JP7654061B2 - Heating unit for non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler and non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heating unit for a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler and a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler.

A non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler has been proposed, which has an electrically heated heating unit, a control unit that controls the heating unit, a power supply unit (battery) that supplies power to the heating unit, and the like, and is capable of inhaling an aerosol containing flavor components generated by heating a flavor generating source in the heating unit without combustion (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3, etc.).

Here, in order to realize a miniaturized non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler (a more compact device), it is important to miniaturize the power supply unit that supplies power to the heating unit, and in order to do so, it is important to reduce the power consumed to heat the flavor generating source. One method for reducing the power consumption of the power supply unit is to perform a rapid heating operation every time it detects an inhalation (puff) action by the user.

Special table 2019-501634 publication International Publication No. 2018/235956 Patent No. 5808490

However, in conventional non-combustion heating type flavor inhalers, it cannot be said that the devices have been made sufficiently small (compact).

Furthermore, when specific sections of the flavor generating source are individually heated by multiple heating regions included in the heating unit in the above-mentioned rapid heating operation, there is a concern that the flow path length from the generated aerosol to being inhaled through the mouthpiece is likely to vary from section to section, making it difficult to stabilize the amount of aerosol delivered.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and its purpose is to provide a heating unit in a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler that releases an aerosol containing flavor from a flavor generating source by non-combustion heating the flavor generating source, which is capable of stabilizing the amount of aerosol delivered while realizing miniaturization of the device.

The technology according to the present invention is an electrically heated heating unit that is disposed in a heating chamber formed in the middle of an air flow passage that flows inside the housing from an air intake provided in the housing of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler toward a mouthpiece, and that, when activated, heats a flavor generating source in a non-combustion manner to release an aerosol containing a flavor component from the flavor generating source,
The flavor generating source is provided with one or more planar heaters, each of which is formed as a heater surface and can be arranged with a sheet-like or planar heated region that constitutes a part or the whole of the flavor generating source on each of the heater surfaces.
The planar heater has a plurality of heating regions formed on each of the front and rear heater surfaces and each of which individually heats a specific section that is a part of the heated region,
The multiple heating area portions on each of the front and back heater surfaces extend along the flow direction of air flowing through the heating chamber as the mouthpiece is inhaled, and on each heater surface, each heating area portion is aligned at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction.

The heating unit of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler may have multiple heating area portions arranged on the same plane on each of the front and back heater surfaces.

The heating unit of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler may further include a thermally conductive sheet arranged on the heater surface.

In the heating unit of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler, the planar heater may be configured as a cartridge that can be attached and detached to a heater mounting portion provided in the heating chamber.

The technology according to the present invention can be specified as a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler. That is, the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler includes a housing provided with a mouthpiece and an air intake, a heating chamber formed midway along an air passage that flows through the housing from the air intake toward the mouthpiece and capable of accommodating a flavor generating source, and any one of the heating units described above that is disposed within the heating chamber.

The non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler may further include a clamping portion provided on the upper and bottom surfaces of the heating chamber, which clamps from above and below a pair of heated areas that are located at the top and bottom of the plurality of heated areas arranged in the heating chamber. In addition, the clamping portion may include a high resilience portion formed of a high resilience material in at least a part thereof.

In addition, the means for solving the problems in this invention can be adopted in combination as much as possible.

According to the present invention, in a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler that releases an aerosol containing flavor from a flavor generating source by non-combustion heating of the flavor generating source, a heating unit can be provided that can stabilize the amount of aerosol delivered while realizing miniaturization of the device.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a flavor inhaler according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the internal structure of the housing of the flavor inhaler 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the sheet heater according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the sheet heater according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the relationship between the heater mounting portion and the sheet heater according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a heating unit equipped with a flavor generating source according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a situation in which the flavor generating source is attached to and detached from the sheet heater according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the side clamping portions and the lower clamping portion according to the first embodiment clamp the flavor generating sheets of the flavor generating source. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the flavor inhaler according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a table in which the cumulative number of puffs after the flavor inhaler is started is stored in association with the energized heating region. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a flavor generating source according to Modification 1 of the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a flavor generating source according to the second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a flavor generating source according to the third modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the heating chamber in the flavor inhaler. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating another modified example of the planar heater in the flavor inhaler. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating another modified example of the planar heater in the flavor inhaler. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cartridge-type sheet heater. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a flavor inhaler according to the second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing a flavor generating source cartridge according to the second embodiment. FIG. 20 is a top view of the bottom frame portion of the holding member of the second embodiment. FIG. 21 is a top view of a first intermediate spacer in the holding member of the second embodiment. FIG. 22 is a top view of the intermediate frame portion of the holding member of the second embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the flavor generating source cartridge according to the second embodiment is attached to a pair of planar heaters.

Here, an embodiment of a heating unit of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to the present invention and a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler equipped with the same will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in this embodiment are merely examples.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler (hereinafter simply referred to as "flavor inhaler") 1 according to embodiment 1. The flavor inhaler 1 is an electric heating device for inhaling an aerosol containing flavor components by heating a flavor generating source 60 shown in FIG. 1 without involving combustion. The flavor inhaler 1 constitutes a non-combustion heating type tobacco product by being combined with the flavor generating source 60. The flavor generating source 60 is a so-called refill item that is attached to the flavor inhaler 1 by a user when using the flavor inhaler 1, and releases an aerosol containing flavor components by being heated with the operation of the flavor inhaler 1. Details of the flavor generating source 60 will be described later.

The flavor inhaler 1 has a housing 2, which is a case that houses various parts that constitute the flavor inhaler 1. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the internal structure of the housing 2 in the flavor inhaler 1.

The housing 2 and its internal structure will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The housing 2 is provided with a mouthpiece 3. The mouthpiece 3 is a member that the user holds in his/her mouth when inhaling flavored aerosol during operation of the flavor inhaler 1, and in this embodiment is formed of a flattened elliptical cylindrical member. Of course, the mouthpiece 3 may have other shapes. The tip of the mouthpiece 3 is provided with an inhalation port 31, which is an opening for inhaling flavored aerosol generated by operation of the flavor inhaler 1. In addition, inside the mouthpiece 3, an internal flow path is formed along the axial direction in which the mouthpiece 3 extends, and this internal flow path is connected to the inhalation port 31. In addition, the flavor inhaler 1 can accommodate the flavor generating source 60 in the heating chamber 4 formed in the housing 2. The housing 2 is provided with a cover body 5 that can be opened and closed to open and close the heating chamber 4. Note that the position when the cover body 5 is open as shown in Figure 1 is called the "open lid position", and the position when the cover body 5 is closed as shown in Figure 2 is called the "closed lid position". As is clear from FIGS. 1 and 2, when the cover body 5 is in the open position, the heating chamber 4 is open to the outside, and when the cover body 5 is in the closed position, the heating chamber 4 is isolated from the outside.

The housing 2 shown in FIG. 1 has a flat, roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. Of course, the shape of the housing 2 is not particularly limited. In this specification, the surface of the housing 2 in the flavor inhaler 1 on which the mouthpiece 3 is provided is described as the front surface, and the surface on which the cover body 5 is provided is described as the top surface. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the various directions in the housing 2 of the flavor inhaler 1. However, the various directions in the flavor inhaler 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 show the relative positional relationship of each element constituting the flavor inhaler 1, and do not show the absolute position of each element. The housing 2 has a top wall 21, a bottom wall 22, a front wall 23, a rear wall 24, and a pair of side walls 25, which define the outer shape.

The upper wall 21 of the housing 2 is provided with an operation unit 12 that can be operated by the user and a notification unit 14 for notifying the user of the state of the flavor inhaler 1. The operation unit 12 may be composed of, for example, a button-type switch or a touch panel. The notification unit 14 is, for example, an indicator such as an LED, and notifies the user of the state of the flavor inhaler 1 according to the color, pattern, etc. of its light emission. Of course, the positions of the operation unit 12 and the notification unit 14 in the housing 2 are not particularly limited. The reference numeral 51 in FIG. 2 denotes a rotation shaft portion of the cover body 5. The rotation shaft portion 51 of the cover body 5 is rotatably supported by a boss hole formed in the upper wall 21 of the housing 2, and can be opened and closed by rotating around the rotation shaft portion 51.

An air intake 6 is provided in the rear wall 24 of the housing 2 so as to penetrate the rear wall 24. As shown in FIG. 2, the flavor inhaler 1 in this embodiment has the mouthpiece 3 and the air intake 6 on opposite sides. A hollow air flow path 7 is provided inside the housing 2 from the air intake 6 to the suction port 31 of the mouthpiece 3, and a hollow heating chamber 4 is formed in the middle of the air flow path 7 (air flow path). Here, the air flow path from the suction port 31 to the heating chamber 4 is called the first air flow path 71, and the air flow path from the heating chamber 4 to the suction port 31 of the mouthpiece 3 is called the second air flow path 72. The second air flow path 72 is mainly formed by a passage formed inside the mouthpiece 3. A heating unit 8 is provided in the heating chamber 4 for electrically heating the flavor generating source 60 that is removably housed in the heating chamber 4. A flavor generating source 60 can be attached to the heating unit 8 , and the flavor generating source 60 housed in the heating chamber 4 while attached to the heating unit 8 is heated by the heating unit 8 within the heating chamber 4 .

