FILTER, AEROSOL GENERATING ARTICLE, AND AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2023/135614, filed on Nov. 30, 2023, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310141142.9 filed on Feb. 20, 2023. The entire disclosure of the prior applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to the technical field of inhalation articles, including to a filter, an aerosol generating article, and an aerosol generating device.

BACKGROUND

In the related art, for one type of an aerosol generating device, an aerosol generating article is heated by baking the aerosol generating article, but the aerosol generating article is not caused to combust, so that the aerosol generating article releases an aerosol for a user to inhale.

Generally, the aerosol generating article has a substrate section for smoke formation and a filter section for getting in contact with a mouth of a user. When the aerosol generating device is used, the substrate section of the aerosol generating article is loaded into the aerosol generating device, and the filter section is exposed from the aerosol generating device. After the inhalation, the entire aerosol generating article is removed from the aerosol generating device for discarding. For a next inhalation, a new aerosol generating article is placed.

However, the filter section that is discarded together with the aerosol generating article easily causes material waste and environmental pollution.

SUMMARY

In view of the above, examples of this disclosure are intended to provide a filter, an aerosol generating article, and an aerosol generating device that can reduce material waste.

To achieve the foregoing objective, an aspect of this disclosure provides a filter, which is configured to cooperate with an atomizer unit and an aerosol generating article. The filter has an inhalation channel, a main unit connection portion, and an article connection portion, the filter is detachably connected to the atomizer unit through the main unit connection portion, and the aerosol generating article is detachably connected to an air inlet of the inhalation channel through the article connection portion.

In an example, the article connection portion is an insertion slot in communication with the inhalation channel.

In an example, the filter has a separator, and the separator is located between the inhalation channel and the insertion slot.

In an example, a side of the separator close to the insertion slot is provided with a first positioning portion that cooperates with a second positioning portion of the aerosol generating article.

In an example, the first positioning portion is a positioning post cooperating with a positioning hole on the aerosol generating article.

In an example, the filter has a first air inlet channel for guiding external air toward the aerosol generating article.

In an example, a side wall of the inhalation channel is provided with a second air inlet channel in communication with an outside environment.

In an example, the filter includes a main body section and a connection section located at an end of the main body section, where the connection section is configured to be inserted into a housing of the atomizer unit, the connection section has the insertion slot, and the main unit connection portion is arranged on an outer side wall of the connection section.

In an example, the filter has a first air inlet channel guiding external air toward the aerosol generating article, where the first air inlet channel includes a first sub-channel and a second sub-channel, the first sub-channel is arranged on a side wall of the main body section, to guide the external air toward an outer surface of a side wall of the connection section, and the second sub-channel extends through the side wall of the connection section and is in communication with the insertion slot.

In an example, the filter is snap-fitted to or threadedly connected to a housing of the atomizer unit through the main unit connection portion.

An aspect of this disclosure provides an aerosol generating article. The aerosol generating article is configured for use in cooperation with the foregoing filter, and the aerosol generating article includes at least an aerosol generating substrate.

In an example, an end of the aerosol generating substrate is inserted into an insertion slot on the filter.

In an example, the aerosol generating substrate has a second positioning portion cooperating with a first positioning portion on the filter.

In an example, the second positioning portion is a positioning hole cooperating with a positioning post on the filter.

In an example, the aerosol generating substrate is an integrated structure.

In an example, the aerosol generating substrate has an airway.

In an example, the airway extends through at least an end of the aerosol generating substrate along a length direction.

In an example, at least one of an interior of the aerosol generating substrate and an outer side wall of the aerosol generating substrate is provided with the airway.

In an example, the airway is a pass-through airway.

In an example, the airway is a spiral airway, and at least part of a region of the spiral airway along an extension direction is in a curved shape with a curvature that is not 0.

An aspect of this disclosure provides an aerosol generating device, including:

• • an atomizer unit, including a housing and a heating component arranged in the housing; and
  • the foregoing filter, where the filter is detachably connected to the housing through the main unit connection portion.

In an example, the filter includes a main body section and a connection section located at an end of the main body section. The filter has a first air inlet channel, the first air inlet channel includes a first sub-channel and a second sub-channel, the first sub-channel is arranged on a side wall of the main body section, the second sub-channel extends through a side wall of the connection section, and the article connection portion is arranged on the connection section.

