WO2024209555A1 - Flavor inhalation article and flavor inhalation system - Google Patents

Abstract

A flavor inhalation article (200) has a columnar shape and comprises: a tip plug (210) which is positioned at one end of the flavor inhalation article (200) and which includes a first filter material (211) and a first aerosol source that is supported by the first filter material (211); a filter plug (250) which is positioned at the other end of the flavor inhalation article (200) and which includes a second filter material (251); and a flavor generation unit (220) which is positioned between the tip plug (210) and the filter plug (250) and which includes a flavor source (221) and a second aerosol source that is supported by the flavor source (221).

Description

Flavor inhalation article and flavor inhalation system

The present invention relates to a flavor inhalation article and a flavor inhalation system.

In recent years, heated flavor inhalers that provide users with tobacco flavor by heating the tobacco filler without burning it have been used in place of combustion flavor inhalers for cigarettes and the like. A heated flavor inhaler contains a tobacco filler together with an aerosol source. When the tobacco filler is heated by the heated flavor inhaler, the moisture and aerosol source in the tobacco filler vaporize, and the tobacco flavor components migrate from the tobacco filler into the gas, generating an aerosol (hereinafter also referred to as tobacco vapor).

A typical example of a heated flavor inhaler is an electrically heated flavor inhaler that includes a flavor inhalation article that includes a tobacco filler and a trumpet wrapped around the tobacco filler, and a heating device for electrically heating the flavor inhalation article (see Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2010/110226

The present invention aims to provide a technology that can stably generate aerosol throughout the inhalation period of a flavor inhalation article.

According to a first aspect,
A flavor inhalation article having a columnar shape,
a tip plug located at one end of the flavor inhalation article and including a first filter medium and a first aerosol source supported by the first filter medium;
a filter plug located at the other end of the flavor inhalation article and including a second filter medium;
A flavor inhalation article is provided that includes a flavor generating section located between the tip plug and the filter plug and including a flavor source and a second aerosol source carried by the flavor source.

According to a second aspect,
A flavor inhalation article according to a first aspect of the present invention;
and a heating device including a heater for heating the flavor inhalation article.

The present invention provides a technology that can stably generate aerosol throughout the inhalation period of a flavor inhalation article.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing an example of a tobacco stick. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a tip plug. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the first filter medium. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing another example of a tobacco stick. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing another example of a tobacco stick. FIG. 6A is a schematic front view showing an example of an aerosol generating device. FIG. 6B is a schematic top view of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6C is a schematic bottom view of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 6B. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the heating element of the aerosol generating device and the tobacco stick. FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of puffs and the amount of glycerin delivered. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of puffs and the amount of glycerin delivered.

The present invention will be described below based on the embodiments. The following description is intended to explain the present invention in detail and is not intended to limit the present invention. The embodiments described below are more specific embodiments of any of the above aspects or any of the inventions described in the claims as originally filed. The matters described below can be incorporated alone or in combination with each other into each of the above aspects or each of the inventions described in the claims as originally filed.

The embodiments shown below are merely examples of configurations for embodying the technical ideas of the present invention, and the technical ideas of the present invention do not specify the materials, shapes, structures, etc. of the components as described below. The technical ideas of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope defined by the claims.

[1] Flavor inhalation article Flavor inhalation articles used in conventional heating type flavor inhalers tend to generate less aerosol (mainstream smoke) as the number of puffs increases, which makes users feel a decrease in the inhalation response. In response to this, the present inventors found that by disposing a tip plug on the tip side (i.e., the opposite side to the mouthpiece) of the flavor inhalation article and carrying an additional aerosol source on the filter material of the tip plug, a larger amount of aerosol can be generated in the latter half of the inhalation period, and thus completed the present invention.

That is, the flavor inhalation article according to the embodiment is
It has a columnar shape,
a tip plug located at one end of the flavor inhalation article and including a first filter medium and a first aerosol source supported by the first filter medium;
a filter plug located at the other end of the flavor inhalation article and including a second filter medium;
A flavor generating section is provided between the tip plug and the filter plug and includes a flavor source and a second aerosol source carried by the flavor source.

In this specification, the flavor inhalation article described above that contains a tobacco flavor source as a flavor source is also referred to as a "tobacco stick." An example of a tobacco stick will be described below with reference to FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tobacco stick 200 comprises, in order from the tip side (i.e., the side opposite the mouthpiece), a tip plug 210, a flavor generating section 220, a hollow tube section 230, a hollow filter section 240, and a filter plug 250. These five components are connected by a second trumpet 270.

As shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable that the tip plug 210 is in contact with the flavor generating section 220, and the filter plug 250 is spaced apart from the flavor generating section 220. When the tip plug 210 is in contact with the flavor generating section 220, aerosol generation from the flavor generating section 220 and aerosol generation from the tip plug 210 tend to occur continuously when the tobacco stick 200 is inhaled. Furthermore, when the filter plug 250 is spaced apart from the flavor generating section 220, aerosol generated from the tip plug 210 and the flavor generating section 220 due to heating of the tobacco stick 200 tends to be cooled while being transported to the filter plug 250.

The tobacco stick 200 has a columnar shape extending in one direction. Preferably, the tobacco stick 200 has a cylindrical shape extending in one direction. The tobacco stick 200 has a length of, for example, 50 to 100 mm. When the tobacco stick 200 has a cylindrical shape, it has a diameter of, for example, 4 to 10 mm. The tip plug 210 has a length of, for example, 5 to 20 mm, the flavor generating section 220 has a length of, for example, 5 to 20 mm, the hollow tube section 230 has a length of, for example, 10 to 30 mm, the hollow filter section 240 has a length of, for example, 5 to 15 mm, and the filter plug 250 has a length of, for example, 5 to 15 mm. The lengths of these individual components can be changed as appropriate depending on manufacturing suitability, required quality, etc.

Each component will be explained in turn below.

[Tip plug]
1 , the tip plug 210 is located at the tip of the tobacco stick 200. The tip plug 210 includes a first filter medium 211 and a first inner plug wrap 212 that wraps the first filter medium 211. The tip plug 210 further includes a first aerosol source supported by the first filter medium 211.

