Patent Application
20240041118
The present invention relates to aerosol generation systems.
Inhaler devices including electronic cigarettes and nebulizers that generate material to be inhaled by users are becoming widely popular. For example, an inhaler device uses a substrate, which contains an aerosol source for generating an aerosol and a flavor source for imparting a flavor component to the generated aerosol, so as to generate a flavor-component-imparted aerosol. A user can taste the flavor by inhaling the flavor-component-imparted aerosol generated by the inhaler device. The act of the user inhaling the aerosol may also be referred to as “puff” or “puff action” hereinafter.
In recent years, inhaler devices of a type that uses stick-shaped substrates are becoming widely popular, and technologies related to inhaler devices of this type are being actively developed. For example, Patent Literature 1 indicated below discloses a technology in which, when the stick-shaped substrate is inserted into the inhaler device, a blade-shaped heater is inserted into the substrate to heat the substrate from the inside.
Patent Literature 1: JP 5854394 B2
However, the inhaler device that uses the blade-shaped heater is problematic in that the heater breaks easily.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that can prevent the heater from breaking.
In order to solve the above problem, an aspect of the present invention provides an aerosol generation system including: a power supply unit that supplies electric power; and a heater that heats a substrate containing an aerosol source. The heater includes an electric resistor, two electric insulators, and a first rigid body and a second rigid body, and is inserted into the substrate. The electric resistor produces heat in accordance with the electric power supplied from the power supply unit. The two electric insulators sandwich the electric resistor therebetween. The first rigid body and the second rigid body sandwich the electric resistor and the two electric insulators therebetween. The first rigid body and the second rigid body have different sizes.
The aerosol generation system may further include a holder that holds the heater. The first rigid body may be larger than the second rigid body. The holder may hold the first rigid body.
The first rigid body may be longer than the second rigid body in a direction in which the substrate is inserted or removed.
The first rigid body and the second rigid body may be tabular. The first rigid body may be thicker than the second rigid body.
The holder may have a first hole through which the first rigid body extends and a second hole through which the electric resistor and the two electric insulators extend. The first hole and the second hole may be apart from each other.
The first hole in the holder may be a slit. The holder may hold the first rigid body in the slit.
The holder may clamp the first rigid body.
The electric resistor and the two electric insulators may bend away from the first rigid body and extend through the second hole.
The aerosol generation system may further include a container that has an internal space and an opening through which the internal space communicates with an outside, and that accommodates the substrate inserted into the internal space through the opening. The holder may hold the heater such that a leading end of the heater protrudes in a direction extending from a bottom of the container toward the opening.
The second rigid body may be disposed in the internal space.
An end of the second rigid body located toward a trailing end of the heater may be positionally aligned with an inner wall of the bottom of the container.
In a portion of the heater protruding into the internal space, the electric resistor may be within a region sandwiched between the two electric insulators, and the two electric insulators may be within a region sandwiched between the first rigid body and the second rigid body.
The aerosol generation system may further include a sealer that seals a hole provided in the holder.
The sealer may be secured to the holder and seal the second hole.
The sealer may be disposed between the holder and an inner wall of the bottom of the container.
The sealer may be disposed opposite an inner wall of the bottom of the container with the holder interposed therebetween.
The aerosol generation system may further include a positioner that is disposed between the holder and the inner wall of the bottom of the container and that positions the inner wall of the bottom of the container.
The sealer may be composed of silicone.
The holder may be composed of PEEK.
The aerosol generation system may include the substrate.
According to the present invention described above, a mechanism that can prevent the heater from breaking is provided.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the appended drawings. In this description and the drawings, structural elements having substantially identical functional configurations will be given the same reference signs, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.
1. Configuration Example of Inhaler Device
An inhaler device according to this configuration example generates an aerosol by heating a substrate containing an aerosol source from inside the substrate. A present configuration example will be described below with reference to
The power supply 111 stores electric power. The power supply 111 supplies the electric power to the structural elements of the inhaler device 100. For example, the power supply 111 may be a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium ion secondary battery. The power supply 111 may be recharged by being connected to an external power supply by, for example, a USB (universal serial bus) cable. Alternatively, the power supply 111 may be recharged in a non-connected state with a power-transmitting device by wireless power transmission technology. As another alternative, the power supply 111 alone may be removable from the inhaler device 100 so as to be replaceable with a new power supply 111.
