JP7560679B2 - Manufacturing method of atomizing unit of suction tool - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an atomization unit of an inhalation device.

Conventionally, there has been known an atomization unit for an inhalation device that is a non-combustion heating type inhalation device, which has a liquid storage section that stores an aerosol liquid, and an electrical load that atomizes the aerosol liquid introduced from the liquid storage section to generate an aerosol, and is characterized in that a powder of tobacco material is dispersed and disposed inside the aerosol liquid in the liquid storage section (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With such an atomization unit, flavor components of the tobacco material can be dissolved into the aerosol liquid in the liquid storage section. This allows the user to taste the flavor of the tobacco material.

Other prior art documents include Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3. Patent Document 2 discloses the basic configuration of a non-combustion heating type inhaler. Patent Document 3 discloses a technology for extracting flavor components from tobacco materials, specifically, a technology for extracting flavor components from tobacco materials by heating tobacco materials that have been subjected to an alkali treatment.

International Publication No. 2019/211332 JP 2020-141705 A International Publication No. 2016/063775

In the case of the atomization unit of a conventional inhaler as exemplified by the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the tobacco material dispersed inside the aerosol liquid in the liquid storage section may adhere to the electrical load. In this case, there is a risk that the electrical load may become burnt.

In addition, in the case of the atomization unit of the conventional inhalation tool described above, there is a risk that a large amount of "components that, when attached to an electrical load, cause the electrical load to burn (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "burnt components")," such as water-soluble polyphenols and polysaccharides, may be eluted from the tobacco material dispersed inside the aerosol liquid in the liquid storage section into the aerosol liquid. Even in this case, there is a risk of the electrical load becoming burnt.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and one of its objectives is to provide a technology that can prevent burning on the electrical load of the atomization unit of an inhaler.

(Aspect 1)
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one embodiment of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an atomization unit of an inhalation device having a liquid storage section that stores an aerosol liquid and an electrical load that atomizes the aerosol liquid introduced from the liquid storage section to generate an aerosol, the method including the steps of: extracting flavor components from an alkali-treated tobacco material by heating the tobacco material; washing the tobacco residue, which is the tobacco material extracted in the extraction process, with an acidic washing solution having a pH of 7.0 or less to reduce the pH of the tobacco residue to less than 8.0, and solidifying and molding the washed tobacco residue into a predetermined shape to produce a molded body; and assembling the aerosol liquid and the molded body produced in the molding process into the liquid storage section.

According to this aspect, a molded body formed by solidifying tobacco residue into a predetermined shape is placed inside the aerosol liquid in the liquid storage section, and the molded body and the electrical load are physically separated, so that it is possible to prevent the tobacco residue from adhering to the electrical load. This makes it possible to prevent the electrical load from being burned.

Furthermore, according to this aspect, in the molding process, the tobacco residue is washed with an acidic washing solution having a pH of 7.0 or less to reduce the pH of the tobacco residue to less than 8.0, and the washed tobacco residue is solidified and molded into a predetermined shape to produce a molded body, so that the amount of burnt components contained in the molded body can be reduced compared to when a molded body is manufactured without such washing. This makes it possible to prevent a large amount of burnt components from dissolving into the aerosol liquid from the molded body contained in the liquid storage section. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of burnt components on the electrical load of the atomization unit of the inhaler.

(Aspect 2)
In the above aspect 1, the molding step may include coating the entire surface of the molded body with a coating material containing a water-soluble polymer consisting of at least one substance selected from polyvinyl alcohol, agar, gelatin, chitosan, and alginic acid.

Water-soluble polymers consisting of at least one substance selected from polyvinyl alcohol, agar, gelatin, chitosan, and alginic acid have the property of allowing substances with relatively small molecular weights (low molecular weight substances) to pass through the bond gaps of the water-soluble polymer, while preventing substances with relatively large molecular weights (high molecular weight substances) from passing through the bond gaps. Therefore, according to this embodiment, since the entire surface of the molded body is coated with a coating material made of such a water-soluble polymer, it is possible to prevent the dissolution of burnt components (which are high molecular weight substances) into the aerosol liquid while allowing the dissolution of flavor components (which are low molecular weight substances) contained in the tobacco material of the molded body into the aerosol liquid.

In addition, when comparing the flavor components and burnt components contained in the tobacco material of the molded body, the flavor components can be dissolved in the water-soluble polymer described above, but the burnt components are difficult to dissolve in the water-soluble polymer. Therefore, the flavor components of the tobacco material can be dissolved in the water-soluble polymer and then dissolved in the aerosol liquid. On the other hand, since the burnt components are difficult to dissolve in the water-soluble polymer, they are prevented from dissolving in the aerosol liquid. From this perspective, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the dissolution of the burnt components into the aerosol liquid while allowing the flavor components to dissolve in the aerosol liquid.

