Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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CARTOMISER
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a cartomiser for an aerosol-generating device
such as a vaping
device.
BACKGROUND
A vaping device may comprise a main housing which contains a power source and
control
electronics and a replaceable or refillable cartomiser which plugs in to the
top end of the main
housing.
A cartomiser is used to heat a liquid to produce an aerosol. The liquid may be
stored in a
reservoir of the cartomiser and a vaporizer with a combined wicking and
heating function
may be used to wick liquid from the reservoir and to heat the wicked liquid to
produce the
aerosol, which exits via a mouthpiece at the top end of the cartomiser. The
vaporizer may be
powered by the power source (e.g. a battery) of the main housing via
electrical connections
which are made across the interface between the top end of the main housing
and the bottom
end of the cartomiser. When the liquid in the reservoir has been used up, the
cartomiser may
be refilled by refilling the reservoir of the cartomiser, and this typically
involves unplugging
the cartomiser from the main housing, filling the reservoir with new liquid,
and then plugging
the cartomiser back in to the top end of the main housing. Alternatively, the
old (empty)
cartomiser may be unplugged and be disposed of or recycled, and a new (full)
cartomiser may
be plugged in to the main housing.
In either scenario, it is likely the main housing will be used with multiple
cartomisers (even in
the case of a refillable cartomiser, cross contamination of liquids or fouling
of the vaporizer
may lead to users replacing these refillable cartomisers after a period of
use). Accordingly,
there can be a high level of material waste when cartomisers are disposed of
or unable to be
recycled.
Various approaches are described which seek to help address some of these
issues.
SUMMARY
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According to a first aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a
cartomiser for an
aerosol-generating device, the cartomiser including an aerosol-generating
device interface
configured to interface with an aerosol-generating device; and a vaporiser for
generating
aerosol from aerosol-generating material held in a reservoir of the
cartomiser. The aerosol-
generating device interface further comprises one or more through holes, each
through hole
sized so as to receive a power-supply pin of the aerosol generating device.
Tthe vaporiser is
arranged in the cartridge such that the vaporiser is adjacent the one or more
through holes so
that, when the cartomiser is engaged with the aerosol-generating device, the
respective power-
supply pins of the aerosol-generating device electrically couple to the
vaporiser.
According to a second aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an
aerosol-generating
device comprising a cartomiser according to the first aspect.
It will be appreciated that features and aspects of the invention described
above in relation to
the first and other aspects of the invention are equally applicable to, and
may be combined
with, embodiments of the invention according to other aspects of the invention
as appropriate,
and not just in the specific combinations described above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only,
with reference
to accompanying drawings, in which.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vaping device.
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an example cartomiser suitable for
use in the vaping
device of Fig. 1.
Figs. 3 and 4 are overhead and underneath perspective views of the example
cartomiser, with
some components omitted for clarity of depiction.
Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical sectional and perspective sectional views of the
example cartomiser.
Figs. 7A, 7B and 7C are respectively side, upper perspective and lower
perspective views of
an upper clamping unit of the example cartomiser.
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Figs. 8A, 8B and 8C are respectively an upper perspective view (with the block
shown as
being transparent, so as to illustrate some hidden features), an upper
perspective view
(without transparency) and a lower perspective view of a lower support unit of
the example
cartomi ser.
Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a cartomiser in
accordance with
the present disclosure suitable for use in the vaping device of Fig. 1.
Figs. 10A, 10B and 10C are respectively a vertical sectional view, an enlarged
sectional view
portion and a side view of the embodiment of the cartomiser.
Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic depiction of some dimensions of components of a
variant of the
embodiment of the cartomiser.
Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic depiction of air flow paths in a variant of the
embodiment of the
cartomi ser.
Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a second
embodiment of a
cartomiser in accordance with the present disclosure, one that is suitable for
use in a vaping
device similar to the vaping device of Fig. 1.
Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a microfluidic vaporiser suitable for use in
the second
embodiment of the cartomsier, in accordance with a first example.
Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a microfluidic vaporiser suitable for use in
the second
embodiment of the cartomsier, in accordance with a second example.
Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a microfluidic vaporiser, in accordance with
a third example.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating device is an electronic cigarette,
also known as
a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it is
noted that the
presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating liquid is not a requirement.
In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating device is a hybrid system to
generate aerosol
using a combination of aerosol-generating materials. Each of the aerosol-
generating materials
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may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system
comprises a liquid
aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid
aerosol-
generating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco
product.
In some embodiments, the or each aerosol-generating material may comprise one
or more
active constituents, one or more flavours, one or more aerosol-former
materials, and/or one or
more other functional materials.
The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material,
which is a
material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active
substance may
for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives. The
active substance
may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active substance may
comprise for
example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C,
melatonin,
cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The
active substance may
comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco,
cannabis or another
botanical.
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some
embodiments, the
active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12.
As noted herein, the active substance may comprise or be derived from one or
more
botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof_ As used herein,
the term "botanical"
includes any material derived from plants including, but not limited to,
extracts, leaves, bark,
fibres, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, husk, shells or the
like. Alternatively, the
material may comprise an active compound naturally existing in a botanical,
obtained
synthetically. The material may be in the form of liquid, gas, solid, powder,
dust, crushed
particles, granules, pellets, shreds, strips, sheets, or the like. Example
botanicals are tobacco,
eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa, cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint,
spearmint,
rooibos, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel,
licorice (liquorice),
matcha, mate, orange skin, papaya, rose, sage, tea such as green tea or black
tea, thyme, clove,
cinnamon, coffee, aniseed (anise), basil, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander,
cumin, nutmeg,
oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, mint, juniper,
elderflower, vanilla,
wintergreen, beefsteak plant, curcuma, turmeric, sandalwood, cilantro,
bergamot, orange
blossom, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive,
lemon balm,
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lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng,
theanine, theacrine,
maca, ashwagandha, damiana, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab or any combination
thereof. The
mint may be chosen from the following mint varieties: Mentha Arventis, Mentha
c.v.,Mentha
niliaca, Mentha piperita, Mentha piperita citrata c.v.,Mentha piperita c.v,
Mentha spicata
5 crispa, Mentha cardifolia, Memtha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens
variegata, Mentha
pulegium, Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha suaveolens
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or
more
botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical
is tobacco.
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or
more botanicals
or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected
from eucalyptus,
star anise, cocoa and hemp.
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or
more botanicals
or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected
from rooibos and
fennel.