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the housing 2 has a two-layer structure separated vertically by a partition 26. For example, the heating chamber 4 in which the heating unit 8 is installed and the ventilation flow path 7 are formed above the partition 26. Meanwhile, the power supply unit 9, the control unit 10, etc. are housed below the partition 26 inside the housing 2. The space of the heating chamber 4 is defined by the inner wall surface of the housing 2. As an example, the bottom surface, the top surface, and the side surface of the heating chamber 4 are defined by the inner wall surface 26A of the partition 26, the inner wall surface 5A of the cover body 5, the inner wall surface 25A of the pair of side walls 25, etc. (see FIG. 1, FIG. 2, etc.). In addition, in the heating chamber 4, a narrowing flow path section 4A in which the flow path cross section is gradually narrowed toward the second ventilation flow path 72 is formed at the connection end side with the second ventilation flow path 72 (see FIG. 1).

1 and 2, etc., a rib-shaped upper clamping portion is provided on the upper surface of the heating chamber 4. In this embodiment, a plurality of upper clamping portions 27 are vertically provided from the inner wall surface 5A of the cover body 5. The plurality of upper clamping portions 27 extend along the front-rear direction of the heating chamber 4 and are arranged at intervals from each other in the width direction of the heating chamber 4. Also, a rib-shaped lower clamping portion is provided on the bottom surface of the heating chamber 4, and in this embodiment, a plurality of lower clamping portions 28 are erected on the inner wall surface 26A of the partition wall 26. In the lower clamping portion 28, the upper clamping portions 27 also extend along the front-rear direction of the heating chamber 4 and are arranged at intervals from each other in the width direction of the heating chamber 4. Although details will be described later, the upper clamping portion 27 and the lower clamping portion 28 are members for pressing the flavor generating source 60 attached to the heating unit 8 by clamping it from above and below, thereby enhancing the adhesion of the flavor generating source 60 to the heating unit 8. The upper clamping portion 27 and the lower clamping portion 28 are made of, for example, resin, but the material is not particularly limited.

The power supply unit 9 is, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery, an electric double layer capacitor, or the like, and is preferably a lithium ion secondary battery. The electrolyte of the power supply unit 9 may be composed of one or a combination of a gel electrolyte, an electrolytic solution, a solid electrolyte, and an ionic liquid. In addition, a charging terminal (not shown) that can be electrically connected to an external power source (not shown) is provided at an appropriate position of the housing 2. The charging terminal may be, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal, a microUSB terminal, or a Lightning (registered trademark) terminal. In addition, the charging terminal may be capable of receiving power transmitted from an external power source in a non-contact manner.

Furthermore, the flavor inhaler 1 is equipped with an inhalation sensor 13. The inhalation sensor 13 is configured to output a value of a pressure (internal pressure) change in the air flow path 7 caused by, for example, the user inhaling through the mouthpiece 3. The inhalation sensor 13 is, for example, a pressure sensor that outputs an output value (for example, a voltage value or a current value) corresponding to the internal pressure that changes according to the flow rate of air inhaled from the air intake 6 toward the suction port 31. The inhalation sensor 13 may output an analog value, or may output a digital value converted from the analog value.

The control unit 10 is configured to include, for example, an MCU (Micro Controller Unit). The MCU of the control unit 10 is configured, for example, mainly with a processor, and further includes a memory configured with a storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) necessary for the operation of the processor and a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various information. In this specification, the processor may specifically be an electric circuit combining circuit elements such as semiconductor elements. The control unit 10 is connected to the heating unit 8, the power supply unit 9, the operation unit 12, the intake sensor 13, the notification unit 14, etc., and performs various controls in the flavor inhaler 1.

Next, the heating unit 8 will be described. The heating unit 8 is a heater module having one or more planar heaters 81 and a heater mounting portion 86 for mounting the planar heaters 81. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the heating unit 8 has one planar heater 81.

Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of the planar heater 81 according to embodiment 1. Figure 4 is a schematic front view of the planar heater 81 according to embodiment 1. Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating the relationship between the heater mounting portion 82 and the planar heater 81 according to embodiment 1. Figure 6 is a schematic side view of the heating unit 8 to which the flavor generating source 60 according to embodiment 1 is attached. Figure 5 shows the state before the planar heater 81 is attached to the heater mounting portion 82. Figure 6 shows the state after the planar heater 81 is attached to the heater mounting portion 82.

The planar heater 81 shown in Figures 3 and 4 is a heater module having a rectangular flat plate shape, comprising a substrate 82 and a plurality of heating regions 83 formed on a first heater surface 82A and a second heater surface 82B on the front and back sides of the substrate 82, and having a flat plate shape as a whole. The first heater surface 82A is a heater surface formed on the upper surface (front surface) of the planar heater 81 (substrate 82). The second heater surface 82B is a heater surface formed on the lower surface (rear surface) of the planar heater 81 (substrate 82). Also, reference numerals 82C to 82F respectively denote the front, rear, first side, and second side of the planar heater 81 (substrate 82). On each of the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B, a plurality of heating regions 83 having a roughly rectangular planar shape extending in one direction are aligned and spaced apart from each other. 3, 14 heating regions 83 each extend along the front-to-rear direction of the planar heater 81 (substrate 82) on a first heater surface 82A and a second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81 (substrate 82). The heating regions 83 on the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B are aligned at regular intervals.

The front-rear direction of the planar heater 81 (substrate 82) is a direction parallel to the first side surface 82E and the second side surface 82F. The width direction of the planar heater 81 (substrate 82) is a direction parallel to the front surface 82C and the back surface 82D. The heating area portions 83 on the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81 (substrate 82) do not have to be arranged at regular intervals in the width direction of the planar heater 81 (substrate 82). In addition, the number of heating area portions 83 provided on each of the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B is not particularly limited. In addition, the number of heating area portions 83 may differ between the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B. In the planar heater 81, a plurality of heating area portions 83 are arranged on the same plane on the first heater surface 82A of the substrate 82. In addition, the second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81 also has a plurality of heating regions 83 arranged on the same plane. On the same plane here means that the plurality of heating regions 83 are arranged flush with each other and the heights of the surfaces of the respective heating regions 83 are aligned with each other.

The substrate 82 of the planar heater 81 is formed as a holder for holding the multiple heating regions 83, and is formed of a resin material such as polyimide resin, which has excellent electrical insulation and heat insulation properties. Each heating region 83 formed on the substrate 82 of the planar heater 81 is formed of a resistor as described below, and generates heat when electricity is applied. By forming the substrate 82 of the planar heater 81 from a heat insulating material, the thermal resistance between each heating region 83 on the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B can be increased, and the diffusion of heat to the surroundings can be reduced. In addition, the substrate 82 of the planar heater 81 may have a concave slit groove 821 formed between each heating region 83 formed on each heater surface 82A, 82B, as in the modified example 1 shown in FIG. 4. Each slit groove 821 is an elongated groove extending parallel to the extension direction of each heating region 83. By forming slit grooves 821 on each heater surface 82A, 82B, it is possible to reduce the escape of heat to adjacent regions when heat generation in a specific heating region 83 is controlled. Here, it is preferable that the length of each slit groove 821 is equal to or longer than the length of the heating region 83. In other words, it is preferable that each slit groove 821 is disposed so as to block the adjacent heating region portions 83 over the entire section between them, thereby enhancing the effect of suppressing heat dissipation during heat generation control.

Also, as shown in the modified example 2 in FIG. 4, between each heating region 83 formed on each heater surface 82A, 82B of the planar heater 81, a slit hole 822 penetrating the substrate 82 in the thickness direction may be formed. Each slit hole 822 is a long and thin through hole extending parallel to the extension direction of each heating region 83. By forming the slit hole 822 in the substrate 82 of the planar heater 81, when a specific heating region 83 is controlled to generate heat, it is possible to reduce the escape of heat to an adjacent region. It is preferable that the length of each slit hole 822 has a dimension equal to or longer than the length of the heating region 83. In other words, it is preferable that each slit hole 822 is arranged so as to block the adjacent heating region 83 over the entire section, thereby enhancing the effect of reducing the diffusion of heat during heat generation control.

