CN117617569A

CN117617569A - Gas mist generating device, heater for gas mist generating device, and control method

Info

Publication number: CN117617569A
Application number: CN202210968889.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 余培侠; 卢志明; 胡瑞龙; 徐中立; 李永海
Original assignee: Shenzhen FirstUnion Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen FirstUnion Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-08-12
Filing date: 2022-08-12
Publication date: 2024-03-01
Also published as: WO2024032446A1

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an aerosol-generating device, a heater for the aerosol-generating device, and a control method; wherein the aerosol-generating device is configured to heat the aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; comprising the following steps: a chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article; a heater surrounding the chamber and for heating the aerosol-generating article; the heater comprises at least a first heating area, a second heating area and a third heating area which are sequentially arranged around the circumference of the chamber; a battery cell for providing power to the heater; circuitry configured to control power provided by the electrical core to the heater to heat the first heating region, the second heating region, and the third heating region simultaneously, and to selectively heat one of the regions faster or at a greater power than the other two. The above aerosol-generating device advantageously causes different regions to differently generate aerosols when heating the aerosol-generating article simultaneously in the circumferential direction.

Description

Gas mist generating device, heater for gas mist generating device, and control method

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of heating non-combustion aerosol generation, in particular to an aerosol generation device, a heater for the aerosol generation device and a control method.

Background

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

An example of such a product is a heating device that releases a compound by heating rather than burning a material. For example, the material may be tobacco or other non-tobacco products that may or may not contain nicotine. The known heating devices have a tubular heater surrounding tobacco or other non-tobacco products, the heater being provided with a plurality of heating zones arranged at intervals along the circumference to be activated independently to heat circumferentially different zones of the tobacco or other non-tobacco products respectively.

Disclosure of Invention

One embodiment of the present application provides an aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; comprising the following steps:

a chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

a heater configured to at least partially surround the chamber and for heating the aerosol-generating article; the heater at least comprises a first heating area, a second heating area and a third heating area which are sequentially arranged around the circumference of the chamber;

A battery cell for providing power to the heater;

circuitry configured to control power provided by the electrical core to the heater to heat the first, second and third heating regions simultaneously and to selectively heat one of the first, second and third heating regions faster or at a greater power than the other two.

In some implementations, the heater is configured to be incapable of heating only one or two of the first, second, and third heating regions.

In some implementations, the first, second, and third heating zones are configured to heat only simultaneously.

In some implementations, the heater has no more heating zones beyond the first, second, and third heating zones;

and/or the heater comprises only three heating zones.

In some implementations, one of the first, second, and third heating regions heats faster or more than one of the first, second, and third heating regions has an arc along the circumference of the heater that is less than pi, and the sum of the two arcs along the circumference of the heater that heats slower or less than one of the first, second, and third heating regions has an arc along the circumference of the heater that is greater than pi.

In some implementations, the heater includes at least a first heating element, a second heating element, and a third heating element arranged in sequence around a circumference of the chamber; wherein,

the first heating element at least partially defines the first heating region;

the second heating element at least partially defines the second heating region;

the third heating element at least partially defines the third heating region.

In some implementations, the circuit is configured to heat one of the first, second, and third heating regions faster or more power than the other two by selectively changing the manner in which the first, second, and third heating elements are electrically connected. The electrical connection relationship includes series and/or parallel.

In some implementations, the circuit is configured to selectively connect two of the first, second, and third heating elements in series and then in parallel with the other, thereby heating one of the first, second, and third heating regions faster or at a greater power than the other two.

In some implementations, two of the first, second, and third heating elements in series have an arc along the circumference of the heater that is greater than pi and the other has an arc along the circumference of the heater that is less than pi.

In some implementations, the heater further includes a first electrode element, a second electrode element, and a third electrode element arranged sequentially around the circumference of the chamber;

the first heating element being at least partially electrically connected between the first and second electrode elements so that in use an electrical current can be directed at the first heating element by the first and second electrode elements;

the second heating element being at least partially electrically connected between the second and third electrode elements so that in use an electrical current can be conducted by the second and third electrode elements at the second heating element;

the third heating element is at least partially electrically connected between the third electrode element and the first electrode element so that in use an electrical current can be conducted by the third electrode element and the first electrode element at the third heating element.

In some implementations, the circuit is configured to selectively power the heater by connecting only two of the first, second, and third electrode elements to heat one of the first, second, and third heating regions faster or at greater power than the other two.

In some implementations, any two of the first electrode element, the second electrode element, and the third electrode element are asymmetrically arranged along a radial direction of the heater;

and/or any two of the first, second and third electrode elements have an asymmetry that rotates 180 ° about the central axis of the heater.

In some implementations, the first heating element is at least one of an infrared heating element or a resistive heating element;

and/or the second heating element is at least one of an infrared heating element or a resistive heating element;

and/or the third heating element is at least one of an infrared heating element or a resistive heating element.

In some implementations, the heater includes:

a substrate at least partially surrounding the chamber;

and an infrared emitting layer formed or bonded on the substrate;

a first electrode element, a second electrode element, and a third electrode element arranged around a circumference of the base body; and the first heating region is defined by a portion of the infrared emission layer between the first electrode element and the second electrode element, the second heating region is defined by a portion of the infrared emission layer between the second electrode element and the third electrode element, and the third heating region is defined by a portion of the infrared emission layer between the third electrode element and the first electrode element.

In some implementations, the circuitry is configured to control power provided by the electrical core to the heater to heat the first heating region faster or more power than the second and/or third heating regions in a first time period, and to heat the second heating region faster or more power than the first and/or third heating regions in a second time period, and to heat the third heating region faster or more power than the first and/or second heating regions in a third time period.

In some implementations, during the first time period, the power provided by the circuit to the first heating region is substantially four times the power provided to the second heating region and/or the third heating region;

and/or, in the second time period, the power provided by the circuit to the second heating zone is substantially four times the power provided to the first heating zone and/or the third heating zone;

and/or in the third time period, the power supplied by the circuit to the third heating region is substantially four times the power supplied to the first heating region and/or the second heating region.

In some implementations, the circuit is configured to control the power provided by the electrical core to the heater to cause the first heating region to heat at a first power and the second and third heating regions to heat at substantially the same second power during a first time period; heating the second heating zone at a third power and heating the first and third heating zones at substantially the same fourth power during a second time period; and heating the third heating region at a fifth power and heating the first and second heating regions at substantially the same sixth power during a third time period.

In some implementations, the circuitry is further configured to control power provided by the electrical core to the heater to heat the first heating region to a first target temperature and to lower the second and third heating regions to the first target temperature during a first time period; and heating the second heating zone to a second target temperature and the third heating zone below the second target temperature for a second period of time; and heating the third heating zone to a third target temperature during a third time period and causing the first and second heating zones to be no less than the third target temperature.