The first filter material 211 may be any material that is generally usable as a filter material for flavor inhalation products, such as paper, plastic film, cellulose acetate, nonwoven fabric, etc. The first filter material 211 is preferably paper.

The paper used as the first filter medium 211 can be a paper used as a paper filter for flavor inhalation articles. The paper used as the first filter medium 211 has a thickness of, for example, 20 to 1500 μm and a basis weight of, for example, 20 to 50 g/m ^2. The paper used as the first filter medium 211 preferably has a rectangular shape, in which case one side can have a length approximately equal to the length of the tip plug 210 and the other side can have a length of 100 to 300 mm. Although the thickness, basis weight, and size of the paper used as the first filter medium 211 have been described, these values refer to the values for the paper before it is subjected to a shaping process (for example, a process of pleating, etc.). When the first filter medium 211 is made of a material other than paper and has a sheet shape, such a first filter medium 211 can have the same thickness and size as that of paper.

The first filter material 211 does not contain tobacco materials such as tobacco shreds or tobacco sheets.

Figure 2 shows an example of a tip plug 210. In Figure 2, the tip plug 210 includes a first filter medium 211 and a first inner plug wrap 212 around which the first filter medium 211 is wrapped. Here, the first filter medium 211 is formed into a corrugated shape and is composed of a sheet folded in the direction of the wave arrangement. As mentioned above, this sheet is preferably paper.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a sheet before folding, i.e., a sheet shaped like a corrugated plate (hereafter referred to as a corrugated sheet). The corrugated sheet has ridges 211a and valleys 211b arranged alternately.

The thickness of the corrugated sheet (i.e., the sheet after shaping) can be measured after the corrugated sheet is incorporated into tip plug 210 as first filter medium 211 as follows:
Measuring equipment: KEYENCE VHX-8000, VHX-H5M (accessory equipment for 3D shape measurement)
Measurement method: The end face of the tip plug is fixed on a base so that the end face is directly above, and observed under a microscope. Measurement magnification: 80 times. The thickness of the corrugated sheet is almost the same as the thickness of the sheet before the shaping process. Therefore, the thickness of the corrugated sheet is, for example, 20 to 1500 μm.

The corrugated sheet has a wave (i.e. pleat) pitch of, for example, 0.4 to 1.6 mm, preferably 0.6 to 1.0 mm. The wave pitch refers to the average distance between adjacent pleats when the pleats of the corrugated sheet are stretched out flat.

Corrugated sheets can be prepared by subjecting a film to a known process for forming bellows-like pleats. Such a process is also known as pleating, crimping, or creping. For example, JP 09-294577 A discloses a process for forming pleats in a raw sheet of tobacco paper filters by passing it between a pair of pleating rollers.

In Figure 3, the wave shape of the corrugated sheet is shown as a triangular wave, but the wave shape is not limited to this and may be a sine wave, a rectangular wave, etc. When the wave shape is a triangular wave or a sine wave, the wave pitch can be the average value of the distance between the peaks of adjacent ridge portions 211a. When the wave shape is a rectangular wave, the wave pitch can be the average value of the distance between the centers of adjacent ridge portions 211a.

When this corrugated sheet is folded in the direction of the wave arrangement (i.e., direction D shown in Figure 3) so as to form a cylindrical shape as a whole, the first filter material 211 shown in Figure 2 is formed. At this time, the ridges 211a and valleys 211b of the corrugated sheet form multiple air flow passages extending in the length direction of the first filter material 211.

In this way, when the first filter medium 211 is formed into a corrugated shape and composed of a sheet folded in the direction of the wave arrangement, the surface area of the first filter medium 211 included in the tip plug 210 can be increased, and this makes it possible to increase the amount of the first aerosol source supported by the first filter medium 211. As a result, the amount of aerosol generated from the tip plug 210 can be increased. In addition, when this corrugated sheet is paper, it has the advantage of having deadhold properties (i.e., the ability to maintain a folded structure when subjected to deformation caused by folding).

The first inner plug wrap 212 around which the first filter material 211 is wrapped can be the same as the plug wrap used in cigarettes.

The first aerosol source supported by the first filter medium 211 is a liquid that is heated to a predetermined temperature to generate vapor. As the first aerosol source, an aerosol source used in a conventional heated flavor inhaler can be used. Examples of the first aerosol source include glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and mixtures thereof. The first aerosol source preferably contains glycerin. The first aerosol source may be composed of glycerin.

The first filter medium 211 may carry only the first aerosol source, or may carry the first aerosol source and a fragrance (e.g., menthol).

The first aerosol source can be supported on the first filter medium 211 by applying the first aerosol source to the first filter medium 211. The first aerosol source can be applied to the first filter medium 211 by, for example, coating or spraying.

[Flavor generating section]
The flavor generating section 220 is disposed adjacent to the downstream of the tip plug 210. The flavor generating section 220 includes a flavor source 221 and a first wrapper 222 around which the flavor source 221 is wrapped. The first wrapper 222 may be the same as a wrapper used for wrapping a tobacco filler in a cigarette. The flavor generating section 220 further includes a second aerosol source supported by the flavor source 221.

The flavor source 221 is, for example, a tobacco filler. The tobacco filler contains tobacco leaves and releases tobacco flavors when heated. Tobacco leaves refer to dried tobacco leaves that are ready to be incorporated into a tobacco product.

Preferably, the tobacco filler is a plurality of molded bodies each containing tobacco leaves. The plurality of molded bodies are, for example, shredded sheet tobacco. Sheet tobacco refers to a molded body formed into a sheet from tobacco materials such as tobacco shreds and shredded tobacco generated at raw material factories and manufacturing factories, such as leaf scraps and shredded tobacco. The plurality of molded bodies are preferably shredded sheet tobacco obtained by cutting sheet tobacco into strips. In other words, the plurality of molded bodies each preferably has a shape that extends in the longitudinal direction of the flavor generating section 220. In this case, each of the molded bodies has a width of, for example, 0.5 to 1.5 mm, and a length of, for example, 1 to 20 mm.

