(19)
(11) EP 4 427 611 A1

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION
published in accordance with Art. 153(4) EPC

(43) Date of publication:
11.09.2024 Bulletin 2024/37

(21) Application number: 22889027.3

(22) Date of filing: 27.09.2022
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
A24F 40/46(2020.01)
(52) Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC):
A24F 40/60; A24F 40/50; A24F 40/40; A24F 40/46
(86) International application number:
PCT/CN2022/121841
(87) International publication number:
WO 2023/078001 (11.05.2023 Gazette 2023/19)
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR
Designated Extension States:
BA ME
Designated Validation States:
KH MA MD TN

(30) Priority: 03.11.2021 CN 202122692969 U

(71) Applicant: Shenzhen Merit Technology Co., Ltd.
Shenzhen, Guangdong 518105 (CN)

(72) Inventors:
  • CHENG, Peng
    Shenzhen, Guangdong 518105 (CN)
  • LIAO, Yancheng
    Shenzhen, Guangdong 518105 (CN)

(74) Representative: Westphal, Mussgnug & Partner, Patentanwälte mbB 
Werinherstraße 79
81541 München
81541 München (DE)

   


(54) HEATING ASSEMBLY AND AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE


(57) The present disclosure relates to a heating assembly and an aerosol generating device. The heating assembly comprises a heating tube, the inner wall of the heating tube is provided with a heating cavity configured for accommodating and heating an aerosol forming substrate, and the inner surface of the cavity wall of the heating cavity protrudes to form at least two airway protrusions. When the aerosol forming substrate is accommodated in the heating cavity, an air passage is formed between the outer surface of the aerosol forming substrate and the inner surface of the cavity wall of the heating cavity between at least one set of two airway protrusions, so that a smooth air flow during suction can be ensured.




Description

FIELD



[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of atomization, and more specifically, to a heating assembly and an aerosol generating device.

BACKGROUND



[0002] A heat-not-burning atomization device is an aerosol generating device that heats an atomizable material to form inhalable vapor in a low-temperature namely in a heat-not-burning manner. A heating assembly of the heat-not-burning atomization device generally includes a heating tube configured for accommodating an aerosol forming substrate and a heating member that extends into the heating tube and can be inserted into the aerosol forming substrate for heating.

SUMMARY


Technical problem



[0003] When the aerosol forming substrate is accommodated in the heating assembly, conventionally the outer peripheral surface of the aerosol forming substrate is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the heating tube, which can easily cause problems such as unsmooth airflow circulation and difficult suction.

Solution To The Problem


Technical Solution



[0004] A technical problem to be resolved in the present disclosure is to provide an improved heating assembly and an aerosol generating device having the heating assembly for the foregoing defects in the related art.

[0005] A technical solution adopted by the present disclosure to resolve the technical problem is to provide a heating assembly, including a heating tube, wherein the inner wall of the heating tube is provided with a heating cavity configured for accommodating and heating an aerosol forming substrate, and the inner surface of the cavity wall of the heating cavity protrudes to form at least two airway protrusions; when the aerosol forming substrate is accommodated in the heating cavity, an air passage is formed between the outer surface of the aerosol forming substrate and the inner surface of the cavity wall of the heating cavity between at least one set of two airway protrusions .

[0006] In some embodiments, there are a plurality of airway protrusions, and the plurality of airway protrusions are uniformly spaced along the circumferential direction of the heating cavity.

[0007] In some embodiments, the inner contours of the at least two airway protrusions at a same horizontal cross section are located on a same circumference.

[0008] In some embodiments, the heating cavity has a first end configured for inserting the aerosol forming substrate and a second end opposite the first end, the heating cavity has a cavity opening at the first end, and the diameter of a circle encircled by the inner contours of the at least two airway protrusions at a same horizontal cross section gradually decreases in the direction from the first end to the second end.

[0009] In some embodiments, each of the airway protrusions includes at least two segments of protrusions, and the at least two segments of protrusions have different slope angles.

[0010] In some embodiments, the at least two segments of protrusions include a first segment protrusion close to the first end and a second segment protrusion close to the second end, and the first segment protrusion and the second segment protrusion have different slope angles.

[0011] In some embodiments, the slope angle of the first segment protrusion is greater than or equal to the slope angle of the second segment protrusion.

