Aerosol supply device

Abstract

To provide an aerosol supply device, an aerosol supply system, a method of generating aerosol, and a method of manufacturing an aerosol supply device.SOLUTION: Disclosed is an aerosol supply device including an aerosol generator including a multilayered inductor formation body 150. The multilayered inductor formation body 150 includes a plurality of layers 41 and 42, and optionally, includes three or more layers 41, 42, and 43.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol supply device, an aerosol supply system, a method for generating an aerosol, and a method for manufacturing an aerosol supply device. Background

[0002] Smoking articles such as cigarettes and cigars create tobacco smoke by burning tobacco during use. Attempts have been made to provide alternatives to those articles by creating products that release compounds without combustion. Examples of such products are so-called "non-combustion heating type" products or tobacco heating devices or tobacco heating products that release compounds by heating rather than burning the material. The material can be a tobacco product or other non-tobacco product, which may or may not contain nicotine, for example.

[0003] Aerosol supply systems incorporating the devices or products described above are known. A typical system uses a heater to create an aerosol from a suitable medium, which is then inhaled by the user. The medium used often needs to be replaced or refilled to provide different aerosols for inhalation. It is known to use an induction heating system as a heater for creating an aerosol from a suitable medium. An induction heating system generally consists of a magnetic field generating device for generating a varying magnetic field and a susceptor or heating material that can be heated by the penetration of the varying magnetic field to heat a suitable medium.

[0004] One of the problems with conventional inductor configurations is that the geometry of the inductor coil is relatively fixed.

[0005] It is desirable to provide an improved aerosol supply device. Summary

[0006] According to one aspect, An aerosol generator having a stacked inductor structure, wherein the stacked inductor structure comprises a plurality of layers, optionally three or more layers, the aerosol generator An aerosol supply device is provided that includes

[0007] Aerosol supply devices according to various embodiments provide the ability to create a more flexible design.

[0008] In particular, by utilizing a multilayer structure using a PCB, the spacing between tracks on different layers can be varied, and different materials can be used for the traces on each layer.

[0009] The various designs of the inductor also result in an improvement in inductance, for example, compared to using a PCB structure.

[0010] Optionally, the stacked inductor structure comprises one or more conductive elements, each conductive element a first layer having a first conductive portion, a second layer having a second conductive portion, the second layer being spaced from the first layer along a first direction by a first spacing, a third layer having a third conductive portion, the third layer being spaced from the second layer along a second direction by a second spacing, and comprising.

[0011] Optionally, each stacked inductor structure a first conductive connector that electrically connects the first portion to the second portion, a second conductive connector that electrically connects the second portion to the third portion, and comprising.

[0012] Optionally, the first layer coincides with a first surface, the second layer coincides with a second surface, and the third layer coincides with a third surface.

[0013] Optionally, at least one of the first surface, the second surface, and the third surface is a flat surface, and optionally, the first direction is perpendicular to the first surface, and / or the second direction is perpendicular to the second surface.

[0014] Optionally, the first surface, the second surface, and the third surface are parallel flat surfaces.

[0015] Optionally, the second direction in which the third layer is spaced from the second layer is at an angle other than 180 degrees with respect to the first direction in which the second layer is spaced from the first layer, such that the stacked inductor structure comprises a staggered structure formed from a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion.

[0016] Optionally, the second direction in which the third layer is spaced from the second layer is substantially opposite to the first direction in which the second layer is spaced from the first layer, such that the stacked inductor structure comprises a staggered structure formed from a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion.

[0017] Optionally, the first spacing and the second spacing have equal lengths.

[0018] Alternatively, the first spacing and the second spacing have different lengths.

[0019] Optionally, at least one of the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion comprises a helix, an irregular helix, a loop, a partial helix, a partial irregular helix, a partial loop, a non-helix, or a combination thereof thereof.

[0020] Optionally, the helix, the irregular helix, the partial helix, the partial irregular helix, the partial loop, or a combination thereof comprises a tail or a via.

[0021] Optionally, the first portion defines at least one first partial turn around a first point on the first surface and / or the second portion defines at least one second partial turn around a second point on the second surface and / or the third portion defines at least one third partial turn around a third point on the third surface.

[0022] Optionally, the first partial turn and / or the second partial turn and / or the third partial turn includes a turn less than one complete turn. Optionally, the first partial turn and / or the second partial turn and / or the third partial turn includes a turn greater than one complete turn.

[0023] Optionally, the first point and the second point are on a first axis that coincides in a first direction and / or the second point and the third point are on a second axis that coincides in a second direction.

[0024] Optionally, the partial spiral includes a part of (i) a circular or oval spiral, (ii) a square or rectangular spiral, (iii) a trapezoidal spiral, or (iv) a triangular spiral.

[0025] Optionally, the spiral includes (i) a circular or oval spiral, (ii) a square or rectangular spiral, (iii) a trapezoidal spiral, or (iv) a triangular spiral.

[0026] Optionally, the loop includes (i) a circle or oval, (ii) a square or rectangle, (iii) a trapezoid, (iv) a triangle, (v) a regular polygon, or (vi) an irregular polygon.

[0027] Optionally, the partial loop includes a part of (i) a circle or oval, (ii) a square or rectangle, (iii) a trapezoid, (iv) a triangle, (v) a regular polygon, or (vi) an irregular polygon.

[0028] Optionally, the first layer and the third layer coincide with the same surface. Optionally, the first layer and the third layer are different regions of the same layer.

[0029] Optionally, one of the first portion and the third portion is disposed radially inward of the other of the first portion and the third portion.

[0030] Optionally, at least one of the first portion and the third portion at least partially overlaps the second portion when the layer is viewed from the front.

[0031] Optionally, the aerosol delivery device comprises one or more tracks comprising magnetic material, the one or more tracks being arranged in a staggered configuration.

[0032] Optionally, the magnetic material comprises ferrite.

[0033] Optionally, one or more of the conductive elements comprises further spaced apart layers comprising respective conductive portions.

[0034] Optionally, the stacked inductor structure comprises a plurality of mandrel loops arranged in a multi-layer structure.

[0035] Optionally, the mandrel loop comprises a single coil.Optionally, the mandrel loop comprises a four-turn coil.

[0036] Optionally, the stacked inductor structure comprises multiple layers disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB).

[0037] Optionally, the laminated inductor structure comprises multiple layers formed by (i) laser direct structuring, (ii) laser activated plating, and / or (iii) sintered ceramics.

[0038] Optionally, multiple mandrel loops are arranged in a multi-layer structure comprising a four-layer PCB.

[0039] Optionally, the four-layer PCB comprises a first pair of adjacent layers, and a second pair of adjacent layers and is provided with the first pair of adjacent layers are closely spaced, and the second pair of adjacent layers are further spaced apart.

[0040] Optionally, being closely spaced includes a distance of 2 mm or less, and being further spaced apart includes a distance exceeding 2 mm.

[0041] Optionally, each conductive portion has a thickness between 10 micrometers and 200 micrometers measured in a direction perpendicular to the respective surface.

[0042] Optionally, the surface is non-planar or not flat.

[0043] According to another aspect, an aerosol generator having a stacked inductor structure, the stacked inductor structure comprising two or more layers, and a bifilar coil and an aerosol generator provided with An aerosol supply device is provided.

[0044] Optionally, the bifilar coil comprises first and second concentric inductors, the first layer comprises the first concentric inductor, and the second layer comprises the second concentric inductor.

[0045] Optionally, the bifilar coil comprises a conductive connection portion that connects the first and second concentric inductors.

[0046] Optionally, the stacked inductor structure comprises three or more layers, each layer comprising a concentric inductor, three or more layers, and a plurality of conductive connection portions and is provided with.

[0047] According to another aspect, an aerosol generator having a trapezoidal inductor structure is provided, an aerosol supply device comprising the same.

[0048] Optionally, the trapezoidal inductor structure comprises a conductive track that forms an inductor coil substantially in the shape of a trapezoid, and the substantially trapezoidal shape a first hypotenuse, a second hypotenuse, a long side, and a short side shorter in length than the long side is provided.

[0049] Optionally, each hypotenuse has an angle with respect to the shorter side that is within a range selected from the group comprising (i) < 100°, (ii) 100 - 120°, (iii) 120 - 140°, (iv) 140 - 160°, and (v) 160 - 180°.

[0050] Optionally, the first hypotenuse has a first angle with respect to the shorter side, the second hypotenuse has a second angle with respect to the shorter side, and the first angle and the second angle are substantially equal.

[0051] Optionally, the first hypotenuse has a first angle with respect to the shorter side, the second hypotenuse has a second angle with respect to the shorter side, and the first angle and the second angle are not substantially equal.

[0052] Optionally, the first hypotenuse is equal in length to the second hypotenuse.

[0053] Optionally, the first hypotenuse is different in length from the second hypotenuse.

[0054] Optionally, the long side is curved.

[0055] Optionally, the curved long side includes an arc or a portion of a circle.

[0056] Optionally, the first hypotenuse, the second hypotenuse, and the long side each have a length within a range selected from the group consisting of (i) <5 mm, (ii) 5 - 7.5 mm, (iii) 7.5 - 10 mm, (iv) 10 - 12.5 mm, (v) 12.5 - 15 mm, (vi) 15 - 17.5 mm, or (vii) 17.5 - 20 mm. The short side has a length within a range selected from the group consisting of (i) <2.5 mm, (ii) 2.5 - 5 mm, (iii) 5 - 7.5 mm, (iv) 7.5 - 10 mm.

[0057] Optionally, the inductor coil has 4.5 turns, and the conductive track of the inductor coil has a width within the range of 0.65 - 0.75 mm. Optionally, the inductor coil has 5.5 turns, and the conductive track of the inductor coil has a width within the range of 0.45 - 0.55 mm.

[0058] Optionally, the conductive track of the inductor coil has a gap between adjacent portions or turns of the conductive track, and the gap has a length within a range selected from the group consisting of (i) <0.2 mm, (ii) 0.2 - 0.4 mm, (iii) 0.4 - 0.6 mm, (iv) 0.6 - 0.8 mm, or (v) 0.8 - 1.0 mm.

[0059] Optionally, the gap between adjacent portions or turns of the conductive track includes a varying gap.

[0060] Optionally, the inductor assembly has a track density of the conductive track that varies substantially over a trapezoidal shape.

[0061] Optionally, the substantially trapezoidal shape has a central portion and a peripheral portion, and the track density increases towards the central portion of the trapezoidal shape compared to the peripheral portion.

[0062] Optionally, the aerosol generator comprises one or more inductor configurations, the one or more inductor configurations being configured to generate a varying magnetic field, and one or more susceptors being configured to be heated by the varying magnetic field.

[0063] According to another aspect, the aerosol supply device as described above, and an article for use with the aerosol supply device An aerosol supply system is provided that includes.

[0064] Optionally, the article includes one or more susceptor elements.

[0065] Optionally, the article is inserted into the aerosol supply device such that, in use, at least a portion of one of the one or more susceptor elements is disposed in close proximity to at least a portion of the one or more inductor configurations.

[0066] Optionally, the article includes an aerosol-generating material.

[0067] Optionally, the aerosol-generating material is provided (i) as a solid, (ii) as a liquid, (iii) in the form of a gel, (iv) in the form of a thin-film substrate, (v) in the form of a thin-film substrate having a plurality of regions, or (vi) in the form of a thin-film substrate having a plurality of regions, wherein at least two of the regions have different compositions.

[0068] According to another aspect, the step of providing the aerosol supply device as described above, and the step of inserting an article containing an aerosol-generating material into the aerosol supply device, and the step of energizing the aerosol generator A method of generating an aerosol is provided that includes.

[0069] According to another aspect, A step of preparing an aerosol generator having a stacked inductor structure, the stacked inductor structure comprising a plurality of layers, optionally three or more layers A method of making an aerosol supply device is provided, including

[0070] According to another aspect, A step of preparing an aerosol generator having a stacked inductor structure, the stacked inductor structure comprising two or more layers, and a bifilar coil A method of making an aerosol supply device is provided, including

[0071] According to another aspect, A step of preparing an aerosol generator having a trapezoidal inductor structure A method of making an aerosol supply device is provided, including

[0072] According to another aspect, An aerosol generator having a stacked inductor structure, the stacked inductor structure comprising a first layer having a first conductive portion, a second layer having a second conductive portion, and optionally a third layer or additional layer having a third conductive portion or additional conductive portion An aerosol generator comprising An aerosol supply device is provided, including

[0073] Optionally, the first conductive portion comprises a circular spiral.

[0074] Optionally, the second conductive portion comprises a circular spiral.

[0075] Optionally, the third conductive portion or additional conductive portion comprises a circular spiral.

[0076] ​Next, as a mere example, various embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0077]

Figure 1

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[0078] As used herein, the term "aerosolisable material" or aerosol forming material typically includes a material that provides a volatile component upon heating, in the form of a vapor or an aerosol. An "aerosolisable material" may be a non-tobacco-containing material or a tobacco-containing material. An "aerosolisable material" can include, for example, one or more of tobacco itself, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco extracts, homogenized tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. The aerosolizable material may be in the form of shredded tobacco, cut rag tobacco, extruded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, reconstituted aerosolizable material, liquid, gel, gelled sheet, powder, or mass. An "aerosolisable material" may also include other non-tobacco products, such non-tobacco products may or may not contain nicotine depending on the product. An "aerosolisable material" may include one or more types of humectants such as glycerol or propylene glycol.

