JP7513352B2 - Aerosol generating article with improved cooling performance and scent persistence and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating article with improved cooling performance and aroma persistence, and a manufacturing method thereof. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating article having a cooling section, which can ensure high smoking satisfaction by improving the aerosol-cooling performance of the cooling section while at the same time enhancing the aroma persistence of the article, and a manufacturing method thereof.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for alternatives that overcome the shortcomings of traditional cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for heated cigarettes that generate aerosols by being electrically heated by a dedicated device.

The two factors that greatly affect the smoking satisfaction of heated cigarettes are aerosol cooling performance and aroma persistence.

Heated cigarettes are usually equipped with a cooling section so that the user can inhale aerosol at the right temperature, but if the performance of the cooling section deteriorates, the hot aerosol is discharged as is, which can reduce the user's smoking satisfaction.

In addition, the flavoring process for heated cigarettes is usually performed by directly adding (e.g. spraying) the flavor liquid to the tobacco material or filter plug. However, this flavoring method has a problem that most of the flavor is released in the early stages of smoking, and the flavor release rate drops sharply toward the latter stages of smoking, which can reduce the user's smoking satisfaction. In addition, if an excessive amount of flavor liquid is added, the wrapper surrounding the tobacco material or filter plug can become wet and contaminated.

The technical problem that some embodiments of the present disclosure aim to solve is to provide an aerosol-generating article with improved cooling performance and scent persistence, and a method for manufacturing the article.

The technical problems of this disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field of this disclosure from the description below.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an aerosol-generating article according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes an aerosol-forming substrate part, and a cooling part located downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate part and cooling the aerosol formed in the aerosol-forming substrate part, and a sheet-like material may be disposed in the cooling part in a rolling or folding form. Here, the sheet-like material may include a polysaccharide material and a flavoring.

In some embodiments, the sheet material may be wrinkled or bent along its length.

In some embodiments, the sheet material may have a plurality of holes formed therein.

In some embodiments, the suction resistance of the cooling section may be between 0.1 mmH ₂ O/mm and 3.5 mmH ₂ O/mm.

In some embodiments, the sheet material may contain 20 to 60 parts by weight of the polysaccharide material and 20 to 50 parts by weight of the flavoring, based on a total of 100 parts by weight.

In some embodiments, the sheet material may further include 1 to 10 parts by weight of a plasticizer.

In some embodiments, the thickness of the sheet material may be 150 μm or less.

In some embodiments, the melting point of the flavoring may be 80°C or less.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure described above, a sheet-like material containing a polysaccharide substance and a flavoring may be placed (applied) on the cooling section of an aerosol-generating article. When such a sheet-like material comes into contact with a high-temperature airflow, the polysaccharide substance undergoes a phase change, allowing it to absorb a large amount of hot air, and at the same time, the flavoring coated by the polysaccharide substance can be slowly discharged. This can improve the cooling performance and aroma persistence of the aerosol-generating article, greatly improving the user's smoking satisfaction.

The sheet material may also be placed in the cooling section in a rolling or folding form. In this case, smooth airflow in the length direction can be ensured, and the contact area with the airflow can be increased, further improving the performance of the cooling section.

In addition, wrinkles may be formed in the sheet material in the longitudinal direction. In this case, smooth airflow in the longitudinal direction can be ensured, and the contact area with the airflow can be increased, further improving the performance of the cooling section. Furthermore, the formed wrinkles can facilitate processes such as rolling and folding.

Also, a number of holes may be formed in the sheet material. In this case, smooth airflow can be ensured through the formed holes, and the contact area with the airflow can be increased, further improving the performance of the cooling unit.

The sheet-like material may also contain a flavoring with a melting point of 80°C or less. In this case, when the sheet-like material comes into contact with an airflow of 80°C or more, the flavoring undergoes a phase change and can further absorb the hot air, thereby further improving the performance of the cooling section. Considering that the aerosol heating temperature of a typical heated cigarette product is 80°C or more, the use of such flavorings can effectively improve the aerosol cooling performance of many aerosol-generating articles. In addition, the flavoring that has undergone a phase change can be easily volatilized, thereby improving the fragrance expression of the aerosol-generating article.

In addition, as the performance of the cooling section improves, it is possible to design the cooling section to a shorter length than before, thereby improving the design freedom of the aerosol-generating article.

The effects of the technical ideas of this disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the description below.

1 is a schematic illustration of an aerosol-generating article according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. 1A to 1C are illustrative diagrams for explaining the processing form of a sheet material according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. 1A to 1C are illustrative diagrams for explaining the processing form of a sheet material according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. 1A to 1C are illustrative diagrams for explaining application methods of sheet-like materials according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an illustrative diagram showing an aerosol-generating article according to a first modified example of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is an illustrative diagram showing an aerosol-generating article according to a second modification of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is an illustrative diagram showing an aerosol-generating article according to a third modified example of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is an illustrative diagram showing an aerosol-generating article according to a fourth modified example of the present disclosure. 1 illustrates various types of aerosol generating devices to which aerosol generating articles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied. 1 illustrates various types of aerosol generating devices to which aerosol generating articles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied. 1 illustrates various types of aerosol generating devices to which aerosol generating articles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present disclosure, as well as the methods for achieving them, will become apparent from the following detailed embodiments along with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and may be embodied in various different forms. The following embodiments are merely provided to complete the technical idea of the present disclosure and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the present disclosure of the scope of the present disclosure, and the technical idea of the present disclosure is only defined by the scope of the claims.

