy, iron-chromium-nickel alloy, chromium-nickel alloy, titanium alloy, stainless steel alloy, or Karma alloy. The heating element  200  has a first surface  211 , a second surface  212 , a first side surface  221 , and a second side surface  222 . The first surface  211  is spaced apart from the second surface  212  in a thickness direction of the heating element  200 , and the first surface  211  and the second surface  212  face oppositely. Both the first side surface  221  and the second side surface  222  are arranged in a width direction of the heating element  200 , and the first side surface  221  and the second side surface  222  face oppositely. The first surface  211  is connected between one end of the first side surface  221  and one end of the second side surface  222 , and the second surface  212  is connected between the other end of the first side surface  221  and the other end of the second side surface  222 . For example, both the first side surface  221  and the second side surface  222  are located at an upper side of the first surface  211 , and both the first side surface  221  and the second side surface  222  are located at a lower side of the second surface  212 . 
     In some embodiments, the first surface  211  may be directly attached to the atomizing surface  110 . A plurality of liquid guiding channels  230  are provided on the heating element  200 . The liquid guiding channels  230  are in communication with outside and keep a set distance from the first surface  211 . In other words, the liquid guiding channel  230  does not extend to the first surface  211 , but causes the effect of extending through the first surface  211 . The liquid guiding channel  230  may be a micro hole  240 . A diameter of the micro hole  240  may be in a range from 0.005 mm to 0.5 mm. The micro hole  240  is a blind hole. An upper end of the micro hole  240  extends through the second surface  212  to be in communication with the outside. A lower end of the micro hole  240  is kept at a set distance from the first surface  211 , to prevent the lower end of the micro hole  240  from extending through the first surface  211 . In other words, each micro hole  240  can be regarded as being formed by a portion of the second surface  212  recessed toward the first surface  211  by a set depth. A cross section of the micro hole  240  can be in a regular or irregular shape such as circle, ellipse, rectangle, or regular polygon. Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 6 , when the cross section of the micro hole  240  is circular, the micro hole  240  is a circular hole. When the cross section of the micro hole  240  is in a shape of ellipse, the micro hole  240  is an elliptical hole. Referring to  FIG. 5 , when the cross section of the micro hole  240  is in a shape of square, the micro hole  240  is a square hole. By providing the micro holes  240 , the heating element  200  can appear as a mesh-like structure in appearance. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3, 4, and 6 , the upper ends of the micro holes  240  extend through the second surface  212  to form liquid outlets  241 . The liquid outlets  241  are arranged on part of the second surface  212  to form multiple rows of outlet portions  242 . In other words, one of the sections of the heating element  200  may be intercepted to form an intercepted section. The intercepted section of the heating element  200  may be in a shape of rectangular parallelepiped. Obviously, the part of the second surface  212  is located on the intercepted section, and the multiple rows of outlet portions  242  are also located on the interception section. In the outlet portions  242  in a same row, a connection line between centers of the respective liquid outlets  241  forms a straight segment  243 . For example, for any two adjacent rows of outlet portions  242 , one row of the outlet portions  242  are denoted as a first row outlet portion  242   a , and the other row of the outlet portions  242  are denoted as a second row outlet portion  242   b . Each liquid outlet  241  in the first row outlet portion  242   a  is denoted as a first liquid outlet  241   a , and a connecting line between centers of the respective first liquid outlets  241   a  is denoted as a first straight segment  243   a . Each liquid outlet  241  in the second row outlet portion  242   b  is denoted as a second liquid outlet  241   b , and a connecting line between centers of the respective second liquid outlets  241   b  is denoted as a second straight segment  243   b . The first straight segment  243   a  and the second straight segment  243   b  may be parallel to each other. It can be understood that the rows of the outlet portions  242  are arranged parallel to each other. That is, the micro holes  240  are arranged on at least part of the second surface  212  along multiple parallel lines. The first liquid outlets  241   a  and the second liquid outlets  241   b  may have same shapes and numbers. A distance between two adjacent first liquid outlets  241   a  is equal to a distance between two adjacent second liquid outlets  241   b . The second liquid outlet  241   b  has an orthographic projection in a direction perpendicular to the second straight segment  243   b . The orthographic projection can overlap with the first liquid outlet  241   a . In this case, the first liquid outlet  241   a  and the second liquid outlet  241   b  are aligned with each other (see  FIGS. 4 and 5 ). The orthographic projection can also be located between two adjacent first liquid outlets  241   a . In other embodiments, the orthographic projection can further cover part of the first liquid outlet  241   a . In this case, the first liquid outlet  241   a  and the second liquid outlet  241   b  are displaced with each other (see  FIG. 6 ). In other words, the orthographic projections of any two adjacent rows of micro holes  240  in a column direction do not completely overlap with each other. Obviously, the column direction is a direction perpendicular to the above parallel lines. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , in some embodiments, the liquid guiding channel  230  is an elongated groove  250 . A length-width ratio of a cross section of the elongated groove  250  is greater than that of a cross section of the micro hole  240 . The cross section of the elongated groove  250  can be rectangular or racetrack-shaped. A plurality of elongated grooves  250  are arranged at intervals on part of the second surface  212 . In other words, one of the sections of the heating element  200  can be intercepted to form an intercepted section. The intercepted section of the heating element  200  may be in a shape of rectangular parallelepiped. Obviously, the part of the second surface  212  is located on the intercepted section. That is, the plurality of elongated grooves  250  are arranged at even intervals on the part of the second surface  212  located on the intercepted section. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , when an upper end of the liquid guiding channel  230  extends through the second surface  212 , a depth h of the liquid guiding channel  230  can be in a range from 5 μm to 120 μm, for example, can specifically be 5 μm, 20 μm, 100 μm, or 120 μm. By reasonably setting the depth h of the liquid guiding channel  230 , the depth h of the liquid guiding channel  230  is smaller than a thickness H of the heating element  200 , so that the liquid guiding channel  230  cannot extend through the first surface  211 , such that a lower end of the liquid guiding channel  230  is kept at a set distance from the first surface  211 . 
     If the entire heating element  200  is not provided with any liquid guiding channel  230 , that is, the heating element  200  is in a “fully dense state”. Generally, in order to ensure that the heating element  200  has a certain strength and avoid the heating element  200  from being warped or wrinkled to be separated from the base  100  under the cyclic action of thermal stress, the heating element  200  will have a certain thickness. Therefore, the wettability of the heating element  200  is too low, such that it is difficult for the e-liquid on the base  100  to permeate the entire surface (for example, the second surface  212 ) of the heating element  200  having a certain thickness. When the heating element  200  is powered, a part of the surface of the heating element  200  that is not fully permeated by the e-liquid will have a local high temperature, which will cause dry burning to the heating element  200 . Due to the dry burning, on the one hand, the e-liquid will produce a burnt smell due to the excessively high atomizing temperature, and the temperature of the aerosol formed by atomizing the e-liquid will be too high, resulting in a bad experience of oral burns. On the other hand, greater thermal stress will be generated at the part of the heating element  200  that is dry burned, which will cause the part of the heating element  200  to be warped and then separated from the base  100 . In this case, the part of the heating element  200  separated from the base  100  will be more difficult to be permeated by the e-liquid, so that the part of the heating element  200  will be dry burned more seriously and generate toxic and irritating gases, thus causing a hazard to human health. In addition, more severe dry burning will cause the heating element  200  to be fused and unable to work normally, thereby shortening the service life of the heating element  200 . Moreover, part of the heat generated by the heating element  200  cannot be used to atomize the e-liquid, and be wasted, thereby reducing the energy utilization rate of the heating element  200 . 
     If the entire heating element  200  is provided with a liquid guiding structure that extends through both the first surface  211  and the second surface  212 , the heating element  200  is in a “fully permeable state”. In this case, the wettability of the heating element  200  is too high, and the e-liquid on the base  100  will quickly pass through the liquid guiding structure in the heating element  200  and directly permeate the entire surface of the heating element  200 , causing the heating element  200  to be excessively permeated. As a result, on the one hand, a phenomenon of the e-liquid splashing occurs on the heating element  200  due to excessive e-liquid, so that the utilization rate of the e-liquid is low and the e-liquid is wasted. On the other hand, the temperature of the heating element  200  is too low, which results in a low temperature of the aerosol entering the user&#39;s mouth. In addition, the fragrance has an insufficient sense level. Due to the low heating temperature, the aerosol formed by atomizing the e-liquid has larger particles, which also affects the user experience. 
     As for the heating element  200  in the above embodiments of the present disclosure, the liquid guiding channel  230  only extends through the second surface  212 , so that the liquid guiding channel  230  does not extend through the first surface  211  and is kept at a set distance from the first surface  211 . In this case, the heating element  200  is in a “semi-permeable state”. The liquid guiding channel  230  does not extend to the lower part of the heating element  200  adjacent to the first surface  211 , so that the lower part of the heating element  200  is in a “fully dense state”. In addition, the upper part of the heating element  200  adjacent to the second surface  212  is provided with the liquid guiding channel  230 , such that the upper part of the heating element  200  is in a “fully permeable state”. Therefore, the lower part in the “fully dense state” and the upper part in the “fully permeable state” are connected to form the heating element  200  in the “semi-permeable state”. In this way, the wettability of the heating element  200  is neither too high nor too low, so as to ensure that the heating element  200  has reasonable wettability. 
