AEROSOL-GENERATION ARTICLE AND AEROSOL-GENERATION SYSTEM

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2024/102361 filed on Jun. 28, 2024, which is based on, and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310930321.0, filed on Jul. 26, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, with the advancement of the global tobacco control campaign, new tobacco articles represented by the tobacco articles of heating without combustion are more and more favored by users.

The tobacco article of heating without combustion, also referred to as aerosol generating article, is provided inside with a substrate segment made of the aerosol generating substrate. The aerosol generating article is typically used in conjunction with the aerosol generating device, the heating assembly in the aerosol generating device may heat the substrate segment to a degree sufficient to atomize to produce the aerosol without combustion, and the aerosol is discharged from the aerosol generating device for inhalation by the user.

In the related art, during the inhalation process, the air in the external environment directly enters through the substrate segment, resulting in a significant variation in the temperature of the substrate segment, unstable cracking reaction of the aerosol generating substrate, and differences in the generated aerosol components, thereby affecting the user experience.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of atomized aerosol, in particular to an aerosol generating article and an aerosol generating system.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aerosol generating article, which includes: a filter segment; a cooling segment; a substrate segment, configured to generate an aerosol, herein the substrate segment is an integral structure; and a wrapping layer, configured to wrap around circumferential outer surfaces of the filter segment, the cooling segment and the substrate segment. The cooling segment is arranged between the filter segment and the substrate segment, a portion of the wrapping layer between the substrate segment and the filter segment is a first wrapping segment, the cooling segment is arranged within the first wrapping segment, the first wrapping segment is provided with a first air inlet hole extending through of the first wrapping segment, the cooling segment is provided with an air guiding channel, and the air guiding channel is communicated with the first air inlet hole.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aerosol generating system, which includes: a heating element; and the aerosol generating article of any one of embodiments of the present disclosure. The heating element is configured to heat the substrate segment to generate an aerosol.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an aerosol generating article according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating article illustrated in FIG. 1, with the dashed arrows indicating the flow direction of airflow.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating article according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, with the dashed arrows indicating the flow direction of airflow.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a colling segment illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating article according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, with the dashed arrows indicating the flow direction of airflow.

FIG. 6 is a partial schematic structural diagram of an aerosol generating article according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, and the filter segment is omitted in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating article according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, with the dashed arrows indicating the flow direction of airflow.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating article according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure, with the dashed arrows indicating the flow direction of airflow.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating article according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure, with the dashed arrows indicating the flow direction of airflow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be noted that without causing any conflict, the embodiments of the present disclosure and the technical features in the embodiments may be combined with each other, and the detailed description in the specific implementations should be understood as an explanation for the present disclosure and should not be regarded as an undue limitation on the present disclosure.

In the description for the embodiments of the present disclosure, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms “inside”, “outside” or the like is based on the orientation or positional relationship illustrated in figures, and they are merely for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus cannot be understood as a limitation for the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aerosol generating article 1. Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 9, the aerosol generating article includes a wrapping layer 10, a filter segment 13, a cooling segment 12, and a substrate segment 11.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aerosol generating system. The aerosol generating system includes an aerosol generating device and the aerosol generating article 1 according to any embodiment of the present disclosure. The aerosol generating article 1 may be plugged into and unplugged from the aerosol generating device. The aerosol generating device includes a heating element, the heating element is configured to heat a substrate segment 11 to generate the aerosol, and the aerosol may be discharged from the aerosol generating device for inhalation by the user.

The substrate segment 11 is configured to generate the aerosol. That is, at least part of the substrate segment 11 consists of the aerosol generating substrate to enable the substrate segment 11 to generate the aerosol for user consumption.

The specific form of the heating element is not limited, and it may be a resistance heating film, an electromagnetic induction heating element, an infrared heating coating, a laser heating element, or the like, which is not limited herein.

The wrapping layer 10 is configured to wrap around circumferential outer surfaces of the filter segment 13, the cooling segment 12 and the substrate segment 11.

Specifically, in the manufacturing process, the wrapping layer 10 may be directly coated on the circumferential outer surfaces of the filter segment 13, the cooling segment 12 and the substrate segment 11 by a winding process, so as to integrate the filter segment 13, the cooling segment 12 and the substrate segment 11 together, thereby improving the overall structural strength of the aerosol generating article 1, reducing the probability of failure caused by separation of various parts of the aerosol generating article 1 during transportation and use, and increasing the use reliability of the aerosol generating article 1.

It is to be understood that the wrapping layer 10 has a certain structural strength to reduce the probability of deformation of the aerosol generating article 1 due to airflow pressure during use. The wrapping layer 10 may be an integral structure or a combined structure.

The specific material of the wrapping layer 10 is, but not limited to, for example, one or a combination of more of the materials such as fiber paper, metal foil, metal foil composite fiber paper, Polyethylene (PE), Polyethylene composite fiber paper, Polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT), and the like.