In some implementations, the first time period is 100-150 seconds;

and/or, the second time period is 20-30 s;

and/or the length of the third time period is about 60-120 s;

and/or the length of the fourth time period is about 60 to 150 seconds.

Yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes an aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; the aerosol-generating article comprises a first region, a second region and a third region arranged in sequence in a circumferential direction; the aerosol-generating device comprises:

a chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

a heater configured to at least partially surround the chamber for heating the aerosol-generating article;

circuitry configured to control power provided by the electrical core to the heater to simultaneously heat the first, second and third regions of the aerosol-generating article and to selectively heat one of the first, second and third regions faster or at a greater power than the other two.

In some implementations, the circuitry is configured to control power provided by the battery cells to the heater to heat the first region faster or more power than the second and/or third region during a first time period, to heat the second region faster or more power than the first and/or third region during a second time period, and to heat the third region faster or more power than the first and/or second region during a third time period.

In some implementations, the circuit is configured to control the power provided by the electrical core to the heater to heat the first region at a first power and the second and third regions at substantially the same second power during a first time period; heating the second zone at a third power for a second time period, the first and third zones being heated at substantially the same fourth power; heating the third zone at a fifth power and heating the first and second zones at substantially the same sixth power during a third time period.

In some implementations, the circuit is further configured to control the power provided by the electrical core to the heater to heat the first region to a first target temperature and to bring the second and third regions below the first target temperature during a first time period; and heating the second zone to a second target temperature and bringing the third zone below the second target temperature for a second period of time; and heating the third zone to a third target temperature for a third time period and causing the first and second zones to be no less than the third target temperature.

a chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

circuitry configured to control power provided by the electrical core to the heater to simultaneously heat the first, second and third regions of the aerosol-generating article; and heating the first zone to a first target temperature for a first period of time and bringing the second and third zones below the first target temperature; and heating the second zone to a second target temperature and bringing the third zone below the second target temperature for a second period of time; and heating the third zone to a third target temperature for a third time period and causing the first and second zones to be no less than the third target temperature.

Yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes an aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; comprising the following steps:

A chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

a heater configured to at least partially surround the chamber and for heating the aerosol-generating article; the heater includes at least:

a first heating element, a second heating element, and a third heating element arranged in sequence around the circumference of the chamber; the method comprises the steps of,

a first electrode element, a second electrode element, and a third electrode element sequentially arranged around a circumference of the chamber; the first heating element being at least partially electrically connected between the first and second electrode elements so that in use an electrical current can be directed at the first heating element by the first and second electrode elements;

In some implementations, further comprising:

circuitry configured to selectively power the heater by connecting only two of the first, second and third electrode elements to cause one of the first, second and third heating elements to heat faster or more power than the other two.

a chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

a first heating element and a second heating element arranged in sequence around the circumference of the chamber; and a first electrode element and a second electrode element arranged in sequence around the circumference of the chamber for guiding an electric current over the first heating element and the second heating element in the circumferential direction of the heater; wherein,

the first heating element is positioned on a first side of a virtual connecting line of the first electrode element and the second electrode element, and the radian along the circumferential direction of the heater is less than pi;

The first heating element is positioned on a second side of the virtual connection line of the first electrode element and the second electrode element, and the radian along the circumferential direction of the heater is larger than pi.

In some implementations, the first electrode element and the second electrode element are asymmetrically arranged along a radial direction of the heater;

and/or the first and second electrode elements have an asymmetry that rotates 180 ° about a central axis of the heater.

Yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes a heater for an aerosol-generating device, the heater being configured in a tubular shape and comprising at least:

a first heating element, a second heating element, and a third heating element sequentially arranged in a circumferential direction of the heater; the method comprises the steps of,

a first electrode element, a second electrode element, and a third electrode element that are sequentially arranged in a circumferential direction of the heater; the first heating element being at least partially electrically connected between the first and second electrode elements so that in use an electrical current can be directed at the first heating element by the first and second electrode elements;

Yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes a method of controlling an aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; the aerosol-generating device comprises:

A chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

a heater configured to at least partially surround the chamber and for heating the aerosol-generating article; the heater comprises at least a first heating zone, a second heating zone and a third heating zone arranged in sequence in the circumferential direction to heat different parts of the aerosol-generating article respectively;

the method comprises the following steps:

providing power to the heater to heat the first, second and third heating zones simultaneously;

at least part of the electrode elements of the first, second and third heating zones are adapted such that one of the first, second and third heating zones is heated faster or at greater power than the other two heating zones.

In still other embodiments, the method comprises:

the power provided by the battery core to the heater is controlled to heat the first heating region, the second heating region and the third heating region simultaneously, and one of the first heating region, the second heating region and the third heating region can be selectively heated faster or more than the other two.

Yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes a method of controlling an aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; the aerosol-generating article comprises a first region, a second region and a third region arranged in sequence in a circumferential direction;

the aerosol-generating device comprises: a chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

the method comprises the following steps:

providing power to the heater to simultaneously heat the first, second and third regions of the aerosol-generating article;

heating the first zone to a first target temperature during a first time period, wherein the first target temperature is higher than the current temperatures of the second and third zones;

heating the second zone to a second target temperature during a second time period, wherein the second target temperature is higher than the current temperature of the third zone;

and heating the third region to a third target temperature during a third time period, wherein the third target temperature tends to be close to the current temperatures of the first and second regions.

In still other embodiments, the method comprises:

controlling the power provided by the electrical core to the heater to simultaneously heat the first, second and third regions of the aerosol-generating article; and heating the first zone to a first target temperature for a first period of time and bringing the second and third zones below the first target temperature; and heating the second zone to a second target temperature and bringing the third zone below the second target temperature for a second period of time; and heating the third zone to a third target temperature for a third time period and causing the first and second zones to be no less than the third target temperature.

The above aerosol-generating device advantageously causes different regions to differently generate aerosols when heating the aerosol-generating article simultaneously in the circumferential direction.

Drawings

One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements, and in which the figures of the drawings are not to be taken in a limiting sense, unless otherwise indicated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol-generating device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heater of FIG. 1 from one perspective;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the heater of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the heater of FIG. 3 from one perspective;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a further embodiment of the heater of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of directing current over a heater in one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a current being directed across a heater in yet another embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a current being directed across a heater in yet another embodiment;

fig. 9 is a schematic illustration of heating curves for different regions of an aerosol-generating article in one embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a heater according to yet another embodiment;

fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of a control method of the aerosol-generating device in one embodiment.

Detailed Description

In order to facilitate an understanding of the present application, the present application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed description.