As used herein, the terms "flavour" and "flavourant" refer to materials which,
where local
regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste, aroma or other
somatosensorial
sensation in a product for adult consumers. They may include naturally
occurring flavour
materials, botanicals, extracts of botanicals, synthetically obtained
materials, or combinations
thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice (liquorice), hydrangea, eugenol,
Japanese white bark
magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese
mint, aniseed
(anise), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herb, wintergreen,
cherry, berry, red
berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, clementine, lemon, lime,
tropical fruit, papaya,
rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus
fruits, Drambuie,
bourbon, scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender,
aloe vera,
cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat,
naswar, betel,
shisha, pine, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange
blossom, cherry
blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, wasabi,
piment, ginger,
coriander, coffee, hemp, a mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha,
eucalyptus, star
anise, cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus,
laurel, mate, orange
skin, rose, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, juniper, elderflower,
basil, bay leaves,
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cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak plant,
curcuma,
cilantro, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive,
lemon balm, lemon
basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), flavour
enhancers,
bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or
stimulators, sugars and/or
sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame,
saccharine, cyclamates,
lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other
additives such as charcoal,
chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath freshening agents. They may be
imitation,
synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any
suitable form.
In some embodiments, the flavour comprises menthol, spearmint and/or
peppermint. In some
embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components of cucumber, blueberry,
citrus fruits
and/or redberry. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises eugenol. In some
embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from tobacco.
In some
embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from cannabis.
In some embodiments, the flavour may comprise a sensate, which is intended to
achieve a
somatosensorial sensation which are usually chemically induced and perceived
by the
stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), in addition to or
in place of aroma or
taste nerves, and these may include agents providing heating, cooling,
tingling, numbing
effect. A suitable heat effect agent may be, but is not limited to, vanillyl
ethyl ether and a
suitable cooling agent may be, but not limited to eucolyptol, WS-3.
The aerosol-former material may comprise one or more constituents capable of
forming an
aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or
more of
glycerine, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol,
tetraethylene
glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate,
ethyl laurate, a diethyl
suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate,
benzyl phenyl acetate,
tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene
carbonate.
The one or more other functional materials may comprise one or more of pH
regulators,
colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or
antioxidants.
An aerosol-modifying agent is a substance, typically located downstream of the
aerosol
generation area, that is configured to modify the aerosol generated, for
example by changing
the taste, flavour, acidity or another characteristic of the aerosol. The
aerosol-modifying
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agent may be provided in an aerosol-modifying agent release component, that is
operable to
selectively release the aerosol-modifying agent.
The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be an additive or a sorbent. The
aerosol-
modifying agent may, for example, comprise one or more of a flavourant, a
colourant, water,
and a carbon adsorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be a
solid, a liquid,
or a gel. The aerosol-modifying agent may be in powder, thread or granule
form. The
aerosol-modifying agent may be free from filtration material.
Fig. 1 shows a vaping device 1 comprising a main housing 2 and a cartomiser 3.
The main
housing 2 is in the form of a power pack because it contains a rechargeable
battery, as well as
control electronics. The cartomiser 3 plugs in to a top end 21 of the main
housing 2 and may
be unplugged therefrom when the cartomiser 3 needs to be re-filled with liquid
or replaced
with a new cartomiser upon depletion of the liquid in the original cartomiser.
This plugging
and unplugging occurs along a longitudinal axis LI of the vaping device 1.
Figs. 2 to 8 show an example of a first type of cartomiser 3A suitable for use
in the vaping
device of Fig. 1. From the exploded view of Fig. 2, it may be seen that the
cartomiser 3A is
assembled from a stack of components: an outer housing 4, an upper clamping
unit 5, a planar
vaporizer 6, a lower support unit 7 and an end cap 8.
In the exploded views of Figs 3 and 4, the planar vaporizer 6 and the end cap
8 are omitted to
improve the clarity of depiction of the components that are shown.
All of the components are shown assembled together in Figs. 5 and 6.
The cartomiser 3A has a top end 31 and a bottom end 32 which are spaced apart
along the
longitudinal axis Li, which is the longitudinal axis of the cartomiser as well
as being the
longitudinal axis of the vaping device 1. The top end 31 of the cartomiser
defines a
mouthpiece end of the vaping device, and the mouthpiece 33 includes a
mouthpiece orifice 41
which is provided at the top end 42 of the outer housing 4 in the centre of a
top face 43.
The outer housing 4 includes a circumferential side wall 44 which leads down
from the top
end 42 to a bottom end 45 of the outer housing 4 and which defines an internal
reservoir 46.
Prior to assembly of the cartomiser 3A, the bottom end 45 of the outer housing
is open, but
upon assembly the bottom end 45 is closed by a plug formed by the upper
clamping unit 5 and
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the lower support unit 7 which are stacked together with the planar vaporizer
6 sandwiched
therebetween.
The upper clamping unit 5 is an intermediate component of the stack of
components and is
shown in detail in Figs. 7A to 7C. The upper clamping unit 5 includes a foot
51 in the form of
a block and an upwardly extending air tube 52. On each side of the air tube
52, the foot 51
includes a well 53 which descends from a flat top surface 54 to a flat bottom
surface 55 of the
foot 51. At the bottom surface 55, each well 53 is open (see Fig. 7C) and,
specifically, opens
into an elongate recess 56 formed in the bottom surface 55, with the depth of
the recess 56
matching the thickness of the planar vaporizer 6. The foot 51 includes two
circumferential
capillary breaks 57 for reducing or preventing leakage of liquid from the
reservoir 46. The air
tube 52 extends up from the bottom of the wells 53 and an internal air passage
58 of the air
tube 52 has a bottom end 581 at a central portion of the recess 56 and a top
end 582 at the top
of the air tube 52. From Fig. 5, it may be seen that the top of the air tube
52 fits onto the
bottom end 471 of an air tube 47 which extends downwards from the mouthpiece
orifice 41 in
the top face 43 of the outer housing 4_ Thus, the air passage 58 is connected
to an air passage
48 of the air tube 47.
The lower support unit 7 is shown in detail in Figs 8A to 8C and is in the
form of a block
having a flat top surface 71 and a flat bottom surface 72. A central air
passage 73 extends
upwardly from the bottom surface 72 to the top surface 71. On each side of the
air passage
73, the block of the lower support unit 7 includes a through hole 74 which is
shown empty in
Figs. 8A to 8C, but which in practice (see, for example, Figs. 5 and 6)
includes a co-moulded
contact pad 75 in the form of a pin. Each contact pad 75 is a press fit in its
respective through
hole 74. Each contact pad 75 provides an electrical connection path from the
bottom surface
72 to a respective end portion of the planar vaporizer 6 when the planar
vaporizer 6 is
sandwiched between the top surface 71 of the lower support unit 7 and the
recess 56 of the
bottom surface 55 of the upper clamping unit 5 (see, for example, Fig. 5).
The block of the lower support unit 7 includes two circumferential capillary
breaks 76 for
reducing or preventing leakage of liquid from the reservoir 46. The foot 51 of
the upper
clamping unit 5 and the lower support unit 7 (with its block-like form)
combine together to
form a plug which seals the bottom end of the reservoir 46 (see Fig. 5) and in
total four
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circumferential capillary breaks 57, 76 are present for reducing or preventing
leakage of
liquid from the reservoir 46.
