KR20220092923A - Electronic Aerosol Delivery System - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol providing device (2, 202) for generating an aerosol from an article (4, 204) comprising portions of an aerosol generating material (44, 244) is disclosed. The device comprises a receptacle ( 25 , 225 ) for receiving an article comprising portions of aerosol-generating material, an outlet ( 28 , 228 ) fluidly coupled to the receptacle, one of the portions of aerosol-generating material when the article is received in the receptacle. at least one aerosol-generating component ( 24 , 224 ) configured to perform an aerosolization process for the above and a control circuit ( 23 , 223 ) for controlling the aerosol-generating component. The control circuitry is configured to cause the at least one aerosol-generating component to generate an amount of an aerosol from the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material based on the distance of the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material from the outlet. Methods and means for generating an aerosol are also disclosed.

Description

Electronic Aerosol Delivery System

The present disclosure relates to non-flammable aerosol delivery systems.

BACKGROUND Electronic aerosol delivery systems, such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarets) generally comprise a reservoir of a source liquid holding a formulation containing typically nicotine, from which the aerosol is subjected to e.g. heat vaporisation. is created through Accordingly, an aerosol source for an aerosol providing system may comprise a heater having a heating element arranged to receive the source liquid from the reservoir, such as via wicking/capillary action. While the user inhales the device, the heating element is energized to evaporate the source liquid near the heating element to create an aerosol for the user to inhale. These devices are usually provided with one or more air inlet holes located away from the mouthpiece end of the system. When the user sucks on the mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn in through the inlet holes and past the aerosol source. There is a flow path connecting between the aerosol source and the opening in the mouthpiece such that the drawn air past the aerosol source continues to travel along the flow path to the mouthpiece opening, carrying some of the aerosol from the aerosol source therethrough. Air carrying the aerosol exits the aerosol delivery system through a mouthpiece opening for inhalation by a user.

Other aerosol delivery devices generate an aerosol in a solid material such as tobacco or tobacco derivatives. These devices operate in a generally similar manner to the liquid-based systems described above in that the solid tobacco material is heated to an evaporation temperature to create an aerosol that the user later inhales.

In most aerosol delivery devices, users seek consistent delivery on a puff-by-puff basis, resulting in a consistent taste with each puff and/or providing the same desired effect with each puff. However, the devices described above may not always provide consistent delivery.

Various approaches are described to help solve some of these problems.

According to a first aspect of certain embodiments, there is provided an aerosol providing device for generating an aerosol from an article comprising portions of aerosol generating material, the device comprising: a receptacle for receiving an article comprising portions of aerosol generating material; an outlet fluidly coupled to the receptacle; at least one aerosol generating component configured to perform an aerosolization process on one or more of the portions of the aerosol generating material when the article is received in the receptacle; and a control circuit for controlling the aerosol-generating component, the control circuit causing the at least one aerosol-generating component to: configured to generate an amount of an aerosol.

In some examples, the control circuit is configured to generate an amount of an aerosol from the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material such that a substantially constant amount of the aerosol passes through the outlet, regardless of the distance of the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material from the outlet. .

In some examples, the control circuitry is configured to cause the aerosol-generating component to generate an increasing amount of aerosol from the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material as the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material is further away from the outlet.

In some examples, the control circuitry is configured to cause the aerosol-generating component to generate an amount of an aerosol from the portion of the aerosol-generating material based on a function of the distance of the portion of the aerosol-generating material from the outlet.

In some examples, the at least one aerosol generating component is at least one heating element arranged to heat portions of the aerosol generating material.

In some examples, the control circuit is configured to set an operating temperature for the at least one heating element based on a distance of the respective portion of the aerosol generating material from the outlet.

In some examples, the control circuit is configured to set the operating temperature of the heating elements closer to the outlet than the operating temperature of the heating elements further from the outlet.

In some examples, the control circuit is configured to set the heating duration for the at least one heating element based on a distance of the respective portion of the aerosol generating material from the outlet.

에 따라 결정된다.In some examples, the portions of the aerosol-generating material are arranged in an N x M array with respect to the outlet when received in the receptacle, the control circuit being configured to cause the aerosol-generating component to generate a different X amount of aerosol, wherein X is

is determined according to

에 따라 결정된다.In some examples, the at least one aerosol generating components include a plurality of aerosol generating components arranged in an N x M array, and wherein the control circuitry operates at one of the X different power levels, each of the plurality of aerosol generating components operating at one of the X different power levels. is configured to do, and X is

is determined according to

According to a second aspect of certain embodiments, there is provided an aerosol providing system, the aerosol providing system comprising an aerosol providing device according to the first aspect, further comprising an article comprising portions of an aerosol generating material.

In some examples, each portion of the aerosol generating material is substantially the same.

In some examples, the properties of the aerosol generating material are different depending on the distance from the outlet when the aerosol generating material is received in the receptacle.

In some examples, the aerosol generating material is an amorphous solid.

According to a third aspect of certain embodiments, there is provided a method of generating an aerosol using an aerosol-generating device, the method comprising: determining a distance between a portion of the aerosol-generating material and an outlet of the device, the generated aerosol passing through the outlet may be inhaled by the user—; setting an amount of an aerosol to be generated from the portion of the aerosol generating material based on the determined distance; and generating an aerosol from the portion of the aerosol generating material.

According to a fourth aspect of certain embodiments, there is provided aerosol providing means for generating an aerosol from an article comprising portions of aerosol generating material, the means comprising: receiving means for receiving an article comprising portions of aerosol generating material ; a discharge means fluidly coupled to the receiving means; at least one aerosol generating means configured to perform an aerosolization process on one or more of the portions of the aerosol generating material when the article is received in the receiving means; and control means for controlling the aerosol-generating means, the control means causing the at least one aerosol-generating means to cause the respective portions of the aerosol-generating material based on the distance of the respective portions of the aerosol-generating material from the discharging means. configured to generate an amount of an aerosol from

The features and aspects of the invention described above in connection with the first and other aspects of the invention are equivalent to embodiments of the invention according to other aspects of the invention as appropriate, not only in the specific combinations described above, as appropriate. It will be understood that it is applicable and may be combined therewith.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, by way of example only.
1 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic representation of an aerosol providing system comprising an aerosol providing device and an aerosol generating article, the device comprising a plurality of heating elements and the article comprising a plurality of portions of an aerosol generating material;
2A-2C are various views from different angles of the aerosol providing article of FIG. 1 ;
3 is a top down cross-sectional view of heating elements of the aerosol providing device of FIG. 1 ;
4 is a top-down view of an exemplary touch-sensitive panel for operating various functions of an aerosol delivery system.
FIG. 5 is a reproduction of FIG. 3 further comprising additional arrows marking distances between the heating elements and the outlet of the device of FIG. 1 ;
6 is an example of a cross-sectional view of a schematic representation of an aerosol providing system comprising an aerosol providing device and an aerosol generating article, the device comprising a plurality of inductive actuation coils, the article comprising a plurality of portions of an aerosol generating material and a corresponding Includes susceptor parts.
7A-7C are various views from different angles of the aerosol providing article of FIG. 6 ;

Aspects and features of specific examples and embodiments are discussed/described herein. Some aspects and features of the specific examples and embodiments may be implemented routinely, and these have not been discussed/described in detail for the sake of brevity. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that aspects and features of the apparatus and methods discussed herein that are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.

The present disclosure relates to “non-flammable” aerosol delivery systems. A “non-combustible” aerosol delivery system is one in which the constituent aerosolizable material of the aerosol delivery system (or a component thereof) does not combust or ignite to enable delivery of an aerosol to a user. Moreover, as commonly used in the art, the terms “vapor” and “aerosol” and related terms such as “evaporation”, “volatization” and “aerosolization” may generally be used interchangeably. .

In some implementations, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system is an electronic cigarette, which is also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although the presence of nicotine in the aerosolizable material is essential It should be noted that this is not a condition. Throughout the description below, although the terms "e-cigarette" or "electronic cigarette" are sometimes used, these terms may be used interchangeably with an aerosol (vapor) delivery system.

Typically, a non-combustible aerosol providing system may include a non-combustible aerosol providing device and an article (sometimes referred to as a consumable) for use with the non-combustible aerosol providing system. However, it is contemplated that articles that themselves comprise a means for powering an aerosol generating component may themselves form a non-combustible aerosol delivery system.

The article, part or both are intended to be consumed during use by the user. The article may comprise or consist of an aerosolizable material. The article may contain one or more other elements, such as a filter or an aerosol modifying material (e.g., a component for adding flavor to an aerosol passing through or passing over an aerosol modifying material or otherwise modifying properties of the aerosol) may include

Non-combustible aerosol delivery systems usually, but not always, include a modular assembly that includes both a reusable aerosol delivery device and a replaceable article. In some implementations, a non-combustible aerosol providing device can include a power source and a controller (or control circuit). The power source may be, for example, a power source such as a battery or a rechargeable battery. In some implementations, the non-combustible aerosol providing device can also include an aerosol generating component. However, in other implementations, the article may partially or fully include an aerosol generating component.

In some implementations, the aerosol generating component is a heater capable of interacting with the aerosolizable material to release one or more volatile substances from the aerosolizable material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating component can generate an aerosol from an aerosolizable material without heating. For example, an aerosol generating component may be capable of generating an aerosol from an aerosolizable material without applying heat to the aerosolizable material, such as through one or more of vibration, mechanical, pressurisation or electrostatic means.

In some implementations, the heater can include one or more electrically resistive heaters, including, for example, one or more nichrome resistive heater(s) and/or one or more ceramic heater(s). The one or more heaters may include one or more inductive heaters comprising an arrangement comprising one or more susceptors into which an article comprising an aerosolizable material may be inserted or otherwise formed during use. Alternatively or additionally, one or more susceptors may be provided in the aerosolizable material. Other heating arrangements may also be used.

Articles for use with a non-flammable aerosol providing device generally comprise an aerosolizable material. An aerosolizable material, which may also be referred to herein as an aerosol generating material, is a material capable of generating an aerosol, such as when heated, irradiated, or energized in any other manner. The aerosolizable material may be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel, which may or may not retain, for example, nicotine and/or flavoring agents. In the disclosure below, aerosolizable materials are described as including "amorphous solids", which may alternatively be referred to as "monolithic solids" (ie, non-fibrous). In some implementations, the amorphous solid can be a dry gel. An amorphous solid is a solid material capable of holding some fluid, such as a liquid, within it. In some implementations, the aerosolizable material can comprise, for example, from about 50 wt%, 60 wt%, or 70 wt% of amorphous solids to about 90 wt%, 95 wt%, or 100 wt% of amorphous solids. However, it should be recognized that the principles of the present disclosure may be applied to other aerosolizable materials such as tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, liquids such as e-liquids, and the like.

