CN115701328A - Heater and aerosol-generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

A heater and an aerosol-generating device are disclosed, the heater comprising a heating element for atomising an aerosol-generating article to form an aerosol; the heater further comprises a display element disposed on or adjacent to the heating element; the display element comprises a plurality of display states, wherein at least one display state is used for feeding back the temperature of the heating element or the peripheral area of the heating element; the display element is configured to cause a change in its own state only in accordance with the temperature of the heating element, causing a switching of its plurality of display states. The temperature of the heater is directly fed back through the display element, and a user can know the temperature of the heater in time.

Description

Heater and aerosol-generating device

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of aerosol-generating devices, and in particular, to a heater and an aerosol-generating device.

Background

Smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, etc.) burn tobacco during use to produce tobacco smoke. Attempts have been made to replace these tobacco-burning products by making products that release compounds without burning.

An example of such a product is an aerosol-generating device, which releases a compound by heating rather than burning the material. For example, the material may be tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not include nicotine. The aerosol-generating device comprises a heater for heating the aerosol-forming substrate, and a power supply component for providing the heater with an electrical drive. Because the heater needs to be in contact with the smoking article, soiling is likely to be generated within the heater during heating of the aerosol-forming substrate, which can affect the smoking experience for re-use by the user if the heater is not cleaned in time, producing an aerosol which is not suitable for smoking.

The temperature measuring system in the existing aerosol generating device needs to be in contact connection with a heating element in the heater and is matched with a complex control system, so that the structure in the aerosol generating device is excessively complicated on one hand; on the other hand, the user cannot directly observe the temperature of the heater.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present application provide a heater, the temperature of which can be directly observed by a user, the heater comprising a heating element for atomizing an aerosol-generating article to form an aerosol; the heater further comprises a display element disposed on or adjacent to the heating element; the display element comprises a plurality of display states, wherein at least one display state is used for feeding back the temperature of the heating element or the peripheral area of the heating element; the display element is configured to cause a change in its own state to cause a switching of its plurality of display states only in dependence on the temperature of the heating element.

The present application further provides an aerosol-generating device comprising a heater and a power supply component, the power supply component providing an electrical drive to the heater, the heater being directly temperature-detectable by a user, the heater comprising a heating element for atomising an aerosol-generating article to form an aerosol; the heater further comprises a display element disposed on or adjacent to the heating element; the display element comprises a plurality of display states, wherein at least one display state is used for feeding back the temperature of the heating element or the peripheral area of the heating element; the display element is configured to cause a change in its own state to cause a switching of its plurality of display states only in dependence on the temperature of the heating element.

The present application further provides an aerosol-generating device comprising a heater and a power supply assembly, wherein the power supply assembly provides an electrical drive for the heater, and a user can directly observe and know the temperature of the heater, the heater comprises a heating assembly, the heating assembly comprises a heating element or comprises a heating element and a temperature measuring element, the power supply assembly is provided with a first electrical connector, and the first electrical connector is only used for contacting with the heating assembly and providing the electrical drive; the heater further comprises a display element disposed on the heating assembly or on a cavity surrounding the heating assembly; the display element comprises a plurality of display states, wherein the display states are switched according to the temperature of the heating assembly or the cavity.

According to the heater and the aerosol generating device provided by the application, as the display element is arranged on the heater and is arranged on the heating element or in the adjacent area of the heating element, the display element can sense the temperature of the heating element and change the display state of the display element, and a user can know the current temperature condition of the heater by directly observing the state of the display element.

Drawings

One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, which correspond to the figures in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and which are not to scale unless otherwise specified.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol-generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

figure 2 is an exploded view of an aerosol-generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the upper cover provided by an embodiment of the present application;

figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol-generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol-generating device provided by a further embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a heater provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a heater provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a heater provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a display device according to another embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

To facilitate an understanding of the present application, the present application is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed description.

It should be noted that all directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, horizontal, vertical, etc.) in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative position relationship between the components, the motion situation, etc. in a specific posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the specific posture is changed, the directional indicators are changed accordingly, the "connection" may be a direct connection or an indirect connection, and the "setting", and "setting" may be directly or indirectly set.

In addition, descriptions in this application as to "first", "second", etc. are for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicit to the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature.