The sensor 112 detects various types of information regarding the inhaler device 100. The sensor 112 then outputs the detected information to the controller 116. In an example, the sensor 112 may be a pressure sensor such as a microphone condenser, a flow sensor, or a temperature sensor. When detecting a numerical value generated in accordance with the user's inhalation, the sensor 112 outputs information indicating that the inhalation has been performed by the user to the controller 116. In another example, the sensor 112 is an input device, such as a button or a switch, receiving information input by the user. In particular, the sensor 112 may include a command button for starting/stopping aerosol generation. The sensor 112 then outputs the information input by the user to the controller 116. In another example, the sensor 112 is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the heater 121. For example, the temperature sensor detects the temperature of the heater 121 based on an electric resistance value of a conductive track of the heater 121. The sensor 112 may detect the temperature of the stick substrate 150 accommodated in the container 140 based on the temperature of the heater 121.
The notifier 113 notifies the user of information. In an example, the notifier 113 is a light-emitting device, such as an LED (light-emitting diode). In that case, for example, when the power supply 111 needs to be recharged, when the power supply 111 is being recharged, and when an abnormality has occurred in the inhaler device 100, the notifier 113 emits light in different patterns of light, respectively. Each pattern of light is a concept involving colors and on/off timings. Together with or in place of the light-emitting device, the notifier 113 may be, for example, a display device that displays an image, a sound output device that outputs sound, and a vibration device that vibrates. The notifier 113 may also provide notification information indicating that inhalation by the user is possible. The notification information indicating that inhalation by the user is possible is provided when the temperature of the stick substrate 150 heated by the heater 121 reaches a predetermined temperature.
The memory 114 stores various types of information for operation of the inhaler device 100. The memory 114 is, for example, a non-volatile storage medium, such as a flash memory. An example of the information stored in the memory 114 is information regarding the OS (operating system) of the inhaler device 100, such as the control contents of the various types of structural elements controlled by the controller 116. Another example of the information stored in the memory 114 is information regarding inhalation by the user, such as the number of times of inhalation, the inhalation time, and the accumulated inhalation time period.
The communicator 115 is a communication interface for exchanging information between the inhaler device 100 and another device. The communicator 115 performs communication in conformity with any wired or wireless communication standard. Such a communication standard may be, for example, a wireless LAN (local area network), a wired LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark). In an example, the communicator 115 transmits the information regarding the inhalation by the user to a smartphone to cause the smartphone to display the information regarding the inhalation by the user. In another example, the communicator 115 receives information about a new OS from a server to update the information about the OS stored in the memory 114.
The controller 116 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control device, and controls the overall operation in the inhaler device 100 in accordance with various programs. For example, the controller 116 is implemented by an electronic circuit, such as a CPU (central processing unit) and a microprocessor. Furthermore, the controller 116 may include a ROM (read only memory) that stores a program and arithmetic parameter to be used, and a RAM (random access memory) that temporarily stores an appropriately changing parameter. The inhaler device 100 executes various processes based on control by the controller 116. Examples of the processes controlled by the controller 116 include supplying of electric power from the power supply 111 to the other structural elements, recharging of the power supply 111, detection of information by the sensor 112, notification of information by the notifier 113, storing and reading of information by the memory 114, and exchanging of information by the communicator 115. Other processes executed by the inhaler device 100, such as input of information to each structural element and a process based on information output from each structural element, are also controlled by the controller 116.
The container 140 has an internal space 141 and holds the stick substrate 150 while accommodating a portion of the stick substrate 150 within the internal space 141. The container 140 has an opening 142 through which the internal space 141 communicates with the outside, and holds the stick substrate 150 inserted in the internal space 141 through the opening 142. For example, the container 140 is a tubular body having the opening 142 and a bottom 143 as a bottom surface, and defines the internal space 141 that is pillar-shaped. The container 140 has an inside diameter smaller than an outside diameter of the stick substrate 150 in at least a portion of the tubular body in the height direction, and may hold the stick substrate 150 while applying pressure around the stick substrate 150 inserted in the internal space 141. The container 140 also has a function for defining a flow path for air traveling through the stick substrate 150. An air inlet serving as an inlet for the air entering the flow path is disposed in, for example, the bottom 143. On the other hand, an air outlet serving as an outlet for the air exiting from the flow path is the opening 142.
The stick substrate 150 is a stick-shaped member. The stick substrate 150 includes a substrate 151 and an inhalation port 152.
