WO2023209219A1

WO2023209219A1 - E-liquid delivery control for aerosol devices

Info

Publication number: WO2023209219A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/061374
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tilen CEGLAR; Jaakko MCEVOY
Original assignee: JT International SA
Current assignee: JT International SA
Priority date: 2022-04-29
Filing date: 2023-04-28
Publication date: 2023-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 2024-10-29
Also published as: EP4514165A1; US20250288011A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device comprising a liquid conduit in fluid communication or configured to be brought into fluid communication with a vaporization area, the vaporization area being in thermal communication or configured to be brought into thermal communication with a heater configured to heat an oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid to generate an aerosol, the conduit being configured to receive the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid and to direct the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol generating liquid to the vaporization area; and a valve arranged in the liquid conduit configured to selectively control the flow of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol generating liquid to the vaporization area, the valve comprising an oleophobic surface and a first electrode configured to supply a voltage to the oleophobic surface, wherein the oleophobic surface is configured such that it becomes less oleophobic with an increase in the voltage.

Description

E-Liquid Delivery Control for Aerosol Devices

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a device and a system comprising a liquid conduit configured to be brought into fluid communication with vaporization area configured to be brought into thermal communication with a heater for heating an oleaginous, oily or fatty liquid to generate an aerosol, and a valve with an oleophobic surface and an electrode, configured to selectively control the flow of the liquid.

BACKGROUND

An aerosol generation device, or E-cigarette, is now a mainstream product to simulate a traditional tobacco cigarette. There are many types of aerosol generation devices, one has them having an operation method which is to evaporate liquid to form smoke. Such E-cigarettes operating with liquid are continuously growing in popularity.

The E-cigarettes operating with liquid are usually arranged with a liquid reservoir and a heating element, wherein when the user draws on a mouthpiece, liquid is moved from the liquid reservoir towards the heating element, where the liquid is vaporized. A typical way to convey liquid from the reservoir to the heating element is performed by an open conduit leading to wick or capillary element associated to the heating element. When the user performs a large puff, the liquid can accumulate at the heating element and oversaturate the heating element, so that not all of the liquid gets vaporized. This can lead to leakage of the liquid or droplets of the liquid being ejected towards and inhaled by the user, which might create an unpleasant smoking experience. When not vaping, liquid may also leak from the device, especially depending on the relative orientation of the device or on atmospheric pressure. As a result, liquid may contaminate surfaces on which the device is stored (e.g., garment pocket).

Therefore, it is desired to control the flow of the liquid towards the heater to prevent oversaturation at the heating element and prevent leakage of unvaporized liquid. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a device which solves some of or all of the above problems.

A 1st embodiment of the invention is directed to a device comprising a liquid conduit in fluid communication or configured to be brought into fluid communication with a vaporization area, the vaporization area being in thermal communication or configured to be brought into thermal communication with a heater configured to heat an oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid to generate an aerosol, the conduit being configured to receive the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid and to direct the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol generating liquid to the vaporization area, and a valve arranged in the liquid conduit configured to selectively control the flow of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol generating liquid to the vaporization area, the valve comprising an oleophobic surface, and a first electrode configured to supply a voltage to the oleophobic surface, wherein the oleophobic surface is configured such that it becomes less oleophobic with an increase in the voltage.

With the above arrangement, the flow of oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquids to the vaporization area, where the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquids is heated by the heater, is controlled. In devices where the temperature of the heater may change dynamically, the above arrangement allows to adjust the amount of liquid to be heated accordingly. For example, if the temperature of the heater is relatively high, the valve may control the flow of liquid such that a relatively high amount of liquid is provided at the vaporization area, and if the temperature of the heater is relatively low, the valve may control the flow of liquid such that a relatively low amount of liquid is provided at the vaporization area. Consequently, it is possible to always control the amount of liquid at the vaporization area such that under-/ oversaturation of liquid at the vaporization area is avoided, which prevents incomplete vaporization and leakage of the liquid and/or insufficiency of liquid in the device. Moreover, the above allows to control the provision of liquid to the vaporization area independent from the force of a puff performed by a user. Another advantage of the above arrangement is that the flow of the liquid can be controlled without requiring any moving parts. This makes manufacturing easier and increases the lifetime of the valve.

According to a 2nd embodiment, in the 1st embodiment, the liquid is directed to the vaporization area when an amount of supplied voltage is above the threshold value, and stopped and/or repelled at the valve when an amount of supplied voltage is below a threshold value.