[0079] As used herein, the term "sheet" refers to an element having a width and length that substantially exceed its thickness. The sheet may be, for example, an elongated strip.

[0080] As used herein, the term "heating material" or "heater material" means a material that can be heated by the penetration of a varying magnetic field.

[0081] Inductive heating is a process in which a conductive object is heated by introducing a varying magnetic field. This process is explained by Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction and Ohm's law. An induction heater may comprise an electromagnet and a device for passing a varying current, such as an alternating current, through the electromagnet. When the electromagnet and the object to be heated are relatively properly arranged so that the varying magnetic field obtained by the electromagnet penetrates the object, one or more eddy currents are generated inside the object. The object has a resistance to the flow of current. Therefore, when such eddy currents are generated in the object, the flow of the eddy currents against the electrical resistance of the object heats the object. This process is called Joule heating, Ohmic heating, or resistive heating. An object that can be inductively heated is known as a susceptor.

[0082] In one example, the susceptor is in the form of a closed circuit. When the susceptor is in the form of a closed electrical circuit, it has been found that the magnetic coupling between the susceptor and the electromagnet is enhanced during use, thereby increasing or improving Joule heating.

[0083] Magnetic hysteresis heating is a process in which an object made of a magnetic material is heated by introducing a varying magnetic field into the object. The magnetic material may be considered to contain many atomic-scale magnets or magnetic dipoles. When a magnetic field penetrates such a material, the magnetic dipoles align along the magnetic field. Therefore, when a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field created by an electromagnet, penetrates the magnetic material, the orientation of the magnetic dipoles changes with the varying applied magnetic field. Heat is generated in the magnetic material due to such reorientation of the magnetic dipoles.

[0084] When an object is both conductive and magnetic, introducing a variable magnetic field into the object can result in both Joule heating and magnetic hysteresis heating in the object. Further, the use of a magnetic material can strengthen the magnetic field, which can enhance Joule heating and magnetic hysteresis heating.

[0085] In each of the above processes, heat is generated inside the object itself by heat conduction rather than by an external heat source. Thus, in particular, by selecting an appropriate material and geometry of the object, as well as an appropriate magnitude and orientation of the variable magnetic field for the object, a rapid temperature rise and a more uniform heat distribution in the object can be achieved. Further, since induction heating and magnetic hysteresis heating do not require a physical connection to be provided between the variable magnetic field source and the object, the design freedom and the control of the heating profile can be further enhanced, and the cost can be further reduced.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of an aerosol supply system 1 is shown. The aerosol supply system 1 includes an aerosol supply device 100 and an article 10 containing an aerosol-generating material 11. The aerosol-generating material 11 may be any of the types of aerosol-generating materials discussed herein, for example. In this example, the aerosol supply device 100 is a tobacco heating product (also known in the art as a tobacco heating device or a non-combustion heating device).

[0087] The aerosol - generating material 11 may include non - liquid materials. In some examples, the aerosol - generating material 11 is a gel. In some examples, the aerosol - generating material 11 includes tobacco. However, in other examples, the aerosol - generating material 11 may be composed of tobacco, substantially entirely composed of tobacco, include tobacco and other aerosol - generating materials other than tobacco, include aerosol - generating materials other than tobacco, or may not include tobacco. In some examples, the aerosol - generating material 11 may include a vapor - forming agent or an aerosol - forming agent, or a humectant such as glycerol, propylene glycol, triacetin, or diethylene glycol. In some examples, the aerosol - generating material 11 includes a regenerated aerosol - generating material such as regenerated tobacco.

[0088] The aerosol - generating material 11 may be substantially cylindrical, having a substantially circular cross - section and a longitudinal axis. In other examples, the aerosol - generating material 11 may have a different cross - sectional shape and / or may not be elongated.

[0089] The aerosol - generating material 11 of the article 10 has an axial length, for example, between 8 mm and 120 mm. For example, the axial length of the aerosol - generating material 11 may be greater than 9 mm, or 10 mm, or 15 mm, or 20 mm. For example, the axial length of the aerosol - generating material 11 may be less than 100 mm, or 75 mm, or 50 mm, or 40 mm.

[0090] In some examples, such as the example shown in FIG. 1, the article 10 comprises a filter assembly 12 for filtering aerosol or vapor released from the aerosol-forming material 11 during use. Alternatively, or additionally, the filter assembly 12 may be for controlling the pressure drop across the length of the article 10. The filter assembly 12 may comprise one or more filters. The filter assembly 12 may be of any type used in the tobacco industry. For example, the filter may be made of cellulose acetate. In some examples, the filter assembly 12 has a substantially circular cross-section and longitudinal axis and is substantially cylindrical. In other examples, the filter assembly 12 may have a different cross-sectional shape and / or may not be elongate.

[0091] The article 10 can also comprise a wrapper (not shown) wrapped around the aerosol-forming material 11 and the filter assembly 12 to hold the filter assembly 12 in relation to the aerosol-forming material 11. The wrapper may be wrapped around the aerosol-forming material 11 and the filter assembly 12 such that the free ends of the wrapper overlap one another. The wrapper may form part or all of the circumferential outer surface of the article 10. The wrapper may be made of any suitable material such as paper, cardboard, or recycled aerosol-forming material (e.g., recycled tobacco).

[0092] The aerosol supply device 100 comprises a heating region 110 for receiving at least a portion of the article 10, an outlet 120 through which aerosol can be delivered from the heating region 110 to the user during use, and an aerosol generator 130 for generating aerosol by causing heating of the article 10 when the article 10 is disposed at least partially within the heating region 110. In some examples, such as the example shown in FIG. 1, the aerosol can be delivered from the heating region 110 to the user through the article 10 itself rather than through any gap adjacent to the article 10. Nevertheless, in such examples, the aerosol still passes through the outlet 120 while moving within the article 10.

[0093] In this example, the heating region 110 extends along the axis A-A and is sized and shaped to accommodate only a portion of the article 10. In this example, the axis A-A is the central axis of the heating region 110. Further, in this example, the heating region 110 is elongate, and thus the axis A-A is the longitudinal axis A-A of the heating region 110. The article 10 is insertable at least partially into the heating region 110 via the outlet 120 and projects out of the heating region 110 through the outlet 120 during use. In other examples, the heating region 110 may or may not be elongate and may be sized to receive the entire article 10. In some such examples, the aerosol supply device 100 may include a mouthpiece that can be arranged to cover the outlet 120, and the aerosol can be withdrawn from the heating region 110 and the article 10 through the mouthpiece.

[0094] In this example, when the article 10 is at least partially disposed within the heating region 110, various portions 11a-11e of the aerosol-generating material 11 are disposed at different respective locations 111-115 within the heating region 110. In this example, these locations 111-115 are at different respective axial positions along the axis A-A of the heating region 110. Further, in this example, since the heating region 110 is elongate, the locations 111-115 can be considered to be at different positions longitudinally spaced along the length of the heating region 110. In this example, the article 10 may be considered to comprise five such portions 11a-11e of the aerosol-generating material 11, and these portions 11a-11e are disposed at the first location 111, the second location 112, the third location 113, the fourth location 114, and the fifth location 115 respectively.

[0095] The aerosol generator 130 can comprise one or more heating units 140a to 140e, and each of the heating units 140a to 140e is capable of causing heating of respective portions 11a to 11e of the aerosol-forming material 11 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize the components of the aerosol-forming material 11 when the article 10 is at least partially disposed within the heating region 110. The heating units 140a to 140e may be axially aligned with each other along the axis A-A. Each of the portions 11a to 11e of the aerosol-forming material 11 that can be heated in this way can have a length in the direction of the axis A-A between, for example, between 2 millimeters and 10 millimeters, between 3 millimeters and 8 millimeters, or between 4 millimeters and 6 millimeters, etc., between 1 millimeter and 20 millimeters.

[0096] The aerosol generator 130 of this example comprises five heating units 140a to 140e, namely a first heating unit 140a, a second heating unit 140b, a third heating unit 140c, a fourth heating unit 140d, and a fifth heating unit 140e. The heating units 140a to 140e are at different respective axial positions along the axis A-A of the heating region 110. Further, in this example, since the heating region 110 is elongated, the heating units 140a to 140e can be considered to be at different positions longitudinally spaced along the length of the heating region 110. In other examples, the aerosol generator 130 can comprise more than five heating units 140a to 140e, or fewer than five heating units, such as only four, only three, only two, or only one heating unit. The number of portions (plural) of the aerosol-forming material 11 that can be heated by each heating unit (plural) may be correspondingly changed.

[0097] The aerosol generator 130 can further include a controller 135 configured to operate the heating units 140a to 140e during use to cause heating of respective portions 11a to 11e of the aerosol-forming material 11. In this example, the controller 135 is configured to operate the heating units 140a to 140e independently of each other such that respective portions 11a to 11e of the aerosol-forming material 11 can be heated independently. This may be desirable to achieve a gradual heating of the aerosol-forming material 11 during use.

[0098] In this example, the heating units 140a to 140e each comprise a respective induction heating unit configured to generate a respective fluctuating magnetic field such as an alternating magnetic field. Accordingly, the aerosol generator 130 may be considered to include a magnetic field generator, and the controller 135 may be considered to be a device operable to pass a fluctuating current through the inductors of the respective heating units 140a to 140e. The inductor of each heating unit 140a to 140e can comprise any one or more of inductor configurations as described below, such as any one or more of the inductor configurations 150, 60, 90, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300 shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 9 to 13. Further, in this example, the aerosol supply device 100 comprises a susceptor 190 configured to be heatable by the penetration of the fluctuating magnetic field to effect heating of the heating region 110 and the article 10 within the heating region 110 during use. That is, portions of the susceptor 190 are heatable by the penetration of respective fluctuating magnetic fields, thus effecting heating of respective portions 11a to 11e of the aerosol-forming material 11 at respective locations 110a to 110e within the heating region 110.

[0099] In some examples, susceptor 190 is made of or includes aluminum. However, in other examples, susceptor 190 may include one or more materials selected from the group consisting of conductive materials, magnetic materials, and magnetoconductive materials. In some examples, susceptor 190 may include a metal or a metal alloy. In some examples, susceptor 190 may include one or more materials selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gold, iron, nickel, cobalt, conductive carbon, graphite, steel, plain carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, molybdenum, silicon carbide, copper, and bronze. In other examples, other material(s) may be used.

[0100] In some examples, such as examples where susceptor 190 includes iron such as steel (e.g., mild steel or stainless steel) or aluminum, susceptor 190 may be provided with a coating to help avoid corrosion or oxidation of susceptor 190 during use. Such coatings may include, for example, nickel plating, gold plating, or a coating of ceramic or an inert polymer.

[0101] In this example, susceptor 190 is tubular and surrounds heating region 110. In practice, in this example, the inner surface of susceptor 190 partially delimits heating region 110. The internal cross-sectional shape of susceptor 190 may be circular or may be a different shape such as an elliptical, polygonal, or irregular shape. In other examples, susceptor 190 may take different forms such as a non-tubular structure that still partially surrounds heating region 110, or a protruding structure such as a rod, pin, or blade that penetrates into heating region 110. In some examples, susceptor 190 may be replaced by a plurality of susceptors. Each of the one or more susceptors of article 10 can take any suitable form, such as a structure (e.g., a metal foil such as aluminum foil) that is wound around or otherwise surrounds aerosol-generating material 11, a structure disposed within aerosol-generating material 11, or a group of particles or other elements commingled with aerosol-generating material 11.

[0102] In this example, the aerosol generator 130 comprises a power source (not shown) and a user interface (not shown) for user operation of the device. The power source in this example is a rechargeable battery. In other examples, the power source may be something other than a rechargeable battery, such as a non-rechargeable battery, a capacitor, a battery-capacitor hybrid, or a connection to an electrical supply main.

[0103] In this example, the controller 135 passes an alternating current through at least one of the inductor assemblies 150, 60, 90, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300 of each of the heating units 140a - 140e by operation of the user interface by the user. In other examples where more than one inductor assembly may be present, a secondary coil may be arranged between the inductor assemblies such that both inductor assemblies induce a varying current through the secondary coil. However, in other examples where each of the heating units 140a - 140e comprises more than one respective inductor assembly, there may be a respective secondary coil for each respective inductor assembly such that each respective inductor assembly induces a varying current into its respective secondary coil.

[0104] Further discussion regarding the respective forms of the heating units 140a - 140e is given below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. However, it should be noted at this stage that the size or scale of the varying magnetic field when measured in the direction of axis A - A is relatively small, and as a result, the portion of the susceptor 190 that the varying magnetic field penetrates during use is correspondingly small. Thus, it may be desirable for the susceptor 190 to have sufficient thermal conductivity to increase the portion of the susceptor 190 that is heated by thermal conduction as a result of penetration by the varying magnetic field, in order to correspondingly increase the proportion of the aerosol - generating material 11 that is heated by the operation of each of the heating units 140a - 140e.