An end of the housing is provided with a heating cavity, the connection section extends into an end of the housing provided with the heating cavity, the first sub-channel is in communication with an outside environment, a gap that brings the first sub-channel into communication with the second sub-channel is formed between the connection section and an inner side wall of the housing, and the second sub-channel and the inhalation channel are respectively in communication with the heating cavity.

In an example, the filter further has a second air inlet channel, and the second air inlet channel extends through the side wall of the main body section and is in communication with the inhalation channel.

In an example, the filter is hermetically connected to the housing through the main unit connection portion, and a side wall of the inhalation channel is provided with a second air inlet channel in communication with an outside environment.

Examples of this disclosure provide a filter, an aerosol generating article, and an aerosol generating device. The filter is provided with a main unit connection portion and an article connection portion, and may be separately detachably connected to the atomizer unit and the aerosol generating article. Therefore, the tip can be repeatedly used, and a filter structure such as a filter section on the aerosol generating article may be further eliminated, which not only reduce material waste of the aerosol generating article, but also reduce pollution to an environment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an aerosol generating device according an aspect of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a first filter shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the filter shown in FIG. 3 from another perspective.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an atomizer unit shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a connection relationship of the filter shown in FIG. 3 and a first aerosol generating article.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the filter and the aerosol generating article shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a connection relationship of the filter and the aerosol generating article shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the aerosol generating article shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of a state in which the filter shown in FIG. 6 connected to an aerosol generating article cooperates with the atomizer unit shown in FIG. 1, showing a state before the filter is connected to a housing of the atomizer unit.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view after the filter shown in FIG. 10 connected to an aerosol generating article is connected to a housing of an atomizer unit.

FIG. 12 is a partial enlarged view of a position A in FIG. 11, an arrow with a dashed line in the figure indicating a flow direction of external air.

FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view after a second filter shown in FIG. 6 connected to an aerosol generating article is connected to a housing of the atomizer unit shown in FIG. 1, a position shown in the partial cross-sectional view being same as a position A in FIG. 11, an arrow with a dashed line in the figure indicating a flow direction of external air.

FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a second aerosol generating article according an aspect of this disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a third aerosol generating article according an aspect of this disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a fourth aerosol generating article according an aspect of this disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a fifth aerosol generating article according an aspect of this disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of a sixth aerosol generating article according an aspect of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the examples of this disclosure, it should be noted that orientation or position relationships indicated by the terms such as “length direction” are based on orientation or position relationships shown in FIG. 1, and these orientation terms are merely used for facilitating description of the examples of this disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the mentioned apparatuses or elements need to have a particular orientation or need to be constructed and operated in a particular orientation. Therefore, the terms should not be understood as a limitation of this disclosure.

An aspect of this disclosure provides a filter 10, which is configured to cooperate with an atomizer unit 20 and an aerosol generating article 30. Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, the filter 10 has an inhalation channel 10a, a main unit connection portion 10b, and an article connection portion 10c. The filter 10 is detachably connected to the atomizer unit 20 through the main unit connection portion 10b. The aerosol generating article 30 is detachably connected to an air inlet of the inhalation channel 10a through the article connection portion 10c. In other words, the filter 10 is an independent component. The filter 10 may be connected to and separated from the atomizer unit 20, and may also be connected to and separated from the aerosol generating article 30.

Another aspect of this disclosure provides an aerosol generating article 30. Referring to FIG. 6 to FIG. 9, the aerosol generating article 30 is configured to cooperate with the filter 10 according to other examples of this disclosure. The aerosol generating article 30 includes at least an aerosol generating substrate 31.

Still another aspect of this disclosure provides an aerosol generating device. Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, the aerosol generating device includes an atomizer unit 20 and the filter 10 in other examples of this disclosure. The atomizer unit 20 includes a housing 21 and a heating component (not shown in the figures) arranged in the housing 21. The filter 10 is detachably connected to the housing 21 through the main unit connection portion 10b.

A manner in which the filter 10 is detachably connected to the housing 21 of the atomizer unit 20 through the main unit connection portion 10b is not limited. For example, the filter 10 may be snap-fitted to or threadedly connected to the housing 21 of the atomizer unit 20 through the main unit connection portion 10b.