Since the liquid is directed towards the vaporization area only if the amount of supplied voltage is above a threshold, a fail-safe system is created. When the power source is unable to provide additional voltage, the flow of liquid is suppressed, and leakage is prevented.

According to a 3rd embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the oleophobic surface forms part of the first electrode.

By implementing the oleophobic surface as part of the electrode, the manufacturing process is simplified, and the robustness of the arrangement is increased. In particular, since there is no need for attaching electrodes to a potentially small surface.

According to a 4th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the oleophobic surface comprises one or more of a fluoropolymer, a nanopattern, nanofibers, preferablypoly (2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate), PTFEMA, nanofibers, and/or a 3D structural graphene foam.

According to a 5th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the liquid conduit comprises a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, wherein the first surface and the second surface are located on either sides of the liquid conduit parallel to the flow direction of the liquid conduit, and wherein the oleophobic surface and/ or the first electrode extends all the way from the first surface to the second surface.

The above arrangement of the oleophobic surface ensures that the oleophobic surface extends from one side of the liquid conduit to the other side, such that the flow of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid can be completely stopped.

According to a 6th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the oleophobic surface is formed by a mesh.

By implementing the oleophobic surface as a mesh, the surface area of the oleophobic surface is increased, which results in a stronger repellency of the oleophobic surface. With this arrangement it is possible to control the flow of liquid in liquid conduits with relatively large diameter such that higher amounts of liquid maybe supplied to the vaporization area. This effect increases even further in embodiments where the mesh extends over the complete cross-section of the liquid conduit.

According to a 7th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the liquid conduit is a micro-channel or a capillary conduit, preferably with a cross-section area of at least 0.01 mm², more preferably of at least 0.02 mm² and most preferably of at least 0.05 mm² and/or at preferably at most 0.5 mm², more preferably at most 0.2 mm² and most preferably at most 0.1 mm².

The above arrangement allows to use the capillary effect of such channels to direct the liquid towards the vaporization area. The amount of liquid at the vaporization area can be controlled independently from external influences and based on the configuration of the valve only.

According to an 8th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the device comprises a second electrode configured to provide a potential difference between the first and the second electrode, the second electrode being arranged in an upstream position relative to the first electrode and configured to be in contact with the aerosol generating liquid.

With this arrangement, it is possible to control the contact angle of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid at the oleophobic surface, which allows to control the amount of liquid supplied to the vaporization area. For example, if a relatively low potential difference is set between the first electrode and the second electrode, only a relatively small amount of liquid is directed towards the vaporization area, and if a relatively high potential difference is set, a relatively high amount of liquid is directed towards the vaporization area. If the potential difference is sufficiently low or nil, the supply of liquid to the vaporization area is prevented.

According to a 9th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the device comprises a liquid reservoir storing the oleaginous or oily or fatty aerosol liquid in fluid communication with the liquid conduit, configured to provide the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid to the liquid conduit. The liquid reservoir may be configured as an exchangeable cartridge of the device. The cartridge may be an element which is separable from the valve or alternatively, an element supporting the valve. According to a 10th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the device comprises a plurality of liquid conduits, each of the liquid conduits comprising a valve as defined in any one of the preceding embodiments.

The above arrangement provides an easy method to control the amount of liquid supplied to the vaporization area. For example, in a case where a device comprises three such liquid conduits, one could trigger each of the valves individually such that the following configurations are possible: all three of the valves are “open”, two out of three of the valves are “open”, one of the valves is “open” or none of the valves are “open”. It is apparent that this is a simple way of controlling the amount of liquid provided to the vaporization area which increases the robustness of the system.

According to an nth embodiment, in the preceding embodiment, wherein the vaporization area is in fluid communication with the plurality of liquid conduits.

According to a 12th embodiment, in any one of the loth or nth embodiment, the device comprises or is configured to receive at least two liquid reservoirs, each of the liquid reservoirs being in fluid communication with one or more of the liquid conduits.

By using more than one liquid reservoir it is possible to arrange each of the liquid reservoirs more freely inside the device, such that a relatively large amount of aerosol liquid can be stored while special requirements for the liquid reservoirs are reduced. Moreover, the above arrangement allows to use differently flavored liquids in each of the liquid reservoirs such that it is possible to control the overall flavor of the liquid composition at the vaporization area.

According to a 13th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the control of the flow is configured so that the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol generating liquid is directed towards the vaporization area when the heater is activated and the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol generating liquid is stopped and/ or repelled when the heater is deactivated, and/ or vice versa.