(Aspect 3)
The above-mentioned aspects 1 or 2 may further include an extract liquid production process in which an extract liquid of the tobacco material is produced by adding the flavor components extracted in the extraction process to a solvent, and the aerosol liquid contained in the liquid storage section in the assembly process may contain the extract liquid produced in the extract liquid production process.

(Aspect 4)
The above-mentioned aspects 1 or 2 further include an extract liquid production process in which an extract liquid of the tobacco material is produced by adding the flavor component extracted in the extraction process to a solvent, and the molding process includes adding a portion of the extract liquid produced in the extract liquid production process to the molded body, and the aerosol liquid contained in the liquid storage section in the assembly process may contain at least a portion of the remainder of the extract liquid produced in the extract liquid production process.

(Aspect 5)
The above-mentioned aspect 1 or 2 may further include an extract production step of producing an extract of the tobacco material by adding the flavor component extracted in the extraction step to a solvent, and the molding step may include adding the entirety of the extract produced in the extract production step to the molded body.

According to this aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent burning of the electrical load of the atomization unit of the suction tool.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic appearance of a suction tool according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a main part of an atomization unit of the suction tool according to the embodiment. A cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a tobacco consumable product according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the tobacco consumable product of FIG. 4 cut along the XY plane. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the tobacco consumable product of FIG. 4 cut along the YZ plane. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram for explaining a manufacturing method of the atomization unit of the suction tool according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram for explaining a manufacturing method of the atomization unit of the suction tool according to the first modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram for explaining a manufacturing method of the atomization unit of the suction tool according to the second modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a tobacco consumable product according to a third modified example of the embodiment.

Below, a manufacturing method of the atomization unit 12 of the suction tool 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Specifically, first, the atomization unit 12 manufactured by the manufacturing method according to this embodiment and the configuration of the suction tool 10 equipped with this atomization unit 12 will be described, and then the manufacturing method according to this embodiment will be described. Note that the drawings in this application are illustrated diagrammatically to facilitate understanding of the features, and the dimensional ratios of each component are not necessarily the same as those in reality. In addition, the drawings show X-Y-Z orthogonal coordinates as necessary.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic external view of the inhalation device 10 according to the present embodiment. The inhalation device 10 according to the present embodiment is a non-combustion heating type inhalation device, specifically, a non-combustion heating type electronic cigarette.

As an example, the suction tool 10 according to this embodiment extends in the direction of the central axis CL of the suction tool 10. Specifically, as an example, the suction tool 10 has an external shape having a "longitudinal direction (the direction of the central axis CL)", a "width direction" perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a "thickness direction" perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the width direction. The dimensions of the suction tool 10 in the longitudinal direction, width direction, and thickness direction decrease in that order. In this embodiment, in the orthogonal coordinate system of X-Y-Z, the direction of the Z axis (Z direction or -Z direction) corresponds to the longitudinal direction, the direction of the X axis (X direction or -X direction) corresponds to the width direction, and the direction of the Y axis (Y direction or -Y direction) corresponds to the thickness direction.

The suction device 10 has a power supply unit 11 and an atomization unit 12. The power supply unit 11 is detachably connected to the atomization unit 12. A battery as a power source, a control device, etc. are arranged inside the power supply unit 11. When the atomization unit 12 is connected to the power supply unit 11, the power supply of the power supply unit 11 and a load 40 of the atomization unit 12, which will be described later, are electrically connected.

The atomization unit 12 is provided with an outlet 13 for discharging air (i.e., air). The air containing the aerosol is discharged from this outlet 13. When using the inhalation tool 10, the user of the inhalation tool 10 can inhale the air discharged from this outlet 13.

The power supply unit 11 is provided with a sensor that outputs the value of the pressure change inside the suction device 10 caused by the user inhaling through the exhaust port 13. When the user starts inhaling air, the sensor detects this start of inhalation of air and notifies the control device, which then starts to supply electricity to the load 40 of the atomization unit 12 described below. When the user stops inhaling air, the sensor detects this end of inhalation of air and notifies the control device, which then stops supplying electricity to the load 40.

The power supply unit 11 may be provided with an operation switch for transmitting a request to start suctioning air and a request to stop suctioning air to the control device by the user's operation. In this case, the user can transmit a request to start suctioning air or a request to stop suctioning air to the control device by operating the operation switch. The control device that receives this request to start suctioning air or a request to stop suctioning air starts or stops supplying electricity to the load 40.

The configuration of the power supply unit 11 as described above is similar to that of the power supply unit of a known suction device, such as that exemplified in Patent Document 2, and therefore will not be described in further detail.

Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the atomization unit 12. Specifically, Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-section of the main parts of the atomization unit 12 cut along a plane including the central axis CL. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-section taken along line A1-A1 in Figure 2 (i.e., a cross-section cut along a cutting plane normal to the central axis CL). The atomization unit 12 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

The atomization unit 12 has a plurality of walls (walls 70a to 70g) extending in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the central axis CL) and a plurality of walls (walls 71a to 71c) extending in the width direction. The atomization unit 12 also has an air passage 20, a wick 30, an electrical load 40, and a liquid storage section 50. A tobacco consumption material 60 is disposed inside the liquid storage section 50.

