Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Description
Title of Invention: AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE AND
AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE
Technical Field
[1] The following description relates to an aerosol-generating article and
an aerosol-
generating device.
Background Art
[2] Recently, the demand for alternative items that overcome the
disadvantages of tra-
ditional cigarettes has increased. For example, there is increasing demand for
devices
(e.g., cigarette-type electronic cigarettes) that generate aerosol by
electrically heating
cigarette sticks. Accordingly, research on electrically heated aerosol-
generating
devices and cigarette sticks (or aerosol-generating items) applied thereto is
being
actively conducted. For example, KR Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0132823
discloses a non-combustible type of a flavor aspirator, a flavor and aroma
taste unit,
and an atomization unit.
Disclosure of Invention
Technical Problem
131 One or more embodiments provide an aerosol-generating
article and an aerosol-
generating device to transition nicotine through indirect heating of a medium
through
aerosol.
[4] One or more embodiments provide an aerosol-generating
article and an aerosol-
generating device for improving a taste of smoking by increasing the maximum
amount of flavoring agent filled in the aerosol-generating article.
Solution to Problem
151 According to an aspect, there is provided an aerosol-
generating article, according to
an example embodiment, that may include a first filter segment disposed at the
upstream end of the aerosol-generating article, a second filter segment
disposed
downstream of the first filter segment, and a cavity segment disposed between
the first
filter segment and the second filter segment, and the cavity segment may be
filled with
medium pulp and flavoring agent pulp.
[6] A proportion of the medium pulp may be 50% or more of the
total amount of pulp
included in the cavity segment.
171
[8] The medium pulp and the flavoring agent pulp may have the
same density or the
same particle size.
191 The aerosol-generating article may further include a filter
rod disposed at the bottom
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downstream of the aerosol-generating article and the filter rod may include a
cooling
segment and a mouthpiece segment.
[10] The mouthpiece segment may include a flavoring agent material.
[11] The mouthpiece segment may include a transfer jet nozzle system (TJNS)
filter and
the TJNS filter may be flavored with the flavoring agent material.
[12] The medium pulp may include a pH adjuster, and the pH adjuster may be
alkaline.
[13] The flavoring agent pulp may be manufactured by a fluidized bed
granulation
process.
[14] According to another aspect, there is provided an aerosol-generating
device,
according to an example embodiment, that may include a receiver for receiving
the
above-described aerosol-generating article, an atomizer that generates
aerosol, and a
power supply to the atomizer, and the aerosol generated by heating of the
atomizer
passes through the aerosol-generating article such that the medium pulp and
the
flavoring agent pulp are vaporized and transferred by the aerosol.
[15] The atomizer may include a liquid storage tank for storing a liquid
composition
material configured to generate the aerosol when heated, a heater for heating
the liquid
composition material, and a liquid transfer means configured to transfer of
the liquid
composition material from the liquid storage tank to the heater.
1161 The liquid composition material may further include a
flavoring agent.
[17] The heating temperature of the heater may be 300 degrees (
C) or less.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
1181 An aerosol-generating article and an aerosol-generating
device, according to an
example embodiment, may transfer nicotine through indirect heating of a medium
by
aerosol.
[19] The aerosol-generating article and the aerosol-generating device,
according to an
example embodiment, may improve a taste of smoking by increasing the maximum
amount of a flavoring agent filled in the aerosol-generating article.
[20] The effects of the aerosol-generating article and the aerosol-
generating device,
according to an example embodiment, are not limited to those described above,
and
other effects not mentioned may be clearly understood by those skilled in the
art from
the following description.
Brief Description of Drawings
1211 FIG. la is a diagram schematically illustrating a structure
of an aerosol-generating
article according to an example embodiment;
[22] FIG. lb is a diagram schematically illustrating a structure of an
aerosol-generating
article according to another example embodiment;
[23] FIG. 2a is a diagram schematically illustrating a granulation process
of a top spraying
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method among fluidized bed granulation processes;
[24] FIG. 2b is a diagram schematically illustrating a granulation process
of a bottom
spraying method among fluidized bed granulation processes;
[25] FIG. 2c is a diagram schematically illustrating a granulation process
of a rotor
spraying method among fluidized bed granulation processes;
[26] FIG. 3a is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating
device
according to an example embodiment;
[27] FIG. 3b is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating
device
according to another example embodiment;
[28] FIG. 4a is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating
system in which
an aerosol-generating article is received in an aerosol-generating device
according to
an example embodiment;
[29] FIG. 4b is a diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating
system in which
an aerosol-generating article is received in an aerosol-generating device
according to
another example embodiment; and
[30] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a principle and a condition in which
a vortex is
generated in an aerosol-generating article according to an example embodiment.
