KR20240009429A - Aerosol delivery device - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol presentation device (2) is disclosed comprising a mouthpiece (26) with one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members (901).

Description

Aerosol delivery device

The present invention relates to aerosol delivery devices, aerosol delivery systems and methods for generating aerosols.

Electronic aerosol generating systems, such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), generally have a reservoir of source liquid, typically containing a formulation containing nicotine, from which the aerosol is generated, e.g. For example, it is produced through heat vaporisation. Accordingly, an aerosol source for an aerosol delivery system may comprise a heater having a heating element arranged to receive source liquid from a reservoir, for example through wicking or capillary action. While a user inhales on the device, power is supplied to the heating element, which vaporizes the source liquid near the heating element and creates an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Such devices are typically provided with one or more air inlet holes located distal to the mouthpiece end of the system. When a user sucks on a mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn through the inlet holes and past the aerosol source. There is a flow path connecting the aerosol source and the mouthpiece opening, such that air drawn past the aerosol source continues to move along the flow path to the mouthpiece opening, carrying with it a portion of the aerosol from the aerosol source. Aerosol carrying air exits the aerosol delivery system through the mouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user.

Other aerosol-producing devices generate aerosols from solid materials such as tobacco or tobacco derivatives. Such devices operate in a broadly similar manner to the liquid-based systems described above in that the solid tobacco material is heated to its vaporization temperature to produce an aerosol, which is subsequently inhaled by the user.

In most aerosol delivery devices, users seek consistent delivery from puff to puff so that each puff tastes the same and/or provides the same desired effect. However, the devices described above are not always able to provide consistent delivery.

It is desirable to provide an aerosol delivery device that delivers improved delivery of aerosol and/or provides an improved sensory experience to the user.

According to one aspect, an aerosol presentation device is provided comprising a mouthpiece having one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members.

Providing one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members to the mouthpiece allows the air-to-aerosol ratio of the aerosol provided to the user to be varied.

According to various embodiments, the richness or leanness of the aerosol content delivered to the outlet of the mouthpiece (and appropriately experienced by the user) is altered or optimized by increasing or decreasing the percentage of air in the aerosol. can be considered possible. For example, the sensory experience can be improved by increasing the air content of the aerosol at a certain point, where one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members allow more air to flow into the mouthpiece. It may be determined that the flow can be increased to allow flow to the outlet of .

In contrast, the sensory experience can be improved by reducing the air content of the aerosol at a certain point in time, where one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members mix with the aerosol and form the mouthpiece. It may be determined that the amount of air flowing to the outlet can be reduced to limit it.

Various embodiments are contemplated. According to one embodiment, one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members are configured to switch between an OFF state and an ON state, i.e. 0% transmission to 100% transmission. can be adjusted.

However, alternative embodiments are contemplated in which the degree of opening of one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members may be varied. For example, one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members can vary between x% delivery rate and y% delivery rate, where 0<x<100 and 0<y<100 am.

In particular, the term “variable choke” should be understood as a valve which always allows some air to pass through, but where the degree of rate of transmission of air through the choke can be varied.

Optionally, one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members may be used to change the aerosolization of the aerosol or the air-to-aerosol ratio of the mixture of air and aerosol passing through the mouthpiece. are arranged to change the air flow.

For example, the air-to-aerosol ratio (or richness or leanness) of the aerosol passing through the mouthpiece can be altered as desired to enhance the resulting sensory experience.

Optionally, one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members are used to vary the aerosolization of the aerosol or the air-to-aerosol ratio of the mixture of air and aerosol passing into the mouthpiece. They are arranged to change the air flow away from each other.

For example, the air-to-aerosol ratio (or richness or leanness) of the aerosol passing through the mouthpiece can be altered as desired to enhance the resulting sensory experience.

Optionally, the aerosol presentation device further comprises control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to (i) be responsive to activation or deactivation of one or more heating elements; (ii) as a function of time; (iii) according to a predetermined timing profile; or (iv) selectively control one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members according to one or more user determined settings.

For example, the air-to-aerosol ratio (or richness or leanness) of the aerosol passing through the mouthpiece may change when the second heating element is activated for a period of time after the first heating element is activated. For example, it is contemplated that an aerosol presentation device may be capable of operating with a plurality of different heating modes. In a first mode of operation, the first heating element may be activated to rapidly increase the temperature at which the aerosol-generating article is initially heated. Later during the session, a second heating element may be activated to further increase the temperature of the aerosol-generating article. A change in the mode of operation may be coupled with a change in the position or delivery rate of one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members to change the air content or air-to-aerosol ratio of the aerosol.

According to another aspect, an aerosol presentation device is provided, the aerosol presentation device comprising: (i) one or more air inlets having one or more adjustable air inlets; and/or (ii) one or more air outlets having one or more adjustable air outlets.

Additionally or alternatively, a mouthpiece, more generally an aerosol delivery device, may be provided with one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members, which may include one or more adjustable air inlet elements. It is contemplated to include one or more air inlets having one or more air outlets and/or one or more air outlets having one or more adjustable air outlets.

Optionally, the aerosol presentation device includes control circuitry, the control circuitry configured to: (i) be responsive to activating or deactivating the plurality of heating elements; (ii) as a function of time; (iii) according to a predetermined timing profile; or (iv) selectively control one or more air inlets and/or one or more air outlets according to one or more user determined settings.

For example, the air-to-aerosol ratio (or richness or leanness) of the aerosol delivered to the user may change when the second heating element is activated for a period of time after the first heating element is activated. For example, it is contemplated that an aerosol presentation device may be capable of operating with a plurality of different heating modes. In a first mode of operation, the first heating element may be activated to rapidly increase the temperature at which the aerosol-generating article is initially heated. Later during the session, a second heating element may be activated to further increase the temperature of the aerosol-generating article. A change in mode may be coupled with a change in one or more air inlets and/or air outlets to change the air content of the aerosol.

According to another aspect, an aerosol presentation device is provided, the aerosol presentation device comprising a mouthpiece having a user portion and one or more diverter portions for diverting the aerosol from the user portion, the one or more diverter portions being operated in a first mode—aerosol or operable in a second mode, wherein the first volume (V1) of the aerosol/air mixture is directed to the user portion, wherein the aerosol or the second volume (V2) of the aerosol/air mixture is directed to the user portion, V2 < V1.

Instead of changing the flow of air into the aerosol stream flowing through the mouthpiece of the aerosol delivery device, one or more diverter portions may be used to change the air-to-aerosol ratio (or richness or leanness) of the aerosol as experienced by the user. It is contemplated that it may be arranged to divert a portion of the aerosol away from the piece.

Optionally, the aerosol presentation device further comprises control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to (i) be responsive to activation or deactivation of one or more heating elements; (ii) as a function of time; (iii) according to a predetermined timing profile; or (iv) selectively control one or more diverter portions according to one or more user determined settings.

For example, the air-to-aerosol ratio (or richness or leanness) of the aerosol delivered to the user may change when the second heating element is activated for a period of time after the first heating element is activated. For example, it is contemplated that an aerosol presentation device may be capable of operating with a plurality of different heating modes. In a first mode of operation, the first heating element may be activated to rapidly increase the temperature at which the aerosol-generating article is initially heated. Later during the session, a second heating element may be activated to further increase the temperature of the aerosol-generating article. A change in mode may be coupled with a change in the degree to which one or more diversion portions cause a portion of the aerosol to be diverted away from the mouthpiece to change the air content of the aerosol.

Optionally, the aerosol presentation device further includes a chamber for receiving the aerosol generating article.

According to various embodiments, an aerosol-generating article is inserted or received within a chamber of an aerosol-providing device when in use.

Optionally, the aerosol presentation device further comprises one or more heating elements. Heating elements may include resistive or inductive heating elements.

In one embodiment, the aerosol presentation device may include a plurality of individual heating elements. The heating elements themselves may be essentially planar, and there may be a one-to-one correspondence between the heating elements and a plurality of distinct aerosol-generating zones provided in a planar aerosol-generating article.

Optionally, the aerosol providing device further comprises one or more aerosol generating zones, where one or more or each aerosol generating zone may comprise at least one air supply hole in fluid communication with the external atmosphere.

It is contemplated that different aerosol generation zones may have identical or different flow paths to the mouthpiece. If there is a single flow path to the mouthpiece, one or more air supply holes may be provided to admit air into the chamber housing the aerosol generating article.

If there are multiple flow paths to the mouthpiece, one or more air supply holes may be provided in each flow path to supply air to different aerosol generation zones.