An aerosol-generating device is provided for volatilising or releasing at least one component of an aerosol-generating article by means of heat rather than combustion to form an aerosol for inhalation by a user. Wherein the aerosol-generating article comprises a generally cylindrical smoking article 10.

In one embodiment provided herein, and as shown with reference to fig. 1-3, the aerosol-generating device comprises a lid 20, and a first wall 21 connected to one end of the lid 20, the first wall 21 being substantially cylindrical, the first wall 21 defining a first receiving cavity 22 therein that is contoured to the smoking article 10, the smoking article 10 being at least partially received in the first receiving cavity 22. The upper lid 20 has an opening 23 at one end communicating with the first receiving chamber 22, and the smoking article 10 is inserted into the first receiving chamber 22 through the opening 23. And the inner diameters of the first receiving cavity 22 and the opening 23 are slightly larger than the outer diameter of the smoking article 10, on one hand, the smoking article 10 can be fixedly held inside the first receiving cavity 22, and on the other hand, the heat generated by the heater 30 can be prevented from being lost from the gap between the opening 21 and the smoking article 10. The first wall 21 may be fixedly connected to the upper cover 20 or may be detachably connected thereto. In the preferred embodiment provided herein, the two components are detachably connected to facilitate all-around cleaning of the residual slag and ash inside the first wall 21. A boss 211 is provided at an end of the first wall 21, and an outer wall surface of the boss 211 abuts on an inner wall of the upper cover 20. A plurality of buckles 212 are oppositely arranged on the boss 211, a groove matched with the buckles is arranged on the inner wall of the upper cover 20, and the first wall 21 is fixedly connected to one end of the upper cover 20 through the buckles 212. When the cover 20 is rotated, the catch 212 of the first wall 21 is offset from the groove of the cover 20, and the first wall 21 can be removed from the opening at the other end of the cover 20.

Further, the aerosol-generating device 100 also comprises a heater 30 for heating the smoking article 10, the heater 30 also comprising an electrical resistance heater or an electromagnetic induction heater or an infrared heater or a combination of any of these. In one embodiment provided herein, and with reference to FIG. 4, the heater 30 is a resistive heater. The heater 30 includes a heating element 31, and the heating element 31 may be a rod or a sheet, and is fixed inside the first accommodating chamber 22, and the first accommodating chamber 22 is a heating chamber. The heating element 31 includes a base 311, and a heating line printed on the base, both ends of the heating line being connected to the positive and negative electrodes of the power module 40. When the heating element 31 is electrically connected to the power module 40, the heating element 31 is inserted into the smoking article 10 to heat the central portion of the smoking article 10. In an alternative embodiment, the resistive heater 30 may also be a heated tube inside which the smoking article 10 is placed, with heating circuitry printed on the inner or outer wall of the heated tube to provide circumferential heating of the smoking article 10 housed inside. In some embodiments, the smoking article inside the heating chamber may be heated by means of a resistive heating body arranged at the bottom of the heating chamber, for example a helical heating wire, a mesh heating sheet.

In some embodiments, at least one of the central heating element 31 or the circumferential heating tube is heated by infrared, that is, at least one of the heating element 31 or the heating tube is a metal matrix infrared heating structure, a ceramic infrared heating structure, a silicon carbide infrared heating structure, a quartz glass infrared heating structure, a carbon fiber infrared heating structure, a polyester film infrared heating structure, or a semiconductor infrared heating structure. In particular, infrared radiation material is coated on a substrate of a different material and heated to radiate far infrared rays of a desired intensity to heat the smoking article 10.

In yet another embodiment provided herein, and shown with reference to fig. 5 and 6, the heater 30 is an electromagnetic induction type heater. In particular, the heater 30 comprises a sensing element 31 extending at least partially inside the first containing chamber 22, the sensing element 31 being substantially pin-shaped or blade-shaped to facilitate insertion of the sensing element 31 inside the smoking article 10. The susceptor 31 includes a base 311 made of a metal material, such as stainless steel, an alloy material containing iron and nickel, for generating heat by being penetrated by a varying magnetic field. Further, the heater 30 further includes an induction coil L disposed around the sensing element 31, and a second wall 33 for disposing the induction coil L, the second wall 33 is substantially cylindrical, and the second wall 33 encloses to form an open second accommodating chamber 331. The induction coil L is disposed around the outer surface of the second wall 33, and a shield 332 is disposed outside the induction coil L so that the magnetic field is concentrated inside the second receiving chamber 331. The heater 30 further comprises a first housing 34, wherein the first housing 34 forms a third receiving chamber 341 therein for receiving the second wall 33, the induction coil L and the sensing element 31, and forms a heat insulation chamber, and the heat conducted by the second wall 33 can be further reduced by heat insulation through air in the heat insulation chamber, so as to avoid causing an excessive surface temperature of the first housing 34. One end of the second wall 33 abuts against one end of the first housing 34, and the other end is clamped on the inner wall of the first housing 34. The space between the second wall 33 and the first housing 34 is used to house the induction coil L. A magnetic member 342 is provided at one end of the first housing 34 near the upper cover 20 so that the upper cover 20 and the first wall 21 can be stably coupled to the first housing 34.