[0012] In some embodiments, the slope angle of the first segment protrusion is 10 degrees to 40 degrees.

[0013] In some embodiments, the slope angle of the second segment protrusion is 1 degree to 10 degrees.

[0014] In some embodiments, each of the airway protrusions extends in the axial direction of the heating cavity.

[0015] In some embodiments, the heating assembly further includes a heating member extending into the heating cavity.

[0016] In some embodiments, the heating member is in a columnar shape or a sheet-like shape.

[0017] In some embodiments, the heating member is in a cylindrical shape.

[0018] In some embodiments, the heating assembly further includes a base, and the heating member is fixed on the base and accommodated in the heating cavity.

[0019] In some embodiments, the surface of the heating assembly away from the heating member is provided with electrical contact points electrically connected to the heating member.

[0020] The present disclosure further provides an aerosol generating device, including a shell, and the heating assembly of any one of the above disposed in the shell.

[0021] In some embodiments, the heating assembly is detachably disposed in the shell.

[0022] In some embodiments, the heating assembly is slidably disposed in the shell.

[0023] In some embodiments, the aerosol generating device further includes an upper cover assembly disposed at one end of the shell, and the upper cover assembly is provided with an inserting hole configured for inserting the aerosol forming substrate.

[0024] In some embodiments, the upper cover assembly is slidably and detachably accommodated in the accommodating cavity.

Beneficial Effects Of The Disclosure


Beneficial Effects



[0025] The implementation of the present disclosure at least has the following beneficial effects: when the aerosol forming substrate is accommodated in the heating cavity, the air passage is formed between the outer surface of the aerosol forming substrate and each two adjacent airway protrusions, so that a smooth air flow during suction can be ensured.

[0026] Further, the diameter of the circle encircled by the inner contours of the at least two airway protrusions at the same horizontal cross section gradually decreases in the direction from the first end to the second end, which can form a guiding effect for the insertion of the aerosol forming substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS



[0027] The present disclosure will be described in even greater detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram of an aerosol generating device when a dustproof cover thereof is closed in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 1 when the dustproof cover is opened and an aerosol forming substrate is inserted;

FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded schematic diagram of a heating assembly in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional schematic diagram of the heating assembly in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an exploded schematic diagram of an elastic mechanism in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is an A-A longitudinal sectional schematic diagram of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is an A-A longitudinal sectional schematic diagram of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 2 when moved to a second position after unlocking;

FIG. 9 is a transversal sectional schematic diagram of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a B-B longitudinal sectional schematic diagram of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 11 is a B-B longitudinal sectional schematic diagram of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 2 when moved to a second position after unlocking.


DETAILED DESCRIPTION



[0028] In order to have a clearer understanding of the technical features, the objectives, and the effects of the present disclosure, specific implementations of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that orientation or position relationships indicated by the terms such as "front", "back", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", and "outer" are based on orientation or position relationships shown in the accompanying drawings or orientation or position relationships of usual placement of the present disclosure product when used, and are used only for ease and brevity of illustration and description of the present disclosure, rather than indicating or implying that the mentioned apparatus or component needs to have a particular orientation or needs to be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore, should not be construed as a limitation to the present disclosure. In addition, the terms such as "vertical", "horizontal", " longitudinal", " transversal" and the like used in the present disclosure are merely for the purpose of description, and do not imply that they are the only implementations.

[0030] It should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, terms such as "mounted", "connected", "connection", "fixation", and "disposed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, the connection may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; or the connection may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; or the connection may be a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or internal communication between two elements or a mutual action relationship between two elements. When one element is described as "above" or "below" another element, it means that they may be in direct contact, or they may be in indirect contact through one or more intermediaries. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, features defined by "first", "second", "third", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of these features. For ordinary technical personnel in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood based on specific circumstances.