When the components of the cartomiser 3A have been assembled together, an
overall air
passage 34 exists from the bottom end 32 to the top end 31 of the cartomiser
3A and it is
formed by the air passage 73 leading to the air passage 58 which, in turn,
leads to the air
passage 48 and the mouthpiece orifice 41. Where the air passage 73 meets the
air passage 58,
the air flow bifurcates as it passes around the side edges of the planar
vaporizer 6.
The version of the vaporizer 6 used in the cartomiser 3A is planar and is in
the form of a plate
and is elongate in the direction of a longitudinal axis. The planar vaporizer
6 has the shape of
a strip and has parallel sides. The planar vaporizer 6 has parallel upper and
lower major
(planar) surfaces and parallel side surfaces and parallel end surfaces. The
length of the planar
vaporizer 6 is 10 mm. Its width is 1 mm, and its thickness is 0.12 mm. The
planar vaporizer
has a resistance of 0.5 to 0.6 Ohms. The small size of the planar vaporizer 6
enables it to take
less time to reach a desired operating temperature compared with a large-size
vaporizer, and
less energy is used in doing so. The small size of the planar vaporizer 6
enables the overall
size of the cartomiser to be reduced and the overall mass of the components of
the cartomiser
to be reduced
Along the longitudinal axis, the vaporizer 6 has a central portion 67 and
first and second end
portions 68, 69 (shown in Figure 2). When the vaporizer is in situ in the
cartomiser, the
central portion 67 is positioned in the air passage 34 as is shown in, for
example, Figs. 5 and
6. The central portion 67 extends across the top end of the air passage 73 of
the lower support
unit 7, and across the bottom end 581 of the air passage 58 of the upper
clamping unit 5. The
end portions 68, 69 are clamped between the upper clamping unit 5 and the
lower support unit
4.
The end portions 68, 69 are connected in to a heater current circuit from
below, by virtue of
being seated on the contact pads 75. The end portions 68, 69 are also
configured to receive
liquid from the reservoir 46 from above, by virtue of being positioned beneath
the wells 53 of
the upper clamping unit 5. Relative to the longitudinal axis Li, the wells 53
are inboard of
the contact pads 75, as may be seen in Figs. 5 and 6.
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The vaporizer 6 is made of a porous and electrically conductive material. For
example, it is
formed from sintered metal fibres having a mean diameter of 12 microns or
less. The material
may be a 316L stainless steel non-woven sintered mesh. The density of fibres
may be
between 100 g/m2 and 500 g/m2. The mesh thickness may be 0.10 mm to 1 mm. The
5 sintering temperature range may be 850 'V to 1400 C under a weighted
mass of between 0.5
kg and 25 kg. A vacuum and an inert gas such as nitrogen may be used, with a
cycle time
ranging from 2 hours to 16 hours. The resultant mesh is then compressed to the
required
thickness using a powered press. The mesh is then cut through to the required
shape using
mechanical cutting or laser cutting. Other metals may be used, such as
Hastalloy or nickel
10 chrome.
When the planar vaporizer 6 is clamped in position inside the cartomiser 3A,
the longitudinal
axis L2 of the planar vaporizer 6 is transverse to the longitudinal axis Li of
the cartomiser
3A. The plane of the plate-like planar vaporizer 6 is perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis Ll.
The end portions 68, 69 of the vaporizer sit flat on top of the lower support
unit 7 on the top
surface 71 thereof The thickness dimension of the planar vaporizer is
typically small (e.g.
the thickness of 0.12 mm already mentioned) and the orientation of the planar
vaporizer is
such that the planar vaporizer barely contributes to the overall height of the
components
making up the cartomiser compared with a cartomiser in which the planar
vaporizer is upright
(with the planar vaporizer extending in the longitudinal direction of the
cartomiser). Also, the
liquid storage volume of the reservoir 46 does not have to be reduced as a
result of the planar
vaporizer projecting up into the reservoir.
Because the planar vaporizer 6 is seated in the recess 56, it may be
considered that the
presence of the planar vaporizer does not itself contribute any height at all
to the overall
height of the stack of internal components of the cartomiser (the lower
support unit, the
vaporizer and the upper clamping unit).
The top end 21 of the main housing 2 includes an air inlet hole 22 on each
side of the main
housing 2 (with one of the two air inlet holes 22 being visible in Fig. 1).
Air can enter the air
inlet holes 22 and flow transversely inwards to the longitudinal axis Li so as
to enter the
bottom end of the air passage 73 of the lower support unit 7 and to start to
flow in the
direction of the longitudinal axis Li towards the mouthpiece 33. The main
housing 2 has two
power supply pins (not shown) which make contact with the bottom ends of the
contact pads
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75. The top ends of the contact pads 75 are in electrical contact with the end
portions 68, 69
of the planar vaporizer 6. The end portions 68, 69 of the planar vaporizer 6
are exposed at the
bottom of the wells 53 to the liquid in the reservoir 46, and the wicking
characteristic of the
porous planar vaporizer 6 transports a supply of the liquid to the central
portion 67 of the
planar vaporizer 6 which is exposed to the air flow along the air passage 34
(the air passage
73, the air passage 58 and the air passage 48). The current supplied by the
contact pads 75
from the power source (e.g. the battery) of the main housing 2 causes the
central portion 67 of
the planar vaporizer 6 to heat up. The wicked liquid in the planar vaporizer 6
at the central
portion 67 thereof becomes an aerosol and becomes entrained in the air flow
along the air
passage 34. The aerosol travels up the air passage 34 and out of the
mouthpiece orifice 41
and is breathed in by the user of the vaping device 1.
As shown in Fig. 2, the cartomiser 3A includes an end cap 8 at its bottom end.
The end cap 8
is made of metal and serves to assist with retaining the cartomiser 3A in the
main housing 2
when the cartomiser 3A is plugged in to the top end of the main housing 2,
because the main
housing 2 is provided with magnets which are attracted to the metal of the end
cap 8. The end
cap 8 has a bottom wall 81 with a central opening 82 (see Fig. 5) which
conforms to the shape
of the raised central portion of the bottom surface 72 of the lower support
unit 7. The end cap
8 also has a circumferential side wall 83 which has two opposed cut-outs 84
which latch onto
corresponding projections 49 on the outer surface of the bottom end of the
side wall 44 of the
outer housing 4, so that the end cap 8 has a snap-fit type connection onto the
bottom end of
the outer housing 4. When the end cap 8 has been fitted in position, it holds
in position the
lower support unit 7, the upper clamping unit 5 and the planar vaporizer 6
which is
sandwiched between the lower support unit 7 and the upper clamping unit 5.
