Aerosol generator with intuitive user interface

Abstract

1. An aerosol generating device comprising: a heating assembly having a heating section arranged to receive an aerosol generating article, the aerosol generating article having a plurality of resistance tracks provided on its surface; and an electrical circuit having a pair of electrical contacts arranged to be in contact with the surface of the aerosol generating article, the electrical circuit being arranged to measure the resistance of the surface path between the pair of electrical contacts and to control operation of the aerosol generating device based on the measured resistance.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device, and more particularly to an aerosol generating device for heating an aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user. [Background technology]

[0002] Commonly available aerosol-generating devices generate an aerosol or vapor by heating an aerosol-generating substrate contained in an aerosol-generating article, such as a tobacco stick, in a heating section of a heating assembly, typically to a temperature in the range of 150° C. to 300° C. Heating the aerosol-generating substrate to a temperature within this range, without burning or combusting the aerosol-generating substrate, generates a vapor that typically cools and condenses to form an aerosol for inhalation by a user of the aerosol-generating device.

[0003] Typically, an aerosol generating device includes a user interface through which a user inputs commands to control the aerosol generating device. The user interface typically includes one or more actuation elements, such as a button, a slider control, or a control knob. Using the user interface, a user may input commands such as turning the aerosol generating device on or off, increasing or decreasing the amount of power supplied to the heating assembly, etc.

[0004] To provide the user with access to various commands, the user interface may include any number of different actuation elements or allow different methods of actuation of the actuation elements, such as pressing and holding a button or pressing a combination of buttons simultaneously, etc. Such configurations are generally more complex and therefore less intuitive to use. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, there is a need to provide an aerosol generating device with a more intuitive user interface.

[0006] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021 / 007401A1 discloses an apparatus for generating an aerosol from an aerosolizable medium. The apparatus includes a housing, a chamber for receiving an article including the aerosolizable medium and a marker, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive a first input indicative of a speed of travel of the article received in the chamber during use, and a second input indicative of a parameter of the article, wherein at least the second input is determined based on the marker. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The novel aerosol-generating device is arranged so that a user may use an aerosol-generating article inserted therein to control the operation of the aerosol-generating article, and thus the aerosol-generating article may act as an intuitive user interface.

[0008] One embodiment relates to an aerosol generating device comprising: a heating assembly having a heating section arranged to receive an aerosol-generating article, the aerosol-generating article having a plurality of resistive tracks provided on its surface; and an electrical circuit having a pair of electrical contacts arranged to be in contact with the surface of the aerosol-generating article, wherein an electrical circuit is arranged to measure the resistance of a surface path between the pair of electrical contacts and control operation of the aerosol generating device based on the measured resistance, and wherein when the surface path includes one of the plurality of resistive tracks, a closed electrical circuit with the pair of electrical contacts is formed.

[0009] Further preferred embodiments are set forth in the dependent claims.

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. These embodiments are presented to better understand the inventive concept, but should not be considered as limiting the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 shows a perspective view of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] 1 shows a perspective view of an aerosol-generating article having a cylindrical configuration, according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3B] 1 shows an expanded version of the cylindrical portion of the surface of an aerosol generating device having a cylindrical form, according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4A] 1 shows a plot of measured resistance over time as an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment of the present invention is rotated clockwise. [Figure 4B] 1 shows a plot of measured resistance over time as an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment of the present invention is rotated counterclockwise. [Figure 5A] 1 shows an expanded version of a cylindrical portion of the surface of an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] 1 shows an expanded version of a cylindrical portion of the surface of an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5C] 1 shows an expanded version of a cylindrical portion of the surface of an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5D] 1 shows an expanded version of a cylindrical portion of the surface of an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention will now be described in conjunction with specific embodiments. The specific embodiments will be helpful to those skilled in the art in better understanding, but are not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. In particular, embodiments described independently throughout the description can be combined to form further embodiments to the extent that they are not mutually exclusive.