According to one aspect, an aerosol delivery system is provided, the aerosol delivery system comprising:

an aerosol delivery device as described above; and

and aerosol-generating articles comprising portions of aerosol-generating materials.

Optionally, (i) each portion of the aerosol-generating material is substantially identical; or (ii) at least some of the portions of the aerosol-generating material are substantially different.

It is contemplated that the sensory experience may be consistent throughout the session, with each portion of the aerosol-generating material or each aerosol-generating zone being substantially the same.

However, other embodiments are also contemplated where the sensory experience may wish to change throughout the session and where at least some of the portions of the aerosol-generating material or at least some of the aerosol-generating zones are different. For example, it may be desirable to provide a session in which certain flavors are introduced at different specific times during the session.

Optionally, the aerosol-generating article comprises a substantially planar aerosol-generating article.

In contrast to rod-like or stick aerosol-generating articles, according to various embodiments, the aerosol-generating article may be essentially flat with a length and width that are greater than the depth or height of the aerosol-generating article.

Optionally, the planar aerosol-generating article includes a plurality of aerosol-generating zones.

It is contemplated that an aerosol-generating article may be arranged to have a plurality of separate zones or portions, each of which can be selectively activated by one or more heating elements.

Optionally, the aerosol-generating article may be positioned adjacent to a plurality of heating elements when in use.

Optionally, the aerosol-generating article can be positioned so that, when in use, one or more aerosol-generating zones are positioned proximate the heating element, and the aerosol-generating article can be rotated relative to the heating element so that the one or more aerosol-generating zones are moved proximate to the heating element. become or move.

According to this embodiment, a single heating element can be provided and a planar aerosol generating article can be selectively rotated over the heating element to utilize different aerosol generating zones over the course of a session.

According to one aspect, a method of generating an aerosol is provided, comprising:

Providing an aerosol presentation device comprising a mouthpiece having one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members; and

One or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members to control air flow to the mouthpiece to change the aerosolization of the aerosol or the air-to-aerosol ratio of the mixture of air and aerosol passing into the mouthpiece. It includes the step of changing to change .

According to another aspect, a method is provided for generating an aerosol, comprising:

Providing an aerosol presentation device - the aerosol presentation device comprising: (i) one or more air inlets having one or more adjustable air inlets; and/or (ii) comprising one or more air outlets having one or more adjustable air outlets; and

One or more air inlets and/or air outlets for flowing air into and/or away from the mouthpiece to aerosolize an aerosol or change the air-to-aerosol ratio of the mixture of air and aerosol passing into the mouthpiece. It includes the step of changing to change .

According to another aspect, a method is provided for generating an aerosol, comprising:

Providing a mouthpiece having a user portion and one or more diverter portions for diverting aerosol away from the user portion;

operating one or more diverter portions in a first mode in which a first volume (V1) of aerosol or aerosol/air mixture is directed to the user portion; and

operating the one or more diverter parts in a second mode in which a second volume (V2) of aerosol or aerosol/air mixture is directed to the user part, where V2 < V1.

The features and aspects of the invention described above in relation to the first and other aspects of the invention are equivalent to the specific combinations described above as well as to embodiments of the invention according to other aspects of the invention as appropriate. It will be understood that they are applicable and combinable.

Various embodiments will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings:
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, wherein the aerosol-providing device includes a plurality of heating elements and the aerosol-generating article includes a plurality of portions of aerosol-generating material.
Figure 2A is a top-down view of the aerosol-generating article shown in Figure 1, Figure 2B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the longitudinal (length) axis of the aerosol-generating article, and Figure 2C is a side view along the width axis of the aerosol-generating article.
Figure 3 is a top-down cross-sectional view of the heating elements of the aerosol presentation device of Figure 1;
4 is a top-down view of an example touch-sensitive panel for operating various functions of an aerosol delivery device.
5 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, wherein the aerosol-providing device includes a plurality of induction coils and the aerosol-generating article comprises a plurality of portions of aerosol-generating material. and corresponding susceptor portions.
Figure 6a is a top-down view of the aerosol-generating article 4 of Figure 5, Figure 6b is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the longitudinal (length) axis of the aerosol-generating article, and Figure 6c is a side view along the width axis of the aerosol-generating article.
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic representation of an aerosol delivery device.
Figure 8 is an isometric exploded view of a portion of the aerosol delivery device of Figure 7.
Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional view of a schematic representation of an aerosol presentation device according to one embodiment, the aerosol presentation device comprising a mouthpiece having one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members. .

Aspects and features of specific examples and embodiments are discussed or described herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be implemented conventionally and are not described in detail or described for the sake of brevity. Accordingly, it will be understood that aspects and features of the devices and methods discussed herein, which are not described in detail, may be implemented in accordance with any prior art for implementing such aspects and features.

This disclosure relates to “non-flammable” aerosol delivery systems. A “non-flammable” aerosol delivery system is one in which the constituent materials of the aerosol delivery system (or components thereof) do not combust or burn to enable delivery of the aerosol to a user. Moreover, as commonly used in the technical field, the terms "vapor" and "aerosol" and related terms such as "evaporate", "volatilize" and "aerosolize" can generally be used interchangeably. there is.

In some embodiments, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system is a hybrid system that generates an aerosol using a combination of aerosol generating materials, one or more of which may be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be in solid, liquid or gel form, for example, and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system includes a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. Solid aerosol-generating materials may include plant-based materials, such as tobacco or non-tobacco products.

Typically, a non-flammable aerosol delivery system may include a non-flammable aerosol delivery device and aerosol-generating articles (sometimes referred to as consumables) for use in the non-flammable aerosol delivery device. However, it is envisioned that articles that themselves include means for powering the aerosol generating components can themselves form non-flammable aerosol delivery systems.

The aerosol-generating article - some or all of it - is intended to be consumed during use by a user. A consumable is an article that contains or consists of aerosol-generating materials, some or all of which are intended to be consumed during use by a user. The consumable may include one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage region, an aerosol-generating material delivery component, an aerosol-generating region, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece, a filter, and/or an aerosol modifier. The consumable may also include an aerosol generator, such as a heater, which emits heat to cause the aerosol generating material to generate an aerosol upon use. The heater may comprise, for example, a combustible material, a material heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor.

Non-flammable aerosol delivery systems often, but not always, include modular assemblies that include both a reusable aerosol delivery device and replaceable articles. In some implementations, the non-flammable aerosol delivery device can include a power source and a controller (or control circuitry). The power source may be an electrical power source, for example a battery or a rechargeable battery. In some implementations, the non-flammable aerosol presentation device can also include an aerosol generating component. However, in other implementations, the aerosol-generating article may partially or fully include aerosol-generating components.

An aerosol generating component (aerosol generator) is a device configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from an aerosol generating material. In some implementations, the aerosol-generating component is a heater that can interact with the aerosol-generating material to release one or more volatile substances from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating component can generate an aerosol from a material without heating. For example, an aerosol generating component can generate an aerosol from a material without applying heat, for example, through one or more of vibrational, mechanical, pressurizing or electrostatic means.

Aerosol-generating articles for use in non-flammable aerosol-presenting devices generally include aerosol-generating materials. An aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating an aerosol, for example, when energized, irradiated or heated in any other way. Aerosol-generating materials may be in the form of solids, liquids or semi-solids (such as gels), which may or may not contain, for example, active substances and/or flavoring agents.

The aerosolizable material may be present on or in the carrier support (or carrier component) to form a substrate. The carrier support may be, for example, paper, card, paperboard, cardboard, reconstituted aerosolisable material, plastic material, ceramic material, composite material, glass, metal or metal alloy. It may exist or include this.

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

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a schematic representation of the aerosol delivery system 1. The aerosol delivery system (1) comprises two main components: an aerosol delivery device (2) and an aerosol generating article (4).

Aerosol delivery device 2 includes an external housing 21, a power source 22, control circuitry 23, a plurality of aerosol generating components 24, a chamber 25, a mouthpiece end 26, and an air inlet ( 27), an air outlet 28, a touch sensing panel 29, a suction sensor 30, and an end-of-use indicator 31.