It would be possible to omit the end cap 8 (in order to reduce the component
count) by
arranging for the lower support unit 7 to form a snap-fit type connection with
the bottom end
of the side wall 44 of the outer housing 4. Additionally, the cartomiser 3A
could be provided
with indentations which engage with projections at the top end 21 of the main
housing 2, so
that a releasable connection is provided between the cartomiser and the main
housing.
In any case, the cartomiser 3A is provided with what may more generally be
referred to as a
device interface which is a part of the cartomiser 3A that interfaces with the
main housing 2
(or aerosol-generating device). In the above example, the device interface may
include the
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metal cap 8 including the bottom wall 81 and circumferential side wall 83 and
/ or the lower
support unit 7 including the bottom surface 72. More generally, the device
interface of the
cartomiser 3A may encompass any part or parts of the cartomiser 3A that
contact, abut,
engage or otherwise couple to the main housing 2.
In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, Figs. 9 to 12 show an
embodiment of a
cartomiser 3B suitable for use in the vaping device of Fig. 1. The cartomiser
3B is generally
the same as the cartomiser 3A; however, as will be discussed below, the
cartomiser 3B is
configured in such a way as to provide an electrical contact between the
vaporiser 6 and the
battery in the main housing 2 of the vaping device 1 which reduces the number
of
components, particularly in the cartomiser 3B itself. In this regard, noting
that the vaping
device 1 is configured such that multiple cartomisers 3, 3A, 3B are to be used
with the main
housing 2 (e.g., when the cartomiser is depleted), reducing the number of
components in the
cartomiser 3B can be beneficial for reducing waste when the cartomiser is
disposed of and / or
of reducing costs when the cartomiser is produced.
The cartomiser 3B is substantially the same as the example cartomiser 3A
described above.
Like components are represented with like reference signs, and a detailed
description thereof
will be omitted for conciseness; Only the differences relative thereto will be
discussed herein
The cartomiser 3B omits the two contact pads 75 of the cartomiser 3A Instead,
in the
cartomiser 3B, the through holes 74 of the of the lower support unit 7 are
designed to receive
power-supply pins 23 of the main housing 2 which are longer than the power-
supply pins of
the main housing that would be used with the cartomiser 3A. The additional
length
corresponds approximately to the height of the lower support unit 7. Hence,
when the
cartomiser 3A is engaged with the main housing 2, the power-supply pins 23
protruding from
a part of the main housing 2, enter the cartomiser 3B and pass through the
through holes 74.
The power-supply pins are spring-loaded (also known as pogo pins). However, in
other
implementations, the power-supply pins may not be spring-loaded.
In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, the device
interface comprises one
or more through holes (e.g., the two through holes 74 through the lower
support unit 7) which
are configured to permit power-supply pins 23 of the main housing 2 to be
received in the one
or more through holes (as shown in Figure 3B, this may encompass one power-
supply pin 23
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received in a first through hole and another power-supply pin 23 received in a
second through
hole). That is to say, the through holes 74 form part of the device interface
that allow the
power-supply pins 23 of the main housing 2 to interface with the cartridge 3B.
As shown in
Figs. 10A and 10B, the top end 231 of each power-supply pin 23 is shown as
touching the
undersurface (the lower surface 62) of a respective one of the end portions
68, 69 of the
planar vaporizer 6 so as to form an electrical connection therewith.
Accordingly, the power
supply pins 23 interface with / contact the planar vaporiser 6 of the
cartomiser 3B to form an
electric circuit therewith. It should also be appreciated that the planar
vaporiser 6 is arranged
in the cartridge 3B such that the vaporiser is adjacent the through holes 74
(specifically, the
end portions 68, 69 each spatially overlap a respective through hole 74).
There is also shown an annular gap between the top end 231 and the side wall
of the through
hole 74. This annular gap may be omitted if, for example, the through hole 74
is given a taper
and the top end 231 of the power-supply pin 23 is given a corresponding taper
so that, when
the power-supply pin 23 is fully inserted, the top end 231 seals against the
side wall of the
through hole 74. This can assist with preventing leakage of liquid down the
two through
holes 74. In relation to the tapering of each through hole 74, it involves the
hole having a
slightly wider width at the bottom surface 72 of the lower support unit 7 and
a slightly
narrower width at the top surface 71 of the lower support unit 7_ In other
implementations,
additional or alternative mechanisms may be employed to help reduce or prevent
leakage,
such as a flexible member made, e.g., from silicone (such as an 0-ring)
against which the
power-supply pin 23 (or top end 231 thereof) forms a corresponding seal.
However, more
generally, each through hole 74 is sized and / or shaped to receive a
corresponding power-
supply pin 23 (or the top end 231 thereof) from the main housing 2.
Therefore, in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, the
planar vaporiser 6 is
arranged such that the planar vaporiser 6 is adjacent the one or more through
holes 74 of the
lower support unit 7 so that, when the cartomiser 3B is engaged with the main
housing 2 (or
more generally, the aerosol-generating device), the respective power-supply
pins 23 of the
main housing 2 electrically couple to the planar vaporiser 6.
Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic depiction of some dimensions of components of a
variant of the
cartomiser 3B. In this variant, the height of the upper clamping unit 5 and
the height of the
lower support unit 7 have been reduced, compared to the cartomiser 3B. Also,
the end cap 8
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of cartomiser 3B has been omitted. In Fig. 11, a friction fit and/or an
adhesive and/or a weld
may be used to secure the upper clamping unit 5 and the lower support unit 7
in the bottom
end 45 of the outer housing 4.
Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic depiction of the air flow paths in said variant of
the cartomiser 3B.
The arrows Al represent air flow that has entered the vaping device 1 through
the air inlet
holes 22 of the main housing 2 and is travelling transversely towards the
central (longitudinal)
axis of the vaping device. The arrows A2 represent air flow that is turning
from the
horizontal to the vertical ready to enter the air passage 73 of the lower
support unit 7. The
arrow A3 represents air flow that is approaching the lower surface 62 of the
planar vaporizer
6 and is getting ready to bifurcate ready to pass around the sides of the
planar vaporizer. The
arrow A4 represents air flow that has entrained the aerosol produced by the
heating of the
planar vaporizer 6 by the electric current passing therealong.
In the implementations described above, the orientation of the vaporizer means
that the
contribution of the vaporizer to the height of the components making up the
cartomiser is
reduced compared with a cartomiser in which the vaporizer is upright (with the
elongate
vaporizer extending in the longitudinal direction of the cartomiser).
The height of the lower support unit and the vaporizer is less than for a
lower support unit
which has an elongate vaporizer which extends upright from (is perpendicular
to) the lower
support unit
In relation to the reservoir which is positioned above the vaporizer, the
liquid storage volume
of the reservoir does not have to be reduced as a result of the vaporizer
projecting up into the
reservoir.