The substrate 151 contains an aerosol source. The aerosol source atomizes by being heated, so that an aerosol is generated. The aerosol source may be, for example, a product derived from tobacco, such as a product obtained by forming shredded tobacco or tobacco raw material into a granular form, a sheet form, or a powder form. The aerosol source may include a product not derived from tobacco and made from a plant (such as mint or herb) other than tobacco. In an example, the aerosol source may contain a flavor component, such as menthol. If the inhaler device 100 is a medical inhaler, the aerosol source may contain a medicine to be inhaled by a patient. The aerosol source is not limited to a solid and may be a liquid, such as polyhydric alcohol including glycerine and propylene glycol, or water. At least a portion of the substrate 151 is accommodated in the internal space 141 of the container 140 in the state where the stick substrate 150 is held by the container 140.
The inhalation port 152 is a member to be held in the user's mouth during inhalation. At least a portion of the inhalation port 152 protrudes from the opening 142 in the state where the stick substrate 150 is held by the container 140. When the user holds the inhalation port 152 protruding from the opening 142 in the user's mouth and inhales, air flows into the container 140 through the air inlet (not illustrated). The air flowing in travels through the internal space 141 of the container 140, that is, through the substrate 151, and reaches the inside of the user's mouth together with the aerosol generated from the substrate 151.
The heater 121 heats the aerosol source so as to atomize the aerosol source and generate the aerosol. The heater 121 is composed of any material, such as metal or polyimide. For example, the heater 121 is blade-shaped and is disposed to protrude from the bottom 143 of the container 140 to the internal space 141 of the container 140. Therefore, when the stick substrate 150 is inserted into the container 140, the blade-shaped heater 121 is inserted into the stick substrate 150 to pierce the substrate 151 of the stick substrate 150. When the heater 121 produces heat, the aerosol source contained in the stick substrate 150 atomizes by being heated from inside the stick substrate 150, whereby the aerosol is generated. The heater 121 produces heat when supplied with electric power from the power supply 111. In an example, when the sensor 112 detects that a predetermined user input has been performed, electric power may be supplied so that the aerosol is generated. When the temperature of the stick substrate 150 heated by the heater 121 reaches the predetermined temperature, inhalation by the user becomes possible. Subsequently, when the sensor 112 detects that a predetermined user input has been performed, the supply of electric power may be stopped. In another example, in a time period in which the sensor 112 detects that the inhalation has been performed by the user, electric power may be supplied so that the aerosol is generated.
The power supply 111 is an example of a power supply unit that supplies electric power. The stick substrate 150 is an example of a substrate containing the aerosol source.
The inhaler device 100 and the stick substrate 150 work in cooperation with each other to generate the aerosol to be inhaled by the user. Therefore, the combination of the inhaler device 100 and the stick substrate 150 may be regarded as an aerosol generation system.
2. Detailed Configuration of Heater
As illustrated in
In this description and the drawings, elements having substantially identical functional configurations may sometimes be differentiated from each other by adding a different alphabet to the suffix of the same reference sign. For example, a plurality of elements having substantially identical functional configurations are differentiated from each other as in rigid bodies 30A and 30B, where necessary. However, if it is not necessary to particularly differentiate a plurality of elements having substantially identical functional configurations from each other, the same reference sign is given. For example, if the rigid bodies 30A and 30B do not particularly need to be differentiated from each other, they will simply be referred to as “rigid bodies 30”.
In these drawings, a direction in which the stick substrate 150 is inserted toward the heater 121 may also be referred to as “down direction”. A direction in which the stick substrate 150 is removed from the heater 121 may also be referred to as “up direction”. With regard to the heater 121, an end in the up direction may also be referred to as “leading end”, whereas an end in the down direction may also be referred to as “trailing end”. The up-down direction corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the electric resistor 10, the electric insulators 20, and the rigid bodies 30. Furthermore, the up-down direction corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the heater 121.
A direction in which the electric resistor 10, the electric insulators 20, and the rigid bodies 30 overlap one another may also be referred to as “front-rear direction”. The front-rear direction corresponds to the thickness direction of the electric resistor 10, the electric insulators 20, and the rigid bodies 30. Furthermore, the front-rear direction corresponds to the thickness direction of the heater 121.
