Patent Application
20240148065
The present disclosure relates to an aerosol generation article, an aerosol generation device for the aerosol generation article, and an aerosol generation system which is a combination of the aerosol generation article and the aerosol generation device.
The popularity and use of reduced-risk or modified-risk devices (also known as aerosol generation devices or vapour generating devices) have grown rapidly in recent years as an alternative to the use of traditional tobacco products. Various devices, articles and systems are available that heat or warm aerosol generation substances to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user.
A commonly available reduced-risk or modified-risk device is the heated substrate aerosol generation device, or so-called heat-not-burn device. Devices of this type generate an aerosol or vapour by heating an aerosol generation substrate to a temperature typically in the range 150° C. to 300° C. Heating the aerosol generation substrate to a temperature within this range, without burning or combusting the aerosol generation substrate, generates a vapour which typically cools and condenses to form an aerosol for inhalation by a user of the device.
Currently available aerosol generation devices can use one of a number of different approaches to provide heat to the aerosol generation substrate, including resistive heating and induction heating. Whichever approach is used to heat the aerosol generation substrate, it can be convenient to provide the aerosol generation substrate in the form of an aerosol generation article that is configured for use with an aerosol generation device. Aerosol generation articles are known in the art and typically comprise an aerosol generation substrate positioned at a distal end of the aerosol generation article and a filter positioned at the proximal (mouth) end.
It is conceivable that a user may inadvertently attempt to ignite the aerosol generation article in a conventional manner, using a flame or other ignition source. There is, therefore, a need to provide an aerosol generation article, for use with an aerosol generation device, which has a reduced susceptibility to ignition using a flame or other ignition source; at the same time, there is also a need to maximize the heating efficiency of the substrate, so as to have a better performance with less electric energy.
The present invention provides an aerosol generation article and a system comprising the article and an aerosol generation device, which solve some of or all of the above problems.
A 1st embodiment of the invention is directed to an aerosol generation article for an aerosol generation device, wherein the aerosol generation article has a distal end, which is first inserted into a cavity of the aerosol generation device, and a mouth end downstream of the distal end, and the aerosol generation article comprises:
The arrangement of the self-sealing airflow barrier ensures that the aerosol generation article can only be smoked by a user in a proper way. Specifically, the user will not be able to ignite and consume the article with only the article itself, but with an aerosol generation device together, because the presence of the self-sealing airflow barrier prevents that the airflow flows through the aerosol generation article without piercing the self-sealing airflow barrier. At the same time, the self-sealing airflow barrier together with its orientation means makes the aerosol generation article able to be properly arranged in the aerosol generation device in a desired way. The user will also be able to easily orient the aerosol generation article correctly with just his or her tactile sensation.
According to a 2nd embodiment, in the 1st embodiment, the aerosol generation article has the shape of a cylinder.
According to a 3rd embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the aerosol generation article is configured in a way such that it can be rotated about its longitudinal center axis when it is partially inserted into the cavity of the aerosol generation device.
According to a 4th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the aerosol generation article comprises at least one heater, preferably an inductively heatable susceptor, wherein the heater is located at a predetermined position of the aerosol generation article relative to the orientation means.
With the close contact between the heater and the substrate of the aerosol generation article, the aerosol generation article can be heated more efficiently.
According to a 5th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the heater is a blade-shaped susceptor.
According to a 6th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the self-sealing airflow barrier comprises a rod portion configured to fit into a wrapped hollow portion of the distal end of the aerosol generation article, such that the rod portion of the self-sealing airflow barrier is secured around its periphery to the wrapper and the orientation means protrudes from the wrapped hollow portion.
With this arrangement, the self-sealing airflow barrier can be more firmly fixed in the aerosol generation article.
According to a 7th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the orientation means has the shape of a column, which has a cross section allowing the article to be positioned in the cavity of the device with a desired orientation.
According to an 8th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the orientation means has the shape of a polyhedron, preferably a cube, an irregular cylinder, or a polygon prism.
According to a 9th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the self-sealing airflow barrier comprises an elastomeric material, preferably silicone rubber.
With this arrangement, the self-sealing airflow barrier can be recovered and resume its air-insulation function after the aerosol generation article is extracted from the aerosol generation device.
According to a 10th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the self-sealing airflow barrier comprises a pre-weakened area in a region intended to be breached, the pre-weakened area preferably having the shape of a circle, a line or a cross located in a plane which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generation article.
With this arrangement, the self-sealing airflow barrier can be easily penetrated.