When assigning reference symbols to components in each drawing, care should be taken to assign the same symbols to the same components as much as possible, even if they appear in different drawings. In addition, in describing this disclosure, if it is determined that a specific description of related publicly known configurations or functions may obscure the gist of this disclosure, the detailed description will be omitted.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in a manner commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. In addition, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not idealized or overly interpreted unless expressly defined otherwise. The terms used herein are intended to describe the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this specification, the singular form includes the plural form unless otherwise specified in the text.

In addition, when describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. Such terms are merely used to distinguish the component from other components, and do not limit the essence, procedure, or order of the components. When a component is described as being "coupled," "bonded," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, but that other components may also be "coupled," "bonded," or "connected" between each component.

As used in this disclosure, "comprises" and/or "comprising" means that a referenced component, step, operation and/or element does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations and/or elements.

Before describing the various embodiments of the present disclosure, we will clarify some terms used in the following embodiments.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-forming substrate" may refer to a substance capable of forming an aerosol. The aerosol may include a volatile compound. The aerosol-forming substrate may be a solid or liquid.

For example, the solid aerosol-forming substrate may include a solid material based on tobacco raw materials, such as flat tobacco, shredded tobacco, or reconstituted tobacco, and the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may include a liquid composition based on nicotine, tobacco extract, and/or various flavoring agents. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol generating device" may refer to a device that generates an aerosol using an aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol that can be inhaled directly into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. For some examples of aerosol generating devices, see Figures 9 to 11.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-generating article" may refer to an article capable of generating an aerosol. The aerosol-generating article may include an aerosol-forming substrate. A representative example of an aerosol-generating article is a cigarette, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the following embodiments, "puff" refers to the user's inhalation, which can refer to drawing air through the user's mouth or nose into the user's oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs.

In the following embodiments, "longitudinal direction" may mean the direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol-generating article.

In the following embodiments, a "sheet" may refer to a thin layer element having a width and length substantially greater than its thickness. In the art, the term sheet may also be used interchangeably with terms such as web and film.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an aerosol-generating article 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the aerosol-generating article 100 may include an aerosol-forming substrate portion 110, a cooling portion 120, a filter portion 130, and a wrapper 140. However, FIG. 1 shows only components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will understand that the aerosol-generating article may further include other general components in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1. Also, FIG. 1 only shows a schematic illustration of some examples of the aerosol-generating article according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and the detailed structure of the aerosol-generating article may be different from that shown in FIG. 1. For examples of aerosol-generating articles having other structures, please refer to FIGS. 5 to 8. Each component of the aerosol-generating article 100 will be described below.

The aerosol-forming substrate unit 110 can perform the function of forming an aerosol. Specifically, the aerosol-forming substrate unit 110 may include an aerosol-forming substrate, and can form an aerosol through the aerosol-forming substrate. For example, the aerosol-forming substrate unit 110 can form an aerosol by being heated by an aerosol generating device (e.g. 1000 in FIG. 9). The formed aerosol can be delivered to the user's mouth by the puff through the cooling unit 120 and the filter unit 130.

As shown, the aerosol-forming substrate section 110 may be located upstream of the cooling section 120 and abut the upstream end of the cooling section 120. The aerosol-forming substrate section 110 may further include a wrapper 140 that encases the aerosol-forming substrate.

The aerosol-forming substrate portion 110 is manufactured in the form of a rod, and may be referred to as an "aerosol-forming rod 110" or a "tobacco rod 110" in some cases. Alternatively, it may be referred to as a "medium portion 110" in some cases.

Next, the cooling unit 120 can perform a cooling function for the aerosol formed in the aerosol forming substrate unit 110. The cooling unit 120 can improve the user's smoking satisfaction by allowing the aerosol at an appropriate temperature to be delivered to the user. The cooling unit 120 may further include a wrapper 140 that wraps the cooling structure.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in the drawings, the sheet-like material 10 may be disposed (applied) to the cooling unit 120. Here, the sheet-like material 10 is a sheet-shaped material containing a polysaccharide material and a fragrance, and the performance of the cooling unit 120 can be improved by using the property of the polysaccharide material that undergoes a phase change to absorb a large amount of hot air. In addition, as the polysaccharide material undergoes a phase change, the covered fragrance slowly emerges, thereby improving the fragrance persistence of the aerosol-generating article 100. In other words, the sheet-like material 10 can function as a fragrance material and a cooling material in the cooling unit 120. The constituent materials and manufacturing method of the sheet-like material 10 will be described in detail later, and in the following, for convenience of explanation, the sheet-like material 10 will be referred to as a "fragrant sheet 10". However, the sheet-like material 10 may be referred to as a "cooling sheet 10" depending on the circumstances.

