AEROSOL GENERATING SUBSTRATE AND AEROSOL GENERATING PRODUCT

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2023/099887, filed on Jun. 13, 2023, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310098083.1, filed on Jan. 20, 2023; Chinese Patent Application No. 202320190383.8, filed on Jan. 20, 2023; and Chinese Patent Application No. 202310555607.5, filed on May 17, 2023. The entire disclosure of the foregoing applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

This application relates to the technical field of aerosol generating products, and in particular, to an aerosol generating substrate and an aerosol generating product that form aerosols through heating.

BACKGROUND

Aerosol generating products include aerosol generating products that form aerosols by ignition and aerosol generating products that form aerosols by heat-not-burn. A typical heat-not-burn aerosol generating product includes an aerosol generating substrate such as a tobacco raw material, a fragrant raw material, and/or an atomizing agent which can volatilize upon heating to generate aerosols. An external heat source is used for heating the aerosol generating substrate until the aerosol generating substrate releases aerosols, without burning of the aerosol generating substrate. Through loading atomizing agent, during use, the atomizing agent is released by high-temperature heating to form aerosols.

In the related art, when an aerosol generating product is inhaled, the inhalation resistance is relatively high, and the difference in aerosol volume between puffs is significant.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, the present invention provides an aerosol generating substrate, comprising: a channel that extends through at least one end of the aerosol generating substrate along a length direction; and a plurality of micropores, the plurality of micropores being in communication with the channel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Subject matter of the present disclosure will be described in even greater detail below based on the exemplary figures. All features described and/or illustrated herein can be used alone or combined in different combinations. The features and advantages of various embodiments will become apparent by reading the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate the following:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating product according to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating product according to another embodiment of this application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 1 of this application;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the structure shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 2 of this application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 3 of this application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 4 of this application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 5 of this application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 6 of this application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 7 of this application;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 8 of this application;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 9 of this application;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 10 of this application;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 11 of this application;

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 12 of this application;

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 13 of this application;

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 14 of this application;

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 15 of this application;

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 16 of this application;

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 17 of this application;

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating substrate according to Embodiment 18 of this application;

FIG. 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of an aerosol generating substrate according to an embodiment of this application; and

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating product according to still another embodiment of this application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In an embodiment, the present invention provides an aerosol generating substrate and an aerosol generating product that reduce the inhalation resistance and improve the inhalation uniformity of each puff.

An embodiment of this application provides an aerosol generating substrate. The aerosol generating substrate is provided with a channel, and the channel extends through at least one end of the aerosol generating substrate along the length direction. The aerosol generating substrate is provided with micropores, and the micropores are in communication with the channel.

In some embodiments, the channel includes an airway hole, and the airway hole is disposed inside the aerosol generating substrate and extends through two opposite ends of the aerosol generating substrate along the length direction.

In some embodiments, the airway hole has a cross-sectional area of 0.0019 mm² to 30 mm²; or the airway hole has a hydraulic diameter of 0.05 mm to 6 mm.

In some embodiments, the airway hole has a cross-sectional area of 0.007 mm² to 7.1 mm²; or the airway hole has a hydraulic diameter of 0.1 mm to 3 mm.

In some embodiments, in a plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate, the cross section of the airway hole is in at least one of the following shapes: a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a race track shape, a polygonal shape, and a sector shape.

In some embodiments, a plurality of airway holes are provided, and in the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate, the airway holes are distributed symmetrically by taking the center of the aerosol generating substrate as an original point, and/or the airway holes are distributed in mirror symmetry about the central axial plane of the aerosol generating substrate.

In some embodiments, a plurality of airway holes are provided, and in the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate, the cross sections of the airway holes have the same shape and size.

In some embodiments, the channel includes an airway groove, and the airway groove is disposed at the circumferential surface of the aerosol generating substrate.

In some embodiments, the channel includes an airway hole, and the airway hole is disposed inside the aerosol generating substrate. In the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate, the shape of the cross section of the airway groove is the same as the local shape of the airway hole.

In some embodiments, the micropores have a cross-sectional area of 0.7 nm² to 710 μm²; or the micropores have a hydraulic diameter of 10 nm to 30 μm.

In some embodiments, the micropores have a cross-sectional area of 1963 nm² to 20 μm²; or the micropores have a hydraulic diameter of 50 nm to 5 μm.

In some embodiments, in the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate, the maximum size of the contour of the aerosol generating substrate is 4 mm to 10 mm.

In some embodiments, in the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate, the maximum size of the contour of the aerosol generating substrate is 6 mm to 8.6 mm.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the channel extends linearly, and/or at least a portion of the channel extends curvilinearly.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating substrate is a particle aggregate, and the micropores are formed between particles of the particle aggregate.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating substrate is of an integrated structure; and/or the cross-sectional area of the channel is at least 20 times the cross-sectional area of the micropores.