The outer housing 21 may be formed of any suitable material, for example a plastic material. The outer housing 21 is arranged such that the power source 22, control circuitry 23, aerosol generating components 24, chamber 25 and 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, described in detail below. The touch sensitive panel 29 and 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 area of the outer housing 21 containing the air outlet 28, and which allows the user to comfortably place his/her lips around the mouthpiece end 26 so that the lips are positioned at the air outlet (28). 28) can be shaped in such a way that it engages. In Figure 1, the thickness of the outer housing 21 decreases towards the air outlet 28, providing a relatively thinner portion of the aerosol presentation device 2 that can be more easily received by the user's lips. However, in other implementations, the mouthpiece end 26 may be a removable component that is separate from the outer housing 21 but can be coupled to the outer housing 21 and used for cleaning and/or attaching to another mouthpiece. It can be removed for replacement with end 26.

Power source 22 is configured to provide operating power to aerosol presentation device 2. Power source 22 may be any suitable power source, such as a battery. For example, power source 22 may include a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium ion battery. Power source 22 may form an integral part of aerosol presentation device 2 or may be removable. In some implementations, power source 22 may be connected to an aerosol delivery device (2) via an associated connection port, such as a USB port (not shown), or to an external power source (e.g., mains power) via a suitable wireless receiver (not shown). ) can be recharged through the connection.

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

In the described implementation, the aerosol presentation device (2) further comprises a chamber (25) arranged to receive the aerosol-generating article (4).

Aerosol-generating article 4 may include a carrier component 42 and aerosol-generating material 44. The aerosol-generating article 4 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2A-2C.

Figure 2a is a top-down view of the aerosol-generating article 4, Figure 2b is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the longitudinal (length) axis of the aerosol-generating article 4, and Figure 2c is a side view along the width axis of the aerosol-generating article 4. .

The aerosol-generating article 4 may comprise a carrier component 42, in this embodiment formed of a card. The carrier component 42 forms the majority of the aerosol-generating article 4 and serves as a base on which the aerosol-generating material 44 will be deposited.

Carrier component 42 is broadly cuboidal in shape with length I, width w, and thickness t _c as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C. As a specific example, the length of the carrier component 42 may be 30 to 80 mm, the width may be 7 to 25 mm, and the thickness may be 0.2 to 1 mm. However, it should be appreciated that the above are exemplary dimensions of carrier component 42 and that in other implementations carrier component 42 may have different dimensions as appropriate. In some implementations, carrier component 42 has one or more protrusions extending in length and/or width directions of carrier component 42 to help facilitate handling of aerosol-generating article 4 by a user. may include.

According to various embodiments, the aerosol-generating article 4 is essentially planar.

In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A-2C , the aerosol-generating article 4 includes a plurality of individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44 disposed on the surface of the carrier component 42. More specifically, the aerosol-generating article 4 comprises six individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44, labeled 44a to 44f and arranged in a 2×3 array. However, it should be appreciated that in other implementations more or fewer individual parts may be provided and/or the parts may be arranged in a different array (eg, a 1 x 6 array). In the example shown, the aerosol-generating material 44 is disposed at individual distinct locations on a single surface of the carrier component 42. Although the individual portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 are shown as having a circular footprint, it should be recognized that the individual portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 may take on any other footprint, such as square or rectangular, as appropriate. . The individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44 have a diameter d and a thickness t _a as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C. The thickness t _a can take any suitable value, for example, the thickness t _a can range from 50 μm to 1.5 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness t _a 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 t _a may be greater than 200 μm, for example between about 50 μm and about 400 μm, or about 1 mm, or about 1.5 mm.

The individual portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 may be separate from each other so that each of the individual portions may be individually or 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 that will be aerosolized at any time by a given aerosol-generating component 24 is relatively small. For example, the mass per portion may be 20 mg or less, may be 10 mg or less, or may be 5 mg or less. Of course, it should be recognized that the total mass of aerosol-generating articles 4 may exceed 20 mg.

Aerosol-generating article 4 may include multiple portions of aerosol-generating material 44 that are all formed from the same aerosol-generating material. Alternatively, the aerosol-generating article 4 may include multiple portions of aerosol-generating material 44, where at least two portions are formed of different aerosol-generating materials.

Chamber 25 is of a suitable size to removably contain an aerosol generating article 4 therein. Although not shown, the aerosol presentation device 2 has an external housing for allowing access to the chamber 25 to allow a user to insert and/or remove the aerosol generating article 4 to and from the chamber 25. It may include a removable portion of (21) or a hinged door. The removable portion or hinged door of the outer housing 21 may also serve to retain the aerosol-generating article 4 within the chamber 25 when closed. If the aerosol-generating article 4 is depleted or the user simply wishes 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 in the chamber 25 at that location. Alternatively, the aerosol presentation device 2 may comprise a permanent opening in communication with the chamber 25 through which the aerosol generating article 4 may be inserted into the chamber 25 . In these implementations, a retaining mechanism may be provided to retain the aerosol-generating article 4 within the chamber 25 of the aerosol-providing device 2.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the aerosol providing device 2 includes multiple aerosol generating components 24 (although other embodiments are contemplated in which a single aerosol generating component may be provided). Implementation Described In the aerosol generating components 24 (other embodiments are contemplated in which the heating elements may include inductive heating elements, as described below) the aerosol generating components 24 may be connected to heating elements 24, more specifically resistive heating elements. These are the elements (24). Resistive heating elements 24 receive electrical current and convert electrical energy into heat. Resistive heating elements 24 may be formed of or include any suitable resistive heating material that generates heat when receiving an electric current, such as nichrome (Ni20Cr80). In one implementation, the heating elements 24 may comprise an electrically insulating substrate on which resistive tracks are disposed.

Figure 3 is a top-down cross-sectional view of the aerosol presentation device 2 showing the arrangement of heating elements 24 in more detail. 1 and 3 the heating elements 24 are positioned so that the surface of the heating element 24 forms part of the surface of the chamber 25 . That is, the outer surface of the heating elements 24 has the same height as the inner surface of the receptacle. More specifically, the outer surface of the heating element 24, which has the same height as the inner surface of the chamber 25, is a heating element (i.e. whose temperature increases) when an electric current passes through the heating element 24. 24) is the surface.

The heating elements 24 are arranged such that when the aerosol-generating article 4 is received in the chamber 25, each heating element 24 is aligned with a corresponding individual portion of the aerosol-generating material 44. Accordingly, in this example, the six heating elements 24 are arranged in a 2x3 configuration, roughly corresponding to the 2x3 array of six individual portions of the aerosol generating material 44 shown in FIGS. 2A-2C. arranged in an array. However, as previously discussed, the number of heating elements 24 may be different in different implementations, for example, 8, 10, 12, 14, etc. heating elements 24. It can exist. In some implementations, the number of heating elements 24 is 6 or more, but 20 or less.

More specifically, the heating elements 24 are labeled 24a to 24f in Figure 3, where each heating element 24 is an aerosol generating material 44 as indicated by corresponding letters following reference numbers 24, 44. It should be recognized that it is arranged to align with the corresponding part of . Accordingly, each of the heating elements 24 can be individually activated to heat a corresponding portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 .

Although the heating elements 24 are shown flush with the interior surface of the chamber 25, in other implementations the heating elements 24 may protrude into the chamber 25. In either case, the aerosol-generating article 4 is connected to a heating element 25 when present in the chamber 25 such that the heat generated by the heating element 24 is conducted through the carrier component 42 to the aerosol-generating material 44. It contacts the surface of the field 24.

In some implementations, chamber 25 is configured to apply a force to the surface of carrier component 42 to press carrier component 42 onto heater elements 24 to improve heat transfer efficiency. elements, thereby increasing the efficiency of heat transfer via conduction to the aerosol generating material 44. Additionally or alternatively, the heater elements 24 may be configured to move in a direction toward/away from the aerosol-generating article 4 and do not include aerosol-generating material 44. may be pressed into the surface of the carrier component 42.

In use, the aerosol presentation device 2 (more specifically the control circuitry 23) is configured to deliver power to the heating elements 24 in response to user input. In general, the control circuitry 23 is configured to selectively apply power to the heating elements 24 to subsequently heat corresponding portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 to generate an aerosol. When a user inhales from the aerosol delivery device 2 (i.e., inhales from the mouthpiece end 26), air flows into the aerosol delivery device 2 through the air inlet 27 and into the chamber 25 (where , air is mixed with the aerosol generated by heating the aerosol generating material 44) and is then drawn into the user's mouth through the air outlet 28. That is, the aerosol is delivered to the user through the mouthpiece end 26 and the air outlet 28.

As shown in Figure 1, the aerosol delivery device 2 may optionally include a touch sensitive panel 29 and an inhalation sensor 30. Collectively, the touch sensitive panel 29 and inhalation sensor 30 serve as mechanisms for receiving user input that results in the creation of an aerosol, and thus may be more broadly referred to as user input mechanisms. The received user input may be said to indicate the user's desire to generate an aerosol.