Alternatively, the tobacco filler may be a single sheet tobacco. For example, a single sheet tobacco may be folded bellows-like and filled into the first trumpet 222, or may be wound in a spiral shape and filled into the first trumpet 222. When a single sheet tobacco is used as the tobacco filler, it is preferable that the length of the sheet tobacco when filled into the first trumpet 222 is equal to the length of the flavor generating section 220.

The flavor source 221 may contain, in addition to the tobacco filler, a polysaccharide-based flavor-containing sheet. The flavor-containing sheet is a sheet in which a flavor is encapsulated in a polysaccharide gel, and is well known in the art. The flavor-containing sheet contains the flavor while being covered with polysaccharide, and therefore can exhibit high storage stability of the flavor. The flavor-containing sheet may be cut to a size equivalent to the tobacco filler and mixed with the tobacco filler, or may be placed inside or outside the first wrapper 222 so as to encase the tobacco filler.

The second aerosol source carried by the flavor source 221 may be of the same type as the first aerosol source described above, or may be of a different type. The first aerosol source is the aerosol source contained in the tip plug 210, as described above. The second aerosol source, like the first aerosol source, is a liquid that is heated to a predetermined temperature to generate vapor. As the second aerosol source, an aerosol source used in a conventional heated flavor inhaler can be used. Examples of the second aerosol source include glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and mixtures thereof. The second aerosol source preferably contains glycerin. The second aerosol source may be composed of glycerin.

The second aerosol source is preferably of the same type as the first aerosol source. For example, if the first aerosol source is glycerin, the second aerosol source is glycerin.

The flavor source 221 may carry only the second aerosol source, or may carry a flavoring (e.g., menthol) along with the second aerosol source.

The second aerosol source can be supported on the flavor source 221 by applying the second aerosol source to the flavor source 221. The application of the second aerosol source to the flavor source 221 can be performed, for example, by coating or spraying.

The "amount of the first aerosol source per unit length of the tip plug 210" is preferably greater than the "amount of the second aerosol source per unit length of the flavor generating section 220." In this configuration, a sufficient amount of aerosol can be generated from the first aerosol source contained in the tip plug 210 even in the latter half of the inhalation period of the tobacco stick 200. This allows aerosol to be generated stably without a decrease in the amount of aerosol generated even if the number of puffs increases.

For example, the ratio of the "amount of the first aerosol source per unit length of the tip plug 210" to the "amount of the second aerosol source per unit length of the flavor generating section 220" is preferably 1:1 to 3:1. The ratio of the "amount of the first aerosol source per unit length of the tip plug 210" to the "amount of the second aerosol source per unit length of the flavor generating section 220" is more preferably 2:1 to 3:1. With such a configuration, aerosol can be generated more stably in the latter half of the inhalation period of the tobacco stick 200.

For example, if the first aerosol source and the second aerosol source are glycerin, the "amount of the first aerosol source per unit length of the tip plug 210" is, for example, 1 to 10 mg/mm, preferably 1.5 to 5 mg/mm, and the "amount of the second aerosol source per unit length of the flavor generating section 220" is, for example, 1 to 10 mg/mm, preferably 1.5 to 4 mg/mm.

[Hollow tube section]
The hollow tube section 230 is disposed adjacent to the downstream of the flavor generating section 220. According to one example, the hollow tube section 230 is a paper tube formed by rolling cardboard into a cylindrical shape, and the inside is hollow. According to another example, the hollow tube section 230 may be a filter (center hole filter) having a center hole formed through the center of the cross section of a cylindrical cellulose acetate fiber bundle.

The hollow tube portion 230 can cool the aerosol generated from the tip plug 210 and the flavor generating portion 220 by heating the tobacco stick 200. The hollow tube portion 230 may be omitted.

In addition, although not shown, in order to appropriately adjust the airflow resistance of the tobacco stick 200, an opening (air inlet hole) may be provided in the hollow tube portion 230 to take in air from the outside. The air inlet hole may be provided, for example, at a position within 10 mm from the downstream end of the hollow tube portion 230. The proportion of air flowing in from the air inlet hole is, for example, 30 to 80%, preferably 40 to 70%.

[Hollow filter part]
The hollow filter section 240 is disposed adjacent to the downstream of the hollow tube section 230. The hollow filter section 240 includes a third filter medium 241 and a third inner plug wrap 242 around which the third filter medium 241 is wound. The third inner plug wrap 242 may be the same as the plug wrap used in cigarettes. The third inner plug wrap 242 may be omitted.

The third filter material 241 is composed of densely packed fibers and has one or more channels (hollow portions). Each of the one or more channels extends in the length direction (hereinafter referred to as the longitudinal direction) of the tobacco stick 200. Therefore, when the tobacco stick 200 is inhaled, air and aerosol flow only through the channels, and hardly flow through the gaps between the fibers.

In the tobacco stick 200, when it is desired to reduce the loss of aerosol components due to filtration by the filter plug 250 described below, the length of the filter plug 250 may be shortened and replaced with a hollow filter section 240. Replacing a portion of the filter plug 250 with the hollow filter section 240 is effective for increasing the amount of aerosol delivered. Alternatively, the hollow filter section 240 may be omitted.

[Filter plug]
The filter plug 250 is located at the end of the tobacco stick 200 on the mouth side. The filter plug 250 includes a second filter medium 251 and a second inner plug wrap 252 around which the second filter medium 251 is wound. The second inner plug wrap 252 may be the same as the plug wrap used in cigarettes. The airflow resistance of the filter plug 250 is, for example, 0 to 50 _mmH2O , and preferably 10 to 30 _mmH2O .

The second filter material 251 can be any filter material that is generally usable as a filter material on the mouthpiece side of a flavor inhalation product, such as cellulose acetate.

The hollow filter portion 240 and the filter plug 250 are connected by an outer plug wrap 260. The outer plug wrap 260 can be the same as the outer plug wrap used to connect the filter segments of a multi-segment filter in cigarettes.