An embodiment of this application provides an aerosol generating product, which includes:

• • the aerosol generating substrate according to any embodiment of this application;
  • a functional section, disposed at one end of the aerosol generating substrate along the length direction and including a filtering section for filtering aerosols; and
  • an outer wrapping layer, configured to wrap a circumferential outside of the functional section and the aerosol generating substrate.

In the aerosol generating substrate of the embodiments of this application, the channel can increase the surface area of the aerosol generating substrate, thereby facilitating heat transfer and improving the heating efficiency. When heated, a substrate of the aerosol generating substrate releases aerosols, and the aerosols converge into the channel through the micropores and are delivered to an inhalation end under the action of a negative inhalation pressure. The channel can reduce the inhalation resistance when a user inhales and improve the user experience. It should be noted that the inhalation resistance is positively correlated with the flow resistance of the aerosols. A lower flow resistance of the aerosols within the aerosol generating substrate results in a lower inhalation resistance experienced by the user; and a higher flow resistance of the aerosols within the aerosol generating substrate results in a higher inhalation resistance experienced by the user.

The following further describes implementations of this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The following embodiments are used for describing this application rather than limiting the scope of this application.

In the descriptions of the embodiments of this application, the terms “first”, “second”, and “third” are merely for the purpose of description and shall not be construed as any indication or implication of relative importance.

An embodiment of this application provides an aerosol generating substrate 10 for generating aerosols when heated, for user inhalation. In the embodiment of this application, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially cylindrical.

An embodiment of this application further provides an aerosol generating product, which, with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 24, includes a functional section 30, an outer wrapping layer 20, and the aerosol generating substrate 10 according to any embodiment of this application.

The aerosol generating product is used for cooperating with an aerosol generating device provided with a heating component for use. Specifically, the heating component heats and atomizes the aerosol generating substrate 10 to generate aerosols.

It should be noted that the aerosol generating product generates the aerosols depending on the aerosol generating substrate 10, and the functional section 30 does not generate aerosols.

It should be noted that the aerosol generating product of the embodiment of this application is applicable to inhalation by means of heating and burning, and is also applicable to inhalation by means of heating-not-burning. In the embodiment of this application, description is made by taking the aerosol generating product 100 being applicable to inhalation by means of heating-not-burning as an example.

The functional section 30 is disposed at one end of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction. The functional section 30 at least includes a filtering section 31 for filtering aerosols. The filtering section 31 may also be referred to as a filter.

The user inhales the filtered aerosols through the filtering section 31 of the functional section 30.

The outer wrapping layer 20 wraps the circumferential outsides of the functional section 30 and the aerosol generating substrate 10.

The material of the outer wrapping layer 20 is not limited, for example, includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination of several of materials such as fiber paper, metal foil, metal foil-laminated fiber paper, polyethylene-laminated fiber paper, PE, and PBAT.

In some embodiments, the functional section 30 only includes the filtering section 31. In some other embodiments, in addition to the filtering section 31, the functional section further includes a supporting section and/or cooling section 32 (see FIG. 24). The supporting section and/or cooling section 32 are/is disposed between the aerosol generating substrate 10 and the filtering section 31.

The cooling section 32 is used for cooling the aerosols before the filtering section 31 filters the aerosols, so as to reduce the temperature of the aerosols and improve the situation that “the mouth feels hot” when the user inhales the aerosols.

The material of the cooling section 32 includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination of several of PE (polyethylene), PLA (polylactic acid, also referred to as polylactide), PBAT (butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate), PP (polypropylene), acetate fiber, and propylene fiber materials. The material of the filtering section 31 includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination of several of PE (polyethylene), PLA (polylactic acid, also referred to as polylactide), PBAT (butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate), PP (polypropylene), acetate fiber, and propylene fiber materials. The materials of the cooling section 32 and the filtering section 31 may be the same or different.

The supporting section has certain structural strength and plays a role of axially limiting the aerosol generating substrate 10. Specifically, when the aerosol generating product is inserted into a heating chamber of an aerosol generating device, or when a heating element is inserted into the aerosol generating substrate 10, the supporting section provides a counterforce to the aerosol generating substrate 10 to prevent axial movement of the aerosol generating substrate 10.

There are various heating methods for the heating component of the aerosol generating device. Exemplarily, the heating methods include, but are not limited to, central heating and circumferential heating. The central heating method refers to a process in which the heating component is inserted into the aerosol generating product to bake and heat the aerosol generating product from inside to outside. The circumferential heating method refers to a process in which the heating component is disposed at the periphery of the aerosol generating product to bake and heat the aerosol generating product from outside to inside. These heating methods may specifically include resistance heating, electromagnetic heating, infrared heating, microwave heating, laser heating, and the like, which are not specifically limited herein.

The specific components of the aerosol generating substrate 10 are not specifically limited herein. Exemplarily, in one embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 may include a plant component, an auxiliary component, a vapor generating agent component, a binder component, and the like.