It is to be noted that, when the wrapping layer 10 wraps the entire circumferential outer surface of the filter segment 12, the user may directly hold the wrapping layer 10 in the mouth to use the aerosol. When the wrapping layer 10 wraps a portion of the circumferential outer surface of the filter segment 12, the user may directly hold the portion of the filter segment 12 exposed outside the wrapping layer 10 in the mouth to inhale the aerosol. Of course, the user may also install a mouthpiece outside the filter segment 12 and inhale the aerosol through the mouthpiece.

The substrate segment 11 is an integral structure. That is, the substrate segment 11 is integrally formed, for example, formed by integral extrusion, integral injection, integral die casting, or the like.

It is to be understood that there is a certain force between the substrate segment 11 and the wrapping layer 10 to suppress the tendency of the substrate segment 11 to move. For example, the circumferential outer surface of the substrate segment 11 is attached to the inner wall of the wrapping layer 10, and the position of the substrate segment 11 is fixed by the frictional force between the circumferential outer surface of the substrate segment 11 and the inner wall of the wrapping layer 10, thereby suppressing the movement of the substrate segment 11 due to shaking of the aerosol generating article 11 during transportation and use.

It is to be understood that there is an interference fit or a transition fit between the circumferential outer surface of the substrate segment 11 and the inner wall of the wrapping layer 10, so as to generate compression between the substrate segment 11 and the wrapping layer 10 to improve the friction.

The cooling segment 12 is disposed between the filter segment 13 and the substrate segment 11, the portion of the wrapping layer 10 between the substrate segment 11 and the filter segment 13 is the first wrapping segment 101, and the cooling segment 12 is disposed within the first wrapping segment 101. The first wrapping segment 101 is provided with a first air inlet hole 101a extending through the first wrapping segment 101 along the thickness direction, the cooling segment 12 is provided with an air guiding channel, and the air guiding channel communicates with the first air inlet hole 101a.

It is to be noted that the air guiding channel is a space defined by the cooling segment 12 through its own structure, and is configured to guide the airflow. The airflow may be the air in the external environment or the airflow formed by mixing the air in the external environment and the aerosol. Specifically, after the air in the external environment enters the air guiding channel through the first air inlet hole 101a, it may enter the substrate segment 11 under the action of the air guiding channel. At this case, the air guiding channel is configured to guide the air in the external environment to enter the substrate segment 11. The air in the external environment entraining the atomized aerosol may flow to the filter segment 13 through the air guiding channel. At this case, the air guiding channel guides the airflow formed by mixing the air in the external environment and the aerosol to the filter segment 13.

That is, during inhalation, the substrate segment 11 is heated and atomized, and the air in the external environment enters the air guiding channel through the first air inlet hole 101a, moves toward the substrate segment 11, entrains the aerosol generated by the atomization of the substrate segment 11, and then moves toward the filter segment 13 through the air guiding channel. The first air inlet hole 101a is provided at the first wrapping segment 101. That is, the air in the external environment does not directly enter the substrate segment 11, so that the temperature consistency when the substrate segment 11 is atomized may be improved. On one hand, the cooling segment 12 guides the airflow to the filter segment 13 for user consumption, and on the other hand, it may also reduce the temperature of the aerosol so that the temperature of the aerosol flowing out from the filter segment 13 is suitable and may be better used by the user.

It is to be noted that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the thickness direction of the first wrapping segment 101 is perpendicular to the length direction. Taking the aerosol generating article 1 being columnar as an example, the thickness direction refers to the radial direction of the aerosol generating article 1.

It is to be noted that, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the end of the substrate segment 11 away from the cooling segment 12 is in a closed state, so that when inhaling, sufficient negative pressure may be generated to extract the aerosol for user consumption. The closed state includes a case of complete air impermeability, i.e., no oxygen, and also includes the case of low air permeability, i.e., low oxygen.

The end of the substrate segment 11 away from the cooling segment 12 is in a closed state. It may be that the end of the substrate segment 11 away from the cooling segment 12 is self-closed. That is, the substrate segment 11 relies on its own structure to implement a closed state at the end away from the cooling segment 12. Alternatively, it may be that the substrate segment 11 is assembled and butted with any structure on the aerosol generating device to implement the closed state of the end of the substrate segment 11 away from the cooling segment 12. Thus, the substrate segment 11 may be in a negative pressure state during inhalation to facilitate aerosol extraction. In addition, the case that the end of the substrate segment 11 away from the cooling segment 12 is in a closed state may also reduce the probability of contamination for the heating element or other structures of the aerosol generating device due to the flowing out of residue generated by atomization of the substrate segment 11, such that the cleaning for the aerosol generating article 1 is simpler and convenient.

It is to be understood that in some embodiments, referring to FIG. 2, the wrapping layer 10 further includes a second wrapping segment 102 and a third wrapping segment 103. The filter segment 13 is disposed within the second wrapping segment 102, and the substrate segment 11 is disposed within the third wrapping segment 103. The first wrapping segment 101, the second wrapping segment 102, and the third wrapping segment 103 together form the wrapping layer 10. The first wrapping segment 101, the second wrapping segment 102, and the third wrapping segment 103 may be an integral structure. That is, the wrapping layer 10 is an integral structure. The first wrapping segment 101, the second wrapping segment 102, and the third wrapping segment 103 may also be separate parts assembled to form the wrapping layer 10. That is, the wrapping layer 10 is a combined structure.