Suitably, the aerosolizable material may comprise any one or more of an active ingredient, a carrier ingredient, a flavoring agent, and one or more other functional ingredients.

As used herein, an active ingredient may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active ingredient may be selected, for example, from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives. The active ingredients may occur naturally or may be obtained synthetically. The active ingredient may include, for example, nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, a vitamin such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or components, derivatives, or combinations thereof. can The active ingredient may include one or more components, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or other botanicals. As referred to herein, an active ingredient may include one or more ingredients, derivatives or extracts of cannabis, such as one or more cannabinoids or terpenes.

In some embodiments, the aerosolizable material or amorphous solid is cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidioic acid (CBDA), cannabinol ( CBN), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromen (CBC), cannabicyclol (CBL), cannabivarin (CBV), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabidivarin (CBDV), one or more cannabinoids selected from the group consisting of cannabichrombarin (CBCV), cannabigerovarin (CBGV), cannabigerol monomethyl ether (CBGM) and cannabidiol (CBE), cannabicitran (CBT) including compounds.

The aerosolizable material or amorphous solid may comprise one or more cannabinoid compounds selected from the group consisting of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The aerosolizable material or amorphous solid may comprise cannabidiol (CBD).

Aerosolizable materials or amorphous solids may include nicotine and cannabidiol (CBD).

Aerosolizable materials or amorphous solids may include nicotine, cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active ingredient includes caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12.

As mentioned herein, an active ingredient may include or be derived from one or more herbal medicinals or components, derivatives or extracts thereof. As used herein, the term "herbal herbal medicine" includes extracts, leaves, bark, fibers, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, husk. , shells, and the like, including but not limited to any material derived from plants. Alternatively, the material may comprise an active compound naturally present in herbal medicines, obtained synthetically. The material may be in the form of a liquid, gas, solid, powder, powder, crushed particles, granules, pellets, shreds, strips, sheets, and the like. Examples of herbal medicines include tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa, cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile, flax ), ginger, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, licorice (licorice), matcha, mate, orange skin ), papaya, rose, sage, tea (such as green or black tea), thyme, cloves, cinnamon, coffee, aniseed (anise), basil, bay leaf , cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderflower , vanilla, wintergreen, beefsteak plant, curcuma, turmeric, sandalwood, cilantro, bergamot, orange blossom, myrtle (myrtle), cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil (lemon basil), chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng, theanine, theacrine, maca (maca), ashwagandha, damiana, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab obab) or any combination thereof. The mint may be selected from among the following mint varieties: Mentha arvensis, Mentha c.v., Mentha niliaca, Mentha piperita, Mentha piperita citrata c.v., Mentha piperita c.v., Mentha spicata crispa, Mentha cordifolia, Mentha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens variegata , Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha suaveolens.

In some embodiments, the active ingredient includes or is derived from one or more herbal medicines or components, derivatives or extracts thereof, wherein the herbal medicinal product is tobacco.

In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises or is derived from one or more herbal medicines or components, derivatives or extracts thereof, wherein the herbal medicinal product is derived from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa and hemp. is chosen

In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises or is derived from one or more herbal medicines or components, derivatives or extracts thereof, wherein the herbal medicine is selected from rooibos and fennel.

In certain embodiments, the aerosolizable material or amorphous solid comprises a gelling agent. The gelling agent may include one or more compounds selected from cellulosic gelling agents, non-cellulosic gelling agents, guar gum, acacia gum and mixtures thereof.

In some embodiments, the cellulose gelling agent is hydroxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate ( CA), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent comprises (or is one or more of) hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), carboxymethylcellulose, guar gum, or acacia gum. ).

In some embodiments, gelling agents include (but are not limited to) agar, xanthan gum, gum arabic, guar gum, locust bean gum, pectin, carrageenan, starch, alginates, and combinations thereof. one or more non-cellulosic gelling agents; In preferred embodiments, the non-cellulosic gelling agent is an alginate or agar.

The aerosolizable material or amorphous solid may comprise an acid. The acid may be an organic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid may be at least one of a monoproton, a biprotic, and a triprotic. In some such embodiments, the acid may contain at least one carboxyl functional group. In some such embodiments, the acid can be at least one of an alpha-hydroxy acid, a carboxylic acid, a dicarboxylic acid, a tricarboxylic acid, and a keto acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may be an alpha-keto acid.

In some such embodiments, the acid can be at least one of succinic acid, lactic acid, benzoic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, levulinic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, formic acid, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, propanoic acid and pyruvic acid.

Suitably, the acid is lactic acid. In other embodiments, the acid is benzoic acid. In other embodiments, the acid may be an inorganic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid may be mineral acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least one of sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, boric acid, and phosphoric acid. In some embodiments, the acid is levulinic acid.

In certain embodiments, the aerosolizable material or amorphous solid comprises a cellulosic gelling agent and/or a gelling agent comprising a non-cellulosic gelling agent, an active substance and an acid.

In some implementations, the aerosolizable material comprises a flavor (or flavoring agent).

As used herein, the terms “flavour” and “flavourant” refer to, where local regulations permit, impart a desired taste, aroma, or other somatosensorial sensation to a product for adult consumers. Refers to materials that can be used to create them. These include naturally occurring flavoring materials, herbal medicinals, extracts of herbal medicinals, synthetically obtained materials or combinations thereof (eg, tobacco, cannabis, licorice (licorice candies), hydrangea, emulsions). Eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, cloves, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, anise fruit ( anise), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herbs, hepatica, cherry, berry, redberry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, Clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits, Drambuie, bourbon , scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, Nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat, naswar, betel, shisha, pine, honey essence, rose oil ), vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, Sage, fennel, wasabi, bell pepper, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha, eucalyptus, octagonal, cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, Flax, ginkgo, hazel, hibiscus, bay leaf, mate, orange peel, rose, tea (such as green or black tea), thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, paprika , rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, perilla, turmeric, coriander, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damian, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena , tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), flavor enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (eg, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives, such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, herbal medicines or breath freshening agents. These may be man-made, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, such as a liquid such as an oil, a solid such as a powder, or a gas.

In some embodiments, the flavor comprises menthol, spearmint and/or peppermint. In some embodiments, the flavor includes flavor components of cucumber, blueberry, citrus and/or redberry. In some embodiments, the flavor comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavor comprises flavor components extracted from tobacco. In some embodiments, the flavor comprises flavor components extracted from cannabis.

In some embodiments, the flavor achieves a somatosensorial sensation that is generally chemically induced and perceived by stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve) in addition to or instead of the aroma or taste nerve. sensates, which may include agents that provide heating, cooling, numbness, or numbing action. A suitable heat effect agent may be, but is not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether, and a suitable coolant may be, but is not limited to, eucolyptol, WS-3.

The carrier component may comprise one or more components capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the carrier component is glycerin, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl one or more of laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrine, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid and propylene carbonate may include

In some embodiments, the carrier component comprises one or more polyhydric alcohols, such as propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol and glycerin; esters of polyhydric alcohols such as glycerol mono-, di- or triacetate; and/or aliphatic esters of mono-, di- or polycarboxylic acids, such as dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyl tetradecanedioate.

The one or more other functional ingredients may include one or more of pH adjusters, colorants, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.

The aerosolizable material may be present on or within a carrier support (or carrier component) to form a substrate. The carrier support may be or comprise, for example, paper, card, cardboard, cardboard, reconstituted aerosolizable material, plastic material, ceramic material, composite material, glass, metal or metal alloy.

In some implementations, an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol providing device can include an aerosolizable material or an area for receiving an aerosolizable material. In some implementations, an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol-providing device can include a mouthpiece, or alternatively, the non-combustible aerosol-providing device can include a mouthpiece in communication with the article. The area for receiving the aerosolizable material may be a storage area for storing the aerosolizable material. For example, the storage area may be a storage tank.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic representation of an aerosol providing system 1 according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The aerosol providing system 1 comprises two main components: an aerosol providing device 2 and an aerosol generating article 4 .

The aerosol providing device 2 includes an outer housing 21 , a power source 22 , a control circuit 23 , a plurality of aerosol generating components 24 , a receptacle 25 , a mouthpiece end 26 , an air inlet ( 27 ), an air outlet 28 , a touch-sensitive panel 29 , an intake sensor 30 , and an end-of-use indicator 31 .

The outer housing 21 may be formed of any suitable material, such as a plastic material. The outer housing 21 is arranged such that the power source 22 , the control circuit 23 , the aerosol generating components 24 , the receptacle 25 and the inhalation sensor 30 are located within the outer housing 21 . The outer housing 21 also defines an air inlet 27 and an air outlet 28 , which are described in more detail below. The touch-sensitive panel 29 and the end-of-use indicator are located on the outside of the outer housing 21 .

The outer housing 21 may further include a mouthpiece end 26 . The outer housing 21 and the mouthpiece end 26 are formed as a single component (ie the mouthpiece end 26 forms part of the outer housing 21 ). The mouthpiece end 26 is defined as the section of the outer housing 21 that includes the air outlet 28 , where the user comfortably rests his or her lips around the mouthpiece end 26 so that the lips are positioned at the air outlet 28 . It is formed in such a way that it engages with 1 , the thickness of the outer housing 21 is reduced towards the air outlet 28 to provide a relatively thinner portion of the device 2 that can be more easily received by the lips of a user. However, in other implementations, the mouthpiece end 26 is separate from the outer housing 21 , but may be a removable component that can be coupled to the outer housing 21 and can be cleaned and/or other mouthpiece end ( 26) can be removed for replacement.