One embodiment of the present application proposes an aerosol-generating device 100 for heating, rather than burning, an aerosol-generating article 1000, such as a cigarette, thereby volatilizing or releasing at least one component of the aerosol-generating article 1000 to form an aerosol for inhalation, such as shown in fig. 1.

Further in an alternative implementation, the aerosol-generating article 1000 preferably employs tobacco-containing materials that release volatile compounds from a matrix upon heating; or may be a non-tobacco material capable of being heated and thereafter adapted for electrical heating for smoking. The aerosol-generating article 1000 preferably employs a solid matrix, which may comprise one or more of powders, granules, shredded strips, ribbons or flakes of one or more of vanilla leaves, tobacco leaves, homogenized tobacco, expanded tobacco; alternatively, the solid substrate may contain additional volatile flavour compounds, either tobacco or non-tobacco, to be released when the substrate is heated.

And as shown in fig. 1, after the aerosol-generating article 1000 is received in the aerosol-generating device 100, it may be advantageous for a user to draw on, for example, a filter, which is partially exposed to the outside of the aerosol-generating device 100.

The configuration of the aerosol-generating device according to one embodiment of the present application may be seen in fig. 1, the overall device shape being generally configured in a flat cylindrical shape, the external components of the aerosol-generating device 100 comprising:

a housing 10 having a hollow structure inside and forming an assembly space for necessary functional components such as an electronic device and a heating device; the housing 10 has longitudinally opposed proximal 110 and distal 120 ends; wherein,

The proximal end 110 is provided with an opening 111 through which opening 111 the aerosol-generating article 1000 may be received within the housing 10 to be heated or removed from the housing 10;

the distal end 120 is provided with an air inlet hole 121; the air intake holes 121 serve to allow outside air to enter into the case 10 during the suction.

Further referring to fig. 1, the aerosol-generating device 100 further comprises:

a chamber for receiving or housing the aerosol-generating article 1000; in use, the aerosol-generating article 1000 may be removably received within the chamber through the opening 111. In some embodiments, the length of the aerosol-generating article 1000 surrounded and heated by the heater 30 is greater than 30mm.

And as shown in fig. 1, the aerosol-generating device 100 further comprises:

an air passage 150 between the chamber and the air inlet 121; in turn, in use, the air channel 150 provides a channel path from the air inlet 121 into the chamber/aerosol-generating article 1000, as indicated by arrow R11 in fig. 1.

a battery cell 130 for supplying power; preferably, the battery cell 130 is a rechargeable battery cell 130 and can be charged by being connected to an external power source;

a circuit board 140, such as a PCB board, provided with a circuit or MCU controller; the circuit may be an integrated circuit.

the heater 30 at least partially surrounds and defines a chamber, and when the aerosol-generating article 1000 is received within the housing 10, the heater 30 at least partially surrounds or encloses the aerosol-generating article 1000 and heats from the periphery of the aerosol-generating article 1000. And is at least partially received and retained within the heater 30 when the aerosol-generating article 1000 is received within the housing 10.

With further reference to fig. 2, the heater 30 is configured in a substantially elongated tubular shape and includes:

a tubular base 31, wherein the base 31 is made of infrared transparent material such as quartz, glass, ceramic, etc.; in use, the aerosol-generating article 1000 is at least partially defined by the substrate 31 for receiving and retaining;

and at least one or more heating elements formed on or bonded to the substrate 31, such as an infrared heating element that irradiates infrared light toward the aerosol-generating article 1000 to heat the aerosol-generating article 1000, or a resistive heating element, or the like.

In some embodiments, the substrate 31 has a wall thickness of about 0.05-1 mm; and the base 31 has an inner diameter of about 5.0 to 8.0 mm; and the substrate 31 has a length of about 30 to 60 mm.

And in some embodiments, the infrared heating element is at least one or more infrared emitting layers bonded or formed on the substrate 31; for example, around or bonded to the outer surface of the substrate 31. Or in still other embodiments, at least one or more infrared emissive layers are formed on the inner surface of substrate 31.

In some embodiments, at least one or more of the infrared emissive layers is a coating or layer deposited or sprayed or the like onto the substrate 31. Or in still other embodiments, at least one or more of the infrared emissive layers is a film wrapped around or bonded to the substrate 31.

In an embodiment, the at least one or more infrared emission layers are electrically-induced infrared emission layers, and the at least one or more infrared emission layers may be driven by a direct voltage to radiate infrared light.

In some implementations, at least one or more of the infrared emissive layers may be a coating made of a ceramic-based material such as zirconium, or Fe-Mn-Cu-based, tungsten-based, or transition metals and their oxide materials.

In some implementations, at least one or more of the infrared emission layers is composed of an oxide of at least one metal element such as Mg, al, ti, zr, mn, fe, co, ni, cu, cr, zn, which is capable of radiating far infrared rays having a heating effect when heated to an appropriate temperature; the thickness of at least one or more infrared emitting layers can preferably be controlled between 30 μm and 50 μm; the oxide of the above metal element may be formed on the surface of the tubular substrate 31 by spraying the oxide on the outer surface of the tubular substrate 31 by atmospheric plasma spraying and then solidifying.

Or in yet other variant embodiments, two or more infrared emitting layers are arranged in sequence along the circumferential direction of the substrate 31 and/or the heater 30. The angle or arc of extension of any one of the two or more infrared emitting layers in the circumferential direction is different from the others. Or in yet other variations two or more infrared emitting layers each have an angle or arc of extension in the circumferential direction that is different from the other infrared emitting layers. Two or more infrared emitting layers radiate infrared light in a radial direction inwardly toward the aerosol-generating article 1000.

Or in still other embodiments, the angle or arc at which two or more infrared emitting layers extend in the circumferential direction is gradually varied along the circumferential direction of the heater 30. For example, in some specific embodiments, the angle or arc of extension of two or more infrared emissive layers in the circumferential direction is gradually or sequentially increasing; or the extension angle or radian of two or more infrared emission layers along the circumferential direction is gradually or sequentially reduced.

In some embodiments, the plurality of infrared emission layers formed on the substrate 31 are disposed independently of each other, separated from each other; which are individually connected to the circuit board 140 through electrodes or leads, etc. Or in some embodiments, the plurality of infrared emissive layers formed on substrate 31 are defined by a single complete infrared emissive layer separated into portions located in different regions. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the infrared emission layer 321, the infrared emission layer 322, and the infrared emission layer 323 sequentially arranged in the circumferential direction on the substrate 31 are formed by separating different regions of one complete annular infrared emission layer 32.