Corrugations of the central portion of the vaporizer increase an effective
length of the central
portion that is exposed to an air flow of the air passage, and this may
provide an increased rate
of evaporation from the central portion. When the central portion is rotated
(twisted), this
may reduce the air flow resistance imparted by the presence of the central
portion in the air
passage, whilst still maintaining the surface area of evaporation provided by
the central
portion.
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This arrangement of the upper clamping unit so it sits on top of the lower
support unit may
securely hold the (planar) vaporizer in position, and the orientation of the
vaporizer minimises
the contribution of the vaporizer to the overall height of the stack of
components (lower
support unit, vaporizer and upper clamping unit).
5 The provision of the recess may assist with assembling the components of
the cartomiser,
because the recesss provides a destination location in which the vaporizer is
to be positioned.
If the depth of the recess is the same as or greater than the thickness of the
end portions of the
vaporizer, the vaporizer does not itself contribute any height to the overall
height of the stack
of components (lower support unit, vaporizer and upper clamping unit).
10 The plug (formed by the lower support unit and the upper clamping unit)
which closes the
bottom end of the outer housing also serves a second purpose of closing the
reservoir which is
defined inside the outer housing.
The first and second through holes of the lower support unit enable power
supply pins, of the
main housing, when the cartomiser is plugged into the main housing, to
directly contact the
15 end portions of the vaporizer.
The tapering of the holes may enable the holes to seal against correspondingly
tapered power
supply pins, which may help with reducing leakage of liquid from the reservoir
of the
cartomi ser
The co-moulded contact pads may be used as an alternative to the through
holes. The co-
moulded contact pads may provide a more-secure means of reducing leakage of
liquid from
the reservoir of the cartomiser, compared with sealing the tapered through
holes with tapered
power supply pins which are repeatedly inserted into and removed from the
tapered through
holes as the cartomiser is plugged into and unplugged from the main housing.
By positioning the wells inboard of the first and second through holes of the
lower support
unit or the first and second co-moulded contact pads of the lower support
unit, it is ensured
that, in use, the reservoir liquid is wicked along heated portions of the
vaporizer as the wicked
liquid migrates to the central portion of the vaporizer.
A small size of the vaporizer enables it to take less time to reach a desired
operating
temperature compared with a large-size vaporizer, and less energy is used in
doing so. A
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small size of the vaporizer enables the overall size of the cartomiser to be
reduced and the
overall mass of the components of the cartomiser to be reduced.
By having a narrow central part instead of a uniform width along the length of
a planar
vaporizer, the rate of aerosol generation may be increased, and the aerosol
particle size may
be reduced, for example to an average of about 0.5 microns.
By using the lower support unit to provide the bottom surface of the
cartomiser, the
component count of the cartomiser may be reduced. For example, there is no
need to provide
a bottom end cap (e.g. a metal end cap) which clips onto the other components
at the bottom
end of the cartomiser. If the number of components of the cartomiser is
reduced, the cost of
the cartomiser is reduced.
Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a further cartomiser 3C in
accordance with aspects
of the present disclosure. The cartomiser 3C is suitable for use in a vaping
device similar to
the vaping device of Fig. 1. The differences relative to the cartomiser 3B
will be discussed in
more detail below.
In cartomiser 3C, the vaporiser 6' is different to the vaporiser 6 described
above. For
example, the vaporiser 6 described above is made of a porous and electrically
conductive
material. However, the vaporiser 6' in cartomiser 3C is a microfluidic
vaporiser 6'.
The microfluidic vaporiser 6' is shown, highly schematically, in Figure 14.
The microfluidic
vaporiser 6' is formed from a non-conductive substrate material 162 (such as
silicon dioxide)
and an electrically resistive layer 164 provided on a surface of the substrate
material 162. The
electrically resistive layer 164 may be formed from any suitable electrically
conductive
material, for example a metal or metal alloy, such as nickel chromium (NiCr)
or titanium. The
electrically resistive layer 164 is capable of heating when a suitable
electrical current is
passed through the electrically resistive layer 164 (for example, as supplied
by main housing
2).
The microfluidic vaporiser 6' comprises three sections or parts; a central
part 167 and two end
parts 168, 169 adjacent the central part 167. As seen in Figure 14,
microfluidic vaporiser 6'
also includes a plurality of capillary tubes 166 in the central part 167. The
capillary tubes 166
extend through the microfluidic vaporiser 6'. More specifically, the capillary
tubes 166 extend
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from a first surface of the substrate material 162 opposite the surface on
which the electrically
resistive layer 164 is disposed (not shown in Figure 14), through the
substrate material 162
and through the electrically resistive layer 164. That is, the capillary tubes
166 extend from a
first side of the vaporiser 6', through the vaporiser 6' and to a second side
of the vaporiser 6'.
The side of the substrate material 162 opposite the electrically resistive
layer 164 is arranged
in the cartomiser 3C so as to receive fluid from the reservoir 46 (explained
in more detail
below). The capillary tubes 166 are configured so as to facilitate the
transfer of liquid aerosol-
generating material from one side of the substrate material 162 to the
electrically resistive
layer 164 via capillary action / capillary forces. Hence, the capillary tubes
166 provide liquid
aerosol-generating material to the electrically resistive layer 164 which,
when energised,
vaporises the liquid aerosol-generating material.
The capillary tubes 166 are formed in the vaporiser 6' via a manufacturing
process. That is to
say, the capillary tubes 166 do not naturally exist in the substrate material
162, e.g., as a result
of the selection of the substrate material, such as a porous material, but
rather, the capillary
tubes 166 are formed in the substrate material 162 and/or electrically
resistive layer 164
through a suitable process. A suitable process is laser drilling, however any
other suitable
technique may be employed in order to generate the capillary tubes 166. The
capillary tubes
166 may have a diameter on the order to tens of microns, e.g., 10 m to 100
p.m. However, the
exact size of the capillary tubes 166 may depend on the properties of the
liquid aerosol-
generating material (e.g., viscosity) that is intended to pass along the
capillary tubes 166 (that
is, the properties of the liquid in the reservoir 46 of the cartomiser 3C). In
addition, because
the capillary tubes 166 are engineered in the vaporiser 6', the capillary
tubes 166 follow a
substantially linear (straight) path from one side of the vaporiser 6' to the
other side of the
vaporiser 6'. Put another way, the engineered capillary tubes 166 span the
shortest distance
between points on different sides of the vaporiser 6'. Providing engineered
capillary tubes 166
enables not only more flexibility in the choice of material to use as the
substrate material 162
but also allows for the capillary tubes 166 to be engineered to provide
optimal capillary action
for the specific liquid aerosol-generating material to be used with the
vaporiser 6'.
Turning back to Figure 13, the microfluidic vaporiser 6' is located in a
similar position
between a lower support unit 7' and upper clamping unit 5' as discussed in
respect of the
vaporiser 6 in cartomiser 3B. More specifically, the microfluidic vaporiser 6'
is orientated
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such that the electrically resistive layer 164 faces towards the lower support
unit 7' while the
opposite side of the substrate material 162 (i.e., the lower surface not shown
in Figure 14) is
orientated towards the upper clamping unit 5'.