The specific processing form of the fragrance sheet 10 may vary depending on the embodiment.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the scented sheet 10 may be processed to be wrinkled or folded in the length direction (i.e., MD direction) of the aerosol-generating article 100. For example, the scented sheet 10 may be wrinkled or folded by at least one of a crimping process, a pleating process, a folding process, and a gathering process. Specifically, the crimping process is a process in which wrinkles are imparted to the sheet surface through the difference in roller pressure and speed of a crimping device, and is divided into a wet process and a dry process. The wet process refers to a process in which the base paper is wetted with water, softened, crimped, and then dried again. The dry process refers to a drying process using two dryers with different temperatures. Those skilled in the art will be familiar with the pleating, folding and gathering processes, and further description thereof will be omitted. According to this embodiment, a number of channels may be formed in the length direction of the scented sheet 10 through at least one of the exemplified processes, and smooth airflow and appropriate suction resistance can be ensured through the formed channels. In addition, the contact area between the scented sheet 10 and the high-temperature airflow is increased, thereby improving cooling performance.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the scented sheet 10 may be processed to have a plurality of holes 101 formed therein. For example, the scented sheet 10 may be formed with a plurality of holes 101 through a punching process. Here, the diameter of the holes 101 may be about 0.05 mm to 5 mm, and preferably about 0.1 mm to 3 mm, about 0.2 mm to 2.5 mm, about 0.3 mm to 2.1 mm, or about 0.4 mm to 1.8 mm. Within these numerical ranges, smooth airflow and appropriate suction resistance can be ensured. In addition, the contact area between the scented sheet 10 and the high-temperature airflow increases, improving the cooling performance.

In some embodiments, the scented sheet 10 may be processed based on a combination of the above-mentioned embodiments.

Meanwhile, the specific application method of the scented sheet 10 may vary depending on the embodiment, and some examples of application methods are shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the scented sheet 10 may be applied to the cooling unit 120 by rolling or folding, for example, in an irregular pattern (see 10-1). As another example, the scented sheet 10 may be applied to the cooling unit 120 by rolling in a spiral shape (see 10-2) or a concentric circle shape (see 10-3). As yet another example, the scented sheet 10 may be applied to the cooling unit 120 in a shape folded multiple times (e.g., folded so that an airflow path is secured in the length direction) (see 10-4). When the scented sheet 10 is applied to the cooling unit 120 in the illustrated shape, an airflow path is secured in the length direction, ensuring smooth airflow and appropriate suction resistance. In addition, the contact area between the scented sheet 10 and the high-temperature airflow is increased, improving the cooling performance.

For reference, the scented sheet 10 illustrated in FIG. 4 may be a sheet processed according to the above-described embodiment (see FIGS. 2 and 3). If the scented sheet 10 in FIG. 4 is a sheet that wrinkles or bends as illustrated in FIG. 2, the rolling or folding process can be easily performed, thereby improving workability. Also, if the scented sheet 10 in FIG. 4 is a sheet in which a plurality of holes 101 are formed as illustrated in FIG. 3, the contact area with the airflow is maximized, thereby further improving cooling performance.

The suction resistance of the cooling unit 120 can be designed in various ways. The cooling unit 120 may be embodied in various forms, such as a form in which the scented sheet 10 is filled (arranged) in a cavity, or a form in which the scented sheet 10 is filled (arranged) inside a hollow (i.e., tubular) structure (e.g., a paper tube, a tube-shaped cellulose acetate filter), etc.

In some embodiments, the suction resistance of the cooling section 120 may be about _0.05 mmH20/mm to _7.0 mmH20/mm, and preferably about _0.1 mmH20/mm to _5.0 mmH20/mm, about _0.1 mmH20/mm to _3.5 mmH20/mm, or about _0.5 mmH20/mm to _3.0 mmH20/mm, or about _1.0 mmH20/mm to _2.0 mmH20/mm.

The length, thickness and/or circumference of the cooling section 120 can be designed in a variety of ways. For example, the length of the cooling section 120 may be about 5 mm or more, and the circumference may be about 14 mm to 25 mm. However, this is not limited to this.

Next, the filter unit 130 can perform a filtering function for the aerosol. To this end, the filter unit 130 may include a filter (filter) material. Examples of the filter material include cellulose acetate fiber and paper, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The filter section 130 may be located downstream of the cooling section 120 and abut against the downstream end of the cooling section 120. The filter section 130 may also be located at the downstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100 and function as a mouthpiece that comes into contact with the user's mouth. The filter section 130 may further include a wrapper 140 that encases the filter material (plug).

In addition, since the filter unit 130 is manufactured in the form of a rod, it may be referred to as a "filter rod 130" in some cases, and may be manufactured in various forms such as a cylindrical type, a tube type having a hollow inside (e.g. a cellulose acetate filter in the form of a tube), a recessed type, etc. Alternatively, since the filter unit 130 functions as a mouthpiece, it may be referred to as a "mouthpiece unit 130."

