Aerosol-Generating Article, and Apparatus and Method for Producing Medium Segments

The following embodiments relate to an aerosol generating article and a device and method for manufacturing a medium segment.

Recently, demands for alternative articles to overcome disadvantages of general cigarettes have increased. For example, there is an increasing demand for a device (e.g., a cigarette-type electronic cigarette) that generates an aerosol by electrically heating a cigarette stick. Accordingly, research on an electrically heated aerosol generating device and a cigarette stick (or an aerosol generating article) applied thereto is being actively conducted. For example, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2017-0132823 discloses a non-combustion-type flavor inhaler, a flavor inhalation component source unit, and an atomizing unit.

An object according to an embodiment is to provide an aerosol generating article in which a heat loss is reduced through heating by a laser heating source, and a device and method for manufacturing a medium segment of the aerosol generating article.

Another object according to an embodiment is to provide a device and method for manufacturing an aerosol generating article with a medium exposed to outside.

An aerosol generating article according to various embodiments includes a first end surface, a second end surface on a side opposite to the first end surface, a side surface formed between the first end surface and the second end surface, a medium segment, a first segment, and a second segment. The first segment is disposed on a downstream side of the medium segment and the second segment is disposed on an upstream side of the medium segment. The medium segment includes a cylindrical frame, and a medium portion surrounding an outer surface of the frame, and the medium portion is exposed to outside through the side surface of the aerosol generating article.

A device for manufacturing a medium segment according to various embodiments includes a frame forming unit including a base substrate included in the frame, and a shaft that rotates such that the base substrate is wound obliquely, and configured to form the frame, a medium coating unit configured to apply a medium to the frame formed in the frame forming unit, an extrusion unit configured to compress the applied medium onto the frame, a drying unit configured to dry the extruded medium, and a cutting unit configured to cut the medium segment to a predetermined length.

In an embodiment, the medium coating unit may include a container including the medium in a form of a slurry, and a nozzle connected to the container to supply the medium to the frame.

A method of manufacturing a medium segment according to various embodiments includes forming the frame, applying a medium in a form of a slurry to the frame, compressing and extracting the medium applied to the frame, and drying the medium in the form of a slurry applied to the frame.

In an embodiment, the forming of the frame may include supplying a base substrate obliquely to an axial direction of a shaft, winding the base substrate around an outer surface of the shaft, and adhering an overlapping region of the base substrate.

In an embodiment, the base substrate may be formed of at least one of paper, cellulose, or a combination thereof.

In an embodiment, a shape of a cross section of the shaft perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the shaft may include at least one of a circle, triangle, rectangle, hexagon, octagon, or star shape.

In an embodiment, the applying of the medium to the frame may include supplying the medium in the form of a slurry from a container to a nozzle, and applying the medium to the frame from the nozzle.

The method may further include cutting the medium segment to a predetermined length.

The aerosol generating article according to an embodiment may reduce a heat loss through heating by a laser heating source.

The device and method for manufacturing the medium segment of the aerosol generating article according to an embodiment may manufacture an aerosol generating article in which a medium is exposed to the outside.

The effects of the aerosol generating article and the device and method for manufacturing the medium segment according to an embodiment may not be limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other unmentioned effects may be clearly understood from the following description by one of ordinary skill in the art.

The terms used in the embodiments are selected from among common terms that are currently widely used, in consideration of their function in the disclosure. However, the terms may become different according to an intention of one of ordinary skill in the art, a precedent, or the advent of new technology. Also, in particular cases, the terms are discretionally selected by the applicant of the disclosure, and the meaning of those terms will be described in detail in the corresponding part of the detailed description. Therefore, the terms used in the disclosure are not merely designations of the terms, but the terms are defined based on the meaning of the terms and content throughout the disclosure.