For the aerosol generating article 1 provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the air in the external environment enters from the first air inlet hole 101a at the first wrapping segment 101, and entrains the aerosol generated by atomization of the substrate segment 11 to flow to the filter segment 13 without directly entering through the substrate segment 11, such that the temperature consistency of the substrate segment 11 during atomization is improved, and the probability of variations in the components of the generated aerosol due to the direct entry of air from the substrate segment 11 is reduced. The cooling segment 12, on one hand, directs the airflow toward the filter segment 13 and, on the other hand, cools the aerosol, such that the temperature of the aerosol more suitable for consumption. The filter segment 13 filters impurities entrained in the aerosol, which enhances the user experience. The structural arrangement of the aerosol generating article 1 is reasonable and reliable.

The specific compositions of the aerosol generating substrate 20 are not limited herein. Exemplarily, the aerosol generating substrate 20 may include the plant component, the auxiliary component, the smoking agent component, the adhesive component, etc.

In some embodiments, the plant component is one or a combination of more of the powders formed by crushing the tobacco leaf raw materials, tobacco leaf fragments, tobacco stems, tobacco dust, fragrant plants, etc. The plant component is the core source of the flavor of the article. The endogenous substance in the plant component, such as nicotine, enters the human blood through atomization, such that the pituitary gland is promoted to produce the dopamine, thereby providing physiological satisfaction.

In some embodiments, the auxiliary component may be one or a combination of more of the inorganic filler, the lubricant, and the emulsifier. The inorganic filler includes one or a combination of more of the heavy calcium carbonate, the light calcium carbonate, the zeolite, the attapulgite, the talc powder, and the diatomite. The inorganic filler may provide the skeleton support for the plant component. The inorganic filler also has micropores, which may increase the porosity of the wall material after the formation of the plant component, such that the aerosol release rate is improved.

The lubricant includes one or a combination of more of the candle wax, the carnauba wax, the shellac, the sunflower wax, the rice bran, the beeswax, the stearic acid, and the palmitic acid. The lubricant may increase the fluidity of particles, reduce the friction between the particles, enable the overall density of the particles to be more uniform, also reduce the pressure required for molding, and reduce the mold wear.

The emulsifier includes one or a combination of more of the polyglycerol fatty acid esters, Tween-80, and polyvinyl alcohol. The Emulsifier (also referred to as surfactant) may reduce the interfacial tension between the water-soluble component and the water-insoluble component in the mixed system, and form a robust film on the surface of the droplets or form an electric double layer on the surface of the droplets due to the charge provided by the emulsifier, to prevent the droplets from aggregating with each other and maintain a uniform emulsion. The emulsification and homogenization for two immiscible components may improve the consistency of the article qualities.

The function of the smoking agent component is to generate a large amount of vapor when heating, thereby increasing the amount of smoke of the smoking article. In an embodiment, the smoking agent may include, for example, one or a combination of more of monohydric alcohol (such as menthol), polyol (such as propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol and tetraethylene glycol); ester of polyol (such as gylcerol monoacetate, glyceryl diacetate, glyceryl triacetate), monocarboxylic acid, polycarboxylic acid (such as lauric acid, myristic acid) or aliphatic ester 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 vanilate, glyceryl tributyrate, lauryl acetate).

In some embodiment, the adhesive component is a natural plant extract and non-ionically modified viscous polysaccharide, including one or a combination of more of tamarind polysaccharide, pullulan polysaccharide, seaweed polysaccharide, locust bean gum, guar gum, and xyloglucan. The adhesive is in close contact with the interface of the component material of the article by wetting, such that the intermolecular attraction is generated, thereby playing the role of binding the powder, liquid, etc. of the component material. Meanwhile, the selection for the natural plant-extracted and non-ionically modified adhesive may avoid the release of harmful substances, such as methanol, formaldehyde and acrolein, caused by colloid modification and improve the safety of articles.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 9, the substrate segment 11 is provided with at least one airway channel 11a. The airway channel 11a extends through at least the end of the substrate segment 11 close to the cooling segment 12 along the length direction, and the airway channel 11a is configured to guide the aerosol generated by the substrate segment 11 to the air guiding channel.

In this way, the aerosol generated by heating and atomizing the substrate segment 11 may be directly released from the airway channel 11a, such that there is sufficient release space for the aerosol, thereby improving the utilization rate of the aerosol.

It is to be noted that there are multiple cases for the airway channel 11a extending through at least the end of the substrate segment 11 close to the cooling segment 12 in the length direction.

First case: the airway channel 11a only extends through the end of the substrate segment 11 close to the cooling segment 12. That is, the end of the airway channel 11a close to the cooling segment 12 is in an open state, the end away from the cooling segment 12 is in a closed state, and the airway channel 11a is formed as a blind hole, so that the substrate segment 11 may rely on its own structure to implement the closed state at the end away from the cooling segment 12. The aerosol may be extracted with sufficient negative pressure during inhalation, and the structure of the aerosol generating article 1 is simpler and more reliable.

