JP7612783B2 - Heating assembly and aerosol generating device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the technical field of electronic atomization devices, and in particular to a heating assembly and an aerosol generating device.

HNB (HEAT NOT BURN, non-combustion heating) atomizers mainly heat an aerosol-generating substrate by a baking method to form an aerosol. The heating method is generally to pass electricity through a heating element to generate heat, and then heat the aerosol-generating substrate to form an aerosol. Here, an electrical connection is formed between the heating element and an external circuit by an electrode connection member, and the heating element is located in a circuit that belongs to the external circuit. Meanwhile, in order to avoid damage to the electrodes connected to the heating element when the electrode connection member is attached, the electrode connection member can be configured in a non-closed arc-shaped structure, and the electrode connection member can be attached to the electrode of the heating element from the side when attached. However, this requires the provision of a separate member for fixing the relative positions between the electrode connection member and the heating element, which causes a problem of inconvenient installation.

The present invention proposes a heating assembly and an aerosol generator that can address the problem of inconvenient installation by fixing the electrode connection member to the heating element using only one fixing seat, thereby improving the convenience of installation.

The heating assembly includes a heating element having opposite ends arranged to face each other, an electrode connection member electrically connected to the heating element, and a fixing seat that is held by one end of the heating element, with a portion of its inner circumferential surface abutting against the electrode connection member to press the electrode connection member against the heating element, and another portion of its inner circumferential surface abutting directly against the heating element.

In one embodiment, the heating assembly includes a plurality of the electrode connection members, each of which is arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the heating element, and each of the electrode connection members is pressed between the fixing seat and the heating element, and the portion of the fixing seat that directly contacts the heating element is located between two adjacent electrode connection members.

In one embodiment, the electrode connection members are arranged at equal intervals around the heating element, and/or the portion of the fixing seat that directly contacts the heating element is a positioning portion, and one positioning portion is present between each pair of adjacent electrode connection members.

In one embodiment, the electrode connection member includes a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion electrically connected to each other, the first conductive portion is pressed against the heating element, the second conductive portion penetrates the fixing seat and extends to the opposite side of the fixing seat from the heating element, and the second conductive portion is used for electrical connection to an external circuit.

In one embodiment, the fixed seat includes a fixed sleeve, the side wall of the fixed sleeve is fitted onto the outer periphery of the heating element, the first conductive portion is located between the heating element and the side wall of the fixed sleeve, and the second conductive portion penetrates the bottom wall of the fixed sleeve.

In one embodiment, the heating element is a cylindrical tubular structure, the space surrounded by the cylindrical tubular structure is used to accommodate the aerosol-generating substrate, the electrode connection member is an arc-shaped sheet-like structure curved along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical tubular structure, the portion of the inner circumferential surface of the fixed seat that directly contacts the heating element is a non-closed arc surface, and the non-closed arc surface and the electrode connection member are arranged in sequence in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical tubular structure.

In one embodiment, the portion of the electrode connection member that is to be electrically connected to the heating element is an elastic piece, and at least a portion of the fixing seat shields the side of the elastic piece that is away from the heating element.

In one embodiment, the electrode connection member includes a plurality of the elastic pieces, each of which is spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the heating element, and each of the elastic pieces is positioned between the fixing seat and the heating element.

In one embodiment, the portion of the heating element that is to be electrically connected to the electrode connection member has an electrode layer, the electrode layer is electrically connected to the heating element, and the elastic piece is pressed against the electrode layer.

An aerosol generating device comprising an external circuit and the above-mentioned heating assembly, the external circuit being electrically connected to the electrode connection member.

According to the above heating assembly and aerosol generating device, the electrode connection member can be fixed to the heating element using only one fixing seat, which ensures a reliable electrical connection between the electrode connection member and the heating element and simplifies the installation process. Specifically, the fixing seat is hugged to the outer periphery of the heating element, a portion of the fixing seat is pressed against the heating element to fix the relative position with respect to the heating element, and the electrode connection member is pressed against the heating element by the fixing seat.

The drawings constituting a part of this invention are intended to provide further understanding of the invention, and the schematic embodiments of the invention and their explanations are used to interpret the invention and are not intended to unduly limit the invention.

In the following, in order to more clearly explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings necessary for the description of the embodiments will be briefly described. However, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that they can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the heating assembly of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the heating assembly shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the heating assembly of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 4 . FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a fixed seat according to the present embodiment. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of an electrode connecting member according to the present embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the heating element of the present embodiment.