In one embodiment, the plant component includes one or a combination of several of powder formed by crushing tobacco raw materials, tobacco fragments, tobacco stems, tobacco powder, aromatic plants, and the like. The plant component is the key source of the fragrance of the product. An endogenous substance such as nicotine in the plant component enters the human bloodstream through atomization and stimulates the pituitary gland to generate dopamine, thereby allowing the user to achieve a sense of physiological satisfaction.

In one embodiment, the auxiliary component may be one or a combination of several of an inorganic filler, a lubricant, and an emulsifier. The inorganic filler includes one or a combination of several of heavy calcium carbonate, light calcium carbonate, zeolite, attapulgite, talc powder, and diatomite. The inorganic filler can provide framework support for the plant component. In addition, the inorganic filler also has micropores, which can increase the porosity of the wall material after the plant component is formed, thereby increasing the aerosol release rate.

The lubricant includes one or a combination of several of candelilla wax, Brazilian palm wax, shell-lac, sunflower wax, rice bran, beeswax, stearic acid, and palmitic acid. The lubricant can increase the fluidity of the particles, reduce the friction force between the particles, and realize uniform overall distribution density of the particles, as well as reduce the pressure required for mold forming and reduce the wear of the mold.

The emulsifier includes one or a combination of several of polyglycerol fatty acid ester, Tween-80, and polyvinyl alcohol. The emulsifier (also referred to as a surfactant) can reduce the interfacial tension of water-soluble and water-insoluble components in a mixed system, and form a firm film on the surface of droplets or form double electron layers on the surface of the droplets by virtue of the electric charge given by the emulsifier, preventing the droplets from aggregating with each other and thus maintaining a uniform emulsion. The emulsification and homogenization of two immiscible components can improve the consistency of product quality.

The function of the vapor generating agent component is to generate a large amount of vapor when heated, thereby increasing the vapor amount of the vapor generating product. In one embodiment, the vapor generating agent may, for example, include: one or a combination of several of monohydric alcohol (such as menthol); polyhydric alcohol (such as propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, and glycerol); ester of polyhydric alcohol (such as glyceryl monoacetate, glyceryl diacetate, or glyceryl triacetate); monocarboxylic acid; and polycarboxylic acid (such as lauric acid and myristic acid), or aliphatic esters of polycarboxylic acid (such as dimethyl dodecanedioate, dimethyl tetradecanedioate, erythritol, 1,3-butanediol, tetraethylene glycol, triethyl citrate, propylene carbonate, ethyl laurate, Triactin, meso-erythritol, glyceryl diacetate mixture, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, ethyl vanillate, tributyrin, and lauryl acetate).

In one embodiment, the binder component is a natural plant extract and non-ionized modified viscous polysaccharide, including one or a combination of several of tamarind polysaccharide, pullulan, seaweed polysaccharide, locust bean gum, guar gum, and xyloglucan. The binder is in close contact with an interface of a component material of the product through wetting, generating intermolecular attraction, and thus playing a role in bonding the powder, liquid, and the like of the component material. In addition, the binder is naturally extracted and non-ionized, preventing the release of harmful substances such as methanol, formaldehyde, and acrolein produced by colloid modification, thereby improving the safety of the product.

The aerosol generating substrate 10 is provided with at least one channel, and the channel extends through at least one end of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction, that is, the channel extends along the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating substrate 10.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 21, the channels extend through the same end of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction, and the other end is a closed end.

In some other embodiments, referring to FIG. 22, some of the channels extend through one end of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction, and the other channels extend through the other end of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction.

In some other embodiments, referring to FIG. 5 to FIG. 20, each channel extends through two ends of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction. Airflow can flow from one end of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction to the other end of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction via an airway hole 10a. This facilitates smoother flow of the airflow in the airway hole 10a and better reduces the inhalation resistance.

Exemplarily, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is a recombinant tobacco substrate, for example, a recombinant tobacco substrate containing components such as a vapor generating agent and tobacco.

Exemplarily, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is of an integrated structure, for example, an integrated structure formed through an injection molding process, a compression molding process, or an extrusion process. Extrusion molding refers to a process in which a raw material mixture is added to an extruder, the material is heated and plasticized under the action between a barrel and a screw of the extruder as well as moved forwards by the screw, and continuously passes through a machine head to obtain various cross-sectional products or semi-finished products. An extrusion-molded aerosol substrate is in a strip shape. The aerosol generating substrate 10 is an integrated substrate while being heated for inhaling or when heating stops, which is not prone to disintegration and falling off. This solves the problems that sheet-like, filamentous, or loose particulate aerosol generating substrates in the prior art have issues such as sheet detachment, falling off of filamentous components and particulate components, and difficulty in cleaning.

