Article for an aerosol generating device, including an information code

Abstract

Disclosed is an article (1) for an aerosol generating device, comprising tobacco material configured to generate an aerosol. The article includes a wrapping material (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55). The wrapping material includes an information code (20) for storing information about the article. The information code is optically recognizable. The information code includes code units (25) having a pattern for storing information about the article. The code units are repeated on the article. Each code unit includes a reference element that indicates the presence and preferably the position of the code unit.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention is directed to an article for an aerosol generating device that includes a tobacco material configured to generate an aerosol. [Background technology]

[0002] Such aerosol generating devices are known in the prior art. One type of aerosol generating device is a heat-not-burn product. Heat-not-burn (sometimes abbreviated as "HNB") products heat tobacco to a temperature of 150-350°C, whereby an aerosol is generated. Notably, these temperatures are lower than the temperature at which tobacco burns. The heated tobacco portion and the device for heating the tobacco portion are often provided separately so that the tobacco after consumption is replaceable, while the device, including electronic components such as heater, controller and battery, can be reused. The replaceable tobacco portion may be referred to as an "article". As in cigarettes, there are a variety of blends and flavors of smoking articles that can be used in conjunction with heat-not-burn devices. Depending on the blend and flavor, different parameters or operating settings may be preferred. For example, different temperatures or different heating profiles may be appropriate for different blends. It has therefore been proposed to provide markings on the article for aerosol generation so that the device can read out the operating parameters.

[0003] WO 2019 / 185747 A1 provides examples of such indicia. This document discloses an optically detectable indicia provided in association with the article and an optical sensor configured to sense the indicia. The indicia is realized as a QR code or a barcode. In some embodiments, the indicia extends all around the circumference of the article, facilitating sensing of the indicia by the sensor arrangement, regardless of the particular orientation of the article within the device.

[0004] WO 2019 / 129378 A1 gives further examples of such indicia. In WO 2019 / 129378 A1, the indicia is a code, which is optically readable and has the form of a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode. The indicia can be a pattern, which is repeated around the circumference of the consumable such that an optical reader can read the indicia regardless of the orientation of the consumable in the cavity.

[0005] Finally, US 2018 / 0049469 shows further variations of the indicia. In US 2018 / 0049469, a smoking device is disclosed that includes a capacitance sensor. The capacitance sensor detects the change in capacitance when an article of smokable material is inserted. In one embodiment, optical sensing is additionally used. The proposed optical sensing technology includes the use of linear or two-dimensional barcode detection in combination with one or more LEDs or lasers. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the proposed patterns and optical sensing techniques have the drawback that they are not particularly compact, resulting in low code density (i.e. limited information encoding per surface unit) and are not adapted to the specific geometries and small sizes of aerosol-produced items. Aerosol-produced items may have cylindrical or other curved or angular shapes that may distort the markings on the item. Thus, reading of the markings known in the prior art (i.e. barcodes or QR codes) may be inaccurate. Furthermore, the surface area adapted to receive the code is limited, while sufficient information, such as a wide range of values, must be encoded, for example for parameter setting and / or authentication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the invention is directed to an article for an aerosol generating device, comprising a tobacco material configured to generate an aerosol. The article comprises a packaging material. The packaging material comprises an optically recognizable information code for storing information about the article. The information code comprises code units having a pattern that encodes the information. The code units are repeated on the article. The code units may include reference elements for indicating the presence and position of the pattern to an optical reading device configured to detect and read the code pattern.

[0008] The code unit may be repeated around the circumference of the article's packaging.

[0009] The information code may encode parameters such as temperature profile, number of vapes, number of puffs, product data, duration / frequency of vaping cycles, tobacco blend, expiration date, identifiers or metadata that may refer to look-up tables stored on the device. Additionally, the information may enable tracing, authentication, date and / or product information (e.g., brand, name, warning messages, etc. for display on a user interface of the aerosol generating device or an associated device such as a smartphone or tablet).

[0010] The reference elements may enable an optical reading device to deduce the boundaries of a single code unit. This may further enable detection of where a code unit begins or ends. For example, the reference elements may be located at the center position of the code unit and / or at the boundaries of the code unit. The reference elements may comprise a start section and / or a stop section. This allows separation of adjacent code units. The use of the reference elements allows a reduction in the computational power required to read a code unit, since the reading device only has to scan the reference elements. In a preferred embodiment, the pattern is two-dimensional. This allows a more compact form.

[0011] The reference element allows the article to be read regardless of its rotational position when inserted into the heating chamber of the aerosol generating device, thus making the need to index the stick relative to the device practically meaningless.

[0012] The reference element may indicate a geometric (i.e. two-dimensional) position of the pattern. The reference element may be bidirectional. For example, the reference element may include two or more lines (i.e. lines that are not parallel to each other) or at least three points, the points not being arranged along a single straight line. The position of the pattern may thus be determined more efficiently in a repeating pattern of several code units, requiring less computational power.

[0013] In some embodiments, the reference element may be optional.

[0014] The coding units may be located immediately adjacent to one another or may be spaced apart. The distance between two coding units may be less than or equal to half the width of the coding unit, preferably one third of the width (i.e. circumferential extension) of the coding unit.

[0015] Preferably, the code units have a maximum dimension (e.g. length or diameter) of less than 4 mm, preferably less than 3 mm, more preferably less than 2 mm, 1 mm or 0.3 mm. The maximum dimension may be less than 0.3 mm or 0.2 mm. The maximum dimension may also be about 0.3 to 4 mm, preferably about 0.5 to 2 mm. An advantage of the reduced size is that it allows sufficient repetition to be provided within limited available space. Another advantage is that an image of the code can be captured using a miniaturized detection device, for example an image sensor of a few millimeters.