The air passage 20 is a passage through which air passes when the user inhales air (i.e., when inhaling an aerosol). The air passage 20 in this embodiment includes an upstream passage section, a load passage section 22, and a downstream passage section 23. As an example, the upstream passage section in this embodiment includes a plurality of upstream passage sections, specifically, an upstream passage section 21a ("first upstream passage section") and an upstream passage section 21b ("second upstream passage section").

The upstream passage sections 21a, 21b are arranged upstream of the load passage section 22 (upstream in the air flow direction). The downstream ends of the upstream passage sections 21a, 21b are connected to the load passage section 22. The load passage section 22 is a passage section in which the load 40 is arranged. The downstream passage section 23 is a passage section arranged downstream of the load passage section 22 (downstream in the air flow direction). The upstream end of the downstream passage section 23 is connected to the load passage section 22. In addition, the downstream end of the downstream passage section 23 is connected to the exhaust port 13 described above. Air that has passed through the downstream passage section 23 is discharged from the exhaust port 13.

Specifically, the upstream passage section 21a according to this embodiment is provided in an area surrounded by the walls 70a, 70b, 70e, 70f, 71a, and 71b. The upstream passage section 21b is provided in an area surrounded by the walls 70c, 70d, 70e, 70f, 71a, and 71b. The load passage section 22 is provided in an area surrounded by the walls 70a, 70d, 70e, 70f, 71b, and 71c. The downstream passage section 23 is provided in an area surrounded by the cylindrical wall section 70g.

Wall portion 71a is provided with holes 72a and 72b. Air flows into upstream passage portion 21a from hole 72a and into upstream passage portion 21b from hole 72b. Wall portion 71b is provided with holes 72c and 72d. Air that has passed through upstream passage portion 21a flows into load passage portion 22 from hole 72c, and air that has passed through upstream passage portion 21b flows into load passage portion 22 from hole 72d.

In this embodiment, the air flow direction in the upstream passage sections 21a and 21b is opposite to the air flow direction in the downstream passage section 23. Specifically, in this embodiment, the air flow direction in the upstream passage sections 21a and 21b is the -Z direction, and the air flow direction in the downstream passage section 23 is the Z direction.

Also, referring to Figures 2 and 3, the upstream passage portion 21a and the upstream passage portion 21b in this embodiment are arranged adjacent to the liquid storage portion 50 so that the liquid storage portion 50 is sandwiched between the upstream passage portion 21a and the upstream passage portion 21b.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the upstream passage portion 21a according to this embodiment is disposed on one side (the -X direction side) of the liquid storage portion 50 in a cross-sectional view taken along a cutting plane normal to the central axis CL. Meanwhile, the upstream passage portion 21b is disposed on the other side (the X direction side) of the liquid storage portion 50 in this cross-sectional view. In other words, the upstream passage portion 21a is disposed on one side of the liquid storage portion 50 in the width direction of the suction tool 10, and the upstream passage portion 21b is disposed on the other side of the liquid storage portion 50 in the width direction of the suction tool 10.

The wick 30 is a member for introducing the extract from the liquid storage section 50 into the load 40 of the load passage section 22. As long as it has this function, the specific configuration of the wick 30 is not particularly limited, but as an example, the wick 30 according to this embodiment introduces the extract from the liquid storage section 50 into the load 40 by utilizing capillary action.

The load 40 is an electrical load into which the extract from the liquid storage section 50 is introduced and which atomizes the introduced extract to generate an aerosol. The specific configuration of the load 40 is not particularly limited, and for example, a heat generating element such as a heater or an element such as an ultrasonic generator can be used. In this embodiment, a heater is used as an example of the load 40. As this heater, a heat generating resistor (i.e., an electric heating wire), a ceramic heater, a dielectric heating heater, etc. can be used. In this embodiment, a heat generating resistor is used as an example of this heater. In addition, in this embodiment, the heater as the load 40 has a coil shape. That is, the load 40 according to this embodiment is a so-called coil heater. This coil heater is wound around the wick 30.

The load 40 is electrically connected to the power supply of the power supply unit 11 and the control device described above, and generates heat when electricity from the power supply is supplied to the load 40 (i.e., generates heat when energized). The operation of the load 40 is controlled by the control device. The load 40 atomizes the extract in the liquid storage section 50 introduced into the load 40 through the wick 30 by heating it, generating an aerosol.

The configuration of the wick 30 and the load 40 is similar to that of the wicks and loads used in known suction devices, such as those exemplified in Patent Document 2, and therefore further detailed explanation is omitted.

The liquid storage section 50 is a portion for storing the aerosol liquid Le. The liquid storage section 50 according to this embodiment is provided in an area surrounded by the wall portion 70b, the wall portion 70c, the wall portion 70e, the wall portion 70f, the wall portion 71a, and the wall portion 71b.