Or in still other embodiments, heater 30 may also include three infrared emitting layers, namely infrared emitting layer 321, infrared emitting layer 322, and infrared emitting layer 323. Or in still other embodiments, heater 30 may further include more infrared emitting layers disposed sequentially in the circumferential direction, such as four, five, six or more disposed sequentially in the circumferential direction of substrate 31. In turn, in use, they can each heat different regions of the aerosol-generating article 1000 surrounded by them, such as the circumferentially sequentially arranged region 1100, region 1200 and region 1300 of the aerosol-generating article 1000 shown in fig. 2.

And, the surface of the substrate 31 is further defined with:

an exposed region 313 between the first end 311 and the infrared emissive layer 32;

bare area 314, located between infrared emitting layer 32 and second end 312.

And in practice, the denuded zone 313 and/or the denuded zone 314 have an extension of about 1-4 mm.

In some embodiments, infrared emitting layer 321, infrared emitting layer 322, and infrared emitting layer 323 are provided with temperature measurement identification areas thereon for indicating the fit of the temperature sensor. For example, in fig. 3 to 5, the infrared emission layer 32 is provided with a temperature measuring marking area 36, which is a color that can be identified by spraying, or a hollowed-out pattern formed by the infrared emission layer 32, or a pattern that can be identified, etc. In preparation, a temperature sensor mount or weld, etc. is incorporated on the thermometry identification zone 36 for accurately sensing the temperature of the infrared emitting layer 32. Similarly, temperature sensing identification region 36 may be located on any one or more of infrared emitting layer 321, infrared emitting layer 322, and infrared emitting layer 323.

In some embodiments, infrared emissive layer 321, infrared emissive layer 322, and infrared emissive layer 323 are made of the same material, thereby allowing for the same infrared radiation wavelength or infrared radiation efficiency when heated in different regions of aerosol-generating article 1000.

Or in other variant embodiments, one of the infrared emission layer 321, the infrared emission layer 322 and the infrared emission layer 323 and the other two are made of different materials, and one of the infrared emission layer 321, the infrared emission layer 322 and the infrared emission layer 323 and the other two have different WLPs (peak wavelength, wavelength corresponding to the place where the radiation power is maximum) of the infrared emission spectrum, which can be respectively suitable for the optimal absorption wavelength range of different organic components in the aerosol-generating article 1000. Or in still other embodiments, the infrared emission layer 321, the infrared emission layer 322 and the infrared emission layer 323 are all made of different materials, and any two of the infrared emission layer 321, the infrared emission layer 322 and the infrared emission layer 323 have different infrared emission spectra and/or WLP.

Further in accordance with the embodiment shown in fig. 2-4, the heater 30 further comprises:

The electrode coating 331, the electrode coating 341, and the electrode coating 351, which are sequentially arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction; the electrode coating 331, the electrode coating 341, and the electrode coating 351 are each elongated or slender in shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the heater 30; and, the extension length of the electrode coating 331, the electrode coating 341, and the electrode coating 351 is greater than or equal to the infrared emission layer 32/the infrared emission layer 321/the infrared emission layer 322/the infrared emission layer 323.

And in the embodiment, the electrode coating 331 and the electrode coating 341 are respectively disposed at both sides of the infrared emission layer 321 in the circumferential direction, and are electrically connected to the infrared emission layer 321 for guiding the current in the circumferential direction of the infrared emission layer 321.

And electrode coating layers 341 and 351 are disposed on both sides of the infrared emission layer 322 in the circumferential direction, respectively, and are electrically connected to the infrared emission layer 322 for guiding a current in the circumferential direction of the infrared emission layer 322.

And electrode coating layers 351 and 331 disposed on both sides of the infrared emission layer 323 in the circumferential direction, respectively, and electrically connected to the infrared emission layer 323 for guiding a current in the circumferential direction of the infrared emission layer 323.

Or further in accordance with the embodiment shown in fig. 2-4, the heater 30 further comprises: the electrode coating 331, the electrode coating 341, and the electrode coating 351, which are sequentially arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction; the electrode coating 331, the electrode coating 341, and the electrode coating 351 are each elongated or slender in shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the heater 30; and, the extension length of the electrode coating 331, the electrode coating 341, and the electrode coating 351 is greater than or equal to the infrared emission layer 32. Further in practice, the separation or definition of one complete infrared emissive layer 32 by electrode coating 331, electrode coating 341 and electrode coating 351 forms a plurality of infrared emissive layers that can operate independently. For example:

The electrode coating 331 and the electrode coating 341 define a region between which the infrared emission layer 32 is located, to form the infrared emission layer 321, and can guide a current in a circumferential direction of the infrared emission layer 321 through the electrode coating 331 and the electrode coating 341. And, the electrode coating 341 and the electrode coating 351 define a region between which the infrared emission layer 32 is located to be separated to form the infrared emission layer 322, and can guide current in the circumferential direction of the infrared emission layer 322 through the electrode coating 341 and the electrode coating 351. And, the electrode coating 351 and the electrode coating 331 define a region between which the infrared emission layer 32 is located to be separated to form the infrared emission layer 323, and can guide current in the circumferential direction of the infrared emission layer 323 through the electrode coating 351 and the electrode coating 331.

And an infrared emission layer 321 and an infrared emission layer 323 respectively located at both sides of the electrode coating 331, and can also be formed in series through the electrode coating 321. And an infrared emission layer 321 and an infrared emission layer 322 respectively positioned at both sides of the electrode coating layer 341, and can also be formed in series through the electrode coating layer 341. And an infrared emission layer 322 and an infrared emission layer 323 respectively located at both sides of the electrode coating 351, and can also be formed in series through the electrode coating 351.

And in some embodiments, the above electrode coating 331 and/or electrode coating 341 and/or electrode coating 351 employ a low resistivity metal or alloy, such as silver, gold, palladium, platinum, copper, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, niobium, or alloys thereof. The above electrode coating 331 and/or the electrode coating 341 and/or the electrode coating 351 are formed by spraying or printing or the like.

And in some embodiments, electrode coating 331 and/or electrode coating 341 and/or electrode coating 351 are substantially elongated in shape; and, the electrode coating 331 and/or the electrode coating 341 and/or the electrode coating 351 have a width of about 2 to 4 mm.

And further referring to fig. 3 and 4, to facilitate access to the infrared emissive layer 321, infrared emissive layer 322, and infrared emissive layer 323 to the circuit board 140; the heater 30 further includes:

electrode tab 332, electrode tab 342, and electrode tab 352. Electrode tabs 332 and/or 342 and/or 352 are thin sheets of low resistivity metal or alloy; and the extension length of electrode tab 332 and/or electrode tab 342 and/or electrode tab 352 is greater than the extension length of electrode coating 331 and/or electrode coating 341 and/or electrode coating 351.

