US-20260123678-A1 - AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE

US20260123678A1US 20260123678 A1US20260123678 A1US 20260123678A1US-20260123678-A1

Abstract

Disclosed is an aerosol-generating device including an elongated body, a cartridge including a storage chamber containing an aerosol-generating substance and an absorbent member impregnated with the aerosol-generating substance, the cartridge being detachably coupled to the body, and a heater module including a wick and a heater configured to heat the wick, the heater module being detachably coupled to the body and the cartridge by sliding movement in a first direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the body, wherein the absorbent member is in contact with the wick and presses the wick when the heater module is slidably moved and is coupled to the body.

Inventors

SangJoon Kim
Sangkyu Park
Jaemin Lee
Sehwan JUNG
Byungsung CHO

Assignees

KT&G CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251003
Priority Date: 20241105

Claims (14)

1 . An aerosol-generating device comprising: an elongated body; a cartridge comprising a storage chamber containing an aerosol-generating substance and an absorbent member impregnated with the aerosol-generating substance, the cartridge being detachably coupled to the body; and a heater module comprising a wick and a heater configured to heat the wick, the heater module being detachably coupled to the body and the cartridge by sliding movement in a first direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the body, wherein the absorbent member is in contact with the wick and presses the wick when the heater module is slidably moved and is coupled to the body.
2 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the heater module comprises a wick hole formed to be open upwards, exposing at least a part of the wick to an outside of the heater module, and the absorbent member has a portion protruding downwards from the cartridge and the protruding portion is inserted into the wick hole in a state in which the heater module is coupled to the body so as to press an exposed portion of the wick downwards.
3 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 2 , wherein a length of the absorbent member protruding downwards from the cartridge is equal to or greater than a height of the wick hole.
4 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 2 , wherein the cartridge comprises a body hole formed in a lower side of the cartridge, and exposing the protruding portion of the absorbent member to an outside of the cartridge, and both ends of the protruding portion of the absorbent member are spaced apart from the body hole in the first direction.
5 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the absorbent member has a portion protruding downwards from the cartridge, and the protruding portion of the absorbent member has an inclined surface formed on at least one of both ends of the protruding portion in the first direction.
6 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the heater module comprises a second connection terminal in contact with the heater, the second connection terminal having one end exposed to a lower side of the heater module, and the body comprises a first connection terminal formed to protrude toward an accommodation space in which the heater module is accommodated, the first connection terminal contacting the second connection terminal.
7 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 6 , wherein the first connection terminal comprises: a first part fixed to the body; and a second part connected to the first part, wherein at least a part of the second part obliquely extends in a direction away from an opening through which the heater module is inserted into the body and contacts the second connection terminal.
8 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 7 , wherein the first connection terminal further comprises a third part connected to the second part, the third part obliquely extending downwards from the second part.
9 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the body comprises: a first opening for the cartridge to be inserted thereinto; and a second opening for the heater module to be inserted thereinto, and the second opening is open in a direction intersecting a direction in which the first opening is open.
10 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 9 , wherein the body comprises a guide portion formed in the longitudinal direction of the body, the guide portion being connected to the first opening and the second opening, and one end of the cartridge is inserted into the body through the first opening, and the cartridge is coupled to the body by sliding movement along the guide portion.
11 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 10 , wherein the cartridge comprises a slit formed by a portion of a side surface of the cartridge being recessed, the slit extending lengthwise in a longitudinal direction of the cartridge, and the body comprises a guide rib protruding inwards from the body, wherein the guide rib extends in a direction in which the guide portion extends and being coupled to the slit.
12 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 11 , wherein an upper end of the slit is closed, and a lower end of the slit is open downwards, and the guide rib is inserted into the slit and is slidably moved upwards along the slit such that an upper end of the guide rib contacts the upper end of the slit to prevent downward movement of the cartridge.
13 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 10 , wherein the body comprises a fixing groove formed by a portion of an inner surface of the body being recessed, the fixing groove extending in a circumferential direction of the body, and the cartridge comprises a fixing protrusion protruding outwards from a side surface of the cartridge, the fixing protrusion extending in a circumferential direction of the cartridge and being coupled to the fixing groove.
14 . The aerosol-generating device according to claim 13 , wherein the fixing groove comprises a first fixing groove and a second fixing groove disposed adjacent to the first opening in the longitudinal direction of the body, and the first fixing groove is spaced farther apart from the first opening than the second fixing groove in the longitudinal direction of the body.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0155100, filed on Nov. 5, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 1. Field of the disclosure The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating device. 2. Description of the Related Art An aerosol-generating device is a device that extracts certain components from a medium or a substance through an aerosol. The medium may contain a multicomponent substance. The substance contained in the medium may be a multicomponent flavoring substance. For example, the substance contained in the medium may include a nicotine component, an herbal component, and/or a coffee component. Recently, various studies on aerosol-generating devices have been conducted. In an aerosol-generating device with a replaceable cartridge, a liquid and a heater provided in the cartridge may have different replacement cycles. However, in the conventional aerosol-generating device with a replaceable cartridge, a liquid and a heater are integrally provided in the cartridge. Therefore, when the liquid is consumed, the cartridge also needs to be replaced. Accordingly, there is a problem in that the heater is wasted regardless of a replacement cycle of the heater, leading to an unnecessary increase in replacement costs. Furthermore, in order to enable a heater module to be replaced separately from a cartridge, a three-stage coupling structure including a body, a heater module, and a cartridge needs to be provided. Meanwhile, in the case of a structure in which a heater module and a cartridge are sequentially coupled to a body in one direction, components provided in a device may not be stably coupled to each other. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE It is an object of the present disclosure to solve the above and other problems. It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an aerosol-generating device configured to detachably couple a heater module to a body and a cartridge by enabling the heater module to be slidably moved in a direction intersecting a direction in which the cartridge is coupled to the body. It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an aerosol-generating device having a structure in which, when a heater module is coupled to a body and a cartridge, a wick of the heater module is pressed by an absorbent member of the cartridge. It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an aerosol-generating device having a structure in which both ends of an absorbent member of a cartridge are spaced apart from a body hole in a direction in which a heater module is coupled to a body. It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an aerosol-generating device having an inclined surface provided on at least a part of both ends of an absorbent member of a cartridge in a direction in which a heater module is coupled to a body. It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an aerosol-generating device having a structure in which a connection terminal of a heater module obliquely extends in a direction in which a heater module is coupled to a body. It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an aerosol-generating device having a structure including a slit and a rib configured to prevent movement of a cartridge toward the inside of a body beyond a certain distance in a state in which the cartridge is coupled to the body in a longitudinal direction of the body. It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an aerosol-generating device having a structure including a fixing groove and a fixing protrusion formed to extend in a direction intersecting a direction in which a cartridge is inserted into a body and coupled to each other. In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure for accomplishing the above objects, an aerosol-generating device includes an elongated body, a cartridge including a storage chamber containing an aerosol-generating substance and an absorbent member impregnated with the aerosol-generating substance, the cartridge being detachably coupled to the body, and a heater module including a wick and a heater configured to heat the wick, the heater module being detachably coupled to the body and the cartridge by sliding movement in a first direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the body, wherein the absorbent member is in contact with the wick and presses the wick when the heater module is slidably moved and is coupled to the body. In accordance with at least one of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a structure in which a heater module is slidably moved in a direction intersecting a direction in which a cartridge is coupled to a body so as to be detachably coupled to the body and the cartridge, whereby it is possible to separate the heater module from the body independently of the cartri