In this embodiment, the downstream passage 23 is arranged, as an example, to penetrate the liquid storage portion 50 in the direction of the central axis CL. However, this configuration is not limited, and for example, the downstream passage 23 may be arranged adjacent to the liquid storage portion 50 in the thickness direction (Y-axis direction) of the suction device 10.

The tobacco consumable material 60 is disposed inside the aerosol liquid Le of the liquid storage unit 50, at least when the inhaler 10 is in use. In this embodiment, two tobacco consumable materials 60 are disposed inside the aerosol liquid Le of the liquid storage unit 50. However, the number of tobacco consumable materials 60 is not limited to this, and may be one, or three or more.

As will be described in more detail below, the tobacco consumable material 60 contains tobacco material. The flavor components of the tobacco material contained in the tobacco consumable material 60 dissolve into the aerosol liquid Le in the liquid storage section 50.

Inhalation using the inhalation device 10 is performed as follows. First, when a user starts inhaling air, the air passes through the upstream passage sections 21a and 21b of the air passage 20 and flows into the load passage section 22. Aerosol generated in the load 40 is added to the air that has flowed into the load passage section 22. This aerosol contains flavor components that have dissolved from the tobacco material contained in the tobacco consumption material 60. The air to which the aerosol containing the flavor components has been added passes through the downstream passage section 23 and is discharged from the exhaust port 13, and is inhaled by the user.

Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of a tobacco consumable material 60. The tobacco consumable material 60 in this embodiment has, as an example, a sheet shape extending in a predetermined direction.

The specific values of the total length (L1), width (L2), and thickness (L3) of the tobacco consuming material 60 are not particularly limited, but examples of numerical values are as follows. That is, the total length (L1) of the tobacco consuming material 60 can be a value selected from the range of, for example, 5 mm or more and 50 mm or less. The width (L2) of the tobacco consuming material 60 can be a value selected from the range of, for example, 2 mm or more and 10 mm or less. The thickness (L3) of the tobacco consuming material 60 can be a value selected from the range of, for example, 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less. However, these values are merely examples of the dimensions of the tobacco consuming material 60, and the dimensions of the tobacco consuming material 60 may be set appropriately depending on the size of the inhaler 10.

Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the tobacco consumable material 60 of Figure 4 cut in the X-Y plane. Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the tobacco consumable material of Figure 4 cut in the Y-Z plane. The tobacco consumable material 60 of this embodiment comprises a molded body 61 and a coating material 62 that coats the entire surface of the molded body 61.

The molded body 61 is a tobacco material that has been solidified and molded into a predetermined shape. In this embodiment, the tobacco material that constitutes the molded body 61 is "tobacco residue," which will be described later.

The coating material 62 coats the entire surface (all outer surfaces) of the molded body 61 so that the outer surface of the molded body 61 is not exposed on the surface of the tobacco consumption product 60. Therefore, the entire surface of the tobacco consumption product 60 according to this embodiment is constituted by the surface of the coating material 62.

Next, a manufacturing method of the atomization unit 12 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for explaining the manufacturing method of the atomization unit 12 according to this embodiment. The manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes an extraction process in step S10, a molding process in step S20, an extract manufacturing process in step S30, and an assembly process in step S40, as described below.

In the extraction process in step S10, flavor components are extracted from the tobacco material. Specifically, in step S10 according to this embodiment, the tobacco material is subjected to an alkali treatment, and the alkali-treated tobacco material is heated to extract flavor components from the tobacco material. Details of step S10 are as follows.

First, in this embodiment, tobacco leaves are used as an example of "tobacco material." As the tobacco leaves, "tobacco lamina" may be used, "tobacco stem" may be used, or both "tobacco lamina" and "tobacco stem" may be used. Furthermore, the specific type of tobacco leaves is not particularly limited, and various types such as Orient leaves and Virginia leaves may be used. Furthermore, the tobacco leaves used in step S10 may be one type of tobacco leaves or multiple types of tobacco leaves.

In step S10, an alkaline substance is first applied to the tobacco material (this process is called "alkaline treatment"). The alkaline substance may be, for example, a basic substance such as an aqueous solution of potassium carbonate.

Next, the alkali-treated tobacco material is heated at a predetermined temperature (e.g., a temperature of 80°C or higher and lower than 150°C) (this treatment is referred to as heat treatment). During this heat treatment, the tobacco material is contacted with, for example, "one substance selected from the group consisting of glycerol, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and water, or two or more substances selected from this group (hereinafter, one substance or two or more substances selected from this group are referred to as "specific solvent substances")."

This heat treatment causes the released components (which include flavor components) released from the tobacco material into the gas phase to be collected in a specified collection solvent. The specific solvent substances mentioned above can be used as the collection solvent, for example. This makes it possible to obtain a collection solvent containing the flavor components (i.e., the flavor components can be extracted from the tobacco leaves).