A manner in which the filter 10 detachably connects, through the article connection portion 10c, the aerosol generating article 30 to the air inlet of the inhalation channel 10a is not limited. For example, the filter 10 may be plugged in, snap-fitted to, or threadedly connected to the aerosol generating article 30 through the article connection portion 10c.

Referring to FIG. 5, an end of the housing 21 is provided with a heating cavity 20a for accommodating the aerosol generating article 30. After the filter 10 is respectively detachably connected to the housing 21 of the atomizer unit 20 and the aerosol generating article 30, at least part of a structure of an aerosol generating substrate 31 extends into the heating cavity 20a.

The heating component is configured to heat and atomize the aerosol generating substrate 31 located in the heating cavity 20a, so as to generate an aerosol for a user to inhale or use in medicines, cosmetics, or the like.

A plurality of manners for applying heat to the heating component exist. For example, the heating manner includes central heating and circumferential heating. The central heating manner means that the heating component is inserted inside the aerosol generating article 30 to perform baking and heat on the aerosol generating article 30 from inside to outside. The circumferential heating manner means that the heating component is arranged at a periphery of the aerosol generating article 30 to perform baking and heat on the aerosol generating article 30 from inside to outside. Specifically, these heating manners may be resistance heating, electromagnetic heating, infrared heating, microwave heating, laser heating, and the like, which are not specifically limited herein.

The inhalation channel 10a is a channel through which an aerosol passes. An air inlet of the inhalation channel 10a is a side through which an aerosol flows into the inhalation channel 10a. The inhalation channel 10a further has an air outlet side opposite to the air inlet. The air outlet side is a side through which an aerosol flows out of the inhalation channel 10a. During the inhalation by the user, an aerosol generated by the aerosol generating substrate 31 flows from the air inlet of the inhalation channel 10a into the inhalation channel 10a, and then flows into a mouth of the user from the air outlet side of the inhalation channel 10a.

The aerosol generating article 30 shown in FIG. 6 merely has the aerosol generating substrate 31 and does not have another structure. The aerosol generating substrate 31 is a structural body having specific strength and a specific shape, rather than being in an easily loose form such as a filament-like form, a powder-like form, a granular-like form, or a liquid-like form. In other words, the filter 10 may be directly detachably connected to the aerosol generating substrate 31 through the article connection portion 10c. In an example, the aerosol generating article 30 may also be separately provided with a connection structure connected to the aerosol generating substrate 31. The filter 10 is detachably connected to the connecting structure through the article connection portion 10c.

A specific structure of the aerosol generating substrate 31 is not limited herein. For example, in an aspect, the aerosol generating substrate 31 may be made of an atomization substrate, for example, made of a cigarette-flavored spice substrate. In an example, the aerosol generating substrate 31 may further include a base and an atomization substrate arranged on the base. The base may be, for example, a carbon fiber that is resistant to a high temperature. In this way, by arranging the base, not only the strength of the aerosol generating substrate 31 can be improved, but also a certain degree of high temperature can be withstood without generating odors.

A specific composition of the aerosol generating substrate 31 is not limited herein. For example, in an aspect, the aerosol generating substrate 31 may include a botanical composition, an auxiliary composition, a smoking agent composition, an adhesive composition, and the like.

In an aspect, the botanical composition is a combination of one or more of powders that is formed after crushing treatment is performed on a tobacco leaf raw material, a tobacco leaf fragment, a tobacco stem, a tobacco waster, an aromatic plant, or the like. The botanical composition is a core source of the aroma of the article. An endogenous substance in the botanical composition, such as nicotine, enters human blood through atomization, to promote the pituitary to generate dopamine, thereby achieving physiological satisfaction.

In an aspect, the auxiliary composition may be a combination of one or more of an inorganic filler, a lubricant, and an emulsifier. The inorganic filler includes a combination of one or more of heavy calcium carbonate, light calcium carbonate, zeolite, attapulgite, talc, and diatomaceous earth. The inorganic filler may provide a skeleton support for the botanical composition. In addition, the inorganic filler further has micropores, which can increase porosity of a wall material after the botanical composition is formed, thereby increasing a release rate of the aerosol.