[0105] In some examples where the aerosol generator 130 has three or more heating units, such as the example shown in FIG. 1, the aerosol generator 130 may be further configured to heat at least one further portion 11b - 11e of the aerosol - forming material 11 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize components of a further portion 11b - 11e of the aerosol - forming material 11 during a heating session, prior to or more rapidly than heating of yet further portions 11c - 11e of the aerosol - forming material 11 that are more fluidly proximate to the outlet 120. That is, the controller 135 may be configured to cause appropriate operation of the heating units to effect heating of at least one further portion 11b - 11e of the aerosol - forming material 11 prior to or more rapidly than heating of yet further portions 11c - 11e of the aerosol - forming material 11. For example, in the device of FIG. 1, the aerosol generator 130 may be configured to effect: (i) heating of the second portion 11b of the aerosol - forming material 11 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize components of the second portion 11b of the aerosol - forming material 11 prior to or more rapidly than heating of the third portion 11c of the aerosol - forming material 11; (ii) heating of the third portion 11c of the aerosol - forming material 11 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize components of the third portion 11c of the aerosol - forming material 11 prior to or more rapidly than heating of the fourth portion 11d of the aerosol - forming material 11; and (iii) heating of the fourth portion 11d of the aerosol - forming material 11 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize components of the fourth portion 11d of the aerosol - forming material 11 prior to or more rapidly than heating of the fifth portion 11e of the aerosol - forming material 11.

[0106] Over a given duration of a heating session, the more numerous the heating unit and the associated portions of the aerosol-generating material 11 present therein, the more opportunities there will be to generate aerosol from the "fresh" or unused portion of the aerosol-generating material 11 extending along a given axial length. Alternatively, over a given duration of heating each portion of the aerosol-generating material 11, the more numerous the heating unit and the associated portions of the aerosol-generating material 11 present therein, the longer the heating session can be. It should be understood that the duration for which an individual heating unit can be operated may be adjusted (e.g., shortened) so as to adjust (e.g., shorten) the overall heating session, and at the same time the power supplied to the heating element may be adjusted (e.g., increased) so as to reach the operating temperature more rapidly.

[0107] Referring to FIG. 2, a flowchart showing an example of a method of heating an aerosol-generating material using an aerosol supply device during a heating session is shown. The aerosol supply device used in method 200 comprises a heating region for receiving at least a portion of an article containing an aerosol-generating material, an outlet through which aerosol can be delivered from the heating region to a user during use, and a heating device for generating aerosol by effecting heating of the article when the article is disposed at least partially within the heating region. The aerosol supply device may be, for example, the aerosol supply device shown in FIG. 1 or any suitable variant of the aerosol supply devices discussed herein.

[0108] Method 200 comprises an aerosol generator 130, which brings about heating of a first portion 11a of the aerosol-forming material 11 of article 10 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize the components of the first portion 11a of the aerosol-forming material 11 of article 10 before or more rapidly than bringing about heating of a second portion 11b of the aerosol-forming material 11 of article 10 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize the components of the second portion 11b of the aerosol-forming material 11, when article 10 is disposed at least partially within the heating zone 110. The second portion 11b of the aerosol-forming material 11 is fluidly disposed between the first portion 11a of the aerosol-forming material 11 and the outlet 120.

[0109] As described above, it will be understood from the teachings herein that method 200 may be suitably configured to comprise an aerosol generator 130 that further brings about heating of at least one further portion 11b - 11e of the aerosol-forming material 11 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize the components of the further portion 11b - 11e of the aerosol-forming material 11 before or more rapidly than heating of yet further portions 11c - 11e of the aerosol-forming material 11 that are fluidly closer to the outlet 120.

[0110] Referring to FIG. 3, a flowchart is shown that illustrates another example of a method of heating an aerosol-generating material using an aerosol supply device during a heating session. The aerosol supply device used in method 300 includes a heating region for receiving at least a portion of an article containing an aerosol-generating material, an outlet through which an aerosol can be delivered from the heating region to a user during use, and a heating device for generating an aerosol by causing heating of the article when the article is disposed at least partially within the heating region. The heating device includes a first heating unit, a second heating unit, a third heating unit, and a controller configured to effect the operation of the first heating unit, the second heating unit, and the third heating unit. The aerosol supply device may be, for example, the aerosol supply device shown in FIG. 1 or any suitable variant of the aerosol supply devices discussed herein.

[0111] Method 300 includes a controller 135 that, when article 10 is disposed at least partially within heating region 110, causes first heating unit 140a to heat 310 a first portion 11a of aerosol-generating material 11 of article 10 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize the components of the first portion 11a of aerosol-generating material 11 (e.g., before or more rapidly than second portion 11b), causes second heating unit 140b to heat 320 a second portion 11b of aerosol-generating material 11 of article 10 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize the components of the second portion 11b of aerosol-generating material 11 (e.g., before or more rapidly than third portion 11c), and causes third heating unit 140c to heat 330 a third portion 11c of aerosol-generating material 11 of article 10 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize the components of the third portion 11c of aerosol-generating material 11, independently controlling first heating unit 140a, second heating unit 140b, and third heating unit 140c relative to each other.

[0112] If the aerosol supply device used in method 300 comprises a sufficient heating unit, method 300 may be appropriately configured to further control the fourth heating unit 140d and the fifth heating unit 140e independently of each other such that when article 10 is at least partially disposed within heating region 110, the fourth heating unit 140d heats a fourth portion 11d of the aerosol-forming material 11 of article 10 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize the components of the fourth portion 11d of the aerosol-forming material 11, and the fifth heating unit 140e heats a fifth portion 11e of the aerosol-forming material 11 of article 10 to a temperature sufficient to aerosolize the components of the fifth portion 11e of the aerosol-forming material 11, as will be understood from the teachings herein.

[0113] Next, with reference to FIGS. 4-13, which disclose various features of the inductor assemblies 150, 60, 90, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300 of the heating units, one of the heating units 140a-140e of the aerosol generator 130 will be described in more detail.

[0114] Referring to FIG. 4, it will be understood that the inductor assembly 150 may be a stacked inductor assembly 150. In this example, the stacked inductor assembly 150 includes three layers, namely a first layer 41, a second layer 42, and a third layer 43. The first layer 41 comprises a first conductive portion 41a, the second layer 42 comprises a second conductive portion 42a, and the third layer 43 comprises a third conductive portion 43a. The second layer 42 may be spaced from the first layer 41 by a first interval along a first direction given by arrow 46. The third layer 43 may be spaced from the second layer 42 by a second interval along a second direction given by arrow 47.

[0115] Still referring to FIG. 4, the stacked inductor structure 150 can form a single conductive element. For example, the stacked inductor structure 150 can include a first conductive connector 44 that electrically connects the first portion 41a to the second portion 42a, and a second conductive connector 45 that electrically connects the second portion 42a to the third portion 43a. In the example of FIG. 4, the first layer 41 coincides with the first surface, the second layer 42 coincides with the second surface, and the third layer 43 coincides with the first surface.

[0116] The first surface, the second surface, and the third surface are all shown as flat and parallel surfaces, for example, surfaces parallel to the XY plane. However, in some structures, it is not necessary for all of the surfaces to be flat surfaces. For example, one of the three surfaces may be a flat surface, and the remaining surfaces may be non-flat surfaces. In some structures, all of the surfaces may be non-flat surfaces. The non-flat surface may be a curved surface, a surface defined by a rotational surface, a surface having a break, or a combination thereof. The surface having a break may be a surface having a first portion that is flat or represented by a continuous function and a second portion that is connected to the first portion such that the first portion is discontinuous with respect to the second portion. For example, the non-flat surface may include two flat surfaces that are obliquely connected to each other so as to form an elongated V shape.

[0117] In FIG. 4, the first surface, the second surface, and the third surface are parallel flat surfaces. Accordingly, the first direction 46 and the second direction 47 are perpendicular to the surfaces and are directed in opposite directions. In this way, the stacked inductor structure includes an alternating structure formed from the first portion 41a, the second portion 42a, and the third portion 43a. For example, the successive portions are spaced apart from each other such that they are staggered with respect to the z direction. In the structure of FIG. 4, the first interval between the first layer 41 and the second layer 42 and the second interval between the second layer 42 and the third layer 43 have equal lengths. In this way, the first layer 41 and the third layer 43 coincide with the same surface such that the third portion 43a of the third layer 43 is disposed radially inward or inside the first portion 41a of the first layer 41.

[0118] It will be understood that the first layer 41 and the third layer 43 may be different regions of the same layer. In some configurations where the first layer 41 and the third layer 43 are different regions of the same layer, the inter-part region between the first part 41a and the third part 43a may include a non-conductive material as discussed below, or an insulating gas such as air. The stacked inductor structure 150 is intended to be fabricated by simultaneously laminating the in-plane first layer 41 and third layer 43 on top of the second layer 42. In some configurations, the fabrication techniques include PCB fabrication techniques, laser direct structuring, laser activated plating, and / or sintered ceramics.

[0119] In other configurations, the first interval and the second interval have different lengths. In some configurations, an alternating structure may be formed from the first part, the second part, and the third part of any of the above-described configurations, where the second direction 47 may be at an angle other than 180 degrees with respect to the first direction. In this way, the stacked inductor structure can have any number of complex alternating geometries.

[0120] In the configuration of FIG. 4, each of the first part 41a, the second part 42a, and the third part 43a depicts a non-helical shape, where the non-helix is a square or rectangular non-helix. Each non-helix comprises approximately one complete turn. For example, each part may individually comprise a planar non-helical coil in the form of a mandrel loop.

[0121] Referring now to FIG. 5, a schematic perspective view of a conductive portion 50 comprising a planar non-helical coil in the form of a mandrel loop formed on a PCB by one configuration is shown. The conductive portion 50 is used in a layered inductor coil structure such as the configuration described above in connection with FIG. 4.

[0122] The conductive portion 50 includes a PCB 52 and a planar non-helical coil in the form of a mandrel loop 54 disposed on the PCB 52, and an insulator 56 is disposed on the mandrel loop 54. The mandrel loop is formed of a conductive material such as copper.

[0123] This configuration includes a PCB 52, but other configurations are contemplated in which the mandrel loop 52 is not disposed on the PCB. Instead, only the mandrel loop 54 exists, or only the mandrel loop 54 and the insulator 56 exist. In this particular configuration, the mandrel loop comprises only a single turn. However, other configurations are contemplated in which the mandrel loop 54 includes more than one turn, such as two turns, three turns, four turns, or more than four turns.

[0124] The insulator 56 of this configuration is in the form of a planar plate. The insulator 56 may be made of a non-conductive material such as a plastic material to electrically insulate the mandrel loop 54. In this configuration, the insulator 56 is made of FR-4, which is a composite material composed of a woven glass fiber cloth containing an epoxy resin binder that is a flame retardant.

[0125] In some examples, when used in a stacked inductor structure, the plurality of conductive portions 50 described above may be used, where the successive conductive portions 50 are of different sizes. In one example, only a single PCB 52 is present. According to this structure, a first mandrel loop 54 is disposed on the PCB 52, and a second mandrel loop 54 is disposed on the PCB 52 within the first mandrel loop 54. A first insulator 56 is disposed on the first and second mandrel loops 54. A third mandrel loop 54 may be disposed on the first insulator 56. A first via may connect one end of the third mandrel loop 54 to the first mandrel loop 54, and a second via may connect the other end of the third mandrel loop 54 to the second mandrel loop 54. A second insulator 56 may be provided on the second mandrel loop 54. This structure may be repeated the required number of times until certain requirements are met, such as achieving the required amount of magnetic flux density when an alternating (e.g., varying) current is passed through a stacked inductor structure formed, for example, from a plurality of mandrel loops 54.

[0126] In other examples, rather than a single PCB 52, each respective layer may include its own PCB 52, mandrel loop 54, and insulator 56. In other examples, there may be no respective PCB 52 or insulator 56, and instead, a plurality of mandrel loops 54 are disposed in a plurality of layers. In such examples, the mandrel loops 54 may be electrically insulated from each other in different ways, such as with an air gap.

[0127] Next, referring to the example where the PCB 52 is present, the mandrel loop 54 may be fixed to the PCB 52 in any suitable manner. In the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the conductive portion 50 is formed from a printed circuit board (PCB), and thus, the mandrel loop 54 is formed by printing a conductive material on each of the first and second sides of the PCB 52 during the manufacture of the PCB 52 and then removing (by etching or the like) selective portions of the conductive material such that a pattern of the conductive material in the form of the mandrel loop remains. Accordingly, the mandrel loop 54 is a thin film or coating of conductive material on the PCB 52.

[0128] In some configurations, the stacked inductor configuration comprises a four-layer PCB 52 as described in any of the above configurations. The four-layer PCB comprises a first pair of adjacent layers and a second pair of adjacent layers, the first pair of adjacent layers being closely spaced and the second pair of adjacent layers being further spaced apart. For example, the first pair of adjacent layers that are closely spaced may be separated by a distance of 2 mm or less, and the second pair of adjacent layers that are further spaced apart may be separated by a distance greater than 2 mm.

[0129] A configuration in which the inductor configuration comprises or is formed from a PCB facilitates the manufacture of the inductor configuration and also allows each conductive portion to be thinned and closely spaced.

[0130] In some configurations, any number of different shapes are contemplated for the conductive portion.