In order to more clearly understand the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, many specific details are described in order to fully understand the present invention. However, the present invention can be embodied in many other forms different from the embodiments described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific examples disclosed below.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in some embodiments, a heating assembly 10 is provided that includes a heating element 11, an electrode connection member 12, and a fixing seat 13. The heating element 11 is used to heat an aerosol-generating substrate in an operational state. The electrode connection member 12 is electrically connected to the heating element 11 such that the heating element 11 is located on a conductive path, and is also electrically connected to an external circuit.

The heating element 11 includes two ends that are arranged to face each other, and the fixed seat 13 is held by one end of the heating element 11. Specifically, the fixed seat 13 may be a non-closed arc-shaped structure or a closed ring-shaped structure. A so-called non-closed arc-shaped structure means one that is not closed in the direction of the arc curvature and has two ends spaced apart in the direction of the curvature. A so-called closed ring-shaped structure means a ring-shaped structure that surrounds 360°.

When the fixing seat 13 has a non-closed arc-shaped structure, the corresponding central angle is 180° or more, so that the fixing seat 13 is hugged to the outside of the heating element 11 and fixed to the heating element 11, and further, the fixing seat 13 can apply a force to the electrode connection member 12 to press it against the heating element 11.

When the fixing seat 13 has a closed ring structure, it is fitted onto the outside of the heating element 11 and is embraced by the heating element 11, surrounding the entire circumference of the heating element 11 and pressing the electrode connection member 12 against the heating element 11.

A portion of the inner circumferential surface of the fixed seat 13 abuts against the electrode connection member 12 to press the electrode connection member 12 against the heating element 11, and another portion of the inner circumferential surface of the fixed seat 13 abuts directly against the heating element 11.

The fixing seat 13 is directly attached to the outside of the heating element 11 and directly abuts against the heating element 11, thereby fixing the relative positions of the two and pressing the electrode connection member 12 against the heating element 11. The electrode connection member 12 can be fixed to the heating element 11 by using only one member, the fixing seat 13, during the installation process, making the installation process simple.

In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 5 and 8, the heating element 11 is a cylindrical tubular structure, and the space enclosed by the cylindrical tubular structure is used to accommodate the aerosol-generating substrate.

Optionally, in some other embodiments, the heating element 11 may have other shapes, such as a rectangular column, and is not particularly limited herein. The shape of the space for accommodating the aerosol-generating substrate within the heating element 11 may or may not match the shape of the outer surface of the heating element 11, and is not particularly limited herein.

For example, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 5 and 8, in the embodiment, the shape surrounded by the outer surface of the heating element 11 is cylindrical, and the space for accommodating the aerosol-generating substrate within the heating element 11 is a cylindrical cavity.

More specifically, in some embodiments, the heating element 11 is a conductive member made of a conductive material, and the conductive member encloses a space for containing the aerosol-generating substrate. When the electrode connection member 12 contacts any position of the conductive member, the conductive member is placed in an electrical circuit and generates heat.

Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the heating element 11 includes an insulating thermally conductive liner and a conductive film surrounding the outside of the insulating thermally conductive liner. The insulating thermally conductive liner surrounds a space for accommodating the aerosol-generating substrate. The conductive film is electrically connected to the electrode connection member 12 so that the conductive film is located in an energized circuit and generates heat. The heat generated after the conductive film generates heat can be transferred to the internal space via the insulating thermally conductive liner to heat the aerosol-generating substrate.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, the portion of the heating element 11 that is to be electrically connected to the electrode connection member 12 has an electrode layer 111, the electrode layer 111 is electrically connected to the heating element 11, and the electrode connection member 12 is pressed against the electrode layer 111.

In one embodiment, the heating element 11 is a conductive member, and the electrode layer 111 is provided on the conductive member.

In another embodiment, the heating element 11 comprises an insulating thermally conductive liner and a conductive film, the electrode layer 111 is attached to the outside of the insulating thermally conductive liner, and the electrode layer 111 is electrically connected to the conductive film.

Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 7, the electrode connection member 12 is an arc-shaped sheet-like structure curved along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical structure. When attached, the electrode connection member 12 gradually approaches the heating element 11 from the side and is attached to the heating element 11, which effectively prevents the electrode connection member 12 from scratching the heating element 11 during this process.

As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the portion of the inner circumferential surface of the fixed seat 13 that directly contacts the heating element 11 is a non-closed arc surface 1311, and the non-closed arc surface 1311 and the electrode connection member 12 are arranged in sequence in the circumferential direction of this cylindrical structure.

In one embodiment, the fixing seat 13 is a non-closed arc-shaped structure, and the central angle a1 corresponding to the non-closed arc surface 1311 is smaller than the central angle A1 corresponding to the fixing seat 13. The sum of the central angle a2 and the central angle a1 corresponding to the electrode connection member 12 of the arc-shaped sheet-like structure is the central angle A1.