The upper clamping unit 5' and lower support unit 7' are substantially similar
to their
counterparts described in cartomiser 3B. However, owing in part to the
differences in the
vaporisers 6, 6', the airflow is different in cartomiser 3C as compared to
cartomiser 3B. In
particular, with the vaporiser 6 of cartomiser 3B, liquid is able to wick in
the direction along
the longitudinal axis of the vaporiser 6 towards the central portion 67 of the
vaporiser 6 where
it is subsequently vaporised and is entrained in airflow flowing through the
central air passage
73 and along the air tube 52.
Conversely, the vaporiser 6' is less adapt at transporting liquid along the
longitudinal axis of
the vaporiser 6'; predominantly because the capillary tubes 166 extend in a
relatively vertical
oreintation. Accordingly, in the example cartomiser 3B shown in Figure 13, the
upper
clamping unit 5' is provided with a central well / opening (not shown in
Figure 13) that
substantially aligns with a central portion of the vaporiser 6'. Liquid held
in the reservoir 46 is
able to flow to the central portion of the vaporiser 6' (and more specifically
the capillary tubes
166) via the central opening of the upper clamping unit 5' Instead of an
airflow channel that
passes through the centre of the upper clamping unit 5', an airflow channel
52' is provided by
an indentation in the foot 51 of the upper clamping unit 5'.
In order to complete the airflow pathway, the lower support unit 7' is
provided with a
substantially larger opening forming the central air passage 73'. Compared to
Figure 9, the
central air passage 73' is show as being square and has a width dimension
substantially larger
than the width dimension of the vaporiser 6'. That is to say, the vaporiser 6'
(or a central
portion thereof) extends across a part of the opening of air passage 73' but
the air passage 73'
extends either side of the vaporiser 6'. When the cartomiser 3C is assembled,
the indentation
overlaps one side of the opening of air passage 73' such that the indentation
allows for air to
pass through the air passage 73' and along the airflow channel 52'.
Accordingly, air that
enters the lower support unit 7' and passes along air passage 73' is able to
pass across the
surface of the vaporiser 6', thereby entraining vaporised liquid in the
airflow, and
subsequently pass around a side of the vaporiser 6' and up through the airflow
channel 52'.
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Additionally, the outer housing 4' is correspondingly adapted to accommodate
the different
air flow. In this regard, outer housing 4 of cartomiser 3B is configured to
couple to the central
air channel 52 of the upper clamping unit 5. Conversely, in cartomiser 3C, the
outer housing
4' is provided with a side channel (not shown) providing a tubular passageway
extending
from the bottom end 45 of the housing 4' to the mouthpiece orifice 41. The end
of the side
channel at the bottom end 45 of housing 4' is configured to engage with the
indentation of the
foot 51 of the upper clamping unit 5'. That is, a wall of the side channel of
housing 4' may be
pressed into engagement with the upper clamping unit 5' at the location of the
indentation to
provide a fluid tight coupling between the two. In some implementations, the
side channel
may comprise a wall which extends along, or part way along, the indentation
when the
housing 4' and upper clamping unit 5' are coupled together, such that the
indentation / foot 51
surrounds the wall of the side channel. The coupling between the housing 4'
and upper
clamping unit 5' is configured to be fluid tight, such that liquid from the
reservoir 46 may not
leak into the air channel 52' / side channel of housing 4', while air /
aerosol from the air
channel 52' / side channel of housing 4' is unable to pass into the reservoir
46. Any suitable
coupling may be employed
It should be appreciated that upper clamping unit 5' shown in Figure 13
comprises one
indentation. In this example, the opposite side of the opening of air passage
73' is blocked off
by the upper clamping unit 5', such that air is only permitted to flow past
one side of the
vaporiser 6'. However, in other implementations, a second indentation may be
provided on
the opposite side of the upper clamping unit 5', forming a corresponding air
channel,
Subsequently, air may be permitted to flow past both sides of the vaporiser 6'
in such
implementations.
Further, as seen in Figure 13, the vaporiser 6' is arranged such that it is
adjacent the through
holes 74 in lower support unit 7'. More specifically, the vaporiser 6' extends
over / overlaps
the through holes 74. With reference to Figure 11, the vaporiser 6' in this
example has a
longitudinal extent (i.e., an extent in the longitudinal direction) of
approximately 9 to 10 mm.
However, in other implementations, the vaporiser 6' may have a longitudinal
extent that is
equal to or greater than 4 mm, equal to or greater than 3 mm or equal to or
greater than 2 mm.
Both aerosol generation performance of the vaporiser 6' and the separation
distance of the
power-supply pins 23 may dictate the overall size / footprint of the vaporiser
6'.
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As should be appreciated with reference to Figure 14, the two end portions 168
and 169 of the
vaporiser 6' each overlap a respective through hole 74. The end portions 168
and 169 do not
comprise any capillary tubes 166 but are provided with the electrically
resistive layer 164.
Accordingly, much like with cartomiser 3B, it should be understood that power-
supply pins
5 23 (and top ends 231) of the main housing 2 are capable of extending
through the through
holes 74 and contacting respective ends of the vaporiser 6' when the
cartomiser 3C is coupled
to the main housing 2. In this way, similarly, an electrical circuit is
capable of being formed
with the rechargeable battery of the main housing 2. Electrical power is able
to be supplied to
the vaporiser 6' from the rechargeable battery via the power-supply pins 23 to
cause heating
10 of the electrically resistive layer 164 and subsequently any liquid
brought into contact /
proximity of the electrically resistive layer 164.
In the cartomiser 3C described above, it should be appreciated that the
reservoir 46 is
effectively a sealed volume defined by the inner surface of the outer housing
4', the upper
clamping unit 5' and lower support unit 7', and at least the central portion
167 of the
15 vaporiser 6' which is positioned to abut against the central well (not
shown) of the upper
clamping unit 5'. Owing to the construction of the vaporiser 6', namely that
the capillary
tubes 166 are substantially the only the designed fluid passage into / out of
the reservoir 46,
when the capillary tubes 166 are filled with liquid, then air may be unable to
pass into the
reservoir 46. In some implementations, as the liquid in the reservoir 46
depletes, the pressure
20 within the reservoir 46 may change if air is unable to enter the
reservoir 46 to help balance out
this pressure change. The change in pressure may impact the ability of the
vaporiser /
capillary tubes 166 to transport liquid to the electrically resistive layer
164. In such cases, the
cartomiser 3C is designed to have an air inlet in fluid communication with the
reservoir 46
that allows air to enter the reservoir 46 to counteract the pressure change.