The above arrangement ensures that the vaporization area does not oversaturate with aerosol liquid when the heater is turned off, and that the vaporization area is always supplied with liquid when the heater is turned on.

According to a 14th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the device comprises the heater. Providing the heater inside the device facilitates heating the liquid by the heater. This is, because arranging the heater in close proximity (or even inside) the vaporization area is facilitated. In fact, since the heater is usually electrically heated and the device requires a power source for applying a voltage to the electrode(s), the same power interface at the device can be used for heating the heater and applying a voltage to the electrode.

According to a 15th embodiment, in the preceding embodiment, the device comprises a wick element in a downstream position of the valve, the wick element preferably being part of the vaporization area.

According to a 16th embodiment, in the preceding embodiment, the device comprises a membrane with an oleophilic surface in contact with the wick element.

Having a wick element and preferably a wick element with an oleophilic surface as part of the vaporization area makes sure that the liquid in the vaporization area is directed towards the vaporization area. Moreover, even when the device is turned off, a residual amount of liquid is kept close in the vaporization area but not enough to provide leakage, and once the device is turned on, the heater can immediately generate the aerosol from the kept liquid.

According to a 17th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the device comprises a sensor configured to detect if a user is drawing on a mouthpiece of the device, wherein the valve is controlled based on the detection.

The above arrangement allows to control the amount of liquid in the vaporization area in accordance with the user drawing on the mouthpiece. This ensures that vaping/ smoking using the device feels natural to the user and liquid is only provided to the heater when the heater is turned on. Thus, oversaturation in the vaporization area is further prevented.

According to an 18th embodiment, in any one of the preceding embodiments, the device is an exchangeable cartridge.

Implementing the device as an exchangeable cartridge allows to use this technology and benefit from the above-described advantages in a variety of aerosol generating systems. A 19th embodiment is directed towards an aerosol generating system comprising a device of the preceding embodiment and an aerosol generating unit comprising a housing comprising a mouthpiece, configured to receive the device, and a power source configured to supply a current to the heater and a voltage to the electrode.

Such a system can be used to provide an inhalable aerosol to a user drawing on the mouthpiece, while it is ensured that the vaporization area is not oversaturated with liquid, which could lead to the user inhaling unvaporized droplets, which could be unpleasant for the user. Moreover, it is possible to remove the general correlation between inhalation force of a user and amount of aerosol provided to the user, since the amount of liquid can be independent from the inhalation force of the user.

Preferred embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1: is an angled view of the device in an exemplary embodiment;

Figure 2: is a schematic drawing visualizing the interaction between an oleaginous, oily or fatty liquid and an oleophobic surface;

Figure 3a: is an angled view of an exemplary liquid conduit;

Figure 3b: is a cross-sectional view of exemplary oleophobic surfaces from a first perspective;

Figure 3c: is a cross-sectional view of an oleophobic surface from a second perspective;

Figure 4: is a cross-sectional top view of the device in another embodiment;

Figure 5: is a cross-sectional side view of the device in a further embodiment;

Figure 6a: is a cross-sectional view of the device in yet another embodiment in a first configuration;

Figure 6b: is a cross-sectional view of the device in the embodiment of Fig. 6a in a second configuration. DETAILED DSCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described hereinafter with reference to the drawings.

Figure i shows a schematic view of a device comprising a liquid conduit no and a valve 120, according to an exemplary embodiment. The liquid conduit no is configured to receive an aerosol liquid, preferably an oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 and to provide this liquid to a vaporization area 150. The liquid conduit 110 maybe configured to be in fluid communication with the vaporization area 150 or may be configured to be brought into fluid communication with the vaporization area 150. Moreover, the liquid conduit 110 may be configured such that the liquid 122 is driven towards the vaporization area 150 based on one or more of capillary forces, gravity and/or a pressure difference between an area upstream the valve 120 and an area downstream the valve 120. The capillaiy forces may be enhanced by sizing the liquid conduit 110 accordingly. For example, the liquid conduit 110 maybe a micro-channel or a capillary conduit, preferably with a cross-section area of at least 0.01 mm², more preferably of at least 0.02 mm² and most preferably of at least 0.05 mm² and/or at preferably at most 0.5 mm², more preferably at most 0.2 mm² and most preferably at most 0.1 mm².

The oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 is configured to generate an aerosol when being heated by the heater 170. The liquid 122 typically comprises an aerosolforming substance, such as glycerin and/ or propylene glycol that creates the vapor. Other common substances in the liquid are nicotine and various flavorings.