Referring to FIG. 23, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is provided with micropores 10d. The micropores 10d are in communication with each other and form a micro airway in communication with the channel 10a. In other words, the micro airway is in communication with the channel 10a. Since the micro airway is formed by the micropores 10d in communication with each other, the micropores 10d are in communication with the channel 10a. In addition, it can be understood that the micropores 10d being in communication with each other may mean that some of the micropores 10d are in communication with each other, and some of the micropores 10d are not in communication with each other. Alternatively, all the micropores 10d are in communication with each other. In the aerosol generating substrate of the embodiments of this application, the channel and the micropores can increase the surface area of the aerosol generating substrate 10, facilitating heat transfer and improving the heating efficiency. When heated, a substrate of the aerosol generating substrate 10 releases aerosols, and the aerosols converge into the channel through the micropores and are delivered to an inhalation end under the action of a negative inhalation pressure. The channel can reduce the inhalation resistance when a user inhales and improve the user experience. It should be noted that the inhalation resistance is positively correlated with the flow resistance of the aerosols. A lower flow resistance of the aerosols within the aerosol generating substrate 10 results in a lower inhalation resistance experienced by the user; and a higher flow resistance of the aerosols within the aerosol generating substrate 10 results in a higher inhalation resistance experienced by the user.

For example, in an embodiment in which the aerosol generating substrate 10 is a particle aggregate, gaps between particles form the micropores 10d.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned channel refers to a hole from a macroscopic perspective, while the micropores refer to holes from a microscopic perspective. The cross-sectional area of the channel is much larger than the cross-sectional area of the micropores. The size of the micropores is determined by the gaps between the particles. Exemplarily, the cross-sectional area of the channel is at least 20 times the cross-sectional area of the micropores. In a case that the size of the micropores remains roughly unchanged, when the cross-sectional area of the channel is less than 20 times the cross-sectional area of the micropores, the size of the channel is too small, making it difficult for the aerosols to be released from the inner wall of the channel into the channel, and this also leads to a large inhalation resistance to the user, causing degradation of the inhalation experience of the user. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the cross-sectional area of the channel is greater than or equal to 20 times the cross-sectional area of the micropores, the rate at which the aerosols are released from the inner wall of the channel can be guaranteed, and the inhalation resistance can also be reduced, improving the inhalation experience of the user.

In some embodiments, the cross-sectional area of the channel is 20 to 60000 times the cross-sectional area of the micropores. When the cross-sectional area of the channel is greater than 60000 times the cross-sectional area of the micropores, the area of the channel is too large, reducing the overall quality of the vapor generating substrate, resulting in low utilization rate of the substrate as well as large heating rate, and causing the aerosols to be released to the environment via the micropores.

Exemplarily, the cross-sectional area of the channel is 100 to 40000 times the cross-sectional area of the micropores. It should be noted that the quantity of the channel is not limited, which may be one or more than one.

Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 4 to FIG. 20, the channel includes an airway hole 10a, and the airway hole 10a is disposed inside the aerosol generating substrate. In other words, at least a portion of the channel serves as the airway hole 10a. In a cross section perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate, hole walls of the airway hole 10a are connected end to end to form a closed hole. The airway hole 10a is conducive to heat transfer of an internal substrate of the aerosol generating substrate and improve the uniformity of heating of the internal substrate.

Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 17, and FIG. 20, the channel includes an airway groove 10b, and the airway groove 10b is disposed at the circumferential surface of the aerosol generating substrate 10. In other words, the outer side wall of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is partially recessed to form the airway groove 10b, equivalent to that a groove-like airway groove 10b can be seen on the outer side wall of the aerosol generating substrate 10.

Referring to FIG. 3, the outer wrapping layer 20 at the periphery of the aerosol generating substrate 10 can close the airway groove 10b at the periphery of the aerosol generating substrate 10, so that the airway groove 10b may also serve as an airflow channel for the aerosols, thereby increasing the air intake volume and the aerosol extraction efficiency. In addition, if the heating component adopts the circumferential heating method, the overall heating rate of the aerosol generating substrate 10 can also be adjusted by this heating method, improving the inhalation experience of the user.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 20, all the channels are airway grooves 10b, meaning that there is no airway hole in these embodiments.

In some other embodiments, referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 9 to FIG. 12, FIG. 15, and FIG. 17 to FIG. 19, all the channels are airway holes 10a, meaning that there is no airway groove in these embodiments. In still some other embodiments, referring to FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, and FIG. 16, some of the channels are airway grooves 10b, and the other channels are airway holes 10a, meaning that there are both airway holes 10a and airway grooves 10b in these embodiments.

The shape of the airway hole 10a is not limited. For example, in a plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate 10, the cross section of the airway hole is in at least one of the following shapes: a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a race track shape, a polygonal shape, and a sector shape.

The race track shape refers to a shape similar to an athletic track, which is formed by two semicircles and two parallel straight sides connected alternately.

It should be noted that when a plurality of airway holes 10a are provided, the shapes of the cross sections of the airway holes 10a may be the same. Alternatively, the shapes of the cross sections of some of the airway holes 10a are the same, and the shapes of the cross sections of some other airway holes 10a are different. For example, in some embodiments, the cross sections of all the airway holes 10a may all be circular, elliptical, triangular, rectangular, or the like. In some other embodiments, some of the airway holes 10a are triangular, and some other airway holes 10a are circular.