Second case: the airway channel 11a extends through both ends of the substrate segment 11 along the length direction. That is, the end of the airway channel 11a close to the cooling segment 12 is in an open state, and the end away from the cooling segment 12 is also in an open state. The airway channel 11a is formed as a through hole, and the closed state at the end of the substrate segment 11 away from the cooling segment 12 may be implemented by assembling and butting the substrate segment 11 with the structure on the aerosol generating device.

The number of the airway channels 11a is not limited, and may be one, or two or more.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is to be noted that the length direction does not specifically refer to the direction in which the external outline of the substrate segment 11 is the longest. The arrangement direction of the filter segment 13 and the cooling segment 12 is same as the length direction. The direction in which the aerosol generating article 1 is inserted into the aerosol generating device and the direction in which the aerosol generating article 1 is taken out from the aerosol generating device are both parallel to the length direction. The size of the substrate segment 11 in the length direction may be longer, shorter, or the same as the size in other directions.

For example, in some examples, when the external outline of the substrate segment 11 is cylindrical, the length direction is the axial direction of the substrate segment 11. It is to be noted that even when the axial size of the substrate segment 11 is less than the diameter of the substrate segment 11, the length direction of the substrate segment 11 is the axial direction.

In some other examples, when the outline of the substrate segment 11 is a cuboid, the length direction is still the direction as defined above, i.e., the arrangement direction of the filter segment 13 and the cooling segment 12, or the direction in which the aerosol generating article 1 is taken and placed, and the length direction of the substrate segment 11 may be any direction of the length, width or height of the cuboid.

It is to be understood that micropores are formed in the substrate segment 11, and the micropores communicate with each other to form the micro-airways. Part of the micropores communicate with the airway channels 11a, and the other part of the micro-airways directly extend through the air inlet end and the air outlet end of the substrate segment 11. In this way, the aerosol may be discharged from the substrate segment 11 in various ways. For example, the aerosol generated by the substrate segment 11 after heating may directly enter the airway channel 11a and be entrained by the air from the external environment to be discharged. Alternatively, the air in the external environment directly enters the micro-airway, entrains the aerosol in the micro-airway and is discharged. Alternatively, the aerosol enters the airway channel 11a from the micro-airway.

It is to be understood that the case that the micropores communicate with each other may be that: some micropores may communicate with each other and some micropores may not communicate with each other, or all of the micropores communicate with each other. For example, in the embodiments in which the substrate segment 11 is a particle combination, the gaps between the particles form the micropores. The sizes of the micropores are determined by the gaps between the particles.

It is to be understood that the airway channel 11a is a hole in a macroscopic sense and may be recognized by the naked eye, and the micropore is a hole in a spectacular sense and cannot be recognized by the naked eye.

The airway channel 11a and the micropores may increase the surface area of substrate segment 11, which may facilitate the heat transfer and improving heating efficiency. The aerosol generating substrate in the substrate segment 11 is heated to release the aerosol, which is delivered to the filter segment 13 under the action of negative pressure generated by the user inhalation. The airway channel 11a and the micropores may reduce the draw resistance of the user inhalation, improve the user experience, and reduce the adverse effects that the flowing of the airflow is affected by the condensed aerosol remaining in the substrate segment 11.

The specific structure of the air guiding channel is not limited herein.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the cooling segment 12 is a hollow tubular structure with an inner wall surface 12b and an outer wall surface 12a. The inner wall surface 12b surrounds to form a hollow central channel 12c. The sidewall of the cooling segment 12 is provided with a second air inlet hole 12d, the second air inlet hole 12d extends through at least the outer wall surface 12a, and the second air inlet hole 12d is abutted with the first air inlet hole 101a.

That is, the air in the external environment may directly enter the cooling segment 12 through the second air inlet hole 12 d after passing through the first air inlet hole 101a, and entrains the aerosol generated after atomization and enters the filter segment 13 through the central channel 12c. The central channel 12c may extend the flow path and flow area for the aerosol, such that the flow rate of the aerosol is slowed down, thereby implementing the cooling effect, and enabling the use temperature of the aerosol to be more suitable.

The case that the second air inlet hole 12d extends through at least the outer wall surface 12a may be that: the second air inlet hole 12d extends through only the outer wall surface 12a, or the second air inlet hole 12d extends through both the outer wall surface 12a and the inner wall surface 12a.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 2, the structure between the inner wall surface 12b and the outer wall surface 12a is a solid structure, and the second air inlet hole 12d extends through the inner wall surface 12b and the outer wall surface 12a.

It is to be understood that the solid structure may be a solid acetate fiber structure. That is, the structure between the inner wall surface 12b and the outer wall surface 12a of the cooling segment 12 is a structure filled with acetate fiber tows. At this case, the cooling segment 12 is a hollow acetate fiber structure, and there is a gap between the acetate fiber tows to form an airflow channel. The air in the external environment may enter the central channel 12c through the second air inlet hole 12d, move toward the substrate segment 11 to entrain the aerosol and flow toward the filter segment 13. Alternatively, the air in the external environment may entrain the aerosol in the airflow channel through the second air inlet hole 12d, and directly flow from the central channel 12c to the filter segment 13.