Further, in one embodiment provided herein, the heating element 31 or the susceptor element 31 for direct contact with the smoking article 10 has a cavity 312 therein, the cavity 312 being for placement of the temperature sensing element 32, the temperature sensing element 32 being a thermocouple. The temperature measuring element 32 is placed inside the base 311, and can be used to accurately measure the temperature of the heating element 31 or the sensing element 31, the temperature measuring element 32 is electrically connected with the control module of the aerosol generating device 100, and the control module can timely collect the temperature of the base 311, so as to timely adjust the heating power of the heater 30.

Further, in one embodiment provided herein, the heater 30 further comprises a fixing assembly 35 for fixing the heating element 31 or the sensing element 31 and the second wall 33 inside the first housing 34. In a preferred embodiment, in order to avoid the heat inside the first containing chamber 22 for heating the smoking article 10 being transferred outside the first containing chamber 22 by conduction through the bottom fixing member 35. The fixing member 35 includes a base 351 for fixing the heating element 31 or the susceptor 31, and the base 351 is made of a high temperature resistant material, such as zirconia ceramics. In a preferred embodiment, the sensing element 31 is detachably connected to the base 351, for example, by a screw connection. Since the heating element 31 or susceptor element 31 is in direct contact with the smoking article 10, the surface thereof is susceptible to residual slag and soot. The heating element 31 or the sensing element 31 and the base 351 are separately connected, so that the heating element or the sensing element can be separated independently and can be cleaned in all directions. Further, the fixing assembly 35 further includes a first bracket 352 for fixing the base 351, and a second bracket 353 for fixing the first bracket 352, and the second bracket 353 is fixedly connected to the first housing 34. The first bracket 352 and the second bracket 353 are made of a material with low thermal conductivity, the first bracket 352 may be made of a high-temperature-resistant engineering plastic material, such as Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and the second bracket 353 may be made of a heat-resistant engineering plastic material, such as polyphenylene sulfone resin (PPSU). In a preferred embodiment, the first support 352 and the second support 353 are connected by a snap fit, and a gap is formed between the outer wall surface of the first support 352 and the inner wall surface of the second support 353, wherein air inside the gap can be used to isolate a portion of heat from being conducted and dissipated through the second support 353. Seals are also provided between the first and second supports 352 and 353 and the second support 353 and the first housing 34 to prevent the generated liquid inside the first accommodation chamber 22 from leaking downward.

Furthermore, the heater 30 further comprises an end cap 36 connected to the open end of the first housing 34, and two sets of second electrical connectors are disposed on the end cap 36, wherein one end of the first set of second electrical connectors 51 is used for connecting with the induction coil L, and one end of the second set of second electrical connectors 52 is used for connecting with the temperature measuring element 32. The other ends of the two sets of second electrical connectors are electrically connected to the first electrical connector inside the power module 40. The power supply module 40 comprises a lower shell 41 and a third bracket 42 accommodated in the lower shell 41, wherein the third bracket 42 comprises a connecting end 421, two groups of first electric connecting pieces are arranged on the connecting end 421, and the first group of first electric connecting pieces 53 are used for being electrically connected with the first group of second electric connecting pieces 51 and providing electric driving connection for the induction coil L; a second set of first electrical connections 54 is provided for electrical connection with the second set of second electrical connections 52 for providing electrical drive to the temperature sensing element 32. The third bracket 42 further comprises a receiving cavity 43, and a part of the receiving cavity 43 is used for fixing the control module and a part of the receiving cavity 43 is used for fixing the battery 44. The control module is electrically connected with the battery 44 and the two sets of first electric connectors respectively. When the control module receives the activation signal, the power supply assembly 40 drives the heater 30 to heat the smoking article 10 to produce the aerosol.