Mode for the Invention
[31] Hereinafter, example embodiments will be described in detail with
reference to the
accompanying drawings. However, various alterations and modifications may be
made
to the example embodiments. Here, the example embodiments are not construed as
limited to the disclosure. The example embodiments should be understood to
include
all changes, equivalents, and replacements within the idea and the technical
scope of
the disclosure.
[32] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular example em-
bodiments only and is not to be limiting of the example embodiments. The
singular
forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well,
unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the
terms
"comprises/comprising" and/or "includes/including" when used herein, specify
the
presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or
components,
but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,
integers,
steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
[33] Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific
terms used
herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill
in the
art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that
terms,
such as those defined in commonly-used dictionaries, should be interpreted as
having a
meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant
art and will
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not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so
defined
herein.
[34] When describing the examples with reference to the accompanying
drawings, like
reference numerals refer to like constituent elements and a repeated
description related
thereto will be omitted. In the description of the example embodiments, a
detailed de-
scription of well-known related structures or functions will be omitted when
it is
deemed that such description will cause ambiguous interpretation of the
present
disclosure.
[35] Also, in the description of the components, terms such as first,
second, A, B, (a), (b)
or the like may be used herein when describing components of the present
disclosure.
These terms are used only for the purpose of discriminating one constituent
element
from another constituent element, and the nature, the sequences, or the orders
of the
constituent elements are not limited by the terms. When one constituent
element is
described as being "connected", "coupled", or "attached" to another
constituent
element, it should be understood that one constituent element can be connected
or
attached directly to another constituent element, and an intervening
constituent element
can also be "connected", "coupled", or "attached" to the constituent elements.
[36] The constituent element, which has the same common function as the
constituent
element included in any one example embodiment, will be described by using the
same
name in other example embodiments. Unless disclosed to the contrary, the con-
figuration disclosed in any one example embodiment may be applied to other
example
embodiments, and the specific description of the repeated configuration will
be
omitted.
[37] In the following example embodiments, a "moisturizer" may mean a
material that
may facilitate the formation of visible smoke and/or aerosol. Examples of the
moisturizer may include glycerin (GLY), propylene glycol (PG), ethylene
glycol,
dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene
glycol, and
oleyl alcohol, but are not limited thereto. In the art, the moisturizer may be
used inter-
changeably in terms such as an aerosol-forming agent, a wetting agent, and the
like.
[38] In the following example embodiments, the "aerosol-forming substrate"
may mean a
material that may form aerosol. The aerosol may include a volatile compound.
The
aerosol-forming substrate may be solid or liquid.
[39] For example, a solid aerosol-forming substrate may include a solid
material based on
raw tobacco materials such as reconstituted tobacco leaves, cut tobacco, and
re-
structured tobacco, and the like, and a liquid aerosol-forming substrate may
include a
liquid composition material based on nicotine, tobacco extract, and/or various
flavoring agents. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited
to these
examples.
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[40] In the following example embodiments, the "aerosol-generating device"
may mean a
device that generates aerosol using the aerosol-forming substrate to generate
aerosol
that may be directly inhaled into lungs of a user through a mouth of a user.
[41] In the following example embodiments, the "aerosol-generating article"
may mean an
article that includes a medium that refers to tobacco components (e.g.,
tobacco leaves)
and/or other components that generate nicotine by vaporizing when heated.
During
smoking, the medium (i.e., nicotine) is transferred as the aerosol generated
in the
aerosol-generating device passes through the aerosol-generating article
inserted in the
aerosol-generating device. A representative example of the aerosol-generating
article
may be a cigarette, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited
thereto.