[0131] For example, any one of the conductive portions may include a helix, an irregular helix, a loop, a partial helix, a partial irregular helix, a partial loop, a non-helix, or a combination thereof. In some configurations, the partial helix may include a part of (i) a circular or oval helix, (ii) a square or rectangular helix, (iii) a trapezoidal helix, or (iv) a triangular helix. In some configurations, the helix may include (i) a circular or oval helix, (ii) a square or rectangular helix, (iii) a trapezoidal helix, or (iv) a triangular helix. In some configurations, the loop may include (i) a circle or oval, (ii) a square or rectangle, (iii) a trapezoid, or (iv) a triangle, (v) a regular polygon, (vi) an irregular polygon. In some configurations, the partial loop may include a part of (i) a circle or oval, (ii) a square or rectangle, (iii) a trapezoid, or (iv) a triangle, (v) a regular polygon, (vi) an irregular polygon. Any one of the conductive portions may be provided with a tail or via.

[0132] In some configurations, any one of the conductive portions may define a partial turn, where the partial turn may be less than one complete turn or may exceed one complete turn. Each partial turn of each conductive portion may be defined as a turn around the same axis, such as axis 48 in FIG. 4. Alternatively, each conductive portion may trace a partial turn around a point on each respective surface, where the point on each respective surface is not located on a shared axis. For example, two of the conductive portions may each trace a turn around a shared axis, while another conductive portion may trace a turn around a point not located on the shared axis.

[0133] In the structure of FIG. 4, neither the first portion 41 nor the third portion 43 overlaps with the second portion 42 when the layer is viewed from the front, that is, along the z-axis line. However, in some structures, at least one of the first portion and the third portion at least partially overlaps with the second portion when the layer is viewed from the front. It will be understood that thereby the track density with respect to the XY plane is increased. In this way, the magnetic field that can be generated by the stacked inductor structure can have a higher field strength compared to an inductor structure having only a single flat inductor or a single flat spiral. This is because the track width of the conductive portion is limited. In this way, staggering the inductor structures in the z-direction or out-of-plane direction effectively increases the track density while avoiding the above-mentioned limitations. However, it will be understood that the stacked inductor structure 150 still benefits from being conveniently dimensioned to facilitate various different arrangements of the components within the aerosol supply device 100.

[0134] The inductor structure 150 can include a support 40 such as that provided by a PCB. One or more layers can be supported by one or more supports by being disposed on one or more supports or (partially or fully) embedded in one or more supports. In the structure of FIG. 4, the third layer 43 is shown disposed on the support 40, and the other two layers are self-standing by the first and second conductive connectors. However, other configurations are contemplated where more layers, such as configurations where each of all the layers are disposed on or embedded in their respective supports, are supported by additional supports. Alternatively, only some of the layers may be supported such that the inductor structure includes one or more supports. For example, each of the supported layers may be disposed on or embedded in their respective supports, or a single support may be configured such that two or more layers are supported by the same single support, or combinations thereof. In yet other configurations, the inductor structure 150 does not include a support(s). It will be understood that one or more supports may be made of any suitable electrical insulating material(s). In some examples, the support 140 includes a substrate (such as an epoxy resin with an optional filler such as ceramics) and a reinforcing structure (such as a woven or non-woven material such as glass fiber or paper).

[0135] The conductive portions 41a - 43a and the conductive connectors 44, 45 can be made of any suitable conductive material(s). In some examples, the conductive portions 41a - 43a and the conductive connectors 44, 45 are made of copper. In a configuration where the inductor structure 150 includes one or more supports 40, the conductive connectors 44, 45 can take the form of "vias" that extend through one or more supports 40. Even in examples where the inductor structure 150 is not formed from a PCB, the conductive connectors 44, 45 can still extend through one or more supports 40.

[0136] In some configurations, one or more tracks including a magnetic material may be arranged in an alternating structure. The magnetic material may be ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic. For example, the magnetic material may be a hard ferromagnetic material, a hard ferrimagnetic material, a soft ferromagnetic material, or a soft ferrimagnetic material, where hard or soft corresponds to high coercivity or low coercivity, respectively. The magnetic material may include, for example, ferrite or magnetite.

[0137] It will be understood that the laminated inductor configurations described above may be formed from a conductive element having any number of further spaced layers each having a respective conductive portion. In some configurations, the laminated inductor configuration may comprise between 4 and 6 layers, or between 7 and 9 layers, or more than 10 layers. For example, FIG. 6 shows a laminated inductor configuration 60 comprising four layers 61-64 from a front-facing perspective 60a and a side perspective 60b. In FIG. 6, each of the conductive connectors 65, 66, 67 is not shown in the side perspective 60b for clarity. As can be seen from the side perspective 60b, in the configuration of FIG. 6, the spacing between successive layers is not equal such that at least three of the layers coincide with different planes respectively. Thus, the range in which the successive layers of the laminated inductor configuration are staggered and spaced apart from each other provides an additional parameter that can adjust the form of the induced magnetic field induced by the laminated inductor configuration. As a result, the heat concentration induced by the magnetic field in a nearby susceptor (such as susceptor 190 in FIG. 1) can be selectively adjusted by an appropriate design of the alternating structure of the laminated inductor configuration 150.

[0138] In some configurations, the distance between successive spaced-apart layers can have a distance within a range selected from the group including (i) <0.5 mm, (ii) 0.5 to 2.0 mm, (iii) 2.0 to 4.0 mm, and (v) >4.0 mm. Referring to FIG. 4, in an example with one or more supports, the one or more supports 40 can have a thickness of about 0.85 mm. In some examples, the one or more supports 40 can have a thickness other than 0.85 mm, such as another thickness within the range of 0.2 millimeters to 2 millimeters. For example, each of the thicknesses can be between 0.5 millimeters and 1 millimeter, or between 0.75 millimeters and 0.95 millimeters. In some examples, the one or more supports 40 can include a plurality of supports 40, and the thickness of each support 40 can be equal to or substantially equal to each other. In another example, one or more of the supports 40 can have a thickness different from the thickness of one or more of the other supports 40.

[0139] In some configurations, each of portions 41a - 43a of the stacked inductor configuration 150 has a thickness of about 142 micrometers measured in a direction perpendicular to each respective face. In some examples, one or more of portions 41a - 43a can have a thickness other than 142 micrometers, such as another thickness within the range of 10 micrometers to 200 micrometers. For example, each of the thicknesses can be between 25 micrometers and 175 micrometers, or between 100 micrometers and 150 micrometers.

[0140] In an example where the layer inductor structure 150 is made from a PCB, the thickness of the material of the layer inductor structure 150 can be determined by "plating up" the material on a substrate before the creation of the PCB. Some standard circuit boards have a 1-ounce layer of a conductive material such as copper on the substrate. A 1-ounce layer has a thickness of about 38 micrometers. By plating up to a 4-ounce layer, the thickness increases up to about 142 micrometers. By increasing the thickness, the structure of the inductor structure becomes more robust, and due to a corresponding reduction in resistive losses, the system losses are reduced. By increasing the amount of material of the layer inductor structure 150, the heat capacity of the layer inductor structure 150 increases and the temperature gain for a given heat input decreases. This can be beneficial as it helps ensure that the temperature of the layer inductor structure 150 itself during use does not become so high as to damage the structure of the layer inductor structure 150. In some examples, the thicknesses of the respective portions 41a - 43a of the stacked inductor structure 150 are equal to each other or are substantially equal to each other. This can lead to a more consistent heating effect being provided by the various portions of the stacked inductor structure 150. In other examples, one or more of the portions 41a - 43a of the stacked inductor structure 150 can have a thickness different from the thickness of one or more of the other portions 41a - 43a of the stacked inductor structure 150. This can be intentional in some examples to enhance the heating effect provided by a particular portion(s) of the stacked inductor structure 150 as compared to the heating effect provided by other portion(s) of the stacked inductor structure 150.

[0141] The stacked inductor structures 150 of these structures allow for a higher track density within a single inductor coil structure.

[0142] Referring to FIG. 7, an exemplary inductor coil structure 70, which is a so-called Tesla flat inductor bifilar coil 70, is shown. The inductor coil structure 70 includes a first winding or coil 71 and a second winding or coil 72. The second winding or coil 72 is spaced proximally and distally from the first winding 71 and is parallel to the first winding 71. The two windings are joined by a conductive connection portion 73 such that the current flowing through the two windings is maintained in the same direction. Those skilled in the art will understand that by coupling the two windings to each other in this way, the performance of the inductor coil structure 70 is improved because the current flows in the same direction so that there is substantially no cancellation of the induced magnetic fields. Further, those skilled in the art will understand that there is a capacitive connection of the wires and that in a circular structure the link connection is very small, resulting in a small phase shift between the wires.

[0143] As schematically shown in FIG. 8, the flat inductor bifilar coil 80 naturally forms a helix. By adding additional pairs of wires, a larger helix can be formed.

[0144] Therefore, it has been found that the bifilar coil can be mimicked by utilizing out-of-plane dimensions. Referring to FIG. 9, a stacked inductor configuration 90 is shown which is a two-layer bifilar coil inductor configuration 90 comprising a first layer 91 and a second layer 92. The first layer 91 comprises one or more first conductive wires or tracks 91a, and the second layer 92 comprises one or more second conductive wires or tracks 92a. The first conductive wire or track 91a and the second conductive wire or track 92a may be concentric, or as shown in FIG. 9, may substantially overlap when the layers are viewed from the front. One or more conductive connection portions 93 connect one or more of the first conductive wires or tracks 91a to the second conductive wire or track 92. In some configurations, the stacked inductor configuration 90 may be formed in a PCB format, where a vertical plane may be used, and already having a low aspect ratio (height of the copper track relative to the width) can be further enhanced for even greater effect. It has been found that coupling the wires or tracks vertically rather than horizontally further enhances the mutual coupling or capacitive coupling of the wires while minimizing the phase shift between the wires.

[0145] It will be understood that the stacked inductor configuration comprising a bifilar coil across the two layers described above can be extended to comprise any number of additional layers having a plurality of conductive connection portions with respective concentric inductors. In this way, by using a unique stacked geometry, the advantages of a trifilar inductor configuration or a larger inductor configuration can be utilized. As will be understood, the above configuration may be formed in a PCB format as discussed with reference to FIG. 5.

[0146] 10 , one configuration of a trapezoidal inductor structure 1000 is shown. The trapezoidal inductor structure can include conductive tracks 1001, e.g., copper tracks. As shown, the conductive tracks 1001 can form an inductor coil in a substantially trapezoidal shape, where the substantially trapezoidal shape includes a first hypotenuse 1002, a second hypotenuse 1003, a long side 1004, and a short side 1005 that is shorter in length than the long side 1004.

[0147] 10 illustrates a regular trapezoidal shape, where a first hypotenuse 1002 and a second hypotenuse 1003 have substantially the same length and substantially the same angle relative to a shorter side 1005. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the hypotenuses may each be angled at 104 degrees relative to the shorter side 1005. However, in other configurations, each hypotenuse has an angle relative to the shorter side 1005 that is within a range selected from the group including: (i) <100 degrees, (ii) 100-120 degrees, (iii) 120-140 degrees, (iv) 140-160 degrees, and (v) 160-180 degrees.

[0148] In other configurations, the first hypotenuse 1002 has a first angle relative to the shorter side 1005 and the second hypotenuse 1003 has a second angle relative to the shorter side 1005, where the first angle and the second angle are not substantially equal.

[0149] In some configurations, the first hypotenuse 1002 is equal in length to the second hypotenuse 1003. Alternatively, in some configurations, the first hypotenuse 1002 is different in length from the second hypotenuse 1003.

[0150] As shown in FIG. 10, the long side 1004 may be curved. For example, the curved long side 1004 can include an arc or a portion of a circle. In the configuration of FIG. 10, the angle defining the arc range of the long side 1004 is 28 degrees. However, in some configurations, the arc of the long side 1004 can correspond to an angle less than 28 degrees or greater than 28 degrees. In some configurations, it is contemplated that a plurality of trapezoidal inductor configurations 1000 can be arranged adjacent to each other such that the long sides 1004 face radially outward and together the plurality of long sides 1004 substantially form an arc. As will be appreciated, the angle corresponding to the arc of each long side 1004 depends on the number of trapezoidal inductor configurations 1000 that should fit within the circle. In some configurations, different inductor configurations 1000 among the inductor configurations 1000 can have different arc lengths 1004 such that a circle is formed by different proportions of adjacent trapezoidal inductor configurations 1000.

[0151] In some configurations, the first hypotenuse 1002, the second hypotenuse 1003, and the long side 1004 each have a length within a range selected from the group consisting of (i) <5 mm, (ii) 5 - 7.5 mm, (iii) 7.5 - 10 mm, (iv) 10 - 12.5 mm, (v) 12.5 - 15 mm, (vi) 15 - 17.5 mm, or (vii) 17.5 - 20 mm, and the short side 1005 has a length within a range selected from the group consisting of (i) <2.5 mm, (ii) 2.5 - 5 mm, (iii) 5 - 7.5 mm, (iv) 7.5 - 10 mm.

[0152] In some configurations, the trapezoidal inductor configuration described above can be configured to inductively heat an associated heating area. For example, the associated heating area may comprise one or more susceptors. The associated heating area may be adapted to the shape of one or more portions of an article containing an aerosol - generating material. For example, the article containing the aerosol - generating material may comprise a trapezoidal portion, and the article is for use with an aerosol supply device having a trapezoidal inductor configuration as described in the above configuration.