However, other arrangements are contemplated in which the aerosol presentation device 2 does not include a touch sensitive panel 29 or an inhalation sensor 30.

The touch-sensitive panel 29 may be a capacitive touch sensor, wherein the user of the aerosol delivery device 2 places his or her finger or another suitable conductive object (e.g., a stylus) on the touch-sensitive panel. It can be operated by placing it. In the described implementation, the touch-sensitive panel includes an area that a user can press to initiate aerosol generation. Control circuitry 23 may be configured to receive signaling from touch-sensitive panel 29 and use this signaling to determine whether a user is pressing (i.e., activating) a region of touch-sensitive panel 29. there is. The control circuitry 23 is configured to supply power from the power source 22 to one or more of the heating elements 24 when the control circuitry 23 receives this signaling. Power may be supplied for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 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, etc.

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

In the example described, both the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30 detect the user's desire to begin generating an aerosol for inhalation. The control circuitry 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 prevent unintentional activation of the heating elements 24 from accidentally activating one of the user input mechanisms. However, in other implementations, the aerosol delivery system 1 may have only one of the touch sensitive panel 29 and the inhalation sensor 30.

These aspects of the operation of the aerosol delivery system 1 (i.e., puff detection and touch detection) can be performed according to established techniques (e.g., using conventional inhalation sensor and inhalation sensor signal processing techniques and It can be performed autonomously (using a touch sensor and touch sensor signal processing techniques).

In some implementations, in response to detecting signaling from one or both of the touch sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30, the control circuitry 23 applies power to each of the individual heating elements 24. It is configured to supply sequentially.

More specifically, the control circuitry 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, heats each of the individual heating elements 23. It is configured to supply power sequentially. For example, the control circuitry 23 may configure the first heating element of the plurality of heating elements 24 when signaling is first detected (e.g. from when the aerosol presentation device 2 is first switched ON). It may be configured to supply power to (24). In response to detecting that signaling has ceased or that a predetermined period of time has elapsed from signaling, control circuitry 23 determines that first heating element 24 has been activated (and thus aerosol-generating material 44 registers that the corresponding individual part has been heated. Control circuitry 23 determines, in response to receiving subsequent signaling from one or both of touch sensitive panel 29 and suction sensor 30, that second heating element 24 should be activated.

Accordingly, when signaling from one or both of the touch sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30 is received by the control circuitry 23, the control circuitry 23 activates the second heating element 24. I order it. 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 are heated and an aerosol is generated therefrom. That is, a single individual piece of aerosol-generating material is heated with each user inhalation.

In other implementations, control circuitry 23 determines that second heating element 24 should be activated in response to subsequent signaling from one or both of touch sensitive panel 29 and suction sensor 30. It may be configured to activate the first heating element 24 a plurality of times (e.g. twice) before activating each of the plurality of heating elements 24 once and once all the heating elements 24 have been activated. Once activated, detection of subsequent signaling causes the heating elements to be sequentially activated once again.

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

In some other implementations, in response to detecting signaling from one or both of the touch sensitive panel 29 and the suction sensor 30, the control circuitry 23 may simultaneously heat one or more of the heating elements 24. It is configured to supply power.

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

4 is a top-down view of the touch-sensitive panel 29. Figure 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 a display for indicating that the user wishes to start inhalation or as previously described. Likewise, it includes a zone (29g) corresponding to the zone for generating aerosol. Each of the six zones 29a to 29f corresponds to a touch sensitive zone that can be touched by the user to control power delivery to each of the six corresponding heating elements 24 . In the described implementation, each heating element 24 can be configured to operate in a number of states, e.g., an off state in which the heating element 24 is not powered, a first level of power supplied to the heating element 24 There may be a low power state, and a high power state in which a second level of power is supplied to the heating element 24, where the second level of power is greater than the first level of power. However, in other implementations, heating elements 24 may have fewer or more states available. For example, each heating element 24 may have an off state in which the heating element 24 is not powered and an on state in which the heating element 24 is powered.

Accordingly, the user can determine which heating elements 24 (and subsequently portions of the aerosol-generating material 44) are to be heated by interacting with the touch-sensitive panel 29 prior to generating the aerosol (and Optionally, you can set how much they should be heated. For example, a user may tap zones 29a-29f repeatedly to cycle through different states (eg, off, low power, high power, off, etc.). Alternatively, the user may press and hold areas 29a to 29f to cycle through the 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 individual zones 29a to 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 indicates the current state of the heating element 24. Alternatively, colored LEDs or similar lighting elements may be provided, with the color indicating the current state. Alternatively, the touch-sensitive panel 29 may be placed underneath (e.g., a transparent touch-sensitive panel 29 or in areas of the touch-sensitive panel 29 ) that displays the current state of the heating element 24 and a display element (which may be provided adjacent to 29a to 29f).

If the user has set up a configuration for the heating elements 24, then the In response to detecting the signaling, the control circuitry 23 is configured to supply power to the selected heating element 24 according to a preset configuration.

Accordingly, these simultaneous heating element 24 activations may be referred to as a “simultaneous activation mode”, which primarily allows the user to operate on a session-by-session or even puff-by-puff basis. It is designed to deliver a customisable aerosol from a given article (4), with the intention of allowing one to tailor one's experience. Accordingly, this mode may be most effective when the portions of aerosol-generating material 44 of the aerosol-generating article 4 are different from each other. For example, portions 44a and 44b are formed from one material, portions 44c and 44d are formed from a different material, and so on. Accordingly, for this mode of operation, the user can select the parts to be aerosolized at any given moment and thus select the combinations of aerosols to be provided.

In both simultaneous and sequential activation modes, the control circuitry 23 may, for example, activate when each of the heating elements 24 is sequentially activated a predetermined number of times or when a given heating element 24 is activated a predetermined number of times. When activated for as long as and/or for a given cumulative activation time and/or with a given cumulative activation power, it may be configured to generate a warning signal indicating the end of use of the aerosol-generating article 4. In Figure 1, the aerosol delivery device 2 includes an end-of-use indicator 31, which in this implementation is an LED. However, in other implementations, the end-of-use indicator 31 may include any mechanism capable of providing 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, indicator 31 may be coupled to or otherwise provided by a touch-sensitive panel (eg, if the touch-sensitive panel includes a display element). The aerosol-providing device 2 can prevent subsequent activation of the aerosol-providing device 2 when a warning signal is being output. The warning signal can be switched off, and the control circuitry 23 is such that when the user switches off the warning signal via manual means such as a button (not shown) and/or replaces the aerosol-generating article 4, It is reset.

More specifically, in implementations in which sequential activation mode is utilized, control circuitry 23 is configured to count the number of times signaling from one or both of touch sensitive panel 29 and suction sensor 30 is received during a period of use. It may be configured that once the count reaches a predetermined number, the aerosol-generating article 4 is determined to have reached the end of its lifespan. For example, for an article 4 comprising six separate portions of aerosol generating material 44, the predetermined number may be 6, 12, 18, etc., depending on the very implementation in question. .

In implementations in which a simultaneous activation mode is utilized, control circuitry 23 may be configured to count the number of times one or each of the individual portions of aerosol-generating material 44 is heated. For example, the control circuitry 23 may count the number of times the nicotine retaining portion has been heated and, when the number of times reaches a predetermined number, determine the end of the life of the aerosol-generating article 4. Alternatively, the control circuitry 23 may be configured to separately count each individual portion of the aerosol-generating material 44 when that individual portion 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, control circuitry 23 determines that the aerosol-generating article ( 4) Determine the end of life.

In any of the implementations, control circuitry 23 may also consider the length of time the portion of the aerosol-generating material has been heated and/or the temperature to which the portion of the aerosol-generating material has been heated. In this regard, rather than counting individual activations, the control circuitry 23 may be configured to calculate a cumulative parameter indicative of the heating conditions experienced by each of the portions of the aerosol-generating material 44. The parameter could for example be accumulation time, whereby the temperature at which the material is used controls the length of time added to the accumulation time. For example, a section heated at 200°C for 3 seconds may contribute 3 seconds to the accumulation time, while a section heated at 250°C for 3 seconds may contribute 4.5 seconds to the accumulation time.

The foregoing techniques for determining the end of life of an aerosol-generating article 4 should not be construed as a comprehensive list of methods for determining the end of life of an aerosol-generating article 4 and, in fact, are not intended to be an exhaustive list of methods for determining the end of life of an aerosol-generating article 4. Any other suitable method may be used depending on the principles.