[42] In the following example embodiments, the "upstream" or "upstream
direction" may
mean a direction away from the oral region of a user (a smoker), and the
"downstream"
or "downstream direction" may mean a direction close to the oral region of a
user. The
terms upstream and downstream may be used to describe the relative positions
of
elements including the aerosol-generating article. For example, in an aerosol-
generating article 100 illustrated in FIG. 3a, a cavity rod 120 is positioned
at the
upstream or upstream direction of a filter rod 140, and the filter rod 140 is
positioned
at the downstream or downstream direction of the cavity rod 120.
1431 In the following example embodiments, the "puff" means
inhalation of a user, and in-
halation means a situation in which smoke is pulled into an oral cavity, nasal
cavity, or
lungs of a user through a mouth or nose of a user.
[44] Hereinafter, various example embodiments according to the accompanying
drawings
will be described.
[45] FIGS. la and lb are diagrams schematically illustrating a structure of
an aerosol-
generating article 100 according to some example embodiments.
[46] As illustrated in FIGS. la and lb, the aerosol-generating article 100
may include the
cavity rod 120 and the filter rod 140. The aerosol-generating article 100 may
further
include a wrapper wrapping the cavity rod 120 and the filter rod 140. Although
only
relevant components are illustrated in the example of FIGS. la and lb, it may
be
apparent to those skilled in the art that other general-purpose components may
be
further included in addition to the components illustrated in FIGS. la and lb.
Hereinafter, each component of the aerosol-generating article 100 will be
described.
[47] The cavity rod 120 is a rod including a cavity or cavity segment 126
and may supply
tobacco components such as nicotine or other components that provide a taste
of
smoking as they are heated. As illustrated, the cavity rod 120 may include a
first filter
segment 122, a second filter segment 124, and the cavity segment 126 may be
disposed
between the first filter segment 122 and the second filter segment 124.
[48] The first filter segment 122 may be disposed at the upstream end of
the aerosol-
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generating article 100. The first filter segment 122 may perform a function of
preventing a medium pulp P1 from falling off and may allow the cavity segment
126 to
be disposed at the appropriate position in an aerosol-generating device 200
when the
aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device
200. In
addition, the first filter segment 122 may prevent aerosol liquefied during
smoking
from flowing into the aerosol-generating device 200. In addition, the first
filter
segment 122 may include a paper filter, and it may he desirable that the paper
material
is arranged in a longitudinal direction in order to secure a smooth airflow
path, but em-
bodiments are not limited thereto.
[49] The second filter segment 124 may be disposed downstream of the first
filter
segment 122 and, particularly, may be disposed downstream of the cavity
segment
126. The second filter segment 124 may further perform filtration and cooling
functions for aerosol in addition to a function of forming a cavity with the
first filter
segment 122. In addition, the second filter segment 124 may include a paper
filter, and
it may be desirable that the paper material is arranged in a longitudinal
direction in
order to secure a smooth airflow path, but embodiments are not limited
thereto.
[50] The cavity segment 126 is a segment having a cavity and may be
positioned between
the first filter segment 122 and the second filter segment 124.
[51] In addition, the cavity segment 126 may be filled with a medium and a
flavoring
agent. The medium may be in the form of a medium pulp Pl, reconstituted
tobacco,
general cut tobacco leaves, and the like. Desirably, the medium may be in the
form of
the medium pulp P1 (i.e., medium pulp particles). The medium pulp P1 may be a
tobacco pulp or nicotine pulp, but is not limited thereto. The flavoring agent
may be in
the form of a flavoring agent pulp P2 (i.e., flavoring agent pulp particles),
a liquid
flavoring material, and the like. Desirably the flavoring agent may be in the
form of the
flavoring pulp P2. In this case, for example, the flavoring agent may include
at least
one or more of menthol, cis-3-hexenyl, linalool, hexanal, eucalyptol, methyl
salicylate,
guaiacol, orange oil, lemon oil, star anise oil, peppermint oil, spearmint
oil, lime oil,
and ginger oil.
[52] Hereinafter, the relationship between the medium pulp P1 and the
flavoring agent
pulp P2 in the cavity segment 126 will be described.