[0153] The narrower region of the inductor coil, i.e., the region of the inductor coil closest to the short side 1005 of the trapezoidal inductor structure, was found to induce more heat in the corresponding region of the associated heating area compared to the wider region of the inductor coil (i.e., the region closest to the long side 1004). In some configurations, the narrower region of the inductor coil may be located farthest from the mouthpiece of the device. This may be due to the relatively higher coil density in the narrower end compared to the wider end. The advantage is that the space around the narrower region of the inductor coil (where the generated aerosol collects) can become hotter, thus reducing the formation of aerosol-derived condensation in this region.

[0154] In the configuration of FIG. 10, the inductor coil includes 4.5 turns, where one turn is measured from corner to corner. The conductive track of the inductor coil can have a width within the range of 0.65 - 0.75 mm, such as 0.70 mm as shown in FIG. 10.

[0155] FIG. 11 also shows an inductor structure 1100 in a regular trapezoidal shape. The inductor coil in this structure includes 5.5 turns, and the conductive track of the inductor coil has a width within the range of 0.45 - 0.55 mm, such as 0.50 mm as shown in FIG. 11.

[0156] On the one hand, reducing the number of turns means that the track width can be increased to obtain a lower overall resistance and a correspondingly larger current from a specific set voltage applied across the terminals of the inductor coil. On the other hand, a larger number of turns results in a higher induced magnetic field strength and, accordingly, higher efficiency. The configurations of FIGS. 10 and 11 provide two designs that balance a lower resistance and a high magnetic field generation efficiency with an optimal number of coils for use as part of an aerosol supply device.

[0157] In some configurations, the conductive track 1001 of the inductor coil comprises a gap 1006 between adjacent portions or turns of the conductive track 1001. The gap 1006 can have a length within a range selected from the group including (i) < 0.2 mm, (ii) 0.2 - 0.4 mm, (iii) 0.4 - 0.6 mm, (iv) 0.6 - 0.8 mm, or (v) 0.8 - 1.0 mm. For example, the configuration of FIG. 10 comprises a gap of 0.30 mm, while the configuration of FIG. 11 comprises a gap of 0.25 mm. These configurations have been found to provide consistent heating induced by the inductor coil structure by reducing the various hot spots in the associated heating area.

[0158] In some configurations, the inductor configuration in the shape of a regular trapezoid can comprise one or more supports 1007, as described above in relation to FIG. 4. The one or more supports 1007 may similarly be referred to as one or more substrates. As shown in FIG. 10, the support 1007 can have a trapezoidal shape as described above, and the shape of the inductor coil can follow the shape of the support 1007. In some configurations, there may be an edge gap 1008 between the outermost track 1001 and the edge of the support 1007. For example, the configuration of FIG. 10 comprises an edge gap 1008 of 0.15 mm, which is different from the gap 1006 between adjacent portions of the tracks. Alternatively, as shown in the configuration of FIG. 11, the edge gap 1108 of 0.25 mm is the same size as the gap 1106 between adjacent portions of the tracks. In other configurations, the edge gap can be less than 0.15 mm, within the range of 0.15 - 0.25 mm, or greater than 0.25 mm.

[0159] In some configurations, the gaps between adjacent portions or turns of the conductive tracks include varying gaps. In some configurations, the variation in the gaps can be configured such that it induces a substantially uniform inductive coupling across most or substantially all of one or more susceptors of the associated heating area for a trapezoidal inductor configuration. In some configurations, the variation in the gaps can be configured such that the trapezoidal inductor configuration induces a stronger coupling across a first portion of one or more susceptors as compared to a second portion of the one or more susceptors. This can be a desirable further example for adjusting the properties of the generated aerosol. For example, the aerosol may be generated from an aerosol generating material containing a first flavor by using heat from a first portion of one or more susceptors, and an aerosol containing a second flavor may be generated by using heat from a second portion of the one or more susceptors.

[0160] In some configurations, the inductor configuration has a track density of the conductive tracks that varies substantially across a trapezoidal shape.

[0161] For example, the track density may be greater towards the center of the trapezoidal inductor configuration as compared to the periphery. In some configurations, this may be desirable to increase the heat towards the center of one or more susceptors of the associated heating area. Increasing the heat towards the center of one or more susceptors can advantageously enable making the time from the start of heating to the first puff of the generated aerosol faster.

[0162] It will be understood that the trapezoidal inductor configuration can include the laminated inductor configuration described in any of the above configurations. For example, the laminated inductor configuration 90 of FIG. 9, which is a two - layer bifilar coil inductor configuration 90, is shown as a trapezoidal inductor configuration.

[0163] Next, referring to FIG. 12, another trapezoidal inductor structure 1200 having a plurality of layers is shown.

[0164] Basically, two layers are used with the layers staggered in a single loop. According to some configurations, the layout based on a two-layer PCB can be changed to four layers such that the bottom layer is now the second layer. It is desirable for layer 1 (top) and layer 2 to be close to each other. According to some configurations, vias of the following sizes, namely, small (0.787 mm × 0.356 mm) and large (1.2 mm × 0.75 mm) can be utilized. The small vias can be modified to fit in series tracks, but the clear outer diameter becomes an issue. The small vias handle current, but it is desirable to be constrained to fit the track width or not interfere with other tracks.

[0165] Note that the track widths are slightly different in the first and second layers, but it is desirable for the tracks to be symmetric.

[0166] The upper layer 1201 can have track widths of 0.635 mm and 0.508 mm in the thinner sections closer to the vias according to some configurations. Two connecting vias can be provided in series. The series vias can be optimized to fit, but the aim is to make the hole diameter larger.

[0167] The second layer 1202 can have track widths of 0.762 mm and 0.508 mm in the thinner sections closer to the vias. The vias must be in series to follow the track, and since the current is larger, two connecting vias are required. The series vias can be optimized to fit the track, but the aim is to make the hole diameter larger.

[0168] The third layer 1203 may not include a track. The fourth layer 1204 can include a bottom layer. A track of 0.3 mm can be provided in this layer. The detection track may be arranged by a track of approximately 0.3 mm as shown, and two pads may be provided at the ends for soldering.

[0169] Next, referring to FIG. 13, another trapezoidal inductor structure 1300 with two layers is shown.

[0170] As described above in connection with FIG. 1, the heating assembly of the exemplary device 100 may be an inductive heating assembly comprising various components for heating the aerosol-forming material of the article 10 via an inductive heating process. In particular, the inductive heating unit or inductor coil structures 140a - 140e, the first inductor coil structure 140a, is used to generate an aerosol by heating respective portions 11a - 11e of the aerosol-forming material 11 by heating respective portions 190a - 190e of the susceptor 190 (or corresponding plural susceptors). This applies to both configurations where the aerosol supply device 100 comprises a susceptor (or plural susceptors) 190 (as shown in FIG. 1), or where the article 10 comprises a susceptor 190 (or plural susceptors). Hereinafter, as an example, with reference to FIGS. 14 - 16, the operation of the aerosol supply device 100 when using the first inductor coil structure 140a to inductively heat the corresponding portions of the susceptor structure will be described in detail.

[0171] The induction heating assembly of this device comprises an LC circuit. The LC circuit has an inductance L provided by an inductor coil assembly and a capacitance C provided by a capacitor. In this device, the inductance L is provided by inductor coil assemblies 140a to 140e, and the capacitance C can typically be provided by a plurality of capacitors as discussed below. In some cases, the induction heater circuit having the inductance L and the capacitance C can be represented as an RLC circuit having a resistance R provided by a resistor. In some cases, the resistance is provided by the ohmic resistance of the components of the circuit connecting the inductor and the capacitor, and thus the circuit does not necessarily need to include a resistor itself. Such a circuit can exhibit electrical resonance that occurs at a specific resonance frequency when the imaginary parts of the impedances or admittances of the circuit elements cancel each other out.

[0172] One example of an LC circuit is a series circuit in which the inductor and the capacitor are connected in series. Another example of an LC circuit is a parallel LC circuit in which the inductor and the capacitor are connected in parallel. Resonance occurs in the LC circuit because the decaying magnetic field of the inductor generates a current in the inductor winding, which charges the capacitor, while the discharging capacitor provides the current that builds the magnetic field in the inductor. When a parallel LC circuit is driven at its resonance frequency, the parallel resonance impedance of the circuit becomes maximum (since the reactance of the inductor is equal to the reactance of the capacitor), and the circuit current becomes minimum. However, in the case of a parallel LC circuit, the loop of the parallel inductor and capacitor acts as a current multiplier (effectively multiplying the current in the loop and thus the current passing through the inductor). Therefore, by enabling the RLC circuit or the LC circuit to operate at the resonance frequency for at least some period of time while the circuit is operating to heat the susceptor, it is possible to provide effective and / or efficient induction heating by realizing that the maximum magnetic field penetrates the susceptor.

[0173] The LC circuit used by the device to heat the susceptor can use one or more transistors that act as switching components as described below. A transistor is a semiconductor device for switching an electronic signal. A transistor typically has at least three terminals for connection to an electronic circuit. A field effect transistor (FET) is a transistor in which the effect of an applied electric field can be used to vary the effective conductance of the transistor. The field effect transistor can include a body, a source terminal S, a drain terminal D, and a gate terminal G. The field effect transistor has an active channel including a semiconductor, through which charge carriers, electrons, or holes can flow between the source S and the drain D. The conductivity of the channel, i.e., the conductivity between the drain terminal D and the source terminal S, is a function of the potential difference between the gate terminal G and the source terminal S, which is generated, for example, by the potential applied to the gate terminal G. In an enhancement mode FET, the FET may be off when the voltage from the gate G to the source S is substantially zero (i.e., substantially preventing current from passing through the FET), and may be turned on when the gate G-source S voltage is not substantially zero (i.e., substantially allowing current to pass through the FET).

[0174] One type of transistor that can be used in the circuit of the aerosol supply device 100 is an n-channel (or n-type) field effect transistor (n-FET). An n-FET is a field effect transistor whose channel includes an n-type semiconductor, where electrons are the majority carriers and holes are the minority carriers. For example, an n-type semiconductor includes an intrinsic semiconductor (such as silicon) doped with donor impurities (such as phosphorus). In an n-channel FET, the drain terminal D is disposed at a higher potential than the source terminal S (i.e., a positive drain-source voltage exists, or equivalently, a negative source-drain voltage exists). To turn on the n-channel FET (i.e., to allow current to pass), a switching potential higher than the potential at the source terminal S is applied to the gate terminal G.

[0175] Another type of transistor that can be used in the aerosol supply device 100 is a p-channel (or p-type) field-effect transistor (p-FET). A p-FET is a field-effect transistor whose channel comprises a p-type semiconductor, where holes are the majority carriers and electrons are the minority carriers. For example, the p-type semiconductor can include an intrinsic semiconductor (such as silicon) doped with acceptor impurities (such as boron). In a p-channel FET, the source terminal S is placed at a higher potential than the drain terminal D (i.e., a negative drain-source voltage exists, or equivalently, a positive source-drain voltage exists). To turn on the p-channel FET (i.e., to enable current to pass), a switching potential lower than the potential at the source terminal S is applied to the gate terminal G (the switching potential may be higher than the potential at the drain terminal D, for example).

[0176] In some examples, one or more of the FETs used in the aerosol supply device 100 can be metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). A MOSFET is a field-effect transistor in which its gate terminal G is electrically insulated from the semiconductor channel by an insulating layer. In some examples, the gate terminal G can be metal, and the insulating layer can be an oxide (such as silicon dioxide), and thus, it is a "metal-oxide-semiconductor". However, in other examples, the gate can be made of other materials other than metal such as polysilicon, and / or the insulating layer can be made of other materials other than oxides such as other dielectric materials. Nevertheless, such devices are typically referred to as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), and it should be understood that the term metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor or MOSFET in this specification should be interpreted to include such devices.

[0177] The MOSFET may be an n-channel (or n-type) MOSFET in which the semiconductor is n-type. The n-channel MOSFET (n-MOSFET) may be operated in the same manner as described above for n-channel FETs. As another example, the MOSFET may be a p-channel (or p-type) MOSFET in which the semiconductor is p-type. The p-channel MOSFET (p-MOSFET) may be operated in the same manner as described above for p-channel FETs. The n-MOSFET typically has a lower source-drain resistance than the p-MOSFET. Thus, in the "on" state (i.e., when current is passing through), the n-MOSFET generates less heat compared to the p-MOSFET, and thus may waste less energy during operation than the p-MOSFET. Further, the n-MOSFET typically has a shorter switching time (i.e., the characteristic response time until the switching potential applied to the gate terminal G is changed to change whether current passes through the MOSFET) compared to the p-MOSFET. This can enable a faster switching speed and improved switching control.

[0178] Next, with reference to FIG. 14, a circuit for induction heating by a device will be described. FIG. 14 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a part of an induction heating circuit 600 of an aerosol supply device 100. FIG. 14 shows a part of the induction heating circuit 600 including a first inductor coil structure 140a for heating a first susceptor region 190a of a susceptor (or an individual susceptor 190a among a plurality of susceptors) when an alternating current flows. In FIG. 14, the first susceptor region 190a is represented as having an inductive element and a resistive element to represent how the susceptor inductively couples with the first inductor coil structure 140a and is heated through the generation of eddy currents. It should be noted that the aerosol supply device 100 may further include one or more additional inductor coil structures 140b to 140e not shown in FIG. 14. For example, the second inductor coil structure 140b may also be a part of the induction heating circuit 600 and may be controlled to heat the second susceptor region 190b. However, for clarity, the circuit 600 will be described with respect to the features shown in FIG. 14.