An 11th embodiment relates to an aerosol generation device for use of an aerosol generation article, preferably an aerosol generation article according to any one of the preceding embodiments, comprising:
According to a 12th embodiment, in the preceding embodiment, the counterpart orientation means is located at the bottom end of the cavity. Preferably, the counterpart orientation means has a length, in the insertion direction of the article, of at most 10 mm, preferably at most 7 mm, more preferably at most 5 mm, even more preferably at most 3 mm, and most preferably at most about 1 mm; and of at least 0.1 mm, preferably at least 0.3 mm, more preferably at least 0.5 mm, and most preferably at least about 0.7 mm.
According to a 13th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the device comprises an energizer, preferably an electromagnetic field generator, more preferably a flat induction coil, configured to provide energy for heating the substrate of the aerosol generation article. Even more preferably, the energizer is arranged separately from the counterpart orientation means in the aerosol generation device. With this arrangement, the article can be heated more evenly and more thoroughly, and more vapor can be filled in the article, since the energizer does not penetrate into the article.
According to a 14th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the counterpart orientation means is hollow.
A 15th embodiment relates to an aerosol generation system comprising the aerosol generation article according to any one of the 1st to 10th embodiments and the aerosol generation device according to any one of the 11th to 14th embodiments.
According to a 16th embodiment, in the preceding embodiment, the aerosol generation article comprises a first orientation and a second orientation with regards to the cavity of the aerosol generation device, wherein the aerosol generation article is consumed more effectively when the aerosol generation article is arranged in a way that the first orientation faces a predetermined position of the aerosol generation device.
According to a 17th embodiment, in any one of the 15th or 16th embodiments, the orientation means of the aerosol generation article have a shape which corresponds to a shape of the counterpart orientation means of the aerosol generation device, such that the orientation means can be fitted into the counterpart orientation means during the insertion of the aerosol generation article into the aerosol generation device.
According to an 18th embodiment, in any one of the 15th to 17th embodiments, the heater is located at a predetermined position of the aerosol generation article relative to the orientation means, such that, after the aerosol generation article has been inserted into the aerosol generation device with the orientation as indicated or guided by the orientation means, the heater is at a proximity position towards, aligned with and/or parallel to the energizer comprised in the device.
With this arrangement, with a desired orientation, the heating efficiency of the aerosol generation article can be improved in the aerosol generation device.
Preferred embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The aerosol generation article 10 comprises the following elements arranged sequentially and in co-axial (in other words, configured along the longitudinal center axis, namely the longitudinal axis defined at the center of the circular cross-section of the cylindrical aerosol generation article 10 and passing internally through the body's own center of mass, shown as a dashed line in the figures) alignment in a downstream or the counter-insertion direction, in other words from the distal end I to the mouth end M: a self-sealing airflow barrier 28, an aerosol generation substrate 16 together with an inductively heatable susceptor 17, an optional vapour cooling element 18, and an optional filter 20, for example comprising cellulose acetate fibres. The elements are all assembled inside a wrapper 22 to form a rod, and the wrapper 22 holds the elements in position to form the aerosol generation article 10.
The wrapper 22 is substantially non-electrically conductive and non-magnetically permeable, and typically comprises a paper wrapper, e.g., cigarette paper.
The aerosol generation substrate 16 comprises a solid or semi-solid material (i.e. a non-liquid material) and may comprise plant derived material, and in particular tobacco. The aerosol generation substrate 16 typically comprises a tobacco plug. The aerosol generating substrate 16 may include an aerosol-former, such as glycerine or propylene glycol, to facilitate the generation of a vapour or aerosol when heated.
The inductively heatable susceptor 17 is located proximate, in contact with, or, in this embodiment, contained within the aerosol generation substrate 16. The inductively heatable susceptor 17, functioning as a heater, may comprise a blade-shaped susceptor which coextends with the side wall of the cavity 38.
The inductively heatable susceptor 17 is arranged at a center position and (preferably shares a midline that) coextends with the longitudinal center axis of the article 10. As illustrated in
The aerosol generation article 10 has an air inlet 24 at the distal end I and an air outlet 26 at the mouth end M. The self-sealing airflow barrier 28 is positioned at the distal end I of the aerosol generation article 10. The self-sealing airflow barrier 28 can be an elastic wall and comprises a septum self-sealing material, typically an elastomeric material such as silicone rubber or cork or other materials of the same nature which are often seen on gas chromatography vials and in medical applications. A part of it is secured around its periphery to the wrapper 22, while another part 28a of it protrudes out of the wrapper 22 at an upstream position with regard to the remaining part of the self-sealing airflow barrier 28. In other words, it protrudes from the distal end I of the article 10. The self-sealing airflow barrier 28 prevents airflow from the air inlet 24 to the air outlet 26 through the aerosol generation substrate 16, and this reduces the propensity for ignition and/or sustained combustion of the aerosol generation substrate 16.