[53] According to an example embodiment, up to about 70% of the total
volume of the
cavity segment 126 may be filled with the medium pulp P1 and the flavoring
agent
pulp P2, and a proportion of the medium pulp P1 in the cavity segment 126 may
be at
least 50% or more, desirably 60% or more, and more desirably 70% or more of
the
total amount of pulp included in the cavity segment 126. When the medium pulp
P1
meets the above filling ratio, a sufficient medium may be transferred to a
user when the
user uses the aerosol-generating article 100, and degradation of a taste of
smoking due
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to the excessive amount of the flavoring agent pulp P2 may be prevented.
[54] The size or density of the medium pulp P1 and the flavoring
agent pulp P2 according
to an example embodiment may be different from each other by up to 20%, but it
is
preferable that the medium pulp P1 and the flavoring agent pulp P2 have the
same size
and/or the same density. When the size or density of the medium pulp P1 and
the
flavoring agent pulp P2 satisfies the above difference range, the medium pulp
P1 and
the flavoring agent pulp P2 may be uniformly mixed and filled in the cavity
segment
126. In addition, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 5, when a
user puffs
on the aerosol-generating system 10, a vortex is easily formed in the cavity
segment
126, so that the medium pulp PI and the flavoring agent pulp P2 may be
uniformly
heated.
1551 Hereinafter, the characteristics of the medium pulp P1 and
the flavoring agent pulp
P2 will be described in detail.
[56] The medium pulp P1 according to an example embodiment may include a pH
adjuster. The pH adjuster may desirably be a basic salt, and may be, for
example,
potassium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, calcium oxide, and the like,
but is
not limited thereto. In addition, the pH adjuster, which generates the least
negative
scent during puffing, may be selected and used. When the pH adjuster is
included in
the medium pulp Pl, the pH of the medium pulp P1 increases, and accordingly,
even
when the medium is heated with a relatively low temperature, nicotine may be
suf-
ficiently transferred from the medium pulp Pl. Accordingly, as a result,
nicotine may
be transferred by a small amount of heat delivered to the medium pulp P1 while
hot
aerosol generated by heating a cartridge 222 by a heater 224 of the aerosol-
generating
device 200 flows along the airflow path to the aerosol-generating article 100,
without
directly heating the cavity segment 126. The pH adjuster may be included in
the pulp
itself by being mixed together during a manufacturing process of the medium
pulp P1
or may be disposed separately from the medium pulp Pl.
[57] The medium pulp Pl, according to an example embodiment, may be
manufactured
by a compression granulation process. The compression granulation process cor-
responds to a wet process, and has a relatively higher nicotine transition
rate of the
generated medium pulp P1 compared to the fluidized bed granulation process. Ac-
cordingly, when the temperature at which the medium pulp P1 is heated is
relatively
low, it may be more advantageous in terms of the nicotine transition to
include the
medium pulp P1 manufactured by the compression granulation process than the
medium pulp P1 manufactured by the fluidized bed granulation process.
1581 The flavoring agent pulp P2 may or may not include a pH
adjuster. Since the
flavoring agent pulp P2 has a lower vaporization temperature than the medium
pulp
Pl, the flavor may be sufficiently generated even when the flavoring agent
pulp P2 is
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heated at a low temperature even without the pH adjuster. When the flavoring
agent
pulp P2 is heated at a temperature excessively higher than the vaporization
temperature
of the flavoring agent pulp P2, most of the flavoring materials may be
transferred at the
beginning of smoking, making it difficult to last the scent by the flavoring
agent pulp
P2. As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4a and 4b, the aerosol-
generating article 100 according to an example embodiment is not directly
heated by a
heater, and aerosol generated by heating in the atomizer 220 of the aerosol-
generating
device 200 passes through the aerosol-generating article 100 in the direction
of the
arrow to transition a medium and flavoring agent material. Accordingly, since
the
flavoring agent pulp P2 is indirectly heated by the heated aerosol, the
temperature at
which the flavoring agent pulp P2 is heated is lower than in a method where
the
aerosol-generating article 100 is directly heated or burned, the flavoring
agent material
may be continuously transferred.