The solid structure may also be a tubular structure in which no airflow channel is formed inside, such as a paper tube or an aluminum foil tube. That is, the cooling segment 12 is a hollow paper tube structure or a hollow aluminum foil paper tube structure. The air in the external environment enters the central channel 12c through the second air inlet hole 12d, moves towards the substrate segment 11 and entrains the aerosol to flow to the filter segment 13. The light weight of the hollow paper tube structure and the hollow aluminum foil paper tube structure is convenient to reduce the overall weight of the aerosol generating article 1, and the temperature of the aerosol may be reduced by using the hollow region thereof. Moreover, the hollow paper tube structure and the hollow aluminum foil tube structure have good heat resistance, are not easily deformed when heated, may still maintain the shape after experiencing heat conduction, and may increase the structural stability of the aerosol generating article 1. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the cooling segment 12 is a hollow paper tube structure.

Of course, the cooling segment 12 may be a hollow silica gel structure, a hollow polyethylene glycol terephthalate (PET) structure, or the like, which is not limited herein.

In the present embodiment, the second air inlet hole 12d extends through both the outer wall surface 12a and the inner wall surface 12b. The air in the external environment enters through the first air inlet hole 101a and the second air inlet hole 12d, and entrains the aerosol to flow from the central channel 12c to the filter segment 13. The second air inlet hole 12d and the central channel 12c together define at least a portion of the air guiding channel.

It is to be understood that the acetate fiber refers to the cellulose acetate fiber, also known as cellulose acetate or acetate fiber, is a chemically modified polymer compound obtained by esterifying hydroxyl groups of cellulose molecules with acetic acid, and includes diacetate fiber and triacetate fiber. It has good characteristics of acid and alkali resistance and organic solvent resistance.

In some embodiments, a channel 12e is provided between the inner wall surface 12b and the outer wall surface 12a, the channel extends through at least one end of the cooling segment 12 in the length direction, and the second air inlet hole 12d communicates with the channel 12e.

It is to be understood that in the present embodiment, the cooling segment 12 may be a hollow corrugated tube structure, a porous structure, etc. For example, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the cooling segment 12 is a hollow corrugated tube structure, and the cross section of the region between the inner wall and the outer wall of the hollow corrugated tube is substantially wavy-shaped.

The communication mode between the second air inlet hole 12d and the channel 12e is not limited.

For example, in some embodiments, referring to FIG. 3, the second air inlet hole 12d extends through the channel 12e and the inner wall surface 12b.

In the present embodiment, the second air inlet hole 12d extends through both the outer wall surface 12a and the inner wall surface 12b. At this case, the air in the external environment may directly enter the central channel 12c to extract the aerosol through the first air inlet hole 101a and the second air inlet hole 12d, or may enter the channel 12e through the first air inlet hole 101a and the second air inlet hole 12d to extract the aerosol, and flow from the central channel 12c to the filter segment 13. That is, in the present embodiment, there may be two airflow channels for the air in the external environment. In this way, more aerosol may be extracted per unit time, which facilitates increasing in aerosol extraction efficiency.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 5, the second air inlet hole 12d extends through only the outer wall surface 12a. The air in the external environment enters the channel 12d through the first air inlet hole 101a and the second air inlet hole 12d, and entrains the aerosol after atomization to flow from the central channel 12c to the filter segment 13. The second air inlet hole 12d, the channel 12e and the central channel 12c together define at least a portion of the air guiding channel. In the present embodiment, the air in the external environment extracts the aerosol only through one airflow channel, which facilitates the consistency of the extraction for the aerosol, and further facilitates the cooling for the aerosol.

It is to be understood that the number of the second air inlet holes 12d is not limited, and may be one, or two or more.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the circumferential surface of the cooling segment 12 is provided with a groove 12f, and the groove 12f extends through at least one end of the cooling segment 12. The first air inlet hole 101a is provided at the portion of the first wrapping segment 101 for covering the groove 12f, and the groove 12f defines at least a portion of the air guiding channel.

That is, in the present embodiment, after the air in the external environment enters the groove 12f through the first air inlet hole 101a, the aerosol may be entrained and flows to the filter segment 13, and the aerosol may be extracted only by the cooperation between the structure of the cooling segment 12 itself and the first air inlet hole 101a without performing a hole drilling operation at the cooling segment 12, so that the structure of the aerosol generating article 1 is simpler and the processing difficulty is reduced.

In this embodiment, the cooling segment 12 may be a silicone member or the like.

In some embodiments, the aroma substance is disposed within the cooling segment 12. In this way, the flavor of the aerosol may be enriched and the user experience may be increased.

It is to be understood that the location of the aroma substance within the cooling segment 12 is not limited herein. For example, in some examples, the aroma substance is disposed within the central channel 12c. In some other examples, the aroma substance is disposed within the channel 12e. In some other examples, the aroma substance is disposed within the groove 12f.

In some embodiments, the substrate segment 11 and the cooling segment 12 are spaced apart to form the first cavity 101b, and/or the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13 are spaced apart to form the second cavity 101c.