In one embodiment provided herein, a portion of the heater 30 is housed inside the upper cover 20, and another portion of the heater 30 is housed inside the lower housing 41. In a preferred embodiment, the heater 30 is detachably connected to the power module 40, such as a snap-fit connection or a screw-type connection, and the user can detach the heater 30 from the power module 40 to facilitate replacement or full-scale cleaning of the heater 30. In actual use, the heater 30 is a core component of the entire aerosol-generating device 100, and once the heater 30 is damaged, the aerosol-generating device 100 cannot be used. It is necessary to provide the heater 30 as a replaceable component. Further, the lid 20 is detachably snap-fitted to the first housing 34 of the heater 30, and the smoking article 10 is removed when the user has finished a puff, and in a preferred embodiment, the lid 20 is separated from the heater 30 by an external force along the axial direction of the aerosol-generating device 100. After the upper cover 20 is removed, more heat remains on the heater 30, and a user can easily scald the user by directly touching the first housing 34 of the heater 30. However, in practice, the user needs to clean or replace the heater 30 frequently, and thus the first housing 34 of the heater 30 is frequently touched. In order to prevent the user from being burned during the contact with the heater 30, a display element 60 is disposed on the heater 30, and the display element 60 is used for feeding back the temperature of the heater 30. When the heater 30 is a resistive heater, the display element may be disposed on the central heating element or on the peripheral heating tube; either on the inner or outer wall of a heating chamber provided around the heating element, or directly on the outer shell of the heater; when the heater 30 is an electromagnetic induction type heater, the display element may be disposed on an inner housing disposed around the induction coil or the sensing element, or the display element may be disposed on an outer housing of the heater. When the temperature of the heater 30 changes within a certain temperature range, the state of the display element 60 changes, and the current temperature condition of the heater 30 can be known by observing the current state of the display element 60. The display element 60 is not required to be supplied with external energy for changing its state, and the display element and the power supply unit are insulated from each other and do not flow current. When the temperature of the heating element changes, the temperature of the display element itself disposed on the heating element or in the vicinity of the heating element also changes, and thus the internal structure of the display element itself changes and causes the display state of the display element itself to change. Wherein the adjacent regions of the heating element include respective inner and outer shells and cavities disposed adjacent the heating element.

Specifically, in one embodiment provided herein, and as shown with reference to fig. 7 and 8, the display element 60 is made of a thermally sensitive material. The thermosensitive material can be a thermosensitive color-changing material, and the material has the property that a visible absorption spectrum changes when being heated or cooled, the material has the characteristic that the color changes along with the temperature change, and the temperature at which the color changes is called as the color-changing temperature. For example, the inorganic reversible thermochromic material is a change in display color due to a change in internal crystal form or a change in lattice constant due to a change in temperature, and includes mixed oxides, iodides, complexes, double salts, and the like of a plurality of metals. Wherein the metals and oxides thereof include: metals such as copper, silver and gold, and alloys such as Cu-Zn, au-Zn and Ag-Cd. The metal complex comprises triphenylmethane metal complexes, organic amine or ammonium metal complexes; the ligand may be a metal complex of an organic ion. The inorganic reversible thermochromic material has good temperature resistance, durability, good mixing processability, simple synthesis process and low cost. In some embodiments, the metal complex may change from a first color to a second color at a temperature of 40 degrees celsius, 50 degrees celsius, 60 degrees celsius, or 70 degrees celsius.

In some embodiments, the thermosensitive material can be added to the plastic particles AS a color master batch additive, the plastic particles are preferably transparent or translucent materials, including polypropylene, soft polyvinyl chloride, AS, ABS, silica gel, and the like, and the color-changing additive is added to the plastic particles, mixed well, and injection-molded into the display element. During mass production, the color-changing additive can be added into polyethylene wax or polystyrene wax to prepare color master batch with a certain proportion, and then the color master batch is uniformly mixed with plastic particles for use. Wherein, in the injection molding process of the display element, other common pigments or fillers can not be used so as to avoid shielding the color change effect. In some embodiments, the display element 60 may be configured as a thermometer, which allows the user to quickly identify the temperature relationship of the display element, and thus facilitate prompting the user of the current temperature status of the heater 30. Understandably, the display element 60 may also be of any shape, as long as it is capable of causing a striking effect.