[Second Trumpet]
As shown in Fig. 1, the above-mentioned components (i.e., the tip plug 210, the flavor generating section 220, the hollow tube section 230, and the connection between the hollow filter section 240 and the filter plug 250) are connected by a second wrapper 270. In Fig. 1, the second wrapper 270 is wound so as to cover the entire components other than the tip plug 210 and a part of the tip plug 210, and the tip plug 210 is exposed at the upstream end. Alternatively, the second wrapper 270 may be wound so as to cover the entire components including the tip plug 210, and the tip plug 210 may not be exposed at the upstream end.

The second trumpet 270 may be made of the same tipping paper used in cigarettes. A lip release agent may be applied to the outer surface of the second trumpet 270 near the end on the filter plug 250 side to facilitate the user's releasing their lips from the second trumpet 270. The portion to which the lip release agent is applied functions as the mouthpiece of the tobacco stick 200.

(How components are linked)
FIG. 1 shows an example in which five components (i.e., tip plug 210, flavor generating section 220, hollow tube section 230, hollow filter section 240, and filter plug 250) are connected using outer plug wrap 260 and second wrapper 270, but the manner in which the five components are connected is not limited to this example.

Another example of how components are connected will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figures 4 and 5 are exploded perspective views showing another example of a tobacco stick. In Figures 4 and 5, elements that have the same or similar functions as the components of the tobacco stick shown in Figure 1 are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. In Figures 4 and 5, gaps are provided between components and adjacent components to make the connection method easier to see, but in an actual tobacco stick, components are adjacent to adjacent components with no gaps.

In the tobacco stick 200 shown in FIG. 4, the five components are connected using an outer plug wrap 280, an outer plug wrap 260, and a second trumpet 270. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer plug wrap 280 connects the tip plug 210 and the flavor generating section 220 by wrapping them so as to cover them entirely. This connection body is called the first connection body 285. The outer plug wrap 260 connects the hollow filter section 240 and the filter plug 250 by wrapping them so as to cover them entirely. This connection body is called the second connection body 265. Furthermore, the second trumpet 270 connects the first connection body 285, the hollow tube section 230, and the second connection body 265. Here, the second trumpet 270 covers the entire hollow tube section 230 and the second connection body 265, and a part of the first connection body 285, and exposes the first connection body 285 at the upstream end. The five components may be connected in the form shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, the outer plug wrap 280 covers the downstream end of the flavor generating section 220, but the flavor generating section 220 may not be covered to the downstream end, leaving the flavor generating section 220 exposed at the downstream end.

In the tobacco stick 200 shown in FIG. 5, the five components are connected using an outer plug wrap 280, an outer plug wrap 260, and a second trumpet 270. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer plug wrap 280 connects the tip plug 210, the flavor generating section 220, and the hollow tube section 230. Here, the outer plug wrap 280 is wrapped around so as to cover the entire tip plug 210 and the flavor generating section 220, and a part of the hollow tube section 230. This connected body is called a first connected body 285. In addition, the outer plug wrap 260 connects the hollow filter section 240 and the filter plug 250 by wrapping them around them so as to cover them entirely. This connected body is called a second connected body 265. Furthermore, the second trumpet 270 connects the first connected body 285 and the second connected body 265. Here, the second wrapper 270 covers the entire second connector 265 and a part of the first connector 285, and exposes the first connector 285 at the upstream end. Five components may be connected in the form shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the outer plug wrap 280 does not cover the downstream end of the hollow tube 230, leaving the hollow tube 230 exposed at the downstream end, but it may cover the hollow tube 230 up to the downstream end.

(effect)
As described above, the flavor inhalation article of the present invention is provided with a tip plug upstream of the flavor generating section including the flavor source and the aerosol source, and the tip plug includes a first filter material and an additional aerosol source supported by the first filter material. Conventional flavor inhalation articles that do not include a tip plug reduce the amount of aerosol generated from the flavor generating section as the number of puffs increases, whereas the flavor inhalation article of the present invention can generate aerosol derived from the tip plug in the latter half of the inhalation period. This allows the flavor inhalation article of the present invention to stably generate aerosol over the inhalation period.

[2] Flavor Inhalation System The tobacco stick 200 described above can be combined with a heating device to constitute a flavor inhalation system. That is, according to another aspect,
The flavor inhalation article,
and a heating device including a heater for heating the flavor inhalation article.

Below, an example of a flavor inhalation system will be described with reference to Figs. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 7. In this example, the flavor inhalation system is composed of an aerosol generating device 100 and a tobacco stick 200. The aerosol generating device 100 is an example of a heating device.

FIG. 6A is a schematic front view of an example of an aerosol generating device. FIG. 6B is a schematic top view of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6C is a schematic bottom view of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 6B.

For ease of explanation, the drawings may include an X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system. In this coordinate system, the Z axis faces vertically upward, the X-Y plane is arranged to cut the aerosol generating device 100 horizontally, and the Y axis is arranged to extend from the front to the back of the aerosol generating device 100. The Z axis can also be referred to as the insertion direction of the tobacco stick contained in the cylindrical body 150 of the atomizing section 130 described below, or the axial direction of the cylindrical body 150. The X axis is a direction perpendicular to the Y axis and the Z axis, and the X axis and the Y axis can also be referred to as the radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylindrical body 150, or the radial direction of the cylindrical body 150.

The aerosol generating device 100 is configured to generate aerosol containing a flavor by heating the tobacco stick 200.

As shown in Figs. 6A to 6C, the aerosol generating device 100 has an outer housing 101 (corresponding to an example of a housing), a slide cover 102, and a switch section 103. The outer housing 101 constitutes the outermost housing of the aerosol generating device 100 and has a size that fits in the user's hand. When the user uses the flavor inhalation system, the user can inhale the aerosol by holding the aerosol generating device 100 in his/her hand. The outer housing 101 may be formed by assembling multiple members. The outer housing 101 is made of, for example, a resin, and in particular, may be formed of polycarbonate (PC), ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) resin, PEEK (Polyetheretherketone) or a polymer alloy containing multiple types of polymers, or a metal such as aluminum.