Exemplarily, when a plurality of airway holes 10a are provided, the shapes and sizes of the airway holes 10a are the same. For example, all the airway holes 10a are in the shape of a square triangle, and the sides of all the square triangles are of equal length. For another example, all the airway holes are circular with the same radius. In this way, the airway holes 10a of the aerosol generating substrate 10 can be molded based on the same molding die, reducing the manufacturing costs.

The quantity of the airway holes 10a is not limited, and may be 1, 2, or more than 2.

Exemplarily, the quantity of the airway holes 10a is not greater than 730, such as 1, 5, 20, 50, 100, 200, 300, 500, 600, 700, or 730.

In a case that the aerosol generating substrate 10 has a fixed outline dimension, there is a negative correlation between the quantity of the airway holes 10a and the wall thickness of a substrate wall of adjacent airway holes 10a. A larger quantity of the airway holes 10a results in a larger specific surface area of the airway holes 10a, a smaller flow resistance of the aerosols of the aerosol generating substrate 10, higher heat transfer efficiency, and a smaller wall thickness of the substrate wall the adjacent airway holes 10a, while the smaller wall thickness of the substrate wall of the adjacent airway holes 10a is more beneficial for heat permeation or diffusion. The smaller wall thickness of the substrate wall of the adjacent airway holes 10a results in a smaller overall mass of the aerosol generating substrate 10, so the reduction of base materials improves the inhalation quality and also reduces the overall release of aerosols. In addition, the wall thickness of the substrate wall of the adjacent airway holes 10a affects the overall structural strength of the aerosol generating substrate 10, where the smaller wall thickness results in lower overall structural strength of the substrate structure. Therefore, the quantity of the airway holes 10a is better not greater than 730.

Exemplarily, the quantity of the airway holes 10a is 10 to 500. It should be noted that a smaller quantity of the airway holes 10a results in simpler process and structure, simplicity in manufacturing, and smaller porosity. Therefore, the larger wall thickness of the substrate wall results in a larger mass of the aerosol generating substrate 10 and more inhalation puffs, but lower heat transfer efficiency, as well as occurrence of overheating with a contact surface of a heat source. Whereas, the smaller wall thickness of the substrate wall of the adjacent airway holes 10a results in a smaller mass of the aerosol generating substrate 10, faster heat transfer, and fewer inhalation puffs.

A larger quantity of the airway holes 10a results in more complex process and structure, and larger difficulty in manufacturing. Therefore, the smaller wall thickness of the substrate wall results in a shorter flow path via which the aerosols converge into the airway holes 10a from the micropores, a larger porosity, a larger aerosol release rate after the substrate is heated, faster heat transfer, fewer inhalation puffs, but more uniform mouthfeel of the aerosols inhaled.

Therefore, when the quantity of the airway holes 10a is 10 to 500, the difficulty of the manufacturing process of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is moderate, the heat transfer speed is appropriate, and uniform inhalation mouthfeel is provided.

Exemplarily, the airway holes 10a have a cross-sectional area of 0.0019 mm² to 30 mm² (square millimeters), such as 0.002 mm², 0.1 mm², 0.2 mm², 0.4 mm², 0.5 mm², 0.8 mm², 1 mm², 1.3 mm², 1.6 mm², 1.8 mm², 2 mm², 2.1 mm², 2.2 mm², 2.4 mm², 2.6 mm², 2.8 mm², 3 mm², 4 mm², 5 mm², or 6 mm².

In the embodiments of this application, the cross-sectional area refers to an area of a flow pass section.

When the cross-sectional area of the airway holes 10a is greater than 30 mm², the quantity of the airway holes 10a is small, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is prone to scorching, and the aerosol generating substrate 10 is prone to uneven aerosol release during a heating process (for example, a large amount of aerosols are released in the first two puffs, and a small amount of aerosols are released in the last few puffs), affecting the inhalation experience of the user.

When the cross-sectional area of the airway holes 10a is less than 0.0019 mm², the difficulty of a molding process is significantly increased, and the size of the airway holes 10a is difficult to control, increasing the defective rate of the aerosol generating substrate 10. When the cross-sectional area of the airway holes 10a is within the range of 0.0019 mm² to 30 mm², the flow resistance of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is relatively small (that is, the inhalation resistance is relatively small), and the flow rate of the aerosols is appropriate, so that the aerosols inside the aerosol generating substrate 10 are easy to extract, the aerosols are released uniformly with a high utilization rate, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is not prone to scorching, the user experience of the user is relatively good, and convenience is provided for processing and manufacturing.

Preferably, the airway holes 10a have a cross-sectional area of 0.007 mm² to 7.1 mm² (square millimeters), such as 0.1 mm², 0.2 mm², 0.4 mm², 0.5 mm², 0.8 mm², 1 mm², 1.3 mm², 1.6 mm², 1.8 mm², 2 mm², 2.1 mm², 2.2 mm², 2.4 mm², 2.6 mm², 2.8 mm², or 3 mm².