And in practice, electrode tab 332, electrode tab 342, and electrode tab 352 are protruding or extend beyond second end 312. Electrode tab 332, electrode tab 342, and electrode tab 352 have widths greater than 1-4 mm.

And in practice, electrode tab 332 is conductively connected to electrode coating 331 by abutting or conforming to electrode coating 331; the electrode slice 342 is abutted or attached to the electrode coating 341 and is in conductive connection with the electrode coating 341; the electrode sheet 352 is electrically connected to the electrode coating 351 by abutting or adhering to the electrode coating 351.

And then the electrode tab 332 and/or the electrode tab 342 and/or the electrode tab 352 are connected to the circuit board 140 by soldering leads or the like, respectively, so that the electrode coating 331 and/or the electrode coating 341 and/or the electrode coating 351 are connected to the circuit board 140. The indirect access to the circuit board 140 through the electrode coating 331 and/or the electrode coating 341 and/or the electrode coating 351 through the electrode tab 332 and/or the electrode tab 342 and/or the electrode tab 352 is more convenient in the manufacture of the heater 30.

Or in still other variations, electrode coating 331 and/or electrode coating 341 and/or electrode coating 351 may be directly connected to circuit board 140 by a solder wire or the like.

And in still other variations, heater 30 may not have electrode coating 331 and/or electrode coating 341 and/or electrode coating 351, but rather be made conductive by direct bonding of electrode sheet 332 and/or electrode sheet 342 and/or electrode sheet 352 to the infrared emitting layer. That is, the heater 30 may include one or both of the electrode coating 331 and the electrode tab 332, one or both of the electrode coating 341 and the electrode tab 342, and one or both of the electrode coating 351 and the electrode tab 352.

Or in still other variations, the heater 30 further comprises:

the first temperature sensor 40 is attached to the infrared emission layer 321 to sense the temperature of the infrared emission layer 321. The second temperature sensor is attached to the infrared emitting layer 322 to sense the temperature of the infrared emitting layer 322. The third step is bonded to the infrared emitting layer 323 to further sense the temperature of the infrared emitting layer 323.

Or in still other variations, the heater 30 further comprises:

a thermoplastic contact member surrounding the first temperature sensor 40 and/or the second temperature sensor and/or the third temperature sensor outside the heater 30; so that the first temperature sensor and/or the second temperature sensor and/or the third temperature sensor are in close proximity to the outside of the infrared emitting layer 32.

In some embodiments, the thermoplastic cling member comprises at least one of a heat resistant synthetic resin, polytetrafluoroethylene as teflon, and silicon; in still other variations, the thermoplastic cling members include heat shrink tubing or high temperature resistant tape.

And in some embodiments, thermoplastic cling members are also used to secure or retain one or more of electrode pads 342 and 352 of electrode pad 332.

Or in still other variations, the heater 30 further comprises:

insulating elements for surrounding or enclosing infrared emitting layer 321 and/or infrared emitting layer 322 and/or infrared emitting layer 323 on the outside to provide insulation on their outside. The insulating element is for example a rolled aerogel blanket, or a porous material or a vacuum tube, etc.

Or in still other variations, the insulating element of heater 30 is a tube having an internal insulating cavity; between the inner and outer surfaces of the tubular insulating element there is an insulating cavity, the pressure of which is smaller than the pressure of the outside, i.e. the insulating element is a vacuum insulating pipe with a vacuum. Or in yet other variations, a thermally insulating cavity is provided between the inner and outer surfaces of the tubular thermally insulating element, the thermally insulating cavity being filled with a thermally insulating gas, such as argon; at equal pressure and temperature, argon has a thermal conductivity that is about one third less than that of air, effectively providing thermal insulation.

Or fig. 5 shows a schematic structural view of a heater 30 of yet another alternative embodiment, in which the heater 30 includes:

a substrate 31 such as an infrared-transparent quartz tube, a glass tube, a ceramic tube, or the like;

An infrared emission layer 32 formed on or bonded to the substrate 31;

and three or more electrode elements arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction to separate and define the infrared emission layer 32 into an infrared emission layer 321, an infrared emission layer 322 and an infrared emission layer 323 or more forming the above three different circumferential regions of the heating aerosol-generating article 1000, respectively.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 5, electrode element 331a includes a portion 3311a and a portion 3312a; wherein portion 3311a extends from the upper end to the lower end of infrared-emitting layer 32 or from bare region 313 to bare region 314; portion 3312a is a circumferentially extending arc located within bare region 314. Similarly, electrode element 341a includes portions 3411a and 3412a; wherein the portion 3411a extends from the upper end to the lower end of the infrared emission layer 32 or from the exposed region 313 to the exposed region 314; portion 3412a is a circumferentially extending arc located within the exposed region 314.

In this embodiment, the length of the denuded zone 314 is greater than the length of the denuded zone 313; the length of the exposed region 313 is about 1-3 mm; the length of the exposed region 314 is approximately 3-6 mm.

In assembly, heater 30 is made conductive by abutting or bonding the conductive element against portions 3312a of electrode element 331a, portions 3412a of electrode element 341a, respectively, and then bonding wires or the like to the conductive element to circuit board 140. In practice, the conductive elements that mate the electrode element 331a and the electrode element 341a may be elongated, elongated sheets, or details of the shape and structure, and assembly, securement, etc. of the conductive elements provided by the applicant in chinese patent application publication No. CN215958354U, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

An infrared emission layer 321, an infrared emission layer 322, and an infrared emission layer 323 sequentially arranged in the circumferential direction corresponding to the above heater 30; the circuit board 140 may selectively connect any two of the electrode coating 331/electrode tab 332, the electrode coating 341/electrode tab 342, and the electrode coating 351/electrode tab 352 to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery cell 130, respectively, through a switching tube such as a triode or a MOS tube, etc., so that when the infrared emission layer 321, the infrared emission layer 322, and the infrared emission layer 323 simultaneously radiate infrared rays to heat the aerosol-generating article 1000, one of them is heated at a higher heating rate or power than the other two.