It will be understood that when a certain part “includes” a certain component, the part does not exclude another component but may further include another component, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, terms such as “unit,” “module,” etc., as used in the specification may refer to a part for processing at least one function or operation and which may be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

As used herein, an expression such as “at least one of” that precedes listed components modifies not each of the listed components but all the listed components. For example, the expression “at least one of a, b, or c” should be construed as including a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c.

In the following embodiments, the term “aerosol generating article” may refer to an article that accommodates a medium, in which an aerosol passes through the article and the medium is transferred. A representative example of the aerosol generating article may be a cigarette. However, the scope of the disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the following embodiments, the term “upstream” or “upstream direction” may refer to a direction away from an oral region of a user (smoker), and the term “downstream” or “downstream direction” may refer to a direction approaching the oral region of the user. The terms “upstream” and “downstream” may be used to describe relative positions of components of an aerosol generating article.

In the following embodiments, the term “puff” refers to inhalation by a user, and the inhalation refers to a situation in which a user draws in an aerosol into his or her oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs through the mouth or nose.

In an embodiment, an aerosol generating device may be a device that generates an aerosol by electrically heating an aerosol generating article accommodated in an inner space.

The aerosol generating device may include a heater. In an embodiment, the heater may be an electrically resistive heater. For example, the heater may include an electrically conductive track, and the heater may be heated as a current flows through the electrically conductive track.

The heater may include a tubular heating element, a plate-shaped heating element, a needle-shaped heating element, or a rod-shaped heating element, and may heat the inside or outside of the aerosol generating article according to the shape of a heating element.

The aerosol generating article may include a tobacco rod and a filter rod. The tobacco rod may be formed as a sheet or a strand, or may be formed of tobacco leaves finely cut from a tobacco sheet. In addition, the tobacco rod may be enveloped by a thermally conductive material. For example, the thermally conductive material may be metal foil such as aluminum foil. However, embodiments are not limited thereto.

The filter rod may be a cellulose acetate filter. The filter rod may include at least one segment. For example, the filter rod may include a first segment that cools an aerosol and a second segment that filters a predetermined ingredient contained in the aerosol.

In another embodiment, the aerosol generating device may be a device that generates an aerosol using a cartridge containing an aerosol generating material.

The aerosol generating device may include a cartridge containing the aerosol generating material and a main body supporting the cartridge. The cartridge may be detachably coupled to the main body. However, embodiments are not limited thereto. The cartridge may be integrally formed or assembled with the main body, and may be secured to the main body so as not to be detached by a user. The cartridge may be mounted on the main body while the aerosol generating material is accommodated therein. However, embodiments are not limited thereto. The aerosol generating material may be injected into the cartridge while the cartridge is coupled to the main body.

The cartridge may hold the aerosol generating material in any one of various states, such as a liquid state, a solid state, a gaseous state, and a gel state. The aerosol generating material may include a liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition may be a liquid including a tobacco-containing material having a volatile tobacco flavor component, or may be a liquid including a non-tobacco material.

The cartridge may be operated by an electrical signal or a wireless signal transmitted from the main body to perform the function of generating an aerosol by converting a phase of the aerosol generating material inside the cartridge to a gaseous phase. The aerosol may refer to a gas in which vaporized particles generated from the aerosol generating material are mixed with air.

In another embodiment, the aerosol generating device may generate an aerosol by heating the liquid composition, and the generated aerosol may pass through the cigarette and be delivered to the user. That is, the aerosol generated from the liquid composition may travel along an airflow path of the aerosol generating device, and the airflow path may be configured to allow the aerosol to pass through the cigarette and be delivered to the user.

In another embodiment, the aerosol generating device may be a device that generates an aerosol from the aerosol generating material using an ultrasonic vibration manner. In this case, the ultrasonic vibration manner may refer to a manner of generating an aerosol by atomizing the aerosol generating material with ultrasonic vibration generated by a vibrator.