For example, the airway holes 10a have a hydraulic diameter of 0.05 mm to 6 mm (millimeters), such as 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.8 mm, 1 mm, 1.3 mm, 1.6 mm, 1.8 mm, 2 mm, 2.1 mm, 2.2 mm, 2.4 mm, 2.6 mm, 2.8 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, or 6 mm.

In the embodiments of this application, the hydraulic diameter refers to a ratio of four times the area of the flow pass section to the perimeter. When the hydraulic diameter of the airway holes 10a is greater than 6 mm, the quantity of the airway holes 10a is small, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is prone to scorching, and the aerosol generating substrate 10 is prone to non-uniform aerosol release during a heating process (for example, a large amount of aerosols are released in the first two puffs, and a small amount of aerosols are released in the last few puffs), affecting the inhalation experience of the user.

When the hydraulic diameter of the airway holes 10a is less than 0.05 mm, the difficulty of a molding process is significantly increased, and the size of the airway holes 10a is difficult to control, increasing the defective rate of the aerosol generating substrate 10.

When the hydraulic diameter of the airway holes 10a is within the range of 0.05 mm to 6 mm, the flow resistance of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is relatively small (that is, the inhalation resistance is relatively small), and the flow rate of the aerosols is appropriate, so that the aerosols inside the aerosol generating substrate 10 are easy to extract, the aerosols are released uniformly with a high utilization rate, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is not prone to scorching, the user experience of the user is relatively good, and convenience is provided for processing and manufacturing.

In some embodiments, the airway holes 10a have a hydraulic diameter of 0.1 mm to 3 mm (millimeters), such as 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.8 mm, 1 mm, 1.3 mm, 1.6 mm, 1.8 mm, 2 mm, 2.1 mm, 2.2 mm, 2.4 mm, 2.6 mm, 2.8 mm, or 3 mm.

It should be noted that in a cross section perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate, all the airway holes may be distributed uniformly or distributed non-uniformly. It should be noted that uniform distribution means that the airway holes are arranged in uniform distribution.

Exemplarily, the airway holes 10a are distributed symmetrically by taking the center of the aerosol generating substrate 10 as an original point, and/or the airway holes 10a are distributed in mirror symmetry about the central axial plane of the aerosol generating substrate 10.

Original point-based symmetrical distribution means that the airway holes in a specific region can completely overlap with the airway holes in another region after rotating by certain angle around the center of the aerosol generating substrate.

Distribution in mirror symmetry means that based on a mirror plane with reference to a plane that passes through the central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10, the airway holes 10a at two sides of the mirror plane are symmetrically distributed relative to the mirror plane.

In this embodiment, the airway holes 10a are uniformly distributed on the cross section of the aerosol generating substrate 10, improving atomization uniformity of the aerosols from an inhalation end of the aerosol generating substrate, thereby improving the inhalation mouthfeel.

Exemplarily, the micropores have a cross-sectional area of 0.7 nm² (square nanometers) to 710 μm² (square microns), such as 1 nm², 10 nm², 25 nm², 30 nm², 40 nm², 50 nm², 60 nm², 70 nm², 80 nm², 100 nm², 200 nm², 300 nm², 400 nm², 500 nm², 600 nm², 700 nm², 800 nm², 900 nm², 1 μm², 2 μm², or 3 μm².

When the cross-sectional area of the micropores is less than 0.7 nm², an effective ingredient in the substrate is not prone to volatilizing into the airway holes 10a, leading to a decrease in the utilization rate of the substrate. When the cross-sectional area of the micropores of a substrate body is in the range beyond 710 μm², non-uniform heat transfer in the micropores may be caused, leading to degradation in inhalation experience. Therefore, in this embodiment, controlling the cross-sectional area of the micropores to range from 0.7 nm² to 710 μm² can not only ensure the utilization rate of the substrate but also improve the inhalation experience.

More preferably, the micropores have a cross-sectional area of 1963 nm² to 20 μm².

Exemplarily, the micropores have a hydraulic diameter of 10 nm (nanometers) to 30 μm (microns), such as 10 nm, 20 nm, 24 nm, 30 nm, 40 nm, 50 nm, 60 nm, 70 nm, 80 nm, 100 nm, 200 nm, 300 nm, 400 nm, 500 nm, 600 nm, 700 nm, 800 nm, 900 nm, 1 μm, 2 μm, or 3 μm.

When the hydraulic diameter of the micropores is less than 10 nm, the effective ingredient in the substrate is not prone to volatilizing into the airway holes 10a, leading to a decrease in the utilization rate of the substrate. When the diameter of the micropores of the substrate body is greater than 30 μm, non-uniform heat transfer in the micropores may be caused, leading to degradation in inhalation experience. Therefore, in this embodiment, controlling the hydraulic diameter of the micropores to range from 0.1 nm to 30 μm can not only ensure the utilization rate of the substrate but also improve the inhalation experience.