In this embodiment, the planar positions of the heating regions 83 formed on the first heater surface 82A of the planar heater 81 and the heating regions 83 formed on the second heater surface 82B do not need to be aligned. If the planar positions of the heating regions 83 on the first heater surface 82A side and the heating regions 83 on the second heater surface 82B side are not aligned, and it is difficult to form a slit hole 822 penetrating the substrate 82 due to this, it is preferable to form a concave slit groove 821 between the heating regions 83 on each heater surface 82A, 82B as described in the modified example 1 of FIG. 4. In addition, in this embodiment, the substrate 82 of the planar heater 81 may be a metal substrate. When the substrate 82 of the planar heater 81 is a metal substrate, it is preferable to place a heat insulating layer at an appropriate position so that the heat from each heating region 83 formed on each of the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B does not diffuse through the substrate 82. In addition, when the substrate 82 is a metal substrate, an electrical insulating layer is disposed between each heating area 83 and various wiring layers (wiring LU, wiring LD, positive electrode pads 84A to 84N, negative electrode pad 85, etc.) described later and the metal substrate.

The heating area 83 arranged on the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B may be, for example, a planar heater formed by applying (coating) a heat generating coating material to the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B by printing or the like. Various materials can be used for the heat generating coating material. The heat generating coating material may be formed, for example, by dispersing a metal filler having excellent electrical conductivity as a heat generating material in a binder. Examples of such heat generating coating materials include a mixed paste containing silver powder and ink. In addition, the material contained in such a mixed paste is not limited to silver powder, and may contain, for example, precious metal powder such as gold, platinum, palladium, etc. Even if the inherent conductor resistance is not very high, a material that is easy to detect resistance change due to temperature due to a large resistance temperature coefficient may be used. In addition, the heat generating coating material may be one that uses carbon black or carbon nanotubes (CNT) as a heat generating material. In another form, the planar heater 81 may be a planar heating wire. Such a heating wire can be formed from a metal-based material such as iron chromium.

Hereinafter, for convenience, each heating area 83 formed on each of the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81 (substrate 82) will be referred to as the first heating area 83A to the fourteenth heating area 83N, starting from the area located closest to the first side surface 82E. Reference numerals 84A to 84N shown in FIG. 3 are positive electrode side pads. Reference numeral 85 is a negative electrode side pad. Each positive electrode side pad 84A to 84N is connected to the rear end side of the first heating area 83A to the fourteenth heating area 83N via wiring LU. In addition, the negative electrode side pad 85 is connected to the front end side of the first heating area 83A to the fourteenth heating area 83N via wiring LD. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81 (substrate 82) also has the positive electrode side pads 84A to 84N, the negative electrode side pad 85, and the wiring LU and LD arranged thereon, similar to the first heater surface 82A. The connection relationship between the first heating area portion 83A to the fourteenth heating area portion 83N, the positive electrode side pads 84A to 84N, the negative electrode side pad 85, and the wiring LU and LD on the second heater surface 82B side is the same as that on the first heater surface 82A side described above. The positive electrode side pads 84A to 84N may be collectively referred to simply as "positive electrode side pads 84". The wiring LU and LD on the substrate 82 may not be exposed and may be covered with an electrical insulating layer. The planar heater 81 may also adopt a configuration in which a heat generating element such as a resistor that generates heat when current is applied is disposed on only one of the first heater surface 82A (front surface) and the second heater surface 82B (rear surface). For example, the planar heater 81 may have a heat generating element such as a resistor disposed only on the first heater surface 82A (or the second heater surface 82B), and when the planar heater 81 is in operation, the heat of the heat generating element on the first heater surface 82A (or the second heater surface 82B) may be transferred to the second heater surface 82B (or the first heater surface 82A) to increase the temperature of the second heater surface 82B (or the first heater surface 82A). In that case, it is preferable to make the thickness of the substrate 82 in the planar heater 81 thin and to make the heat capacity of the substrate 82 sufficiently small. As a result, even in an embodiment in which a heat generating element such as a resistor is disposed only on the first heater surface 82A (or the second heater surface 82B) of the planar heater 81, the temperature of the second heater surface 82B (or the first heater surface 82A) can be sufficiently increased when the planar heater 81 is operated. In such an embodiment, the thickness of the substrate 82 is, for example, about 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm. In such an embodiment, the substrate 82 is preferably formed from a material with excellent thermal conductivity.

5 and 6, the heater mounting portion 86 has a recess 861 that receives the rear end side of the planar heater 81. The recess 861 of the heater mounting portion 86 is formed with a first connection surface 861A and a second connection surface 861B facing the first connection surface 861A. The first connection surface 861A of the recess 861 is provided with electrodes (not shown) that are connected to the positive electrode pads 84A to 84N and the negative electrode pad 85 on the first heater surface 82A of the planar heater 81 mounted in the recess 861. Similarly, the second connection surface 861B of the recess 861 is also provided with electrodes (not shown) that are connected to the positive electrode pads 84A to 84N and the negative electrode pad 85 on the second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81 mounted in the recess 861.

Each electrode in the heater mounting portion 86 is connected to a terminal of the power supply unit 9 via a lead wire or the like, and the heating area 83 formed on each of the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81 is energized by the power supplied from the power supply unit 9 via the heater mounting portion 86. Each heating area 83 is formed of a resistor, and generates heat when electricity is passed through it. In addition, the heater mounting portion 86 is provided with a switch, which can freely switch between disconnection and conduction of the wiring path connecting each heating area 83 formed on each of the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B to the power supply unit 9. This allows the power supply unit 9 to freely switch which heating area 83 on the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81 is energized when power is supplied from the power supply unit 9.

5 and 6, a pair of side surfaces 862, 862 of the heater mounting portion 86 are provided with a rotating shaft portion 863 protruding therefrom. The pair of rotating shaft portions 863 in the heater mounting portion 86 are formed coaxially and are rotatably supported, for example, by boss holes or the like formed on the inner wall surface of the housing 2 that defines the side surface of the heating chamber 4. The heater rotating axis defined by the central axis of each rotating shaft portion 863 is parallel to the cover rotating axis defined by the central axis of the rotating shaft portion 51 of the cover body 5, and is set perpendicular to the flow direction of air flowing through the heating chamber 4 when the user inhales the mouthpiece 3 (hereinafter referred to as the "chamber ventilation direction") AF (see FIG. 2). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the chamber ventilation direction AF is set as a direction along the front-rear direction of the heating chamber 4 (perpendicular to the width direction).

Next, the flavor generating source 60 will be described. As shown in Figures 1, 3, 6, etc., the flavor generating source 60 is formed by connecting the connecting edges 611 of two flavor generating sheets 61A, 61B to each other. Reference numeral 62 denotes a connecting region where the flavor generating sheets 61A, 61B are connected. Reference numerals 63A, 63B denote a sheet-like first heated region and a second heated region. The flavor generating source 60 is bifurcated from the connecting region 62 into a pair of sheet pieces, the first heated region 63A and the second heated region 63B.

The raw materials constituting the flavor generating source 60 (flavor generating sheets 61A, 61B) are not particularly limited as long as they include a flavor generating source and an aerosol generating source for releasing an aerosol containing a flavor component by being heated when the planar heater 81 in the heating unit 8 is activated. For example, the flavor generating source 60 may include tobacco shreds as a flavor generating source. Alternatively, the flavor generating source may be a plant other than tobacco (e.g., mint, Chinese medicine, or herbs, etc.). The aerosol generating source may also be a polyol such as glycerin, propylene glycol, or 1,3-butanediol. For example, the flavor generating source 60 (flavor generating sheets 61A, 61B) may be produced by grinding dried tobacco leaves to obtain tobacco ground material, homogenizing the material, processing it into a sheet, and adding the above-mentioned aerosol generating source. The raw materials of the flavor generating source 60 may also include flavorings such as menthol.

In addition, the flavor generating source 60 may be configured such that the first heated region 63A and the second heated region 63B are made of raw materials including a flavor generating source and an aerosol generating source. Therefore, the connecting region 62 in the flavor generating source 60 may be made of raw materials that do not include a flavor generating source and an aerosol generating source. For example, low thermal conductive materials such as paper and nonwoven fabrics can be suitably used as raw materials for the connecting region 62 in the flavor generating source 60.

In this embodiment, the flavor generating sheets 61A, 61B, whose connecting edges 611 are connected to each other, are formed as rectangular sheets having a congruent shape, but the flavor generating sheets 61A, 61B may have other shapes. Reference numeral 612 denotes a leading edge portion of each flavor generating sheet 61A, 61B located on the opposite side to the connecting edge 611. Reference numeral 613 denotes an outer surface of each flavor generating sheet 61A, 61B (each heated area 63A, 63B), and reference numeral 614 denotes an inner surface of each flavor sheet piece 61A, 61B (each heated area 63A, 63B).

The flavor generating source 60 configured as described above can be attached to the planar heater 81 by sandwiching the planar heater 81 inside each heated area 63A, 63B that is bifurcated with the connecting area 62 as the base point (see Figures 2, 6, etc.). When attaching the flavor generating source 60 to the planar heater 81, as shown in Figure 3, the tip edge 613 of each flavor generating sheet 61A, 61B (each heated area 63A, 63B) of the flavor generating source 60 is brought close to the front surface 82C of the planar heater 81 while facing it, and the planar heater 81 is inserted between each flavor generating sheet 61A, 61B (each heated area 63A, 63B). When the sheet heater 81 is inserted until the connecting region 62 of the flavor generating source 60 is positioned near the front surface 82C of the sheet heater 81, the attachment of the flavor generating source 60 to the sheet heater 81 is completed (hereinafter, this state is referred to as the "flavor sheet attachment completed state"). In the flavor sheet attachment completed state, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B are respectively attached to the heated regions 63A, 63B.