[0031] FIG. 1 to FIG. 11 show an aerosol generating device 1 in some embodiments of the present disclosure, and the aerosol generating device 1 can be used to perform a low-temperature heating on an aerosol forming substrate 9 inserted therein, so as to release the aerosol extracted from the aerosol forming substrate 9 in a non-combustion state. The aerosol generating device 1 is roughly in an elliptical cylindrical shape, and the aerosol forming substrate 9 is in a cylindrical shape and includes a solid matrix of plant leaves. It can be understood that in other embodiments, the aerosol generating device 1 is not limited to being in the elliptical cylindrical shape, and may also be in a cylindrical shape, a square cylindrical shape, or other shapes.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, the aerosol generating device 1 includes a shell 10 which is tubular, and an upper cover assembly 20, a heating assembly 30, a battery 70, and a circuit board 80 which are accommodated in the shell 10. The battery 70 is disposed in a lower portion of the shell 10 and configured to provide energy to the heating assembly 30. The circuit board 80 is disposed in a middle portion of the shell 10, and is provided with a related control circuits. The control circuit is respectively electrically connected to the battery 70 and the heating assembly 30, and configured to control the battery 70 to supply power to the heating assembly 30. The shell 10 is provided with a switch 13 and a display screen 12. The switch 13 is configured to receive an operation of a user, to activate the circuit board 80 to control the battery 70 to supply power to the heating assembly 30. The display screen 12 may be configured to display the state of the aerosol generating device 1 or to prompt the user.

[0033] An accommodating cavity 100 is formed at the upper end of the shell 10, an opening 101 is formed at the top of the accommodating cavity 100, and the upper cover assembly 20 and the heating assembly 30 are detachably accommodated in the accommodating cavity 100. An inserting hole 210 is formed on the upper cover assembly 20 for inserting the aerosol forming substrate 9, a heating cavity 310 is formed in the heating assembly 30 for accommodating and heating the aerosol forming substrate 9, and the aerosol forming substrate 9 can be inserted into the heating cavity 310 via the inserting hole 210. When the heating assembly 30 is powered on to generate heat, the heat can be transferred to the aerosol forming substrate 9, thereby achieving the baking and heating of the aerosol forming substrate 9. The heating manner of heating assembly 30 is not limited, for example, it may be a resistance heating, an electromagnetic heating, an infrared radiation heating, or a composite heating.

[0034] The upper cover assembly 20 is detachably arranged in the accommodating cavity 100 and can slide back and forth between a first position and a second position. The upper cover assembly 20 includes an upper cover 21 that is vertically slidably disposed in the accommodating cavity 100, and a dustproof cover 22 that is horizontally slidably disposed on the upper side of the upper cover 21. The inserting hole 210 penetrates through the upper cover 21 longitudinally, and the shape and the size of the inserting hole 210 may be adapted to the shape and the size of the aerosol forming substrate 9. When the upper cover assembly 20 is in the first position, the upper cover 21 is accommodated in the accommodating cavity 100. When the upper cover assembly 20 is in the second position, at least part of the upper cover 21 is exposed from the accommodating cavity 100, and at this time, the upper cover assembly 20 can be pulled out of the accommodating cavity 100.

[0035] The dustproof cover 22 is configured to cover or expose the inserting hole 210. When the aerosol generating device 1 is not used, the dustproof cover 22 can be pushed to cover the inserting hole 210, thereby preventing the dust from entering the inserting hole 210. When the aerosol generating device 1 is needed to be used, the dustproof cover 22 can be pushed to expose the inserting hole 210, so that the aerosol forming substrate 9 can be inserted from the inserting hole 210.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the heating assembly 30 is detachably arranged in the accommodating cavity 100 and can slide back and forth between the first position and the second position. In some embodiments, the heating assembly 30 and the upper cover assembly 20 are detachably disposed, and the upper end of the heating assembly 30 extends into the inserting hole 210. A positioning portion 211 is formed in the inserting hole 210, and the positioning portion 211 cooperates with the upper end of the heating assembly 30, so that the upper cover assembly 20 can press the heating assembly 30 to be locked. The positioning portion 211 is formed by extending inwards from the inner wall of the inserting hole 210. In this embodiment, two positioning portions 211 are provided, and are respectively located on two sides of the inserting hole 210 in the circumferential direction. In other embodiments, the number of the positioning portions 211 may also be multiple. In another embodiments, one positioning portion 211 may be provided, which may have an annular shape. It can be understood that in other embodiments, the heating assembly 30 and the upper cover assembly 20 are not limited to being assembled together in a detachable manner, for example, the heating assembly 30 and the upper cover assembly 20 may also be integrally formed.