Relative to the arrangement and the position of the inductively heatable susceptor 17, the other part 28a is configured to have an outer shape, preferably a prism or a column shape, having the effect that the article 10 can only be inserted in the aerosol generation device 30 with preferably one or, in the present embodiment, two different orientations. As shown in
A piercing surface of the self-sealing airflow barrier 28, which is to be breached during insertion, is arranged on the protruding orientation element 28a or the remaining part of the self-sealing airflow barrier 28. The piercing surface of the self-sealing airflow barrier 28 has preferably a locally reduced thickness to facilitate piercing or perforation by the piercing element 52, which is discussed below. For example, the wall can comprise a pre-weakened area in the region intended to be pierced or perforated. The pre-weakened area can be shaped as a small circle or can be linear or cross-shaped in the transverse direction. The self-sealing airflow barrier 28 can be made of combustion-resistant material such as silicone or cork. In a possible mode, the self-sealing airflow barrier 28 is a pre-cut or pre-scored elastic wall that is closed in the relaxed state and is forced to open by the insertion element 52. When the self-sealing airflow barrier 28 has a slit or slits, the self-sealing airflow barrier 28 cannot be opened by a user's suction at the mouth end M of the aerosol generation article 10 due to a too high resistance to draw.
The vapour cooling element 18 typically comprises a hollow paper tube 18a having a thickness which is greater than the thickness of the paper wrapper 22. As heated vapour flows through the vapour cooling element 18 in the downstream direction, from the aerosol generation substrate 16 towards the mouth end M, the vapour cools and condenses to form an aerosol with suitable characteristics for inhalation by a user. The vapour cooling element 18 (e.g. hollow paper tube 18a) may contact the aerosol generation substrate 16 at a first end as shown in
Referring now to
The aerosol generation device 30 has a first (or proximal) end 32 and a second (or distal) end 34 and comprises a device housing 36. The aerosol generation device 30 further comprises a cavity (i.e. heating chamber) 38 having a substantially cylindrical cross-section, a power source 40, for example one or more batteries, and a controller 42 which are all positioned in the device housing 36. The aerosol generation device 30 is a hand-held, portable, and elongated device, which means that a user is able to hold and support the device unaided in a single hand.
The cavity 38 has a proximal (opening) end 44 and a distal (bottom) end 46 corresponding to the distal end I to the mouth end M separately. The cavity comprises an opening 48 at the proximal end 44 and a hollow 51 at the distal end 46. The hollow, at the bottom surface of the cavity 38, is configured to have a concave shape corresponding to the outer shape of the protruded orientation element 28a, so as to indicate and/or guide the orientation of the aerosol generation article and function as a counterpart orientation means for the orientation means 28a. In other words, when the protruded orientation element 28a is fitted into the hollow 51, the article 10 is positioned in the cavity 38 of the device 30 in a desired and predetermined orientation.
In the illustrated embodiment, the article can be consumed when the protruded orientation element 28a is fully contained in the hollow 51.
The cavity 38 includes a substantially cylindrical side wall 50, i.e., a side wall 50 which has a substantially circular cross-section. The aerosol generation article 10 is positioned in the cavity 38 by inserting the distal end I into the cavity 38 via the opening 48 along the insertion direction. In order to be maximally contained in the cavity 38, the article 10 may be rotated around the longitudinal center axis so as to adjust the orientation of the article 10 in order to maximally insert the protruded orientation element 28a into the hollow 51. The hollow 51 and the protruded orientation element 28a are dimensioned such that the hollow 51 can fit right and just contain the protruded orientation element 28a. The cavity 38 and the aerosol generation article 10 are dimensioned such that the mouth end M, and in particular the filter 20, projects from the cavity 38 at the first (proximal) end 44 to permit engagement by a user's lips, when the article 10 is maximally contained in the cavity 38 of the device 30.