A direction orthogonal to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction may also be referred to as “left-right direction”. The left-right direction corresponds to the lateral direction of the electric resistor 10, the electric insulators 20, and the rigid bodies 30. Furthermore, the left-right direction corresponds to the lateral direction of the heater 121.
The structural elements related to the heater 121 will be described in detail below.
The electric resistor 10 produces heat in accordance with electric power supplied from the power supply 111. The electric resistor 10 produces Joule heat when electric current flows therethrough. In an example, the electric resistor 10 is formed of a thin flatly-routed conductive wire. The electric resistor 10 is composed of, for example, SUS (steel use stainless). With this configuration, the electric resistor 10 can exhibit high heat resisting properties.
As illustrated in
Each electric insulator 20 is an electrically insulative member. Each electric insulator 20 is composed of any electrically insulative material. For example, each electric insulator 20 is composed of polyimide. With this configuration, each electric insulator 20 can exhibit high heat resisting properties.
As illustrated in
Each electric insulator 20 has a film-like configuration. The two film-like electric insulators 20 and the electric resistor 10 sandwiched between these two electric insulators 20 serve as a so-called film heater. For example, the film heater is formed by routing a conductive wire over a film surface while bending the conductive wire. Heat distribution in the film surface can be designed arbitrarily in accordance with the distribution (i.e., density) of the conductive wire over the film surface.
Each rigid body 30 is a member having predetermined rigidity. With this configuration, the rigid bodies 30 exhibit rigidity against a force applied to the heater 121, so as to prevent the heater 121 from buckling.
Each rigid body 30 is also a member having heat transmissibility. The rigid bodies 30 increase in temperature in accordance with heat transmitted from the electric resistor 10. Therefore, the heat produced by the electric resistor 10 is transmitted to the stick substrate 150 via the rigid bodies 30.
Each rigid body 30 is tabular. For example, each rigid body 30 is formed of a metal plate. In an example, each rigid body 30 is formed of an SUS metal plate. With this configuration, the rigid bodies 30 can exhibit high heat resisting properties.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Specifically, as illustrated in
Furthermore, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In the portion of the heater 121 to be inserted into the stick substrate 150, ends of the first rigid body 30A and the second rigid body 30B that are not in contact with the electric insulators 20 are joined to each other. Specifically, the upper ends and the left and right ends, which are not in contact with the electric insulators 20, of the first rigid body 30A and the second rigid body 30B are joined to each other without any gaps. Accordingly, as illustrated in
The heater 121 may be formed by performing hot-pressing on the electric resistor 10, the electric insulators 20, and the rigid bodies 30. In particular, the heater 121 may be formed by performing hot-pressing on the electric resistor 10, the two electric insulators 20, the portion of the first rigid body 30A overlapping the second rigid body 30B in the front-rear direction, and the second rigid body 30B. With this configuration, the gap-less joining mentioned above can be realized, and the strength of the heater 121 can be increased.
The heater 121 is inserted into the stick substrate 150 from the leading end of the heater 121. The leading end of the heater 121 is sharp. Specifically, the upper ends of the first rigid body 30A and the second rigid body 30B are sharp. In this embodiment, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The heater 121 may produce heat non-uniformly in the direction extending from the leading end toward the trailing end (i.e., up-down direction) of the heater 121. In an example, the heating area 11 and the non-heating area 12 of the electric resistor 10 may produce heat at different temperatures. In another example, in the heating area 11, a plurality of areas that produce heat at different temperatures may be distributed separately in the up-down direction. In particular, in a portion of the heating area 11 to be inserted into the stick substrate 150 (i.e., a portion of the electric resistor 10 sandwiched between the first rigid body 30A and the second rigid body 30B), a plurality of areas that produce heat at different temperatures may be distributed separately in the up-down direction. With this configuration, the stick substrate 150 can be heated with an optimal temperature distribution.
The electric resistor 10 may be distributed non-uniformly in the direction extending from the leading end toward the trailing end (i.e., up-down direction) of the heater 121. In an example, the electric resistor 10 may be distributed non-uniformly between the heating area 11 and the non-heating area 12 of the electric resistor 10. In another example, in the heating area 11, a plurality of areas with different distributions of the electric resistor 10 may be distributed separately in the up-down direction. In particular, in the portion of the heating area 11 to be inserted into the stick substrate 150 (i.e., the portion of the electric resistor 10 sandwiched between the first rigid body 30A and the second rigid body 30B), a plurality of areas with different distributions of the electric resistor 10 may be distributed separately in the up-down direction. With this configuration, the heater 121 can produce heat non-uniformly in the up-down direction.