Alternatively, step S10 may be configured not to use the collection solvent as described above. Specifically, in this case, after the alkali-treated tobacco material is subjected to the above-mentioned heat treatment, it is possible to cool it using a condenser or the like to condense the released components released from the tobacco material into the gas phase and extract the flavor components.

After step S10, the molding process relating to step S20 and the extract production process relating to step S30, which are described below, are carried out.

In step S20, the "tobacco residue", which is the tobacco material extracted in the extraction process in step S10, is washed with an acidic washing solution having a pH of 7.0 or less, thereby making the pH of the tobacco residue less than 8.0. Next, the washed tobacco residue is solidified and formed into a predetermined shape (in this embodiment, a sheet shape is one example) to produce a molded body 61 as a tobacco consumption material 60. When forming the tobacco residue into a sheet shape, the tobacco residue may be formed into a sheet shape using, for example, papermaking, casting, rolling, etc.

It is believed that the pH of the tobacco residue after extraction in the extraction process in step S10 is often on the alkaline side. For this reason, in this embodiment, in step S20, the tobacco residue is effectively washed by washing with an acidic washing solution until the pH of the tobacco residue becomes neutral or acidic.

The specific type of acidic cleaning solution used in step S20 is not particularly limited. Specific examples of this acidic cleaning solution include a cleaning solution containing an inorganic acid (e.g., hydrochloric acid, etc.), or a cleaning solution containing an organic acid (e.g., acetic acid, malic acid, etc.).

The specific cleaning method is not particularly limited, but one example is to clean the tobacco residue by immersing it in an acidic cleaning solution.

In addition, the tobacco residue extracted in step S10 may be powdered and then washed with a cleaning solution. This powdered tobacco residue may then be molded to produce the molded body 61. Alternatively, the tobacco residue extracted in step S10 may be washed with a cleaning solution and then powdered. This powdered tobacco residue may then be molded to produce the molded body 61. In other words, in this case, the molded body 61 is made by solidifying multiple pieces of powdered tobacco residue (tobacco material) and molding them into a predetermined shape.

When the tobacco residue is powdered as described above, the average particle size of the powdered tobacco residue is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 100 μm or less. In this way, by having the average particle size of the powdered tobacco residue be 100 μm or less, the surface of the molded body 61 can be made smoother than when the average particle size is greater than 100 μm. This makes it easy to uniformly coat the entire surface of the molded body 61 with the coating material 62 described below.

In addition, the smaller the average particle size of the tobacco residue, the smaller the unevenness of the surface of the molded body 61 tends to be, and as a result, it becomes easier to uniformly coat the entire surface of the molded body 61 with the coating material 62. From this perspective, the average particle size of the tobacco residue is more preferably 80 μm or less, even more preferably 50 μm or less, and even more preferably 30 μm or less.

In step S20 of this embodiment, the surface of the molded body 61 manufactured as described above is coated with a coating material 62. This makes it possible to manufacture a "tobacco consumption material 60" in which the surface of tobacco residue solidified into a predetermined shape is covered with the coating material 62.

The specific method of coating with the coating material 62 is not particularly limited, and for example, the surface of the molded body 61 can be coated with the coating material 62 by immersing the molded body 61 before coating in a solution containing the coating material 62 and then drying it. Alternatively, the surface of the molded body 61 can be coated with the coating material 62 by spraying the coating material 62 onto the surface of the molded body 61 before coating.

The coating material 62 may be made of a water-soluble polymer. The water-soluble polymer may be at least one substance selected from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), agar, gelatin, chitosan, and alginic acid. That is, the coating material 62 may be made of polyvinyl alcohol, agar, gelatin, chitosan, alginic acid, or a combination of these. The content of step S20 is as described above.

In the extract production process in step S30 of Fig. 7, the flavor components extracted in step S10 are added to a predetermined solvent to produce an "extract of the tobacco material." For example, the specific solvent substance described above can be used as the predetermined solvent.

In this embodiment, the extract liquid produced in step S30 is used as the aerosol liquid Le contained in the liquid storage section 50. That is, the aerosol liquid Le according to this embodiment contains at least the extract liquid produced in step S30.

In step S30, the flavor components extracted in step S10 may be concentrated and then added to the above-mentioned predetermined solvent to produce an extract of the tobacco material. This configuration makes it possible to increase the concentration of the flavor components contained in the extract of the tobacco material.

After steps S20 and S30, an assembly process relating to step S40 is carried out. In step S40, the tobacco consumption material 60 produced in step S20 (i.e., in this embodiment, the molded body 61 whose surface is coated with the coating material 62) is contained in the liquid storage section 50 of the atomization unit 12, and the extract liquid produced in step S30 (which becomes the aerosol liquid Le) is also contained therein.

The aerosol liquid Le stored in the liquid storage unit 50 in step S40 may be the extract produced in step S30 to which a specific solvent has been added. For example, the specific solvent substance described above may be used as the specific solvent.