The outer housing 101 has an opening (not shown) for receiving a tobacco stick, and the sliding cover 102 is slidably attached to the outer housing 101 to close this opening. Specifically, the sliding cover 102 is configured to be movable along the outer surface of the outer housing 101 between a closed position (position shown in Figures 6A and 6B) in which the opening of the outer housing 101 is closed, and an open position (position shown in Figure 7) in which the opening is open. For example, a user can manually operate the sliding cover 102 to move the sliding cover 102 between the closed position and the open position. This makes it possible to permit or restrict access of tobacco sticks to the inside of the aerosol generating device 100.

The switch unit 103 is used to switch the operation of the aerosol generating device 100 on and off. For example, a user can insert a tobacco stick into the aerosol generating device 100 and operate the switch unit 103, which supplies power from a power source (see reference numeral 121 in FIG. 7) to a heating element (see reference numeral 140 in FIG. 7), thereby heating the tobacco stick without burning it. The switch unit 103 may be a switch provided outside the outer housing 101, or may be a switch located inside the outer housing 101. When the switch is located inside the outer housing 101, the switch is indirectly pressed by pressing the switch unit 103 on the surface of the outer housing 101. In this example, an example in which the switch of the switch unit 103 is located inside the outer housing 101 will be described.

The aerosol generating device 100 may further have a terminal (not shown). The terminal may be an interface that connects the aerosol generating device 100 to, for example, an external power source. If the power source provided in the aerosol generating device 100 is a rechargeable battery, connecting the external power source to the terminal allows the external power source to pass current through the power source and charge the power source. Also, connecting a data transmission cable to the terminal may enable data related to the operation of the aerosol generating device 100 to be transmitted to an external device.

The tobacco stick used in the aerosol generating device 100 refers to the tobacco stick 200 described in the above section “[1] Flavor inhalation article.”

Next, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 100 will be described. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of the aerosol generating device 100 shown in FIG. 6B. As shown in FIG. 7, an inner housing 110 (corresponding to an example of a housing) is provided inside the outer housing 101 of the aerosol generating device 100. The inner housing 110 is made of resin, for example, and may be formed of polycarbonate (PC), ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) resin, PEEK (Polyetheretherketone) or a polymer alloy containing multiple types of polymers, or a metal such as aluminum. From the viewpoint of heat resistance and strength, the inner housing 110 is preferably made of PEEK. A power supply unit 120 and an atomization unit 130 are provided in the internal space of the inner housing 110.

The power supply unit 120 has a power supply 121. The power supply 121 may be, for example, a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery. The power supply 121 is electrically connected to the atomization unit 130. This allows the power supply 121 to supply power to the atomization unit 130 so as to appropriately heat the tobacco stick 200.

As shown in FIG. 7, the atomization section 130 has a metallic cylindrical body 150 that extends in the insertion direction (Z-axis direction) of the tobacco stick 200, a heating element 140 that covers a portion of the cylindrical body 150, a heat insulating section 132, and a substantially cylindrical insertion guide member 134 that abuts against the opening of the cylindrical body 150.

The cylindrical body 150 is configured to surround the tobacco stick 200. The heating element 140 is generally cylindrical in shape and is arranged to cover the cylindrical body 150. The heating element 140 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 150 and heats the tobacco stick 200 inserted into the cylindrical body 150. For example, the heating element 140 may be a serpentine conductor path and provided on a flexible insulating layer 141 (see FIG. 8). The heating element 140, the insulating layer 141, and the cylindrical body 150 are components of the heater 160.

Also, as shown in FIG. 7, a bottom member 136 is provided at the bottom of the cylindrical body 150. The bottom member 136 abuts against the tobacco stick 200 inserted into the cylindrical body 150 in the insertion direction of the tobacco stick 200, and can function as a stopper that positions the tobacco stick 200. Here, the cylindrical body 150 and the bottom member 136 form a storage section that stores at least a portion of the tobacco stick 200.

The bottom member 136 may be formed, for example, from a resin material. The bottom member 136 has an uneven surface with which the tobacco stick 200 comes into contact, and may define a first air flow path capable of supplying air to the air intake of the tobacco stick 200 (i.e., communicating with the tobacco stick 200 contained in the container). The bottom member 136 may be made of a resin, for example, and may be formed, in particular, from polycarbonate (PC), ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) resin, PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone), or a polymer alloy containing multiple types of polymers, or from a metal such as aluminum. Note that the bottom member 136 is preferably formed from a material with low thermal conductivity in order to suppress the transfer of heat to the insulating section 132, etc.

The insulating section 132 is generally cylindrical overall and is arranged to cover the cylindrical body 150. The insulating section 132 may include, for example, an aerogel sheet. In FIG. 7, the insulating section 132 is held by a first holding section 137 and a second holding section 138, which will be described later. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, a cover body 133 may be arranged to cover the cylindrical body 150, and the insulating section 132 may be arranged to cover the cover body 133.

The insertion guide member 134 is provided between the sliding cover 102 in the closed position and the cylindrical body 150. The insertion guide member 134 is made of resin, for example, and may be formed from polycarbonate (PC), ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) resin, PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone), or a polymer alloy containing multiple types of polymers. The insertion guide member 134 may be formed from metal, glass, ceramic, or the like. From the viewpoint of heat resistance, the insertion guide member 134 is preferably PEEK. When the sliding cover 102 is in the open position, the insertion guide member 134 communicates with the outside of the aerosol generating device 100, and guides the insertion of the tobacco stick 200 into the cylindrical body 150 by inserting the tobacco stick 200 into the insertion guide member 134. By providing the insertion guide member 134, the tobacco stick 200 can be easily inserted into the cylindrical body 150.

The aerosol generating device 100 further has a first holding part 137 and a second holding part 138 that hold both ends of the cylindrical body 150 and the insulating part 132. The first holding part 137 is positioned so as to hold the ends of the cylindrical body 150 and the insulating part 132 on the negative Z-axis direction side. The second holding part 138 is positioned so as to hold the ends of the cylindrical body 150 and the insulating part 132 on the slide cover 102 side (positive Z-axis direction side).