The air inlet may be
liquid impermeable to prevent or reduce liquid exiting the reservoir 46
through the air inlet. In
some implementations, the air inlet may be an opening (e.g., towards the top
end 31 of the
cartomiser 3C), having a small diameter such that any liquid is unable to
escape the reservoir
through the opening due to surface tension, or the opening may be provided
with a liquid
impermeable, air permeable layer to allow air to enter the reservoir 46 but
prevent liquid
escaping. In other implementations, the upper clamping unit 5' and / or lower
support unit 7'
may be designed with a weakness in the seal formed by the outer
circumferential surface of
the foot 51 or the outer circumferential surface of the lower support unit 7'.
Such weakness
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may be provided via a thinning of the wall of the upper clamping unit 5'!
lower support unit
7' which may temporarily deform or marginally separate from the outer housing
4' when
exposed to a change in pressure, to thereby produce a temporary gap that
allows air to enter
into the reservoir 46. Thus, broadly, there may be provided a cartomiser for
an aerosol-
generating device, the cartomiser comprising: a vaporiser for generating
aerosol from aerosol-
generating material held in a reservoir of the cartomiser, wherein the
vaporiser comprises a
substrate and an electrically resistive layer disposed on a first surface of
the substrate, wherein
one or more capillary tubes extend from another surface of the substrate and
through the
electrically resistive layer disposed on the first surface of the substrate,
and the cartomiser
comprises an air inlet configured to allow air to enter the reservoir of the
cartomiser. The air
inlet may optionally be configured to reduce or prevent liquid escaping the
reservoir through
the air inlet. The air inlet may optionally be provided via a weakened region
in one or more
liquid sealing elements of the cartomiser.
Above is described an example of a cartomiser 3C employing a microfluidic
vaporiser 6'.
However, it should be appreciated that the example cartomiser 3C is one
example of a
cartomiser 3C employing a microfluidic vaporiser 6' in which power-supply pins
23 are
provided to pass through though holes 74 in a device interface of the
cartomiser 3C, with the
power supply-pins 23 subsequently forming an electric circuit with the
vaporiser 6'. Other
configurations of cartomisers including the microfluidic vaporiser 6' may be
realised (for
example, having different shapes, different components, different
configurations, different
airflow paths, etc.).
However, in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, there is
provided a
cartomiser 3C that comprises a microfluidic vaporiser 6' for generating
aerosol from aerosol-
generating material held in the cartomiser. The cartomiser 3C includes an
aerosol-generating
device interface configured to interface with an aerosol-generating device /
main housing 2
(whereby the device interface may include the metal cap 8 including the bottom
wall 81 and
circumferential side wall 83 and / or the lower support unit 7' including the
bottom surface
72). More generally, the device interface of the cartomiser 3C may encompass
any part or
parts of the cartomiser 3C that contact, abut, engage or otherwise couple to
the main housing
2. The aerosol-generating device interface further comprises one or more
through holes 74,
with each through hole 74 sized so as to receive a power-supply pin 23 of the
aerosol
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generating device / main housing 2. Furthermore, the vaporiser 6' is arranged
in the
cartomiser 3C such that the vaporiser 6' is adjacent the one or more through
holes 74 so that,
when the cartomiser 3C is engaged with the aerosol-generating device / main
housing 2, the
respective power-supply pins 23 of the aerosol-generating device /
electrically couple to the
vaporiser 6'.
In the example shown above, the end portions 168, 169 of the vaporiser 6' do
not comprise
capillary tubes 166. However, in some implementations, the end portions 168,
169 may
comprise capillary tubes 166. Depending on the specific configuration, the
capillary tubes 166
in the end portions 168, 169 may be redundant in that the ends of capillary
tubes 166 of the
end portions 168, 169 do not contact the central opening of the upper clamping
unit 5' and
thus are not in fluid communication with the reservoir 46.
The microfluidic vaporiser 6' may, in some implementations, be formed to have
a relatively
small footprint. Because the capillary tubes 166 are engineered to provide
suitable capillary
action for the liquid aerosol-generating material stored in the cartomiser 3C,
the microfluidic
vaporiser 6' may be effective at supplying liquid to the electrically
resistive layer 164 and
thus a smaller footprint for the vaporiser 6' having suitable performance
characteristics for the
given application at hand may be achievable For example, in some instances,
the vaporiser 6'
may have a footprint of 4 x 4 mm (16 mm2) or less, 3 mm x 3 mm (9 mm2) or
less, or 2 x 2
mm (4 mm2) or less. Regardless of the exact footprint, the significant
quantity is the
longitudinal extent. Hence, in some implementations, the vaporiser 6' may have
a longitudinal
extent of less than or equal to 4 mm, 3 mm, or 2 mm. While such smaller
footprint /
longitudinal extent vaporisers 6' may be achievable, the process of
electrically coupling the
vaporiser 6' to the power-supply pins 23 may require further adaptation of the
cartomiser 3C.
For instance, with reference to Figure 11, it can be seen that the power-
supply pins 23 are
spaced apart a distance of 8.5 mm, and each power-supply pin 23 may have a
diameter on the
order of one millimetre or so. In some implementations, the spacing of the
power-supply pins
23 on the main housing 2, along with the corresponding through holes 74, may
be decreased
(to a distance comparable to the length of the vaporiser 6'). However,
bringing the power-
supply pins closer together may necessitate a variation in the airflow through
the cartomiser
3C (for example, for a 3x3 mm vaporiser 6', the pins 23 may be spaced around 2-
3 mm apart
which may restrict the size of the air channel 52'). In other implementations,
the vaporiser 6'
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may be coupled to electrically conductive contact elements at end portions
thereof, so as to
facilitate the electrical coupling of the microfluidic vaporiser 6'.
Figure 15 depicts, highly schematically, such an example of the microfluidic
vaporiser 6"
coupled to electrically conductive contact elements. As can be seen in Figure
15, the substrate
material 162 has a different (i.e., smaller) dimension in the longitudinal
direction than the
substrate material of Figure 14. More specifically, the substrate material 162
is approximately
the same size as the central portion 167 comprising the plurality of capillary
tubes 166. The
electrically resistive layer 164 is provided in the central portion 167 of the
vaporiser 6".
Instead of the end portions shown in Figure 14, the vaporiser 6" is shown as
being coupled to
electrically conductive contact elements 168" and 169". The electrically
conductive contact
elements may be formed from any suitable conductive material (e.g., the same
or different
material that electrically resistive layer 164 is formed from). The
electrically conductive
contact elements 168", 169" may be in the form of contact pads. The
electrically conductive
contact elements 168", 169" are electrically connected to the electrically
resistive layer 164,
e.g., via suitable wiring or soldering, etc_ It should be appreciated that the
electrically
conductive contact elements 168", 169" are provided at a position relative to
the vaporiser
6" so as to electrically couple the power-supply pins 23 to the electrically
resistive layer 164
of the vaporiser 6" Accordingly, it should be appreciated that even when the
vaporiser itself
does not have an adequate footprint that overlaps with the through holes 74,
electrically
conductive contact elements 168¨, 169¨ can be provided to the vaporiser 6¨ to
take account
of the spacing stipulated by the placement of the power-supply pins 23 of the
main housing 2
(e.g., when the length of the substrate material 162 is different (i.e.,
smaller) than the distance
between the power-supply pins 23). In these implementations, the vaporiser 6"
is provided
adjacent the through holes 74; however, it is the electrically conductive
contact elements that
overlap the through holes 74.