[59] The flavoring agent pulp P2 according to an example embodiment may be
manu-
factured by a fluidized bed granulation process. The flavoring agent pulp P2
may be
manufactured by a method of coating a flavoring material on the medium pulp P1
or
by a method of layering the flavoring material on a seed material. The
fluidized bed
granulation process is a process in which a powder material is mixed with hot
air
heated in a sealed container 500, the powder flows in the container, and a
pulp is
formed through mixing, granulation and drying processes. The fluidized bed
granulation process may include a top-spraying method, a bottom-spraying
method, a
rotor-spraying method, and the like. The fluidized bed granulation process is
divided
into the top-spraying method, the bottom-spraying method, and the rotor-
spraying
method depending on the relationship between a direction in which a liquid
binder 510
serving as an adhesive for powder 530 to stick together is sprayed and a
direction in
which a fluidized air 520 flows. As shown in FIG. 2a, in the top-spraying
method, a
direction in which the liquid binder 510 is sprayed is generally opposite to a
direction
in which the fluidized air 520 flows. As shown in FIG. 2b, in the bottom-
spraying
method, a direction in which the liquid binder 510 is sprayed is generally the
same as a
direction in which the fluidized air 520 flows. As shown in FIG. 2c, in the
rotor-
spraying method, a direction in which the liquid binder 510 is sprayed is
generally per-
pendicular to a direction in which the fluidized air 520 flows.
[60] Hereinafter, the configuration of the filter rod 140 will be described
in detail.
[611 The filter rod 140 may be positioned downstream of the
cavity rod 120 and perform a
filtering function for aerosol. For this, the filter rod 140 may include
filter materials
such as a paper, cellulose acetate fiber, and the like. The filter rod 140 may
further
include a wrapper wrapping the filter material.
[62] The filter rod 140 may include a cooling segment 142 and a
mouthpiece segment
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144. The cooling segment 142 may perform a cooling function for aerosol, and
the
mouthpiece segment 144 may perform a filtering function for aerosol.
[63] In addition, the mouthpiece segment 144 may include a flavoring agent
material. For
example, a flavoring liquid may be sprayed onto the mouthpiece segment 144, or
fibers
to which the flavoring liquid is applied may be inserted into the mouthpiece
segment
144, and, referring to FIG. lb. the mouthpiece segment 144 may include
flavoring
agent capsule C. In addition, the mouthpiece segment 144 may include a TINS
filter.
The TJNS filter is a filter on which the flavoring agent material is flavored.
For
example, flavoring agent materials that are flavored may include at least one
or more
of menthol, cis-3-hexenyl, linalool, hexanal, eucalyptol, methyl salicylate,
guaiacol,
orange oil, lemon oil, star anise oil, peppermint oil, spearmint oil, lime
oil, and ginger
oil.
[64] In some cases, the filter rod 140 may further include at least one
segment that
performs other functions.
[65] The aerosol-generating article 100 may be a disposable cigarette that
is received in
the aerosol-generating device 200 and discarded after being used once or may
be a
multiple-use cigarette that is used several times even after being used once.
[66] FIGS. 3a and 3b are diagrams schematically illustrating an aerosol-
generating device
according to some example embodiments. FIG. 3a illustrates the cartridge 222
and the
heater 224 disposed in a line, and FIG. 3b illustrates the cartridge 222 and
the heater
224 disposed in parallel.
[67] As illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3b, the aerosol-generating device 200
according to the
present example embodiment may include a housing, a receiver 210, an atomizer
220,
and a power supply 230. The atomizer 220 may include the cartridge 222 and the
heater 224, and the atomizer 220 may generate aerosol. Although only relevant
components are illustrated in the example of FIGS. 3a and 3b, it may be
apparent to
those skilled in the art that other general-purpose components may be further
included
in addition to the components illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3b. For example, the
aerosol-
generating device 200 may further include an input module for receiving a
command
from a user, and an output module for outputting information such as a state
of the
device, smoking information, and the like. Hereinafter, each component of the
aerosol-
generating device 200 will be described.
[68] The housing may form an exterior of the aerosol-generating device 200.