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

In heating systems, several parameters affect the overall efficiency of such a system in delivering a sufficient amount of aerosol to the user on a per-puff basis. On the other hand, the thickness of the aerosol-generating material is important because it affects how quickly the aerosol-generating material reaches operating temperature (and subsequently generates an aerosol). This may be important for several reasons, but may lead to more efficient use of energy from the power source 22 since the heating elements may not need to be activated for as long compared to heating thicker portions of the material. there is. On the other hand, the total mass of aerosol-generating material that is heated affects the total amount of aerosol that can be generated and subsequently delivered to the user. Additionally, the temperature to which the aerosol-generating material is heated can affect both how quickly the aerosol-generating material reaches operating temperature and the amount of aerosol produced.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view through a schematic representation of an aerosol delivery system 200 according to another arrangement. Aerosol delivery system 200 includes components generally similar to those described with respect to FIG. 1 . However, the reference numbers have been increased by 200. For efficiency, components bearing similar reference numerals should be understood to be substantially identical to their counterparts in FIGS. 1 and 2A-2C, unless otherwise noted.

The aerosol delivery device 202 includes an external housing 221, a power source 222, control circuitry 223, induction coils 224a, a chamber 225, a mouthpiece end 226, an air inlet 227, and an air inlet 227. It includes an outlet 228, a touch sensing panel 229, a suction sensor 230, and an end-of-use indicator 231.

Aerosol-generating article 204 includes a carrier component 242, aerosol-generating material 244, and susceptor elements 244b, as shown in more detail in FIGS. 6A-6C. Figure 6A is a top-down view of the aerosol-generating article 4, Figure 6B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the longitudinal (length) axis of the aerosol-generating article 204, and Figure 6C is a side view along the width axis of the aerosol-generating article 204. .

5 and 6 together represent an aerosol delivery system 200 that uses induction to heat aerosol-generating material 244 to produce an aerosol for inhalation. In the described implementation, the aerosol generating component 224 consists of two parts; That is, it is formed of induction coils 224a located on the aerosol providing device 202 and susceptors 224b located on the aerosol generating article 204. Accordingly, in this described implementation, each aerosol generating component 224 includes elements that are distributed between the aerosol generating article 204 and the aerosol presentation device 202.

Induction heating is a process in which an electrically conductive object, called a susceptor, is heated by impregnating the object with a changing magnetic field. This process is described by Faraday's law of induction and Ohm's law. An induction heater may include an electromagnet and a device for passing a changing current, such as alternating current, through the electromagnet. When the electromagnet and the object being heated are properly positioned relative to each other such that the resulting changing magnetic field generated by the electromagnet penetrates the object, one or more eddy currents are created inside the object. An object has resistance to the flow of electric currents. Therefore, when these eddy currents are created in an object, their flow against the object's electrical resistance causes the object to heat up. This process is called Joule, ohmic or ohmic heating.

A susceptor is a material that can be heated by penetration by a changing magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be an electrically conductive material, such that its penetration by a changing magnetic field causes inductive heating of the heating material. The heating material may be a magnetic material, such that its penetration by a changing magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material. The susceptor can be both electrically conductive and magnetic, so that the susceptor can be heated by both heating mechanisms. A device configured to generate a changing magnetic field is referred to herein as a magnetic field generator.

Magnetic hysteresis heating is a process in which an object made of magnetic material is heated by penetrating it with a changing magnetic field. Magnetic materials can be considered to include many atomic-scale magnets or magnetic dipoles. When a magnetic field penetrates these materials, the magnetic dipoles align with the field. Thus, when a changing magnetic field, for example an alternating magnetic field such as that produced by an electromagnet, penetrates a magnetic material, the orientation of the magnetic dipoles changes depending on the changing magnetic field applied. This magnetic dipole reorientation causes heat generation in the magnetic material.

When an object is both electrically conductive and magnetic, permeating the object with a changing magnetic field can cause both Joule heating and magnetic hysteresis heating in the object. Moreover, the use of magnetic materials can strengthen the magnetic field, which can increase Joule heating.

In the described implementation, susceptors 224b are formed of aluminum foil, but it should be appreciated that other metallic and/or electrically conductive materials may be used in other implementations. As can be seen in FIG. 6 , carrier component 242 includes a plurality of susceptors whose sizes and positions correspond to individual portions of aerosol-generating material 244 disposed on the surface of carrier component 242. Includes (224b). That is, the susceptors 224b have a similar width and length as the individual portions of the aerosol generating material 244.

The susceptors are shown as embedded in the carrier component 242. However, in other implementations, susceptors 224b may be disposed on the surface of carrier component 242. In another implementation (not shown), the susceptor may be provided as a layer substantially covering the carrier component.

The aerosol presentation device 202 includes a plurality of induction coils 224a schematically shown in FIG. 5 . Induction coils 224a are shown adjacent to chamber 225 and the axis of rotation around which a given coil is wound extends into chamber 225 and is in the plane of the carrier component 242 of aerosol-generating article 204. These are generally flat coils arranged generally orthogonally. It should be appreciated that the exact windings are not shown in Figure 5 and that any suitable induction coil may be used.

The control circuit 223 includes a mechanism for generating alternating current that is transmitted to any one or more of the induction 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.

As described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2A-2C , the control circuitry 223 includes induction coils ( It is configured to supply current to 224a). Any of the techniques for selecting which heating elements 24 are heated by control circuitry 23 as previously described may include controlling circuitry 223 to generate an aerosol for user inhalation. In response to receiving signaling from the touch sensitive panel 229 and/or the inhalation sensor 230, which induction coils 224a are energized (and therefore which portions of the aerosol generating material 244 are subsequently energized) It can be similarly applied to choosing whether to heat.

Although an induction heated aerosol delivery system has been previously described in which induction coils 224a and susceptors 224b are distributed between an aerosol generating article 204 and device 202, the induction coils 224a and susceptors ( An inductively heated aerosol delivery system may be provided in which 224b) is located solely within the aerosol delivery device 202. For example, referring to Figure 6, susceptors 224b may be provided above the induction coils 224a and such that the susceptors 224b contact the lower surface of the carrier component 242 ( It can be arranged (in a similar way to the aerosol delivery system 1 shown in Figure 1).

Accordingly, Figure 5 describes a more specific implementation in which inductive heating may be used in an aerosol presentation device 202 to generate an aerosol for user inhalation, to which the techniques described in this disclosure may be applied.

In some examples, aerosol generating components 24 (e.g., heating elements 24) are designed to heat different portions of the aerosol generating material to generate an aerosol on a puff-by-puff basis. , 224), aerosol delivery devices 2, 202 may, in some instances, cause inconsistencies in the amount of aerosol delivered to the user per puff, even if the heating conditions are generally the same.

This means that some of the portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 are provided at different spatial distances relative to the openings 28,228 of the mouthpiece 26,226, such that the aerosol first forms at a location adjacent to the portion of the aerosol-generating material. This is thought to be partly due to the fact that the distance a given aerosol must travel can vary. Accordingly, the volume of the air path between the aerosol-generating material and the mouthpiece may vary depending on the location of the aerosol-generating material.

Typically, hot aerosols cool and condense as they travel. This means that aerosols generated from different parts of the aerosol generating material 44 may cool and condense by different amounts. This can result in inconsistencies in the aerosol delivered from each individual portion (such as inconsistent particle size distributions, etc.).

It will be appreciated that, according to various embodiments, different portions of the aerosol-generating material 44 may be activated at different times and thus the content of the aerosol may vary over time. As discussed in more detail below, the richness or leanness of the aerosol delivered to the user through the mouthpiece 26, 226 may be provided to the mouthpiece 26, 226 by one or more variable chokes, air inlet members, or Various embodiments are contemplated in which changes can be made during the course of a session by changing the positioning, delivery or state of the valve members.

Figure 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the aerosol presentation device according to the arrangement.

An internal cross-section is shown of an aerosol presentation device further comprising a central aerosol delivery channel 50, wherein the aerosol presentation device defines a volume arranged such that the volume surrounds the entirety of the aerosol-generating article, thereby Surrounding each heating element and a corresponding portion of aerosol-generating material, ie the volume of the central aerosol delivery tunnel 50 surrounds the respective aerosol-generating zones.

The central delivery tunnel 50 is connected to the mouthpiece 26 with an aperture defining an air inlet 28 and includes one or more air holes 52, wherein portions of the aerosol-generating material are connected to the respective heating elements. The air holes 52 are in fluid communication with the external atmosphere so that the central aerosol delivery tunnel 50 facilitates the delivery of the aerosol generated when heated by the air. In this example, the air outlet 27 may be omitted.