Further, fig. 6 to 8 show schematic diagrams of simultaneous operation of the infrared emission layer 321, the infrared emission layer 322 and the infrared emission layer 323 in different power supply modes. Wherein:

or as yet another example in fig. 6, electrode coating 331/electrode tab 332 is operatively connected to the positive electrode of cell 130 by a switching tube or the like, and electrode coating 341/electrode tab 342 is connected to the negative electrode. At this time, a current i11 flowing in the circumferential direction from the electrode coating layer 331 to the electrode coating layer 341 through the infrared emission layer 321 is formed, and a current i12 flowing in the circumferential direction from the electrode coating layer 331 to the electrode coating layer 341 through the infrared emission layer 323 and the infrared emission layer 322 in this order is formed. At this time, the infrared emission layer 323 and the infrared emission layer 322 are connected in series by the electrode coating 351; and infrared emitting layer 321 is in parallel with infrared emitting layer 323 and infrared emitting layer 322 in series. At this time, the infrared emission layer 321 forming the current i11 is a minor arc (arc less than pi), and the infrared emission layer 323 and the infrared emission layer 322 forming the current i12 in series are major arcs (arc greater than pi). At this time, when the materials, shapes and thicknesses of the infrared emission layer 321, the infrared emission layer 322 and the infrared emission layer 323 are the same, it is apparent that the current i11 flowing through the infrared emission layer 321 is twice the current i12 flowing through the infrared emission layer 323 and the infrared emission layer 322 connected in series, so that the power of the infrared emission layer 321 is 4 times the power of the infrared emission layer 322 and/or the infrared emission layer 323. At this time, the region 1100 of the aerosol-generating article 1000 surrounded by the infrared emitting layer 321 is heated faster or at a higher temperature or at a higher power than the region 1200 surrounded by the infrared emitting layer 322 and/or the region 1300 surrounded by the infrared emitting layer 323. And at this time, the power of the infrared emission layer 322 and the infrared emission layer 323 is substantially the same.

Or as yet another example in fig. 7, electrode coating 341/electrode tab 342 is operatively connected to the positive electrode of cell 130 by a switching tube or the like, and electrode coating 351/electrode tab 352 is connected to the negative electrode. At this time, a current i11a flowing from the electrode coating layer 341 to the electrode coating layer 351 in the circumferential direction is formed, and a current i12a flowing from the electrode coating layer 341 to the electrode coating layer 351 in the circumferential direction sequentially through the infrared emission layer 321 and the infrared emission layer 323 is formed. At this time, the infrared emission layer 321 and the infrared emission layer 323 are formed in series through the electrode coating 331; and infrared emission layer 322 is in parallel with infrared emission layer 321 and infrared emission layer 323 in series. The operating power of the infrared emission layer 322 is 4 times the power of the infrared emission layer 321 and/or the infrared emission layer 323. At this time, the region 1200 of the aerosol-generating article 1000 surrounded by the infrared emitting layer 322 is heated faster or at a higher temperature or at a higher power than the region 1100 surrounded by the infrared emitting layer 321 and/or the region 1300 surrounded by the infrared emitting layer 323.

Or as yet another example in fig. 8, electrode coating 351/electrode tab 352 is operatively connected to the positive electrode of cell 130 by a switching tube or the like, and electrode coating 331/electrode tab 332 is connected to the negative electrode. At this time, a current i11b flowing from the electrode coating 351 to the electrode coating 331 through the infrared emission layer 323 in the circumferential direction is formed, and a current i12b flowing from the electrode coating 351 to the electrode coating 331 through the infrared emission layer 322 and the infrared emission layer 321 in the circumferential direction in this order is formed. At this time, the infrared emission layer 322 and the infrared emission layer 321 are formed in series by the electrode coating 341; and infrared emitting layer 323 is in parallel with infrared emitting layer 322 and infrared emitting layer 321 in series. The operating power of the infrared emission layer 323 is 4 times the power of the infrared emission layer 322 and/or the infrared emission layer 321. At this time, the region 1300 of the aerosol-generating article 1000 surrounded by the infrared emitting layer 323 is heated faster or at a higher temperature or at a higher power than the region 1200 surrounded by the infrared emitting layer 322 and/or the region 1100 surrounded by the infrared emitting layer 321.

Based on the above, yet another embodiment of the present application also proposes a control method of controlling the heater 30 to heat the regions 1100, 1200 and 1300 of the aerosol-generating article 1000. By selectively coupling the heater 30 to the battery cell 130, it is also possible to allow one of the regions 1100, 1200, and 1300 to heat faster or to be at a higher temperature or power when the regions 1100, 1200, and 1300 of the aerosol-generating article 1000 are heated simultaneously.

Further for example, fig. 9 shows a schematic diagram of temperature profiles during heating of different regions of an aerosol-generating article 1000 in one embodiment; here, the curve S1 is a temperature curve in which the region 1100 is heated by the infrared emission layer 321, the curve S2 is a temperature curve in which the region 1200 is heated by the infrared emission layer 322, and the curve S3 is a temperature curve in which the region 1300 is heated by the infrared emission layer 323. According to the illustration of fig. 9, the heating process comprises:

during a first time period (time 0-t 1), the battery cell 130 may be caused to power the heater 30 in the manner shown in fig. 6, causing the region 1100 to heat faster than the region 1200 and/or the region 1300; and heating region 1100 to a first target temperature, such as temperature T1, for a first time period, while the heating temperature or current temperature of region 1200 and/or region 1300 is below the first target temperature;

During a second time period (time t 1-t 2), the battery cell 130 may be caused to power the heater 30 in the manner shown in fig. 7, causing the region 1200 to heat faster than the region 1100 and/or the region 1300; then the region 1200 is heated to a second target temperature, e.g., temperature T2, during a second time period, the heating temperature or current temperature of the region 1300 is lower than the second target temperature;

during a third time period (time t 2-t 3), the battery cell 130 may be caused to power the heater 30 in the manner shown in fig. 8, causing the region 1300 to heat faster than the region 1100 and/or the region 1200; then the region 1300 is heated to a third target temperature, e.g., temperature T3, during a third time period; and at time t3, enabling regions 1100, 1200 and 1300 to be heated to a temperature substantially similar or approaching that of the temperature;

in a fourth time period (time t3 to t4 or end), the power supply modes shown in fig. 6 to 8 are cyclically switched for a short time or frequency, so that the regions 1100, 1200 and 1300 are heated to the time t4 or end substantially at the same temperature.

In the above embodiment, by adjusting the electrode elements of each of the infrared emission layers 321/322/323 at different stages, one of the regions can be heated faster or more power than the other two regions.

In a fourth time phase, the power supply in fig. 6, 7 and 8 is switched cyclically, for example at a frequency of 200ms, 500ms, 1s or 2s, etc., so that the heating temperatures of the region 1100, 1200 and 1300 are substantially comparable in this phase or the difference in their heating temperatures remains below 20 ℃.

In the above embodiment, the first target temperature, the second target temperature, and the third target temperature may be gradually raised; for example, in one specific embodiment, the first target temperature T1 may be set to 220 to 250 ℃, the second target temperature T2 may be set to 240 to 270 ℃, and the third target temperature T3 may be set to 260 to 350 ℃. And in the above embodiment, the temperatures of region 1100, region 1200 and region 1300 are all maintained substantially at the third target temperature in the fourth time period.