In addition,
the housing may form the receiver 210 for receiving the aerosol-generating
article 100.
It may be desirable that the housing is implemented with a material that may
protect
internal components.
[69] Next, the receiver 210 may be a space for receiving the aerosol-
generating article
100. When the aerosol-generating article 100 is received in the receiver 210,
the
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receiver 210 may include a coupling structure in order to firmly hold the
aerosol-
generating article 100 without falling out. The coupling structure may be
implemented
by, for example, a coupling structure using interference fit. Also, the
coupling structure
may be implemented using a magnetic material, a coupling structure using an
electro-
magnetic material, and the like. In addition, the aerosol-generating article
100 received
in the receiver 210 may be in the form of a stick or cigarette that is
replaced after being
used once as will be described later.
[70] Next, the atomizer 220 may further include a liquid storage tank, a
liquid transfer
means, and a heater. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto,
and the
atomizer 220 may further include other components. In addition, the cartridge
222 may
be manufactured to be detachable from the heater 224 or may be manufactured in-
tegrally with the heater 224.
[71] The liquid storage tank may store liquid composition materials. The
liquid com-
position materials may be a liquid including tobacco-containing materials or
nicotine-
containing materials, or non-tobacco materials. For example, the liquid
composition
materials may include water, solvent, ethanol, plant extract (e.g., tobacco
extract), a
flavoring agent, an aerosol-forming agent, or a vitamin mixture. The flavoring
agent
may include ingredients that may provide various flavors to a user. For
example, the
flavoring agent may be cis-3-hexenol, linalool, hexanal, eucalyptol, methyl
salicylate,
guaiacol, orange oil, lemon oil, star anise oil, peppermint oil, spearmint
oil, lime oil,
ginger oil, or a mixture of two or more thereof, but is not limited thereto.
The liquid
composition material may further include a moisturizer. The moisturizer may be
glycerin (VG), polypropylene glycol (PG), sorbitol, or a mixture thereof, but
is not
limited thereto.
[72] The liquid transfer means may transfer the liquid composition material
stored in the
liquid storage tank to the heater 224. For example, the liquid transfer means
may be a
wick element such as cotton fiber, ceramic fiber, glass fiber, and porous
ceramic, but is
not limited thereto.
[73] Next, the heater 224 may form aerosol by heating the liquid
composition material
stored in the cartridge 222. For example, the heater 224 may form aerosol by
heating
the liquid composition material transferred by the liquid transfer means. The
formed
aerosol may pass through the aerosol-generating article and he delivered to a
user. That
is, the aerosol formed by heating of the heater 224 may move along the airflow
path of
the aerosol-generating article, and the airflow path may be configured such
that aerosol
formed by the liquid composition material stored in the cartridge may pass
through the
aerosol-generating article and be delivered to a user. For example, the heater
224 may
be made of a coil, ceramic, a metal mesh, a conductive filament, and the like,
but is not
limited thereto. Also, the heating temperature of the heater 224 may be 300 C
or less,
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desirably 270 C or less, and more desirably 200 C or less. As will be
described later,
when a medium pulp P1 includes a pH adjuster, the minimum temperature at which
nicotine may be transferred is lowered, and thus the heating temperature of
the heater
224 may be lowered, and accordingly, an aerosol-generating system having
better
electrical efficiency may be configured.
[74] For reference, in the art, the cartridge 222 and the heater 224 may be
collectively
referred to as terms such as a cartomizer, an atomizer, a vaporizer, and the
like.
[75] Next, the power supply 230 may supply power used to operate the
aerosol-generating
device 200. For example, the power supply 230 may supply power so that the
heater
224 may heat the aerosol-generating article. In addition, the power supply 230
may
supply power required for operating electrical components such as a display
(not
shown), a sensor (not shown), and a motor (not shown) installed in the aerosol-
generating device 200.
[76] FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate the aerosol-generating system 10 according
to some
example embodiments and illustrate an example of a state in which the aerosol-
generating article 100 is received in the aerosol-generating device 200. FIG.
4a il-
lustrates an aerosol-generating system 10 in which the cartridge 222 and the
heater 224
are disposed in line, and FIG. 4b illustrates an aerosol-generating system 10
in which
the cartridge 222 and the heater 224 are disposed in parallel.