[0037] The heating assembly 30 includes a heating tube 31, a base 33 disposed at the bottom of the heating tube 31, and a heating member 32 disposed on the base 33. The heating tube 31 is tubular in shape, and the inner wall of the heating tube 31 defines the heating cavity 310 for accommodating the aerosol forming substrate 9. The inner wall of the heating tube 31 extends inwards to form an annular protrusion 315, and when the aerosol forming substrate 9 is accommodated in the heating cavity 310, the lower end surface of the aerosol forming substrate 9 is abutted against the upper end surface of the annular protrusion 315. A limiting flange 313 that is matched with the positioning portion 211 is formed on the outer wall of the upper end of the heating tube 31. The limiting flange 313 can push the heating assembly 30 to move downwards under the pressing of the positioning portion 211, and can push the heating assembly 30 to move upwards under the pushing of the sliding member 40. In some embodiments, the limiting flange 313 may be annular and formed by extending radially outward from the outer wall of the upper end of the heating tube 31. The lower end surface of the positioning portion 211 is abutted against the limiting flange 313, so that the heating assembly 30 can be pushed to move downwards in the direction away from the opening 101 of the accommodating cavity 100 when the upper cover assembly 20 is pushed down. In other embodiments, the positioning portion 211 may also be abutted against the upper end surface of the heating tube 31, so that the heating tube 31 may not be provided with the limiting flange 313.

[0038] In some embodiments, the inner surface of the cavity wall of the heating cavity 310 protrudes to form at least two airway protrusions 311, and each of the airway protrusions 31 extends in the axial direction of the heating cavity 310. When the aerosol forming substrate 9 is accommodated in the heating cavity 310, the outer surface of the aerosol forming substrate 9 is abutted against at least one set of two airway protrusions 311, and an air passage 312 for gas flow is formed between the outer surface of the aerosol forming substrate 9 and the at least one set of two airway protrusions 311. Specifically, a gap is formed between the outer surface of the aerosol forming substrate 9, and the inner surface of the cavity wall, between the at least one set of two airway protrusions 311, of the heating cavity 310, and the gap forms the air passage 312. In this way, it can be ensured that the airflow flows smoothly during the suction. Preferably, a plurality of airway protrusions 311 are provided, which are uniformly spaced along the circumferential direction of the heating cavity 310. In some embodiments, the number of the airway protrusions 311 is 6 to 12. The air passage 312 is formed between the outer surface of the aerosol forming substrate 9 and every two adjacent airway protrusions 311, which can facilitate a smoother airflow during suction.

[0039] In some embodiments, the inner contours in a same horizontal cross section of the plurality of airway protrusions 311 are located on a same circumference. The heating cavity 310 has a first end and a second end arranged opposite to each other in the axial direction. The first end has a cavity opening 3101 and is configured for inserting the aerosol forming substrate 9, that is, the first end is the end close to the upper cover assembly 20, and the second end is the end close to the base 33. The diameter of the circle formed by the inner contours in the same horizontal cross section of the plurality of airway protrusions 311 gradually decreases in the direction from the first end to the second end, thus forming a guiding effect for the insertion of the aerosol forming substrate 9. In this embodiment, each airway protrusion 311 includes a first segment protrusion 3111 and a second segment protrusion 3112 axially connected to the lower end of the first segment protrusion 3111. The first segment protrusion 3111 and the second segment protrusion 3112 present different slope angles, wherein the slope angle α of the first segment protrusion 3111 is greater than or equal to the slope angle β of the second segment protrusion 3112. In some embodiments, the slope angle α of the first segment protrusion 3111 is 10 degrees to 40 degrees, and the slope angle β of the second segment protrusion 3112 is 1 degree to 10 degrees. The slope angle of the first segment protrusion 3111 located above is relatively large, which is conducive to a rapid introduction of the aerosol forming substrate 9. The slope angle β of the second segment protrusion 3112 located below is relatively small, which can achieve circumferential positioning of the aerosol forming substrate 9 and form the air passage 312 for gas flow. In other embodiments, each airway protrusion 311 may also be formed by at least three segments of protrusions sequentially connected in the axial direction, and the at least three segments of protrusions present different slope angles, wherein the slope angle of the segment protrusion located above is greater than or equal to the slope angle of the segment protrusion located below.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4, the base 33 is embedded in the bottom opening of the heating tube 31, and is connected to the heating tube 31 in a snap-fit connection. Specifically, the outer surface of the base 33 protrudes outward to form at least one buckle portion 332, and the heating tube 31 forms at least one slot 314 corresponding to the at least one buckle portion 332. The at least one buckle portion 332 and the at least one slot 314 are buckled with each other, so that the heating tube 31 and the base 33 are fixed to each other. In this embodiment, two slots 314 are provided and are respectively arranged on two circumferential sides of the heating tube 31. Correspondingly, two buckle portions 332 corresponding to the two slots 314 are formed on two circumferential sides of the base 33 respectively. In other embodiments, the heating tube 31 and the base 33 may also be integrally formed.