In another embodiment, the fixed seat 13 has a closed annular structure, and the sum of the central angle a1 corresponding to the non-closed arc surface 1311 and the central angle a2 corresponding to the electrode connection member 12 having an arc-shaped sheet-like structure is 360°.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, as shown in Figures 1-5, the heating assembly 10 includes a plurality of electrode connection members 12, each of which is spaced apart along the circumference of the heating element 11. In one embodiment, each of the electrode connection members 12 is equally spaced apart along the circumference of the heating element 11.

Each electrode connection member 12 is pressed between the fixing seat 13 and the heating element 11, and the portion of the fixing seat 13 that directly contacts the heating element 11 is located between two adjacent electrode connection members 12. When the fixing seat 13 is fitted to the heating element 11, all of the multiple electrode connection members 12 can be pressed onto the heating element 11 and fixed.

The portion of the fixing seat 13 located between two adjacent electrode connection members 12 separates the two electrode connection members 12 and avoids direct contact between each electrode connection member 12.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the portion of the fixed seat 13 that directly contacts the heating element 11 is a positioning portion 131, and one positioning portion 131 exists between each pair of adjacent electrode connection members 12.

The heating assembly 10 may include two electrode connection members 12 or may include three electrode connection members 12. Each electrode connection member 12 is separated from the others by a positioning portion 131 to avoid direct contact between the electrode connection members 12.

Specifically, in one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the surface of the positioning portion 131 that can come into contact with the heating element 11 is the non-closed arc surface 1311 described above. Between each pair of adjacent electrode connection members 12, there is one non-closed arc surface 1311, and the non-closed arc surface 1311 is in close contact with the heating element 11. If the portion of the inner circumferential surface of the fixed seat 13 located between the two non-closed arc surfaces 1311 is defined as the pressing arc surface 132, the non-closed arc surface 1311 protrudes inward from the pressing arc surface 132 into the space surrounded by the fixed seat 13.

2, 5 and 7, in some embodiments, the portion of the electrode connection member 12 for electrically connecting to the heating element 11 is an elastic piece 1211, and at least a portion of the fixing seat 13 shields the side of the elastic piece 1211 away from the heating element 11. In this way, the elastic piece 1211 is pressed onto the heating element 11 while avoiding contact between the elastic piece 1211 and other external components.

More specifically, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 7, in one embodiment, the electrode connection member 12 includes a plurality of elastic pieces 1211, each of which is spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the heating element 11, and each of which is located between the fixed seat 13 and the heating element 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the elastic piece 1211 is pressed against the electrode layer 111, and the elastic piece 1211 is electrically connected to the heating element 11 via the electrode layer 111.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7, the electrode connection member 12 includes a first conductive portion 121 and a second conductive portion 122 electrically connected to each other. As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the first conductive portion 121 is pressed against the heating element 11, the second conductive portion 122 penetrates the fixing seat 13 and extends to the opposite side of the fixing seat 13 from the heating element 11, and the second conductive portion 122 is used to electrically connect to an external circuit.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the fixing seat 13 is provided with a through hole 133 through which the second conductive part 122 passes, and the fixing seat 13 can limit the position of the second conductive part 122 by the through hole 133. When the heating assembly 10 includes a plurality of electrode connection members 12, the second conductive part 122 included in each electrode connection member 12 passes through a different through hole 133. The plurality of through holes 133 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the heating element 11.

2 and 7, the first conductive portion 121 includes the elastic pieces 1211, and each elastic piece 1211 is electrically connected to the second conductive portion 122. The electrode connection member 12 further includes a main arc-shaped piece 123 curved along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical tube structure, and each elastic piece 1211 is electrically connected to one arc-shaped side edge of the main arc-shaped piece 123, and the second conductive portion 122 is electrically connected to the other arc-shaped side edge of the main arc-shaped piece 123.

In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 6, the fixed seat 13 includes a fixed sleeve, the side wall 134 of the fixed sleeve is fitted onto the outer periphery of the heating element 11, the first conductive portion 121 is located between the heating element 11 and the side wall 134 of the fixed sleeve, and the second conductive portion 122 penetrates the bottom wall 135 of the fixed sleeve.

When attaching, first the electrode connection member 12 is brought into contact with the heating element 11, then the fixing sleeve is fitted onto the heating element 11, and simultaneously with this process, the electrode connection member 12 is pressed between the heating element 11 and the fixing sleeve.

In some other embodiments, an aerosol generating device is provided that includes an external circuit (not shown) and the heating assembly 10 described above, the external circuit being electrically connected to the electrode connection member 12.