It is to be noted that there are multiple cases for the fact that the substrate segment 11 and the cooling segment 12 are spaced apart to form the first cavity 101b, and/or the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13 are spaced apart to form the second cavity 101c.

First case: referring to FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, the substrate segment 11 and the cooling segment 12 are spaced apart to form a first cavity 101b. That is, only the first cavity 101b is provided in the first wrapping segment 101. The first cavity 101b has a larger space and may increase the contact area with the aerosol, so as to reduce the temperature of the aerosol and further facilitate storage for the aerosol.

Second case: referring to FIG. 9, the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13 are spaced apart to form the second cavity 101c. That is, only the second cavity 101c is provided in the first wrapping segment 101. The second cavity 101c has a larger space and may increase the contact area with the aerosol, so as to reduce the temperature of the aerosol and further facilitate storage for the aerosol.

Third case: the substrate segment 11 and the cooling segment 12 are spaced apart to form the first cavity 101b, and the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13 are spaced apart to form the second cavity 101c. That is, the first wrapping segment 101 is provided with both the first cavity 101b and the second cavity 101c. In this way, the flow area of the aerosol may be further increased, and the cooling effect is improved. In addition, the chance of aerosol depositing on the contact surface between the cooling segment 12 and the substrate segment 11 and the contact surface between the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 11 may be reduced, and the extraction rate for the aerosol is improved.

arrangement position of the first air inlet hole 101a is not limited herein.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 7, the first air inlet hole 101a extends through the sidewall of the first wrapping segment 101 facing the first cavity 101b. That is, the air in the external environment, after entering the first cavity 101b through the first air inlet hole 101a, entrains the aerosol to enter the filter segment 13 through the cooling segment 12. In this way, the air in the external environment may also facilitate the cooling effect of the first cavity 101b and reduce the chance of aerosol depositing on the contact surface between the substrate segment 11 and the cooling segment 12, such that the extraction rate for the aerosol is high. The aerosol is first cooled by the first cavity 101b and then further cooled by the cooling segment 12, which may enable the aerosol to have a more suitable temperature for consumption.

In some other embodiments, referring to FIG. 9, the first air inlet hole 101a extends through the sidewall of the first wrapping segment 101 facing the second cavity 101c. That is, the air in the external environment, after entering the second cavity 101c through the first air inlet hole 101a, entrains the aerosol to enter the filter segment 13. In this way, the air in the external environment may also enhance the cooling effect for the second cavity 101c, and may also reduce the chance of aerosol depositing on the contact surface between the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13, such that the aerosol extraction rate is high. The aerosol is first cooled by the cooling segment 12 and then entrained by the air from the external environment, which may reduce the heat load on the second cavity 101c, thereby increasing the structural stability of the second cavity 101c.

It is to be understood that in some embodiments, referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, the two ends of the cooling segment 12 along the length direction are in contact with the substrate segment 11 and the filter segment 13, respectively. That is, there is no cavity part between the cooling segment 12 and the substrate segment 11, and there is no cavity part between the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13. The two ends of the cooling segment 12 along the length direction may be abutted with the substrate segment 11 and the filter segment 13, respectively. As such, it facilitates increasing structural stability of the cooling segment 12, reducing the difficulty in connecting the cooling segment 12, the substrate segment 11, and the filter segment 13 during assembly to simplify the assembly process.

The number of the first air inlet holes 101a is not limited, and may be one, or two or more.

In some embodiments, the number of the first air inlet holes 101a is in a range of 4 to 30, such as 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 17, 20, 25, 28, 30, etc.

It is to be noted that, if the number of first air inlet holes is too great, the air input amount is excessive, and the draw resistance will be small, resulting in a large amount of aerosol inhaled. If the number of first air inlet holes is too less, the air input amount is insufficient, and the draw resistance is large, resulting in a small amount of aerosol inhaled, which affects the user experience.

In the present embodiment, the number of the first air inlet holes 101a is appropriate, the number of the first air inlet holes 101a is neither too great nor too less, and the draw resistance is appropriate, so that the aerosol amount inhaled by the user is appropriate, and the user experience is increased.

In some embodiments, the filter segment 13 is a solid acetate fiber structure, a polyester resin structure, or a porous structure. On the one hand, it may filter impurities or harmful substances contained in the aerosol, adsorb condensate or large particle droplets formed by aerosol condensation, keep the aerosol dry and increase the user experience. On the other hand, it may also adjust the draw resistance, so that the aerosol amount generated per unit time is more reasonable.

It is to be noted that the porous structure means that the filter segment 13 is provided with a plurality of perforations extending through at least one end of the filter segment 13 in the length direction, and the porous structure may be a structure formed by extrusion, injection, or die casting.

For example, referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 9, the filter segment 13 is a solid acetate fiber structure, and the solid acetate fiber structure is a structure filled with acetate fiber tows.

The material of the filter segment 13 is not limited herein. For example, the material of the filter segment 13 includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination of more of polyethylene (PE), Polylactic acid (PLA, also referred to as polylactide), Polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT), Polypropylene (PP), cellulose acetate, and propylene fiber.