And as shown in fig. 9, in the first time period, the temperature rise rate at which region 1200 and region 1300 are heated is less than that of region 1100. And the temperature at which regions 1200 and 1300 are heated during the first time period is lower than the bulk volatilization temperature of the volatile material within regions 1200 and 1300, thereby preheating only regions 1200 and 1300 during the first time period, but not sufficient to cause the bulk production of aerosols by regions 1200 and 1300.

Or in still other embodiments, the first target temperature T1, the second target temperature T2, and the third target temperature T3 may be the same. Still or in some embodiments, the first target temperature T1, the second target temperature T2, and the third target temperature T3 are gradually decreased in order.

Or in still other embodiments, the first time period is about 10 to 60 seconds in length; the length of the second time period is about 20-40 s; the length of the third time period is about 10-30 s; the length of the fourth time period is about 60 to 150 seconds. Or in some embodiments, the length of the fourth time period is greater than the length of the first time period and/or the second time period and/or the third time period. Or the length of the first time period is greater than the length of the second time period and/or the third time period.

Or in still other variations, the heating of the aerosol-generating article 1000 may have one or more of a first time period, a second time period, a third time period, and a fourth time period; for example, it is possible to have only a heating process of the first time period, the second time period and the third time period, and not to have a process of the fourth time period. Or have only the heating process of the first time period and the fourth time period, and not the heating process of the second time period and the third time period.

In some embodiments, the first time period, the second time period, the third time period, and the fourth time period are consecutive. Or in still other variant embodiments, the first time period, the second time period, the third time period, and the fourth time period are discontinuous or spaced apart.

Or in yet another embodiment, a method of controlling heating of regions 1100, 1200 and 1300 of an aerosol-generating article 1000 by an aerosol-generating device is also presented, comprising:

in a first time period, the infrared emission layer 321 of the heater 30 is made to heat the region 1100 with power P10, the infrared emission layer 322 is made to heat the region 1200 with power P20, and the infrared emission layer 323 is made to heat the region 1300 with power P30; power P10 is greater than power P20, and/or power P10 is greater than power P30, and/or power P20 is substantially equal to power P30;

in a second time period, the infrared emission layer 321 of the heater 30 heats the region 1100 with power P40, the infrared emission layer 322 heats the region 1200 with power P50, and the infrared emission layer 323 heats the region 1300 with power P60; and/or, power P50 is greater than power P40, and/or power P50 is greater than power P60, and/or power P50 is substantially equal to power P10, power P40 is substantially equal to power P60; and/or, power P40, power P60, power P20, and power P30 are substantially the same; and/or, power P40 and/or power P60 is less than power P10;

In a third time period, infrared emission layer 321 of heater 30 is caused to heat region 1100 at power P70, infrared emission layer 322 is caused to heat region 1200 at power P80, and infrared emission layer 323 is caused to heat region 1300 at power P90; and/or, power P90 is greater than power P70, and/or power P90 is greater than power P80, and/or, power P90 is substantially equal to power P10 or power P50; and/or, power P70 is substantially equal to power P80.

Or in yet another embodiment, a method of controlling the heating of regions 1100, 1200 and 1300 of an aerosol-generating article 1000 by an aerosol-generating device, see fig. 11, is also presented, comprising:

s100, during a first time period, heating region 1100 at a faster or higher temperature or greater power than region 1200 and/or region 1300;

s200, in a second time period, heating the region 1200 at a faster or higher temperature or higher power than the region 1100 and/or the region 1300;

s300, in a third time period, heating is performed at a faster or higher temperature or at a higher power for region 1300 than for region 1100 and/or region 1200.

And in some embodiments, the first time period, the second time period, and the third time period are consecutive. Or in still other embodiments, the first time period, the second time period, and the third time period are discontinuous, or the first time period and the second time period are spaced, or the second time period and the third time period are spaced.

And in the above embodiments, the regions 1100, 1200 and 1300 of the aerosol-generating article 1000 are all heated simultaneously. I.e., heater 30 is substantially incapable of selectively or independently heating one or both of region 1100, region 1200, and region 1300.

Or fig. 10 shows a schematic view of the above heater 30 being employed to heat regions 1100, 1200 and 1300 of an aerosol-generating article 1000 in yet another specific embodiment; in fig. 10, a curve S1 is a temperature curve in which the region 1100 is heated by the infrared emission layer 321, a curve S2 is a temperature curve in which the region 1200 is heated by the infrared emission layer 322, and a curve S3 is a temperature curve in which the region 1300 is heated by the infrared emission layer 323.

In the particular embodiment shown in fig. 10, the first target temperature, the second target temperature, and the third target temperature are substantially the same, about 240 ℃. In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 10, in some embodiments, the first time period is about 100 to 150 seconds in length; the length of the second time period is about 20-30 s; the length of the third time period is about 40-120 s; the length of the fourth time period is about 60 to 150 seconds. In a specific embodiment, the first time period is about 130s in length and the second time period is about 25s in length; the length of the third time period is about 100s; the length of the fourth time period is about 120s.

And in some embodiments, the length of the fourth time period is greater than the length of the first time period and/or the second time period and/or the third time period. And in some embodiments, the length of the first time period is greater than the length of the second time period and/or the third time period.

Or in still other variations, the above heater 30 includes:

a first resistance heating element, a second resistance heating element, and a third resistance heating element that are sequentially arranged in the circumferential direction; wherein:

the first resistive heating element is arranged to surround and heat the region 1100;

the second resistive heating element is arranged to surround and heat the region 1200;

the third resistive heating element is arranged to surround and heat the region 1300.

Or fig. 10 shows a schematic view of a heater 30 of yet another variant embodiment, in which the heater 30b comprises:

an infrared-transparent substrate 31b configured to surround or house the tubular shape of the aerosol-generating article 1000;

an infrared emission layer 32b formed on the substrate 31 b; a substantially circumferentially closed ring shape;

at least two electrode elements, such as electrode element 341b and electrode element 351b, arranged or bonded on infrared emission layer 32b at intervals in the circumferential direction; further, the infrared emission layer 32b is separated by the electrode element 341b and the electrode element 351b to form an infrared emission region 321b and an infrared emission region 322b on both sides of the virtual line m between the electrode element 341b and the electrode element 351 b.

In an embodiment, electrode element 341b and electrode element 351b are asymmetrically arranged along the radial direction of heater 30b and/or infrared emitting layer 32 b; or the electrode element 341b and the electrode element 351b are arranged to have an asymmetry rotated 180 ° about the central axis O of the heater 30 b. Or the spacing D1 between the electrode element 341b and the electrode element 351b is smaller than the outer diameter D of the infrared emitting layer 32b or the heater 30 b. Such that the arc of infrared emission region 321b in the circumferential direction is a minor arc and the arc of infrared emission region 322b in the circumferential direction is a major arc. In some preferred implementations, the minor arc of infrared emitting region 321b is between pi/9 and 8 pi/9; i.e. an angle of about 20 to 160 deg.. Accordingly, infrared emission region 322b has a major arc of between 10 pi/9 and 17 pi/9; i.e. an angle of about 200-340 deg..