The valve 120 comprises an oleophobic surface 121 and a first electrode 130. The valve 120 is configured to selectively control, i.e., stop or enable the flow of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 through the liquid conduit 110 towards the vaporization area 150. A detailed description of the mechanism of the valve 120 is provided with reference to Figs. 2a and 2b, below.

Even though it is not explicitly shown in Figure 1, the first electrode 130 forms an electrical contact with the oleophobic surface 121 and is configured to apply a voltage to the oleophobic surface 121. In some embodiments, the first electrode 130 maybe coated with an oleophobic material to form the oleophobic surface 121. This means that the oleophobic surface 121 may also be part of the first electrode 130. In some embodiments, the oleophobic surface 121 is a surface of the liquid conduit 110. For example, the oleophobic surface 121 maybe obtained by coating a surface of the liquid conduit 110 with the oleophobic material and connecting the first electrode 130 to the surface. In other embodiments, the oleophobic surface 121 is separate from the liquid conduit 110 and the first electrode 130 and is inserted into the liquid conduit 110 and connected to the first electrode 130.

Exemplary oleophobic materials are one or more of a fluoropolymer, a nanopattern, nanofibers, preferably poly(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate), PTFEMA, nanofibers, and/or a 3D structural graphene foam, but other oleophobic materials may be used as well. The oleophobic behavior of a surface is generally measured using a goniometer. The goniometer measures the contact angle of a droplet of liquid on the surface. The contact angle represents the angle of incidence between the side of a droplet and the surface onto which the droplet is placed. Droplets of n-hexadecane are commonly used for determining the oleophobic behavior of a surface. Contact angles of n-hexadecane on a surface between 6o° and 8o° are indicative of an oleophobic surface. Alternatively, droplets of deionized water are also used for determining the oleophobic behavior of a surface. Surfaces are considered oleophobic when the contact angle of a droplet of deionized water on the surface is between 105° and 120°, when measured using the goniometer.

The vaporization area 150 is in thermal communication or configured to be brought into thermal communication with a heater 170, wherein the heater may be in relative proximity, in contact with or inside the vaporization area 150. The vaporization area 150 is an area configured to receive the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 and provide it to the heater 170 in a way that the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 is transformed into the aerosol. The vaporization area 150 is in a downstream position relative to the liquid conduit 110 and the valve 120. In some embodiments, the vaporization area 150 comprises an oleophilic wick for collecting the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 from the liquid conduit 110. The vaporization area 150 may also comprise a first sensor (not shown) that detects the amount of liquid in the vaporization area 150 and controls the valve 120 accordingly. For example, if it is detected that the amount of liquid in the vaporization area 150 is close to oversaturating the heater 170 (i.e. , the heater does not provide sufficient heat to vaporize all of the liquid), the valve 120 may be controlled to stop the flow of the liquid 122 and prevent oversaturation in the vaporization area 150 and prevent leakage. IO

In addition to the first electrode 130, the device may further comprise a second electrode 140. The second electrode 140 is arranged in an upstream position relative to the valve 120 and preferably in contact with oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122.

The working principle of the valve 120 will be discussed in the following with reference to Figure 2. Configuration (a) of Fig. 2 shows a droplet of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 on a surface with oleophobic behavior, such as the oleophobic surface 121 of the valve 120, whereas configuration (b) shows a droplet of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 on a surface with non-oleophobic behavior. Since oleophobic surfaces repel or at least show reduced reactivity with an oleaginous, oily or fatty droplet, the droplet on the oleophobic surface 121 has a relatively large contact angle (angle between the droplet and the surface), wherein the droplet on the surface that does not show oleophobic behavior has a relatively low contact angle.

Configurations (c) and (d) of Fig. 2 show the droplets in the liquid conduit 110, wherein the droplets are shown in a position upstream of the oleophobic surface 121. When the size of the liquid conduit is relatively small compared to the size of the oleaginous, oily or fatty droplet, the liquid on the oleophobic surface 121 cannot or can only hardly flow through the liquid conduit 110. In contrast, the liquid on the surface that does not show oleophobic behavior can flow freely through the liquid conduit 110.