The material of the cooling segment 12 is not limited herein. For example, the material of the cooling segment 12 includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination of more of polyethylene (PE), Polylactic acid (PLA, also referred to as polylactide), Polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT), Polypropylene (PP), cellulose acetate, and propylene fiber.

It is to be understood that the materials of the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13 may be the same or different.

The manner of forming the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13 is not limited. The cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13 may be integrally formed by extrusion molding, injection molding, die casting, or the like.

In some embodiments, the substrate segment 11, the cooling segment 12, and the filter segment 13 have a same cross-sectional shape and a same cross-sectional size. In this way, the installation and cooperation among the substrate segment 11, the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13 is facilitated, and the requirement for the size of the housing 10 may be reduced, thereby increasing the installation reliability of the aerosol generating article 1.

In some embodiments, the substrate segment 11, the cooling segment 12, and the filter segment 13 are cylinders with the same outer diameter and arranged coaxially. The length direction of the substrate segment 11, the cooling segment 12, and the filter segment 13 is the axial direction of the substrate segment 11, the cooling segment 12, and the filter segment 13.

The substrate segment 11, the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13 are butted together along the axial direction, and the fitting of these segments is simple. The difficulty for the wrapping layer 10 wrapping outside each segment may be reduced, and the difficulty of manufacturing the aerosol generating article 1 may be reduced.

The cross sectional shape of the aerosol generating article 1 is not limited herein. In some examples, referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 8, the cross sectional shape of the aerosol generating article 1 is substantially circular. That is, the entire aerosol generating article 1 is substantially columnar. In some other examples, the cross section of the aerosol generating article 1 is substantially rectangular. That is, the entire aerosol generating article 1 is substantially rectangular cylindrical.

Hereinafter, a brief description for the flowing manner of the airflow will be provided in conjunction with six embodiments of the drawings.

First embodiment

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the first air inlet hole 101a extends through the first wrapping segment 101 along the thickness direction, the cooling segment 12 is provided with a second air inlet hole 12d, and the inner wall surface 12b surrounds to form a hollow central channel 12c. The structure between the inner wall surface 12b and the outer wall surface 12a is a paper tube structure. That is, the structure between the inner wall surface 12b and the outer wall surface 12a does not allow the airflow to pass through. The second air inlet hole 12d extends through both the inner wall surface 12b and the outer wall surface 12a of the cooling segment 12. The air in the external environment may enter the central channel 12c through the second air inlet hole 12d, and thus enters the interior of the substrate segment 11 for diffusion.

The interior of the substrate segment 11 is provided with micropores, and the micropores are at least partially communicated with each other and communicate with the airway channel 11a. The aerosol generated by the portion of the substrate segment 11 surrounding the airway channel 11a (i.e., portion of the substrate segment 11 exposed to the airway channel 11a) directly enters the airway channel 11a, and the aerosol generated by other portion of the substrate segment 11 (i.e., the portion of the substrate segment 11 not exposed to the airway channel 11a) may be collected into the airway channel 11a through the micropores. In this way, during the inhalation process, the air entering from the second air inlet hole 12d and through the central channel 12c may entrain the aerosol collected in the airway channel 11a and flows from the central channel 12 c to the filter segment 13, and then enter the mouth cavity of the user through the filter segment 13.

Second embodiment

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the first air inlet hole 101a extends through the first wrapping segment 101 along the thickness direction, the cooling segment 12 is provided with a second air inlet hole 12d, and the inner wall surface 12b surrounds to form a hollow central channel 12c. A channel 12e is provided between the inner wall surface 12b and the outer wall surface 12a. The second air inlet hole 12d extends through both the inner wall surface 12b and the outer wall surface 12a of the cooling segment 12. At this case, there are two paths for the air in the external environment to enter the substrate segment 11.

First path: the air in the external environment may enter the channel 12e through the second air inlet hole 12d, and enter the interior of the substrate segment 11 through the channel 12e for diffusion.

Second path: the air in the external environment may enter the central channel 12c through the second air inlet hole 12d, and enter the interior of the substrate segment 11 through the central channel 12c for diffusion.

The interior of the substrate segment 11 is provided with micropores, and the micropores are at least partially communicated with each other and communicate with the airway channel 11a. The aerosol generated by the portion of the substrate segment 11 surrounding the airway channel 11a (i.e., portion of the substrate segment 11 exposed to the airway channel 11a) directly enters the airway channel 11a, and the aerosol generated by other portion of the substrate segment 11 (i.e., the portion of the substrate segment 11 not exposed to the airway channel 11a) may be collected into the airway channel 11a through the micropores. In this way, during the inhalation process, the air entering the substrate segment through the above-mentioned two paths may entrain the aerosol collected in the airway channel 11a and flows from the central channel 12c to the filter segment 13, and then enter the mouth cavity of the user through the filter segment 13.

Third embodiment

Referring to FIG. 5, the first air inlet hole 101a extends through the first wrapping segment 101 along the thickness direction, the cooling segment 12 is provided with a second air inlet hole 12d, and the inner wall surface 12b surrounds to form a hollow central channel 12c. A channel 12e is provided between the inner wall surface 12b and the outer wall surface 12a. The second air inlet hole 12d extends through only the outer wall surface 12a of the cooling segment 12. At this case, the air in the external environment enters the channel 12e through the second air inlet hole 12d, and may enter the interior of the substrate segment 11 only through the channel 12e for diffusion.