The power source 22 is configured to provide operational power to the aerosol providing device 2 . Power source 22 may be any suitable power source, such as a battery. For example, the power source 22 may include a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium ion battery. The power source 22 may be formed integrally with the aerosol providing device 2 or may be removable therefrom. In some implementations, the power source 22 is recharged by connecting the device 2 to an external power source (eg, mains power) via an associated connection port, such as a USB port (not shown) or via an appropriate wireless receiver (not shown). can be

The control circuit 23 is suitably configured/programmed to control the operation of the aerosol providing device 2 to provide specific operational functions of the aerosol providing device 2 . The control circuit 23 may be considered as logically comprising various sub-units/circuit elements associated with different aspects of operation of the aerosol providing device. For example, the control circuit 23 may include a logical sub-unit for controlling the recharging of the power source 22 . Additionally, the control circuit 23 may include a logic sub-unit for communication, for example to facilitate data transfer to or from the device 2 . However, the main function of the control circuit 23 is to control the aerosolization of the aerosol generating material, as will be explained in more detail below. One or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s) and/or one or more suitably configured application specific integrated circuit(s)/circuit/chip(s)/chipset such that the functionality of control circuit 23 is configured to provide, for example, the desired functionality. It will be appreciated that using(s) may be provided in a variety of different ways. The control circuit 23 is connected to the power source 23 and receives power from the power source 22 , and may be configured to distribute power to other components of the aerosol providing device 2 or to control the power source.

In the described implementation, the aerosol providing device 2 further comprises a receptacle 25 arranged to receive the aerosol generating article 4 .

The aerosol generating article 4 comprises a carrier component 42 and an aerosol generating material 44 . The aerosol-generating article 4 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2A-2C . FIG. 2A is a top-down view of the article 4 , FIG. 2B is an end-on view along the longitudinal (length) axis of the article 4 , and FIG. 2C is a view along the width axis of the article 4 . This is a side-on view.

The article 4 comprises a carrier component 42 which in this implementation is formed of a card. The carrier component 42 forms the majority of the article 4 and serves as a base on which the aerosol generating material 44 is to be deposited.

The carrier component 42 has a broad cubic shape with a length I, a width w and a thickness t _c as shown in FIGS. 2a to 2c . As a specific example, the length of the carrier component 42 may be between 30 and 80 mm, the width may be between 7 and 25 mm, and the thickness may be between 0.2 and 1 mm. However, it should be appreciated that these are exemplary dimensions of the carrier component 42 , and in other implementations the carrier component 42 may have suitably different dimensions. In some implementations, the carrier component 42 may include one or more protrusions extending in the length and/or width directions of the carrier component 42 to help facilitate handling of the article 4 by a user. .

1 and 2 , the article 4 comprises a plurality of discrete portions of aerosol generating material 44 disposed on the surface of the carrier component 42 . More specifically, article 4 includes six separate portions of aerosol generating material 44 labeled 44a-44f and arranged in a 2x3 array. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations more or fewer individual portions may be provided and/or the portions may be arranged in a different array (eg, a 1×6 array). In the example shown, the aerosol generating material 44 is disposed at respective discrete locations on a single surface of the component carrier 42 . Although the individual portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 are shown as having a circular footprint, it should be appreciated that the individual portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 may take on any other footprint as appropriate, such as a square, or a rectangle. do. The individual portions of the aerosol generating material 44 have a diameter d and _a thickness ta as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C . The thickness _ta may take any suitable value, for example the thickness _ta may range from 50 μm to 1.5 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness ta _is from about 50 μm to about 200 μm, or from about 50 μm to about 100 μm, or from about 60 μm to about 90 μm, suitably about 77 μm. In other embodiments, the thickness _ta may be greater than 200 μm, such as from about 50 μm to about 400 μm, or from about 50 μm to about 1 mm, or from about 50 μm to about 1.5 mm.

The individual portions of the aerosol generating material 44 are separate from one another, such that each of the individual portions can be individually/selectively energized (eg, heated) to generate an aerosol. In some implementations, portions of aerosol generating material 44 may have a mass of 20 mg or less, such that the amount of material to be aerosolized by a given aerosol generating component 24 at any time is very small. For example, the mass per portion may be 20 mg or less, or 10 mg or less, or 5 mg or less. Of course, it should be appreciated that the total mass of the article 4 may exceed 20 mg.

In the described implementation, the aerosol generating material 44 is an amorphous solid. In general, an amorphous solid may include a gelling agent (sometimes referred to as a binder) and an aerosol generator (which may include, for example, glycerol). Optionally, the aerosol generating material may comprise one or more of an active substance (which may include a tobacco extract), a flavoring agent, an acid and a filler. Other components may also be present as needed. Suitable active substances, flavoring agents, acids and fillers have been described above with respect to an aerosolizable material.

Accordingly, the aerosol generating agent is glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl sube. lactate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid and propylene carbonate.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating agent is one or more polyhydric alcohols such as propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol and glycerin; esters of polyhydric alcohols such as glycerol mono-, di- or triacetate; and/or aliphatic esters of mono-, di- or polycarboxylic acids, such as dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyl tetradecanedioate.

The gelling agent may include one or more compounds selected from cellulosic gelling agents, non-cellulosic gelling agents, guar gum, acacia gum and mixtures thereof.

In some embodiments, the cellulose gelling agent is hydroxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate ( CA), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent comprises (or is one or more of) hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), carboxymethylcellulose, guar gum, or acacia gum. ).

In some embodiments, gelling agents include (but are not limited to) agar, xanthan gum, gum arabic, guar gum, locust bean gum, pectin, carrageenan, starch, alginates, and combinations thereof. one or more non-cellulosic gelling agents; In preferred embodiments, the non-cellulosic gelling agent is an alginate or agar.

The aerosol generating material may comprise an acid. The acid may be an organic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid may be at least one of a monoproton, a biprotic, and a triprotic. In some such embodiments, the acid may contain at least one carboxyl functional group. In some such embodiments, the acid can be at least one of an alpha-hydroxy acid, a carboxylic acid, a dicarboxylic acid, a tricarboxylic acid, and a keto acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may be an alpha-keto acid.

In some such embodiments, the acid can be at least one of succinic acid, lactic acid, benzoic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, levulinic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, formic acid, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, propanoic acid and pyruvic acid.

Suitably, the acid is lactic acid. In other embodiments, the acid is benzoic acid. In other embodiments, the acid may be an inorganic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid may be mineral acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may be at least one of sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, boric acid, and phosphoric acid. In some embodiments, the acid is levulinic acid.

In certain embodiments, the aerosol generating material comprises a cellulosic gelling agent and/or a gelling agent comprising a non-cellulosic gelling agent, an active substance and an acid.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material is cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidioic acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN), canna Bigerol (CBG), Cannabichromen (CBC), Cannabicyclol (CBL), Cannabivarine (CBV), Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), Cannabidivarin (CBDV), Cannabichrombarin (CBCV), cannabigerovarin (CBGV), cannabigerol monomethyl ether (CBGM) and cannabielsoin (CBE), cannabicitran (CBT), comprising one or more cannabinoid compounds selected from the group consisting of .

The aerosol generating material may comprise one or more cannabinoid compounds selected from the group consisting of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The aerosol generating material may include cannabidiol (CBD).

The aerosol generating material may include nicotine and cannabidiol (CBD).

Aerosol generating materials may include nicotine, cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Amorphous solid aerosolizable materials offer several advantages over other types of aerosolizable materials commonly found in some electronic aerosol providing devices. For example, compared to electronic aerosol providing devices that aerosolize a liquid aerosolizable material, the likelihood that the amorphous solid will leak or otherwise flow from the location where the amorphous solid is stored is greatly reduced. This means that aerosol providing devices or articles can be made cheaper, since their components do not necessarily require the same liquid-tight seals or the like to be used.

As compared to electronic aerosol providing devices that aerosolize a solid aerosolizable material, such as a cigarette, to generate an equivalent amount of an aerosol (or to provide an equivalent amount of a constituent, such as nicotine, to the aerosol), an amorphous solid material A relatively lower mass of can be aerosolized. This is due, in part, to the fact that the amorphous solid can be tailored to not contain unsuitable constituents that may be found in other solid aerosolizable materials (eg, the cellulosic material of tobacco). For example, in some embodiments, the mass per portion of the amorphous solid is 20 mg or less, or 10 mg or less, or 5 mg or less. Thus, the aerosol-providing device may supply relatively little power to the aerosol-generating component, and/or the aerosol-generating component may be relatively smaller to generate a similar aerosol, thus reducing the energy requirements for the aerosol-providing device. means there is

In some embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises tobacco extract. In these embodiments, the amorphous solid may have the following composition (on a dry weight basis (DWB)): about 1 wt % to about 60 wt %, or about 10 wt % to 30 wt %, or about 15 wt % a gelling agent (preferably comprising alginate) in an amount of from to about 25 wt %; tobacco extract in an amount from about 10 wt% to about 60 wt%, or from about 40 wt% to 55 wt%, or from about 45 wt% to about 50 wt%; an aerosol generating agent (preferably comprising glycerol) (DWB) in an amount from about 5 wt % to about 60 wt %, or from about 20 wt % to about 40 wt %, or from about 25 wt % to about 35 wt %. The tobacco extract may be derived from a single cultivar of tobacco or may be derived from a blend of extracts from different cultivars of tobacco. Such amorphous solids may be referred to as “cigarette amorphous solids” and may be designed to deliver a cigarette-like experience when aerosolized.

In one embodiment, the amorphous solid comprises about 20 wt % alginate gelling agent, about 48 wt % Virginia tobacco extract, and about 32 wt % glycerol (DWB).

The amorphous solids of these embodiments can have any suitable water content. For example, the amorphous solid may have a water content of about 5 wt % to about 15 wt %, or about 7 wt % to about 13 wt %, or about 10 wt %.

Suitably, in any of these embodiments, the amorphous solid has a thickness of from about 50 μm to about 200 μm, or from about 50 μm to about 100 μm, or from about 60 μm to about 90 μm, suitably about 77 μm. It has a thickness t _a .

In some implementations, the amorphous solid comprises 0.5-60 wt % of a gelling agent; and 5-80 wt % of an aerosol generator, wherein these weights are calculated on a dry weight basis. These amorphous solids may be flavor-free, acid-free, and active material-free. Such amorphous solids may be referred to as “aerosol-generating agent rich” or “aerosol-generating agent amorphous solids”. More generally, this is an example of an aerosol-generating agent rich aerosol-generating material, which, as the name implies, is a portion of an aerosol-generating material designed to deliver an aerosol-generating agent when aerosolized.

In such implementations, the amorphous solid may have the following composition (DWB): from about 5 wt% to about 40 wt%, or from about 10 wt% to 30 wt%, or from about 15 wt% to about 25 wt% an amount of gelling agent; an aerosol generating agent (DWB) in an amount from about 10 wt % to about 50 wt %, or from about 20 wt % to about 40 wt %, or from about 25 wt % to about 35 wt %.