In the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate 10, the shape of the contour of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is not limited, for example, it may be circular, elliptical, or polygonal, which is not limited herein.

Exemplarily, in the embodiments of this application, description is made by taking the aerosol generating substrate 10 being cylindrical as an example, that is, the contour of the cross section of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially circular. The cylindrical aerosol generating substrate 10 has a regular shape, which can reduce the difficulty of the manufacturing process.

Exemplarily, in the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate, the maximum size of the contour of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is 4 mm to 10 mm, such as 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 6.5 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, or 10 mm. With this size range, the aerosol generating substrate 10 has good structural strength and is also convenient to inhale by the user.

The maximum size of the contour of the aerosol generating substrate 10 refers to the distance between the two points that are farthest apart on a contour line of the aerosol generating substrate 10 in the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate. For example, when the contour of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is cylindrical,

the maximum size of the contour of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is the diameter of the circle. When the contour of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is elliptic, the maximum size of the contour of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is the major axis of the ellipse. Exemplarily, in the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate, the maximum size of the contour of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is 6 mm to 8.6 mm, such as 6 mm, 6.5 mm, 7 mm, 7.4 mm, 7.7 mm, 8 mm, or 8.6 mm.

The quantity of the airway grooves 10b may be one or more than one, which is not limited herein.

When a plurality of airway grooves 10b are provided in the outer side wall of the aerosol generating substrate 10, the shapes of the cross sections of the airway grooves 10b may be the same. Alternatively, the shapes of the cross sections of some of the airway grooves 10b are the same, and the shapes of the cross sections of some other airway grooves 10b are different. For example, the cross sections of some of the airway grooves 10b are semi-circular, and the cross section of at least one airway groove 10b is polygonal or the like.

The shape of the airway groove 10b is not limited herein. Exemplarily, in one embodiment, in the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate 10, the shape of the cross section of the airway groove 10b includes, but is not limited to, a circular arc shape, a V shape, a rectangular shape, or a trapezoidal shape.

Exemplarily, in the plane perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate 10, the shape of the cross section of the airway groove 10b is the same as the local shape of the airway hole 10a. During a molding process, the airway groove 10b can be molded based on a same mold as the airway hole 10a, facilitating the design of the mold, reducing the costs of the mold, and reducing the production costs.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 15 to FIG. 18, the center line of one airway hole 10a of a plurality of airway holes 10a along an extension direction overlaps with the central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction, that is, the center of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is provided with the airway hole 10a. One airway hole 10a within a dashed circle overlaps with the central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10. The central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction is a virtual datum line used as a reference.

The overlap means that the center line of the airway hole 10a along the extension direction substantially overlaps with the central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction, that is, there may be certain deviation between the center line of the airway hole 10a along the extension direction and the central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction, and the central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction substantially extends through a direct-through airway.

The airway hole 10a located on the central axis enables the aerosols at a substrate outlet to converge during a heating and inhalation process (due to a large flow rate at a center hole of the substrate, a negative pressure region can be formed at an outlet of the center hole of the substrate, enabling the aerosols flowing out of a peripheral hole to converge), thereby enhancing the “aggregation” of the aerosols. In addition, such configuration can also improve the stability of the temperature of the aerosols at the substrate outlet (the flow rate of the aerosols at the center hole is large, and the temperature change of the aerosols is small, reducing the temperature change rate of the aerosols after convergence), thereby improving the inhalation experience of consumers.

In some other embodiments, referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 11, and FIG. 14 to FIG. 19, there may be no airway hole 10a provided at the central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction.

It should be noted that the airway holes 10a in the embodiments of this application may extend linearly. Alternatively, the airway holes 10a may extend curvilinearly, for example, extend helically.

In the embodiments in which a plurality of airway holes 10a are provided, an arrangement manner of the airway holes 10a is not limited. For example, all the airway holes may be arranged in a matrix pattern, in a circular ring pattern, in an asterisk pattern, in a grid pattern, or the like.

It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, in the structures shown in the accompanying drawings, a relative size relationship between the airway holes 10a and the aerosol generating substrate is not limited, and the airway holes 10a in the accompanying drawings are only intended to more clearly illustrate an arrangement relationship between the airway holes 10a and do not specifically refer to their specific sizes.

Eighteen specific embodiments are briefly described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment 1

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, all the channels of the aerosol generating substrate 10 are airway holes 10a, and there is no airway groove 10b.

The cross sections of the airway holes 10a are circular, and the circles have the same diameter.

The center line of one airway hole 10a within a dashed circle along the extension direction overlaps with the central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction.

All the airway holes 10a are arranged in a matrix pattern and are uniformly distributed.

Embodiment 2

Referring to FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as Embodiment 1, except that: the circumferential surface of the aerosol generating substrate 10 in this embodiment is provided with the airway grooves 10b, and the cross sections of the airway grooves 10b are rectangular.