The display element 60 may be disposed on the heating element or in a region of the periphery of the heating element. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, a display element 60 may be disposed on the outer layer of the heater 30 so that a user can directly observe the temperature profile of the surface of the heater 30. Specifically, the display element 60 and the first housing 34 may be integrated by two-shot molding or other fixed attachment. Alternatively, the display element 60 is provided as a component that can be fixed to the surface of the first housing 34. In some embodiments, the display element 60 may be disposed on the second housing inside the heater 30, so that when a user disassembles the components inside the heater 30, the user can directly observe the temperature of each component of the heater 30. For example, the second housing may be a heating tube of a circumferential resistance heater, the second housing may also be a central heating plate, an inner tube within a heater bar heater for defining a heating cavity, and the second housing may also be a tube for supporting a heating coil. Specifically, the display element 60 and the second housing may be integrated by two-color injection molding or other fixing means. Alternatively, the display element 60 is provided as a component that can be fixed to the second housing surface. In an alternative embodiment, a display element may be disposed on an outer surface of the heater or each wall surface of the inner casing, so that when a user detaches each associated component of the heater before cleaning, the user can first know the temperature condition of the relevant component by observing the display element at the corresponding position.

When the temperature of the heater 30 exceeds the color change temperature of the color change additive, for example, 50 degrees celsius, the internal structure of the display element 60 changes to cause the color displayed by the display element 60 to change, so that the user can directly observe that the color of the display element 60 changes from the first color to the second color, and can know the current temperature condition of the heater 30. When the temperature of the heating element or other components of the heater in the area adjacent to the display element 60 is low, the display element 60 is still in the first display state without changing the internal structure, and the user can directly observe the display element as the first color, so that the temperature of the outer surface of the heater or the housing inside the heater can be lower than 50 degrees celsius, and the user can touch the heater 30 without burning hands. When the temperature of the heating element or other components of the heater in the area adjacent to the display element 60 is high, the internal structure of the display element 60 changes, and the display state of the display element 60 changes, so that when the user can directly observe that the display element 60 displays the second color, the user can know that the temperature of the outer surface of the heater or the shell inside the heater is higher than 50 ℃, and the user can scald his hand by directly contacting the surface of the heater 30. Understandably, the specific color-changing temperature needs to be determined according to the color-changing range of the selected color-changing additive, and the color-changing ranges of different color-changing additives are different.

In some embodiments, the display element 60 is used to indicate the current temperature of the heater 30, indicating that the temperature range is 40-60 degrees celsius, and the color-changing additive with the color-changing range corresponding to the temperature range is suitable. In some embodiments, to enhance the visual effect, the first housing 34 or the second housing is made of a dark colored material with high temperature resistance, such as nylon, to set off the color change effect of the display element 60.

In one embodiment provided herein, and as shown with reference to fig. 7 and 9, the display element 60 may be a temperature-sensitive coating that is resistant to high temperatures. The thermosensitive coating is preferably a reversible color-changing coating, and is mainly prepared from an electron transfer type organic compound system, wherein the electron transfer type organic compound is an organic color-changing system with a special chemical structure. The electron transfer inside such an organic compound at a specific temperature changes the molecular structure inside the organic compound, thereby achieving color transition. The color change is not only bright in color, but also can realize color change from a 'colored-colorless' state, which is not possessed by heavy metal complex type and liquid crystal type reversible temperature-sensitive color change substances. When the temperature is lower than the set temperature, the internal structure of the color-changing coating is restored to the original state, so that the color displayed outside is restored to the original color. In a preferred embodiment, at least a portion of the first housing 34 of the outer layer of the heater or at least a portion of the second housing of the inner portion of the heater is configured as a display element 60, the display element 60 includes a substrate layer 61, and a reversible color change coating layer coated on an outer surface of the substrate layer, the color change coating layer is a temperature sensitive color change layer 62, the temperature sensitive color change layer 62 can change color when a certain temperature is exceeded, and a user can obtain whether the temperature of the heater 30 is suitable for direct contact by observing the color change of the display element 60. For example, when the temperature exceeds a certain temperature, the color-changing coating changes from the first color to the second color, which corresponds to switching from the first display state to the second display state, and the second color gradually deepens with the increase of the temperature, which corresponds to switching from the second display state to the third state, so as to further remind the user that the temperature of the current heater 30 is too high to be suitable for contact. In a preferred embodiment, the thermochromic layer 62 of the display element 60 has a thickness in the range of 1 μm to 100 μm, and when the thickness exceeds 100 μm, the color is easily dispersed to cause whitening. In a further preferred embodiment, a protective layer 63 may be disposed on the surface 62 of the thermochromic layer to prevent the thermochromic layer from falling off due to frequent touching with the surface of the heater 30 during long-term use by a user, which may affect the temperature indication effect. The protective layer 63 is a colorless coating layer covering the surface of the temperature sensitive color changing layer 62. As a preferred embodiment, in order to support the color change of the thermochromic layer, so that the user can observe the color change of the thermochromic layer remarkably, the base layer 61 may be made of a dark material, or when the base layer 61 is not dark, a substrate layer, which is a dark coating layer and does not change color with the temperature change, may be disposed between the base layer and the thermochromic layer. Further, the thermochromic layer, the substrate layer and the protective layer are preferably made of environment-friendly materials, do not contain toxic or harmful substances, and are resistant to high temperature, so that substances which are not friendly to human bodies are prevented from being generated when a user contacts the heater 30 or the heater is used.