One or more variable chokes, air inlet members or valve members may be provided on the mouthpiece 26 and will be discussed in more detail below.

Figure 8 shows an isometric exploded view of a portion of the aerosol presentation device comprising a central aerosol delivery channel 50 as described with reference to Figure 7 and a plurality of heating elements 24, in this example a 2 x 5 configuration. do. In this example, each of the plurality of heating elements 24 has an associated aerosol delivery tunnel 54. In this example, a plurality of aerosol delivery tunnels 54 are surrounded by a volume defined by a central aerosol delivery tunnel 50. Each of the plurality of heating elements 24 surrounded by an individual aerosol delivery tunnel has an individual air supply hole in fluid communication with the external atmosphere, and generates aerosols when the heating elements 24 heat the aerosol generating material. Facilitates the flow of materials. In this example, the air inlet 27 may be omitted.

In examples, the plurality of aerosol delivery tunnels 54 include individual valves (not shown) configured to open and close on demand. More specifically, the control circuitry may be configured to open or close individual valve(s) depending on whether a particular heating element 24 and thus the aerosol generation zone is activated. Accordingly, any of the plurality of individual valves may be simultaneously opened or closed by the control circuitry, in any combination, depending on which of the plurality of heating elements 24 is activated. For example, all of the plurality of valves are in the open state, all of the valves are in the closed state, any part of the plurality of valves is in the open state, or the remaining part of the plurality of valves is in the closed state. You will understand.

In examples, the volume defined by the central aerosol delivery tunnel 50 encloses a plurality of aerosol delivery tunnels 54 such that the plurality of aerosol delivery tunnels 54 are in fluid communication with the central delivery tunnel 50. do.

In use, the aerosol presentation device (and more specifically the control circuitry) is configured to deliver power to the heating elements 24 and individual valves (if present) in response to user input. Broadly speaking, the control circuitry is configured to selectively apply power to the heating elements 24 to generate an aerosol by subsequently heating corresponding portions of the aerosol-generating material while the heating elements 24 are heated; The circuitry is configured to keep the individual valves closed to allow the required volume of aerosol to be formed. When a user inhales on the device (i.e., inhales at the mouthpiece end 26), the control circuitry selectively opens a valve and directs air through a plurality of aerosol delivery tunnels 54, where the air is directed to an aerosol-generating material. mixed with the aerosol generated by heating the aerosol - is drawn into the user's mouth through the individual air supply holes into the aerosol delivery device 2 and through the individual aerosol delivery tunnel 54 and through the air outlet 28. That is, the aerosol is delivered to the user through the mouthpiece end 26 and the air outlet 28.

In examples, when the control circuitry is configured to selectively apply power to the plurality of heating elements 24, when a user inhales on the device (i.e., inhales at the mouthpiece end 26), the control circuitry opens the corresponding valves, air is drawn into the device through the open air supply holes of the plurality of aerosol delivery tunnels 54, and the air mixes with the aerosol generated by heating the aerosol generating material in each of the aerosol delivery tunnels. The individual mixtures of air and aerosol are then further mixed in the central aerosol delivery tunnel 52 before flowing through the air outlet 28 and into the user's mouth.

In examples, the aerosol-generating article can be substantially planar and receptive to a chamber of an aerosol-providing device. The control circuitry heats the aerosol generating material by means of the heating elements 24 so that the consistency of the aerosol produced is substantially the same as it exits the mouthpiece 26 through the air outlet 28. ) may be configured to assign and/or change the heating profiles of the heating element (24) of the portion further from the mouthpiece, for example, if a portion of the aerosol-generating material needs to move further relative to another portion of the aerosol material. ), the heating temperature can be increased or the heating element 24 can be activated for a longer period of time to generate a larger amount of aerosol.

In some examples, the control circuitry may be arranged to cause aerosolization of some portions of the aerosol-generating material according to a common aerosolization or heating profile, while the aerosolization or heating profiles of remaining portions of the aerosol-generating material are connected to the aerosol delivery channels. It is set according to the distance of the part from (54) to the exit (28).

In an alternative arrangement, the cross-section or other profile of the central aerosol delivery channel adjacent the second aerosol generating zone may be larger than the cross-section or other profile of the central aerosol delivery channel adjacent the first aerosol generating zone. In such embodiments, the rate of delivery of aerosol from the second aerosol generating zone may be increased compared to the rate of delivery of aerosol from the first aerosol generating zone. This can offset the increased distance of the second aerosol generating zone from the mouthpiece, allowing for more consistent delivery times.

The above assumes that there is one common outlet where the aerosol is directed when the user inhales on the device. However, the principles of the present disclosure are equally applicable to devices with multiple outlets.

9 illustrates an embodiment, where a choke, valve, or variable air inlet member 901 is provided to the mouthpiece 26 to vary the air-to-aerosol ratio of the aerosol experienced by the user. provided in the body of. It will be appreciated that the ability to alter the air to aerosol ratio (or richness or thinness of the aerosol) allows the resulting sensory experience to potentially be improved. The embodiment shown in FIG. 9 relates to an aerosol presentation device 2 with a plurality of resistive heaters 24, however, in other embodiments the heaters 24 may include induction heaters or other types of heaters. It will be understood that these are taken into account.

The aerosol presentation device 2 may comprise a mouthpiece 28 with one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members 901 provided on the mouthpiece 28 .

The provision of one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members 901 to the mouthpiece 26 allows the aerosol to be delivered to the outlet 28 of the mouthpiece 26 and experienced by the user. Allows the air-to-aerosol ratio of the content to be changed or optimized. For example, the sensory experience may be improved by increasing the air content (or ratio of air to aerosol) of the aerosol at a certain point, with one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members. It may be determined that the fields 901 can be increased to allow more air to flow to the outlet 28 of the mouthpiece 26 and increase the air to aerosol ratio.

In contrast, the sensory experience can be improved by reducing the air content of the aerosol at a certain point, where one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members 901 mix with the aerosol. and may be reduced to limit the amount of air flowing to the outlet 28 of the mouthpiece 26 and thereby reduce the air to aerosol ratio.

Various embodiments are contemplated. According to one embodiment, one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members 901 are configured to switch between an OFF state and an ON state, i.e. 0% transmission. The delivery rate can be adjusted to 100%.

However, alternative embodiments are contemplated in which the degree of opening of one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members 901 may be varied. For example, one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members 901 can vary between x% delivery rate and y% delivery rate, where 0<x<100 and 0 <y<100.

In particular, the term “variable choke” should be understood as a valve which always allows some air to pass through, but where the degree of rate of transmission of air through the choke can be varied.

One or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members 901 may modulate the flow of air into the mouthpiece 28 to change the aerosolization of the aerosol passing through the mouthpiece 28. Can be arranged to change.

For example, by varying the amount of air delivered to the outlet 28 of the mouthpiece 26 and passing through one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members 901. It may be desirable to increase or decrease the air-to-aerosol ratio of the aerosol experienced by.

One or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members 901 may direct the aerosol away from the mouthpiece 28 to change the aerosolization of the aerosol passing into the mouthpiece 28. It can be arranged to vary the flow.

Additionally, the aerosol flow can be diverted away from the mouthpiece 26 before it reaches the outlet 28 of the mouthpiece 26 to improve the sensory experience by altering or reducing the richness of the aerosol experienced by the user and/or at higher temperatures. It is considered that puffs can potentially be avoided.

According to various embodiments, for example, at a certain point during a session, it may be determined that the aerosol may be particularly hot and wet and therefore likely to cause a sensation of a “hot puff.” To avoid such sensations due to the high moisture content in the aerosol, air can be mixed with the aerosol through one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members 901. Alternatively, a portion of the aerosol may be diverted away from the outlet 28 of the mouthpiece 26 by being diverted through one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members 901. there is.

The control circuitry 23 may be arranged to selectively control one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members 901 in different ways. For example, according to one embodiment, control circuitry 23 may actuate one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members in response to activation or deactivation of one or more of the heating elements 24. It may be arranged to selectively control one or more of (901).

According to another embodiment, control circuitry 23 may selectively control one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members 901 over time or according to one or more predetermined timing profiles. It can be arranged to control.

According to another embodiment, control circuitry 23 may be arranged to selectively control one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members 901 according to one or more user determined settings. there is. For example, a user may wish to vary the air to aerosol ratio as a matter of personal preference and/or in relation to the different aerosol generating articles (4) inserted into the aerosol offering (2).