When a first electric charge is applied to a droplet of the liquid 122 and a second electric charge with an opposite polarity is applied to the oleophobic surface 121, the repellency effect of the oleophobic surface may be reduced or eliminated. This is because the attraction between the opposite electric charges of the droplet and the oleophobic surface 122 counteract the repellency between the droplet and the oleophobic surface 122. Thus, the oleophobic behavior of a surface may decrease with an increase in voltage at the electrodes. For example, when the voltage gradually increases starting at oV, the oleophobic behavior of the oleophobic surface 121 gradually decreases. It is important to note that “gradually” is not to be understood as strictly gradually but is used to give a general understanding of this effect.

For example, configurations (b) and (d), which do not show oleophobic behavior may comprise of the same oleophobic material as configurations (a) and (c), where the oleophobic behavior of the surface has been reduced by applying the above-described charges to the droplet and the surface material. Returning to the device of figure 1, the device may apply a voltage to the first electrode 130 and the second electrode 140 such that the first electrode 130 forms an anode and the second electrode 140 forms a cathode. In another embodiment, the first electrode 130 may form the cathode and the second electrode 140 may form the anode. By applying charges with opposite polarities to the first electrode 130 and the second electrode 170, the electrical potential is formed between the first and the second electrodes 130, 140. Since the first electrode 130 is connected to the oleophobic surface 121 of the valve 120, and the second electrode 140 is connected to the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 upstream to the valve 120, also the electrical potential is formed between the oleophobic surface 121 and the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122. As shown with reference to Fig 2, this makes it possible to open or close the valve 120 based on the electrical potential between the two electrodes 130, 140, or the oleophobic surface 121 and the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 upstream the valve 120, respectively.

In an exemplary embodiment, the oleophobic surface 121 of the valve 120 may be configured such that a contact angle of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 is high, such that the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 is blocked/repelled at the valve 120 inside the liquid conduit 110. That is, as long as no voltage is applied to the first and the second electrode 130, 140. This configuration is considered as the closed position or closed state of the valve 120. Once the voltage is applied to the electrodes and the oleophobic surface 121 and the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122, respectively, the contact angle decreases, and if the applied voltage is high enough the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 may flow through the liquid conduit 110. This configuration is considered as the open position or opened state of the valve 120.

It is also possible to apply the same charge to the oleophobic surface 121 and the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122. Since electric charges with the same polarities repel each other, this increases the oleophobic behavior of the surface 121 and increases the reliability of the closed state.

Exemplary embodiments of the oleophobic surface 121 of the valve 120 are shown in Figures 3a to 3c. Figure 3a shows the liquid conduit 110 comprising the valve 120 with the oleophobic surface 121 and the first electrode 130 (not shown). Figure 3b is a cross- sectional view of example configurations of the oleophobic surface in longitudinal direction of the liquid conduit 110. Figure 3c is a cross-sectional view of another example configuration of the oleophobic surface in lateral direction of the liquid conduit no. Arrow F, also shown in Figs. 3b and 3c, indicates the flow direction of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122, i.e., the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 enters the liquid conduit 110 on the side comprising the “A” and exits the liquid conduit 110 on the side comprising the “B”. The dashed lines from point A to point B and from point C to point D in Fig. 3a indicate cutting axes for the crosssections of the liquid conduit 110 shown in Figs. 3b and 3c.

Figure 3b shows the oleophobic surface 121 of the valve 120 inside the liquid conduit 110 in three different configurations (a), (b) and (c). In each of the three configurations, the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 is indicated in an upstream position relative to the oleophobic surface 121 of the valve 120.

Configuration (a) of Fig. 3b shows the oleophobic surface 121 in an exemplaiy embodiment. In this embodiment, the oleophobic surface 121 is either a thin oleophobic sheet on top of the liquid conduit 110 or part of the surface of the liquid conduit 110. For example, the oleophobic surface 121 may be a surface coating comprising the oleophobic material applied to part of the liquid conduit 110. The surface may then be contacted by the first electrode 130 or be part of the first electrode 130. The surface 121 may comprise a bottom surface of the conduit (as represented) and/or the surface of one or two sidewalls of the conduit. The advantage of this configuration is that it is easy to manufacture and relatively durable, as no external parts have to be added into the liquid conduit 110. Moreover, this configuration is particularly suitable for arrangements where space is limited and liquid conduits 110 with a small diameter are preferred.

Configuration (b) of Fig. 3b shows another configuration of the oleophobic surface 121 according to another embodiment. In this configuration, a mesh with oleophobic behavior is used as the oleophobic surface 121. The mesh is substantially sheet-shaped and extends preferably over the complete diameter of the liquid conduit 110. The mesh may be formed by coating a conductive material such as metal with any of the above described oleophobic materials. Conductive materials are preferred, as this facilitates electrically contacting and electrically charging the mesh. The mesh may also be formed by the oleophobic material or a material comprising the oleophobic material.