[0013] FIG. 1 shows an aerosol generating device 1 and an aerosol-generating article 4. The aerosol generating device 1 comprises a heating assembly 2 having a heating section 3 arranged to receive the aerosol-generating article 4. The aerosol-generating article 4 has a plurality of resistive tracks (not shown) provided on its surface. The aerosol generating device 1 further comprises an electrical circuit comprising a pair of electrical contacts. The pair of electrical contacts are arranged to be in contact with the surface of the aerosol-generating article 4. The electrical circuit is arranged to measure the resistance of the surface path between the pair of electrical contacts and to control operation of the aerosol generating device 1 based on the measured resistance.

[0014] The aerosol generating device 1 may include a power source. The power source may provide power to the heating assembly 2 and the electrical circuit. The power source may be a DC power source, such as a battery. Alternatively, the power source may be an AC power source. The power source may apply a predetermined voltage to the pair of electrical contacts 5 a, 5 b, and the pair of electrical contacts 5 a, 5 b may be energized continuously or periodically.

[0015] The aerosol-generating device 1 may be an electronic cigarette that uses an aerosol-generating article 4 as a consumable. The aerosol-generating article 4 may comprise an aerosol-generating substrate such as tobacco. Such an aerosol-generating article 4 is commonly referred to as a tobacco stick. The aerosol-generating article 4 may further comprise an enclosure for storing the aerosol-generating substrate therein, and the outer surface of the enclosure may be a surface provided with a plurality of resistive tracks that can contact the pair of electrical contacts 5 a, 5 b.

[0016] The heating assembly 2 may include a heater arranged to heat an aerosol-generating substrate contained within an aerosol-generating article 4 received in the heating compartment 3. The generated aerosol may then be emitted into the aerosol-generating article 4 or inhaled by a user. The heater may be an induction heater, such as an induction coil. Alternatively, the heater may be a resistance heater, such as a heating pin insertable into the aerosol-generating article 4. The heating assembly 2 may heat the aerosol-generating substrate to a temperature in the range of, for example, 150°C to 300°C.

[0017] The heating section 3 may have a longitudinal axis defining the longitudinal direction, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1 , and may be formed from a metal cup having an interior space for receiving the aerosol-generating article 4, with a film heater or any other form of heater attached to the metal cup. Alternatively, other heat-resistant materials, including polymers and ceramics, may be used to form the heating section 3. One example of a heat-resistant polymer is polyetheretherketone (PEEK). The aerosol-generating article 4 may be inserted into and removed from the heating section 3 by moving the aerosol-generating article 4 along the longitudinal direction.

[0018] The aerosol-generating article 4 may protrude from the outside of the aerosol generating device 1, and the heating section 3 may further be arranged to allow the aerosol-generating article 4 to rotate therein. In Figure 1, clockwise and counterclockwise rotation are indicated by arrows, and the axis of rotation is the longitudinal axis. A user can grasp the protruding portion of the aerosol-generating article 4 to rotate it.

[0019] The protruding portion of the aerosol-generating article 4 may include markings that indicate the angular orientation of the multiple resistor tracks. For example, by aligning one of the markings with a reference mark provided on the housing of the aerosol generating device 1, a user can align a pair of electrical contacts 5a, 5b with the corresponding resistor track.

[0020] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an aerosol-generating article 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the aerosol-generating article 4.

[0021] The aerosol generation device 1 may further include one or more status LEDs 6 that indicate the operation of the aerosol generation device 1. As shown in Figure 2, the one or more status LEDs 6 may be located on the housing of the aerosol generation device 1 so that the user can easily read the current status.

[0022] The aerosol-generating article 4 may have a cylindrical form, and multiple resistance tracks may be provided on the cylindrical portion of the surface. The multiple resistance tracks may be spaced apart from one another and may have different resistances. Separation of the multiple resistance tracks from one another may be achieved by ensuring that any two of the multiple resistance tracks do not overlap or intersect each other.

[0023] Figure 3A shows such a configuration of an aerosol-generating article 4 with an exemplary arrangement of resistance tracks, and Figure 3B shows a corresponding unfolded version of the cylindrical portion of the surface, where the surface of the aerosol-generating article 4 may be provided with three different resistance tracks.

[0024] Each of the plurality of resistive tracks may be provided as a conductive strip. Furthermore, one or more of the conductive strips may be arranged to have a plurality of windings. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, a first resistive track may be provided by a straight conductive strip with no windings, a second resistive track may be provided by a straight conductive strip with three windings, and a third resistive track may be provided by a straight conductive strip with five windings.