7 is a diagram illustrating the situation in which the flavor generating source 60 is attached to and detached from the planar heater 81 according to the first embodiment. When attaching or detaching the flavor generating source 60 to or from the planar heater 81, the user opens the cover body 5 of the flavor inhaler 1. This exposes the heating chamber 4 to the outside of the housing 2, and the user can access the heating unit 8 installed in the heating chamber 4. Then, the user, for example, pinches the front surface 82C of the planar heater 81 supported by the heater mounting portion 86 with his or her fingers and lightly lifts it up. This causes the heater mounting portion 86 to rotate around the pivot shaft portion 863 supported rotatably relative to the housing 2, and the position of the planar heater 81 can be changed from the first position shown in FIG. 2 to the second position shown in FIG. 7. The first position of the planar heater 81 is a position in which the planar heater 81 is generally parallel to the inner wall surface 26A forming the bottom surface of the heating chamber 4, and in this state the planar heater 81 is housed within the heating chamber 4. On the other hand, the second position of the planar heater 81 is a position in which the planar heater 81 stands obliquely relative to the inner wall surface 26A, and can be said to be a position in which the flavor generating source 60 can be easily attached and detached to and from the planar heater 81. Of course, the flavor generating source 60 may be attached and detached to and from the planar heater 81 while the planar heater 81 is held in the first position. The planar heater 81 of the heating unit 8 may also be installed in the heating chamber 4 while being fixed in the first position shown in FIG.

When the flavor generating source 60 is inhaled using the flavor inhaler 1, the flavor generating source 60 is attached to the planar heater 81 (flavor sheet attachment completed state), the planar heater 81 is switched from the second position to the first position, and the cover body 5 is closed (see FIG. 2). As described above, in the flavor inhaler 1, the multiple upper clamping parts 27 are suspended from the inner wall surface 5A of the cover body 5, and the multiple lower clamping parts 28 are erected on the inner wall surface 26A of the partition wall 26. Therefore, when the cover body 5 is closed, the outer surface 613 of each flavor generating sheet 61A, 61B (heated area portion 63A, 63B) of the flavor generating source 60 attached to the planar heater 81 is clamped and pressed from above and below by the upper clamping part 27 and the lower clamping part 28. This allows each heating region 83 formed on the first heater surface 82A of the planar heater 81 to be closely attached to the inner surface 614 of the first heated region 63A of the flavor generating source 60. Also, each heating region 83 formed on the second heater surface 82B can be closely attached to the inner surface 614 of the second heated region 63B.

The upper clamping portion 27 and the lower clamping portion 28 are configured to clamp from above and below a pair of heated areas that are arranged in the uppermost and lowermost stages of the multiple heated areas arranged in the heating chamber 4. The heating chamber 4 in this embodiment is designed to accommodate a pair of heated areas 63A, 63B, so that the heated area 63A corresponds to the heated area arranged in the uppermost stage, and the heated area 63B corresponds to the heated area arranged in the lowermost stage.

Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the state in which the side clamping portion 27 and the lower clamping portion 28 according to the first embodiment clamp each flavor generating sheet 61A, 61B (each heated area portion 63A, 63B) of the flavor generating source 60 from above and below. Figure 8 shows a schematic cross section in a direction along the width direction of the heating chamber 4 (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the chamber ventilation direction AF). The heating unit 8 of the flavor inhaler 1 is configured such that, when the planar heater 81 is in the first position, each heated area portion 83 (83A to 83N) on each of the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B extends along the chamber ventilation direction AF, which is the flow direction of air flowing through the heating chamber 4 as the mouthpiece 3 is inhaled, and each heated area portion 83 (83A to 83N) is aligned at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the chamber ventilation direction AF).

The planar heater 81 is configured to individually heat specific sections that form part of each heated region 63A, 63B of the flavor generating source 60. Here, the parts of each heated region 63A, 63B that are to be heated when the first heated region 83A to the fourteenth heated region 83N on each heater surface 82A, 82B of the planar heater 81 are heated are the first section RA to the fourteenth section RN. Figure 8 shows the boundary positions of each section RA to RN in a schematic manner. However, the heat transferred from each heated region 83A to 83N to each heated region 63A, 63B is transferred along the width direction of each heated region 63A, 63B. Therefore, the dashed line positions shown in Figure 8 do not necessarily coincide with the boundary positions of each section RA to RN.

When the control unit 10 controls the heating unit 8, the heating temperature of the heating area 83 of the planar heater 81 is controlled so that the heated areas 63A, 63B of the flavor generating source 60 do not burn. When the heated areas 63A, 63B of the flavor generating source 60 are heated, the steam of the flavor generating source and the aerosol generating source contained therein is mixed with the air flowing through the air passage (for example, indicated by symbols 41, 42, etc. in FIG. 8) formed in the heating chamber 4 through the first air passage 71, and an aerosol containing flavor components is generated. The aerosol containing flavor components flows down the air passages 41, 42, etc. along the chamber air passage direction AF, then flows from the narrowing passage portion 4A into the second air passage 72 in the mouthpiece 3, and is finally inhaled into the user's oral cavity through the suction port 31.

8 is an air passage formed between the upper clamping portions 27 and between the upper clamping portions 27 at both ends and the inner wall surface 25A. Also, the air passage 42 is an air passage formed between the lower clamping portions 28 and between the lower clamping portions 28 at both ends and the inner wall surface 25A. Each of the air passages 41, 42 extends along the front-to-rear direction of the heating chamber 4. In other words, each of the air passages 41, 42 extends along the extension direction of each heating region 83 of the planar heater 81.

8, the upper clamping portion 27 provided on the inner wall surface 5A of the cover body 5 and the lower clamping portion 28 provided on the inner wall surface 26A of the partition wall 26 are arranged so as not to overlap in the vertical direction with the heating area portions 83 formed on each heater surface 82A, 82B of the planar heater 81. In other words, the upper clamping portion 27 and the lower clamping portion 28 are arranged at positions shifted in the width direction of the heating chamber 4 with respect to the heating area portions 83 formed on each heater surface 82A, 82B. According to this, when the outer surface 613 of each flavor generating sheet 61A, 61B (heated area 63A, 63B) of the flavor generating source 60 attached to the planar heater 81 is sandwiched from above and below by the upper sandwiching part 27 and the lower sandwiching part 28, the heated area 63A, 63B is prevented from being pressed too strongly against the heating area 83 formed on each heater surface 82A, 82B, and both can be adjusted to a moderately close contact relationship. As a result, when the heating area 83 arranged on each heater surface 82A, 82B generates heat, the first heated area 63A and the second heated area 63B can be suitably heated while preventing them from being burned.

In addition, by arranging the upper clamping portion 27 and the lower clamping portion 28 so that they do not overlap vertically with the heating area portions 83 formed on each heater surface 82A, 82B of the planar heater 81, it is possible to prevent the heat generated in each heating area portion 83 from escaping to the housing 2 side through the upper clamping portion 27 and the lower clamping portion 28. This makes it possible to reduce heat loss in the heating area portions 83 of the planar heater 81.

Next, the operation of the flavor inhaler 1 will be described. Fig. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the flavor inhaler 1 according to embodiment 1. The processing related to each step of the flowchart shown in Fig. 9 is realized, for example, by a processor executing a program stored in a memory in the MCU of the control unit 10.

When the flavor inhaler 1 is started by operating the operation unit 12 (step S01: YES), the control unit 10 turns on the power supply unit 9 (step S02). In this embodiment, the flavor inhaler 1 energizes only some, not all, of the heating areas 83A to 83N arranged on the heater surfaces 82A and 82B of the planar heater 81 each time the flavor inhaler 1 detects the user inhaling the mouthpiece 3 (puffing), causing rapid heat generation. As a result, a specific section of each heated area 63A and 63B of the flavor generating source 60 can be heated, and the power consumption of the power supply unit 9 that supplies power to the heating unit 8 can be reduced.

In addition, when the cumulative number of puffing operations by the user since the flavor inhaler 1 is started reaches a specified number, the control unit 10 performs heating control corresponding to the specified number of puffing operations and then turns off the power supply unit 9. Here, the specified number regarding the cumulative number of puffing operations after the flavor inhaler 1 is started is described as 14 times, which corresponds to the number of heating areas 83 on each heater surface 82A, 82B of the planar heater 81, but the specified number is not particularly limited.