     Therefore, the temperature generated by the heating element  200  in the “semi-permeable state” is lower than the temperature generated by the heating element  200  in the “fully dense state”, to prevent the generation of the aerosol with excessively high temperature and the burning smell due to dry burning, and to avoid that the heating element  200  is separated from the base  100  and even fused due to dry burning, which improves the service life and safety of the heating element  200 . In addition, the temperature generated by the heating element  200  in the “semi-permeable state” is higher than the temperature generated by the heating element  200  in the “fully permeable state”, to prevent the aerosol with an excessively low temperature from being formed when the e-liquid is atomized, and ultimately, to ensure that the temperature of the aerosol is appropriate, neither too hot nor too cold. In addition, the fragrance of the aerosol has a certain sense level, and the aerosol has moderate particles, neither too large nor too small, which further improves the user experience. 
     Experiments show that when an input power is 6.5 W, the temperature generated by the heating element  200  in the “fully dense state” is in a range from 320° C. to 350° C., and the temperature generated by the heating element  200  in the “fully permeable state” is in a range from 250° C. to 290° C. The temperature generated by the heating element  200  in the “semi-permeable state” in the above embodiments is in a range from 290° C. to 320° C. Therefore, it is fully verified through experiments that the heating element  200  according to the above embodiments can generate an appropriate temperature, so as to avoid the aerosol from being too hot or cold. 
     It can be understood that by providing the liquid guiding channel  230 , the resistance of the heating element  200  can also be increased. Under the same input power, the heating element  200  can generate more heat, and the e-liquid atomized per unit time is increased, thereby increasing the concentration of the aerosol. In addition, the liquid guiding channel  230  can cause the heating element  200  to have reasonable wettability, so that the thickness of the heating element  200  can be appropriately increased to increase its structural strength, preventing the heating element  200  from being warped or wrinkled under thermal stress, avoiding the heating element  200  from being fused due to dry burning and eliminating the generation of toxic gases, further improving the service life and safety of the heating element  200 . The liquid in the liquid guiding channel  230  can also be atomized by the heating element  200 , and the atomizing amount of the e-liquid and the concentration of the aerosol per unit time can also be increased. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , in some embodiments, both ends of the liquid guiding channel  230  respectively extend through the first side surface  221  and the second side surface  222 . In this case, the liquid guiding channel  230  can be regarded as a horizontally arranged liquid guiding channel  230 . A central axis of the horizontally arranged liquid guiding channel  230  can be parallel to the first surface  211 , and the liquid guiding channel  230  extending through the second surface  212  can be regarded as a vertically arranged liquid guiding channel  230 . By arranging the liquid guiding channel  230  horizontally, the heating element  200  can also be in a “semi-permeable state”. It is can be ensured that the heating element  200  can generate an appropriate temperature, and ensured that the aerosol is neither too hot nor too cold. 
     An extending path of the heating element  200  can be abstracted as a plane curve, in other words, the heating element  200  can be abstracted as a curve. The curve can be a spiral. The spiral can be similar to a rectangular spiral, or can be similar to an equidistant Archimedes spiral, a variable pitch involute spiral, an S-shaped spiral or the like. 
     The entire heating element  200  may be integrally formed. For example, the liquid guiding channel  230  is formed on the heating element  200  by means of laser engraving, chemical etching, or mechanical stamping. The heating element  200  can also be formed in separate parts. For example, the heating element  200  is divided into an upper part and a lower part. Firstly, the liquid guiding channel  230  is formed on the upper part by means of laser engraving, chemical etching, or mechanical stamping, such that the liquid guiding channel  230  extends through upper and lower surfaces of the upper part. Then, the upper part with the liquid guiding channel  230  is connected to the lower part by welding or injection molding. 
     The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To simplify the description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, all of the combinations of these technical features should be considered as being fallen within the scope of the present disclosure, as long as such combinations do not contradict with each other. 
     The foregoing embodiments merely illustrate some embodiments of the present disclosure, and descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed. However, it should not be understood as a limitation to the patent scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that, a person of ordinary skill in the art may further make some variations and improvements without departing from the concept of the present disclosure, and the variations and improvements falls in the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the appended claims.