[0179] The circuit 600 includes a first resonator section 601, a DC voltage supply unit 118 for supplying a DC voltage to the first resonator section 601, and a controller structure for controlling the circuit 600. The first resonator section 601 includes a first inductor coil structure 140a and a switching structure including a first FET 608. The controller structure is configured to switch the FET 608 between a first state and a second state in response to a voltage state detected in the circuit 600 to operate the first inductor coil structure 140a, as will be described in more detail below. The circuit 600 may be disposed on the PCB of the aerosol supply device 100 except for the susceptor 190, and the first inductor coil structure 140a of the inductor coil is connected to the PCB 122 at a first end 131a and a second end 131b.

[0180] The first resonator section 601 includes a first capacitor 606 and a second capacitor 610, and both the first capacitor 606 and the second capacitor 601 are arranged in parallel with the first inductor coil structure 140a such that when the first resonator section 601 is resonated, an alternating current flows between the first capacitor 606 and the second capacitor 610 through the first inductor coil structure 140a. As described above, in this example, the first FET 608, which is an n-channel MOSFET, is arranged to operate as a switching structure in the first resonator section 601.

[0181] In other examples, it should be noted that the resonator section 601 may include only one capacitor, for example, at the position of the first capacitor 606 or the position of the second capacitor 610. In other examples, the resonator section 601 may include any other number of capacitors, such as three or more capacitors. For example, either or both of the first capacitor 606 and the second capacitor 610 may be replaced with two or more capacitors arranged in parallel with each other. As will be well understood, the resonator section 601 has a resonant frequency that depends on the inductance L and capacitance C of the resonator section 601. The number, type, and arrangement of the resonator sections 601 may be selected based on consideration of the power level to be used in the circuit 600 and the desired frequency of operation of the circuit 600. For example, it will be understood that the individual capacitors and the arrangement of the aforementioned capacitors may be considered to have an equivalent series resistance (ESR) and a limit on the ability of the aforementioned capacitors to handle current. Such characteristics may be considered when determining the arrangement of the capacitors to provide capacitance in the resonator section 601. For example, depending on the desired power level and frequency of operation, there may be an advantage in providing a higher capacitance or a lower ESR by providing multiple capacitors in parallel. In this example, both the first capacitor 606 and the second capacitor 610 are ceramic C0G capacitors each having a capacitance of about 100 nF. In other examples, other types of capacitors and / or capacitors having other capacitance values, such as capacitors having unequal capacitance values, may be used in accordance with the considerations outlined in this section.

[0182] The first inductor coil structure 140a can be configured to act as a capacitor, for example, when the first FET 608 is "off" (i.e., when the first FET 608 acts like an open switch to substantially prevent current from flowing through it). That is, the first inductor coil structure 140a may be a composite capacitor - inductor component 140a. In some configurations, the capacitance of the first inductor coil structure 140a or the composite capacitor - inductor component 140a contributes to the capacitance of one or more other capacitors so as to substantially contribute to the capacitance C of the resonator section 601. In some configurations, the resonator section 601 may include only the composite capacitor - inductor component 140a as the only capacitor in the resonator sector 601.

[0183] The first resonator section 601 is supplied with a DC voltage by the DC voltage supply 118, and the DC voltage is, for example, the voltage supplied by a battery as described above. As shown in FIG. 14, the DC voltage supply 118 includes a positive terminal 118a and a negative terminal 118b. In one example, the DC voltage supply 118 supplies a DC voltage of about 4.2V to the first resonator section 601. In other examples, the DC voltage supply 118 may supply a voltage of, for example, 2 - 10V, or about 3 - 5V.

[0184] The controller 135 is configured to control the operation of the circuit 600. The controller 135 may include a microcontroller with a plurality of inputs and outputs, for example, a microprocessing unit (MPU). In one example, the controller 135 is an STM32L051C8T6 model MPU. In some examples, the DC voltage supply 118 provided to the circuit 600 is provided by an output from the controller 135, and the controller 135 itself receives power from a battery or other power source.

[0185] The positive terminal 118a of the DC voltage source 118 is electrically connected to the first node 600A. In one example, the DC voltage source 118 is connected to the node 600A via the controller 135. The controller 135 receives power from the DC voltage source 118 and supplies the voltage supplied by the DC voltage source to the components of the device including the circuit 600. The first node 600A is electrically connected to the first end 606a of the first capacitor 606 and the first end 131a of the first inductor coil structure 140a. The second end 131b of the first inductor coil structure 140a is electrically connected to the second node 600B, which is represented by two electrically equivalent points in the circuit diagram in FIG. 14. The second node 600B is electrically connected to the drain terminal 608D of the FET 608. In this example, the second node 600B is also electrically connected to the first end 610a of the second capacitor 610. Continuing with the circuit, the source terminal 608S of the first FET 608 is electrically connected to the third node 600C. The third node 600C is electrically connected to the ground 616 and, in this example, is also electrically connected to the second end 610b of the second capacitor 610. The third node 600C is electrically connected to the fourth node 600D via the current sensing resistor 615, and the fourth node 600D is electrically connected to the negative terminal 118b of the DC voltage source 118. The negative terminal 118b is supplied via the controller 135 in one example, similar to the positive terminal.

[0186] It should be noted that in an example where the second capacitor 610 does not exist, the third node 600C may have only three electrical connections to the first FET source terminal 608S, the ground 616, and the current sensing resistor 615.

[0187] As described above, the first FET 608 acts as a switching configuration in the first resonator section 601. The first FET 608 can be set between a first state, i.e., an "on" state, and a second state, i.e., an "off" state. As will be well understood by those skilled in the art, when an n-channel FET is in an off state (i.e., when an appropriate control voltage is not applied to the gate of the n-channel FET), the n-channel FET effectively acts as a diode. In FIG. 14, the diode functionality shown when the first FET 608 is in its off state is represented by the first diode 608a. That is, when the FET 608 is in the off state, the first diode 608a mainly acts to prevent current from flowing from the drain terminal 608D to the source terminal 608S, but allows current to flow from the source terminal 608S to the drain terminal 608D when the diode 608a is properly forward-biased. When an appropriate control voltage is applied to the gate of the n-channel FET, the n-channel FET is in an on state, and as a result, a conductive path exists between the drain D and the source S of the n-channel FET. Therefore, when the first FET 608 is in the on state, the first FET 608 acts as a closed switch in the first resonator section 601.

[0188] As described above, the circuit 600 can be considered to include a first resonator section 601 and an additional controller configuration. The controller configuration includes a comparator 618, a zero voltage detector 621, and a flip-flop 622, and is configured to detect the voltage state within the first resonator section 601 and to control the first FET 608 in response to the detected voltage state. Next, the control of the first FET 608 by this controller configuration will be described in more detail.

[0189] A zero-voltage detector 621 is electrically connected to the second node 600B. The zero-voltage detector 621 is configured to detect a voltage state, i.e., a voltage of 0V or near 0V with respect to the ground voltage, at a point in the circuit 600 to which the zero-voltage detector 621 is connected. The zero-voltage detector 621 is configured to output a signal for controlling the switching of the state of the FET 608. That is, the zero-voltage detector 621 is configured to output a signal to the flip-flop 622. The flip-flop 622 is an electric circuit that can be set between two stable states. The flip-flop 622 is electrically connected to a first gate driver 623 configured to provide a voltage to the first FET gate terminal 608G according to the state of the flip-flop. That is, the first gate driver 623 is configured to provide an appropriate voltage to the first FET gate terminal 608G to switch the FET 608 to the on state when the flip-flop is in one state, but is configured to provide a voltage suitable for maintaining the FET 608 in the on state when the flip-flop 622 is in the other state. For example, the first gate driver 623 may be configured to provide an appropriate gate-source voltage to the first FET gate 608G to switch the FET 608 on when the flip-flop 622 is in the state "1", and the first gate driver 623 may also be configured not to provide a gate-source voltage when the flip-flop 622 is in the state "0". Therefore, the state of the flip-flop means 622 controls whether the first FET 608 is on or off.

[0190] In this example, the zero-voltage detector 621 and the first gate driver 623 of the controller configuration are configured to receive respective signals 1351, 1352 from the controller 135, and the controller 135 can start and control the operation of the circuit 600 with those signals, as will be discussed in more detail below.

[0191] A control voltage line 619 is electrically connected to the fourth node 600D. The control voltage line 619 is electrically connected to the fifth node 600E via a resistor 671a, and the fifth node 600E is electrically connected to a voltage comparator 618 - hereinafter referred to as comparator 618. The fifth node 600E is electrically connected to the positive terminal of the comparator 618. The negative terminal of the comparator 618 is connected to ground 616. In this example, the comparator 681 is configured to output a signal based on the comparison between the voltage at the fifth node 600E and the ground voltage. The output signal of the comparator 681 is sent to a flip - flop 622. In this example, a control voltage 1353 is supplied from the controller 135 to the control voltage line 619 via a second resistor 617b.

[0192] As described above, the comparator 618 is electrically connected to provide an output to the flip - flop 622. The flip - flop 622 is configured such that an output signal from the comparator 618 can change the state of the first FET 608 in the first driver 623 by changing the state of the flip - flop 622.

[0193] Next, the function of the exemplary circuit 600 will be described in more detail in the situation where the first resonator section 601 is actuated by the controller 135 so that the first inductor coil assembly 140a is operated to heat the first susceptor region 190a.

[0194] First, the first FET 608 is set to the off state, and thus acts as a diode 608a to prevent current from flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a. The controller 135 starts the operation of the circuit 600 to heat the first susceptor region 190a by switching the FET 608 from the off state to the on state. In this example, the controller starts the operation of the circuit 600 by providing a start signal 1351 to the zero voltage detector 621. Thus, the flip-flop 622 is caused to change state and provide a signal to the first gate driver 623 to the FET gate terminal 608G, thereby switching the FET to the on state.

[0195] When the FET 608 is switched to the on state, what can be called a self-excited oscillation heating cycle of the circuit 600 begins. Now the FET 608 in the on state acts as a closed switch that allows DC current to start flowing from the DC voltage source positive terminal 118a through the first inductor coil structure 140a and back to the DC voltage source negative terminal 118b through the current sensing resistor 615. The first inductor coil structure 140a generates a back electromotive force according to Faraday's law and Lenz's law in opposition to this initial increase in current, as is well known. In the on state, the voltage between the drain terminal 608D and the source terminal 608S is substantially zero.

[0196] FIG. 15A shows a schematic graphical representation of the current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a with time t starting from the time t0 when the FET 608 is switched on. From time t0, the DC current starts to increase from zero in the first inductor coil structure 140a at a rate corresponding to the inductance L1 of the first inductor coil structure 140a and the DC resistance of the circuit 600. In one example, the current sensing resistor 615 has a resistance of about 2 mΩ, while the first inductor coil structure 140a has a DC resistance of 2 - 15 mΩ, or 4 - 10 mΩ, or in this example, about 5.2 mΩ. As will be well understood, the increase in current in this inductor corresponds to the magnetic energy stored in the first inductor coil structure 140a, and the amount of magnetic energy that can be stored by the first inductor coil structure 140a depends on the inductance L of the first inductor coil structure 140a.

[0197] FIG. 15B shows a simplified representation of the voltage across the current sensing resistor 615 with time t starting from the time t0 when the FET 608 is also turned on. A large voltage develops across the first inductor coil structure 140a immediately after the FET 608 is turned on, and this voltage is the back electromotive force generated by the first inductor coil structure 140a when the inductor opposes the increase in current. Thus, at this time, almost all of the voltage difference provided by the DC supply unit 118 drops across the first inductor coil structure 140a, so the voltage across the current sensing resistor 615 shown in FIG. 15B is small. Then, as the current through the first inductor coil structure 140a increases and the back electromotive force of the first inductor coil structure 140a decays, the voltage across the current sensing resistor 615 increases. This is seen as the development of a negative voltage across the current sensing resistor 615 as shown in FIG. 15B. That is, the voltage across the current sensing resistor 615 gradually becomes negative as the length of time the FET 608 is on increases.

[0198] The voltage that gradually becomes negative across the current sensing resistor 615 coincides with the increasing current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a. Therefore, the magnitude of the voltage across the current sensing resistor 615 serves as an indicator of the current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a. While the FET 608 remains on, the current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a and the voltage across the current sensing resistor 615 increase substantially linearly toward their respective maximum values Imax and Vmax (which depend on the DC voltage supplied by the DC power supply unit 118 and the DC resistance of the circuit 600) according to the time constant corresponding to the inductance L1 and the DC resistance of the circuit 600. Since the current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a fluctuates after the time point t0, it should be noted that a certain degree of inductive heating of the susceptor 190 can occur while the DC current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a increases.

[0199] The circuit 600 is configured such that the amount of energy stored in the first inductor coil structure 140a while the FET 608 is on can be determined by the controller structure and controlled by the controller 135. That is, the controller 135 controls the amount of DC current (and thus the amount of magnetic energy) that can increase in the first inductor coil structure 140a, as will be described next.