The lubricant includes a combination of one or more of candelilla wax, carnauba wax, shellac, sunflower wax, rice bran, beeswax, stearic acid, and palmitic acid. The lubricant may increase fluidity of particles, reduce friction between particles, cause an overall density of particle distribution which to be relatively uniform, reduce a pressure required for forming a die, and reduce wear of a die.

The emulsifier includes a combination of one or more of polyglycerol fatty acid ester, Polysorbate 80, and polyvinyl alcohol. To a certain extent, the emulsifier can relieve loss of a fragrance substance during storage to some extent, increase stability of the fragrance substance, and improve a sensory quality of a product. The emulsifier (which may also be referred to as a surfactant) may reduce an interfacial tension for water-soluble and water-insoluble components in a mixed system, and form a stronger film on the surface of droplets or a double electric layer on the surface of the droplets due to the charge given by the emulsifier, preventing the droplets from gathering with each other, while maintaining a uniform emulsion. Emulsification and homogenization of two immiscible components may increase consistency of article quality.

The function of the smoking agent composition is to generate a plurality of vapors during heat, thereby increasing a quantity of a smoke formation article. In an aspect, for example, the smoking agent may include a combination of one or more of monohydric alcohol (such as menthol), polyol (such as Propylene glycol, Triethylene glycol, 1,3-Butanediol, and glycerol), a polyol ester (such as glycerol monoacetate, glycerol diacetate, or glycerol triacetate), a monocarboxylic acid, and a Polycarboxylic acid (such as lauric acid, and myristic acid) or an aliphatic ester of a Polycarboxylic acid (such as dimethyl dodecanedioate, dimethyl Tetradecanedioate, erythritol, 1,3-Butanediol, Tetraethylene glycol, Triethyl citrate, propylidene carbonate, ethyl laurate, Triactin, Meso erythritol, a glycerol diacetate mixture, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, benzyl benzoate, methyl phenylacetate, ethyl vanillate, glycerol tributyrate, and lauryl acetate).

In an aspect, the adhesive composition is glycosaminoglycan derived from a natural plant and subjected to non-ionized modification, including a combination of one or more of tamarind polysaccharide, pullulan, seaweed polysaccharide, locust bean gum, guar gum, and xyloglucan. The adhesive is in close contact with an interface of a component material of an article through wetting, and generates an intermolecular attraction, so as to bond the powder, the liquid, and the like of the component material. In addition, an adhesive extracted from a natural plant and subjected to non-ionic modification is selected, so as to avoid release of harmful substances such as methanol, formaldehyde, and acrolein caused by colloid modification, thereby improving article safety.

For example, the aerosol generating substrate 31 may be a combination of particles. The combination of particles is a recombined tobacco substrate, for example, a recombined cigarette substrate including compositions such as a smoking agent and tobacco. The aerosol generating substrate 31 is an integrated structure, for example, an integrated structure that may be formed by injection molding, compression molding, or an extrusion process. The extrusion molding refers to a processing method in which a raw material mixture is added to an extruder, the material is advanced by a screw under the action between an extruder barrel and the screw, and continuously passes through a die to be made into an article or a semi-article with various cross sections. An aerosol substrate formed by the extrusion molding is in a shape of a strip.

Because the aerosol generating substrate 31 is the combination of particles, the aerosol generating substrate 31 is an integral substrate after being heated for inhalation or after the heating stops, the aerosol generating substrate is not prone to have the phenomenon of separation or falling, thereby resolving problems in the related art that an aerosol generating substrate 31, which is sheet-like, filamentous, or loose particulate-like, is subjected to loosening of sheets, and falling of a filamentous ingredient and a granular ingredient, and is not easy to clean.

The shape of the aerosol generating substrate 31 is not limited. For example, referring to FIG. 9, the aerosol generating substrate 31 may be in the shape of a column.

In an example, the aerosol generating article 30 may also have the aerosol generating substrate 31 and a wrapper. The wrapper may be a structure such as a wrapping paper and a wrapping shell. The wrapper wraps the outside of the aerosol generating substrate 31. The aerosol generating substrate 31 may be a structural body shown in FIG. 9, or may be in the form that is easy to loosen such as a filament-like form, a powder-like form, a granular-like form, or a liquid-like form. The aerosol generating substrate 31 that is in a filament-like form, a powder-like form, a granular-like form, a liquid-like form, or the like is wrapped through the wrapping paper, the wrapping shell, or the like, which not only can prevent the aerosol generating substrate 31 from being loosened, but also implement that the aerosol generating substrate is detachably connected to the filter 10.