Next, the wrapper 140 may refer to a wrapper that wraps at least a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate 110, the cooling section 120, and/or the filter section 130. The wrapper 140 may refer to an individual wrapper of the aerosol-forming substrate 110, the cooling section 120, or the filter section 130, or may refer to a wrapper that wraps at least a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate 110 and the filter section 130 together, such as a tipping wrapper, or may refer to all wrappers used in the aerosol-generating article 100. The wrapper 140 may be made of porous or non-porous paper, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the wrapper 140 may be made of metal foil or a laminate of paper and metal foil.

Meanwhile, although not shown in FIG. 1, the aerosol-generating article 100 may further include a plug (not shown) disposed at an end. For example, the plug may be disposed at the upstream end of the aerosol-generating article 100 to function to appropriately adjust the overall length of the aerosol-generating article 100. In addition, when the aerosol-generating article 100 is inserted into an aerosol generating device (e.g. 1000 in FIG. 9), the plug may also function to adjust the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110 so that it is disposed at an appropriate position inside the aerosol generating device (e.g. 1000 in FIG. 9).

Above, an aerosol-generating article 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been generally described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. According to the above, a flavored sheet 10 containing a polysaccharide substance and a flavoring may be disposed (applied) to the cooling section 120 of the aerosol-generating article 100. When contacted with a high-temperature airflow, the polysaccharide substance of the flavored sheet 10 undergoes a phase change, allowing it to absorb a large amount of hot air, and at the same time, it allows the flavoring coated by the polysaccharide substance to be slowly discharged. This can improve the cooling performance and flavor persistence of the aerosol-generating article 100, and greatly improve the user's smoking satisfaction.

Below, various modified examples of the above-mentioned aerosol-generating article 100 will be introduced with reference to Figures 5 to 9. However, for the sake of clarity of this disclosure, explanations of content that overlaps with the above-mentioned embodiments will be omitted.

Figure 5 is an exemplary diagram showing an aerosol-generating article 200 according to a first modified example of the present disclosure. In particular, Figures 5 to 7 show an example in which a scented sheet 10 is arranged in a rolled form in a cooling section (e.g. 220). Also, in Figures 5 and subsequent figures, the wrapper (e.g. 140) has been omitted for convenience.

As shown in FIG. 5, the aerosol-generating article 200 may include an aerosol-forming substrate portion 210, a cooling portion 220, a first filter portion 230, and a second filter portion 240.

The aerosol-forming substrate section 210 and the cooling section 220 correspond to the aerosol-forming substrate section 110 and the cooling section 120 in FIG. 1, respectively, and therefore will not be described here.

The first filter unit 230 may be located downstream of the cooling unit 220 and abut the downstream end of the cooling unit 220. As shown in the figure, the first filter unit 230 may be a segment having a hollow formed therein. The first filter unit 230 may be, for example, a cellulose acetate filter in a tube shape or a paper tube, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The first filter unit 230 may perform a filtering function for the aerosol that has passed through the cooling unit 220, and may also perform an additional cooling function through the hollow formed therein.

In some embodiments, the scented sheet 10 may also be disposed inside the first filter section 230. In this case, the cooling performance, scent persistence, and scent expression of the aerosol-generating article 200 can be further improved.

The second filter section 240 may be located downstream of the first filter section 230 and abut the downstream end of the first filter section 230. As shown, the second filter section 230 may be a filter segment that does not have a hollow space. The second filter section 230 corresponds to the filter section 130 of FIG. 1, and further description thereof will be omitted.

In the following, for ease of understanding, regardless of the order in which the filter parts are arranged, the filter part having a hollow space (e.g. 230) will continue to be referred to as the "first filter part," and the filter part having no hollow space (e.g. 240) will be referred to as the "second filter part."

Figure 6 is an illustrative diagram showing an aerosol-generating article 300 according to a second modified example of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 6, similar to the first modified example described above, the aerosol-generating article 300 may also include an aerosol-forming substrate section 310, a cooling section 320, a first filter section 340, and a second filter section 330. However, unlike the first modified example described above, the second filter section 330 abuts against the downstream end of the cooling section 320, and the first filter section 340 is located downstream of the second filter section 330, and functions as a mouthpiece.

Figure 7 is an illustrative diagram showing an aerosol-generating article 400 according to a third modified example of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7, similar to the first modified example described above, the aerosol-generating article 400 may include an aerosol-forming substrate part 410, a first filter part 420, a cooling part 430, and a second filter part 440. However, unlike the first modified example described above, the first filter part 420 is located between the aerosol-forming substrate part 410 and the cooling part 430, and the second filter part 440 is located downstream of the cooling part 430 and functions as a mouthpiece.

