Aerosol Generation Device
An aerosol generation device. The aerosol generation devices may include a first wall and a second wall that define a cavity therebetween. The cavity is for receiving an aerosol generating consumable. The aerosol generation device may also include and a heater that includes a substrate with a heater track disposed thereon. The substrate defines at least a portion of the first wall, and the first wall comprises at least one aperture for airflow into the cavity.
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The present invention relates to an aerosol generation device and an aerosol generating consumable, in particular airflow arrangements and distribution into a device.
BACKGROUNDAerosol generation devices typically have air inlet holes to draw in air from outside the device, which then flows through the device to carry and deliver generated aerosol through a mouthpiece of the device to a user.
An object of the invention is to improve the control of airflow through a device and to increase the flexibility of aerosol delivery and pressure draws for a user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to an aspect of the invention there is provided an aerosol generation device, comprising: a first wall and a second wall defining a cavity therebetween for receiving an aerosol generating consumable; and a heater comprising a substrate with a heater track disposed thereon, the substrate defining at least a portion of the first wall, wherein the first wall comprises at least one aperture for airflow into the cavity.
In this way, a more direct air inlet and even distribution of air may be provided for the aerosol generation device. The cavity may comprise a substantially cuboidal shape. Preferably, the second wall is arranged opposite to the first wall. In airflow arrangements for similar devices in the art, the inlet holes of the device are provided at or near a mouthpiece of the device (i.e. toward an aerosol exit region) such that the airflow is directed into one or more channels along an outer side of the heater (outside of the cavity) and into the cavity (or oven space) toward the rear end of a cavity (the end which receives an inserted consumable). It has been found in known arrangements in the art that the outside air can be heated by residual heat from the heater/oven and undesirably cause condensation in the airflow channels. The heater may be a thin-film heater, a polyimide film heater, or a ceramic heater, or another suitable heater that would be apparent to the skilled person.
By providing an aperture in the wall of the cavity, which may be in the heater substrate, air inlet holes may further be provided along the side of the aerosol generation device. In other words, the aperture allows air to flow from outside the cavity to within the cavity such that aerosol generated from a heated consumable in the cavity can be delivered through the device to a user. In this way, the one or more channels configured to direct outside air into the cavity may be arranged to avoid passing alongside the cavity (thereby avoiding the residual heat from the heater). In addition, providing at least one aperture in the wall of the cavity allows increased flexibility in airflow arrangements in the device so as to improve the distribution of air into the cavity/oven space.
Preferably, the aerosol generation device further comprises: a second heater comprising a second substrate with a second heater track disposed thereon, the second substrate defining at least a portion of the second wall, wherein the second wall comprises at least one further aperture in the second wall. In this way, outside air can be distributed into the cavity from both walls so as to better distribute air into the cavity for aerosol delivery.
Preferably, the at least one aperture, and optionally the at least one further aperture, is configured to pass through the respective substrate or substrates. In this way, the first and/or second heater can be easily manufactured to provide one or more apertures for the cavity. As an example, the one or more apertures may be drilled or punched into the heater substrate after the heater track has been deposited or otherwise formed on the substrate. In another example, the apertures may be drilled before the laying of the heater track.
It has also been found that ceramic heaters, i.e. when the substrate comprises a ceramic material, can be large energy consumers and therefore it can be advantageous for the aperture(s) to be provided in the ceramic substrate so as to reduce the mass/amount of ceramic material. Since the ceramic material absorbs heat, the substrate could also pre-heat the outside air just before it is delivered to the cavity in a way that mitigates against any undesirable condensation forming in the air delivery channels (between the air inlet of the device and the aperture(s)).
Preferably, the aerosol generation device comprises an open end and a closed end of the cavity, wherein the respective aperture or apertures is arranged at or proximal to the closed end of the cavity. In this way, outside air is directed to the closed end of the cavity at or toward the inserted end of the consumable such that the air is further directed to flow to the open end of the cavity (e.g. upon user inhalation) and deliver generated aerosol to the user.
Preferably, the first wall and/or second wall comprises a plurality of apertures and wherein a first set of the plurality of apertures is offset from a second set of the plurality of apertures along a longitudinal direction of the cavity. Preferably, the first set is arranged in the first wall and the second set is arranged in the second wall. In this way, the pressure drop in can be controlled by the insertion depth or orientation of the consumable into the cavity. The apertures may at least partially align with surface features in the consumable (such as ridges or grooves) which may in turn impact the airflow into and through the cavity. Alternatively, the consumable may also include a paper wrapper having holes which can also align or not align with the plurality of apertures in the walls to allow a user to control the pressure drop in a device, based on an insertion depth or orientation of the consumable.