The mesh is particularly advantageous when it is desired to increase the flow area of the liquid conduit 110. When compared to configuration (a) of Fig 3b, the flow area of the liquid conduit 110 having the mesh may be relatively large compared to the size of the droplet of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122, as long as the size of the apertures of the mesh are similar to the size of the droplets of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122. Moreover, this configuration is particularly advantageous where the reliability of the valve 120 is critical, as the mesh covers the complete diameter of the liquid conduit 110. The mesh preferably has a mesh count of at least 20, more preferably of at least 30 and most preferably of at least 40; and/or preferably of at most 600, more preferably of at most 500, and most preferably of at most 400. The mesh count indicates the number of crossings of threads of mesh per square inch. A mesh having a relatively large mesh count increases the reliability of the valve 120 and a mesh with a relatively small mesh count increases the flow of liquid through the mesh 120.

Configuration (c) of Fig. 3b shows another embodiment of the oleophobic surface 121. In this configuration, a porous block with oleophobic behavior is inserted into the liquid conduit 110 and used as the oleophobic surface 121. For example, the porous block may comprise a conductive foam, such as a metal foam that comprises oleophobic material. Preferably the foam is coated with the oleophobic material. A “block”, as used herein, relates to a volumetric body that in addition to extending over the flow area of the liquid conduit 110 also substantially extends in the direction of the liquid conduit 110.

The benefit of using the block of porous material is that the reliability of the valve 120 is further increased. That is because the block does not only extend across the diameter of the liquid conduit 110, but also in the direction of the liquid conduit 110. Consequently, the overall surface of oleophobic material is increased such that the overall oleophobic behavior of the oleophobic surface 121 is increased. Moreover, the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 may be trapped inside the porous block of oleophobic material and hinder any subsequent liquid from flowing through the oleophobic surface 121.

Figure 3c shows a configuration (configuration (d)) of the oleophobic surface 121 of the valve 120 in another embodiment. In this embodiment, the oleophobic surface 121 is located on all surface sides of the liquid conduit 121. In addition to coating a surface to obtain the oleophobic surface 121, this version of the oleophobic surface 121 may also be obtained by drilling through a block of oleophobic material. The advantage of this configuration is an increased reliability, as more than one side of the liquid conduit 110 show oleophobic behavior, while attaching the oleophobic surface 121 to the liquid conduit 110 is facilitated. The above embodiments were described with reference to a single liquid conduit no. However, it is understood that any of the above also applies for a plurality of liquid conduits no comprising the valve 120. In fact, anything disclosed herein with regards to a single liquid conduit also applies to any number of liquid conduits and vice versa.

Figure 4 shows a schematic view of the device in another embodiment, comprising four liquid conduits 111, 112, 113, 114, each of which comprises a valve 120. The valves 120 of the liquid conduits 111, 112, 113, 114 may use a single first electrode 130 such that the valves 120 can be opened and closed simultaneously. In another embodiment, each of the liquid conduits 111, 112, 113, 114 may have an individual first electrode 130 to be opened and closed individually. Other combinations are also possible. For example, the valves of liquid conduits 111 and 112 may share a first electrode and the valves of the liquid conduits 113 and 114 may share another first electrode, such that the valves of the liquid conduits 111 and 112 can be opened simultaneously and the valves 120 of the liquid conduits 113 and 114 can be opened simultaneously, independent from the valves 120 of the liquid conduits 111 and 112. Similarly, the device may also comprise two or more second electrodes 140. Even though the embodiment of figure 4 shows a total number of four liquid conduits 110, this is for illustrative purposes only and the total number of liquid conduits 110 can be any number. Generally speaking, the larger the flow area of the liquid conduit 110, the more oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 maybe provided to the vaporization area 150 but the less reliable is the valve 120. By increasing the total number of liquid conduits 110, the total amount of oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 that can be provided to the vaporization area 150 increases.

In the device shown in Fig. 4 the vaporization area 150 is configured to collect the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 from each of the liquid conduits 111, 112, 113, 114 and deliver the liquid to the vaporization area 150. In this embodiment, the vaporization area 150 may also comprise the first sensor and/or the preferably oleophilic wick to collect the liquid and provide it to the vaporization area 150.