In some other embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises 0.5-60 wt % of a gelling agent; 5-80 wt % of an aerosol generator; and 1-60 wt % of flavor, wherein these weights are calculated on a dry weight basis. These amorphous solids may contain flavor, but may not contain active substances or acids. Such amorphous solids may be referred to as “flavour rich” or “flavor amorphous solids”. More generally, this is an example of a flavor-rich aerosol-generating material, which, as the name suggests, is the portion of an aerosol-generating material designed to deliver a flavor when aerosolized.

In these implementations, the amorphous solid may have the following composition (DWB): from about 5 wt % to about 40 wt %, or from about 10 wt % to 30 wt %, or from about 15 wt % to about 25 wt % an amount of gelling agent; an aerosol generating agent (DWB) in an amount from about 10 wt% to about 50 wt%, or from about 20 wt% to about 40 wt%, or from about 25 wt% to about 35 wt%; A flavor in an amount from about 30 wt % to about 60 wt %, or from about 40 wt % to 55 wt %, or from about 45 wt % to about 50 wt %.

In some other embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises 0.5-60 wt % of a gelling agent; 5-80 wt % of an aerosol generator; and 5-60 wt % of at least one active substance, wherein these weights are calculated on a dry weight basis. These amorphous solids may contain active substances, but may not contain flavors or acids. Such amorphous solids may be referred to as “active material rich” or “active material is amorphous solids”. For example, in one embodiment, the active substance may be nicotine, and thus the above-described amorphous solid comprising nicotine may be referred to as a “nicotine amorphous solid.” More generally, this is an example of an active substance-enriched aerosol-generating material, which, as the name suggests, is a portion of an aerosol-generating material designed to deliver the active substance when aerosolized.

In these implementations, the amorphous solid may have the following composition (DWB): from about 5 wt % to about 40 wt %, or from about 10 wt % to 30 wt %, or from about 15 wt % to about 25 wt % an amount of gelling agent; an aerosol generating agent (DWB) in an amount from about 10 wt% to about 50 wt%, or from about 20 wt% to about 40 wt%, or from about 25 wt% to about 35 wt%; active substance in an amount from about 30 wt % to about 60 wt %, or from about 40 wt % to 55 wt %, or from about 45 wt % to about 50 wt %.

In some other embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises 0.5-60 wt % of a gelling agent; 5-80 wt % of an aerosol generator; and 0.1 -10 wt % of an acid, wherein these weights are calculated on a dry weight basis. These amorphous solids may contain acids, but may not contain active substances or flavoring agents. Such amorphous solids may be referred to as “acid rich” or “acid amorphous solids”. More generally, this is an example of an acid-rich aerosol-generating material, which, as the name suggests, is a portion of an aerosol-generating material designed to deliver an acid when it is aerosolized.

In these implementations, the amorphous solid may have the following composition (DWB): from about 5 wt % to about 40 wt %, or from about 10 wt % to 30 wt %, or from about 15 wt % to about 25 wt % an amount of gelling agent; an aerosol generating agent (DWB) in an amount from about 10 wt% to about 50 wt%, or from about 20 wt% to about 40 wt%, or from about 25 wt% to about 35 wt%; acid in an amount from about 0.1 wt % to about 8 wt %, or from about 0.5 wt % to 7 wt %, or from about 1 wt % to about 5 wt %, or from about 1 wt % to about 3 wt %.

In some implementations, the amorphous solid can include a colorant. The addition of colorants can alter the visual appearance of the amorphous solid. The presence of colorants in amorphous solids can enhance the visual appearance of amorphous solids and aerosol generating materials. By adding a colorant to the amorphous solid, the amorphous solid can be color-matched with other components of the aerosol generating material or with other components of the article comprising the amorphous solid.

In some implementations, various colorants may be used depending on the desired color of the amorphous solid. The color of the amorphous solid may be, for example, white, green, red, purple, blue, brown or black. Other colors are also contemplated. Natural or synthetic colorants may be used, such as natural or synthetic dyes, food-grade colorants and pharmaceutical-grade colorants. In certain embodiments, the colorant is caramel, which can give an amorphous solid with a brown appearance. In such embodiments, the color of the amorphous solid may be similar to the color of other components of the aerosol generating material comprising the amorphous solid (eg, tobacco material). In some embodiments, adding a colorant to the amorphous solid makes the amorphous solid visually indistinguishable from other components of the aerosol generating material.

In some implementations, the colorant can be incorporated during the formation of the amorphous solid (eg, when forming a slurry comprising materials that form the amorphous solid) or (eg, by spraying the colorant onto the amorphous solid) or the formation of the amorphous solid. It can then be applied to the amorphous solid.

The article 4 may include a plurality of portions of an aerosol generating material, all of which are formed of the same aerosol generating material (eg, one of the amorphous solids described above). Alternatively, article 4 may include a plurality of portions of aerosol generating material 44 , wherein at least two portions are formed of a different aerosol generating material (eg, one of the amorphous solids described above). .

The receptacle 25 is sized to removably receive an article 4 therein. Although not shown, the device 2 is a hinged type of the outer housing 21 to allow access to the receptacle 25 so that a user can insert and/or remove an article 4 relative to the receptacle 25 . It may include a door or a removable part. The hinged door or removable portion of the outer housing 21 may also serve to retain the article 4 within the receptacle 25 when closed. When the aerosol-generating article 4 is exhausted or the user simply wants to switch to a different aerosol-generating article 4, the aerosol-generating article 4 is removed from the aerosol providing device 2 and a replacement aerosol-generating article ( 4) can be positioned on the receptacle 25 in that position. Alternatively, device 2 may include a permanent opening in communication with receptacle 25 through which article 4 may be inserted into receptacle 25 . In such implementations, a retaining mechanism for retaining the article 4 within the receptacle 25 of the device 2 may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the device 2 comprises a number of aerosol generating components 24 . In the described implementation, the aerosol generating components 24 are heating elements 24 , more specifically resistive heating elements 24 . The resistive heating elements 24 receive current and convert electrical energy into heat. The resistive heating elements 24 may be formed of or include any suitable resistive heating material, such as NiChrome (Ni20Cr80), that generates heat when receiving electrical current. In one implementation, the heating elements 24 may include an electrically insulating substrate on which resistive tracks are disposed.

3 is a top down cross-sectional view of the aerosol providing device 2 showing the arrangement of the heating elements 24 in more detail. 1 and 3 , the heating elements 24 are positioned such that the surface of the heating element 24 forms part of the receptacle 25 surface. That is, the outer surface of the heating elements 24 is flush with the inner surface of the receptacle. More specifically, the outer surface of the heating element 24 having the same height as the inner surface of the receptacle 25 is heated (ie, raised in temperature) when an electric current passes through the heating element 24 . ) is the surface of

The heating elements 24 are arranged such that each heating element 24 aligns with a corresponding discrete portion of the aerosol generating material 44 when the article 4 is received in the receptacle 25 . Thus, in this example, the six heating elements 24 are formed into a 2×3 array, which generally corresponds to the arrangement of a 2×3 array of six individual portions of the aerosol generating material 44 shown in FIGS. 2A-2C . are arranged However, as discussed above, the number of heating elements 24 may be different in different implementations, for example there may be 8, 10, 12, 14, etc. heating elements 24 . . In some implementations, the number of heating elements 24 is at least 6, but no more than 20.

More specifically, the heating elements 24 are labeled 24a-24f in FIG. 3 , wherein each heating element 24 is an aerosol-generating material 44 indicated by reference numerals 24/44 followed by a corresponding letter. It should be appreciated that they are arranged to be aligned with their counterparts. Accordingly, each of the heating elements 24 may be individually activated to heat a corresponding portion of the aerosol generating material 44 .

Although the heating elements 24 are shown flush with the inner surface of the receptacle 25 , in other implementations the heating elements 24 may protrude into the receptacle 25 . In any case, the article 4 may be configured to contain the heating elements 24 when present in the receptacle 25 such that heat generated by the heating elements 24 is conducted through the carrier component 42 to the aerosol generating material 44 . in contact with the surfaces of

In some implementations, to improve heat-transfer efficiency, the receptacle applies a force to a surface of the carrier component 42 to press the carrier component 42 onto the heater elements 24 to thereby apply the aerosol generating material 44 . may include components that increase heat transfer efficiency through conduction to the furnace. Additionally or alternatively, the heater elements 24 may be configured to move in a direction toward/away from the article 4 , and the carrier component 42 does not include the aerosol generating material 44 . can be pressed into the surface of

In use, the device 2 (more specifically the control circuit 23 ) is configured to deliver power to the heating elements 24 in response to a user input. Broadly speaking, the control circuit 23 is configured to generate an aerosol by selectively applying electrical power to the heating elements 24 to subsequently heat corresponding portions of the aerosol generating material 44 . When the user inhales the device 2 (ie when inhaling at the mouthpiece end 26 ), air is drawn into the device 2 through an air inlet 27 , and then into the receptacle 25 , where the air into the aerosol generated by heating the aerosol generating material 44 ) and then through the air outlet 28 into the user's mouth. That is, the aerosol is delivered to the user through the mouthpiece end 26 and the air outlet 28 .

The device 2 of FIG. 1 comprises a touch-sensitive panel 29 and a suction sensor 30 . Collectively, the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30 act as mechanisms for receiving user input that causes the generation of an aerosol and may therefore be referred to more broadly as user input mechanisms. The received user input may be said to be indicative of a user's desire to generate an aerosol.

The touch-sensitive panel 29 may be a capacitive touch sensor and may be operated by a user of the device 2 placing their finger or other suitable conductive object (eg, a stylus) on the touch-sensitive panel. . In the described implementation, the touch-sensitive panel includes a region that a user can press to initiate aerosol generation. The control circuit 23 may be configured to receive a signaling from the touch-sensitive panel 29 and use the signaling to determine whether the user is pressing (ie activating) an area of the touch-sensitive panel 29 . have. When the control circuit 23 receives this signaling, the control circuit 23 is configured to power one or more of the heating elements 24 from the power source 22 . Power may be supplied for a predetermined period of time (eg, 3 seconds) from the moment the touch is detected or in response to the length of time the touch is detected. In other implementations, the touch-sensitive panel 29 may be replaced with a user-operable button or the like.