[0200] As described above, the control voltage 1353 is applied to the control voltage line 619. In this example, the control voltage 1353 is a positive voltage, and the voltage input to the positive terminal of the comparator 618 (i.e., the voltage at the fifth node 600E) depends on the value of the control voltage 1353 and the voltage at the fourth node 600D at any point in time. When the negative voltage across the current sensing resistor 615 reaches a specific value, it cancels out the positive control voltage 1353 at the fifth node 600E, providing a voltage of 0 V (i.e., ground voltage) at the fifth node 600E. In this example, the resistor 617a has a resistance of 2 mΩ. The resistor 617b represents the effective resistance of the controller 135 of 70 kΩ. The voltage at the fifth node 600E reaches 0 V when the negative voltage across the current sensing resistor 615 has the same magnitude as the control voltage 1353.

[0201] The comparator 618 is configured to compare the voltage at the positive terminal of the comparator 618 with the voltage of the ground 616 connected to the negative terminal of the comparator 618 and output a signal as a result. In one example, the comparator is the standard component FAN156 available from On-Semiconductor. Thus, when the voltage at the fifth node 600E reaches 0 V, the comparator 618 receives a 0 V signal at the positive terminal of the comparator 618, and the result of the comparison by the comparator 618 is that the voltage at the positive terminal is equal to the voltage at the negative terminal. Thus, the comparator 618 outputs a signal to the flip-flop 622 to switch the FET 608 off. Thus, switching the FET 608 off depends on the voltage state detected in the circuit 600. That is, in this example, when the comparator 618 detects, by comparing the voltages across the terminals of the comparator 618, that the negative voltage across the current sensing resistor 615, which occurs at time t1, has reached the same magnitude as the control voltage 1353, the FET 608 is switched off. In FIG. 15A, the DC current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a at the time t1 when the FET 608 is switched off is labeled I1.

[0202] When the FET 608 is turned off at time point 1, since the FET 608 acts like a closed switch, it switches to acting like the diode 608a in the resonator section 601 and effectively acting like an open switch for the supply from the DC supply unit 118. At time point t1, the path of the DC current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a to the ground 616 is blocked by the FET 608. Thereby, the current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a decreases (this is not shown in FIG. 15A), and the first inductor coil structure 140a generates an induced voltage to oppose this change in current. Therefore, the current begins to oscillate back and forth between the first inductor coil structure 140a and the capacitors 606, 608 at the resonance frequency of the first resonator section 601.

[0203] Similarly, the voltage across the first inductor coil structure 140a, and thus the voltage between the first FET drain terminal 608D and the source terminal 608S, begins to oscillate at the resonance frequency of the first resonator section 601. When the current flows and the voltage across the inductor 124 begins to oscillate, the susceptor 190 is inductively heated. Therefore, turning the FET 608 off acts to release the magnetic energy stored in the first inductor coil structure 140a at time point t1 to heat the susceptor 190.

[0204] FIG. 16 shows a trace 800 of the voltage across the first FET 608 starting from the FET 608 being in the on state from time point t0 to time point t1. Over the time shown in FIG. 16, the first FET 608 has been turned off and on twice.

[0205] The voltage trace 800 includes a first section 800a between time points t0 and t1 when the first FET 608 is on, and second sections 800b - 800d when the first FET 608 is switched off. At 800e, the FET 608 is switched on again, and while the first FET 608 remains on, a third section 800f equivalent to the first section 800a begins, and the process of increasing the DC current flowing through the inductor 124 described above repeats. FIG. 16 also shows a fourth section 800g where the first FET 608 is switched off again to allow voltage oscillation across the FET 608, and a fifth section 800h where the first FET 608 is then switched off again.

[0206] The voltage across the first FET 608 is zero when the first FET 608 is on in sections 800a, 800f, and 800h. When the first FET 608 is turned off, as also shown by sections 800b - 800d and section 800g, the first inductor coil assembly 140a uses the energy stored in its magnetic field (this magnetic field is the result of the DC current that increased when the first FET 608 was on) to induce a voltage that opposes the decrease in the current flowing through the first inductor coil assembly 140a as a result of the first FET 608 being off. The voltage induced in the first inductor coil assembly 140a causes a corresponding variation in the voltage across the first FET 608. During this voltage variation, the first inductor coil assembly 140a and capacitors 606, 610 begin to resonate with each other with a sine waveform. The voltage shown by the voltage trace 800 first increases as the induced voltage in the first inductor coil assembly 140a increases to oppose the decrease in current due to the first FET 608 being off (e.g., see 800b), reaches a peak (e.g., see 800c), and then decreases back to zero as the energy stored in the magnetic field of the first inductor coil assembly 140a decays (e.g., see 800d).

[0207] The varying voltages 800b to 800d and 800g generate corresponding varying currents (not shown). During the off-time of the first FET 608, since the capacitors 606, 610 and the first inductor coil structure 140a act as a resonant LC circuit, the total impedance of the combination of the first inductor coil structure 140a and the capacitors 606, 610 is minimized during this time. Thus, it will be understood that the maximum magnitude of the varying current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a becomes relatively large. This relatively large varying current correspondingly results in a relatively large varying magnetic field in the first inductor coil structure 140a, and due to that magnetic field, the susceptor 190 generates heat. The time period during which the voltage across the first FET 608 varies as shown by sections 800b to 800d and section 800g depends on the resonant frequency of the first resonator section 601 in this example.

[0208] Next, referring to FIGS. 14 and 16, the circuit 600 is configured such that when the first FET 608 is off and the voltage across the first FET 608 also decreases to 0V, the zero voltage detector 621 detects this voltage state and outputs a signal to flip-flop 622 to return the first FET 608 to the on state. That is, the FET 608 is switched from the off state to the on state in response to this voltage state detected within the first resonator section 601. The zero voltage detector 621 may be considered to detect a voltage state indicating that a given fraction of the period of the current oscillation between the inductive element and the capacitive element has been completed since the FET 608 was switched off. That is, the zero voltage detector 621 detects that the voltage across the FET 608 has returned to 0V or approximately 0V, thereby detecting that half of the period of the current (and voltage) oscillation at the resonant frequency of the first resonator section 601 has been completed.

[0209] In some examples, the zero voltage detector 621 can detect when the voltage across the first FET 608 has returned below the voltage level 801, and thus can output a signal to cause a change in the state of the FET 608 before the voltage across the FET 608 reaches exactly 0V. As shown by FIG. 16, the operation of the zero voltage detector 621 shortens the oscillation of the voltage in the resonator section 601 after a half cycle, and thus results in a substantially half-sine wave voltage profile across the first FET 608.

[0210] When the first FET 608 is also switched on at time point 800e, the DC current driven by the DC source 118 flows through the first inductor coil assembly 140a and increases again. The first inductor coil assembly 140a can then store again the energy in the form of a magnetic field that is released when the first FET 608 is switched off next time to start resonance in the first resonator section 601. Since the first FET 608 is thus repeatedly switched on and off, the above process is continuously repeated to heat the susceptor 190.

[0211] Referring to FIGS. 15A and 15B, it should be noted that the increase in the current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a described above occurs both when the FET 608 is first turned on in response to the start signal 1351 from the controller 135 and when the FET 608 is then switched on by the zero voltage state detected by the zero voltage detector 621. In the first case, the current in the first inductor coil structure 140a increases substantially linearly from 0 in response to the start signal 1351. In the second case, some overcurrent is circulating in the circuit 600 (e.g., from the previous on and off switching cycles of the FET 608) when the FET 608 is turned back on in response to the zero voltage state detected at time point 800e. Since the FET 608 is turned back on after the detection of the zero voltage state, the recirculating current creates an initial negative current flowing through the FET 608. Then, while the FET 608 remains on, the current flowing through the FET 608 and the first inductor coil structure 140a increases substantially linearly from the initial negative current value created by the recirculating current. As described above, as the current flowing through the first inductor coil structure 140a increases, the voltage across the current sensing resistor 615 becomes increasingly negative accordingly.

[0212] In some examples, the switching on and off of FET608 can occur at frequencies of about 100 kHz to 2 MHz, or about 500 kHz to 1 MHz, or about 300 kHz. The frequency at which the switching on and off of FET608 occurs depends on the inductance L, capacitance C, and the DC supply voltage supplied by the supply unit 618, and further depends on the degree to which the current continues to recirculate through the resonator section 601 and the loading effect of the susceptor 190. For example, when the DC supply voltage is equal to 3.6V, the inductance of the inductor 124 is 140 nH, and the capacitance of the resonator section 601 is 100 nF, the time that FET608 remains on may be about 2700 ns, and the time for the completion of the half cycle of the oscillation when FET608 is off may be about 675 ns. These values correspond to about 20 W of power supplied from the DC voltage source 118 to the resonator section 601. The above value of the time that FET068 remains on is affected by the amount of this recirculation current because the current that recirculates the circuit brings about an initial negative current flowing through the inductor when switching on FET608 as described above. The time for the current to increase to a value that causes the switching off of FET608 depends at least in part on the resistance of the first inductor coil structure 140a, but it should also be noted that the resistance of the first inductor coil structure 140a has a relatively small effect on time compared to the influence of the inductance of the resonator section 601. The time (675 ns in this example) for the completion of half of the cycle of the oscillation depends on the resonant frequency of the resonator section 601, and this resonant frequency is affected not only by the values of the inductance of the inductor 124 and the capacitances of the capacitors 606, 610, but also by the effective resistance brought about by mounting the susceptor 190 on the inductor 124.

[0213] So far, the circuit 600 has been described from the perspective of the operation of the circuit 600 for heating the susceptor 190 by one inductor, that is, the first inductor coil structure 140a. Therefore, only a part of the circuit 600 used by the aerosol supply device 100 has been described. However, as described above in connection with FIG. 1, the aerosol supply device 100 may also include one or more additional inductor coil structures 140b to 140e for heating one or more additional regions of the susceptor 190 (or one or more of the plurality of susceptors).

[0214] As will be understood, in other configurations, the first inductor coil structure 140a and one or more capacitors may be driven by an AC power source, and may also be arranged in series or in parallel so as to heat the corresponding susceptor portion by passing a fluctuating current through the first inductor coil structure 140a to generate a fluctuating magnetic field.

[0215] Next, looking at FIG. 17A, an inductor bifilar ribbon coil structure 170 by one configuration is shown. FIG. 17B shows a view from the side (e.g., along line B - B in FIG. 17A) of the inductor bifilar ribbon coil structure 170. The inductor bifilar ribbon coil structure 170 can be used to heat at least a part of the susceptor by creating a fluctuating magnetic field in the above - mentioned manner. The inductor coil structure 170 includes a first winding or coil 171 and a second winding or coil 172 that is spaced apart from and parallel to the first winding 171. As shown, the first winding 171 and the second winding 172 are in the form of a thin and wide ribbon having a width of W. Therefore, the capacitive coupling of the wires is substantially increased due to the increase in the facing surface area of the two windings 171, 172.

[0216] The two windings are joined by a short conductive connection portion 173 such that the currents flowing through the two windings are maintained in the same direction and the phase shift between windings 171 and 172 is small. Thus, the inductive performance of the inductor bifilar ribbon coil assembly 170 is improved as in the Tesla bifilar coil assembly 70 of FIG. 7. However, compared with the assembly of FIG. 7, the capacitance of the inductor bifilar ribbon coil assembly 170 is substantially increased.

[0217] In some assemblies, the inductor bifilar ribbon coil assembly 170 is a composite capacitor - inductor component 170 as described above. For example, the inductor bifilar ribbon coil assembly 170 can include a switching mechanism as a short conductive connection portion 173 (e.g., a MOSFET as described in connection with FIG. 14). Thus, when the free end 171a of the first winding 171 and the free end 172a of the second winding 172 are respectively connected to opposing terminals of a power source (e.g., a DC power source similar to the power source 118 in FIG. 16), when the switching mechanism 173 is in the on position, the composite capacitor - inductor component 170 will act as a capacitor, but when the switching mechanism 173 is in the closed position, the composite capacitor - inductor component 170 will act as an inductor.

[0218] In some assemblies, windings 171 and 172 may be separated by an insulator disposed therebetween. That is, the insulator can be in the form of a ribbon of similar length woven between windings 171 and 172. The insulator can be substantially thin such that the opposing conductive surfaces of the windings are disposed close to each other to further enhance the capacitance of the component 170.

[0219] As will be appreciated, the above can save space within the electronic circuit of the aerosol supply device 100.

[0220] In some configurations, the composite capacitor - inductor component 170 can be used in an LC resonator circuit such as the resonator section 601 shown in FIG. 14. Thus, an LC resonator circuit comprising only the composite capacitor - inductor component 170 to provide inductance L and capacitance C can operate at a resonance frequency of about 20 MHz. However, by reducing the thickness of the insulator separating the windings 171, 172 and increasing the width W, the LC circuit can operate at a resonance frequency below 20 MHz, such as between 10 - 20 MHz or between 1 - 10 MHz.

[0221] It will be understood that one or more additional capacitors may also be provided.