Figure 5 shows a schematic view of the device according to another exemplary embodiment. The device according to this embodiment comprises at least the one or more liquid conduits 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, the first and the second electrodes 130, 140, the vaporization area 150 and the heater 170, which are configured as described in any of the above embodiments. Further it comprises a liquid reservoir 160 and preferably an aerosol channel 180. The liquid reservoir 160 is in fluid communication with the liquid conduits no and configured to store the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 and to provide the liquid to the liquid conduit no. The one or more second electrodes 140 maybe inserted into the liquid reservoir 160 and apply the charge to the liquid in the reservoir 160.

The device may also comprise a sensor for detecting the amount of oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 in the liquid reservoir 160. If it is detected that an amount of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 is relatively low, the device may close the valve 120. The device may also provide an indication to the user that the amount of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 in the liquid reservoir 160 is relatively low.

The aerosol channel 180 is in fluid communication with the vaporization area 150 and configured to provide the aerosol generated by the heater 170 to the user, for example through a mouthpiece directly or indirectly connected to the device.

In one embodiment, the device comprises at least two liquid reservoirs 160, each of which comprises at least one second electrode and is connected to one or more of the liquid conduits 110 comprising the valve 120. Each of the liquid reservoirs 160 may comprise the same oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 or oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquids 122 with different compositions. For example, it is possible to use differently flavored liquids in each of the liquid reservoirs 160 and thereby dynamically control the flavor of the liquid composition in the vaporization area 150 and thus the flavor of the aerosol which is provided to the user. For example, a first liquid composition could provide a sweet flavor and a second liquid composition could provide a menthol flavor. If the user desires to have a stronger menthol flavor, the device could open more valves 120 in liquid conduits 110 in fluid communication with the liquid reservoir 160 comprising the second liquid composition, and when a sweeter flavor is desired, the device could open more valves 120 related to first liquid composition.

In one exemplary embodiment, the device of any of the above embodiments, such as the device shown in Fig. 5 is part of an aerosol generating device, such as a vaporizer. In this example, the aerosol generating device comprises the mouthpiece, the vaporization area 150, the heater and one or more liquid reservoirs 160 in fluid communication with the one or more liquid conduits 110, 111, 112, 113, 114 with the valves 120. The device may comprise a second sensor configured to detect that a user wants to perform a puff. Exemplary second sensors may be a touch sensor detecting a touch input of a user or a sensor detecting that the user draws on the mouthpiece such as a pressure sensor. If it is determined that the user wants to perform a puff, the device applies a voltage to the first and the second electrodes 130, 140 to decrease the oleophobic behavior of the oleophobic surface 121, and the valve 120 changes from the closed state to the opened state. Moreover, a current is applied to the heater 170 to increase the temperature of the heater 170. In this state the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 from the liquid reservoirs 160 is directed through the liquid conduits 110 to the vaporization area 150 and the heater 170, where it is heated up until the liquid forms an aerosol. From there the aerosol is directed towards a user through the aerosol channel 180. If it is determined that the user does not further draw on the mouthpiece, the device may be configured to decrease the supply of current to the heater 170 and to stop supplying the first and the second electrode 130, 140 with voltage, such that the valve 120 returns to the closed state.

In another embodiment, the device of previous embodiments is configured to be inserted into an aerosol generating unit 210 to form an aerosol generating system. For example, the device comprising the liquid conduit 110 may be part of an exchangeable cartridge 200. This embodiment is illustrated in Figures 6a and 6b. Figures 6a and 6b show the exchangeable cartridge 200 inside the aerosol generating unit 210. The aerosol generating unit 210 comprises a housing 230, a cavity 240 for receiving the exchangeable cartridge 200 and a power source 220 which is configured to apply a current to the heater 170 and a voltage to the first and the second electrodes 130, 140. In the particular embodiment shown in Fig 6a, the heater 170 is part of the aerosol generating unit 210. However, the heater 170 may also be part of the exchangeable cartridge 170.

In the above system, multiple of the above-described devices may also be used. Each of the devices comprise at least the liquid reservoir 160 with the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 and the liquid conduits 110 comprising the valve 120 that are connected to the vaporization area 150. The individual valves 120 may be individually controlled such that the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 of the individual devices may be provided to the vaporization area 150 simultaneously or individually. The system may further control the valves 120 of the devices in accordance with the remaining amount of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122, preferably detected by the sensor. The system may provide an indicating to a user indicating the remaining amount of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid 122 in each of the individual devices comprising the liquid.