The holder 40 holds the heater 121. In particular, the holder 40 holds the first rigid body 30A. As illustrated in
The holder 40 is composed of a material having heat resisting properties. For example, the holder 40 is composed of PEEK (polyether ether ketone). With this configuration, the heater 121 can be continuously held even when the heater 121 produces high heat.
As illustrated in
The first hole 41 may be a slit. Specifically, the holder 40 may be preliminarily provided with the slit. The holder 40 may hold the first rigid body 30A in the slit. For example, the first hole 41 is provided such that the cross-sectional shape of the first hole 41 matches the cross-sectional shape of the first rigid body 30A, and is joined to the first rigid body 30A without any gaps.
Alternatively, the holder 40 may clamp the first rigid body 30A. For example, the holder 40 may be formed of a first member disposed at the front side and a second member disposed at the rear side, and may clamp the first rigid body 30A by means of the first member and the second member. The first member and the second member are joined together while clamping the first rigid body 30A.
As illustrated in
The sealer 50 seals holes provided in the holder 40. Specifically, the sealer 50 at least seals the second hole 42. If the holder 40 has another hole, the sealer 50 seals this hole. For example, if there is a gap between the first hole 41 and the first rigid body 30A, the sealer 50 also seals the first hole 41. With this configuration, the aerosol generated from the stick substrate 150 can be prevented from leaking into a space 144 below the bottom 143 in the tubular exterior member 70. In view of the fact that electronic units, such as the power supply 111 and the controller 116, may be disposed in the space 144, this configuration can prevent a failure of the inhaler device 100.
In addition to the first hole 41 and the second hole 42, the holder 40 may be provided with the aforementioned air inlet through which the air enters the internal space 141. The air inlet communicates with an external space via an airflow path that is independent of the space 144 having the electronic units disposed therein. In that case, the sealer 50 seals holes excluding the air inlet.
The sealer 50 is secured to the holder 40. For example, the sealer 50 is disposed in close contact with the holder 40 so as to seal the holes provided in the holder 40. In particular, as illustrated in
The sealer 50 is disposed in contact with the electric insulators 20. For example, the sealer 50 is disposed in close contact with the periphery of the electric insulators 20 sandwiching the electric resistor 10. With this configuration, the space 144 below the bottom 143 can be hermetically sealed reliably.
The sealer 50 is composed of a water repellent material. In an example, the sealer 50 is composed of silicone. With this configuration, a liquid formed as a result of condensation of the aerosol generated from the stick substrate 150 is prevented from leaking into the space 144 below the bottom 143.
3. Supplemental Remarks
Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the appended drawings, the present invention is not limited to this example. It is apparent to a person with a common knowledge of the technical field to which the present invention belongs that various modifications and alterations are conceivable within the scope of the technical ideas defined in the claims, and it is to be understood that such modifications and alterations naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.
For example, although the above-described embodiment relates an example where the sealer 50 is disposed between the holder 40 and the bottom wall 62, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, as illustrated in
The positioner 80 is disposed between the holder 40 and the bottom wall 62 and has a function for positioning the bottom wall 62. For example, the positioner 80 is tabular. The thickness of the positioner 80 in the up-down direction is set such that the bottom wall 62 is positionally aligned with the lower end of the second rigid body 30B. With this configuration, the portion sandwiched between the first rigid body 30A and the second rigid body 30B of the heater 121 can be disposed in the internal space 141.
For example, the embodiment described above relates to an example where the electric resistor 10 is non-uniformly distributed in the up-down direction of the non-heating area 12 so that the heater 121 produces heat non-uniformly in the up-down direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the heater 121 may include a plurality of electric resistors 10 separated from each other in the up-down direction. The controller 116 may be capable of controlling the supply of electric power to each of the plurality of electric resistors 10. In that case, the controller 116 may control the supply of electric power to each of the plurality of electric resistors 10 so as to cause the heater 121 to produce heat non-uniformly in the up-down direction. With this configuration, the heater 121 can produce heat non-uniformly in the up-down direction.
The following configurations also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.
This application is a continuation application based on International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2021/024410 filed on Jun. 28, 2021, and the content of the PCT international application is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2021/024410 | Jun 2021 | US |
| Child | 18490633 | US |