Preferably, the heater track, and optionally the second heater track, define a series of track channels, and wherein the respective aperture or apertures is arranged in the respective heater substrate adjacent to at least one track channel. In this way, the aperture(s) are arranged close to the heater track (which is configured to deliver heat to an inserted consumable) and thus be optimally positioned to direct outside air into the cavity to pick up and deliver generated aerosol through the cavity to the user.
Preferably, the aerosol generation device of any of the preceding claims further comprises at least one air inlet arranged on a side wall of the aerosol generation device, wherein the at least one air inlet is configured to direct airflow to the at least one aperture, and optionally the at least one further aperture. In this way, the air inlet is provided away from the mouthpiece end of the device to mitigate against any undesirable heating of the outside air in the airflow channels before it is delivered to the cavity. As will be understood, the aerosol generation device may comprise one or more respective channels between the at least one air inlet and aperture(s).
Preferably, the first and second substrates each comprise a ceramic material and the first and second heater tracks each comprise an electrically resistive material, preferably wherein the electrically resistive material is a metallic material. In this way the ceramic material can pre-heat the outside air just before it is delivered to the cavity away from the air inlet holes. This advantageously avoids any undesirable or excessive heating of the air in the airflow channels between the air inlet and aperture(s), which may cause condensation to form in the airflow channels. Other suitable materials for construction of the heater substrates and the heater tracks will be readily apparent to the skilled person.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an aerosol generating consumable for the aerosol generation device according to the first aspect, the consumable comprising: an aerosol forming substance comprising a first side and a second side opposite the first side, and further comprising: a first plurality of ridges on the first side of the aerosol forming substance; and a wrapper arranged around the first side and the second side of the aerosol forming substance, wherein the wrapper comprises at least one opening arranged along the first side and/or the second side of the aerosol forming substance to expose the aerosol forming substance. In this way, the wrapper can be used to effectively control how the air in the cavity flows in and along the aerosol forming substance. The one or more openings may be arranged at different positions in the wrapper adjacent to the first and/or the second side of the aerosol forming substrate to optimise how aerosol generated from the heated aerosol forming substrate is picked up and delivered to the mouthpiece end of the cavity. The positioning or arrangement of the one or more openings or holes across the length of the wrapper may control the pressure drop or draw resistance of the combined device-consumable system. The one or more openings or holes may be aligned with grooves or ridges in the aerosol forming substance. Preferably, the aerosol forming substance further comprises a second plurality of ridges on the second side of the aerosol forming substance. Preferably, the aerosol forming substance further comprises a first plurality of grooves on the first or the second side of the aerosol forming substance, and optionally a second plurality of grooves on the other side of the aerosol forming substance, preferably wherein the first plurality of grooves is arranged on the second side counter to the first plurality of ridges, and more preferably wherein the second plurality of grooves is arranged on the first side counter to the second plurality of ridges.
In this way, the ridges of the consumable on one side of the aerosol forming substance can be positioned in closer proximity to the heater track of an adjacent heater (e.g. the heater track of the first heater) and optimise the heating efficiency of the device. Generated aerosol can then accumulate along the grooves along the sides of the ridges so as to allow air delivered into the cavity to flow along the grooves and deliver the aerosol to a user. As will be appreciated, the opposite side (second side) of the aerosol forming substance can be matched with the heater track provided on the opposite wall of the cavity (e.g. the heater track of the second heater). The wrapper can ensure freshness of the consumable substance as well as provide a form of protection for the substance, which may be prone to crumbling for example.
Preferably, the at least one opening is positioned along at least one of the first plurality of grooves and/or second plurality of grooves. In this way, the opening in the wrapper ensures that air provided to the consumable is directed to the grooves for optimal aerosol delivery.
Preferably, when the consumable is inserted into the cavity of the aerosol generation device, the at least one aperture, and/or optionally the at least one further aperture of the cavity, aligns with the at least one opening of the wrapper. The way in which air is delivered to the tobacco portion of the consumable (i.e. the aerosol forming substance) may depend upon the final oven construction (i.e. the shapes and sizes of the walls defining the cavity in relation to a consumable) for which there are at least two variations. A first variation is if the first and second walls defining the cavity are larger than the tobacco portion/consumable, such that airflow enters the cavity away from an end of the consumable and turns toward the tobacco portion to flow through the consumable alongside the ridges of the aerosol forming substance. In this variation, the positioning of the apertures in the walls defining the cavity is less critical (since air enters the cavity away from the tobacco portion/consumable).