Further, it should be appreciated that while Figure 15 shows a vaporiser 6" in
which
electrically conductive contact elements 168", 169" are provided at opposing
longitudinal
ends of the vaporiser 6", in other implementations, the electrically
conductive contact
elements may be formed by extensions of the electrically resistive layer 164.
That is to say,
rather than providing separate electrically conductive contact elements 168",
169" that are
subsequently electrically coupled to the vaporiser 6", the electrically
resistive layer 164 may
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24
have a greater dimension in the longitudinal direction than the substrate
material 162. Put
another way, the electrically resistive layer 164 may overhang the ends of the
substrate
material 162. In these implementations, the extended ends of the electrically
resistive layer
164 overlap the through holes 74 and provide contact with the power-supply
pins 23.
Broadly speaking, in some implementations, when the footprint of the substrate
material 162
of the vaporiser 6', 6" is chosen so as to have a length that is less than
twice the diameter of
the power supply pins 23, then the vaporiser 6', 6¨ is provided either with an
extension of the
resistive layer 164, or with separate electrically conductive contact elements
as shown in
Figure 15. Moreover, in implementations where the footprint of the substrate
material 162 of
the vaporiser 6', 6" is chosen so as to have a length that is greater than
twice the diameter of
the power supply pins 23, the vaporiser 6', 6" may still be provided either
with an extension
of the resistive layer 164 or with separate electrically conductive contact
elements as shown in
Figure 15, depending on the configuration of the power-supply pins 23 of the
main housing 2.
In the example shown in Figure 13, the power-supply pins 23 directly contact
the vaporiser 6'
(specifically the electrically resistive layer 164). This is achievable in
part due to the
orientation of the vaporiser 6' such that the electrically resistive layer 164
faces towards the
bottom of the cartomiser 3C (device interface) and subsequently the power
supply pins 23 of
the main housing 2 when the main housing couples to the cartomiser 3C.
However, the
orientation of the vaporiser 6' is not limited to this and, in other
implementations, the
vaporiser 6' may be provided in alternative implementations, for example,
where the
electrically resistive layer faces away from the bottom of the cartomiser 3C
(device interface).
In such implementations, the vaporiser may be provided with electrically
conductive elements
that facilitate the electrical coupling of the power-supply pins 23 to the
electrically resistive
layer 164.
Figure 16 depicts, highly schematically, such an example of the microfluidic
vaporiser 6".
The microfluidic vaporiser 6" is similar to microfluidic vaporiser 6';
however, the
microfluidic vaporiser 6¨ includes vias 168a and 169a at respective end
portions 168, 169 of
the vaporiser 6", shown in phantom in Figure 16. The vias 168a, 169a extend
from one side
of the substrate material 162 to the other side of the substrate material 162
and may or may
not also extend through the electrically resistive layer 164. In any case, the
vias 168a, 169a
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are configured to provide an electrically conductive path between the
underside (i.e., the side
not visible in Figure 16) of the substrate material 162 and the electrically
resistive layer 164.
In such an example, the vaporiser 6" is orientated in the cartomiser 3C such
that the
electrically resistive layer 164 faces away from the device interface.
Accordingly, when the
5 power-supply pins 23 pass through the through holes 74 of the lower
support unit 7', the
power-supply pins 23 make electrical contact with the surface of the vias
168a, 169a opposite
the electrically resistive layer 164. An electrical circuit may nonetheless be
formed but, in this
implementation, the current supplied by the power-supply pins 23 additionally
passes through
the vias 168a, 169a.
10 It should also be appreciated that the vias 168a, 169a shown in Figure
16 are one example of
an electrically conductive element designed to electrically connect the
electrically resistive
layer 164 when the electrically resistive layer 164 is unable to directly
contact the power-
supply pins 23. In other implementations, the end portions 168, 169 of the
vaporiser may be
coated in an electrically resistive material and/or electrical tracks may be
provided on the
15 outer surfaces of the substrate material 162 such that an electrical
path is formed around the
outside surfaces of the substrate material 162 and coupled to the electrically
resistive layer
164. In other implementations, the substrate material 162 itself may include,
locally at the end
portions 168, 169 or entirely throughout the substrate material 162,
conductive elements (e.g.,
fibres / wires) that permit current to be applied to the underside of the
vaporiser and pass to
20 the electrically resistive layer 164.
It should also be appreciated that when the vaporiser 6" is orientated such
that the
electrically resistive layer 164 faces away from the device interface, the
cartomiser may be
adapted in order to supply liquid to the underside of the vaporiser 6". In
some
implementations, the reservoir 46 may be moved so as to sit beneath the
vaporiser 6".
25 However, this has some drawbacks including separating the vaporiser 6"
from the device
interface by a greater margin. In other implementations, a wicking element (or
more generally
a liquid transport element) may be provided to transport liquid from the
reservoir 46 (which
may be located above the vaporiser 6", e.g., as in cartomisers 3B and 3C), to
the underside
of the vaporiser 6".
Thus, there has been described a cartomiser for an aerosol-generating device,
the cartomiser
including an aerosol-generating device interface configured to interface with
an aerosol-
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26
generating device; and a vaporiser for generating aerosol from aerosol-
generating material
held in a reservoir of the cartomiser. The aerosol-generating device interface
further
comprises one or more through holes, each through hole sized so as to receive
a power-supply
pin of the aerosol generating device, and the vaporiser is arranged in the
cartridge such that
the vaporiser is adjacent the one or more through holes so that, when the
cartomiser is
engaged with the aerosol-generating device, the respective power-supply pins
of the aerosol-
generating device electrically couple to the vaporiser. Also described is an
aerosol-generating
device comprising the abovementioned cartomiser. .
The various embodiments described herein are presented only to assist in
understanding and
teaching the claimed features. These embodiments are provided as a
representative sample of
embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. It is to be
understood that
advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or
other aspects
described herein are not to be considered limitations on the scope of the
invention as defined
by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other
embodiments may be
utilised and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the
claimed
invention. Various embodiments of the invention may suitably comprise, consist
of, or
consist essentially of, appropriate combinations of the disclosed elements,
components,
features, parts, steps, means, etc, other than those specifically described
herein. In addition,
this disclosure may include other inventions not presently claimed, but which
may be claimed
in future.
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