After turning on the power supply unit 9 in step S02, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the user has performed a puffing operation (step S03). The presence or absence of a puffing operation can be detected based on the output value of the inhalation sensor 13. When the control unit 10 detects a puffing operation (step S03: YES), the control unit 10 causes the power supply unit 9 to supply power to the planar heater 81 of the heating unit 8, and performs a process of energizing the heating area portion (hereinafter also referred to as the "energized heating area portion") corresponding to the cumulative puff count among the multiple heating area portions 83A to 83N arranged on each heater surface 82A, 82B (step S04). That is, when the cumulative puff count is N (N is a natural number and 1≦N≦14), the Nth heating area portion on each of the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B is energized to generate heat. If a puffing action is not detected in step S03 (step S03: NO), the process returns to step S03 after a certain period of time has elapsed, and it is determined again whether or not a puffing action has been detected.

The target temperature for generating heat when the heating region 83 is energized may be set in advance, and the power supply from the power supply unit 9 may be controlled so that the temperature of the heating region 83 converges to the target temperature. For example, the flavor inhaler 1 may further include a voltage sensor that measures and outputs the voltage value applied to the heating region 83 when the heating region 83 is energized and/or a current sensor that measures and outputs the current value flowing through the heating region 83, and the temperature of the heating region 83 may be obtained based on the output value of the sensor. In this case, the output of the voltage sensor and the current sensor are input to the control unit 10. The processor of the control unit 10 can obtain the resistance value of the heating region 83 in the planar heater 81 based on the output of the voltage sensor and the output of the current sensor, and obtain the temperature of the heating region 83 according to this resistance value. Note that if a constant current is passed through the heating region 83 when the resistance value of the heating region 83 is obtained, the current sensor is not necessary. Similarly, if a constant voltage is applied to the heating region 83 when the resistance value of the heating region 83 is obtained, a voltage sensor is not necessary. A temperature measurement sensor such as a thermistor may be disposed in the heating chamber 4, and current control may be performed to heat the heating region 83 based on the output of the temperature measurement sensor. Alternatively, the heating region 83 may be heated by controlling current flow to the heating region 83 for a preset period of time.

When the detection of the puffing action triggers the heating area 83 arranged on each heater surface 82A, 82B of the planar heater 81 to generate heat, a specific section of each heated area 63A, 63B of the flavor generating source 60 that corresponds to the heating area 83 that generated heat is heated, and an aerosol containing flavor components is released from that section. The aerosol containing flavor components passes through each air passage 41-44 extending along the front-rear direction of the heating chamber 4, passes through the throttle flow passage 4A and the second air passage 72 in sequence, and is finally inhaled from the suction port 31.

In addition, the control unit 10 stores in memory the specified number of cumulative puffs and information on the cumulative puffs after startup. In step S04, after performing the energization process to heat the heating area unit 83 associated with the cumulative puffs, the control unit 10 increments the cumulative puffs stored in the memory to update the information on the cumulative puffs (step S05). Next, the control unit 10 determines whether the cumulative puffs stored in the memory have reached the specified number (step S06). If it is determined in step S06 that the cumulative puffs have not reached the specified number (step S06: NO), the control unit 10 returns to step S03 after a certain time has elapsed and again determines whether or not a puff operation has been performed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S06 that the cumulative puffs have reached the specified number (step S06: YES), the power supply unit 9 is turned off (step S07).

In the above operation example, each time a puffing action by the user is detected until the cumulative number of puffs after the flavor inhaler 1 is started reaches a specified number, a process of generating heat in a specific heating area portion corresponding to the cumulative number of puffs, out of the multiple heating area portions 83A to 83N arranged on each heater surface 82A, 82B of the planar heater 81, is repeatedly performed.

10 is a diagram illustrating a table in which the cumulative number of puffs after the flavor inhaler 1 is activated is stored in association with the heating area to which electricity is applied on each heater surface 82A, 82B of the planar heater 81. The table shown in FIG. 10 is stored in the memory of the control unit 10. In the example of the table shown in FIG. 10, when the cumulative number of puffs is 1, the first heating area 83A on each heater surface 82A, 82B is associated as the heating area to which electricity is applied. Therefore, after the flavor inhaler 1 is activated, when the first puff operation is detected, the first heating area 83A on the first heater surface 82A of the planar heater 81 and the first heating area 83A on the second heater surface 82B are selected as the heating area to which electricity is applied, and electricity is applied. As a result, the first section RA in the first heated area 63A of the flavor generating source 60 and the first section RA in the second heated area 63B are heated individually, and an aerosol mainly containing flavor components is released from the section RA.

In the example of the table shown in FIG. 10, when the cumulative number of puffs is 2, the second heated area 83B on each heater surface 82A, 82B is associated as the heated area to be energized. Therefore, when the second puff operation is detected after the flavor inhaler 1 is started, the second heated area 83B on the first heater surface 82A of the planar heater 81 and the second heated area 83B on the second heater surface 82B are selected as the heated areas to be energized and energized. As a result, the second section RB on the first heated area 63A of the flavor generating source 60 and the second section RB on the second heated area 63B are heated individually, and an aerosol mainly containing flavor components is released from the section RB.

Of course, the table shown in FIG. 10 is an example, and the correspondence between the cumulative number of puffs and the heating area to which electricity is applied after the flavor inhaler 1 is started can be freely changed. In addition, the heating area to which electricity is applied on the first heater surface 82A, which is associated with the cumulative number of puffs, and the heating area to which electricity is applied on the second heater surface 82B may be different. In addition, a plurality of (e.g., 2 to 3) heating area portions 83 on the first heater surface 82A may be associated with the cumulative number of puffs as the heating area to which electricity is applied. In this case, the heating area portions 83 on the first heater surface 82A, which are associated with the cumulative number of puffs, are energized simultaneously. Similarly, a plurality of (e.g., 2 to 3) heating area portions 83 on the second heater surface 82B may be associated with the cumulative number of puffs as the heating area to which electricity is applied. In this case, the heating area portions 83 on the second heater surface 82A, which are associated with the cumulative number of puffs, are energized simultaneously. The flavor inhaler 1 may be configured to be capable of communicating with a user's external terminal such as a mobile terminal or a personal computer. In this case, the user may be able to arbitrarily set the order of energization, heating temperature, heating time, etc. of each heating region 83 provided on each heater surface 82A, 82B of the heating unit 8 in the flavor inhaler 1 using, for example, an application on the user's external terminal. The user can arbitrarily set preferred inhalation (heater heating) conditions by storing the above user settings in the memory of the control unit 10 via communication using various input terminals such as a USB terminal, near field communication (NFC), wireless fidelity (WiFi), etc.

As described above, the flavor inhaler 1 of this embodiment performs the power supply control described in Fig. 10 using the detection of a puffing action by the user as a trigger, thereby reducing power consumption when heating the flavor generating source 60. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the power supply unit 9, thereby contributing to the miniaturization of the flavor inhaler 1 (housing 2).

The heating unit 8 in this embodiment is provided with a planar heater 81 having heater surfaces 82A and 82B formed on both sides. Each of the heater surfaces 82A and 82B in the planar heater 81 can be arranged with a sheet-like or planar heated area 63A and 63B that constitutes a part or the whole of the flavor generating source 60, and each of the heater surfaces 82A and 82B is formed with a plurality of heating areas 83 for individually heating specific sections that are part of the heated area 63A and 63B. In this way, the planar heater 81 has heater surfaces 82A and 82B that can be arranged with a sheet-like or planar heated area 63A and 63B on both sides, respectively, so that the height (thickness) of the housing 2 can be kept low and compact.

Furthermore, the heating unit 8 extends the multiple heating areas 83 on each of the heater surfaces 82A and 82B on the front and back sides of the planar heater 81 along the chamber ventilation direction AF of the air flowing through the heating chamber 4 with inhalation of the mouthpiece 3, and aligns the heating areas 83 on each of the heater surfaces 82A and 82B at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction (chamber ventilation direction AF). In this way, even when any of the heating areas 83 on each of the heater surfaces 82A and 82B is determined to be the heating area to be energized and heated, the flow path length from the section position individually heated by the heating area to be energized to the suction port 31 is approximately constant. In other words, even when any of the heating areas 83 is heated, it is possible to avoid large variations in the cooling distance (flow path length) until the aerosol released from the section heated by the heating area 83 of each heated area 63A, 63B is guided to the suction port 31. As a result, regardless of which heating region 83 is heated, the condensed state of the flavor components vaporized by heating in the heating region 83 can be stabilized, and the amount of aerosol delivered can be stabilized.

In addition, by extending the multiple heating area portions 83 on each of the front and rear heater surfaces 82A, 82B of the planar heater 81 along the chamber airflow direction AF and aligning them at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction (chamber airflow direction AF), the air passages 41-44 can be formed along the extension direction of the heating area portions 83. This allows the air taken in from the air intake 6 and the aerosol generated in the heating chamber 4 to flow smoothly toward the mouthpiece 3.