Through the above steps, the atomization unit 12 of the suction device 10 of this embodiment is manufactured.

According to the manufacturing method of this embodiment as described above, the atomization unit 12 of the inhaler 10 can be manufactured while effectively utilizing tobacco residue as a material for the molded body 61.

In addition, according to this embodiment, a molded body 61 formed by solidifying tobacco residue and molding it into a predetermined shape is placed inside the aerosol liquid Le in the liquid storage section 50, and the molded body 61 and the electrical load 40 are physically separated, so that it is possible to prevent the tobacco residue from adhering to the load 40. This makes it possible to prevent the load 40 from being burned.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, in the molding process in step S20, the tobacco residue is washed with an acidic washing solution having a pH of 7.0 or less to reduce the pH of the tobacco residue to less than 8.0, and the tobacco residue after washing is solidified to produce the molded body 61, so that the amount of burnt components contained in the molded body 61 can be reduced compared to when the molded body 61 is manufactured without such washing. This makes it possible to prevent a large amount of burnt components from dissolving into the aerosol liquid Le from the molded body 61 contained in the liquid storage section 50. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the load 40 from being burnt.

In addition, according to this embodiment, since the entire surface of the molded body 61 is coated with the coating material 62 in the molding process of step S20, the following effects can also be achieved.

First, the water-soluble polymer used as the coating material 62 has the property of allowing substances with relatively small molecular weights (low molecular weight substances) to pass through the bond gaps of the water-soluble polymer while preventing substances with relatively large molecular weights (high molecular weight substances) from passing through the bond gaps. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the entire surface of the molded body 61 is coated with the coating material 62 made of such a water-soluble polymer, so that it is possible to prevent the dissolution of burnt components (which are high molecular weight substances) into the aerosol liquid Le while allowing the dissolution of flavor components (which are low molecular weight substances) contained in the tobacco material of the molded body 61 into the aerosol liquid Le.

In addition, when comparing the flavor components and burnt components contained in the tobacco material of the molded body 61, the flavor components can be dissolved in the water-soluble polymer described above, but the burnt components are difficult to dissolve in the water-soluble polymer. Therefore, the flavor components can be dissolved in the water-soluble polymer and then dissolved in the aerosol liquid Le. On the other hand, since the burnt components are difficult to dissolve in the water-soluble polymer, they are suppressed from dissolving in the aerosol liquid Le. From this perspective, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the dissolution of the burnt components into the aerosol liquid Le while allowing the flavor components to dissolve in the aerosol liquid Le.

However, the molding process in step S20 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. For example, the molding process in step S20 may be configured not to include coating the entire surface of the molded body 61 with the coating material 62. In this case, in the assembly process in step S40, a molded body 61 that is not coated with the coating material 62 (i.e., a tobacco consumption material 60 that does not include the coating material 62) is placed inside the aerosol liquid Le in the liquid storage section 50. Even in this case, it is possible to prevent the load 40 from burning.

In addition, the manufacturing method of the atomization unit 12 according to the present embodiment described above includes the extract liquid manufacturing process relating to step S30, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the manufacturing method of the atomization unit 12 may be configured not to include the extract liquid manufacturing process relating to step S30. In this case, for example, a predetermined solvent that does not already contain flavor components can be used as the aerosol liquid Le contained in the liquid storage section 50 in the assembly process relating to step S40. For example, the specific solvent substance described above can be used as this predetermined solvent.

However, as in this embodiment, the manufacturing method of the atomization unit 12 includes the extract liquid manufacturing process of step S30, so that the aerosol liquid Le can contain not only the flavor components dissolved in the aerosol liquid Le from the molded body 61, but also the flavor components contained in the extract liquid manufactured in step S30. This makes it possible to increase the concentration of the flavor components contained in the aerosol liquid Le, for example, compared to a case in which the aerosol liquid Le in the liquid storage section 50 does not contain any extract liquid manufactured in step S30. This makes it possible to fully enjoy the flavor of the tobacco material.

(Variation 1)
8 is a flow diagram for explaining a manufacturing method of the atomization unit 12 of the suction tool 10 according to the first modified embodiment of the embodiment. The manufacturing method according to this modified embodiment differs from the manufacturing method according to the embodiment described in FIG. 7 mainly in that it includes step S20A instead of step S20.

The molding process of step S20A differs from the molding process of step S20 in that it includes adding a portion of the extract produced in the extract production process of step S30 to the molded body 61.

That is, in step S20A of this modified example, the tobacco residue is washed with an acidic washing solution, solidified, and molded into a predetermined shape to produce a molded body 61, and a portion of the extract produced in step S30 is added to this molded body 61. The entire surface of the molded body 61 to which the portion of the extract has been added may be coated with a coating material 62.