For example, if the aerosol generating article 4 has a first composition or flavor, one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members 901 may be used to control the air experienced by the user. It is contemplated that the to aerosol ratio may be set to be at a first setting or level. Next, if a different aerosol generating article 4 having a different second composition or flavor is sampled, one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members 901 may be tested by the user. The air to aerosol ratio may be set to be at a second, different setting or level.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the present arrangement allows the air to aerosol ratio experienced by the user to be optimized. According to various embodiments, the air-to-aerosol ratio can be set automatically or at least to a range of motion, i.e. the maximum and minimum air-to-aerosol ratios can be set or predetermined. However, within this range, it is possible for the user to vary the air to aerosol ratio between the maximum and minimum limits.

More generally, one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members 901 increase the flow of air into the aerosol stream directed to the outlet 28 of the mouthpiece 26. or it can be arranged to reduce, such that the composition of the air/aerosol mixture experienced by the user can be altered or optimized to improve the sensory experience.

To reduce the aerosol content reaching the outlet 28 of the mouthpiece 26, one or more valve members 901 may act to divert the aerosol away from the outlet 28 of the mouthpiece 26. Also considered.

The aerosol presentation device may include one or more adjustable air inlets 902. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol delivery device may include one or more air outlets 901 located within a mouthpiece 26 with one or more adjustable air outlets. The air outlets 901 may be arranged to direct or divert the flow of air and/or aerosol away from the outlet 28 of the mouthpiece 26.

The control circuitry 23 may be arranged to selectively control one or more air inlets 902 and/or one or more air outlets 901 . For example, control circuitry may be responsive to activation or deactivation of one or more heating elements 24 to control air inlets 902 as a function of time, according to one or more predetermined timing profiles or according to one or more user determined settings. ) and/or outlets 901.

For example, the air-to-aerosol ratio of the aerosol/air mixture passing through mouthpiece 26 may change when the second heating element is activated for a period of time after the first heating element is activated. For example, it is contemplated that the aerosol presentation device 2 may be capable of operating in a plurality of different heating modes. In a first mode of operation, the first heating element may be activated to rapidly increase the temperature at which the aerosol-generating article 4 is initially heated. Later during the session, a second heating element may be activated to further increase the temperature of the aerosol-generating article 4. Changing the mode can be achieved by changing the position of one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members 901 to change the air content or air to aerosol ratio of the aerosol of the air/aerosol mixture provided to the user. Alternatively, it may be coupled to a change in transmission rate.

More generally, the aerosol presentation device may include a mouthpiece 26 having a user portion 28 and one or more diverter portions 901 for diverting aerosol from the user portion 28, wherein the one or more diverter portions Fields 901 are configured in a first mode - a first volume (V1) of the aerosol or aerosol/air mixture is directed to the user portion (28) - and in a second mode - a second volume (V2) of the aerosol or aerosol/air mixture. This is operable - directed to the user part 28, where it is considered that V2 < V1.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, a single choke, air inlet, air outlet or valve 901 is shown. However, it will be appreciated that a plurality of chokes, air inlets, air outlets or valves 901 may be arranged in the mouthpiece 26.

For example, according to one embodiment, a plurality of chokes, air inlets, air outlets or valves 901 may be arranged in a circumferential arrangement or pattern around the neck of mouthpiece 26. You can.

Control circuitry 23 is configured to (i) be responsive to activation or deactivation of one or more heating elements; (ii) as a function of time; (iii) according to a predetermined timing profile; or (iv) selectively control one or more diverter portions according to one or more user determined settings.

The aerosol providing device (2) comprises a chamber (25) for receiving an aerosol-generating article (4). The aerosol-generating article 4 that can be inserted into the aerosol-providing device 2 may comprise a substantially planar aerosol-generating article 4 . A planar aerosol-generating article can include a plurality of aerosol-generating zones. The aerosol presentation device may further comprise one or more heating elements 24. The aerosol-generating article 4 can include a plurality of aerosol-generating zones that can be positioned adjacent the plurality of heating elements 24 .

However, other embodiments are contemplated and, according to one embodiment, in use, an aerosol-generating article 4 comprising a plurality of aerosol-generating zones may be configured such that one or more of the aerosol-generating zones may be heated by a single heating element (not shown in FIG. 9 ). ) and the aerosol-generating article 4 is rotated or moved relative to the heating element such that one or more aerosol-generating zones are moved proximate to the heating element. The use of a single heating element 24 allows the complexity and cost of the aerosol presentation device 2 to be reduced.

The aerosol providing device 2 may further comprise a plurality of aerosol generating zones, one or more of which each aerosol generating zone may comprise at least one air supply hole in fluid communication with the external atmosphere.

An aerosol-providing system may be provided comprising an aerosol-providing device (2) as described above in combination with an aerosol-generating article (4) comprising portions of aerosol-generating material.

According to one embodiment, (i) each portion of the aerosol-generating material is substantially identical; or (ii) at least some of the portions of the aerosol-generating material are substantially different.

Additionally, although mouthpiece 26 is described above as forming part of and/or coupled to outer housing 21 , in some embodiments, mouthpiece 26 ) may form part of the aerosol-generating article 4. This may be the case in particular where the aerosol-generating article 4 comprises a chamber through which air and/or aerosols can pass, and where the chamber comprises aerosol-generating material. In these implementations, the aerosol-generating article (4) is placed into the chamber (25) and protrudes from the chamber (25) such that the mouthpiece of the aerosol-generating article extends from the aerosol-providing device (2). In these examples, chamber 25 includes an opening through which mouthpiece 26 protrudes. The opening in these implementations may be referred to as the outlet 28 of the aerosol presentation device 2.

Although a system has been previously described in which an array of aerosol generating components 24 (e.g., heater elements) is provided to energize individual portions of aerosol generating material, in other implementations, the aerosol generating article 4 and/or The aerosol generating components 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 the carrier component 42 of the aerosol-generating article 4, and thus the aerosol Relative movement of the aerosol-generating article 4 and the aerosol-generating components 24 is required to enable individually energizing each of the individual portions of the generating material. For example, a movable heating element 24 may be provided within the chamber 25 such that the heating element 24 can move relative to the chamber 25 . In this way, the movable heating element 24 is configured such that the heating element 24 can be aligned with each of the individual portions of the aerosol-generating material (e.g., in the width and length directions of the carrier component). ) can be translated. This approach can reduce the number of aerosol generating components required while still providing a similar user experience.

Although implementations have been previously described in which individual spatially separate portions of aerosol-generating material are deposited on the carrier component, in other implementations, the aerosol-generating material is not provided in individual spatially separate portions but instead includes aerosol-generating material It should be recognized that it can be provided in continuous sheets of. In these implementations, specific regions of a sheet of aerosol-generating material can be selectively heated to generate an aerosol in substantially the same manner as described above. However, the present disclosure has described heating (or otherwise aerosolizing) portions of an aerosol-generating material, regardless of whether the portions are spatially separate. In particular, a zone (corresponding to a portion of the aerosol-generating material) is formed on a 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 temperature). can be stipulated. In this regard, the corresponding area of the heating element 24 when protruding onto the sheet of aerosol-generating material may be considered to define a zone or portion of the aerosol-generating material. According to the present disclosure, each section or portion of aerosol-generating material may have a mass of less than or equal to 20 mg, but the entire continuous sheet may have a mass of greater than 20 mg.

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

Although implementations have been previously described in which an aerosol is generated by energizing (e.g., heating) an aerosol generating material (the generated aerosol is then inhaled by a user), in some implementations, the generated aerosol is generated prior to being inhaled by the user. It should be recognized that an aerosol modification component may be passed through or passed through to modify one or more properties of the aerosol. For example, the aerosol presentation device 2, 202 may include an air permeable insert (not shown) that is inserted into the airflow path downstream of the aerosol generating material (e.g., the insert may be positioned at the outlet (28)). The insert may include materials that alter any one or more of the flavor, temperature, particle size, nicotine concentration, etc. of the aerosol as it passes through the insert before entering the user's mouth. For example, the insert may include tobacco or treated tobacco. These systems may be referred to as hybrid systems. The insert may include 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 a portion of the aerosol-generating material at an operating temperature at which an aerosol is generated from the portion of the aerosol-generating material, in some implementations, the heating elements 24 are configured to provide heat to the portion of the aerosol-generating material. It is arranged to preheat portions of the aerosol generating material to a preheating temperature (lower than the operating temperature). At the preheat temperature, little or no aerosol is generated when the part is heated to the preheat temperature. In particular, in some implementations, the control circuitry is configured to supply power/energy before the first predetermined period begins (i.e., prior to receiving signaling indicating the user's intention to inhale the aerosol). However, a smaller amount of energy is required to raise the temperature of the aerosol-generating material from the preheating temperature to the operating temperature, thus increasing the responsiveness of the system but increasing total energy consumption. This may be particularly suitable for relatively thicker parts of aerosol-generating material, such as parts with a thickness of more than 400 μm, which require relatively larger amounts of energy to be supplied to reach the operating temperature. However, in these implementations, energy consumption (e.g., from power source 22) may be relatively higher.