Figure 6a shows the exchangeable cartridge 200 during insertion into the cavity 240 of the aerosol generating unit 210, wherein the exchangeable cartridge comprises the liquid reservoir 160. As can be seen in Figures 6a and 6b, the exchangeable cartridge 200 and the aerosol generating unit 210 each comprise electrical contacts that come into contact once the exchangeable cartridge is properly inserted into the aerosol generating unit 210, as indicated in Fig. 6b. In this state, the power source 220 provides the voltage to the exchangeable cartridge 200 to control the one or more valves 120 in the device, preferably by means of an electrical interface at the exchangeable cartridge, configured to receive electrical power from the power source and to direct this power to the heater 170 and the first and the second electrodes 130, 140.

Once the exchangeable cartridge 200 is properly inserted into the aerosol generating unit 210, i.e., the contacts of the exchangeable cartridge 200 and the aerosol generating unit 210 are in contact, such that the voltage can be applied to the first and the second electrodes 130, 140, the device can be used by a user in a similar fashion as described with reference to Fig. 5, above.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS USED

110, 111, 112, 113, 114 liquid conduit

120 valve

121 oleophobic surface

122 oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol

130 first electrode

140 second electrode

150 vaporization area

160 liquid reservoir

170 heater

180 aerosol channel

200 exchangeable cartridge

210 aerosol generating unit

220 power source 230 housing

Claims

1. A device comprising: a liquid conduit (no) in fluid communication or configured to be brought into fluid communication with a vaporization area (150), the vaporization area being in thermal communication or configured to be brought into thermal communication with a heater (170) configured to heat an oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid (121) to generate an aerosol, the conduit (no) being configured to receive the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid (121) and to direct the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol generating liquid (121) to the vaporization area (150); and a valve (120) arranged in the liquid conduit configured to selectively control the flow of the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol generating liquid (121) to the vaporization area (150), the valve (120) comprising: an oleophobic surface; and a first electrode (130) configured to supply a voltage to the oleophobic surface, wherein the oleophobic surface is configured such that it becomes less oleophobic with an increase in the voltage.

2. The device according to the preceding claim, wherein the liquid (121) is stopped and/ or repelled at the valve (120) when an amount of supplied voltage is below a threshold value, and directed to the vaporization area (150) when an amount of supplied voltage is above the threshold value.

3. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the oleophobic surface forms part of the first electrode (130).

4. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the oleophobic surface comprises one or more of a fluoropolymer, a nanopattern, nanofibers, preferably poly(2, 2, 2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate), PTFEMA, and/or a 3D structural graphene foam.

5. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid conduit (no) comprises a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, wherein the first surface and the second surface are located on either sides of the liquid conduit (no) parallel to the flow direction of the liquid conduit (no), and wherein the oleophobic surface and/ or the first electrode (130) extends all the way from the first surface to the second surface.

6. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the oleophobic surface is formed by a mesh.

7. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid conduit (no) is a micro-channel or a capillary conduit, preferably with a cross-section area of at least 0.01 mm², more preferably of at least 0.02 mm² and most preferably of at least 0.05 mm² and/or at preferably at most 0.5 mm², more preferably at most 0.2 mm² and most preferably at most 0.1 mm².

8. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a second electrode (140) configured to provide a potential difference between the first and the second electrode (130, 140), the second electrode (140) being arranged in an upstream position relative to the first electrode (130) and configured to be in contact with the aerosol generating liquid (121).

9. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a liquid reservoir (160) storing the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid (121) in fluid communication with the liquid conduit (110), configured to provide the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol liquid (121) to the liquid conduit (110).

10. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a plurality of liquid conduits (111, 112, 113, 114), each of the liquid conduits (111, 112, 113, 114) comprising a valve (120) as defined in any one of the proceeding claims, and/or wherein the vaporization area (150) is in fluid communication with the plurality of liquid conduits.

11. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control of the flow is configured so that the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol generating liquid (121) is directed towards the vaporization area (150) when the heater (170) is activated and the oleaginous, oily or fatty aerosol generating liquid (121) is stopped and/or repelled when the heater (170) is deactivated, and/ or vice versa.

12. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the heater (170).

13. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a sensor configured to detect if a user is drawing on a mouthpiece of the device, wherein the valve (120) is controlled based on the detection.

14. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the device is an exchangeable cartridge (200).

15. An aerosol generating system comprising: a device according to claim 14; and an aerosol generating unit (210) comprising: a housing comprising a mouthpiece, configured to receive the device, and a power source (220) configured to supply a current to the heater (170) and a voltage to the electrode (130).