The aerosol generation device 30 includes an insertion element (penetration portion) 52, in the illustrated example a hollow piercing element 52 which is arranged at the distal end 46 of the cavity 38 and which projects into the cavity 38 from the distal end 46 towards the proximal end 44. The hollow piercing element 52 has a frustoconical outer surface 54 and may comprise a one-way valve, e.g. duckbill valve. When the aerosol generation article 10 is fully inserted into the cavity 38 as shown in
In the present embodiment, the insertion element 52 and the elastic wall of the self-sealing airflow barrier 28 are dimensioned such that only when the orientation element 28a is inserted into the hollow 51 completely, in other words when the article 10 is maximally contained in the cavity 38 of the device 30, the insertion element 52 can pierce through the elastic wall of the self-sealing airflow barrier 28 so that the user can start to consume the article 10. In other words, the insertion element 52 is configured with a dimension (height) which is from the bottom surface (end) of the hollow 51 to the top end of the insertion element 52, i.e., the counter-insertion direction, substantially identical, or preferably slightly greater, than the thickness of the elastic wall of the self-sealing airflow barrier 28. In other words, the counterpart orientation means 28a has a length, in the insertion direction of the article 10, of at most 10 mm, preferably at most 7 mm, more preferably at most 5 mm, even more preferably at most 3 mm, and most preferably at most about 1 mm; and of at least 0.1 mm, preferably at least 0.3 mm, more preferably at least 0.5 mm, and most preferably at least about 0.7 mm. With this arrangement, the user may only consume the article 10 when the article 10 is positioned at the predetermined orientation.
When the aerosol generation article 10 is removed from the cavity 38, the self-sealing airflow barrier 28 recovers its original shape, thereby sealing the small opening created in the airflow barrier 28 by the hollow piercing element 52. Thus, the self-sealing airflow barrier 28 once again prevents airflow from the air inlet 24 to the air outlet 26 of the aerosol generation article 10, reducing the propensity for ignition and/or sustained combustion of the aerosol generation substrate 16.
The aerosol generation device 60 comprises a magnetic field generator 62 functioning as an energizer, preferably induction heating coil, correspondingly to the susceptor in the aerosol generation article for generating an electromagnetic field. The magnetic field generator 62, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises a flat induction heating coil 64. The flat induction heating coil 64 is arranged at a predetermined position proximal to the cavity 38. The induction coil 64 can be energised by the power source 40 and controller 42. The controller 42 includes, amongst other electronic components, an inverter which is arranged to convert a direct current from the power source 40 into an alternating high-frequency current for the induction coil 64. The energizer is preferably arranged separately from the counterpart orientation means (28a) in the aerosol generation device (30) as shown in the figure.
As it will be understood by person skilled in the art, when the induction coil 64 is energised during use of the aerosol generation system 2, an alternating and time-varying electromagnetic field is produced. This couples with the inductively heatable susceptor and generates eddy currents and/or magnetic hysteresis losses in the susceptor causing it to heat up. The heat is then transferred from the inductively heatable susceptor to the aerosol generation substrate 16, for example by conduction, radiation and convection, to heat the aerosol generation substrate 16 without burning and thereby produces a vapour. The airflow through the aerosol generation device 60, and hence through the aerosol generation article 10, is the same as that described above in connection with the aerosol generation system 1 in
During operation of the aerosol generation device 30, electrical energy is supplied by the power source 40 and controller 42 to the heater 62, preferably the induction heating coil 64. The power is transferred from the heater 62 to the aerosol generation substrate 16, preferably the susceptor 17 of the aerosol generation substrate 16, of the aerosol generation article 10, for example by conduction, radiation and convection, causing the aerosol generation substrate 16 to heat up without burning, preferably by the susceptor 17, and thereby produces a vapour. In other exemplary embodiments, any other types of heaters not limited to heating coil and susceptor, such as resistance heater, may be arranged in the device 1, in a way such that the device 1 may comprise orientation means so that the article can be guided to a position aligned and/or substantially close to the heater of the device 1 to have a better heating performance. When a user draws (i.e. sucks) on the mouth end M of the aerosol generation article 10, air is drawn through the aerosol generation article 10 via an airflow passage 56 in the device housing 36. The air flows through the hollow piercing element 52 and the air inlet 24 of the aerosol generation article 10. The air then flows through the aerosol generation substrate 16 and, hence, vapour generated by heating the aerosol generation substrate 16 is entrained in the airstream and conveyed towards the air outlet 28 at the mouth end M of the aerosol generation article 10. The vapour cools and condenses as it flows through the vapour cooling element 18 to form an aerosol. The aerosol then passes through the filter 20 and is inhaled by a user.
In order to have a better (maximum) heating efficiency, the blade-shaped susceptor 17 should be positioned parallel to, namely correctly aligned with, the flat induction heating coil 64. As illustrated in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21162732.8 | Mar 2021 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2022/052113 | 1/28/2022 | WO |