Compared with the aerosol generating article 30 having the aerosol generating substrate 31 and the wrapper, the aerosol generating article 30 having only the aerosol generating substrate 31 merely needs to heat an exposed aerosol generating substrate 31 but does not need to heat the wrapper during heating. Therefore, the aerosol generating article 30 does not have a situation in which odors are generated due to the heat of the wrapper, thereby improving user experience.

For example, referring to FIG. 10 the user may first mount the aerosol generating article 30 to the filter 10 before inhalation, and then place the aerosol generating article 30 in the heating cavity 20a of the housing 21, and mount the filter 10 to the housing 21 of the atomizer unit 20. After the inhalation, the user removes the filter 10 from the housing 21 of the atomizer unit 20, and the aerosol generating article 30 is removed together with the filter 10. The user only needs to remove the aerosol generating article 30 from the filter 10 for discarding, and then replaces a new aerosol generating article 30 for next inhalation, and the filter 10 can be repeatedly used.

In an example, the aerosol generating article 30 may also not be removed together with the filter 10. For example, after the user removes the filter 10 from the housing 21 of the atomizer unit 20, the aerosol generating article 30 may also be left in the heating cavity 20a, and the user may simply remove the aerosol generating article 30 from the heating cavity 20a for discarding.

It should be noted that the filter 10, the atomizer unit 20, and the aerosol generating article 30 may be combined in various ways based on a requirement, to form different selling units. For example, the filter 10, the atomizer unit 20, and the aerosol generating article 30 may be respectively used ass three separate selling units. In other words, the user is required to purchase all of the filter 10, the atomizer unit 20, and the aerosol generating article 30. Alternatively, the aerosol generating device may be used as a selling unit, and the aerosol generating article 30 may be used as another selling unit. Namely, the user may directly purchase the aerosol generating device having the filter 10 and the atomizer unit 20, and then additionally purchases the aerosol generating article 30. Alternatively, the atomizer unit 20 may be used as a selling unit, and the filter 10 and the aerosol generating article 30 form another selling unit. In other words, the user may purchase only the atomizer unit 20, and then separately purchases a combination product of the filter 10 and the aerosol generating article 30. For the combination product of the filter 10 and the aerosol generating article 30, a quantity of the aerosol generating article 30 may be greater than a quantity of the filter 10. For example, one filter 10 may be combined with ten aerosol generating articles 30, to reduce consumption of the filter 10. In addition, regardless of which of the foregoing combination manners is used, the filter 10 may be separately sold as a replaceable accessory.

According to this aspect of this disclosure, the filter 10 is provided with a main unit connection portion 10b and an article connection portion 10c, and may be separately detachably connected to the atomizer unit 20 and the aerosol generating article 30. Therefore, the filter 10 can be repeatedly used, and a filter structure such as a filter section on the aerosol generating article 30 may be further eliminated, which not only reduce material waste of the aerosol generating article 30, but also reduce pollution to an environment.

In an aspect, referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 8, the article connection portion 10c may be an insertion slot in communication with the inhalation channel 10a. In other words, the aerosol generating article 30 may be inserted into and snap-fitted to the insertion slot.

For example, referring to FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, an end of the aerosol generating substrate 31 may be inserted into the insertion slot in the filter 10. Namely, the aerosol generating article 30 may be directly fixed through insertion and engagement between the aerosol generating substrate 31 and the insertion slot, and another structure that is inserted into and snap-fitted to the insertion slot does not need to be provided on the aerosol generating article 30.

In addition, for the aerosol generating substrate 31 with an integrated structure, an external dimension for inserting into and engaging with the insertion slot can be directly obtained through injection molding, compression molding, or extrusion, and the like without requiring subsequent processing, thereby improving processing efficiency of the aerosol generating substrate 31 and reducing production costs.

In an aspect, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 8, the filter 10 may be provided with a separator 10d. The separator 10d is located between the inhalation channel 10a and the insertion slot. The separator 10d may separate the inhalation channel 10a from the insertion slot, so as to limit a position of the aerosol generating article 30.