[0041] The heating member 32 may be in a sheet-like shape or a columnar shape. The lower end of the heating member 32 is inserted in the base 33 to be fixed. The upper end of the heating member 32 is accommodated in the heating cavity 310 and can be inserted into the aerosol forming substrate 9 to heat the aerosol forming substrate 9. In this embodiment, the heating member 32 is cylindrical and has a conical head 321, which can facilitate the insertion into the aerosol forming substrate 9. Due to the cylindrical shape of the heating member 32, after the aerosol forming substrate 9 is heated, the aerosol forming substrate 9 can be manually rotated to separate it from the adhesive part heated by the heating member 32, and then the aerosol forming substrate 9 can be removed.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, in some embodiments, the aerosol generating device 1 further includes at least two elastic electrodes 81 disposed in the shell 10 and electrically connected to the circuit board 80. The surface of the base 33 opposite to the heating cavity 310, i.e., the bottom surface of the base 33, is provided with at least two electrical contact points 34 electrically connected to the heating member 32. The heating member 32 can be in electrical contact with or disconnected from the at least two elastic electrodes 81 via the at least two electrical contact points 34. Further, a plurality of electrical contact points 34 and a plurality of elastic electrodes 81 are provided, and the plurality of electrical contact points 34 and the plurality of elastic electrodes 81 can be further used for electrical connection with an electronic component such as a temperature detection element disposed on the heating member 32.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the heating assembly 30 further includes a sealing ring 35, which may be made of an elastic material such as a silicone. The sealing ring 35 is sealingly sleeved outside the heating member 32, and clamped between the lower end surface of the annular protrusion 315 and the upper end surface of the base 33.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 6, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, the aerosol generating device 1 further includes an elastic mechanism 50 disposed in the shell 10, a bracket assembly 60 disposed in the shell 10, and a sliding member 40 slidably disposed in the shell 10. The elastic mechanism 50 has a locked position and a released position. When the elastic mechanism 50 is switched from the locked position to the released position, the elastic mechanism 50 can push the upper cover assembly 20 and the heating assembly 30 to move upwards towards the opening 101 of the accommodating cavity 100.

[0045] In some embodiments, the elastic mechanism 50 includes a first elastic assembly 51 and a second elastic assembly 52 that cooperate with each other. The first elastic assembly 51 supports the sliding member 40 below and can push the sliding member 40 to move upwards, and can move downwards under the pressing of the sliding member 40. The first elastic assembly 51 includes a push rod 511 vertically movable disposed in the shell 10 and a first elastic member 512 connected to the push rod 511. The second elastic assembly 52 is configured to lock or release the first elastic assembly 51, and includes a locking member 521 laterally movable disposed in the shell 10 and a second elastic member 523 connected to the locking member 521. The push rod 511 and the locking member 521 respectively form a first snap-fit portion 5114 and a second snap-fit portion 5213 snap-fitted with each other. The first snap-fit portion 5114 and the second snap-fit portion 5213 are engaged or disengaged with each other to lock or release the first elastic assembly 51. When the push rod 511 and the locking member 521 are engaged with each other, the upper end surface of the first snap-fit portion 5114 is abutted against the lower end surface of the second snap-fit portion 5213 under the elastic forces of the first elastic member 512 and the second elastic member 523, thereby locking the first elastic assembly 51. When the locking member 521 moves laterally inwards under the action of an external force, the second snap-fit portion 5213 moves laterally inwards to be disengaged from the first snap-fit portion 5114, thereby releasing the locking of the first elastic assembly 51. Then the push rod 511 moves upwards under the elastic force of the first elastic member 512, pushing the sliding member 40 to move, and thereby pushing the upper cover assembly 20 and the heating assembly 30 to move.