In addition, the planar heater 81 of the heating unit 8 has a plurality of heating regions 83 arranged on the same plane on each of the heater surfaces 82A and 82B on the front and back sides. That is, the heights of the heating regions 83 on each of the heater surfaces 82A and 82B on the planar heater 81 are flush with each other. This makes it possible to easily make uniform the relative relationship (e.g., contact relationship) between each of the heater surfaces 82A and 82B of the flavor generating source 60 and the inner surface 614 of the heated regions 63A and 63B when the heated regions 63A and 63B are arranged along the heater surfaces 82A and 82B on the planar heater 81. Therefore, the heating conditions are less likely to vary when the heating regions 83 individually heat each section of the heated regions 63A and 63B on each of the heater surfaces 82A and 82B on the planar heater 81, which contributes to stabilizing the amount of aerosol delivered.

In the operation of the flavor inhaler 1 described in the flowchart of FIG. 9, the control unit 10 notifies the user of the state of the flavor inhaler 1 by controlling the light emission mode (e.g., light emission color and light emission pattern) of the notification unit 14. The control unit 10 may notify the user of the remaining number of puffs possible through the light emission mode of the notification unit 14. Alternatively, when controlling the power supply to the planar heater 81, the notification unit 14 at a position corresponding to the power supply target heating area may be made to emit light in a predetermined mode to notify the user of the currently operating power supply target heating area. In addition, the flavor inhaler 1 may be provided with a vibrator including a vibration element (e.g., a piezoelectric element) for notifying the user of the state of the flavor inhaler 1, and may be used instead of or in combination with the notification unit 14 to notify the user of the state of the flavor inhaler 1. Alternatively, the flavor inhaler 1 may have a speaker for outputting audio, and may notify the user of the state of the flavor inhaler 1 through audio output from the speaker.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the planar heater 81 of the heating unit 8 is described as a flat heater, but the shape (cross-sectional shape, planar shape, etc.) of the planar heater 81 is not particularly limited. That is, the planar heater 81 of the heating unit 8 has a first heater surface 82A and a second heater surface 82B that can be arranged with the heated areas 63A, 63B of the flavor generating source on the front and back, and the multiple heating areas 83 formed on each heater surface 82A, 82B extend along the chamber ventilation direction AF and are aligned at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction, so long as the heating areas 83 are aligned at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction, the form is not particularly limited, and for example, the first heater surface 82A and/or the second heater surface 82B may have a curved shape (convex shape, concave shape). However, it is preferable that the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B are formed by flat plate heaters having planar shapes, from the standpoint of ease of manufacturing the planar heater 81 and uniformity of heat distribution during heating control.

<Modification>
Hereinafter, a modified example of the flavor inhaler 1 in this embodiment will be described. The same components as those in the above-described embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating a flavor generating source 60A according to the first modified example. The flavor generating source 60A is a plurality of flavor generating sheets separated from each other. In the example shown in Figure 11, two sheet-shaped flavor generating sources 60A are shown. In the first modified example, one flavor generating source 60A is entirely configured as the first heated area 63A, and the other flavor generating source 60A is entirely configured as the second heated area 63B. One flavor generating source 60A (first heated area 63A) can be arranged along the first heater surface 82A of the planar heater 81, and the other flavor generating source 60A (second heated area 63B) can be arranged along the second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81. The flavor generating source 60A shown in Figure 11 can also be applied to the heating unit 8 of the flavor inhaler 1.

Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the flavor generating source 60B according to the second modified example. The flavor generating source 60B shown in Figure 12 has a flat tube shape as a whole, with the side edges of a pair of flavor generating sheets 61A, 61B connected to each other. Reference numeral 615 denotes a side connection portion formed by connecting the side edges of the flavor generating sheets 61A, 61B to each other. Reference numeral 616 denotes a heater insertion port formed as an opening through which the planar heater 81 can be inserted from the front surface 82C side. In the flavor generating source 60B, the area sandwiched between the pair of side connection portions 615 is formed as a planar first heated area portion 63A and a second heated area portion 63B. In other words, the first heated area portion 63A and the second heated area portion 63B in the flavor generating source 60B are part of the flavor generating source 60B.

Between the first heated area 63A and the second heated area 63B, a hollow portion 64 capable of accommodating the planar heater 81 is formed. In the flavor generating source 60B shown in FIG. 12, the planar heater 81 can be sandwiched between the first heated area 63A and the second heated area 63B by inserting (inserting) the planar heater 81 into the hollow portion 64 from the front side 82C through the heater insertion port 616. This allows the first heated area 63A to be aligned with the first heater surface 82A of the planar heater 81, and the second heated area 63B to be aligned with the second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81.

Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating a flavor generating source 60C according to the third modified example. The flavor generating source 60C is similar to the flavor generating source 60B shown in Figure 12, except that the rear end edges of the pair of flavor generating sheets 61A, 61B are also connected to each other. Reference numeral 617 denotes a rear connection portion formed by connecting the rear edges of the flavor generating sheets 61A, 61B to each other, and the flavor generating source 60C has a flat bag shape as a whole. In the flavor generating source 60C, the planar heater 81 can also be inserted (inserted) into the hollow portion 64 from the front side 82C through the heater insertion port 616, thereby sandwiching the planar heater 81 between the first heated area portion 63A and the second heated area portion 63B. This allows the first heated region 63A to be aligned with the first heater surface 82A of the planar heater 81, and the second heated region 63B to be aligned with the second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81.

The flavor inhaler 1 can also adopt various forms for the upper clamping portion 27 and the lower clamping portion 28 provided on the upper and bottom surfaces of the heating chamber 4. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of rib-shaped (plate-shaped) upper clamping portions 27 are vertically provided on the inner wall surface 5A of the cover body 5, and a plurality of rib-shaped (plate-shaped) lower clamping portions 28 are vertically provided on the inner wall surface 26A of the partition wall 26, but these may be omitted. That is, the first heated area portion 63A and the second heated area portion 63B attached to the planar heater 81 may be sandwiched from above and below by the inner wall surface 5A of the cover body 5 and the inner wall surface 26A of the partition wall 26, and the structure may be such that the adhesion of the first heated area portion 63A and the second heated area portion 63B to the planar heater 81 is enhanced. In such a configuration, the inner wall surface 5A of the cover body 5 and the inner wall surface 26A of the partition wall 26 also function as the upper clamping portion 27 and the lower clamping portion 28 described above, respectively.

Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating another modified example of the cross-sectional structure of the heating chamber 4 in the flavor inhaler 1, specifically showing the state when the heating chamber 4 is cut in a cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Reference numerals 87A and 87B shown in Figure 14 are thermally conductive sheets arranged on each heater surface 82A and 82B, respectively. The thermally conductive sheets 87A and 87B cover the surfaces of the multiple heating areas 83 arranged on each heater surface 82A and 82B. The thermally conductive sheets 87A and 87B may be formed of, for example, aluminum foil. The thermally conductive sheet 87A interposed between the first heated area 63A and the first heater surface 82A suppresses direct contact between the first heated area 63A and the heating area 83 on the first heater surface 82A, while transferring heat from the heating area 83 to the first heated area 63A when the heating area 83 on the first heater surface 82A generates heat. In addition, the thermally conductive sheet 87B interposed between the second heated region 63B and the second heater surface 82B prevents the second heated region 63B and the heating region 83 on the second heater surface 82B from coming into direct contact with each other, and transfers heat from the heating region 83 on the second heater surface 82B to the second heated region 63B when the heating region 83 generates heat. With this configuration, when the heating region 83 arranged on each heater surface 82A, 82B generates heat, the first heated region 63A and the second heated region 63B can be suitably heated while preventing them from being burned.

Furthermore, in the modified example shown in FIG. 14, the inner wall surface 5A of the cover body 5 and the inner wall surface 26A of the partition wall 26 have an uneven shape. Reference numerals 251 and 252 shown in FIG. 14 are convex portions and concave portions arranged alternately along the width direction of the inner wall surface 5A of the cover body 5. Reference numerals 261 and 262 are convex portions and concave portions arranged alternately along the width direction of the inner wall surface 26A of the partition wall 26. In the flavor generating source 60 in this modified example, a concave portion 613A capable of receiving the convex portion 251 of the inner wall surface 5A and a convex portion 613B capable of fitting into the concave portion 252 are formed on the outer surface of the first heated area portion 63A. Similarly, a concave portion 613A capable of receiving the convex portion 261 of the inner wall surface 26A and a convex portion 613B capable of fitting into the concave portion 262 are formed on the outer surface of the second heated area portion 63B. In this modified example, the convex portions 251, 261 formed on the inner wall surface 5A of the cover body 5 and the inner wall surface 26A of the partition wall 26 correspond to clamping portions that clamp a pair of heated area portions 63A, 63B located at the top and bottom of the heating chamber 4 from above and below.

Also, the reference numerals 251A and 261A shown in FIG. 14 are high-resilience portions formed on the tip side of the convex portions 251 and 261 (clamping portions). The high-resilience portions 251A and 261A are formed of a high-resilience material. Examples of such high-resilience materials include silicone rubber. Furthermore, since silicone rubber has heat resistance, it is suitable as a material to be used for the high-resilience portions 251A and 261A. As described above, by providing the high-resilience portions 251A and 261A on the convex portions 251 and 261 that sandwich the heated areas 63A and 63B arranged in the heating chamber 4 from above and below, the adhesion of the heated areas 63A and 63B to the planar heater 81 can be suitably increased.