Further, referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 8, a side of the separator 10d close to the insertion slot may be further provided with a first positioning portion 10e. The first positioning portion 10e is configured to cooperate with a second positioning portion 31a of the aerosol generating article 30 to position the aerosol generating article 30.

An example in which the second positioning portion 31a is formed on the aerosol generating substrate 31 is used. For example, referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9, the first positioning portion 10e may be a positioning post, the second positioning portion 31a may be a positioning hole formed on the aerosol generating substrate 31, and the positioning post extends into the positioning hole for positioning.

An advantage of providing the positioning hole on the aerosol generating substrate 31 is that, after the aerosol generating substrate 31 shrinks by heating, the positioning hole may tightly wrap the positioning post through shrinkage. In this way, it may be ensured that the aerosol generating substrate 31 is not loosened from the filter 10, and the aerosol generating substrate 31 is prevented from falling from the filter 10 when the user removes the filter 10 from the atomizer unit 20.

For the aerosol generating substrate 31 with an integrated structure, the positioning hole may also be directly obtained by injection molding, compression molding, an extrusion process, or the like without requiring subsequent processing, thereby improving processing efficiency of the aerosol generating substrate 31 and reducing production costs.

In an example, alternatively, the first positioning portion 10e may be the positioning hole, and the second positioning portion 31a may be the positioning post.

In an aspect, referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 8, and FIG. 11 to FIG. 13, the filter 10 includes a main body section 10g and a connection section 10h located at an end of the main body section 10g. The connection section 10h is configured to be inserted into the housing 21 of the atomizer unit 20. The article connection portion 10c may be arranged on the connection section 10h. For example, using FIG. 11 as an example, the connection section 10h provided with the insertion slot extends into an end of the housing 21 provided with the heating cavity 20a, and the aerosol generating article 30 that is inserted into and snap-fitted to the insertion slot stretches into the heating cavity 20a.

In addition, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 11, the main unit connection portion 10b may also be arranged on an outer side wall of the connection section 10h. In other words, the main unit connection portion 10b of the filter 10 may be detachably connected to the housing 21 as the connection section 10h extends into the housing 21 of the atomizer unit 20, thereby increasing reliability of connection between the filter 10 and the housing 21.

The main unit connection portion 10b shown in FIG. 2 is a protruding rib surrounding a peripheral side of the connection section 10h. An engagement groove 21a that is snap-fitted to the protruding rib is arranged in an inner side wall of the housing 21. In an example, the main unit connection portion 10b may alternatively be the engagement groove 21a, and the inner side wall of the housing 21 is provided with the protruding rib. The protruding rib is snap-fitted to the engagement groove 21a, which helps remove and mount the filter 10.

In an example, the main unit connection portion 10b may alternatively be an external thread surrounding a peripheral side of the connection section 10h, and an internal thread threadedly connected to the external thread is arranged in the inner side wall of the housing 21.

In an aspect, referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 8, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, and FIG. 13, the filter 10 may be further provided with a first air inlet channel 10f for guiding the external air toward the aerosol generating article 30.

The first air inlet channel 10f is configured to guide the external air toward the aerosol generating article 30 during the inhalation by the user, to extract the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating substrate 31.

In the related art, an air inlet hole for guiding the external air toward an aerosol generating article is generally arranged in an atomizer unit. However, liquid, such as liquor condensate that is generated in a process to heat the aerosol generating article, easily penetrates into a circuit board of the atomizer unit through the air inlet hole, to damage the circuit board.

However, in this aspect, the first air inlet channel 10f is provided on the filter 10. Therefore, the external air can be guided to the aerosol generating article 30 without providing the air inlet hole on the atomizer unit 20, so as to well prevent liquid, such as the liquor condensate that is generated in a process to heat the aerosol generating article 30, from penetrating into the circuit board of the atomizer unit 20 through the air inlet hole to damage the circuit board.