[3] Positional Relationship Between the Heating Element of the Aerosol Generation Device and the Tobacco Stick A preferred positional relationship between the heating element 140 of the aerosol generation device 100 and the tobacco stick 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 .

Figure 8 shows the tobacco stick 200 inserted into the cylindrical body 150 of the aerosol generating device 100. In Figure 8, in order to clearly distinguish between the tobacco stick 200 and the cylindrical body 150, a gap is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the tobacco stick 200 and the cylindrical body 150; however, in order to efficiently heat the tobacco stick 200 with the heat of the cylindrical body 150, it is preferable that the outer peripheral surface of the tobacco stick 200 is inserted into the cylindrical body 150 in a state of contact with the cylindrical body 150.

When the tobacco stick 200 is inserted into the cylindrical body 150, the outer peripheral surface of the tobacco stick 200 may or may not be in contact with the cylindrical body 150. Furthermore, when the tobacco stick 200 is inserted into the cylindrical body 150, a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the tobacco stick 200 may be in contact with the cylindrical body 150. For example, when a tobacco stick 200 having a regular cylindrical shape is inserted into an elliptical cylindrical cylindrical body 150, a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the tobacco stick 200 can be in contact with the cylindrical body 150.

As shown in FIG. 8, the heater 160 is made up of a cylindrical body 150, a heating element 140 surrounding the cylindrical body 150, and a flexible insulating layer 141 supporting the heating element 140. Furthermore, a cover body 133 is disposed so as to cover the cylindrical body 150, and a heat insulating section 132 is disposed so as to cover the cover body 133. Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the aerosol generating device 100 includes a bottom member 136 against which the tip plug 210 abuts when the tobacco stick 200 is inserted into the cylindrical body 150.

In FIG. 8, the length of the heating element 140 is represented by L1, the length of the portion of the heating element 140 facing the flavor generating section 220 is represented by L2, the length of the portion of the heating element 140 facing the tip plug 210 is represented by L3, and the length of the portion of the heating element 140 facing the hollow tube section 230 is represented by L4. L1 is, for example, 5 to 20 mm. L2 is, for example, 4 to 20 mm, preferably 5 to 15 mm, and more preferably 5 to 10 mm. L3 is, for example, 0 to 5 mm, preferably 0 to 3 mm, and more preferably 0 to 1 mm. L4 is, for example, 0 to 5 mm, and preferably 0 to 3 mm. It is preferable that L2 is greater than L3.

In this way, when the tobacco stick 200 is inserted into the cylindrical body 150 and the tip plug 210 is in contact with the bottom member 136, it is preferable that most of the heating element 140 is located in a position facing the flavor generating section 220, not the tip plug 210. More specifically, when the tobacco stick 200 is inserted into the cylindrical body 150 and the tip plug 210 is in contact with the bottom member 136, it is preferable that the "area of the region of the heating element 140 facing the flavor generating section 220" is larger than the "area of the region of the heating element 140 facing the tip plug 210."

In FIG. 8, "the region of the heating element 140 facing the flavor generating section 220" refers to the region of the heating element 140 facing the flavor generating section 220 with the cylindrical body 150 in between. Thus, in this specification, "the region of the heating element 140 facing the flavor generating section 220" is not limited to the region of the heating element 140 directly facing the flavor generating section 220, but may be the region of the heating element 140 facing the flavor generating section 220 with another component in between.

Similarly, in this specification, "the area of the heating element 140 facing the tip plug 210" is not limited to the area where the heating element 140 directly faces the tip plug 210, but may be the area where the heating element 140 faces the tip plug 210 with another component sandwiched between them.

For example, when the length of the heating element 140 is 14 mm, the length of the flavor generating section 220 is 12 mm, and the length of the tip plug 210 is 8 mm, the "area of the region of the heating element 140 facing the flavor generating section 220" is, for example, 89.2 to 446 ^mm2 , preferably 111.5 to 334.5 ^mm2 , and the "area of the region of the heating element 140 facing the tip plug 210" is, for example, 0 to 111.5 ^mm2 , preferably 0 to 66.9 ^mm2 .

When such a configuration is adopted, the heat of the heating element 140 is first transmitted to the flavor generating section 220, and then transmitted to the tip plug 210. As a result, aerosol is more likely to be generated from the second aerosol source included in the flavor generating section 220 during the first half of the inhalation period of the tobacco stick 200, and aerosol is more likely to be generated from the first aerosol source included in the tip plug 210 during the second half of the inhalation period of the tobacco stick 200. As a result, aerosol can be generated throughout the entire inhalation period.

In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, it is further preferable that when the tobacco stick 200 is inserted into the cylindrical body 150 and the tip plug 210 is in contact with the bottom member 136, the "area of the region of the peripheral surface of the tip plug 210 that does not face the heating element 140" is larger than the "area of the region of the peripheral surface of the flavor generating section 220 that does not face the heating element 140". More specifically, when the tobacco stick 200 is inserted into the cylindrical body 150 and the tip plug 210 is in contact with the bottom member 136, the "proportion S1/S _FP of the area S1 of the first region of the peripheral surface of the tip plug 210 that does not face the heating element 140 to the area S _FP of the peripheral surface of the tip plug 210" is larger than the "proportion S2/S _FG of the area S2 of the second region of the peripheral surface of the flavor generating section 220 that does not face the heating element 140 to the area S _FG of the peripheral surface of the flavor generating section 220".

For example, when the length of the heating element 140 is 14 mm, the length of the flavor generating section 220 is 12 mm, and the length of the tip plug 210 is 8 mm, the "proportion S1/S _FP of the area S1 of the first region of the circumferential surface of the tip plug 210 that does not face the heating element 140 to the area S _FP of the circumferential surface of the tip plug 210" is, for example, 0.375 to 1, preferably 0.625 to 1, and more preferably 0.875 to 1, and the "proportion S2/S _FG of the area S2 of the second region of the circumferential surface of the flavor generating section 220 that does not face the heating element 140 to the area S _FG of the circumferential surface of the flavor generating section 220" is, for example, 0 to 0.667, preferably 0 to 0.583, and more preferably 0.167 to 0.583.