Further in practice, by connecting one of electrode element 341b and electrode element 351b to the positive electrode of cell 130, the other to the negative electrode; in operation, the power or heating rate of infrared emission region 321b is greater than that of infrared emission region 322 b; in turn, such that in operation, the region 1100b of the aerosol-generating article 1000 surrounded by the infrared emission region 321b can be heated faster or with greater power than the region 1200b surrounded by the infrared emission region 322 b.

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

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; characterized by comprising the following steps:

a chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

a battery cell for providing power to the heater;

2. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the heater is configured to be incapable of heating only one or two of the first, second and third heating regions.

3. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first heating region, the second heating region and the third heating region are configured to heat only simultaneously.

4. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the heater has no more heating zones beyond the first, second and third heating zones;

and/or the heater comprises only three heating zones.

5. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the first, second and third heating regions heats faster or more than one of the first, second and third heating regions has an arc along the circumference of the heater less than pi, and the sum of the arc along the circumference of the heater of the slower or less than one of the first, second and third heating regions is greater than pi.

6. Aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heater comprises at least a first heating element, a second heating element and a third heating element arranged in sequence around the circumference of the chamber; wherein,

The first heating element at least partially defines the first heating region;

the third heating element at least partially defines the third heating region.

7. The aerosol-generating device of claim 6, wherein the circuitry is configured to heat one of the first heating region, the second heating region, and the third heating region faster or more powerful than the other two by selectively changing the electrical connection of the first heating element, the second heating element, and the third heating element.

8. The aerosol-generating device of claim 6, wherein the circuit is configured to selectively connect two of the first heating element, the second heating element, and the third heating element in series and then in parallel with one another to heat one of the first heating region, the second heating region, and the third heating region faster or at greater power than the other two.

9. The aerosol-generating device of claim 8, wherein two of the first heating element, the second heating element, and the third heating element in series have an arc along the circumference of the heater greater than pi and the other has an arc along the circumference of the heater less than pi.

10. The aerosol-generating device of claim 6, wherein the heater further comprises a first electrode element, a second electrode element, and a third electrode element arranged sequentially around the circumference of the chamber;

11. The aerosol-generating device of claim 10, wherein the circuitry is configured to selectively power the heater by connecting only two of the first electrode element, second electrode element and third electrode element to heat one of the first heating region, second heating region and third heating region faster or at greater power than the other two.

12. The aerosol-generating device of claim 10, wherein any two of the first electrode element, the second electrode element, and the third electrode element are asymmetrically arranged along a radial direction of the heater;

13. The aerosol-generating device of claim 6, wherein the first heating element is at least one of an infrared heating element or a resistive heating element;

14. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heater comprises:

a substrate at least partially surrounding the chamber;

and an infrared emitting layer formed or bonded on the substrate;

15. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the power provided by the electrical core to the heater to heat the first heating region faster or more powerful than the second and/or third heating regions in a first time period, and to heat the second heating region faster or more powerful than the first and/or third heating regions in a second time period, and to heat the third heating region faster or more powerful than the first and/or second heating regions in a third time period.

16. The aerosol-generating device of claim 15, wherein in the first time period, the circuit provides substantially four times the power to the first heating region than to the second heating region and/or the third heating region;

17. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the power provided by the electrical core to the heater to cause the first heating region to heat at a first power and the second and third heating regions to heat at substantially the same second power during a first time period; heating the second heating zone at a third power and heating the first and third heating zones at substantially the same fourth power during a second time period; and heating the third heating region at a fifth power and heating the first and second heating regions at substantially the same sixth power during a third time period.

18. The aerosol-generating device of claim 15, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the power provided by the electrical core to the heater to heat the first heating region to a first target temperature and to cause the second and third heating regions to be below the first target temperature during a first time period; and heating the second heating zone to a second target temperature and the third heating zone below the second target temperature for a second period of time; and heating the third heating zone to a third target temperature during a third time period and causing the first and second heating zones to be no less than the third target temperature.

19. The aerosol-generating device of claim 15, wherein the first time period is from 100 to 150 seconds;

and/or, the second time period is 20-30 s;

and/or the length of the third time period is about 60-120 s;

and/or the length of the fourth time period is about 60 to 150 seconds.

20. An aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; the aerosol-generating article comprises a first region, a second region and a third region arranged in sequence in a circumferential direction; characterized in that the aerosol-generating device comprises:

a chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

21. The aerosol-generating device of claim 20, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the power provided by the electrical core to the heater to heat the first region faster or more than the second region and/or the third region during a first time period, to heat the second region faster or more than the first region and/or the third region during a second time period, and to heat the third region faster or more than the first region and/or the second region during a third time period.

22. The aerosol-generating device of claim 20, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the power provided by the electrical core to the heater to heat the first region at a first power and the second and third regions at substantially the same second power during a first time period; heating the second zone at a third power for a second time period, the first and third zones being heated at substantially the same fourth power; heating the third zone at a fifth power and heating the first and second zones at substantially the same sixth power during a third time period.

23. The aerosol-generating device of claim 20, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the power provided by the electrical core to the heater to heat the first region to a first target temperature and to cause the second and third regions to be below the first target temperature during a first time period; and heating the second zone to a second target temperature and bringing the third zone below the second target temperature for a second period of time; and heating the third zone to a third target temperature for a third time period and causing the first and second zones to be no less than the third target temperature.

24. An aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; the aerosol-generating article comprises a first region, a second region and a third region arranged in sequence in a circumferential direction; characterized in that the aerosol-generating device comprises:

a chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

25. An aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; characterized by comprising the following steps:

A chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

26. The aerosol-generating device of claim 25, further comprising:

27. An aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; characterized by comprising the following steps:

a chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

28. The aerosol-generating device of claim 27, wherein the first electrode element and the second electrode element are asymmetrically arranged along a radial direction of the heater;

29. A heater for an aerosol-generating device, the heater being configured in a tubular shape and comprising at least:

30. A heater for an aerosol-generating device, the heater being configured in a tubular shape and comprising at least:

31. A method of controlling an aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; the aerosol-generating device comprises:

A chamber at least partially receiving an aerosol-generating article;

characterized in that the method comprises:

32. A method of controlling an aerosol-generating device configured to heat an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol; the aerosol-generating article comprises a first region, a second region and a third region arranged in sequence in a circumferential direction;

characterized in that the method comprises: