The present invention relates to an aerosol generation device.
Known aerosol generation devices often use a heating component, or heater, to heat an aerosol generating liquid in order to generate an aerosol, or vapour, for inhalation by a user.
The heating component is typically made of an electrically conductive material. The electrical resistance of the conductive material causes dissipation of heat through Joule effect as the electric current passes through the material, a process commonly known as resistive heating.
Generally, such devices comprise a liquid store and a liquid transport element or “wick” formed of a capillary material arranged to transport liquid from the liquid store to the heating element. However, in these devices the close proximity of the wick to the heating element leads to thermal degradation of the wick, thereby reducing the effective lifespan of the device.
In one known type of aerosol generating device, the heating element itself comprises a capillary material, for example a mesh of conducting fibres to transport and heat aerosol generating liquid. However, such heating elements are known to provide inconsistent wicking and variable levels of heating performance, leading to unpredictable aerosol generating properties of the aerosol generating device.
An object of the present invention is therefore to address some of these issues.
Furthermore, in some aerosol generating devices, the heating component is supplied as a component of the cartridge and therefore, is a disposable component. However, the heater is a relatively expensive component and also has a lifetime far beyond the point it is discarded with the used cartridge. This means that the heater is still in good condition when the cartridge is expended.
It is also an object of the present invention to leverage the cost of cartridges and heaters.
According to the present invention, there is provided an aerosol generation system comprising:
wherein,
at least one intermediate element is positioned between the consumable and the heating element for absorbing vaporizable material and for acting as a heatshield between the heating and the consumable.
Providing a device with a removable consumable and a heating receptacle as above-defined, the heater element is not provided in the consumable. Furthermore, since the vaporizable material is included in the consumable, the heating element in the heating receptacle can be used for an extended period of time rather than being thrown away with each new consumable, therefore reducing waste and costs for manufacturing and also for users.
Advantageously, the intermediate element comprises at least two portions, the first portion in contact with the consumable or the vaporizable material and configured to ensure a wicking of the vaporizable material through the second portion and the second portion in close contact with the heating element and configured to optimize the heat transfer and the vaporization process of the vaporizable material. Advantageously, the intermediate element is further configured such that the vaporization of the vaporizable material occurs in the intermediate element. By providing an intermediate element as above-defined, the heatshield avoids a close proximity of the vaporizable material absorber to the heating element, preventing thus thermal degradation of the wick or the vaporizable material as not being in direct contact with the heating element while ensuring optimized heat transfer and vaporization process of the vaporizable material by the heatshield, thereby further improving the effective lifespan of the device.
In embodiments of the invention, the consumable comprises:
a hollow body having at least one wall configured to hold a vaporizable material and, the heating receptacle comprises:
a wall defining a chamber configured to removably receive at least a portion of the consumable and the wall further comprising the heating element for evaporating the at least one vaporizable material when in use.
In embodiments of the invention, the first portion is adapted to cooperate in one side which faces the consumable, with an outside surface of at least one wall of the consumable and the second portion is adapted to cooperate in a second side which faces the consumable, with the heating element.
This improves design freedom and increases the range of possible component configurations within the device, enhancing spatial efficiency and allowing for a reduction in the size of the device without impairing its aerosol generating properties.
According to embodiments of the invention the first portion is configured to act as a vaporizable material retention medium and the second portion is configured to act as a heatshield.
This prevents direct contact of the vaporizable material with the heating element. In other words, the thermal buffer ensured by the second portion allows to have a thermal gap between the vaporizable material and the heating element. Therefore, preventing degradation of the vaporizable material.
Preferably, the first portion and the second portion are made of distinct materials.
More preferably, the first portion is a heat resistant mesh that resists to temperatures up to 400° C., advantageously up to 350° C.
In this way the wall of the consumable will not heat, as well, when in use. Therefore, it is avoided that the vaporizable material vaporizes as a whole within the consumable when in use. The mesh element has a wicking function, i.e., to transport vaporizable material from the liquid store, i.e., from the consumable article to the heating apparatus.
Preferably, the first portion comprises at least one of: cotton, glass fiber. Advantageously the first portion has a thickness between 1 to 8 mm, preferably 2 to 4 mm.
Cotton has higher liquid retention properties than metal or glass fiber.
Preferably, the second portion is a mesh made of a mesh material wherein the pore diameters of the mesh material are higher than the pore diameters of the material from which the first portion is made of.
Material with higher pore diameters will have higher liquid retention properties.
Preferably, the second portion is made of open cell metallic foam or sintered metal. More preferably, the second portion is made of aluminium or steel and their alloys or conductive ceramic materials.
These materials have good heat transfer properties. Thus, this will permit vaporization of the vaporizable material through the second portion without direct contact of the vaporizable material with the heating element.
Advantageously, the open cell metallic foam has a thickness between 1 to 8 mm, preferably 2 to 6 mm. This permits the second to experience a temperature gradient through it allowing thus to vaporize the vaporizable material at its boiling point.
More advantageously, the open cell metallic foam has a porosity comprised between 0.8 and 0.7, preferably between 0.8 and 0.5 and a thermal conductivity between 1 W/mk and 20 W/mk.
More specifically, as the intermediate element is made of distinct materials, there are different temperatures reached in both portions of the intermediate element, in contact to each other, due to the heat transfer process happening between the two portions. Advantageously, the temperature in the first portion is lower than in the second portion and should not be sufficient to vaporize the consumable and therefore vaporize the vaporizable material, thanks to the difference in thickness of both portions and their porosity level. The temperature in the heater is the highest but the consumable is not in contact with this latter. However, the temperature in the second portion is aligned with a boiling point of the vaporizable material in the consumable. In fact, temperature gradient experienced by the second portion allows different components of the e-liquid while emerging through the second portion. Therefore, It is in this second portion that the vaporization of consumable or the vaporizable material occurs. Therefore, avoiding the whole reservoir to be heated and furthermore increase user experience. The boiling point temperature can be around 200° C.
Preferably, the heating element extends along at least an inner portion of the wall, and preferably forms at least a part of the wall of the chamber.
This improves design freedom and increases the range of possible component configurations within the device.
According to the invention, the consumable further includes a vaporizable material outlet configured to release the vaporizable material to the intermediate element.
Preferably, the vaporizable material outlet is configured to release the vaporizable material from the inside of the hollow body to the at least one first portion.
Advantageously, the vaporizable material transfer means including one of: opening, hole, perforation, porous mesh. In this way there is no need of extra elements to allow transportation of the liquid from the consumable article to the outside surface of the consumable, preferably to the mesh element.
According to the invention, the second portion is in thermal contact with the at least one heating element such that, when in use, heat is transferred from the heating element to the second portion, thus allowing vaporization of the vaporizable material released therein by capillary action from the first portion.
According to the invention, the intermediate element is connected to the wall of the consumable, such that, the first portion extends over at least a portion of the wall of the consumable.
Preferably, the intermediate element is connected to the heating element of the heating receptacle such that the second portion is in thermal contact with the at least one heating element.
According to the invention, the device further comprises an airflow channel configured to enabling air flowing from an air inlet to an outlet disposed at opposite ends of the device. Preferably, the consumable comprises a longitudinal opening aligned along a longitudinal axis of the consumable wherein air can flows along from the air inlet to an opposite end of the device when in use.
Additionally or alternatively the consumable further comprises at least one groove extending into the wall of the consumable and forming part of the airflow channel to allow air to flow from the air inlet to an opposite end of the device when in use.
Alternatively, the consumable comprises a plurality of consumables, wherein each consumable has a stackable means configured to stack together one consumable article with another consumable article, in a way that the grooves of each consumable are longitudinally aligned along a longitudinal axis of the consumable in a way that air can flow along the grooves when in use.
Preferably, each consumable can hold different vaporizable materials including flavourants. This gives choice to the consumer to select which flavourant to use, thus improves user experience.
Preferably, the stackable means includes one of: clip, screw, bayonet.
According to the invention, the heating device further comprises a power supply section comprises a battery unit to supply power to the at least one heating element and also a controller unit.
Preferably, the heating device further comprises a mouthpiece removably connected to the consumable.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided method for manufacturing the intermediate element according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the method comprises surface treatment techniques including one of: Electroplating, Electroless Plating, Chemical Coating, Anodic Oxidation Process, Hot Dipping, Vacuum Plating, Thermal Spraying, Metallic Cementation.
Embodiments of the invention are now described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:
The consumable 100 may be embodied as cartridge, pod, capsule, article or the like.
Vaporizable material may be any material that is vaporizable at a temperature up to 400° C., preferably up to 350° C. For example, the vaporizable material may be an aerosol generating liquid, a gel, a wax or the like.
In use, the heating element 204 is arranged to receive electrical energy from the battery 406 in order to generate an aerosol by heating the vaporizable material released from the consumable through an outlet arranged in the hollow body 102 thereof and adsorbed into the intermediate material 500 through resistive heating. The intermediate element 500 is arranged between the consumable and the heating element 204. The intermediate element 500 is configured to adsorb or retain vaporizable material transferred therein from the consumable 100 for e.g. by capillary action and also for acting as a heatshield to create a heat gap between the vaporizable material and the heating element 204. To ensure controlled release of the vaporizable material, the outlet of the consumable may be formed, as known in the art, as a hole or a plurality of holes and/or comprise a mesh for wicking vaporizable material to the intermediate material 500 once inserted in the chamber 202.
In this example, the consumable 100 is disposed within the chamber 202 of the heating receptacle 200. One or more air flow channels (not shown) are provided through the heating device 400 and the consumable 100, and configured to, on user inhalation, direct air from outside the aerosol generating system 1000 through the air flow channels and toward the mouthpiece. This means that aerosol that has been generated by heating vaporizable material on the heating element 204 will be carried along the air flow channel to exit the device through the mouthpiece.
The heating element 204 comprises a mesh of electrically conductive fibres. In this embodiment, the mesh is planar with a thickness many times smaller than its length, in particular between 5% and 20% of its length. The skilled person will appreciate that alternative arrangements of electrically conductive fibres may also be used which are not flat or planar. For example, the mesh may be folded, wrapped, or resemble a rod-like heating element. The fibres form a porous network, thereby providing the heating element 204 with wicking properties. This also allows air to flow through the heating element 204, thereby forming part of the air flow channels as described above.
The fibres of the heating element 204 may be made of metal, such as stainless steel, non-stainless steel, iron, copper, tungsten, aluminium, brass, Nichrome, Kanthal, Cupronickel and other alloys, or any other metal (element, compound or alloy). Alternatively, the fibres may be made of non-metal material such as molybdenum disilicide, silicon carbide and other ceramics or semiconductors, or any other non-metal.
In one example, the heating element 204 may comprise a sintered mesh with a random arrangement of fibres. In another example, the heating element 204 may comprise a regular woven pattern of fibres.
The heating device 400 may further comprise a housing 411. Both heating device 400 and housing 411 are substantially cylindrical. Thus, as used herein, the “length” of the heating device 400 or housing 411 refers to the direction parallel to the axis of the cylinder, i.e., the dimension in which the heating device 400 or housing 411 is elongated. Similarly, the “length” of the heating element 204 refers to its elongate axis which points along the cylindrical axis of the housing 411. The skilled person will appreciate that the heating device 400 and housing 411 are not limited to be cylindrical, and may be formed in many other shapes, with the “length” being defined by the most elongated dimension.
The housing 411 of the device also includes inlet holes 410 for the ingress or inlet of air into the system 1000 when a user draws or puffs upon the mouthpiece.
The heating element 204 is mounted in the housing 411. The housing 411 includes a heating receptacle 200 that comprises a wall 208 defining the chamber 202. The heating element 204 extends along at least an inner portion of the wall 208 defining the chamber 202. The heating receptacle 200 acts as a vaporisation chamber which is configured to collect generated aerosol within the chamber 202.
In another embodiment, the heating element 204 may form at least a part of the wall defining the chamber 202. Preferably the heating element 204 is integrated in the chamber's wall.
As previously mentioned, the mouthpiece is connectable to an upper part of the heating device 400. Preferably, the mouthpiece is connectable to an upper part of the heating device housing 411. In particular the mouthpiece is connectable to an upper rim of outer walls 208 of the heating receptacle 200.
The intermediate element 500 is configured to cooperate with an outside surface of a wall 104 of the hollow body 102 of the consumable 100 and with the heating element 204 for retaining vaporizable material and for acting as a heatshield.
In one example, the intermediate element 500 comprises a first portion 502 adapted to cooperate with an outside surface of the wall 104 of the consumable 100 and a second portion 504 adapted to cooperate with the heating element 204. This improves design freedom and increases the range of possible component configurations within the device, enhancing spatial efficiency and allowing for a reduction in the size of the device without impairing its aerosol generating properties.