[77] As illustrated in FIGS. 4a and 4b, the aerosol-generating system 10,
according to the
present disclosure, may generate aerosol by heating the liquid composition
material in
the cartridge 222 by the heater 224 of the aerosol-generating device 200. As
the
generated aerosol passes through the aerosol-generating article 100, the
medium pulp
P1 and the flavoring agent pulp P2 are indirectly heated by the aerosol,
thereby
generating nicotine and flavoring materials. As described above, the minimum
transferable temperature of nicotine is lowered by the pH adjuster included in
the
medium pulp Pl, and thus nicotine may be transferred even when the medium pulp
P1
is heated at a relatively low temperature compared to the case where nicotine
is
transferred by burning tobacco leaves. In addition, as described above, since
the ex-
pression temperature of the flavoring agent pulp P2 is relatively lower than
that of the
medium pulp Pl, the flavoring material included in the flavoring agent pulp P2
may
also be transferred normally by the heated aerosol.
[78] The aerosol-generating system 10 according to an example embodiment
may in-
directly heat the cavity segment 126 of the aerosol-generating article 100
including the
medium pulp P1 and the flavoring agent pulp P2 as described above, and the
aerosol-
generating system 10 may heat the cavity segment 126 filled with pulp
particles to a
lower temperature than in the case of the aerosol-generating system
(hereinafter,
"directly heated electronic cigarettes'') directly heating a medium through a
heater or
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the like. That is, if the medium pulp P1 and the flavoring agent pulp P2 of
the cavity
segment 126 are indirectly heated through aerosol generated in the atomizer
heated to
temperatures 300 C or less (desirably 270 C or less, more desirably 200 C
or less),
depletion of the flavoring agent pulp P2 at the early stage of smoking, which
is often
caused because the flavoring agent pulp P2 is vaporized at a lower temperature
than
the medium pulp Pl, may be prevented. As a result, the flavoring agent pulp P2
may
be continuously generate a flavor from the beginning to the end of smoking.
Due to the
above-described characteristics of the aerosol-generating system 10, according
to an
example embodiment, flavoring agent pulps P2 may be additionally filled in the
cavity
segment 126 compared to directly heated electronic cigarettes, and as a
result, the
mobility and persistence of flavoring materials may be increased to improve a
taste of
smoking.
[79] The nicotine and flavoring materials generated in this way may be
delivered to a user
along the airflow path (refer to the arrow direction in FIGS. 4a and 4b) with
aerosol.
[80] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a vortex is
generated in the aerosol-
generating article 100 according to an example embodiment. When a certain
condition
is satisfied, a vortex may be generated in the cavity segment 126 during
puffing. As a
result, a plurality of medium pulp particles P1 and flavoring agent pulp
particles P2 are
mixed and uniformly heated due to the generated vortex. As the airflow
introduced by
the puff meets a plurality of medium pulp particles P1 and flavoring agent
pulp
particles P2 that are moved in the downstream direction by the puff, an
irregular
airflow may be formed, thereby generating a vortex. A plurality of medium pulp
particles P1 and flavoring agent pulp particles P2 may be mixed well and
uniformly
heated by the generated vortex. As a result, the burnt taste may be reduced,
and a taste
of smoking may be improved.
[81] In order for the vortex to occur, there must be sufficient empty space
in the cavity
segment 126. It was confirmed that, according to the experimental results,
when the
density of medium pulp P1 is less than or equal to about 1.2 g/cm3, the
probability of
occurrence of the vortex is relatively high. Also, when the diameter of medium
pulp P1
is less than or equal to about 1.2 mm, the probability of occurrence of the
vortex is
relatively high.
[82] While this disclosure includes specific examples, it will be apparent
to one of
ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made
in these
examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their
equivalents. The examples described herein are to be considered in a
descriptive sense
only, and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects
in each
example are to be considered as being applicable to similar features or
aspects in other
examples. Suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are
performed
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in a different order, and/or if components in a described system,
architecture, device,
or circuit are combined in a different manner, and/or replaced or supplemented
by
other components or their equivalents.
[83]
Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following
claims.
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