The interior of the substrate segment 11 is provided with micropores, and the micropores are at least partially communicated with each other and communicate with the airway channel 11a. The aerosol generated by the portion of the substrate segment 11 surrounding the airway channel 11a (i.e., portion of the substrate segment 11 exposed to the airway channel 11a) directly enters the airway channel 11a, and the aerosol generated by other portion of the substrate segment 11 (i.e., the portion of the substrate segment 11 not exposed to the airway channel 11a) may be collected into the airway channel 11a through the micropores. In this way, during the inhalation process, the air entering from the second air inlet hole 12d to the substrate segment 11 through the channel 12e may entrain the aerosol collected in the airway channel 11a and flows from the central channel 12c to the filter segment 13, and then enter the mouth cavity of the user through the filter segment 13.

Fourth embodiment

Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the first air inlet hole 101a extends through the first wrapping segment 101 in the thickness direction, the circumferential surface of the cooling segment 12 is provided a groove 12f, and the inner wall surface 12b surrounds to form a hollow central channel 12c. At this case, the air in the external environment may enter the interior of the substrate segment 11 through the first air inlet hole 101a and the groove 12f for diffusion.

The interior of the substrate segment 11 is provided with micropores, and the micropores are at least partially communicated with each other and communicate with the airway channel 11a. The aerosol generated by the portion of the substrate segment 11 surrounding the airway channel 11a (i.e., portion of the substrate segment 11 exposed to the airway channel 11a) directly enters the airway channel 11a, and the aerosol generated by other portion of the substrate segment 11 (i.e., the portion of the substrate segment 11 not exposed to the airway channel 11a) may be collected into the airway channel 11a through the micropores. In this way, during the inhalation process, the air entering from the first air inlet hole 101a to the substrate segment 11 through the groove 12f may entrain the aerosol collected in the airway channel 11a and flows from the central channel 12c to the filter segment 13, and then enter the mouth cavity of the user through the filter segment 13.

Fifth embodiment

Referring to FIG. 8, the inner wall surface 12b of the cooling segment 12 surrounds to form a hollow central channel 12c, the cooling segment 12 and the substrate segment 11 are spaced apart to form a first cavity 101b, and the first air inlet hole 101a extends through the side wall of the first wrapping segment 101 facing the first cavity 101b, so that the air in the external environment may directly enter the first cavity 101b through the first air inlet hole 101a and diffuse into the interior of the substrate segment 11.

The interior of the substrate segment 11 is provided with micropores, and the micropores are at least partially communicated with each other and communicate with the airway channel 11a. The aerosol generated by the portion of the substrate segment 11 surrounding the airway channel 11a (i.e., portion of the substrate segment 11 exposed to the airway channel 11a) directly enters the airway channel 11a, and the aerosol generated by other portion of the substrate segment 11 (i.e., the portion of the substrate segment 11 not exposed to the airway channel 11a) may be collected into the airway channel 11a through the micropores. In this way, during the inhalation process, the air entering from the first air inlet hole 101a to the substrate segment 11 through the first gravity 101b may entrain the aerosol collected in the airway channel 11a and flows to the filter segment 13 through the first cavity 101b and the central channel 12c, and then enter the mouth cavity of the user through the filter segment 13.

Sixth embodiment

Referring to FIG. 9, the inner wall surface 12b of the cooling segment 12 surrounds to form a hollow central channel 12c, the cooling segment 12 and the filter segment 13 are spaced apart to form a second cavity 101c, and the first air inlet hole 101a extends through the side wall of the first wrapping segment 101 facing the second cavity 101c, so that the air in the external environment may directly enter the second cavity 101c through the first air inlet hole 101a and diffuse into the interior of the substrate segment 11 through the central channel 12c.

The interior of the substrate segment 11 is provided with micropores, and the micropores are at least partially communicated with each other and communicate with the airway channel 11a. The aerosol generated by the portion of the substrate segment 11 surrounding the airway channel 11a (i.e., portion of the substrate segment 11 exposed to the airway channel 11a) directly enters the airway channel 11a, and the aerosol generated by other portion of the substrate segment 11 (i.e., the portion of the substrate segment 11 not exposed to the airway channel 11a) may be collected into the airway channel 11a through the micropores. In this way, during the inhalation process, the air entering from the first air inlet hole 101a to the substrate segment 11 through the second gravity 101c and the central channel 12c may entrain the aerosol collected in the airway channel 11a and flows to the filter segment 13 through the central channel 12c and the second cavity 101c, and then enter the mouth cavity of the user through the filter segment 13.

In the description of the present disclosure, the description for the reference expressions “in an embodiment”, “in some embodiments”, “for example”, “in a specific example”, “in some examples”, or the like refers to that specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, the illustrative description for the above expressions do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Further, the described specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Further, those skilled in the art may combine different embodiments or examples described in the present disclosure and features of different embodiments or examples without conflicting.

The above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure, and various modifications and variations may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement and improvement made within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.