The aerosol liquid Le contained in the liquid storage unit 50 in step S40 according to this modified example contains at least a portion of the remainder of the extract liquid produced in step S30 (the remaining portion added to the molded body 61). That is, in step S40 according to this modified example, the aerosol liquid Le contained in the liquid storage unit 50 may contain all of the remainder of the extract liquid produced in step S30, or may contain only a portion of the remainder of the extract liquid produced in step S30.

In this modified example, as in the previously described embodiment, it is possible to prevent the load 40 from burning.

(Variation 2)
9 is a flow diagram for explaining a manufacturing method of the atomization unit 12 of the suction tool 10 according to the second modified example of the embodiment. The manufacturing method according to this modified example differs from the manufacturing method according to the first modified example described in FIG. 8 mainly in that the manufacturing method according to the second modified example includes step S20B instead of step S20A.

The molding process of step S20B differs from the molding process of step S20A in that it includes adding all of the extract produced in the extract production process of step S30 to the molded body 61.

That is, in step S20B of this modified example, the tobacco residue is washed with an acidic washing solution, solidified, and molded into a predetermined shape to produce a molded body 61, and the entire extract produced in step S30 is added to this molded body 61. The entire surface of the molded body 61 to which the extract has been added may be coated with a coating material 62.

In step S40 of this modified example, a predetermined solvent that does not already contain flavor components is used as the aerosol liquid Le contained in the liquid storage unit 50. For example, the specific solvent substance described above can be used as this predetermined solvent.

In this modified example, as in the previously described embodiment, it is possible to prevent the load 40 from burning.

(Variation 3)
In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the tobacco consumable material 60 has a sheet shape, but the shape of the tobacco consumable material 60 is not limited to this. Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a tobacco consumable material 60A according to modified example 3 of the embodiment. For example, the tobacco consumable material 60A may have a pellet shape (or a tablet shape). Specifically, the tobacco consumable material 60A has a configuration in which the entire surface of a pellet-shaped molded body 61 is coated with a coating material 62.

10 shows a tobacco consumable material 60A with a circular cross section, but is not limited to this configuration. The cross-sectional shape of the tobacco consumable material 60A may be an ellipse or a polygon (n-sided shape (n is a number equal to or greater than 3) such as a triangle, a square, or a pentagon).

The specific dimensions of the tobacco consumable material 60A are not particularly limited, but examples are as follows: The total length (L1) of the tobacco consumable material 60A may be a value selected from the range of, for example, 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less. The maximum widthwise dimension (D1) of the tobacco consumable material 60A may be a value selected from the range of, for example, 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less. However, these values are merely examples of the dimensions of the tobacco consumable material 60A, and the dimensions of the tobacco consumable material 60A may be set appropriately depending on the size of the inhaler 10.

In this modified example, as in the previously described embodiment, it is possible to prevent the load 40 from burning.

<Example>
An experiment was carried out to examine the effect of washing tobacco residue with a washing liquid before manufacturing the molded article 61. This experiment will be described below.

(Tobacco residue used in the experiment)
First, the "tobacco residue" used in the experiment was as follows: 20 wt % potassium carbonate (i.e., an alkaline substance) was added to the tobacco material by dry weight (this corresponds to an alkaline treatment). Next, the tobacco material to which this potassium carbonate was added was subjected to a heat treatment under conditions of a moisture concentration of 30% and a temperature of 100°C. Then, to the tobacco residue after this heat treatment, water was added in an amount 15 times the weight of the tobacco material before the heat treatment, and the material was immersed in water for 10 minutes, and then dehydrated in a centrifugal dehydrator. Next, this dehydrated tobacco residue was dried in a dryer. This dried tobacco residue was used as the tobacco residue for samples SA1 to SA7 described below.

(Cleaning method)
Samples SA2, SA3, SA4, SA6, and SA7 described below were washed with a washing solution in an amount 30 times the weight of the tobacco residue before washing. When an acidic washing solution with a pH of 7.0 or less was used as the washing solution, hydrochloric acid was used. When a neutral washing solution was used as the washing solution, water was used. Samples SA2, SA3, and SA4 were washed twice.

(Method of measuring the amount of carbide produced)
A "liquid (propylene glycol: 47.5 (wt%), glycerol: 47.5 (wt%), water: 5 (wt%))" was prepared with a weight 5 times that of the sample. This liquid was then added to the sample, and the components contained in the sample were extracted into the liquid at 60 (°C) for 168 hours (hr). This liquid was then centrifuged to recover the supernatant. The recovered supernatant was then filtered through a 0.45 (μm) filter.

A predetermined mass (g) of liquid was taken out of the filtered liquid (supernatant liquid) and heated in an aluminum container with a surface temperature of 250 (℃). The mass (mg) of the char remaining in the container after heating was then measured. The mass (mg) of the char was then divided by the mass (predetermined mass) of the filtered liquid to calculate the "amount of char (mg/g liq.)" which is the mass (mg) of char generated per 1 g of filtered liquid. The amount of char generated for each sample was measured using the above method. The amount of char generated correlates with the likelihood of charring on the load 40. In other words, the greater the amount of char generated for a sample, the greater the amount of char generated on the load 40 when the sample is applied to an actual suction device 10.