As previously described, the consumable 100 comprises an outlet for releasing of the vaporizable material from the inside of the hollow body 102 of the consumable to the first portion 502. In this way, the vaporizable material is released to the first portion 502, which acts as vaporizable material retention medium and as well as capillary wick for transporting liquid to the second portion 504. The second portion cooperates with the heating element 204, such that heat generated by the heating element 204 is transferred to the second portion 504, such that vaporizable material is vaporized by the heating from the second portion 504. This configuration allows vaporizable material from the consumable to be uniformly and reliably supplied to the intermediate element 500 while preventing the vaporizable material to be in direct contact with the heating element 204. Thermal buffer properties of the second portion 504 allow vaporizable material to be further vaporized uniformly without degradation.
In the embodiment of
In this embodiment, the intermediate element 500 may be connected to the heating element 204 by means of a clip though the skilled person will recognise that other embodiments of the invention may comprise other means to connect the intermediate element 500 to the consumable 100 and to the heating element 204.
The skilled person will also recognise that in other embodiments of the invention, the length of the intermediate element 500 is such that only a section of an outside surface of the consumable 100 and the heating element 204 may be connected with the intermediate element 500. The heating element 204 may occupy only a part of the inner surface of the chamber 202, preferably the heating element may have similar length as the intermediate element 500. Different lengths of the intermediate element can be used.
The first portion 502 is a heat resistant mesh that can resist to temperatures up to 400° C., preferably up to 350° C. This allows the wall 104 of the consumable not to heat as well when in use. Therefore, avoiding the vaporizable material to vaporize as a whole within the consumable 100. In other words, the mesh element of the first portion 502 has vaporizable material retention properties, i.e., retain or keep vaporizable material coming from a liquid store, i.e., from the consumable.
In the embodiment of
The second portion 504 is a mesh made of a material having pore diameters which are higher than the pore diameters of the material from which the first portion 502 is made of. Material with higher pore diameters will have lesser liquid retention properties and will have higher heat conduction properties.
In the embodiment of
In other embodiments of the invention, the intermediate element 500 as described above can be obtained by surface treatment techniques including one of: Electroplating, Electroless Plating, Chemical Coating, Anodic Oxidation Process, Hot Dipping, Vacuum Plating, Thermal Spraying, Metallic Cementation.
The embodiment of
Furthermore, in the embodiment of the
Configuring the aerosol generating system 1000 with a consumable 100, a heating element 204 and intermediate element 500 arranged in this manner allows for properties of each component to be optimised. More specifically, as the intermediate element 500 is responsible for retaining vaporizable material and for vaporize it, the design of the intermediate element 500 can be focussed on its vaporizable material retention properties and aerosol generation. This allows the vaporizable material to be vaporized while keeping it away from the hottest regions of the heating element 204, thereby reducing the effects of temperature degradation. Furthermore, the intermediate element 500 may be reusable standalone with different aerosol generation device.
Alternatively, or additionally, the heating element 204 may be heated via induction or electromagnetic radiation heating. With reference now to
The heating receptacle (or a heating element thereof) may for example alternatively or additionally include an optical electromagnetic radiation source to provide electromagnetic radiation for absorption in at least one or a plurality of absorber elements or layers provided on the heating receptacle 200. The at least one absorber element or layer may, for example be provided in the same way as for the heating element 204, and surrounds at least a portion of the inner surface of the chamber 202. The at least one absorber element or layer is configured to absorb the emitted electromagnetic radiation of the optical electromagnetic radiation source and to generate heat energy that vaporizes the vaporizable material present in consumable article 100 when in use. The optical electromagnetic radiation source may, for example, comprise or consist of at least one laser (such as a diode laser) or at least one high-power LED.
Additionally or alternatively, the consumable of the present invention may further comprise at least one groove extending into the wall 104 of the consumable and forming part of the airflow channel to allow air to flow from the air inlet to an opposite end of the device when in use. Preferably, the groove may extend on the outside surface of the wall 104.
Additionally or alternatively, the consumable 100 of the present invention may comprise a plurality of consumables, wherein each consumable 100 has a stackable means configured to stack together one consumable with another consumable 100, in a way that the grooves of each consumable 100 are longitudinally aligned along a longitudinal axis of the consumable and in a way that air can flows along the grooves when in use. The stackable means includes one of: clip, screw, bayonet.
Additionally or alternatively, the mouthpiece may be removably connected to the consumable 100 or to the heating receptacle 200.
Reference numbers used for the FIGS.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20177267.0 | May 2020 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2021/054597 | 5/26/2021 | WO |