Although each of the heating elements 24 may provide the same heating profile to each aerosol generating zone 24, one or more of the heating elements 24 may instead provide a different heating profile to each aerosol generating zone 24. ) It will be understood that it can be configured to provide. For example, aerosol generating regions 24 located farther from the mouthpiece 28 may be heated to generate a greater amount of aerosol than aerosol generating regions 24 located closer to the mouthpiece 28. Heating can be done according to the profile, which can offset the additional loss of aerosol due to condensation along the increased travel distance, providing a more consistent delivery of aerosol from different aerosol generating zones 24.

Although implementations in which the aerosol delivery device 2 includes an end-of-use indicator 31 have been described above, it should be recognized that the end-of-use indicator 31 may be provided by another device remote from the aerosol delivery device 2 . For example, in some implementations, the control circuitry 23 of the aerosol presentation device 2 may be configured to communicate to enable data transfer between the aerosol presentation device 2 and a remote device, for example a smartphone or smartwatch. May include instruments. In such implementations, when control circuitry 23 determines that aerosol-generating article 4 has reached the end of its use, control circuitry 23 is configured to transmit a signal to a remote device, which may (e.g. configured to generate a warning signal (using the display of the smartphone). Other remote devices and other mechanisms for generating warning signals may be used as described above.

Additionally, when portions of the aerosol-generating material are provided on the carrier component, in some implementations, the portions are relatively thinner in a weakened region of the aerosol-generating material in a direction approximately perpendicular to the plane of the carrier component. ), for example, may include 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 (i.e., these may be scenarios where heat is applied primarily to the surface of the aerosol-generating material that is in contact with the carrier component). Accordingly, the through holes create channels that allow the generated aerosol to escape through the aerosol presentation device 2 and into the environment/air flow, rather than causing potential accumulation of aerosol between the carrier component and the aerosol generating material. can be provided. This accumulation of aerosols can reduce the heating efficiency of the system because, in some implementations, this accumulation of aerosols causes lifting of the aerosol-generating material from the carrier component, reducing the efficiency of heat transfer to the aerosol-generating material. . Each piece of aerosol-generating material may suitably be provided with one or more attenuated zones.

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

Although the foregoing embodiments have focused in some aspects on some specific example aerosol generating systems, it will be understood that the same principles can be applied to aerosol generating systems using other technologies. That is, various aspects of the aerosol delivery system function in certain ways that do not directly relate to the basic principles of the examples described herein.

To solve various problems and advance the technology, this disclosure presents various embodiments by way of example. The advantages and features of the present disclosure are merely a representative sample of embodiments and are not limited and/or exclusive. These advantages and features are presented solely to aid in understanding and teaching the claimed invention(s). The advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects of the disclosure are not limited to the disclosure as defined by the claims, or to equivalents of the claims. They should not be considered limitations, and it should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. The various embodiments may suitably include, consist of, or consist of various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc., with those specifically described herein and others; or it may consist essentially of them, and thus it will be understood that the features of the dependent claims may be combined with the features of the independent claims in combinations other than those explicitly recited in the claims. This disclosure may include other inventions that are not currently claimed but may be claimed in the future.

Claims (20)

An aerosol delivery device comprising:
comprising a mouthpiece having one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members,
Aerosol delivery device. According to claim 1,
The one or more variable chokes, the one or more variable air inlet members or the one or more valve members may be configured to change the aerosolization of an aerosol or the air-to-aerosol ratio of a mixture of air and aerosol passing into the mouthpiece. arranged to change the air flow to the piece,
Aerosol delivery device. According to claim 1 or 2,
The one or more variable chokes, the one or more variable air inlet members or the one or more valve members may be configured to change the aerosolization of an aerosol or the air-to-aerosol ratio of a mixture of air and aerosol passing into the mouthpiece. arranged to change the air flow away from the piece,
Aerosol delivery device. According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
It further comprises control circuitry, the control circuitry (i) responsive to activating or deactivating one or more heating elements; (ii) as a function of time; (iii) according to a predetermined timing profile; or (iv) arranged to selectively control the one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members according to one or more user determined settings.
Aerosol delivery device. An aerosol delivery device comprising:
(i) one or more air inlets having one or more adjustable air inlets; and/or (ii) one or more air outlets having one or more adjustable air outlets,
Aerosol delivery device. According to clause 5,
Further comprising control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to (i) be responsive to activation or deactivation of one or more heating elements; (ii) as a function of time; (iii) according to a predetermined timing profile; or (iv) arranged to selectively control the one or more air inlets and/or one or more air outlets according to one or more user determined settings.
Aerosol delivery device. An aerosol delivery device comprising:
A mouthpiece comprising a user portion and one or more diverter portions for diverting aerosol from the user portion, the one or more diverter portions being operated in a first mode - a first volume (V1) of an aerosol or aerosol/air mixture. directed to the user portion, and a second mode, wherein a second volume (V2) of the aerosol or aerosol/air mixture is directed to the user portion, where V2 < V1,
Aerosol delivery device. According to clause 7,
further comprising control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to (i) be responsive to activation or deactivation of one or more heating elements; (ii) as a function of time; (iii) according to a predetermined timing profile; or (iv) arranged to selectively control the one or more diverter portions according to one or more user determined settings.
Aerosol delivery device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
further comprising a chamber for receiving the aerosol-generating article,
Aerosol delivery device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The aerosol presentation device further comprises one or more heating elements,
Aerosol delivery device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
further comprising one or more aerosol generating zones, wherein one or more or each aerosol generating zone comprises at least one air supply hole in fluid communication with the external atmosphere,
Aerosol delivery device. An aerosol delivery system comprising:
An aerosol providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11; and
comprising an aerosol-generating article comprising portions of an aerosol-generating material,
Aerosol delivery system. According to claim 12,
(i) each portion of the aerosol-generating material is substantially identical; or (ii) at least some of the portions of the aerosol-generating material are substantially different,
Aerosol delivery system. The method of claim 12 or 13,
wherein the aerosol-generating article comprises a substantially planar aerosol-generating article,
Aerosol delivery system. According to claim 14,
the planar aerosol-generating article comprising a plurality of aerosol-generating zones,
Aerosol delivery system. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15,
wherein the aerosol-generating article is positioned adjacent to a plurality of heating elements when in use.
Aerosol delivery system. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15,
In use, the aerosol-generating article can be positioned such that one or more aerosol-generating zones are positioned proximate the heating element, and the aerosol-generating article can be moved to move the one or more aerosol-generating zones proximate to the heating element. rotated or moved about,
Aerosol delivery system. As a method of generating an aerosol,
Providing an aerosol presentation device comprising a mouthpiece having one or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members, or one or more valve members; and
One or more variable chokes, one or more variable air inlet members or one or more valve members to control air flow to the mouthpiece to change the aerosolization of the aerosol or the air-to-aerosol ratio of the mixture of air and aerosol passing into the mouthpiece. Including the step of changing to change,
How to create an aerosol. As a method of generating an aerosol,
Providing an aerosol presentation device - the aerosol presentation device comprising: (i) one or more air inlets having one or more adjustable air inlets; and/or (ii) comprising one or more air outlets having one or more adjustable air outlets; and
One or more air inlets and/or air outlets for flowing air into and/or away from the mouthpiece to aerosolize an aerosol or change the air-to-aerosol ratio of the mixture of air and aerosol passing into the mouthpiece. Including the step of changing to change,
How to create an aerosol. As a method of generating an aerosol,
Providing a mouthpiece having a user portion and one or more diverter portions for diverting aerosol away from the user portion;
operating one or more diverter portions in a first mode in which a first volume (V1) of aerosol or aerosol/air mixture is directed to the user portion; and
operating the one or more diverter parts in a second mode in which a second volume (V2) of the aerosol or aerosol/air mixture is directed to the user part, where V2 < V1,
How to create an aerosol.