The suction sensor 30 may be a pressure sensor or microphone or the like configured to detect a pressure drop or flow of air caused by a user inhaling the device 2 . The intake sensor 30 is positioned in fluid communication with the air flow path (ie, in fluid communication with the air flow path between the inlet 27 and the outlet 28 ). In a manner similar to that described above, the control circuit 23 may be configured to receive a signaling from an inhalation sensor and use this signaling to determine whether the user is inhaling the aerosol providing system 1 . When the control circuit 23 receives this signaling, the control circuit 23 is configured to power one or more of the heating elements 24 from the power source 22 . Power may be supplied for a predetermined period of time (eg, 3 seconds) from the moment when inhalation is detected or in response to a length of time when inhalation is detected.

In the example described, both the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30 detect the user's desire to initiate the generation of an aerosol for inhalation. The control circuit 23 may be configured to power the heating element 24 only when signaling from both the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 is detected. This may help to prevent inadvertent activation of the heating elements 24 due to accidental activation of one of the user input mechanisms. However, in other implementations the aerosol providing system 1 may have only one of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30 .

These aspects of operation of the aerosol providing system 1 (ie, puff detection and touch detection) are performed in accordance with established techniques (eg, using conventional inhalation sensor and inhalation sensor signal processing techniques and using conventional touch sensor and using touch sensor signal processing techniques).

In some implementations, in response to detecting a signal from one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 , the control circuit 23 powers each of the respective heating elements 24 . It is configured to supply sequentially.

More specifically, the control circuit 23 is configured to each of the individual heating elements 23 in response to a series of detections of signaling received from one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 . configured to sequentially supply power. For example, the control circuit 23 supplies power to a first heating element 24 of the plurality of heating elements 24 when signaling is first detected (eg, from when the device 2 is first switched on). can be configured to When the signaling ceases, or in response to detecting that a predetermined time has elapsed from the signaling, the control circuit 23 indicates that the first heating element 24 has been activated (thus corresponding to the aerosol generating material 44 ). that the individual parts to be heated) are registered. The control circuit 23 determines that the second heating element 24 should be activated in response to receiving a subsequent signal from one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 . Accordingly, when signaling from one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 is received by the control circuit 23 , the control circuit 23 activates the second heating element 24 . do. This process is repeated for the remaining heating elements 24 so that all heating elements 24 are activated sequentially.

Effectively, this operation means that for each inhalation a different portion of the individual portions of the aerosol generating material 44 is heated and an aerosol is generated therefrom. In other words, a single discrete portion of the aerosol generating material is heated with each inhalation by the user.

In other implementations, the control circuit 23 determines that the second heating element 24 should be activated in response to subsequent signaling from one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 . It may be configured to activate the first heating element 24 multiple times (eg, twice) before, or activate each of the plurality of heating elements 24 once or all heating elements 24 are activated once. Detection of a subsequent signaling when caused causes the heating elements to be subsequently activated at a second time.

These sequential activations may be referred to as a "sequential activation mode", which is primarily designed to deliver a consistent aerosol upon inhalation (a consistent aerosol can be measured, for example, in terms of the total aerosol produced or total components delivered). have). Accordingly, this mode may be most effective when each portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 of the aerosol-generating article 4 is substantially identical; That is, the portions 44a to 44f are formed of the same material.

In some other implementations, in response to detecting a signal from one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 , the control circuit 23 is connected to one or more of the heating elements 24 . configured to supply power at the same time.

In such implementations, the control circuit 23 may be configured to power selected ones of the heating elements 24 in response to a predetermined configuration. The predetermined configuration may be a configuration selected or determined by a user. For example, the touch-sensitive panel 29 may activate any of the heating elements 24 when signaling from one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 is received by the control circuit 23 . It may include zones that allow the user to individually select which ones are to be activated. In some implementations, the user may also be able to set a power level for each heating element 24 that will be supplied to the heating element 24 in response to receiving the signaling.

4 is a top-down view of a touch-sensitive panel 29 according to these implementations. 4 schematically shows the outer housing 21 and the touch-sensitive panel 29 as previously described. The touch-sensitive panel 29 has six zones 29a to 29f corresponding to each of the six heating elements 24 , and for indicating that the user wants to initiate inhalation or as previously described. together with a zone 29g corresponding to a zone for generating an aerosol. Each of the six zones 29a - 29f corresponds to a touch-sensitive zone that can be touched by a user to control power delivery to each of the six corresponding heating elements 24 . In the described implementation, each heating element 24 can be placed in a number of states, such as an off state in which the heating element 24 is not powered, a low power state in which a first level of power is supplied to the heating element 24; and a high power state in which a second level of power is supplied to the heating element 24 , wherein the second level of power is greater than the first level of power. However, in other implementations fewer or more states may be available for the heating elements 24 . For example, each heating element 24 may have an off state in which the heating element 24 is not energized and an on state in which the heating element 24 is energized.

Thus, the user interacts with the touch-sensitive panel 29 prior to generating the aerosol to determine which heating elements 24 (and subsequently which portions of the aerosol generating material 44 ) should be heated (and optionally to how far they should be heated) can be set. For example, the user may repeatedly tap zones 29a - 29f to cycle through different states (eg, off, low power, high power, off, etc.). Alternatively, the user may press and hold zones 29a-29f to cycle through different states, where the duration of the press determines the state.

The touch-sensitive panel 29 may be provided with one or more indicators for each of the respective zones 29a - 29f to indicate what state the heating element 24 is currently in. For example, the touch-sensitive panel may include one or more LEDs or similar lighting elements, the intensity of which informs the current state of the heating element 24 . Alternatively, a colored LED or similar lighting element may be provided, the color indicating the current state. Alternatively, the touch-sensitive panel 29 may be placed below the transparent touch-sensitive panel 29 or regions of the touch-sensitive panel 29 that display the current state of the heating element 24 (eg, the touch-sensitive panel 29 ). a display element (which may be provided adjacent to 29a-29f).

When the user has set the configuration for the heating elements 24 , from one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 (in particular the region 29g of the touch-sensitive panel 29 ) and the suction sensor 30 . In response to detecting the signaling of , the control circuit 23 is configured to supply power to the selected heating element 24 according to a pre-set configuration.

Accordingly, these simultaneous activations of the heating element 24 may be referred to as a “simultaneous activation mode”, which is primarily customized from a given article 4 with the intention of allowing the user to customize the user's experience on a per-session basis or even per buff basis. Designed to deliver possible aerosols. Accordingly, this mode may be most effective when the portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 of the aerosol-generating article 4 are different from each other. For example, portions 44a and 44b are formed of one material, portions 44c and 44d are formed of another material, and so on. Thus, in this mode of operation, the user can select which parts are to be aerosolized at any given moment and thus which combinations of aerosols are to be provided.

In both of the simultaneous and sequential activation modes, the control circuit 23 is configured, for example, when each of the heating elements 24 is activated sequentially a predetermined number of times, or when a given heating element 24 is activated a predetermined number of times and/or or to generate a warning signal indicating the end of use of the article 4 when activated for a given cumulative activation time and/or at a given cumulative activation power. 1 , the device 2 comprises an end-of-use indicator 31 , which in the present implementation is an LED. However, in other implementations, the end-of-use indicator 31 may include any mechanism capable of supplying a warning signal to the user; That is, the end-of-use indicator 31 may be an optical element for transmitting an optical signal, a sound generator for transmitting an auditory signal, and/or a vibrator for transmitting a haptic signal. In some implementations, the indicator 31 may be coupled or otherwise provided by the touch-sensitive panel (eg, where the touch-sensitive panel includes a display element). The device 2 may prevent subsequent activation of the device 2 when a warning signal is being output. The warning signal can be switched off and the control circuit 23 is reset when the user replaces the item 4 and/or switches off the warning signal via manual means such as a button (not shown). .

More specifically, in implementations where sequential activation mode is used, the control circuit 23 counts the number of times signaling from one or both of the touch-sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 is received during the period of use. and once the count reaches a predetermined number, the article 4 is determined to have reached end of life. For example, in the case of an article 4 comprising six separate portions of aerosol generating material 44 , the predetermined number may be six, twelve, eighteen, etc. depending on the very implementation at hand.

In implementations where a simultaneous activation mode is used, the control circuit 23 may be configured to count the number of times that one or each of the individual portions of the aerosol generating material 44 is heated. For example, the control circuit 23 may count the number of times the nicotine-containing portion has been heated and determine the end of the life of the article 4 when the number reaches a predetermined number. Alternatively, the control circuit 23 may be configured to count separately for each individual portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 when each individual portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 is heated. Each portion may result in the same or a different predetermined number, and when any one of the counts for each of the portions of the aerosol generating material reaches the predetermined number, the control circuit 23 controls the number of determine the end of life.

In any of the implementations, the control circuit 23 may also take into account the length of time the portion of the aerosol-generating material was heated and/or the temperature at which the portion of the aerosol-generating material was heated. In this regard, rather than counting individual activations, the control circuit 23 may be configured to calculate a cumulative parameter indicative of heating conditions experienced by each of the portions of the aerosol generating material 44 . The parameter may be, for example, cumulative time, whereby the temperature at which the material is used controls the length of time added to the cumulative time. For example, a portion heated at 200°C for 3 seconds may add 3 seconds to the accumulation time, while a portion heated at 250°C for 3 seconds may add 4 and a half seconds to the accumulation time.

The foregoing techniques for determining the end of life of an article 4 are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of ways for determining the end of life of an article 4 , in fact any in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure Any other suitable method may be used.

In the implementation of the aerosol providing system 1 described above, a plurality of (individual) portions of the aerosol generating material 44 that can be selectively aerosolized using the aerosol generating components 24 are provided. These aerosol delivery systems 1 offer advantages over other systems designed to heat large amounts of material. In particular, for a given inhalation, only a selected portion (or portions) of the aerosol generating material is aerosolized, providing an overall more energy efficient system.

In heating systems, several parameters affect the overall effectiveness of such a system in delivering a sufficient amount of aerosol to the user in each puff unit. On the one hand, the thickness of the aerosol-generating material is important as it affects how quickly the aerosol-generating material reaches its operating temperature (and subsequently generates an aerosol). While this may be important for a number of reasons, it allows for more efficient use of energy from the power source 22 as the heating element may not need to be activated for a long time compared to heating a thicker portion of the material. . On the one hand, the total mass of the aerosol generating material to be heated affects the total amount of aerosol that can be generated and delivered to the user. Moreover, the temperature to which the aerosol generating material is heated can affect both how quickly the aerosol generating material reaches its operating temperature and the amount of aerosol generated.