In a second variation, the heater substrate(s) is a similar size or smaller than the tobacco portion. In this second case, airflow first passes through the apertures in the walls and then through the holes/openings in the wrapper of aerosol forming consumable in order to reach the aerosol forming substance/tobacco portion. The openings would be cut in the wrapper before being wrapped around the tobacco portion and the openings are configured to ensure that at least some of the openings at least partially align with one or more apertures in the device. Airflow through an opening in the wrapper may be impeded or prevented by a ridge of the aerosol forming substance that is adjacent to the opening.
Preferably, the aerosol generating consumable further comprises an indication for insertion of the consumable into the aerosol generation device in a first orientation, optionally wherein the indication comprises a printed logo. In this way, the indication allows a user to understand how the ridges and grooves of the consumable may be oriented when it is inserted into the device, which may impact the resistance to draw (i.e. pressure drop) of a user puff depending on which orientation is selected. Thus, the indication provides a form of pressure draw control of the consumable when used in the device.
In some examples, the apertures in the walls/heater substrates may be aligned with the wrapper holes and/or centre of ridges and grooves in such a way that the airflow of the device-consumable system does not differ based on the orientation of the inserted consumable (i.e. which side of the consumable faces up). As an example, it may not matter to the consumer which way a consumable is inserted into the device as there will always be half the holes blocked by the paper and half in line with the holes in the paper. In other examples, the number or shapes of apertures in the heater substrate or wall can be reduced/designed so that the orientation of the inserted consumable varies how the holes of the wrapper in the consumable line up with the wall apertures, thereby impacting the pressure drop/draw resistance. In this way a user could pick from two different pressure drops according to their own preference.
As explained above, the shape, size, number and arrangement of apertures in the walls defining the cavity and the relative shape and orientation of an inserted consumable can impact the airflow into and through the cavity and consumable. Therefore, as will be appreciated, the number and arrangement of apertures in the walls and the openings in the wrapper of the consumable can be designed to influence the pressure drop and draw resistance of an aerosol generation device. A variety of consumables with different ridge and/or groove patterns can also be designed such that the insertion orientation of the consumable into the device cavity may provide a further degree of control for user preference.
Embodiments of the invention are now described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:
As can be seen in
The first and second heater substrates each include a heater track 28 disposed on a surface of the respective heater substrates. The heater tracks 28 are arranged to receive electrical energy from a battery or power source (not shown) of the device 10 and to generate heat for an aerosol generating consumable 26 received in the cavity 22.
In known devices, air inlet holes are provided in the mouthpiece portion such that outside air (i.e. outside of the device) enters the device toward the mouthpiece end of the device and flows past the heater portion of the device to reach the closed end 30 of the cavity 22. In the present device 10, one or more holes, or apertures, are provided in the walls defining the cavity 22 and allow air inlet holes of the device 10 to be arranged on the side of the device 10 in the outer casing 12 in order for outside air to be delivered to the cavity 22 without needing to flow alongside the heater substrates 18, 20 or heater portion 14. Different aperture arrangements are described with reference to the following figures.
In
The straight lengths 48 may be designed to be at least substantially in line with corresponding ridge features on the surface of an inserted consumable to optimise heating efficiency (see
The heater substrate 42 further comprises a plurality of apertures 52 provided in the track channels 50 between the straight lengths 48 of the heater track 44. The apertures 52 are provided towards the closed end 54 of the cavity 22. This ensures that outside air is delivered toward the closed end 54 of the cavity 22 so that the air can flow toward the open end of the cavity 22 across an inserted consumable and deliver generated aerosol to the user. The apertures 52 may be formed in the heater substrate 42 by drilling or punching.
It should therefore be understood that apertures can be provided in the walls defining the cavity 22 of the device 10 in different ways, such as by directly drilling holes 52 into a heater substrate 42 or providing notches 66 at an end of the heater substrate 62 that form apertures when placed in the heater portion 14 of the device 10.
An aerosol forming consumable 130 is inserted in the cavity 118, and the consumable 130 includes a tobacco portion 132. As can be seen more clearly in
In
The consumables may further include a wrapper which wraps around the tobacco portion.