[0046] Specifically, the first elastic assembly 51 and the second elastic assembly 52 is disposed in the bracket assembly 60. The bracket assembly 60 includes a first bracket 61 and a second bracket 62 that are matched with each other. The battery 70 and the circuit board 80 are accommodated between the first bracket 61 and the second bracket 62. A support member 66 is further provided which is fixedly disposed in the bracket assembly 60 to support the push rod 511 and the first elastic member 512. The push rod 511 is vertically slidably disposed in the bracket assembly 60, and includes a first rod segment 5111, a second rod segment 5112, and a third rod segment 5113 connected sequentially from the top to the bottom in the axial direction. Wherein, the external cross-sectional dimension of the second rod segment 5112 is larger than the external cross-sectional dimensions of the first rod segment 5111 and the third rod segment 5113. The bracket assembly 60 has a top wall 63, on which a through hole 64 is provided for the first rod segment 5111 to slide through. The shape and the size of the cross-section of the through hole 64 are adapted to the shape and the size of the cross-section of the first rod segment 5111. The first rod segment 5111 passes through the through hole 64 and abuts against the bottom wall of the sliding member 40, so as to push the sliding member 40 to move upwards.

[0047] The third rod segment 5113 is cylindrical, and the lower end of the third rod segment 5113 slidably passes through the support member 66 in the vertical direction. The first elastic member 512 may be a columnar-shaped spring and sleeved on the third rod segment 5113. The upper end of the first elastic member 512 abuts against the lower end surface of the second rod segment 5112, and the lower end of the first elastic member 512 abuts against the upper end surface of the support member 66. The first elastic member 512 has a compressed state and a released state, wherein when the elastic mechanism 50 is in the locked position, the first elastic member 512 is in the compressed state. When the elastic mechanism 50 is switched from the locked position to the released position, the length of the first elastic member 512 increases to generate an elastic reset force, which acts on the push rod 511 to move it upwards. In other embodiments, the first elastic member 512 may also be a disc-shaped spring, an elastic sheet, a torsion spring or other structures that can generate an elastic deformation, thereby an elastic reset force is generated by generating the elastic deformation, and the elastic reset force acts on the push rod 511 to make it move upwards.

[0048] The first snap-fit portion 5114 is formed on the second rod segment 5112. The second rod segment 5112 is roughly in a square column shape, and the side of the second rod segment 5112 facing the locking member 521 recesses inwardly to form a groove 5115, which can avoid the interference between the second rod segment 5112 and the locking member 521. The inner wall of the slot 5115 protrudes inwards to form the first snap-fit portion 5114.

[0049] The shell 10 is provided with a pressing key 11 corresponding to the second elastic assembly 52, and the pressing key 11 and the display screen 12 are respectively disposed on two sides of the shell 10. When the pressing key 11 is pressed by an external force, the locking member 521 can be pushed to move inwards laterally. After the pressing is released, the locking member 521 and the pressing key 11 can move outward laterally to be reset under the elastic force of the second elastic member 523. The locking member 521 includes a main body portion 5211 and a second snap-fit portion 5213 extending outward from one side of the main body portion 5211. The main body portion 5211 may be in a square tubular shape, and the side of the main body portion 5211 facing the pressing key 11extends inwards laterally to form a mounting hole 5212 for mounting the second elastic member 523. The lower end surface of the first snap-fit portion 5114 and the upper end surface of the second snap-fit portion 5213 further form a first guiding slope 5116 and a second guiding slope 5214, respectively. When the push rod 511 is pressed down, the locking member 521 can be pushed to move inwards laterally through the mutual cooperation of the first guiding slope 5116 and the second guiding slope 5214, so that the first snap-fit portion 5114 can move downward to a position below the second snap-fit portion 5213 to be engaged with the second snap-fit portion 5213.

[0050] The second elastic assembly 52 further includes a mounting member 52 fixedly disposed in the bracket assembly 60. The mounting member 52 may be in a sheet-like shape and configured to limit the position of the second elastic member 523. The second elastic member 523 may be a spring and disposed in the mounting hole 5212. One end of the second elastic member 523 abuts against the bottom wall of the mounting hole 5212, and the other end of the second elastic member 523 abuts against the mounting member 52.