Amorphous solids (eg, as described above) are composed, in part, of components/components from which amorphous solids are selected, such that a relatively high proportion of mass is useful (or transferable) components (eg, such as nicotine and glycerol), making it particularly suitable for the above application. Thus, amorphous solids can generate a relatively high proportion of aerosol from a given mass compared to some other aerosol-generating materials (such as tobacco), which means that relatively smaller portions of amorphous solid can output similar amounts of aerosol. means there is Moreover, amorphous solids do not tend to flow easily (even if they do), meaning that problems with leakage are greatly alleviated, for example when using liquid aerosol generating materials.

However, according to the present disclosure, the inventors have in some cases provided with aerosol generating components 24 (such as heating elements It has been found that devices 2 having an array of 24)) may in some cases lead to discrepancies in the amount of aerosol delivered to the user from puff to puff even though the heating conditions are generally the same.

This is because some of the portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 are provided at different clearances relative to the opening 28 of the mouthpiece 26 so that the aerosol is first formed at a location adjacent to the portion of the aerosol-generating material. , is thought to be due in part to the fact that the distance that the aerosol must travel can vary.

FIG. 5 reproduces FIG. 3 , but additionally includes two arrows labeled D1 and D2. D1 extends from heating element 24a to outlet 28 of mouthpiece end 26 , while D2 extends from heating element 24f to outlet 28 . As should be appreciated, arrows D1 and D2 are representations of distances traveled by an aerosol generated using respective heating elements 24a and 24f by respective portions of aerosol generating material 44a and 44f. .

Generally, as a hot aerosol moves, it cools and condenses. Therefore, the greater the distance the aerosol must travel, the greater the likelihood that the aerosol will cool and condense. Condensate may also be deposited, for example, on surfaces it encounters as it travels, such as the surfaces of the receptacle 25 in the example of FIG. 5 . The greater the distance the aerosol travels, the greater the likelihood of deposition, in part because the likelihood of meeting a surface increases and also the particle size increases as the aerosol travels and cools. In FIG. 5 , since D1 is much larger than D2 , for example, the aerosol generated in the heating element 24a by the portion 44a is the device compared to the aerosol generated in the heating element 24f by the portion 44f . It can be seen that the amount/volume of the aerosol is more likely to decrease when exiting the outlet 28 of (2). Likewise, the aerosol generated in the heating elements 24c and 24d by the portions 44c and 44d has an outlet compared to the aerosol generated in the heating elements 24e and 24f by the portions 44e and 44f. It may be more likely that the amount of that aerosol will decrease as it exits, but that aerosol as it exits the outlet 28 compared to the aerosol generated in the heating elements 24a and 24b by the portions 44a and 44b. may be more likely to increase the amount of This effect can be even more pronounced when the number of heating elements is increased (eg, to a 2 x 6 array).

Distances D1 and D2 may be evaluated with respect to a common point located at the outlet 28 . For example, the common point may be the center of the cross-sectional area defined by the outlet 28 .

Accordingly, the inventors have proposed a device (2) for generating an aerosol from an article (4) comprising portions of an aerosol generating material (44), the device comprising: a receptacle (25) for receiving the article (4); An outlet 28 fluidly coupled to the receptacle 25, an aerosolization process for one or more of the portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 when the article 4 is received in the receptacle (ie, the aerosol from the aerosol-generating material is at least one aerosol generating component 24 configured to perform a process enabling it to be generated, such as heating, and a control circuit for controlling the aerosol generating component 44 . Additionally, the control circuit 23 is configured to cause the at least one aerosol-generating component 24 to cause an individual amount of the aerosol-generating material 44 based on the distance of the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 from the outlet 28 . configured to generate an amount of an aerosol from a portion of

In this way, the amount of aerosol generated from individual portions of aerosol generating material 44 can be set to compensate for loss of aerosol due to condensation as the aerosol travels to outlet 28 .

In other words, the aerosol-generating component 24 allows a substantially constant amount of the aerosol to pass through the outlet 28 irrespective of the distance of the respective portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 from the outlet 28 . 44) to generate an amount of an aerosol from the individual portions. Accordingly, the user may be provided with a more consistent inhalation experience.

In this regard, it should be recognized that while the expression "a more consistent inhalation experience" does not necessarily mean that each puff of the session has the same taste or that the proportions of ingredients delivered are the same, this is not excluded.

On the one hand, the article 4 may comprise parts of an aerosol generating material that have the same formulation/composition and may be aerosolized according to a “sequential activation mode”. In this case, in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, each portion of the aerosol generating material 44 is measured using simulated standard inhalation (eg, according to Coresta Recommended Method 81 (CRM 81)). It is aerosolized by an amount depending on the distance from the outlet 28 such that the amount of aerosol that exits the outlet 28 when it is released is substantially the same. In this case, each sequential activation provides substantially the same amount of aerosol as it exits the outlet 28 .

On the other hand, where the article 4 comprises parts of different aerosol generating material so that the aerosol is customizable as described above, the principles of the present disclosure apply for parts of the aerosol generating material of the same type. . In other words, for a given type of aerosol generating material (eg, a nicotine-rich amorphous solid), the device 2 outputs a consistent amount of aerosol generated from that portion regardless of the distance of that portion from the outlet 28 . is composed In such implementations, the total aerosol quantity may vary (eg, as different portions of the aerosol generating materials are heated at the same time). In other words, the amount of aerosol that contributes to the total aerosol exiting the outlet 28 is substantially the same, so that delivery from that particular portion is consistent.

The amount of aerosol generated based on the distance of the portion of the aerosol generating material from the outlet is likely to vary depending on the size of the distances involved, the type of material and the target aerosol to output. However, in some implementations, the increase in the amount of aerosol to be output may be 50% or less, 40% or less, 30% or less, 20% or less, or 10% or less of the target aerosol amount to be output.

Referring to FIG. 5 , in most cases, the control circuit 23 causes the aerosol generating component 24 to cause the aerosol generating component 24 to aerosol as the individual portions of the aerosol generating material 44 are further away from the outlet 28 . It should be appreciated that it will be configured to generate increasing amounts of aerosol from individual portions of product material 44 . Thus, by generating more aerosol from the portion of the aerosol generating material further away from the outlet 28 , it is more likely that relatively more of the aerosol being delivered will reach the outlet 28 . In other words, more aerosol is generated to compensate for the loss of the aerosol as it travels to the outlet.

Additionally or alternatively, depending on the characteristics of the system 1 , only a portion of the portions of the aerosol generating material may be aerosolized based on the distance from the outlet 28 . For example, for a given system 1 , the greatest effect of the distance from the outlet 28 is the aerosol-generating portions furthest from the outlet 28 , ie (corresponding to the heating elements 24a and 24b ). It can be seen empirically that it relates to portions 44a and 44b. That is, for example, the portions 44c - 44f when aerosolized produce a similar amount of aerosol when exiting the outlet 28 despite being at different distances from the outlet 28 , whereas when being aerosolized. , portions 44a and 44b may reduce the amount of aerosol generated by approximately 20% when compared to portions 44c - 44f. Thus, the control circuit 23 may be arranged to cause the aerosolization of some portions of the aerosol-generating material according to a common aerosolization/heating profile, while the aerosolization/heating profiles of the remaining portions of the aerosol-generating material are at the outlet ( 28) according to the distance of the part from

Although it has been discussed that the portions further from the outlet 28 are arranged to be more aerosolized or heated to generate more aerosol, the control circuit 23 is relatively isolated from the portions of the aerosol generating material closer to the outlet 28 . It should be equally appreciated that it may be arranged to generate less aerosol.

It should be appreciated that the amount of additional aerosol generated may not be exactly equal to the amount of aerosol lost. For example, assume that 4 mg of aerosol is generated from a portion of the aerosol generating material and 1 mg of aerosol is lost as the aerosol travels to outlet 28 . Controlling the aerosol generating component by generating 5 mg of aerosol from the same portion 44 may not necessarily result in 4 mg of aerosol being output at the outlet 28 . In practical terms, it is likely that the losses incurred will be proportional to the amount of aerosol generated. Considering the previous example where 4 mg of aerosol is produced, 25% is lost when the aerosol is delivered to the outlet 28 . Therefore, when increasing the amount of aerosol generated to 5 mg, the losses may still be 25%, which causes 3.75 mg to reach the outlet 28 .

More generally speaking, the control circuit 23 causes the aerosol-generating component 24 to cause the portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 based on a function of the distance of the portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 from the outlet 28 . configured to generate an amount of an aerosol from

This function can be found empirically by testing multiple portions of the aerosol generating material 44 to determine how the aerosol loss varies with distance from the outlet. It should be appreciated that this function may also generally depend on the air flow path and/or the geometry of the receptacle. Up to a first approximation, the relationship between the generated aerosol and the distance may be linear. For example, the amount of additional aerosol to be generated for each mm increase in distance may be set, for example, to 0.01 mg/mm.

In the implementations described above, the aerosol generating components are heating elements 24 arranged to heat portions of the aerosol generating material. When attempting to use the heating element 24 to control the amount of aerosol generated from a portion of the aerosol-generating material, the temperature to which the heating element 24 must be raised can be adjusted and/or the time at which the aerosol-generating material is heated. This can be adjusted.

That is, in some implementations, the control circuit 23 is configured to set the operating temperature for the at least one heating element 24 based on the distance of the respective portion of the aerosol generating material from the outlet 28 . The operating temperature may be defined as a target temperature, and the heating element 24 is controlled to reach the target temperature. In other words, the power supplied to the heating element 24 is set to be sufficient power to cause the heating element 24 to reach the target temperature. Raising the target temperature essentially increases the amount of energy transferred to the aerosol generating material. However, in most implementations, an upper limit is imposed on the target operating temperature because heating the material above the upper limit may carbonize or burn the aerosol generating material 44 .

Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the control circuit 23 sets the heating duration for the at least one heating element 24 based on the distance of the respective portion of the aerosol generating material from the outlet 28 . is configured to The duration of heating (ie, the amount of time the heating element is active) can also be set to vary the amount of aerosol generated, such that a longer duration of heating generally produces relatively more aerosol. As described above, the heating elements 24 are activated when a predetermined amount of time has elapsed from when signaling from one or both of the suction sensor 30 or the touch-sensitive panel 29 has ceased or from receiving the signaling. It can be switched off when However, according to the above implementations, the control unit 23 , for example, by causing the heating element 24 to heat above a predetermined threshold (or alternatively by increasing the threshold) or by causing it to continue heating beyond a signaling cessation. It may allow the heating element 24 to be activated for a longer period of time. This technique may also be combined with adjustment of operating temperature as described above.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the heating elements 24 of the described implementation are arranged in an array, in this case a 2×3 array. Thus, as can be inferred from FIG. 5 , there are six heating elements, whereas for a single outlet 28 (arranged coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the receptacle 25 ), the heating elements 24 ( It can thus be seen that there are three different path lengths between the aerosol generating portions 44 ) and the outlet 28 . Two are indicated by arrows D1 and D2 , while the third is the distance between heating element 24c (or heating element 24d ) and outlet 28 .