[0222] Referring again to FIG. 1, the aerosol supply device 100 may include a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the heating chamber 110, the susceptor 190, or the article 10. The temperature sensor can be communicatively connected to the controller 135 such that the controller 135 can monitor the temperature of the heating chamber 110, the susceptor 190, or the article 10 based on the information output by the temperature sensor. In other examples, the temperature can be detected and monitored by measuring changes in the electrical characteristics of the system, such as the current within the heating units 140a - 140e. The controller 135 can adjust the characteristics of the variable current or alternating current, as needed, based on one or more signals received from the temperature sensor to ensure that the temperature of each of the heating chamber 110, the susceptor 190, or the article 10 remains within a predetermined temperature range. The characteristics can be, for example, amplitude, frequency, or duty cycle. In use, the aerosol - forming material 11 of the article 10 disposed in the heating chamber 110 is heated sufficiently within a predetermined temperature range to volatilize at least one component of the aerosol - forming material 11 without burning the aerosol - forming material 11. Thus, the controller 135 and the aerosol supply device 100 as a whole are configured to heat the aerosol - forming material 11 to volatilize at least one component of the aerosol - forming material 11 without burning the aerosol - forming material 11. The temperature range can be between about 100°C and about 300°C, or between about 150°C and about 280°C, for example, and can be between about 50°C and about 350°C. In other examples, the temperature range can be outside of one of these ranges. In some examples, the upper limit of the temperature range can exceed 350°C. In some examples, the temperature sensor may be omitted.

[0223] Over a given duration of a heating session, it will be understood that the greater the number of relevant portions of the heating unit and the aerosol-generating material 11 present therein, the greater the opportunity to generate aerosol from the "fresh" or unused portion of the aerosol-generating material 11 extending along a given axial length. Alternatively, over a given duration of heating each portion of the aerosol-generating material 11, the greater the number of relevant portions of the heating unit and the aerosol-generating material 11 present therein, the longer the heating session can be. The duration for which an individual heating unit can be operated may be adjusted (e.g., shortened) to adjust (e.g., shorten) the overall heating session, and at the same time, the power supplied to the heating element may be adjusted (e.g., increased) to reach the operating temperature more quickly.

[0224] In some configurations, the aerosol supply device is a hybrid system for generating aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or more of which can be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid, or gel, and may or may not contain nicotine. In some configurations, the hybrid system includes a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may include, for example, tobacco products or non-tobacco products.

[0225] The aerosol-generating material may be in the form of a solid, liquid, or gel, which may or may not contain, for example, nicotine and / or flavorants. In some configurations, the article 10 is a consumable or an article for use with an aerosol supply device. When all or substantially all of the volatile component(s) of the aerosol-generating material 11 within the article 10 are consumed, the user can remove the article 10 from the heating region 110 of the aerosol supply device 100 and dispose of the article 10. Subsequently, the user can reuse the aerosol supply device 100 with another article 10. However, in each of the other configurations, the article 10 may be non-consumable with respect to the aerosol generator 130. That is, the aerosol generator 130 and the article 10 can be disposed of together when the volatile component(s) of the aerosol-generating material 11 are consumed.

[0226] In some configurations, the article 10 is sold, supplied, or otherwise provided separately from the aerosol supply device 100 with which the article 10 can be used. However, in some configurations, one or more of the aerosol supply device 100 and the article 10 can be provided together as a system, such as a kit or an assembly, optionally with additional components such as cleaning utensils.

[0227] Aerosol supply devices, aerosol supply systems, and inductor coils according to various configurations are particularly useful when generating an aerosol from a substantially flat article. The substantially flat article can be provided in either an array or a circular format. Other configurations are also contemplated.

[0228] For example, in some configurations where the substantially flat article is provided in the form of an array, a plurality of heating regions can be provided. For example, according to one configuration, one heating region of the article can be provided for each portion, pixel, or section of the article.

[0229] In other configurations, a substantially flat article can be rotated such that segments of the article are heated by a heater of a similar shape. According to this configuration, a single heating zone may be provided.

[0230] In particular, an inductor configuration according to various configurations can be provided as part of an aerosol supply device configured to non-combustion heat an article as part of an aerosol supply system. In particular, the article can comprise a plurality of distinct portions of an aerosol-forming material.

[0231] In some configurations, the aerosol-forming material is formed as a sheet. In some cases, the aerosol-forming material sheet may be incorporated into a sheet-like assembly or article, for example, the plurality of distinct portions may be a plurality of sheets. The aerosol-forming material sheet may be incorporated as a planar sheet, a gathered or bundled sheet, a crimped sheet, or a rolled (i.e., cylindrical form) sheet. In some such instances, the aerosol-forming material of these configurations can be included in the aerosol-generating article / assembly as a sheet such as a sheet surrounding a rod (e.g., a cigarette) of aerosol-forming material. For example, the aerosol-forming material sheet may be formed on a wrapper surrounding an aerosol-forming material such as a cigarette. In other instances, the sheet is finely chopped and appropriately mixed into an aerosol-forming material such as shredded tobacco and incorporated into the assembly.

[0232] The article can comprise a support on which the aerosol-forming material is provided. The support functions as a support on which the aerosol-forming material is formed, facilitating manufacture. The support can impart tensile strength to the aerosol-forming material, facilitating handling. In some cases, a plurality of distinct portions of the aerosol-forming material are deposited on such a support. In some cases, a plurality of distinct portions of the aerosol-forming material are deposited on such a support. In some cases, distinct portions of the aerosol-forming material are deposited on such a support such that each distinct portion can be separately heated and aerosolized.

[0233] In some cases, the support may be formed from a material selected from metal foils, papers, carbon papers, oil-resistant papers, ceramics, carbon allotropes such as graphite and graphene, plastics, cardboard, wood, or combinations thereof. In some cases, the support may include or be composed of a tobacco material such as a recycled tobacco sheet. In some cases, the support may be formed from a material selected from metal foils, papers, cardboard, wood, or combinations thereof. In some cases, the support itself is a laminated structure comprising a layer of material selected from those listed above. In some cases, the support may also function as a flavor carrier. For example, the support may be impregnated with a flavor or a tobacco extract.

[0234] In some cases, the support is formed from or comprises a metal foil such as aluminum foil. The metal support can enable better heat energy conduction to the aerosol-generating material. Further, or alternatively, the metal foil may function as a susceptor in an induction heating system. In certain configurations, the support comprises a metal foil layer and a support layer such as cardboard. In these configurations, the metal foil layer can have a thickness of less than 20 μm, suitably about 1 μm to about 10 μm, appropriately about 5 μm.

[0235] Referring to FIGS. 18A - 18C, according to one configuration, a consumable or aerosol-generating article 204 for use with an aerosol supply device, including a planar aerosol-generating article 204, may be provided. The planar aerosol-generating article 204 may comprise a carrier component 242, one or more susceptor elements 224b, and one or more portions 244a - f of an aerosol-generating material, as illustrated and described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 18A - 18C.

[0236] FIG. 18A shows a top view of the aerosol generating article 204 according to one configuration, FIG. 18B shows an end view along the longitudinal (length) axis of the aerosol generating article 204 according to one configuration, and FIG. 18C shows a view from the side along the width axis of the aerosol generating article 204 according to one configuration.

[0237] One or more susceptor elements 224b may be formed from aluminum foil, but it should be understood that in other embodiments other metallic and / or conductive materials may be used. As can be seen in FIG. 18C, the carrier component 242 may comprise a plurality of susceptor elements 224b sized and located to correspond to separate portions 244a-f of the aerosol generating material disposed on the surface of the carrier component 242. That is, the susceptor elements 224b can have a width and length similar to the separate portions 244a-f of the aerosol generating material.

[0238] The susceptor elements 224b are shown embedded in the carrier component 242. However, in other configurations, the susceptor elements 224b may be disposed or mounted on the surface of the carrier component 242. According to another configuration, the susceptor may be provided as a single layer substantially covering the carrier component 244. According to one configuration, the aerosol generating article 204 may comprise a substrate or support layer, a single layer of aluminum foil acting as a susceptor, and one or more regions of aerosol generating material 244 deposited on the susceptor layer of aluminum foil.

[0239] According to one configuration, an array of induction heating coils may be provided to energize separate portions of the aerosol-forming material 244. However, according to other configurations, a single induction coil may be provided and the aerosol-generating article 204 may be configured to move relative to the single induction coil. Thus, there may be fewer induction coils than separate portions of the aerosol-forming material 244 provided in the carrier component 242 of the aerosol-generating article 204, such that relative movement of the aerosol-generating article 204 and the induction coil(s) is required to enable energizing each of the separate portions of the aerosol-forming material 244 individually.

[0240] Alternatively, a single induction coil may be provided and the aerosol-generating article 204 may be rotated relative to the single induction coil.

[0241] In the above, embodiments were described where separate spatially distinct portions of the aerosol-forming material 244 are deposited in the carrier component 242, but in other embodiments, it should be understood that the aerosol-forming material 244 may be provided not as separate spatially distinct portions, but rather as a continuous sheet, film, or layer of the aerosol-forming material 244. In those embodiments, specific regions of the sheet of aerosol-forming material 244 may be selectively heated to generate an aerosol in generally the same manner as described above. In particular, regions (corresponding to portions of the aerosol-forming material) may be defined in the continuous sheet of aerosol-forming material 244 based on the dimensions of one or more induction heating elements.

[0242] According to various configurations, the aerosol-generating article 204 may include a disc-shaped or circular article.

[0243] To address various problems and advance the art, the present disclosure as a whole, by way of illustration and example, shows various embodiments in which the invention recited in the claims can be practiced. These embodiments include an excellent heating element for use with an apparatus for heating an aerosolizable material, a method of forming a heating element for use with an apparatus for heating an aerosolizable material to volatilize at least one component of the aerosolizable material, and a system comprising an apparatus for heating an aerosolizable material to volatilize at least one component of the aerosolizable material and a heating element heatable by such an apparatus. The advantages and features of the present disclosure are representative of only some of the embodiments and are not inclusive and / or exclusive. They are presented only to aid understanding and to teach the claimed features and other features disclosed in other ways. It should be understood that the advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and / or other aspects of the present disclosure should not be considered as limitations to the present disclosure as defined by the claims or equivalents of the claims, and that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and / or spirit of the present disclosure. The various embodiments may suitably include, consist of, or consist essentially of various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. The present disclosure may include other inventions that are not currently claimed but may be claimed in the future.

Claims

1. An aerosol generator having a stacked inductor structure, wherein the stacked inductor structure comprises a plurality of layers, optionally three or more layers, the aerosol generator comprising an aerosol supply device.

2. The stacked inductor structure comprises one or more conductive elements, each conductive element comprising a first layer having a first conductive portion, a second layer having a second conductive portion, the second layer being spaced from the first layer along a first direction by a first interval, a third layer having a third conductive portion, the third layer being spaced from the second layer along a second direction by a second interval, The aerosol supply device according to claim 1, comprising.

3. Each stacked inductor structure comprises a first conductive connector for electrically connecting the first portion to the second portion, a second conductive connector for electrically connecting the second portion to the third portion, The aerosol supply device according to claim 2, comprising.

4. The aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stacked inductor structure comprises a plurality of layers disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB).

5. The aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stacked inductor structure comprises a plurality of layers formed by (i) laser direct structuring, (ii) laser activated plating, and / or (iii) sintered ceramics.

6. An aerosol generator having a stacked inductor structure, wherein the stacked inductor structure comprises two or more layers, and a bifilar coil comprising an aerosol generator comprising an aerosol supply device.

7. The aerosol supply device according to claim 6, wherein the bifilar coil comprises first and second concentric inductors, the first layer comprises the first concentric inductor, and the second layer comprises the second concentric inductor.

8. The aerosol supply device according to claim 7, wherein the bifilar coil comprises a conductive connection portion, and the conductive connection portion connects the first concentric inductor and the second concentric inductor.

9. An aerosol generator having a trapezoidal inductor structure comprising an aerosol supply device.

10. The table-shaped inductor structure includes a conductive track that forms an inductor coil substantially in the shape of a trapezoid, and the substantially trapezoidal shape includes a first hypotenuse, a second hypotenuse, a long side, and a short side that is shorter in length than the long side The aerosol supply device according to claim 9. **Claim 11** The aerosol generator includes one or more inductor structures configured to generate a varying magnetic field, and one or more susceptors are configured to be heated by the varying magnetic field. The aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. **Claim 12** An aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, and an article for use with the aerosol supply device An aerosol supply system comprising. **Claim 13** The aerosol supply system according to claim 12, wherein the article includes one or more susceptor elements. **Claim 14** The aerosol supply system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the article includes an aerosol generating material. **Claim 15** Preparing an aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, inserting an article containing an aerosol generating material into the aerosol supply device, applying energy to the aerosol generator, A method of generating an aerosol, comprising. **Claim 16** Preparing an aerosol generator having a stacked inductor structure, the stacked inductor structure comprising a plurality of layers, optionally three or more layers, A method of manufacturing an aerosol supply device, comprising. **Claim 17** Preparing an aerosol generator having a stacked inductor structure, the stacked inductor structure comprising two or more layers, and a bifilar coil A method of manufacturing an aerosol supply device, comprising. **Claim 18** Preparing an aerosol generator having a table-shaped inductor structure A method of manufacturing an aerosol supply device, comprising. **Claim 19** An aerosol generator having a stacked inductor structure, the stacked inductor structure comprising a first layer having a first conductive portion, a second layer having a second conductive portion, optionally, a third layer or additional layers having a third conductive portion or additional conductive portions, An aerosol generator comprising. ​ An aerosol supply device comprising

20. The aerosol supply device according to claim 19, wherein the first conductive portion comprises a circular helix.

21. The aerosol supply device according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the second conductive portion comprises a circular helix.

22. The aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein the third conductive portion or further portion comprises a circular helix.

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