The aerosol generating device may include a vibrator, and may generate vibration at short intervals through the vibrator to atomize the aerosol generating material. The vibration generated by the vibrator may be ultrasonic vibration, and a frequency band of the ultrasonic vibration may be from about 100 kilohertz (kHz) to about 3.5 megahertz (MHz). However, embodiments are not limited thereto.

The aerosol generating device may further include a wick that absorbs the aerosol generating material. For example, the wick may be disposed to surround at least one area of the vibrator or may be disposed to contact at least one area of the vibrator.

As a voltage (e.g., an alternating voltage) is applied to the vibrator, the vibrator may generate heat and/or ultrasonic vibration, and the heat and/or ultrasonic vibration generated by the vibrator may be transmitted to the aerosol generating material absorbed in the wick. The aerosol generating material absorbed in the wick may be converted into a gas phase by the heat and/or ultrasonic vibration transmitted from the vibrator, and consequently, an aerosol may be generated.

For example, the viscosity of the aerosol generating material absorbed in the wick may be lowered by the heat generated by the vibrator, and the aerosol generating material whose viscosity is lowered may change to fine particles by the ultrasonic vibration generated by the vibrator, so that an aerosol may be generated. However, embodiments are not limited thereto.

In another embodiment, the aerosol generating device may be a device that generates an aerosol by heating the aerosol generating article accommodated therein in an induction heating manner.

The aerosol generating device may include a susceptor and a coil. In an embodiment, the coil may apply a magnetic field to the susceptor. As the aerosol generating device supplies power to the coil, a magnetic field may be formed inside the coil. In an embodiment, the susceptor may be a magnetic body that generates heat by an external magnetic field. As the susceptor is positioned inside the coil and generates heat with the magnetic field applied, the aerosol generating article may be heated. Also, optionally, the susceptor may be positioned in the aerosol generating article.

In another embodiment, the aerosol generating device may further include a cradle.

The aerosol generating device and the separate cradle may form a system together. For example, the cradle may be used to charge a battery of the aerosol generating device. Alternatively, a heater may be heated when the cradle and the aerosol generating device are coupled to each other.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings such that one of ordinary skill in the art may easily practice the disclosure. The disclosure may be practiced in forms that are implementable in the aerosol generating devices according to various embodiments described above or may be embodied and practiced in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Hereinafter, examples of a cigarettewill be described with reference to.

are diagrams illustrating examples of a cigarette.

Referring to, the cigarettemay include a tobacco rodand a filter rod.

Although the filter rodis illustrated as having a single segment in, embodiments are not limited thereto. That is, the filter rodmay include a plurality of segments. For example, the filter rodmay include a segment that cools an aerosol and a segment that filters a predetermined ingredient contained in an aerosol. In addition, the filter rodmay further include at least one segment that performs another function, as needed.

The diameter of the cigarettemay be in a range of 5 millimeters (mm) to 9 mm, and the length thereof may be approximately 48 mm. However, embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the length of the tobacco rodmay be about 12 mm, the length of a first segment of the filter rodmay be about 10 mm, the length of a second segment of the filter rodmay be about 14 mm, and the length of a third segment of the filter rodmay be about 12 mm. However, embodiments are not limited thereto.

The cigarettemay be wrapped with at least one wrapper. The wrappermay have at least one hole through which external air is introduced or internal gas flows out. In an example, the cigarettemay be wrapped with one wrapper. For another example, the cigarettemay be wrapped with two or more wrappersin an overlapping manner. For example, the tobacco rodmay be wrapped with a first wrapper, and the filter rodmay be wrapped with wrappers,, and. In addition, the cigarette I may be entirely wrapped again with a single wrapper. For example, when the filter rodincludes a plurality of segments, the plurality of segments may be wrapped with the wrappers,, and, respectively.

The first wrapperand the second wrappermay be formed with general filter wrapping paper. For example, the first wrapperand the second wrappermay be porous wrapping paper or non-porous wrapping paper. In addition, the first wrapperand the second wrappermay be formed of oilproof paper and/or an aluminum laminated wrapping material.