Thus, in this implementation, for a given amount of aerosol to be output at the outlet 28 , there may be three different amounts of aerosol that may be generated by the aerosol generating material. Thus, in this implementation, the control circuit 23 is configured to cause the heating element 24 to be activated to generate one of three different levels of aerosol. More specifically, the heating elements 24a and 24b may be set to a first level to output a first amount of aerosol; the heating elements 24c and 24d may be set to a second level to output a second amount of aerosol (lower than the first amount of aerosol); and the heating elements 24e and 24f may be set to a third level to output a third amount of aerosol (lower than the second amount of aerosol).

More generally, the heating elements and/or portions of the aerosol generating material may be arranged in an N×M array for a single outlet 28 , where (when viewing the array as in FIG. 5 ), N is the number of rows. represents a number, and M represents the number of columns. The control circuit 23 causes the heating elements 24 to generate X different amounts of aerosol (ie, operate at one of X different power levels and/or one of X different heater durations) ), where X is determined according to the following equation.

Moreover, although it has been previously discussed that the operation of the heating elements 24 may be adjusted to account for the distance of the portions 44 from the outlet, the portions of the aerosol generating material themselves may also be modified. For example, in some implementations, thickness and/or area extent may be varied. The thickness for parts further from the outlet can be increased, so that when the parts are heated to a higher temperature or for a longer period, there is more starting material to be aerosolized. Likewise, the areal extent of a portion of the aerosol generating material (and potentially the areal extent of an eating element) may also be increased for similar reasons. Thus, increased temperature and increased duration of heating may result in relatively more aerosol output.

Thus, by adjusting the degree of aerosolization provided by the aerosol-generating component to the portion of the aerosol-generating material based on the distance from the outlet 28 from the aerosol-generating site (ie at the aerosol-generating portion 44 or A device 2 capable of compensating for aerosol lost during delivery (on it) has been described above.

The foregoing assumes that there is one common outlet through which the aerosol passes when the user inhales the device 2 . However, the principles of the present disclosure are equally applicable to devices having multiple outlets. The method becomes more complicated in this situation, but the principles are nevertheless the same. In most devices, the user will inhale at one mouthpiece end 26/one outlet 28 at any given time. The control unit may be configured to determine which outlet is currently in use and adjust the degree of aerosolization accordingly.

Additionally, although it has been previously described that the mouthpiece 26 forms part of and/or is coupled to the outer housing 21 , in some implementations the mouthpiece 26 is the It should be recognized that they may form a part. This may in particular be the case if the article 4 comprises a chamber through which air and/or aerosol may pass, wherein the chamber comprises an aerosol generating material. In such implementations, the article 4 is disposed into and protrudes from the receptacle 25 , such that the mouthpiece of the article extends from the aerosol providing device 2 . In these cases, the receptacle 25 includes an opening through which the mouthpiece 26 projects. The opening in these implementations may be referred to as the outlet 28 of the device 2 , so that the control circuit 23 controls the aerosol based on the distance from the outlet 28 of the device 2 as described above. and may be configured to adjust the heating profile of the portion of the product material.

6 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic representation of an aerosol delivery system 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The aerosol delivery system 200 includes components generally similar to those described with respect to FIG. 1 ; Reference numbers are incremented by 200. For efficiency, components having like reference numerals should be understood to be substantially identical to their counterparts in FIGS. 1 and 2A-2C , unless otherwise noted.

The aerosol providing device 202 includes an outer housing 221 , a power source 222 , a control circuit 223 , inductive actuation coils 224a , a receptacle 225 , a mouthpiece end 226 , an air inlet 227 . ), an air outlet 228 , a touch-sensitive panel 229 , an intake sensor 230 , and an end-of-use indicator 231 .

The aerosol generating article 204 includes a carrier component 242 , an aerosol generating material 244 , and susceptor elements 244b , as shown in more detail in FIGS. 7A-7C . 7A is a top-down view of the article 4 , FIG. 7B is an end-on view along the longitudinal (length) axis of the article 204 , and FIG. 7C is an end-on view along the width axis of the article 204 . This is a side-on view.

6 and 7 show an aerosol delivery system 200 that uses induction to heat an aerosol generating material 244 to generate an aerosol for inhalation.

In the described implementation, the aerosol generating component 224 comprises two parts; ie inductive actuation coils 224a located in the aerosol providing device 202 and susceptors 224b located in the aerosol generating article 204 . Thus, in this described implementation, each aerosol generating component 224 includes elements distributed between the aerosol generating article 204 and the aerosol providing device 202 .

Inductive heating is a process in which an electrically-conductive object, referred to as a susceptor, is heated by passing a variable magnetic field through the object. This process is described by Faraday's law of induction and Ohm's law. An inductive heater may include an electromagnet and a device for passing a variable current, such as alternating current, through the electromagnet. When the electromagnet and the object to be heated are properly and relatively positioned so that the resulting variable magnetic field generated by the electromagnet passes through the object, one or more eddy currents are created within the object. An object has resistance to the flow of currents. Thus, when these eddy currents are created in the object, the flow of the eddy currents against the object's electrical resistance causes the object to heat up. This process is called Joule, ohmic or resistance heating.

A susceptor is a material that can be heated by penetration of a variable magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The heating material may be an electrically conductive material, and penetration of a variable magnetic field into the heating material causes inductive heating of the heating material. The heating material may be a magnetic material, such that penetration of a variable magnetic field into the heating material causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material. The heating material may be both an electrically conductive material and a magnetic material, such that the heating material is heatable by both heating mechanisms.

Magnetic hysteresis heating is a process in which an object made of magnetic material is heated by passing a variable magnetic field through the object. A magnetic material may be considered to include many atomic-scale magnets or magnetic dipoles. When a magnetic field passes through this material, the magnetic dipoles are aligned with the magnetic field. Thus, when a variable magnetic field, for example an alternating magnetic field generated by an electromagnet, passes through a magnetic material, the orientation of the magnetic dipoles changes according to the applied variable magnetic field. This magnetic dipole reorientation causes heat to be generated in the magnetic material.

When an object is both electrically conductive and magnetic, passing a variable magnetic field through the object can induce both Joule heating and magnetic hysteresis heating in the object. Moreover, the use of magnetic material may enhance the magnetic field, which may intensify Joule heating.

In the described implementation, the susceptors 224b are formed of aluminum foil, although it should be appreciated that other metals and/or electrically conductive materials may be used in other implementations. 7 , the carrier component 242 includes a plurality of susceptors 224b corresponding in size and location to individual portions of the aerosol generating material 244 disposed on the surface of the carrier component 242 . include That is, the susceptor 224b has a similar width and length as the individual portions of the aerosol generating material 244 .

The susceptors are shown embedded in the carrier component 242 . However, in other implementations, the susceptors 224b may be disposed on the surface of the carrier component 242 .

The aerosol providing device 202 comprises a plurality of inductive actuating coils 224a schematically shown in FIG. 6 . The actuating coils 224a are shown adjacent the receptacle 225 and are arranged such that an axis of rotation around which a given coil is wound extends into the receptacle 225 and is generally perpendicular to the plane of the carrier component 242 of the article 204 . They are usually flat coils. It should be appreciated that the exact windings are not shown in FIG. 6 and that any suitable inductive coil may be used.

Control circuit 223 includes a mechanism for generating an alternating current that is delivered to any one or more of inductive coils 224a. The alternating current creates an alternating magnetic field, as described above, which in turn causes the corresponding susceptor(s) 224b to heat up. Accordingly, the heat generated by the susceptor(s) 224b is transferred to portions of the aerosol generating material 244 .

1 and 2A-2C , the control circuit 223 , in response to receiving signaling from the touch-sensitive panel 229 and/or the suction sensor 230 , activates the actuating coils. and supply current to 224a. As previously described, any of the techniques for selecting which heating elements 24 are heated by the control circuit 23 can be performed in which the control circuit 223 is touched to generate an aerosol for user inhalation. - which actuating coils 224a are energized in response to receiving signaling from sensing panel 229 and/or inhalation sensor 230 (thus which portions of aerosol generating material 244 are subsequently heated It can be applied similarly to selecting

Although previously described an inductive heating aerosol providing system in which actuating coils 224a and susceptors 224b are dispensed between article 204 and device 202 , actuating coils 224a and susceptors 224b ) may be provided with an inductive heating aerosol delivery system located solely within the device 202 . For example, referring to FIG. 6 , susceptors 224b may be provided above the inductive actuation coils 224a such that the susceptors 224b are in contact with the lower surface of the carrier component 242 ( FIG. 1 ). in a similar manner to the aerosol providing system 1 shown in ).

Accordingly, FIG. 6 describes a more specific implementation in which inductive heating may be used in the aerosol providing device 202 to generate an aerosol for user inhalation and the techniques described in this disclosure may be applied.

Although previously described a system in which an array of aerosol-generating components 24 (e.g., heater elements) is provided for energizing individual portions of an aerosol-generating material, in other implementations the article 4 and/or the aerosol-generating component ( 24) may be configured to move relative to each other. That is, there may be fewer aerosol-generating components 24 than individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44 provided on carrier component 42 of article 4 , and thus individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44 . A relative movement of the article 4 and the aerosol generating components 24 is required to be able to individually energize each of the parts. For example, a movable heating element 24 may be provided in the receptacle 25 such that the heating element 24 is movable relative to the receptacle 25 . In this way, the movable heating element 24 can be configured such that the heating element 24 can be aligned with individual individual portions of the aerosol generating material 44 (eg, the width of the carrier component 42 and in longitudinal directions). This approach may reduce the number of aerosol generating components 42 required while continuing to provide a similar user experience.