In the aerosol-generating device 100 provided by the present application, after the user separates the upper cover 20 from the heater 30, the user can directly observe the color state of the display element 60 before removing the heater 30 and cleaning the heater, so as to determine whether the temperature ranges of the respective components of the heater 30 are suitable for direct contact. When the display element 60 is in the second color, indicating that the temperature of the surface of the heater 30 is currently too high for direct contact, the user needs to wait for the heater 30 to cool for a certain period of time. When the display element 60 is in the first color, indicating that the current temperature of the surface of the heater 30 is accessible and no burns will occur, the user may now contact the heater 30 to separate the heater 30 from the power supply assembly 40 to facilitate subsequent cleaning of the heater 30. It will be appreciated that the display element 60 may display the current heater 30 temperature through other changes besides color, for example, the display element 60 may be made of a heat-sensitive phase change material, and the temperature of each component of the current heater 30 can be known by observing the different phase change states of the display element 60. A display element is arranged on a heating element of a heater inside the aerosol-generating device or on each cavity surrounding the heating element, wherein the heating element comprises a heating element and a temperature measuring element, the temperature measuring element is mainly used for detecting the temperature inside the heating element and transmitting the temperature to a control module inside the power supply assembly for monitoring the heating power of the heating element together with the control module of the power supply assembly. When the temperature sensing element is not disposed within the heater, the heating assembly includes only the heating element. The heating assembly is operable by requiring the first electrical connection of the power supply assembly to provide electrical drive, and the display element is operable to switch the display state without requiring the first electrical connection of the power supply assembly or a further secondary electrical connection to provide electrical drive. The display element can display a plurality of states along with the temperature change of the heating component or the cavities surrounding the heating component, and different display states correspond to different temperatures, so that on one hand, the display element can timely and quickly react to the temperatures, and a user can know the temperatures of the heating component or the cavities surrounding the heating component by directly observing the change of the display states of the display element, thereby determining whether the heating component or the shells surrounding the cavities of the heating component are suitable for being in direct contact with the heating component or the shells surrounding the cavities of the heating component; on the other hand, the switching of the plurality of display states of the display element is caused by the change of the internal structure of the internal heat-sensitive substance, and the supply of external energy is not needed, so that the display element is not required to be provided with a complex electric drive circuit, the temperature measurement of the heating assembly and the display system are simplified, and a user can know the current temperature condition of the current heating assembly or other assemblies of the heater through direct observation.

In yet another embodiment provided herein, at least one transparent window may be provided in the cover 20 through which the current state of the display element 60 may be viewed. If the display element 60 is in the second color, the user may be informed that the temperature of the heater 30 is currently high and that the aerosol-generating device 100 is currently unsuitable for cleaning by removing the cover 20. In some embodiments, the window may be provided on the lower case of the power module 200, and particularly, when the lower case of the power module 200 covers a large area of the outer surface of the heater 30, when the heater 30 is separated from the power module 200, the temperature of the heater 30 is determined by observing the current display state of the display element 60 through the window, and then it is determined whether or not it is appropriate to perform a further removal operation. In alternative embodiments, at least a portion of the upper cover 20 or at least a portion of the lower housing of the power module 200 may be made of a transparent material or a translucent material, so that the user can directly observe the state of the display element 60 inside.