When the cooling section 430 is located downstream of the first filter section 420 having a hollow space, the high-temperature aerosol formed in the aerosol-forming substrate section 410 can be primarily cooled while passing through the hollow space of the first filter section 420. The aerosol that has been primarily cooled can then flow into the cooling section 430, so that the performance of the cooling section 430 due to the flavored sheet 10 can be well preserved until the latter half of smoking, and the fragrance expression can also be well maintained. For example, if the high-temperature aerosol immediately flows into the cooling section 430, the forming agent (e.g. polysaccharide material) of the flavored sheet 10 can change phase quickly, gradually decreasing the cooling performance, and a relatively large amount of flavor can be transferred at the beginning of smoking. However, the structure illustrated in FIG. 7 can greatly alleviate this.

Figure 8 is an illustrative diagram showing an aerosol-generating article 500 according to a fourth modified example of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 8, similar to FIG. 1, the aerosol-generating article 500 may include an aerosol-forming substrate portion 510, a cooling portion 520, and a filter portion 530.

The aerosol-forming substrate part 510 and the filter part 530 correspond to the aerosol-forming substrate part 110 and the filter part 130 in FIG. 1, respectively, and therefore will not be described here.

As shown, the cooling unit 520 may be a hollow or cavity-formed structure. For example, the cooling unit 520 may be a paper tube or a tube-shaped cellulose acetate filter. However, the cooling unit 520 is not limited thereto.

The scented sheet 10 may also be placed on the inner wall of the cooling section 520. For example, the scented sheet 10 may be attached to the hollow inner wall formed in the cooling section 520. In this case, since there are no elements that obstruct the airflow inside the cooling section 520, a smooth airflow can be reliably guaranteed, and the effect of the scented sheet 10 on the suction resistance of the aerosol-generating article 500 can be prevented in advance.

Aerosol-generating articles 200 to 500 according to some modified examples of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to Figures 5 to 8. Below, a scented sheet 10 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure and a method for manufacturing the same will be described.

The fragrance sheet 10 can be manufactured through a step of manufacturing a sheet composition in a liquid state (e.g., a slurry state) and a step of drying the manufactured sheet composition. Here, the liquid state may include not only a liquid state but also a state in which a liquid and a solid are mixed (e.g., a slurry state). For example, the fragrance sheet 10 can be manufactured by spreading (casting) the sheet composition on a predetermined substrate and drying it. However, the manufacturing method is not limited to this, and the specific manufacturing method may be changed.

On the other hand, the detailed composition of the sheet composition can be designed in a variety of ways.

In some embodiments, the sheet composition may include distilled water, a solvent such as ethanol, a polysaccharide material, and a fragrance. The fragrance sheet 10 manufactured from such a sheet composition has excellent fragrance retention and fragrance retention, and can greatly improve the fragrance persistence and fragrance retention of the aerosol-generating article (e.g. 100). Each of the constituent materials of the sheet composition will be described below.

Distilled water can be an element for adjusting the viscosity of the slurry-type sheet composition.

Next, the polysaccharide material is a material that coats and fixes the fragrance, and can be a sheet forming agent that forms the sheet. Examples of polysaccharide materials include cellulose-based materials such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), methylcellulose (MC), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and agar. Such cellulose-based materials have the property of absorbing hot air well through a phase change when in contact with a high-temperature air flow, so the fragrance sheet 10 can be used not only as a fragrance material but also as a cooling material.

In some embodiments, the sheet composition may include modified cellulose, which is one of various polysaccharide materials. Here, "modified cellulose" may mean cellulose in which a specific functional group has been substituted in the molecular structure. Examples of modified cellulose include, but are not limited to, HPMC, MC, CMC, and EC. For example, HPMC may have a grade within the range of about 4 to 40,000 depending on the ratio of hydroxypropyl groups and methyl groups (or methoxy groups) substituted and the molecular weight. The viscosity of the modified cellulose is determined by the grade. More specifically, the physicochemical properties of HPMC are related to the ratio of methoxy groups, the ratio of hydroxypropyl groups, and the molecular weight, and according to the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), HPMC types are classified into HPMC1828, HPMC2208, HPMC2906, HPMC2910, etc., depending on the ratio of methoxy groups and hydroxypropyl groups. Here, the first two numbers represent the ratio of methoxy groups, and the last two numbers represent the ratio of hydroxypropyl groups. As a result of the inventors' continuous experiments, it was confirmed that the perfumed sheet 10 made from the sheet composition containing the modified cellulose has excellent sheet physical properties and fragrance retention.

Next, examples of flavorings include menthol, nicotine, nicotine salts, tobacco leaf extract, tobacco leaf extract containing nicotine, natural plant flavorings (e.g. cinnamon, sage, herbs, chamomile, dried grass, sweet tea, cloves, lavender, cardamom, clove fragrance, nutmeg, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, lemon, orange, cinnamon, caraway, jasmine, ginger, coriander, vanilla extract, spearmint, peppermint, cassia, coffee, celery, cascarilla, sandalwood, cocoa, ylang-ylang, fennel, anise, licorice, St. John's bread, plum extract, peach extract, etc.), sugars (e.g. glucose , fructose, isomerized sugar, caramel, etc.), cocoa (powder, extract, etc.), esters (e.g. isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, linalyl butyrate, etc.), ketones (e.g. menthone, ionone, damascenone, ethylmatol, etc.), alcohols (e.g. geraniol, linalool, anethole, eugenol, etc.), aldehydes (e.g. vanillin, benzaldehyde, anisaldehyde, etc.), lactones (e.g. γ-undecalactone, γ-nonalactone, etc.), animal flavors (e.g. musk, ambergris, civet, castoreum, etc.), and hydrocarbons (e.g. limonene, pinene, etc.). The flavor may be used as a solid, or dissolved or dispersed in a suitable solvent, such as propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, or triethyl citrate. In addition, fragrances that are easily dispersed in a solvent by the addition of an emulsifier, such as hydrophobic fragrances and oil-soluble fragrances, may be used. These fragrances may be used alone or as a mixture. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples given above.

In some embodiments, a fragrance having a melting point of about 80° C. or less may be used. In this case, when the fragrance sheet 10 comes into contact with an airflow of 80° C. or more, the fragrance undergoes a phase change to further absorb the hot air, thereby further improving the performance of the cooling section (e.g. 120). Considering that the temperature of a heated aerosol is generally 80° C. or more, the use of such fragrances can effectively improve the cooling performance of many aerosol-generating articles (e.g. 100). In addition, the fragrance that has undergone a phase change can be easily vaporized, thereby improving the fragrance expression of the aerosol-generating article (e.g. 100). An example of a fragrance having a melting point of about 80° C. or less includes, but is not limited to, menthol.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include LM-pectin (low methoxyl pectin). LM-pectin is a low ester pectin or low methoxyl pectin that has been esterified relatively little, and specifically, it may mean a pectin that contains less than about 50% carboxyl groups inside the molecular structure. Unlike carrageenan, LM-pectin has the property of not gelling when released, so that the viscosity of the slurry-type sheet composition can be reduced (e.g., about 600 cp to 800 cp). In addition, since the slurry-type sheet composition can be produced without an emulsifier, there is no need to worry about the safety of emulsifiers.

LM-pectin can contain less than about 50%, less than about 40%, less than about 30%, less than about 20%, or less than about 10% of carboxy groups within its molecular structure. The lower the content of carboxy groups within the molecular structure of LM-pectin, the lower the viscosity of a slurry containing LM-pectin.

In some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include a bulking agent. The bulking agent may be a substance that increases the total mass (i.e., the mass of the dry matter) of the components other than distilled water, thereby increasing the volume of the fragrance sheet 10 produced, but does not affect the original function of the fragrance sheet 10. Specifically, the bulking agent may have the property of increasing the volume of the fragrance sheet 10, but not substantially increasing the viscosity of the slurry, and at the same time not adversely affecting the fragrance retention function of the fragrance sheet 10. Preferably, the bulking agent may be a starch, modified starch, or starch hydrolysate. However, the bulking agent is not limited thereto.

Modified starch includes starch acetate, oxidized starch, hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate, hydroxypropyl starch, distarch phosphate, monostarch phosphate, phosphorylated distarch phosphate, etc.

Starch hydrolysate refers to a substance obtained by a process that includes a step of hydrolyzing starch. The starch hydrolysate may include, for example, a substance obtained by direct hydrolysis of starch (i.e., dextrin) or a substance obtained by hydrolyzing starch after heat treatment (i.e., resistant dextrin). The bulking agent may be, for example, dextrin, or more specifically, cyclodextrin.

The starch hydrolysate may generally be a starch hydrolysate having a DE value in the range of about 2 to about 40, preferably a starch hydrolysate having a DE value in the range of about 2 to about 20. Examples of starch hydrolysates having a DE value in the range of about 2 to about 20 that may be used include Pine Index #100 (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), Pine Fiber (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), and TK-16 (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.).

Here, "DE" is an abbreviation for dextrose equivalent, and the DE value indicates the degree of hydrolysis of starch, i.e., the saccharification rate of starch. In this disclosure, the DE value may be a value measured by the Willstatter-Schudel method. The properties of hydrolyzed starch (starch hydrolysate), such as the molecular weight of the starch hydrolysate and the arrangement of the sugar molecules that constitute the starch hydrolysate, are not constant for each molecule of the starch hydrolysate, but exist with any distribution or variation. Depending on the distribution or variation of the properties of the starch hydrolysate, or differences in the sections that are cut, the starch hydrolysate will exhibit different physical properties (e.g., DE value) for each molecule. Thus, starch hydrolysates are a collection of molecules that exhibit different physical properties, but the measurement results using the Willstatter-Schudel method (i.e., the DE value) are treated as a representative value that indicates the degree of starch hydrolysis.

Preferably, the starch hydrolysate may be selected from the group consisting of dextrin having a DE value of about 2 to about 5, resistant dextrin having a DE value of about 10 to about 15, and mixtures thereof. As a dextrin having a DE value of about 2 to about 5, for example, Pine Index #100 (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) may be used. As a resistant dextrin having a DE value of about 10 to about 15, for example, Pine Fiber (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) may be used.

In some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include a plasticizer. The plasticizer can improve the physical properties of the sheet by imparting appropriate flexibility to the fragrance sheet 10. The plasticizer may include, for example, at least one of glycerin and propylene glycol, but is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include an emulsifier. The emulsifier can increase the amount of fragrance retained by the fragrance sheet 10 by allowing the highly fat-soluble fragrance and the water-soluble polysaccharide substance to be thoroughly mixed. Examples of emulsifiers include, but are not limited to, lecithin.

On the other hand, the fragrance sheet 10 manufactured from the above-mentioned sheet composition can have a variety of content ratios (composition ratios).

In some embodiments, the scented sheet 10 may contain about 20 to 60 parts by weight of polysaccharide material and about 10 to 50 parts by weight of fragrance, based on a total of 100 parts by weight. Of course, the scented sheet 10 may further contain an appropriate amount of moisture. It has been confirmed that the scented sheet 10 configured in this manner significantly improves the scent retention and cooling performance of the aerosol-generating article (e.g. 100).

In some embodiments, the scented sheet 10 may contain, based on a total of 100 parts by weight, about 2 to about 15 parts by weight of moisture, about 25 to about 90 parts by weight of modified cellulose, and about 0.1 parts by weight of inner paper, about 60 parts by weight of scent.

In some embodiments, the fragrance sheet 10 may contain, based on a total of 100 parts by weight, about 2 to about 15 parts by weight of moisture, about 1 to about 60 parts by weight of polysaccharide substance, about 1 to about 60 parts by weight of LM-pectin, and about 0.1 to about 60 parts by weight of fragrance.

In some embodiments, the plasticizer may be included in an amount of about 0.1 to about 15 parts by weight, preferably about 1 to 10 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the total fragrance sheet 10. For example, the fragrance sheet 10 may include about 20 to 60 parts by weight of polysaccharide material, about 10 to 50 parts by weight of fragrance, and about 1 to 10 parts by weight of plasticizer, based on 100 parts by weight of the total. Within such a numerical range, a sheet having appropriate flexibility (physical properties) can be formed, and processing of the fragrance sheet 10 (e.g. crimping, rolling, folding, etc.) can be easily performed, improving workability. For example, if too little plasticizer is added, the flexibility of the sheet may decrease and it may be easily damaged during processing, and if too much plasticizer is added, the sheet may not be well formed.

The above describes the scented sheet 10 and its manufacturing method according to several embodiments of the present disclosure. Below, various types of aerosol generating devices 1000 to which the above-mentioned aerosol generating articles (e.g. 100) can be applied will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 11.

Figures 9 to 11 are exemplary block diagrams showing an aerosol generating device 1000. Specifically, Figure 9 illustrates a cigarette-type aerosol generating device 1000, and Figures 10 and 11 illustrate a hybrid aerosol generating device 1000 that uses both liquid and cigarettes. Each aerosol generating device 1000 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 9, the aerosol generating device 1000 may include a heater 1300, a battery 1100, and a control unit 1200. However, this is a preferred embodiment for achieving the object of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some components may be added or omitted as necessary. In addition, each component of the aerosol generating device 1000 shown in FIG. 9 indicates a functional element that is functionally divided, and multiple components may be embodied in a form that is integrated with each other in an actual physical environment, or a single component may be embodied in a form that is separated into multiple smaller functional elements. Each component of the aerosol generating device 1000 will be described below.

The heater 1300 may be arranged to heat the cigarette 2000 inserted therein. The cigarette 2000 includes a solid aerosol-forming substrate and can generate an aerosol by being heated. The generated aerosol can be inhaled through the user's mouth. The operation, heating temperature, etc. of the heater 1300 can be controlled by the control unit 1200.

Next, the battery 1100 can supply power used to operate the aerosol generating device 1000. For example, the battery 1100 can supply power so that the heater 1300 can heat the aerosol forming substrate included in the cigarette 2000, and can supply power necessary for the control unit 1200 to operate.

The battery 1100 can also supply the power necessary to operate electrical components installed in the aerosol generating device 1000, such as a display (not shown), a sensor (not shown), and a motor (not shown).

Next, the control unit 1200 can generally control the operation of the aerosol generating device 1000. For example, the control unit 1200 can control the operation of the heater 1300 and the battery 1100, and can also control the operation of other components included in the aerosol generating device 1000. The control unit 1200 can control the power supplied by the battery 1100, the heating temperature of the heater 1300, etc. The control unit 1200 can also check the state of each component of the aerosol generating device 1000 to determine whether the aerosol generating device 1000 is in an operable state.

The control unit 1200 may be implemented by at least one processor. The processor may be implemented by an array of a number of logic gates, or may be implemented by a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory storing a program that can be executed by the microprocessor. In addition, a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can obviously understand that the control unit 1200 may be implemented by other types of hardware.

The hybrid aerosol generating device 1000 is briefly described below with reference to Figures 10 and 11.

Figure 10 illustrates an aerosol generating device 1000 in which a vaporizer 1400 and a cigarette 2000 are arranged in parallel, and Figure 11 illustrates an aerosol generating device 1000 in which a vaporizer 1400 and a cigarette 2000 are arranged in series. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 1000 is not limited to that illustrated in Figures 10 and 11, and the arrangement of the components can be changed depending on the design method.

10 and 11, the vaporizer 1400 may include a liquid storage tank for storing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a wick for absorbing the aerosol-forming substrate, and a vaporization element for vaporizing the absorbed aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol. The vaporization element may be embodied in various forms, such as a heating element, a vibration element, and the like. In some embodiments, the vaporizer 1400 may be designed to have a structure that does not include a wick.

The aerosol generated by the vaporizer 1400 can pass through the cigarette 2000 and be inhaled through the user's mouth. The vaporization element of the vaporizer 1400 can also be controlled by the control unit 1200.

The above describes an exemplary aerosol generating device 1000 to which the aerosol generating article (e.g. 100) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied, with reference to Figures 9 to 11.

Below, the configuration and effects of the above-mentioned fragrance sheet 10 and aerosol-generating article (e.g. 100) will be described in more detail through comparative examples and examples. However, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the following examples.

[Example 1]
A flavor sheet was prepared containing about 12 parts by weight of water, about 48 parts by weight of HPMC, about 23 parts by weight of flavoring, about 7 parts by weight of plasticizer, and about 10 parts by weight of other substances. The prepared flavor sheet was then fed into a cooling unit (e.g. 430) in a rolled form to prepare a cigarette having the same structure as the aerosol-generating article 400 illustrated in Fig. 7. A tubular cellulose acetate filter was used as the first filter unit (e.g. 420), and a non-hollow cellulose acetate filter was used as the second filter unit (e.g. 440).

[Example 2]
The same cigarette as in Example 1 was manufactured, except that a flavor sheet having a plurality of holes (diameter about 1 mm) formed therein through a punching process was added.

[Comparative Example 1]
The same cigarette as in Example 1 was produced, except that a polylactic acid (PLA) fabric was filled in the cooling section instead of the flavor sheet.

<Experimental Example 1: Comparison of cooling performance>
An experiment was conducted to compare the cooling performance of the cigarettes according to Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 1. Specifically, an experiment was conducted to measure the mainstream smoke temperature at the downstream end of each segment of the cigarette during puffing. The experiment was repeated 10 times with 8 puffs per time as a standard, and the average value of the remaining measured values excluding the maximum and minimum values was calculated as the final mainstream smoke temperature. The mainstream smoke temperature inside each segment was measured using a thermocouple, and the experimental results are shown in Table 1 below (for convenience, the final mainstream smoke temperature is rounded off).

Referring to Table 1, it can be seen that the cooling performance of the cigarette according to the embodiment is significantly superior to that of Comparative Example 1. In other words, it can be seen that the cooling performance of the flavored sheet is superior to that of the polylactic acid fabric. This is believed to be due to the fact that cellulosic materials such as HPMC absorb a large amount of high-temperature air through phase change, and the rolling arrangement of the flavored sheet increases the contact area with the mainstream smoke.

Moreover, it was confirmed that the cooling performance of the cigarettes of Example 2 was superior to that of Example 1, which is believed to be the result of the multiple holes formed in the flavored sheet further increasing the contact area with the mainstream smoke.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can understand that the present disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without changing its technical ideas or essential features. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted according to the claims below, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

Claims (11)

An aerosol-forming substrate part;
a cooling section located downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate section and configured to cool the aerosol formed in the aerosol-forming substrate section;
In the cooling section, a sheet material is placed in a rolled or folded form,
the sheet-like material comprises a polysaccharide material and a flavoring;
The sheet-like material has a plurality of holes formed therein. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the sheet-like material wrinkles or bends in the length direction. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hole has a diameter of 0.1 mm to 3 mm. 4. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the suction resistance of the cooling section is from _0.1 mmH20/mm to 3.5 _mmH20 /mm. A first filter section that is located downstream of the cooling section and has a hollow space;
5. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, further comprising a second filter section, the second filter section being located downstream of the first filter section and having no hollow space. A first filter section that is located downstream of the cooling section and has a hollow space;
5. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, further comprising a second filter section, the second filter section being located between the cooling section and the first filter section and having no hollow space. A first filter section that is located upstream of the cooling section and has a hollow space;
5. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, further comprising a second filter section, the second filter section being located upstream of the cooling section and having no hollow space. The sheet material is
20 to 60 parts by weight of said polysaccharide material;
8. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 , comprising from 20 to 50 parts by weight of the fragrance. The sheet material is
9. The aerosol-generating article of claim 1, further comprising from 1 to 10 parts by weight of a plasticizer. The aerosol-generating article according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the thickness of the sheet-like material is 150 μm or less. The aerosol-generating article according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the melting point of the fragrance is 80°C or lower.

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