For example, referring to FIG. 12, for the filter 10 having the main body section 10g and the connection section 10h, the first air inlet channel 10f may include a first sub-channel 10f1 and a second sub-channel 10f2. The first sub-channel 10f1 is arranged on a side wall of the main body section 10g, to guide the external air toward an outer surface of the side wall of the connection section 10h. The second sub-channel 10f2 extends through the side wall of the connection section 10h, and is in communication with the insertion slot. In other words, after the connection section 10h extends into an end of the housing 21 provided with the heating cavity 20a, the first sub-channel 10f1 is in communication with an outside environment. A gap brings the first sub-channel 10f1 into communication with the second sub-channel is 10f2 formed between the connection section 10h and the inner side wall of the housing 21. The second sub-channel 10f2 and the inhalation channel 10a are respectively in communication with the heating cavity 20a. During inhalation, the external air flows into the first sub-channel 10f1, then flows into the second sub-channel 10f2 from the gap formed between the connection section 10h and the inner side wall of the housing 21, and flows into the heating cavity 20a through the second sub-channel 10f2, so as to guide the external air toward the aerosol generating article 30. The air flow guided to the aerosol generating article 30, after passing through the aerosol generating article 30, further flows into the inhalation channel 10a together with the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating substrate 31 under a negative pressure, and finally flows out of the inhalation channel 10a.

In addition, it should be noted that the main unit connection portion 10b in FIG. 12 is a closed annular protruding rib surrounding the peripheral side of the connection section 10h. To ensure that the external air can flow into the insertion slot, gaps through which the external air flows are formed between the side wall of the connection section 10h and the housing 21 of the atomizer unit 20 and between the main unit connection portion 10b and the housing 21 of the atomizer unit 20. In an example, while a gap through which the external air flows is formed between the side wall of the connection section 10h and the housing 21 of the atomizer unit 20, the main unit connection portion 10b may not be provided as a closed annular protruding rib. For example, some regions of the annular protruding rib may be disconnected, so that an air flow passage through which the external air flows is formed at a disconnection position.

In an example, the filter 10 may also be not provided with the first air inlet channel 10f. For example, referring to FIG. 13, a second air inlet channel 10i in communication with an outside environment may be provided on the side wall of the inhalation channel 10a. In other words, the filter 10 is hermetically connected to the housing 21 through the main unit connection portion 10b, and the external air directly flows into the inhalation channel 10a, but does not flow toward the aerosol generating article 30. During the inhalation by the user, the external air enters the inhalation channel 10a through the second air inlet channel 10i under the negative pressure. In addition, an aerosol generated by heating the aerosol generating article 30 is also extracted to the inhalation channel 10a under the negative pressure. In this way, the aerosol generating article 30 can be heated under a low-oxygen condition and release an aerosol, to reduce an offensive-odor component in the generated aerosol and improve the inhalation taste of the aerosol. In addition, resistance to inhalation may further be increased through the inhalation channel 10a shown in FIG. 13, to adapt to an inhalation habit of the user.

In addition, for the filter 10 having the first air inlet channel 10f, in an example, the filter 10 may also be provided with a second air inlet channel 10i. For example, the second air inlet channel 10i may extend through the side wall of the main body section 10g, and is in communication with the inhalation channel 10a. With respect to the filter 10, the first air inlet channel 10f and the second air inlet channel 10i may both be provided.

In an aspect, referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, an airway 31b may be provided on the aerosol generating substrate 31.

The airway 31b is configured to increase a surface area of the aerosol generating substrate 31 (a side wall of the airway 31b is equivalent to a part of a surface of the aerosol generating substrate 31), so that heat applied to the aerosol generating substrate 31 can enter the interior of the aerosol generating substrate 31 from the surface of the aerosol generating substrate 31, thereby increasing heat efficiency.

One or more airways 31b may be provided.

The airway 31b may be arranged inside the aerosol generating substrate 31 as shown in FIG. 9, or may be arranged in an outer side wall of the aerosol generating substrate 31 as shown in FIG. 14. When plurality of airways 31b are provided, a part of the airways 31b may be arranged inside the aerosol generating substrate 31, and another part of the airways 31b may be arranged in an outer side wall of the aerosol generating substrate 31, as shown in FIG. 15.

The airway 31b may extend along a length direction of the aerosol generating substrate 31. For example, the airway 31b may extend through at least an end of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction, or may not extend through any end of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction.