As shown in FIG. 14, the depth dimension of the recess 252 of the cover body 5 is greater than the height dimension of the protrusion 613B formed on the outer surface of the first heated region 63A. Therefore, a gap is formed between the top surface of the protrusion 613B and the groove bottom of the recess 252, and the gap forms the air passage 46. Similarly, the depth dimension of the recess 262 of the partition 26 is greater than the height dimension of the protrusion 613B formed on the outer surface of the second heated region 63B. Therefore, a gap is formed between the top surface of the protrusion 613B and the groove bottom of the recess 262, and the gap forms the air passage 46. The air passage 46 is provided along the extension direction of the heated region 83, and air or aerosol can be smoothly circulated toward the mouthpiece 3 through the air passage 46.

Also, the reference numeral 47 in FIG. 14 denotes a groove portion (notch portion) formed on the inner surface 614 of the first heated region portion 63A and the second heated region portion 63B. The groove portion 47 extends along the front-rear direction of the first heated region portion 63A and the second heated region portion 63B. Therefore, when the first heated region portion 63A and the second heated region portion 63B are attached to the planar heater 81, each heating region portion 83 of the planar heater 81 and the groove portion 47 extend parallel to each other. Also, the groove portion 47 may be arranged at regular intervals in the width direction of each heated region portion 63A, 63B so that the groove portion 47 is located between adjacent heating region portions 83 on each heater surface 82A, 82B when each heated region portion 63A, 63B is attached to the planar heater 81. By arranging the grooves 47 in this manner, when any section in each of the heated regions 63A and 63B is heated by the heating region 83, the heat can be prevented from escaping to a section adjacent to the section. As a result, the specific section to be heated by the heating region 83 can be efficiently heated. In addition, the grooves 47 formed in each of the heated regions 63A and 63B can be suitably used as ventilation paths for circulating air or aerosols.

15 is a diagram illustrating another modified example of the planar heater 81 in the flavor inhaler 1. FIG. 15 shows a schematic diagram of a part of the cross section of the planar heater 81. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of heat generating elements 830 made of resistors are arranged on only the first heater surface 82A of the substrate 82 of the planar heater 81, extending in a long and narrow strip shape along the front-rear direction of the substrate 82 parallel to the chamber airflow direction AF. Each heat generating element 830 is aligned in parallel at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction. The heat generating element 830 is a resistor that generates heat when energized, and can be formed using an appropriate material, similar to the resistor for forming the heating region portion 83 described in the above embodiment. Here, the reference numeral 823 denotes a heat conducting portion in the substrate 82. The heat conducting portion 823 may be formed, for example, from a resin having high thermal conductivity and electrical insulation. In the substrate 82, the regions located below the heat generating elements 830 are formed by heat conductive sections 823, and the remaining regions are formed by heat insulating regions 824. The heat insulating regions 824 may be formed from a resin material such as polyimide resin having excellent electrical insulation and heat insulation properties.

In the planar heater 81 according to the above configuration, the heat generated by the heating element 830 when energized is conducted to the second heater surface 82B through the heat conductive portion 823 located below the heating element 830. As a result, the area of the second heater surface 82B of the planar heater 81 that corresponds to the back side of the heating element 830 also becomes in a high temperature state, and the heated area of the flavor generating source can be heated. In this way, when the heat of the heating element 830 is conducted to the heater surface on which the heating element 830 is not arranged through the heat conductive portion 823 of the substrate 82, it is preferable to make the thickness of the heat conductive portion 823 small in order to ensure the heat transfer efficiency. For example, the thickness of the heat conductive portion 823 may be about 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm. As described above, the planar heater 81 can form the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B even in an embodiment in which the heating element 830 is arranged on only one of the front and back sides of the substrate 82. 15, the heating region 83 can be formed on both the first heater surface 82A and the second heater surface 82B by combining each heat generating element 830 formed on the first heater surface 82A of the planar heater 81 with a heat conducting portion 823 provided corresponding to each heat generating element 830. Of course, the heat generating element 830 may be disposed on the second heater surface 82B side instead of the first heater surface 82A of the planar heater 81.

In addition, the planar heater 81 according to the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications does not necessarily require the substrate 82, and may be formed as a planar heater as a whole by providing a heating element 831 such as a heating wire on the heater mounting portion 86 as shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 16 shows the planar heater 81 viewed from above, and for example, a plurality of elongated flat heating elements 831 are arranged in a comb-like shape from the heater mounting portion 86. The heating elements 831 extend along the chamber ventilation direction AF in the heating chamber 4, and are aligned at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction. For example, the heated area 63A can be arranged so as to straddle the upper surface of each heating element 831, and the heated area 63B can be arranged so as to straddle the lower surface of each heating element 831. The cross-sectional shape of the heating element 831 is not limited to a flat plate shape, and can be changed as appropriate.

In addition, the heating unit 8 according to the above-mentioned embodiments and modified examples has been described as an example of a heater module in which the planar heater 81 is integrally mounted on the heater mounting portion 86, but the planar heater 81 may be in the form of a cartridge that is detachable from the heater mounting portion 86 provided in the heating chamber 4. In this case, for example, the recess 861 (see FIG. 5) of the heater mounting portion 86 can be formed as a slot that allows the planar heater 81 to be inserted and removed from the rear surface 82D side, thereby allowing the planar heater 81 to be in the form of a cartridge that is detachable.

The plane heater 81 may also be configured as a cartridge type in the form shown in FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the plane heater 81 in the cartridge type. In the example shown in FIG. 17, the plane heater 81 is provided with a plurality of pin electrodes 88 protruding from the back surface 82D of the substrate 82. The plurality of pin electrodes 88 are arranged in a comb-like manner in the width direction on the back surface 82D of the substrate 82. The heater mounting portion 86 shown in FIG. 17 is configured as a socket (connector) having a plurality of receiving openings 89 into which the plurality of pin electrodes 88 provided on the plane heater 81 can be freely inserted and removed. The plurality of pin electrodes 88 on the plane heater 81 are electrically connected to the wiring LU, LD, etc. of the plane heater 81 described in FIG. 3, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, etc., and the plurality of pin electrodes 88 can be inserted into the corresponding receiving openings 89 to electrically connect the terminals on the power supply unit 9 side to the circuit wiring provided on the plane heater 8 side.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a description will be given of embodiment 2. In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the heating unit 8 has a single sheet heater 81, but the heating unit 8 may have a plurality of sheet heaters 81.

18 is a diagram illustrating the flavor inhaler 1A according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 18, the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations as those in the above-mentioned embodiments. The cover body 50 in the flavor inhaler 1A has a roughly L-shape in a side view and is provided so as to straddle the upper surface and the front surface of the housing 2. In this embodiment, the pivot shaft portion 51 of the cover body 50 is pivotally supported on the upper wall 21 of the housing 2. In FIG. 18, the cover body 50 in the closed position is shown by a solid line, and the cover body 50 in the open position is shown by a dashed line. In addition, as shown in FIG. 18, in the flavor inhaler 1A according to this embodiment, the mouthpiece 3 is provided integrally with the cover body 50. In the cover body 50 configured as described above, by switching from the closed position to the open position, not only the upper surface but also the front surface of the heating chamber 4 formed in the housing 2 is largely opened to the outside.

Reference numeral 8A denotes a heating unit. In this embodiment, the heating unit 8A includes a plurality of planar heaters 81 and a heater mounting portion 86A that holds the plurality of planar heaters 81. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the heating unit 8A includes a set of planar heaters 81 arranged in two tiers, one above the other. The back surfaces 82D of the set of planar heaters 81 are supported by the heater mounting portion 86A. The set of planar heaters 81 are also arranged facing each other with a gap in the vertical direction of the heating chamber 4. Furthermore, the set of planar heaters 81 are held by the heater mounting portion 86A in a parallel orientation along the inner wall surface 26A of the partition wall 26 that forms the bottom surface of the heating chamber 4.

Even when the planar heaters 81 are installed in multiple stages in the vertical direction of the heating chamber 4 as in the above configuration, the flavor generating source 60 (see FIG. 1), flavor generating source 60A (see FIG. 11), flavor generating source 60B (see FIG. 12), flavor generating source 60C (see FIG. 13), etc. described above can be applied, and the first heated area 63A and the second heated area 63B can be arranged along the heater surfaces 82A, 82B on the front and back of each planar heater 81. In addition, the flavor generating source housed in the heating chamber 4 by the user can be configured in multiple stages to match the shape of the heating unit 8A.

Next, we will explain the flavor generation source cartridge FC suitable for the flavor inhaler 1A according to embodiment 2. Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the flavor generation source cartridge FC according to embodiment 2. The flavor generation source cartridge FC is a cartridge in which multiple flavor generating sheets and a holding member 90 that holds them are assembled together.