Although previously described implementations in which separate spatially distinct portions of aerosol-generating material 44 are deposited on carrier component 42 , in other implementations the aerosol-generating material is not provided in separate spatially distinct portions, but instead It should be appreciated that the aerosol generating material 44 may be provided as a continuous sheet. In such implementations, certain regions of the sheet of aerosol generating material 44 may be selectively heated to generate an aerosol in substantially the same manner as described above. However, regardless of whether the portions are spatially distinct, the present disclosure has described heating (or otherwise aerosolizing) portions of the aerosol generating material 44 . In particular, the zone (corresponding to the portion of the aerosol-generating material) is on the continuous sheet of aerosol-generating material based on the dimensions of the heating element 24 (or more specifically the surface of the heating element 24 designed to increase the temperature). can be defined. In this regard, the corresponding area of the heating element 24 when projecting onto the sheet of aerosol-generating material may be considered to define a region or portion of the aerosol-generating material. According to the present disclosure, each zone or portion of the aerosol generating material may have a mass of 20 mg or less, while the entire continuous sheet may have a mass greater than 20 mg.

Although implementations have been described above in which device 2 can be configured or operated using a touch-sensitive panel 29 mounted on device 2 , instead, device 2 can be configured or controlled remotely. can be For example, the control circuit 23 may be provided with a corresponding communication circuit (eg, Bluetooth) that enables the control circuit 23 to communicate with a remote device such as a smartphone. Accordingly, the touch-sensitive panel 29 can actually be implemented using an app running on a smartphone or the like. The smartphone may then transmit user inputs or configurations to the control circuitry 23 , which may be configured to operate based on the received inputs or configurations.

While implementations have previously been described in which an aerosol is generated by energizing (eg, heating) the aerosol generating material 44 and then a user inhaling the generated aerosol, in some implementations the generated aerosol is one of the aerosols before inhaled by the user. It should be appreciated that it may pass through or pass over an aerosol modifying component for modifying the above characteristics. For example, the aerosol providing device 2 , 202 may include a breathable insert (not shown) that is inserted into the air flow path downstream of the aerosol generating material 44 (eg, the insert may be positioned at the outlet 28 ). have). The insert may comprise a material that alters any one or more of flavor, temperature, particle size, nicotine concentration, etc. of the aerosol as it passes through the insert prior to entering the user's mouth. For example, the insert may comprise tobacco or treated tobacco. Such systems may be referred to as hybrid systems. The insert may comprise any suitable aerosol modifying material, which may include the aerosol generating materials described above.

Although it has been previously described that the heating elements 24 are arranged to provide heat to the aerosol-generating material (or portions thereof) at an operating temperature at which the aerosol is generated from the aerosol-generating material (or portions thereof), in some implementations The heating elements 24 are arranged to preheat the portions of the aerosol generating material to a preheating temperature (lower than the operating temperature). When the part is heated to a preheat temperature, a small amount or no aerosol is generated at the preheat temperature. In particular, in some implementations, the control circuit is configured to supply power/energy before the first predetermined period of time begins (ie, prior to receiving a signaling informing of the user's intention to inhale the aerosol as in step S1 above). is composed However, since a smaller amount of energy is required to raise the temperature of the aerosol generating material from the preheat temperature to the operating temperature, the responsiveness of the system increases but the total energy consumption increases. This may be particularly suitable for relatively thicker parts of the aerosol generating material, eg having thicknesses greater than 400 μm, where a relatively higher amount of energy has to be supplied to reach the operating temperature. However, the energy consumption (eg, from the power source 22 ) may be relatively higher in such implementations.

Although implementations have been described above in which the aerosol providing device 2 includes an end-of-use indicator 31 , it should be appreciated that the end-of-use indicator 31 may be provided by another device remote from the aerosol providing device 2 . . For example, in some implementations, the control circuit 23 of the aerosol providing device 2 may include a communication mechanism that enables data transfer between the aerosol providing device 2 and a remote device, such as a smartphone or smartwatch, for example. have. In such implementations, when the control circuitry 23 determines that the article 4 has reached end-of-use, the control circuitry 23 is configured to transmit a signal to the remote device, which (eg, the display of the smartphone) is configured to generate a warning signal). Other remote devices and other mechanisms for generating an alert signal may be used as described above.

Moreover, when portions of the aerosol-generating material are provided on the carrier component 42 , in some implementations, the portions are a relatively thinner weakened region of the aerosol-generating material in a direction approximately perpendicular to the plane of the carrier component 42 . (weakened regions), such as through holes or regions. This may be the case where the hottest part of the aerosol generating material is the area in direct contact with the carrier component (ie, there may be scenarios where heat is mainly supplied to the surface of the aerosol generating material in contact with the carrier component 42 ). Thus, the through holes form channels that allow the generated aerosol to exit through the device 2 and be released into the environment/air flow rather than causing a potential build-up of the aerosol between the carrier component 42 and the aerosol generating material 44 . can provide This build-up of the aerosol can reduce the heating efficiency of the system, because in some implementations this build-up of the aerosol causes elevation of the aerosol-generating material from the carrier component 42 , thereby reducing the efficiency of heat transfer to the aerosol-generating material. to be. Each portion of the aerosol generating material may suitably be provided with one or more weakened zones.

In some implementations, the article 4 may include an identifier, such as a readable barcode or RFID tag, or the like, and the aerosol providing device 2 includes a corresponding reader. When the article is inserted into the receptacle 25 of the device 2 , the device 2 may be configured to read an identifier on the article 4 . The control circuit 23 recognizes the presence of the article 4 (thus allowing heating and/or resetting the end-of-life indicator) or the type and/or location of portions of the aerosol generating material relative to the article 4 . can be configured to identify This may affect which parts the control circuit 23 will aerosolize and/or the manner in which those parts are aerosolized, for example through adjustment of the aerosol generation temperature and/or heating duration. Any suitable technique for recognizing the article 4 may be used.

Accordingly, an aerosol providing device for generating an aerosol from an article comprising portions of an aerosol generating material has been described. The device includes a receptacle for receiving an article comprising portions of aerosol generating material, and an outlet fluidly coupled to the receptacle. The at least one aerosol generating component is configured to perform an aerosolization process on one or more of the portions of the aerosol generating material when the article is received in the receptacle. The device further comprises a control circuit for controlling the aerosol generating component. The control circuitry is configured to cause the at least one aerosol-generating component to generate an amount of an aerosol from the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material based on the distance of the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material from the outlet. Thus, the device may be enabled to account for the loss of aerosol during movement to the user depending on the relative position of the aerosol generation. In addition, an aerosol providing system and method for generating an aerosol are also described.

While the embodiments described above have, in some respects, focused on some particular exemplary aerosol delivery systems, it will be appreciated that the same principles may be applied to aerosol delivery systems using other techniques. That is, the specific manner in which the various aspects of the aerosol delivery system function are not directly related to the basic principles of the examples described herein.

To address various issues and advance the art, this disclosure presents, by way of illustration, various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced. The advantages and features of the present disclosure are merely representative samples of embodiments, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented solely to aid in understanding and teaching the claimed invention(s). Advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures and/or other aspects of the present disclosure are subject to limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims or limitations on their equivalents. It is not to be considered, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. Various embodiments may suitably include, consist of, or consist essentially of various combinations of disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. other than those specifically described herein. It will be appreciated that constituting essentially of, thus, features of the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims in combinations other than those expressly recited in the claims. This disclosure may include other inventions not currently claimed, but may be claimed in the future.

Claims (16)

An aerosol providing device for generating an aerosol from an article comprising portions of an aerosol generating material, comprising:
a receptacle for receiving the article comprising portions of aerosol generating material;
an outlet fluidly coupled to the receptacle;
at least one aerosol generating component configured to perform an aerosolization process on one or more of the portions of the aerosol generating material when the article is received in the receptacle; and
a control circuit for controlling the aerosol generating component;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause the at least one aerosol-generating component to generate an amount of an aerosol from the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material based on the distance of the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material from the outlet. aerosol delivery device. The method of claim 1,
wherein the control circuit is configured to generate an amount of aerosol from the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material such that a substantially constant amount of the aerosol passes through the outlet regardless of the distance of the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material from the outlet , an aerosol delivery device. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause the aerosol-generating component to generate an increasing amount of aerosol from the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material as the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material is further away from the outlet. aerosol delivery device. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause the aerosol-generating component to generate an amount of an aerosol from the portion of the aerosol-generating material based on a function of the distance of the portion of the aerosol-generating material from the outlet. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
wherein the at least one aerosol generating component is at least one heating element arranged to heat portions of the aerosol generating material. 6. The method of claim 5,
and the control circuit is configured to set an operating temperature for the at least one heating element based on a distance of the respective portion of the aerosol generating material from the outlet. 7. The method of claim 6,
and the control circuit is configured to set the operating temperature of the heating elements closer to the outlet than the operating temperature of the heating elements further from the outlet. 8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
and the control circuit is configured to set a heating duration for the at least one heating element based on a distance of the respective portion of the aerosol generating material from the outlet. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The portions of the aerosol-generating material when received in the receptacle are arranged in an N x M array with respect to the outlet, the control circuit being configured to cause the aerosol-generating component to generate X different amounts of aerosol, wherein X is

Determined according to, an aerosol providing device. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
said at least one aerosol generating components comprising a plurality of aerosol generating components arranged in an N x M array, said control circuitry causing each of said plurality of aerosol generating components to operate at one of X different power levels is configured to, wherein X is

Determined according to, an aerosol providing device. An aerosol delivery system comprising:
11. An aerosol providing system comprising an aerosol providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising an article comprising portions of an aerosol generating material. 12. The method of claim 11,
wherein each portion of the aerosol generating material is substantially the same. 12. The method of claim 11,
and the properties of the aerosol generating material differ according to a distance from the outlet when the aerosol generating material is received in the receptacle. 14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13,
wherein the aerosol generating material is an amorphous solid. A method of generating an aerosol using an aerosol generating device, comprising:
determining a distance between the portion of the aerosol generating material and an outlet of the device, through which the aerosol generated may be inhaled by a user;
setting an amount of an aerosol to be generated from the portion of the aerosol generating material based on the determined distance; and
generating an aerosol from a portion of the aerosol generating material. An aerosol providing means for generating an aerosol from an article comprising portions of an aerosol generating material, comprising:
receiving means for receiving said article comprising portions of aerosol generating material;
discharge means fluidly coupled to said receiving means;
at least one aerosol generating means configured to perform an aerosolization process on one or more of the portions of the aerosol generating material when the article is received in the receiving means; and
control means for controlling said aerosol generating means;
wherein the control means are configured to cause the at least one aerosol-generating means to generate an amount of an aerosol from the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material based on the distance of the respective portion of the aerosol-generating material from the discharging means. , means of providing aerosols.

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