The electrode connection member 12 can be fixed to the heating element 11 by using only one fixing seat 13, which ensures a reliable electrical connection between the electrode connection member 12 and the heating element 11 and simplifies the installation process. Specifically, the fixing seat 13 is hugged to the outer periphery of the heating element 11, a portion of the fixing seat 13 is pressed against the heating element 11 to fix the relative position with respect to the heating element 11, and the electrode connection member 12 is pressed against the heating element 11 by the fixing seat 13.

In describing the present invention, it should be understood that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "up," "down," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," "circumferential," and the like are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are intended only to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention, and do not imply or suggest that the devices or elements referred to have a particular orientation or must be configured and operated in a particular orientation, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

Note that the terms "first" and "second" are for descriptive purposes only and are not to be understood as implying or suggesting the relative importance or number of the technical features being described. Thus, a feature qualified with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the feature. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise expressly and specifically limited, "plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc.

In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "attached," "coupled," "connected," "fixed," and the like should be understood in a broad sense, and may refer to, for example, a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. They may also refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection. Furthermore, unless otherwise clearly limited, they may refer to a direct connection, an indirect connection via an intermediate medium, an internal communication between two elements, or an interaction between two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention according to the specific situation.

The technical features of the embodiments described above may be combined in any manner, and for the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the embodiments described above have been described. However, as long as there are no contradictions in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope described in this specification.

The above examples merely show some embodiments of the present application, and although the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be understood as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art can make some modifications and improvements within the scope of the present application without departing from the idea of the present application. Therefore, the scope of the patent of the present application shall be subject to the scope of the attached claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Heating assembly 11 Heating element 111 Electrode layer 12 Electrode connection member 121 First conductive part 1211 Elastic piece 122 Second conductive part 123 Main body arc-shaped piece 13 Fixing seat 131 Positioning part 1311 Non-closed arc surface 132 Pressing arc surface 133 Through hole 134 Side wall 135 Bottom wall

Claims (9)

A heating element having both ends opposed to each other;
an electrode connection member electrically connected to the heating element;
a fixing seat that is held by one end of the heating element, a part of an inner circumferential surface of the fixing seat being in contact with the electrode connection member to press the electrode connection member against the heating element, and another part of the inner circumferential surface of the fixing seat being in direct contact with the heating element ,
the heating element has a cylindrical tubular structure, a space surrounded by the cylindrical tubular structure is used to accommodate an aerosol-generating substrate, the electrode connection member has an arc-shaped sheet-like structure curved along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical tubular structure, a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the fixing seat that directly contacts the heating element is a non-closed arc surface, and the non-closed arc surface and the electrode connection member are sequentially arranged in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical tubular structure,
The sum of the central angle a1 corresponding to the non-closed arc surface and the central angle a2 corresponding to the electrode connecting member is the central angle A1 corresponding to the fixing seat.
A heating assembly comprising: 2. The heating assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the electrode connection members, each of the electrode connection members being arranged at intervals along a circumferential direction of the heating element, each of the electrode connection members being pressed between the fixing seat and the heating element, and a portion of the fixing seat that directly abuts against the heating element being located between two adjacent electrode connection members. The electrode connection members are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the heating element,
The heating assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that the portion of the fixing base that directly contacts the heating element is a positioning portion, and one positioning portion is present between each two adjacent electrode connection members. The heating assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrode connection member includes a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion electrically connected to each other, the first conductive portion is pressed against the heating element, the second conductive portion penetrates the fixing seat and extends to the opposite side of the fixing seat from the heating element, and the second conductive portion is used for electrically connecting to an external circuit. The heating assembly of claim 4, characterized in that the fixed seat includes a fixed sleeve, a side wall of the fixed sleeve is fitted around the outer periphery of the heating element, the first conductive portion is located between the heating element and the side wall of the fixed sleeve, and the second conductive portion penetrates a bottom wall of the fixed sleeve. The heating assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the portion of the electrode connection member for electrically connecting to the heating element is an elastic piece, and at least a portion of the fixing seat shields the side of the elastic piece away from the heating element. The heating assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that the electrode connection member includes a plurality of the elastic pieces, each of which is arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the heating element, and each of the elastic pieces is positioned between the fixing seat and the heating element. The heating assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that the portion of the heating element for electrically connecting to the electrode connection member has an electrode layer, the electrode layer is electrically connected to the heating element, and the elastic piece is pressed against the electrode layer . An aerosol generating device comprising: an external circuit; and the heating assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the external circuit is electrically connected to the electrode connecting member.

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