[0051] The sliding member 40 may be roughly elliptical in shape. The sliding member 40 is slidably disposed in the shell 10 and can slide back and forth between the first position and the second position. A containment hole 41 is formed on the sliding member 40 in the longitudinal direction in a penetrating manner, and the heating assembly 30 passes through the containment hole 41. A limiting structure is provided in the sliding member 40 to limit the maximum upward moving position of the sliding member 40 to prevent the sliding member 40 from being detached from the shell 10. The limiting structure is fixedly connected to the bracket assembly 60, and includes a limiting column 65 longitudinally slidably arranged in the sliding member 40 and a limiting member 45 extending laterally from the limiting column 65. The limiting column 65 is formed by extending upwards from the top wall 63 of the bracket assembly 60. The limiting member 45 may be substantially in the shape of a transversely arranged sheet, and is fixedly mounted on one side of the top end of the limiting column 65.

[0052] The sliding member 40 abuts against the lower portion of the upper cover 21 and is magnetically connected to the upper cover 21. When the sliding member 40 and the upper cover assembly 20 are in the second position, the upper cover assembly 20 is only partially exposed outside the accommodating cavity 100 of the shell 10, and the upper cover assembly 20 is magnetically attracted to the sliding member 40 without jumping out of the accommodating cavity 100. A first magnetic attraction member 23 configured for magnetic connection with the sliding member 40 is provided in the upper cover 21, and/or, a second magnetic attraction member 43 configured for magnetic connection with the upper cover 21 is provided in the sliding member 40. The first magnetic attraction member 23 may be a magnet and embedded in the bottom of the upper cover 21. The second magnetic attraction member 43 may be a magnet and suspended in the sliding member 40, and is fixedly mounted on the lower side of the limiting member 45. The limiting member 45 may be made of a magnetic material capable of being adsorbed by the second magnetic attraction member 43, for example, it may be made of a ferrous material.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 7, FIG. 9, and FIG. 10, when using the aerosol generating device 1, the elastic mechanism 50 is in the locked position, and the first snap-fit portion 5114 of the push rod 511 is engaged with the second snap-fit portion 5213 of the locking member 521. The upper cover assembly 20, the heating assembly 30, and the sliding member 40 are all in the first position, and the upper cover assembly 20 and the sliding member 40 are attracted to each other through a magnetic force. The heating assembly 30 is located in the opening 101 of the accommodating cavity 100, the electrical contact points 34 at the bottom of the heating assembly 30 are connected and conductive to the elastic electrodes 81 disposed in the shell 10, the upper end surface of the limiting flange 313 on the outer periphery of the heating tube 31 abuts against the lower end surface of the positioning portion 211 in the inserting hole 210, and a gap is formed between the lower end surface of the limiting flange 313 and the upper end surface of the sliding member 40. In other embodiments, the lower end surface of the limiting flange 313 may also abut against the upper end surface of the sliding member 40. The upper cover 21 may be completely accommodated in the accommodating cavity 100, and the top of the upper cover 21 may be located in the opening 101 of the accommodating cavity 100 or may be flush with the opening 101 of the accommodating cavity 100. In other embodiments, the upper cover 21 may also be partially exposed outside the opening 101 of the accommodating cavity 100. The dustproof cover 22 may be exposed outside the shell 10 to facilitate user operation.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 11, when the aerosol generating device 1 has been used for a period of time and the heating assembly 30 needs to be cleaned, the pressing key 11 on the surface of the shell 10 can be pressed inwards to push the locking assembly 521 to move laterally inwards, so that the second snap-fit portion 5213 of the locking assembly 521 is detached from the first snap-fit portion 5114 of the push rod 511, and the push rod 511 moves upwards under the elastic force of the first elastic assembly 512, pushing the sliding member 40, the upper cover assembly 20 and the heating assembly 30 to move upwards to the second position. At this time, both the upper cover assembly 20 and the heating assembly 30 are partially exposed outside the opening 101 of the accommodating cavity 100, so that the upper cover assembly 20 and the heating assembly 30 can be sequentially removed, and the heating assembly 30 can be cleaned or replaced with a new heating assembly 30. After cleaning, the heating assembly 30 and the upper cover assembly 20 are sequentially mounted into the accommodating cavity 100, then the upper cover assembly 20 is pressed down, the heating assembly 30 and the sliding member 40 are pushed to move downwards to the first position again, and the push rod 511 is pushed to move downwards through sliding member 40, so that the first snap-fit portion 5114 of the push rod 511 and the second snap-fit portion 5213 of the locking assembly 521 are re-clamped together.