In an aspect of this disclosure, the length direction does not particularly refer to a direction in which an outer contour of the aerosol generating substrate 31 is the longest. Specifically, the length direction is a direction of a vertical distance between two ends of the aerosol generating substrate 31. For example, when the aerosol generating substrate 31 is a cylinder, the length direction is the direction of a vertical distance between two end surfaces. In other words, the length direction is an axial direction of the aerosol generating substrate 31. It should be noted that even when an axial length of the aerosol generating substrate 31 is less than a diameter thereof, the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate 31 is still the axial direction.

For example, when the aerosol generating substrate 31 is columnar with a cross section shape of a triangle, a polygon, a long circle, and an ellipse, the length direction is the axial direction. When the aerosol generating substrate 31 is cuboid, the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate 31 may be any direction of the length, the width, and the height of the cuboid.

A direction in which the filter 10 and aerosol generating substrate 31 are arranged is consistent with the length direction. A direction in which the aerosol generating article 30 is inserted into the heating cavity 20a and a direction in which the aerosol generating article 30 is removed from the heating cavity 20a are both parallel to the length direction. A length of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction may be longer than, shorter than, or the same as the length in another direction.

A plurality of manners in which the airway 31b extends through at least an end of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction exist. For example, the airway 31b may extend through the end of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction, and another end is a closed end.

In an example, the airway 31b may passes through two opposite ends of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction. In other words, the air flow may flow from the end of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction to another end of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction through the airway 31b.

In an aspect, when a plurality of airways 31b are provided, one part of the airways 31b may extend through one end of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction, and another part of the airways 31b may extend through another end of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction. Alternatively, all the airways 31b may extend through the same end of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction, and another end is a closed end. Alternatively, each airway 31b may extend through two opposite ends of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction.

In a case of a fixed inhalation capacity of the aerosol, the airway 31b extending along the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate 31 may lengthen an air flow path and increase a flow speed of the air flow in the aerosol generating substrate 31, so as to improve the impact force of the air flow and uniformly mix the aerosol, thereby improving efficiency and uniformity of extracting the aerosol from the aerosol generating substrate 31 and improving an inhalation feeling of the user.

In addition, compared with the airway 31b extending through an end of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction, the airway 31b extending through two ends of the aerosol generating substrate 31 along the length direction is more beneficial to reducing resistance to the inhalation by the user.

In an example, the airway 31b may also extend along another direction of the aerosol generating substrate 31. For example, the airway 31b may extend along a radial direction or a peripheral direction of the aerosol generating substrate 31.

The airway 31b may be a pass-through airway or may be a spiral airway. When a plurality of airways 31b are provided, one part of the airways 31b may be pass-through airways, and another part of the airways 31b may be spiral airways.

The pass-through airway is an airway 31b extending along a straight line, or the pass-through airway has an extension direction which is a straight line.

The spiral airway is an airway 31b whose curvature is not 0 along at least part of a region of the extension direction. For example, along an extension direction of the spiral airway, the spiral airway may be in a structural form of both a curved section whose curvature is not 0 and a straight section whose curvature is 0, or may be in a structural form of only a curved section whose curvature is not 0 and no straight section whose curvature is 0. In other words, the spiral airway does not extend along the straight line from a starting point of the spiral airway along the extension direction to an end point.

A shape of a cross section of the airway 31b perpendicular to the length direction of the aerosol generating substrate 31 is not limited. For example, the shape of the cross section may be a circle, a polygon (including but not limited to a triangle, a square, a lateral shape, or the like), an ellipse, a race track, or a special shape.

In an example, the airway 31b may alternatively not be arranged on the aerosol generating substrate 31.

In the descriptions of this specification, descriptions of a reference term such as “in an embodiment,” “in some embodiments,” “in some other embodiments,” “in still some other embodiments,” or “for example” means that a feature, structure, material, or characteristic that is described with reference to the embodiment or the example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the embodiments of this disclosure. In this disclosure, schematic descriptions of the foregoing terms are not necessarily directed at the same embodiment or example. Besides, the specific features, the structures, the materials, or the characteristics that are described may be combined in proper manners in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, a person skilled in the art may combine different aspects or examples described in this disclosure with features of the different embodiments or examples without contradicting.

The above descriptions are merely examples of this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure. For a person skilled in the art, this disclosure may have various modifications and changes. Modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made and the like within the spirit and principle of this disclosure shall fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.