In some embodiments, the user can determine the residual temperature of the heater through the display element, determine whether the secondary heating is required, or determine the start mode during the secondary heating. For example, to avoid wasting the heat source, the user may reinsert the smoking article for a second puff. Understandably, when the aerosol generating device completes one suction process and before a user performs second suction, the depth of the current second color of the display element can be observed through the window so as to judge whether the current aerosol generating device needs to be matched with a high-power heating mode or a small heating power mode, so that the situation that the temperature of the first mouth aerosol is too high and the mouth is scalded when the user directly adopts the large heating power mode to start and causes the second suction is avoided. When the display element is in the second color state, the second color depth is lighter, or the display element is in the first color, the temperature of the current heater is lower, and the high-power heating mode can be adopted for starting; when the display element is in the second color state and the second color is darker, indicating that the current heater temperature is higher, a low power heating mode may be employed.

It should be noted that the description and drawings of the present application illustrate preferred embodiments of the present application, but are not limited to the embodiments described in the present application, and further, those skilled in the art can make modifications or changes according to the above description, and all such modifications and changes should fall within the scope of the claims appended to the present application.

Claims (19)

1. A heater for an aerosol-generating device, comprising: a heating element for atomizing an aerosol-generating article to form an aerosol;

the heater further comprises a display element disposed on or adjacent to the heating element; the display element comprises a plurality of display states, wherein at least one display state is used for feeding back the temperature of the heating element or the peripheral area of the heating element; the display element is configured to cause a change in its own state only in accordance with the temperature of the heating element, causing a switching of its plurality of display states.

2. The heater according to claim 1, wherein the display element displays a first state when the temperature of the heater is in a first temperature zone; when the temperature of the heater is in a second temperature interval, the display element is displayed in a second state; wherein the first temperature interval represents a temperature suitable for human body contact, the second temperature interval represents a temperature unsuitable for human body contact, and the second state has a different visual effect relative to the first state.

3. The heater of claim 1, wherein said heater comprises a first housing disposed on an outer layer of said heater; the first housing at least partially defines the display element.

4. The heater of claim 1, wherein the heater comprises a second housing at least partially defining a heating cavity; the second housing also at least partially defines the display element.

5. The heater of claim 3 or 4, wherein the display element is bonded to the first housing or the second housing by overmolding.

6. A heater as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least part of said display element is made of a thermally sensitive material or said display element comprises a thermally sensitive coating.

7. The heater of claim 6, where said display element comprises a thermally sensitive coating, said thermally sensitive coating being a reversible color changing coating.

8. The heater of claim 6, wherein when the display element comprises a thermally sensitive coating, the display element comprises a base layer, wherein the base layer is made of a dark material;

or the display element comprises a base layer and a substrate layer arranged between the base layer and the heat-sensitive coating layer, wherein the substrate layer is made of a dark color material.

9. The heater according to claim 6, wherein when the display element comprises a heat sensitive coating, the display element further comprises a protective layer covering an outer surface of the heat sensitive coating.

10. The heater of claim 1, wherein said display element is thermometer-shaped.

11. The heater of claim 10, wherein the heater comprises a first housing disposed on an outer layer of the heater; the display element is sleeved outside the first shell.

12. The heater of claim 10, wherein said heater comprises a second housing at least partially defining a heating cavity; the display element is sleeved outside the second shell.

13. An aerosol-generating device comprising a heater and a power supply component, the power supply component providing electrical drive to the heater; the heater comprising the heater of any one of claims 1-13.

14. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 13, wherein no current flows between the display element and the power supply component.

15. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 13, wherein the power supply assembly is provided with a window through which the state of the display element can be viewed.

16. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 15, wherein the heater is detachably connected to the power supply component.

17. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 13, further comprising a lid connected to the heater, the lid having a window disposed therein, the window being configured to view the status of the display element.

18. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 17, the upper lid being detachably connected to the heater.

19. An aerosol-generating device comprising a heater and a power supply component for providing electrical drive to the heater; the heater comprises a heating assembly, the heating assembly comprises a heating element, or the heating assembly comprises the heating element and a temperature measuring element, a first electric connector is arranged on the power supply assembly, and the first electric connector is only used for being in contact with the heating assembly and providing electric drive;

the heater further comprises a display element disposed on the heating assembly or on a cavity surrounding the heating assembly; the display element comprises a plurality of display states, wherein the display states are switched according to the temperature of the heating assembly or the cavity.

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