[0055] It may be understood that the foregoing technical features may be used in any combination without limitation.

[0056] While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. It will be understood that changes and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill within the scope of the following claims. In particular, the present disclosure covers further embodiments with any combination of features from different embodiments described above and below. Additionally, statements made herein characterizing the disclosure refer to an embodiment of the disclosure and not necessarily all embodiments.


Claims

1. A heating assembly, comprising:

a heating tube (31),

wherein the inner wall of the heating tube (31) is provided with a heating cavity (310) configured for accommodating and heating an aerosol forming substrate (9),

wherein the inner surface of the cavity wall of the heating cavity (310) protrudes to form at least two airway protrusions (311), and

when the aerosol forming substrate (9) is accommodated in the heating cavity (310), an air passage (312) is formed between the outer surface of the aerosol forming substrate (9), and the inner surface of the cavity wall of the heating cavity (310) between at least one set of two airway protrusions (311).


 
2. The heating assembly of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of airway protrusions (311), and the plurality of airway protrusions (311) are uniformly spaced along the circumferential direction of the heating cavity (310).
 
3. The heating assembly of claim 1, wherein the inner contours of the at least two airway protrusions (311) at a same horizontal cross section are located on a same circumference.
 
4. The heating assembly of claim 1, wherein the heating cavity (310) has a first end configured for inserting the aerosol forming substrate (9) and a second end opposite the first end,

wherein the heating cavity (310) has a cavity opening (3101) at the first end, and

wherein the diameter of a circle encircled by the inner contours of the at least two airway protrusions (311) at a same horizontal cross section gradually decreases in the direction from the first end to the second end.


 
5. The heating assembly of claim 4, wherein each of the airway protrusions (311) comprises at least two segments of protrusions, and the at least two segments of protrusions have different slope angles.
 
6. The heating assembly of claim 5, wherein the at least two segments of protrusions comprise a first segment protrusion (3111) close to the first end and a second segment protrusion (3112) close to the second end, and
wherein the first segment protrusion (3111) and the second segment protrusion (3112) have different slope angles.
 
7. The heating assembly of claim 6, wherein the slope angle of the first segment protrusion (3111) is greater than or equal to the slope angle of the second segment protrusion (3112).
 
8. The heating assembly of claim 6, wherein the slope angle of the first segment protrusion (3111) is 10 degrees to 40 degrees.
 
9. The heating assembly of claim 6, wherein the slope angle of the second segment protrusion (3112) is 1 degree to 10 degrees.
 
10. The heating assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the airway protrusions (311) extends in the axial direction of the heating cavity (310).
 
11. The heating assembly of any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising:
a heating member (32) extending into the heating cavity (310).
 
12. The heating assembly of claim 11, wherein the heating member (32) is in a columnar shape or a sheet-like shape.
 
13. The heating assembly of claim 11, wherein the heating member (32) is in a cylindrical shape.
 
14. The heating assembly of claim 11, further comprising:

a base (33),

wherein the heating member (32) is fixed on the base (33) and accommodated in the heating cavity (310).


 
15. The heating assembly of claim 11, wherein the surface of the heating assembly (30) away from the heating member (32) is provided with electrical contact points (34) electrically connected to the heating member (32).
 
16. An aerosol generating device, comprising:

a shell (10); and

the heating assembly of any one of claims 1 to 15 disposed in the shell (10).


 
17. The aerosol generating device of claim 16, wherein the heating assembly is detachably disposed in the shell (10).
 
18. The aerosol generating device of claim 16, wherein the heating assembly is slidably disposed in the shell (10).
 
19. The aerosol generating device of claim 16, further comprising:

an upper cover assembly (20) disposed at one end of the shell (10),

wherein the upper cover assembly (20) is provided with an inserting hole (210) configured for inserting the aerosol forming substrate (9).


 
20. The aerosol generating device of claim 19, wherein the upper cover assembly (20) is slidably and detachably accommodated in the accommodating cavity (100).
 




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