The holding member 90 is a frame that holds a predetermined number of flavor generating sheets, and is constructed by combining multiple frames. In the flavor inhaler 1A described in FIG. 18, the heating unit 8A is equipped with two planar heaters 81, and a flavor generating sheet 60A is disposed on the front and back of each planar heater 81. Therefore, the holding member 90 of the flavor generating source cartridge FC shown in FIG. 19 is designed to hold four flavor generating sheets. Symbols FS1 to FS4 are flavor generating sheets. The flavor generating sheets FS1 to FS4 are substantially similar to the flavor generating source 60A described in FIG. 11.

The holding member 90 includes a bottom frame portion 91, a first intermediate spacer 92, an intermediate frame portion 93, a second intermediate spacer 94, and an upper frame portion 95. FIG. 20 is a top view of the bottom frame portion 91 in the holding member 90 of the second embodiment. The bottom frame portion 91 is a frame member including a bottom plate WL1, a pair of side walls WS1, and a plurality of partition walls WP1. The bottom plate WL1 has a rectangular plane, and a pair of side walls WS1 and a plurality of partition walls WP1 are vertically erected upward from the bottom plate WL1. The pair of side walls WS1 and the plurality of partition walls WP1 extend from the front end to the rear end of the bottom plate WL1. An air flow path CH1 extends from the front end to the rear end of the bottom frame portion 91 between the side wall WS1 and the partition wall WP1, and between adjacent partition walls WP1.

The upper frame portion 95 of the holding member 90 is a frame member having substantially the same structure as the bottom frame portion 91, and has a pair of side walls WS1 and multiple partition walls WP1 suspended from a rectangular top plate WU. Between the side walls WS1 and the partition walls WP1, and between adjacent partition walls WP1, air flow paths CH1 extend from the front end to the rear end of the upper frame portion 95.

Figure 21 is a top view of the first intermediate spacer 92 in the retaining member 90 of embodiment 2. The first intermediate spacer 92 is a frame member including a rear wall WB2 and a pair of side walls WS2, and has a generally U-shaped plane in a plan view. The rear ends of the pair of side walls WS2 are connected to both side ends of the rear wall WB2. The second intermediate spacer 94 has the same structure as the first intermediate spacer 92.

22 is a top view of the intermediate frame portion 93 in the retaining member 90 of the second embodiment. The intermediate frame portion 93 is configured to include a rear wall WB1, a pair of side walls WS1, and a plurality of partition walls WP1. The rear ends of the pair of side walls WS1 are connected to both side ends of the rear wall WB1. The plurality of partition walls WP1 are arranged parallel to the pair of side walls WS1, and the rear ends of the partition walls WP1 are connected to the rear wall WB1. In addition, ventilation holes 96 are formed in the rear wall WB1 between the side wall WS1 and the partition wall WP1, and between adjacent partition walls WP1. As a result, ventilation flow paths CH2 extend from the front end to the rear end of the intermediate frame portion 93 between the side wall WS1 and the partition wall WP1, and between adjacent partition walls WP1.

As shown in Fig. 19, the holding member 90 configured as described above is assembled with the bottom frame portion 91, the first intermediate spacer 92, the intermediate frame portion 93, the second intermediate spacer 94, and the upper frame portion 95 stacked in this order from below. Also, as is clear from Fig. 19, the height dimensions of the first intermediate spacer 92 and the second intermediate spacer 94 are smaller than the height dimensions of the other members, i.e., the bottom frame portion 91, the intermediate frame portion 93, and the upper frame portion 95. The materials of the bottom frame portion 91, the first intermediate spacer 92, the intermediate frame portion 93, the second intermediate spacer 94, and the upper frame portion 95 that constitute the holding member 90 are not particularly limited, but may be made of cardboard, heat-resistant resin, etc.

Here, the flavor generating sheet FS1 is held by being sandwiched between the upper surface of the bottom frame portion 91 and the lower surface of the first intermediate spacer 92. The flavor generating sheet FS2 is held by being sandwiched between the upper surface of the first intermediate spacer 92 and the lower surface of the intermediate frame portion 93. The flavor generating sheet FS3 is held by being sandwiched between the upper surface of the intermediate frame portion 93 and the lower surface of the second intermediate spacer 94. The flavor generating sheet FS4 is held by being sandwiched between the upper surface of the second intermediate spacer 94 and the lower surface of the upper frame portion 95.

The flavor generating source cartridge FC configured as above has heater insertion openings IP1, IP2 for inserting the planar heater 81 formed on the front surface of the first intermediate spacer 92 and the second intermediate spacer 94. The height dimension of the first intermediate spacer 92 and the second intermediate spacer 94, which defines the vertical dimension of the heater insertion openings IP1, IP2, is set to be slightly larger than the thickness dimension of the planar heater 81. The width dimension of the heater insertion openings IP1, IP2 is also set to be slightly larger than the width dimension of the planar heater 81. The flavor generating source cartridge FC also has a large number of ventilation flow paths CH1, CH2 formed therein, which penetrate the flavor generating source cartridge FC in the front-rear direction.

When using the flavor inhaler 1A, the cover body 50 is opened. Then, the prepared flavor generating source cartridge FC is attached to a set of planar heaters 81 arranged in the heating chamber 4. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 23, a set of planar heaters 81 are inserted into a set of heater insertion openings IP1, IP2 formed on the front side of the flavor generating source cartridge FC. In the flavor generating source cartridge FC, a set of flavor generating sheets FS1, S2 are arranged above and below the heater insertion opening IP1, and a set of flavor generating sheets FS3, S4 are arranged above and below the heater insertion opening IP1. Therefore, by attaching the flavor generating source cartridge FC to a set of planar heaters 81 as described above, it is possible to arrange the flavor generating sheets FS1 to FS4 on the front and back heater surfaces of each planar heater 81. In the flavor inhaler 1A of this embodiment, when the cover body 50 is in the open position, not only the upper surface but also the front surface of the heating chamber 4 formed in the housing 2 can be widely opened to the outside. As a result, as shown in Fig. 23, the operation of inserting each planar heater 81 into the heater insertion openings IP1, IP2 can be performed while maintaining the extending direction of the heater insertion openings IP1, IP2 in the flavor generating source cartridge FC in a substantially parallel relationship with the extending direction of each planar heater 81. This simplifies the operation of mounting the flavor generating source cartridge FC into each planar heater 81 installed in the heating chamber 4, and provides excellent convenience for the user.

When the flavor generating cartridge FC is used with the flavor inhaler 1A, the holding member 90 of the flavor generating cartridge FC has a number of ventilation channels CH1, CH2 formed therein as described above, which extend parallel to the chamber ventilation direction AF described above. This allows the air taken in from the air intake 6 of the housing 2 and the aerosol generated in the heating chamber 4 to flow smoothly toward the mouthpiece 3. The flavor generating cartridge FC used with the flavor inhaler 1A can be removed and discarded by opening the cover body 50 of the housing 2.

1: Flavor inhaler 2: Housing 4: Heating chamber 8: Heating unit 60: Flavor generating source 81: Planar heater

Claims (7)

An electrically heated heating unit is disposed in a heating chamber formed in the middle of an air passage that flows through the inside of the housing from an air intake provided in the housing of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler toward a mouthpiece, and when actuated, the electrically heated heating unit heats a flavor generating source in a non-combustion manner to release an aerosol containing a flavor component from the flavor generating source,
The flavor generating source is provided with one or more planar heaters, each of which is formed as a heater surface and can be arranged with a sheet-like or planar heated region that constitutes a part or the whole of the flavor generating source on each of the heater surfaces.
The planar heater has a plurality of heating regions formed on each of the front and rear heater surfaces and each of which individually heats a specific section that is a part of the heated region,
The plurality of heating regions on each of the front and rear heater surfaces extend along a flow direction of air flowing through the heating chamber as the mouthpiece is inhaled, and the heating regions on each of the heater surfaces are aligned at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction.
Heating unit for non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler. The heating unit of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the heating regions are arranged on the same plane on each of the front and back heater surfaces. The heating unit of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a thermally conductive sheet disposed on the heater surface. The planar heater is configured as a cartridge that is detachably attached to a heater mounting portion provided in the heating chamber.
The heating unit of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to any one of claims 1 to 3. a housing provided with a mouthpiece and an air intake;
a heating chamber formed in the middle of an air flow passage that flows through the housing from the air intake toward the mouthpiece and capable of accommodating a flavor generating source;
A heating unit according to claim 1 , arranged in the heating chamber; and
Equipped with
A non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler. The heating chamber further includes a clamping portion provided on the upper surface and the bottom surface thereof, the clamping portion clamping a pair of heated regions arranged at the uppermost and lowermost stages of the plurality of heated regions arranged in the heating chamber from above and below.
The non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to claim 5. The non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to claim 6 , wherein the clamping portion includes a highly resilient portion formed of a highly resilient material in at least a part thereof.

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