Similarly, when such a configuration is adopted, the heat of the heating element 140 is first transmitted to the flavor generating section 220, and then transmitted to the tip plug 210. As a result, aerosol is more likely to be generated from the second aerosol source included in the flavor generating section 220 during the first half of the inhalation period of the tobacco stick 200, and aerosol is more likely to be generated from the first aerosol source included in the tip plug 210 during the second half of the inhalation period of the tobacco stick 200. As a result, aerosol can be generated throughout the entire inhalation period.

[1] Preparation of tobacco sticks (Example 1A)
The tobacco stick of Example 1A was prepared by incorporating a glycerin-supported paper filter into a commercially available tobacco stick for Ploom X (Japan Tobacco Inc.).

Commercially available tobacco sticks for Ploom X have a structure in which the tip plug has been removed from the tobacco stick structure shown in Figure 1. That is, commercially available tobacco sticks for Ploom X are equipped with, in order from the tip side (i.e., the side opposite the mouthpiece), a flavor generating section (length 20 mm), a hollow tube section (length 20 mm), a hollow filter section (length 12 mm), and a filter plug (length 8 mm). This tobacco stick contains shredded sheet tobacco as a flavor source in the flavor generating section, as well as glycerin (30 mg) as an aerosol source.

A paper filter was prepared by forming paper (thickness: 88 μm, basis weight: 35 g/m ² , air permeability: 3000 Coresta units) into a corrugated sheet (see FIG. 3 ). The paper used was rectangular, with a length of 180 mm in the direction of wave arrangement (i.e., direction D shown in FIG. 3 ) and a length of 8 mm in the direction perpendicular to the direction of wave arrangement. 12 mg of glycerin was supported on the surface of the paper filter. In this way, a glycerin-supported paper filter was prepared.

A portion of the tobacco filler (8 mm from the tip) was removed from the flavor generating section of a commercially available tobacco stick for Ploom X, and a glycerin-loaded paper filter (length 8 mm) was inserted into the portion by folding it in the direction of the wave arrangement (see Figure 2). In this way, a tobacco stick with the structure shown in Figure 1 was produced. This tobacco stick is referred to as the "tobacco stick of Example 1A".

The tobacco stick of Example 1A had a tip plug length of 8 mm, a flavor generating portion length of 12 mm, a hollow tube portion length of 20 mm, a hollow filter portion length of 12 mm, and a filter plug length of 8 mm. The tobacco stick of Example 1A contained 12 mg of glycerin as a first aerosol source in the tip plug and 18 mg of glycerin in the flavor generating portion.

(Comparative Example 1A)
The above-mentioned commercially available tobacco stick for Ploom X (Japan Tobacco Inc.) was used as the "tobacco stick of Comparative Example 1A." The tobacco stick of Comparative Example 1A contains 30 mg of glycerin in the flavor generating portion.

(Example 2A)
A tobacco stick was produced in the same manner as in the production of the tobacco stick of Example 1A, except that 26 mg of glycerin was supported on the surface of the paper filter. The tobacco stick produced in this manner is referred to as "tobacco stick of Example 2A."

The tobacco stick of Example 2A had a tip plug length of 8 mm, a flavor generating portion length of 12 mm, a hollow tube portion length of 20 mm, a hollow filter portion length of 12 mm, and a filter plug length of 8 mm. The tobacco stick of Example 2A contained 26 mg of glycerin as a first aerosol source in the tip plug and 18 mg of glycerin in the flavor generating portion.

(Comparative Example 2A)
14 mg of glycerin was injected with a syringe into the flavor generating portion (containing 30 mg of glycerin) of the above-mentioned commercially available tobacco stick for Ploom X. The tobacco stick thus prepared is called "Tobacco Stick of Comparative Example 2A". The tobacco stick of Comparative Example 2A contains 44 mg of glycerin in the flavor generating portion.

[2] Evaluation by smoking test The produced tobacco sticks were heated by the aerosol generating device 100 shown in Figures 6A to 6C and Figure 7, and a smoking test was performed. As shown in Figure 8, the tobacco sticks were heated in a state where they were inserted into the cylindrical body 150 so that the tip plug 210 was in contact with the bottom member 136. In Examples 1A and 2A, the positional relationship between the heating element 140 and the tobacco stick when the tobacco stick was heated was as follows (see Figure 8).

Length of heating element 140 (L1): 14 mm
Length (L2) of the portion of the heating element 140 facing the flavor generating unit 220: 12 mm
Length (L3) of the portion of the heating element 140 facing the tip plug 210: 0.5 mm
Length (L4) of the portion of the heating element 140 facing the hollow tube portion 230: 1.5 mm
Area of the region of the heating element 140 facing the flavor generating section 220: 267.6 ^mm2
Area of the region of the heating element 140 facing the tip plug 210: 11.15 ^mm2
The ratio S1/S _FP of the area S _FP of the peripheral surface of the tip plug 210, which is the area S FP of the peripheral surface of the tip plug 210, of the first region that does not face the heating element 140: 0.9375
The ratio S2/S _FG of the area S2 of the second region of the circumferential surface of the flavor generating section 220 that does not face the heating element 140 to the area S _FG of the circumferential surface of the flavor generating section 220: 0
A Cambridge filter (CM-133, manufactured by Borgwaldt KC Inc.) was connected to the mouth end of the tobacco stick. This tobacco stick was subjected to a smoking test using a smoking machine. Specifically, the sample was automatically smoked using an automatic smoking machine (LM5E-SP, manufactured by Borgwaldt KC Inc.) under the conditions of a smoke volume of 27.5 ml/sec, a smoking time of 2 sec/puff, and a smoking frequency of 2 puffs/min, and particulate matter in the tobacco smoke for each puff was collected by the Cambridge filter.