[0025] The total length of each of the multiple resistive tracks may determine the resistance of the corresponding resistive track, with the total length being proportional to the resistance. The multiple resistive tracks may be arranged so as to be ordered with respect to their resistance. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the three resistive tracks are ordered by increasing resistance from left to right, with the first resistive strip having the lowest resistance and the third resistive track having the highest resistance.

[0026] The pair of electrical contacts may be aligned parallel to the cylindrical portion of the surface of the aerosol-generating article 4. In other words, the linear distance between the pair of electrical contacts 5 a, 5 b may be parallel to the longitudinal axis. For example, the pair of electrical contacts 5 a, 5 b may contact any one of the three resistive tracks shown in FIG. 3B at their circular end points.

[0027] The surface path is a path on the surface of the aerosol-generating article 4, with the first contact 5a of the pair of electrical contacts 5a, 5b determining a first endpoint of the surface path and the second contact 5b of the pair of electrical contacts 5a, 5b determining a second endpoint of the surface path. The surface path may be a conductive path such that an electric current can flow through the surface path from the first contact 5a to the second contact 5b or from the second contact 5b to the first contact 5a. The surface path may also be a non-conductive path such that an electric current cannot flow through the surface path and the pair of electrical contacts 5a, 5b are electrically insulated.

[0028] The multiple resistive tracks may be arranged such that the surface path includes one of the multiple resistive tracks depending on the angular orientation of the aerosol-generating article 4 inside the heating section 3. That is, the aerosol-generating article 4 may be inserted or rotated such that the pair of electrical contacts 5 a, 5 b contacts one of the multiple resistive tracks.

[0029] If the surface path includes one of a plurality of resistive tracks, a closed electrical circuit may be formed by the pair of electrical contacts. In this case, the surface path may be a conductive path. In other words, the surface path between the pair of electrical contacts 5a, 5b may conduct a current through one resistive track. The current may be measured to determine the resistance of the surface path including one resistive track.

[0030] Similarly, the aerosol-generating article 4 may be inserted or rotated so that the pair of electrical contacts 5 a, 5 b is not in contact with any one of the plurality of resistive tracks, in which case the surface path between the pair of electrical contacts 5 a, 5 b is non-conductive and no current flows between the pair of electrical contacts 5 a, 5 b.

[0031] The electrical circuit may further be arranged to detect rotation of the aerosol-generating article 4 based on interruption of the closed electrical circuit. The aerosol generating device 1 may further comprise a memory unit configured to store one or more values ​​of the measured resistance. Each one or more values ​​of the measured resistance may be stored together with information indicating the time of the corresponding measurement. In this way, the memory unit may store a chronological (sequential) list of resistance measurements. The electrical circuit may be configured to store the measured resistance in the memory unit in response to detection of rotation of the aerosol-generating article 4.

[0032] The electrical circuit may be configured to compare the measured resistance with one or more previously measured resistances when rotation of the aerosol-generating article 4 is detected. When multiple resistance tracks are arranged to be sequenced with respect to their resistances, the electrical circuit may determine whether the rotation is in a clockwise direction over a counterclockwise direction. The electrical circuit may then be configured to control operation of the aerosol generation device 1 based on determining whether the rotation is in a clockwise direction over a counterclockwise direction.

[0033] For example, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B, when multiple resistance tracks are sequenced by increasing resistance from left to right, the electrical circuit may determine that the aerosol-generating article 4 is rotated clockwise in response to a sequence of measurements that includes at least three different measured resistances, each of which increases in magnitude. Figure 4A shows a plot of the measured resistance over time as the aerosol-generating article 4 of Figures 3A and 3B is rotated clockwise.

[0034] Similarly, the electrical circuit may determine that the aerosol-generating article 4 is rotated counterclockwise in response to a sequence of measurements including at least three different measured resistances, each of which decreases in magnitude. Figure 4B shows a plot of the measured resistance over time as the aerosol-generating article 4 of Figures 3A and 3B is rotated counterclockwise.