(Experimental Results)
The experimental results are shown in Table 1. Specifically, Table 1 shows the results of measuring the amount of carbonized material produced for samples SA1 to SA7. For sample SA1, a molded body of tobacco residue that had not been washed (i.e., unwashed tobacco residue) was used. For sample SA2, a molded body was used in which the tobacco residue was washed with neutral water and the pH of the washed tobacco residue was 9.6. For sample SA3, a molded body was used in which the tobacco residue was washed with an acidic washing solution and the pH of the washed tobacco residue was 7.5. For sample SA4, a molded body was used in which the tobacco residue was washed with an acidic washing solution and the pH of the washed tobacco residue was 4.1.

For sample SA5, we used a molded product of unwashed tobacco residue with all surfaces coated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). For sample SA6, we used a molded product of tobacco residue washed with neutral water to a pH of 9.6 with all surfaces coated with PVA. For sample SA7, we used a molded product of tobacco residue washed with an acidic cleaning solution to a pH of 4.1 with all surfaces coated with PVA.

Of the samples SA1 to SA7, SA3, SA4 and SA7 correspond to examples, and SA1, SA2, SA5 and SA6 correspond to comparative examples.

Comparing uncoated SA1 to SA4 in Table 1, it can be seen that washed SA2 to SA4 produced less carbon than unwashed SA1. It can also be seen that the amount of carbon produced by SA3 and SA4, in which the pH of the tobacco residue after washing is less than 8.0, is less than that of SA2, in which the pH of the tobacco residue after washing is 9.6. It can also be seen by comparing SA3 and SA4 that SA4, in which the pH of the tobacco residue after washing is lower, produced less carbon than SA3.

In addition, as can be seen by comparing uncoated SA1 to SA4 with coated SA5 to SA7 in Table 1, coated SA5 to SA7 generally produce less carbide than SA1 to SA4.

Based on the above, it was experimentally confirmed that the amount of carbonized material generated is reduced when the pH of tobacco residue is reduced to less than 8.0 by washing with an acidic washing solution with a pH of 7.0 or less. It was also experimentally confirmed that the amount of carbonized material generated is reduced more effectively when the entire surface of tobacco residue that has been washed with an acidic washing solution with a pH of 7.0 or less and has a pH of less than 8.0 is coated.

The above experimental results confirm that by manufacturing molded body 61 using tobacco residue that has been washed with an acidic cleaning solution with a pH of 7.0 or less to reduce the pH to less than 8.0, it is possible to prevent the load 40 from burning, and further that by coating the entire surface of this molded body 61 with coating material 62, it is possible to further prevent the load 40 from burning.

Although the embodiments and variations of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments and variations, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as described in the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 suction tool 12 atomization unit 40 electrical load 50 liquid storage section 60 tobacco consumption material 61 molded body 62 coating material Le aerosol liquid

Claims (5)

A method for manufacturing an atomization unit of an inhalation tool, the atomization unit having a liquid storage section that stores an aerosol liquid, and an electrical load that atomizes the aerosol liquid introduced from the liquid storage section to generate an aerosol, comprising:
an extraction step of extracting flavor components from the tobacco material by heating the alkali-treated tobacco material;
a molding step of washing the tobacco residue, which is the tobacco material extracted in the extraction step, with an acidic washing solution having a pH of 7.0 or less to make the pH of the tobacco residue less than 8.0, and solidifying and molding the washed tobacco residue into a predetermined shape to produce a molded product;
and an assembly process for housing the aerosol liquid and the molded body produced in the molding process in the liquid storage section. The method for manufacturing the atomization unit of the suction tool described in claim 1, wherein the molding process includes coating the entire surface of the molded body with a coating material containing a water-soluble polymer consisting of at least one substance selected from polyvinyl alcohol, agar, gelatin, chitosan, and alginic acid. The method further includes an extract production step of producing an extract of the tobacco material by adding the flavor component extracted in the extraction step to a solvent,
The method for manufacturing an atomization unit of an inhaler according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the aerosol liquid contained in the liquid container in the assembly process includes the extract produced in the extract production process. The method further includes an extract production step of producing an extract of the tobacco material by adding the flavor component extracted in the extraction step to a solvent,
The forming step includes adding a part of the extract produced in the extract production step to the formed body,
3. The method for manufacturing an atomization unit of an inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol liquid contained in the liquid storage section in the assembly process includes at least a portion of the remainder of the extract liquid produced in the extract liquid production process. The method further includes an extract production step of producing an extract of the tobacco material by adding the flavor component extracted in the extraction step to a solvent,
The method for manufacturing an atomization unit of an inhaler according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the molding step includes adding the entirety of the extract produced in the extract production step to the molded body.