After the smoking test, the Cambridge filter was shaken in 10 mL of methanol (special grade reagent, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) for 10 minutes to obtain an analytical sample. 1 μL of the obtained analytical sample was collected in a microsyringe, and the amount of glycerin was analyzed using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC-FID/TCD, GC:7890B, manufactured by Agilent). Since glycerin is the main component of aerosol (mainstream smoke), the amount of glycerin analyzed here corresponds to the amount of aerosol (mainstream smoke) generated. In the following explanation, the amount of glycerin analyzed here is also referred to as the "delivery amount of glycerin."

[3] Results The relationship between the number of puffs and the amount of glycerin delivered is shown in Figures 9 and 10. The results of Example 1A and Comparative Example 1A (wherein the amount of glycerin added per tobacco stick was 30 mg) are shown in Figure 9. The results of Example 2A (wherein the amount of glycerin added per tobacco stick was 44 mg) are shown in Figure 10.

In the tobacco stick of Comparative Example 1A, the amount of glycerin delivered was high from the third to fifth puffs, but as the number of puffs increased in the latter half of the inhalation period, the amount of glycerin delivered decreased. In contrast, the tobacco stick of Example 1A was able to maintain the amount of glycerin delivered without a significant decrease even in the latter half of the inhalation period.

The tobacco stick of Example 2A was able to maintain the amount of glycerin delivered without a decrease even in the latter half of the inhalation period. The tobacco stick of Example 2A was able to maintain a higher level of glycerin delivered than the tobacco stick of Example 1A, even when the number of puffs increased in the latter half of the inhalation period.

On the other hand, for the tobacco stick of Comparative Example 2A, stains were confirmed on the trumpet of the flavor generating part (reference numeral 222 in Fig. 1) prior to the smoking test. This is believed to be due to the fact that the amount of glycerin added to the flavor generating part was large, at 44 mg. For this reason, the smoking test was not carried out on the tobacco stick of Comparative Example 2A.

The above results indicate that by placing a tip plug at the tip side of the tobacco stick and supporting an aerosol source on the filter material of the tip plug, it is possible to shift the generation of aerosol to the latter half of the inhalation period, thereby enabling aerosol to be generated stably throughout the inhalation period.

Furthermore, from the results of Examples 1A and 2A, it can be seen that it is preferable for the "amount of glycerin per unit length of the tip plug" to be greater than the "amount of glycerin per unit length of the flavor generating section." Furthermore, from the results of Examples 1A and 2A, it can be seen that if the "amount of glycerin per unit length of the tip plug" is more than twice the "amount of glycerin per unit length of the flavor generating section," aerosol can be generated more stably in the latter half of the inhalation period.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified in various ways during implementation without departing from the gist of the invention. The embodiments may also be implemented in appropriate combination, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combinations selected from the multiple constituent elements disclosed. For example, if the problem can be solved and an effect can be obtained even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments, the configuration from which these constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

100... aerosol generating device, 101... outer housing, 102... slide cover, 103... switch section, 110... inner housing, 120... power supply section, 121... power supply, 130... atomizing section, 132... heat insulating section, 133... cover body, 134... insertion guide member, 136... bottom member, 137... first holding section, 138... second holding section, 140... heating element, 141... insulating layer, 150... cylindrical body, 160... heater Reference Signs List 200... tobacco stick, 210... tip plug, 211... first filter material, 211a... ridge portion, 211b... valley portion, 212... first inner plug wrap, 220... flavor generating portion, 221... flavor source, 222... first trumpet, 230... hollow tube portion, 240... hollow filter portion, 241... third filter material, 242... third inner plug wrap, 250... filter plug, 251... second filter material, 252... second inner plug wrap, 260... outer plug wrap, 265... second connecting body, 270... second trumpet, 280... outer plug wrap, 285... first connecting body

Claims (15)

A flavor inhalation article having a columnar shape,
a tip plug located at one end of the flavor inhalation article and including a first filter medium and a first aerosol source supported by the first filter medium;
a filter plug located at the other end of the flavor inhalation article and including a second filter medium;
The flavor inhalation article includes a flavor generating section located between the tip plug and the filter plug, the flavor generating section including a flavor source and a second aerosol source supported by the flavor source. The flavor inhalation article according to claim 1, wherein the tip plug is in contact with the flavor generating section, and the filter plug is spaced apart from the flavor generating section. The flavor inhalation article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first filter material is shaped like a corrugated plate and includes a sheet folded in the direction of the wave arrangement. The flavor inhalation article according to claim 3, wherein the sheet is made of paper. The flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first aerosol source contains glycerin. The flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the flavor source is a tobacco filler. The flavor inhalation article according to claim 6, wherein the tobacco filler is a plurality of molded bodies each containing tobacco leaves. The flavor inhalation article according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of molded bodies has a shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the flavor generating section. The flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the second aerosol source is of the same type as the first aerosol source. The flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the second aerosol source contains glycerin. The flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the amount of the first aerosol source per unit length of the tip plug is greater than the amount of the second aerosol source per unit length of the flavor generating portion. The flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the ratio of the amount of the first aerosol source per unit length of the tip plug to the amount of the second aerosol source per unit length of the flavor generating section is 2:1 to 3:1. The flavor inhalation article according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
and a heating device including a heater for heating the flavor inhalation article. The heater includes a cylindrical body into which the flavor inhalation article is inserted and a heating element surrounding the cylindrical body,
The heating device further includes a bottom member against which the tip plug abuts when the flavor inhalation article is inserted into the cylindrical body,
The flavor inhalation system according to claim 13, wherein when the flavor inhalation article is inserted into the cylindrical body and the tip plug is in contact with the bottom member, the area of the region of the heating element facing the flavor generating section is larger than the area of the region of the heating element facing the tip plug. The flavor inhalation system of claim 14, wherein when the flavor inhalation article is inserted into the cylindrical body and the tip plug is in contact with the bottom member, a ratio S1/ _{SFP of an area S1 of a first region of the circumferential surface of the tip plug that does not face the heating element to an area SFP of the circumferential surface of the tip plug is larger than a ratio S2/SFP of an} area S2 of a second region of the circumferential surface of the flavor generating portion that does not face the heating element to an area _SFG of the circumferential surface of the flavor generating portion.

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