[0035] The aerosol-generating article 4 may include a wrapping paper, and one or more of the plurality of resistive tracks may be printed on the wrapping paper. For example, the cylindrical portion of the surface of the aerosol-generating article 4 may be formed by the wrapping paper. The material of the wrapping paper may be non-conductive.

[0036] Figures 5A-5D show unfolded versions of the cylindrical portion of the surface of various aerosol-generating articles, each with a different layout of multiple resistive tracks provided thereon. In each of the layouts, the multiple resistive tracks are ordered by increasing resistance from left to right. In Figure 5A, the multiple resistive tracks have different numbers of turns. In Figure 5B, the multiple resistive tracks have a common end point provided as a conductive strip that runs around the cylindrical portion of the surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. In Figure 5C, the multiple resistive tracks differ in the longitudinal length of their turns. In Figure 5D, the multiple resistive tracks differ in their thickness.

[0037] The electrical circuitry may control the operation of the aerosol generation device 1 , such as turning the aerosol generation device 1 on and off, increasing or decreasing the amount of power supplied to the heating assembly 2 , etc.

[0038] The operations may include selecting a power profile and supplying power to the heating assembly 2 according to the selected power profile. Furthermore, the power profile may indicate not to supply power to the heating assembly 2 if the measured resistance is outside a predetermined range. For example, when the surface path does not include one of the multiple resistive tracks, no current flows between the pair of electrical contacts 5 a, 5 b and the measured resistance is infinite. In this case, the measured resistance is outside a predetermined range, which may be defined, for example, as the range given by the minimum and maximum resistance values ​​of the resistive tracks. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Aerosol generator 2 Heating Assembly 3 heating compartments 4. Aerosol-generating items 5a, 5b Pair of electrical contacts 6 Status LED

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device (1), comprising: a heating assembly (2) comprising a heating compartment (3) arranged to receive an aerosol-generating article (4), said aerosol-generating article (4) having a plurality of resistive tracks provided on its surface; an electrical circuit comprising a pair of electrical contacts (5a, 5b) arranged in contact with the surface of the aerosol-generating article (4); Equipped with an electrical detour arranged to measure the resistance of a surface path between the pair of electrical contacts (5a, 5b) and to control operation of the aerosol generating device (1) based on the measured resistance; When the surface path includes one of the plurality of resistive tracks, a closed electrical circuit is formed with the pair of electrical contacts (5a, 5b). Aerosol generator (1).

2. 2. An aerosol generating device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol-generating article (4) has a cylindrical form and the plurality of resistance tracks are provided on a cylindrical portion of the surface.

3. 3. The aerosol generating device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the pair of electrical contacts (5a, 5b) are aligned parallel to the cylindrical portion.

4. 4. An aerosol generating device (1) as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the plurality of resistance tracks are arranged such that the surface path includes one of the plurality of resistance tracks depending on the angular orientation of the aerosol generating article (4) inside the heating section (3).

5. The aerosol-generating article (4) protrudes outside the aerosol-generating device (1), the heating section (3) is further arranged to allow the aerosol-generating article (4) to rotate therein; An aerosol generating device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. An aerosol generating device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the operation comprises selecting a power profile and supplying power to the heating assembly (2) in accordance with the selected power profile.

7. 7. The aerosol generating device (1) of claim 6, wherein the power profile indicates that no power is supplied to the heating assembly (2) when the measured resistance is outside a predetermined range.

8. The aerosol generating device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising one or more status LEDs (6) indicating the operation of the aerosol generating device (1).

9. An aerosol generating device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the resistance tracks are spaced apart from one another and have different resistances.

10. 10. An aerosol generating device (1) according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of resistance tracks are arranged so as to be ordered with respect to their resistance.

11. An aerosol generating device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the aerosol-generating article (4) comprises a wrapping paper, and one or more of the plurality of resistance tracks are printed on the wrapping paper.

12. 12. The aerosol generating device (1) according to claim 11, wherein the wrapping material is non-conductive.

13. An aerosol generating device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the plurality of resistive tracks is provided as a conductive strip.

14. 14. An aerosol generating device (1) according to claim 13, wherein one or more of the conductive strips are arranged to have multiple windings.

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