The concept of controlling draw resistance or pressure drop by the arrangement and alignment of oven wall apertures (air inlet holes of the oven) and the surface features of a tobacco portion is further developed in respect of the wrapper holes and the apertures in the heater substrates (or walls defining the cavity), as explained below in reference to
As will be appreciated, the partial alignment of the wrapper holes 302 and the substrate apertures 256 shown in
The skilled person would readily understand that the size, shape and arrangement of holes in a consumable wrapper, and the apertures or notches in a heater substrate, and their positions and alignment relative to each other in a device-consumable arrangement and relative to the shape of the tobacco portion inside the wrapper all contribute to the airflow and pressure draw of the device. Advantageously the present disclosure allows greater flexibility and control of airflow in aerosol generation devices.
Claims
1. An aerosol generation device, comprising:
- a first wall and a second wall defining a cavity therebetween for receiving an aerosol generating consumable; and
- a heater comprising a first substrate with a heater track disposed thereon, the first substrate defining at least a portion of the first wall,
- wherein the first wall comprises at least one aperture for airflow into the cavity.
2. The aerosol generation device of claim 1 further comprising:
- a second heater comprising a second substrate with a second heater track disposed thereon, the second substrate defining at least a portion of the second wall,
- wherein the second wall comprises at least one further aperture in the second wall.
3. The aerosol generation device of claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture is configured to pass through the first substrate.
4. The aerosol generation device of claim 1, comprising an open end and a closed end of the cavity, wherein the at least one aperture is arranged at or proximal to the closed end of the cavity.
5. The aerosol generation device of claim 1, wherein the first wall and/or second wall comprises a plurality of apertures and wherein a first set of the plurality of apertures is offset from a second set of the plurality of apertures along a longitudinal direction of the cavity.
6. The aerosol generation device of claim 5, wherein the first set of the plurality of apertures is arranged in the first wall and the second set of the plurality of apertures is arranged in the second wall.
7. The aerosol generation device of claim 1, wherein the heater track defines a series of track channels, and wherein the at least one aperture is arranged in the first substrate adjacent to at least one track channel of the series of track channels.
8. The aerosol generation device of claim 2 further comprising at least one air inlet arranged on a side wall of the aerosol generation device, wherein the at least one air inlet is configured to direct airflow to the at least one aperture, and/or the at least one further aperture.
9. The aerosol generation device of claim 2, wherein each of the first substrate and the second substrate comprise a ceramic material and each of the first heater tracks and the second heater tracks comprise an electrically resistive material.
10. An aerosol generating consumable for the aerosol generation device according to claim 2, the consumable comprising:
- an aerosol forming substance comprising:
- a first side and a second side opposite the first side; and,
- a first plurality of ridges on the first side of the aerosol forming substance; and
- a wrapper arranged around the first side and the second side of the aerosol forming substance, wherein the wrapper comprises at least one opening arranged along the first side and/or the second side of the aerosol forming substance to expose the aerosol forming substance.
11. The aerosol generating consumable of claim 10, wherein the aerosol forming substance further comprises a second plurality of ridges on the second side of the aerosol forming substance.
12. The aerosol generating consumable of claim 11, wherein the aerosol forming substance further comprises a first plurality of grooves on the first or the second side of the aerosol forming substance, and a second plurality of grooves on the other side of the aerosol forming substance.
13. The aerosol generating consumable of claim 12, wherein the at least one opening is positioned along at least one of the first plurality of grooves and/or one of the second plurality of grooves.
14. The aerosol generating consumable of claim 10, wherein, when the consumable is inserted into a cavity of the aerosol generation device, the at least one aperture, and/or the at least one further aperture of the cavity, aligns with the at least one opening of the wrapper.
15. The aerosol generating consumable of claim 10, further comprising an indication for insertion of the consumable into the aerosol generation device in a first orientation.
16. The aerosol generation device of claim 2, wherein the at least one further aperture is configured to pass through the second substrate.
17. The aerosol generation device of claim 7, wherein the second heater track further defines the series of track channels, and wherein the at least one further aperture is arranged in the second substrate adjacent to at least one track channel of the series of track channels.
18. The aerosol generating consumable of claim 12, wherein the first plurality of grooves is arranged on the second side counter to the first plurality of ridges, and the second plurality of grooves is arranged on the first side counter to the second plurality of ridges.
19. The aerosol generating consumable of claim 15, wherein the indication comprises a printed logo.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 2, 2024
Publication Date: Aug 20, 2026
Applicant: JT International SA (Geneva)
Inventors: Alec Wright (Guildford), Jaakko McEvoy (Vienna)
Application Number: 19/164,377