Embodiment 3

Referring to FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as Embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 6, except that: the cross sections of the airway grooves 10b are semi-circular, and

the diameter of the semicircle is the same as the diameter of the circle of the airway hole 10a.

Embodiment 4

Referring to FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as Embodiment 3 shown in FIG. 7, except that: the quantity and arrangement manner of the airway holes 10a are different.

The quantity of the airway holes 10a in this embodiment is greater than the quantity of the airway holes 10a in Embodiment 3, and all the airway holes 10a are arranged in concentric circles.

Embodiment 5

Referring to FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as Embodiment 4 shown in FIG. 8, except that: no airway groove is provided in this embodiment, and the central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is provided with no airway hole.

Embodiment 6

Referring to FIG. 10, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is provided with no airway groove.

The central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is provided with one airway hole, where the airway hole within a dashed circle overlaps with the central axis.

All the airway holes 10a are divided into three rows, where the three rows are intersected and are symmetrically distributed by taking the center of the aerosol generating substrate 10 as an original point.

Embodiment 7

Referring to FIG. 11, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as Embodiment 5 shown in FIG. 9, except that: in this embodiment, all the airway holes 10a are arranged in a matrix pattern.

Embodiment 8

Referring to FIG. 12, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as Embodiment 7 shown in FIG. 11, except that: in this embodiment, all the airway holes 10a are in a regular quadrilateral shape.

Embodiment 9

Referring to FIG. 13, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as Embodiment 8 shown in FIG. 12, except that: the circumferential surface of the aerosol generating substrate 10 in this embodiment is provided with the airway grooves 10b, and

the airway grooves 10b are semi-circular.

Embodiment 10

Referring to FIG. 14, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as Embodiment 9 shown in FIG. 13, except that: in this embodiment, the airway grooves 10b are rectangular.

Embodiment 11

Referring to FIG. 15, in this embodiment, the airway holes 10a are rhombic and are arranged in a matrix pattern. The circumferential surface of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is provided with no airway groove.

The central axis of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is provided with one airway hole, where the airway hole within a dashed circle overlaps with the central axis.

Embodiment 12

Referring to FIG. 16, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as Embodiment 11 shown in FIG. 15, except that: the circumferential surface of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is provided with the airway grooves.

Embodiment 13

Referring to FIG. 17, in this embodiment, in a region occupied by all the airway holes 10a, the substrate walls are arranged in a grid pattern, some of the airway holes 10a are rectangular, and some other airway holes are in a sector shape.

Embodiment 14

Referring to FIG. 18, in this embodiment, in a region occupied by all the airway holes 10a, the substrate walls are arranged in a radiation shape around the center of the aerosol generating substrate 10, and all the airway holes 10a are in a sector shape, with the shapes and sizes being the same.

Embodiment 15

Referring to FIG. 19, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as Embodiment 14 shown in FIG. 18, except that: in this embodiment, the quantity of the substrate walls is smaller, and the quantity of the airway holes 10a is smaller.

Embodiment 16

Referring to FIG. 20, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is provided with the airway grooves 10b but no airway hole 10a.

Embodiment 17

Referring to FIG. 21, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, except that: in this embodiment, all the airway holes 10a extend through the same end of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction, and the other end is a closed end.

Embodiment 18

Referring to FIG. 22, in this embodiment, the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 21, except that: in this embodiment, some of the airway holes 10a extend through one end of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction, and some other airway holes 10a extend through the other end of the aerosol generating substrate 10 along the length direction.

It should be noted that in the embodiments shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 9 to FIG. 12, FIG. 15, FIG. 17 to FIG. 19, FIG. 21, and FIG. 22, the circumferential surface of the aerosol generating substrate 10 may be provided with the airway groove.

In the embodiments shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 16, and FIG. 20, the circumferential surface of the aerosol generating substrate 10 may not be provided with the airway groove.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. It will be understood that changes and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill within the scope of the following claims. In particular, the present invention covers further embodiments with any combination of features from different embodiments described above and below. Additionally, statements made herein characterizing the invention refer to an embodiment of the invention and not necessarily all embodiments.

The terms used in the claims should be construed to have the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description. For example, the use of the article “a” or “the” in introducing an element should not be interpreted as being exclusive of a plurality of elements. Likewise, the recitation of “or” should be interpreted as being inclusive, such that the recitation of “A or B” is not exclusive of “A and B,” unless it is clear from the context or the foregoing description that only one of A and B is intended. Further, the recitation of “at least one of A, B and C” should be interpreted as one or more of a group of elements consisting of A, B and C, and should not be interpreted as requiring at least one of each of the listed elements A, B and C, regardless of whether A, B and C are related as categories or otherwise. Moreover, the recitation of “A, B and/or C” or “at least one of A, B or C” should be interpreted as including any singular entity from the listed elements, e.g., A, any subset from the listed elements, e.g., A and B, or the entire list of elements A, B and C.