[0016] The code units may be arranged without gaps and / or with overlap between adjacent code units. The code units of the information code may be arranged in a tessellated shape. This allows a compact arrangement of multiple code units on the packaging material and allows more repetition of code units, for example along the circumferential direction, for example for reading error checking. Furthermore, it allows the design of robust code decoding algorithms, which are able to correct code reading and / or decoding errors using several codes encoding the same information. In this way, the code reading failure rate is minimized.

[0017] Aerosol generation in the context of the present invention may refer to aerosol generated from heating a non-combustion article, vaporizing a liquid precursor, or any other generation of aerosol. In a preferred embodiment, the reference element comprises an image, a dot, a line, or any combination thereof. Using dots as reference elements provides the advantage that they can be relatively small and barely visible to the consumer. A possible reference may be formed by a number of points arranged in a non-linear manner to allow for indicating the orientation of the code.

[0018] The use of dots as coded information, such as matrices of dots or other bidirectional arrangements (e.g., antipodal arrangements), allows for a high coding density on a limited available space, thereby offering the possibility to code a large number of parameters and values ​​and / or code many repeating patterns to improve read reliability.

[0019] The dots forming the code can be arranged on the wrapper using simpler techniques compared to other forms. Moreover, the dots are less susceptible to distortion due to the curved surface of the smoking article. The dots may have a length and / or width of less than 250 μm, preferably less than 150 μm, more preferably less than 80 μm or less than 60 μm, most preferably less than 40 μm. The dots are preferably larger than 30 μm, more preferably larger than 40 μm. The dots may be realized as ink printed on the paper (i.e. the wrapper). The dots are preferably circular, but may have any shape, i.e. rectangular, square or triangular. Similarly, lines and images may be realized by the techniques mentioned above. Using such dots for the reference elements has the advantage that the resulting code unit (one matrix) is very small. This allows further repetition of the code unit on the wrapper around the circumference. In particular, this may allow the code unit to have a width of 4 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm or less, so that the code unit may be repeated multiple times (e.g. 6 times or more on an article with a circumference of 22-24 mm). Similarly, other geometric elements such as lines with the above dimensions may be used. To ensure that the code units remain small enough, the points used as references and the points used to encode information may be kept within a small range of sizes. However, they may possibly be of different sizes or shapes, so that they can be pixelated by the detection unit into different sizes or shapes.

[0020] On the other hand, the use of an image as a reference element offers the advantage that a manufacturer can quickly verify the presence of a code unit, for example in quality control. Complex images can also be reliably recognized by devices for authentication using image recognition, machine learning or other AI techniques. The use of two or more lines can be particularly advantageous to delimit the area of ​​the code unit and also to allow manual reading. The image can be partially transparent, i.e. have a transparency of about 50% or less. The image can include logos and drawings.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the reference element comprises two or more lines, which form at least a part of the boundary for the code unit, so that readout may consume less power.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the reference element is at least partially overlapped by the code unit. The reference element may be within the code unit, i.e. completely overlapped. In particular, the pattern of the code unit may be composed of geometric elements which become the reference element. For example, the reference element may be formed by lines and the information-containing pattern may be formed by points or vice versa. Thereby, the reference element and the pattern may be separated and at the same time the space consumption is reduced.

[0023] In some embodiments, considering a generally rod-shaped article or a generally pod-shaped article, the code units are repeated along the circumference of the article. The repetition along the circumference allows an arranged optical reading device to read the information in the pattern regardless of the rotational position of the cylindrical article when inserted into an aerosol generating device including said optical reading device. Furthermore, the article may be suitable for aerosol generating devices having different aerosol generating chambers, in particular heated chambers, in or at the chamber an optical reading device may be arranged to detect and read the code pattern.

[0024] The generally rod shaped article or the generally pod shaped article may have a circumference of 50mm, 40mm, 30mm, 25mm, 24mm, 23mm, 22mm, 21mm, 20mm, 19mm, 18mm, 17mm, 16mm or less.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the pattern represents a binary code. In a further preferred embodiment, the pattern comprises individual elements, in particular points and / or lines, arranged at predefined positions in the pattern, the presence or absence of the individual elements at the predefined positions representing binary information. Thereby, a binary (digital) encoding is obtained. For example, the predefined positions may be arranged along a grid, in particular at the intersections of the grid lines. If a point is arranged at an intersection of the grid, the information "1" (alternatively "0") may be transmitted, and if no point is arranged at a corner, the information "0" (alternatively "1") may be transmitted.

[0026] Adjacent intersections along a grid line that intersect with a grid line may be separated by 1 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.25 mm, 0.15 mm or less. This leads to a compact pattern with high information density and increases the number of code units that can be placed within the reading field of a reading device.

[0027] The pattern may include an analog code. The analog code may represent a continuous variable. In a preferred embodiment, the pattern includes one or more individual elements, in particular points and / or lines, the one or more individual elements being arranged along a predefined range or within a predefined area, the position of the individual elements along the range or within the area representing information. More specifically, the distance between one or more individual elements and a reference may be determined within the predefined range or area. Analog information may thereby be conveyed. For example, the distance between a point and a line may indicate a suitable temperature for a heater. Thus, multiple values ​​may be coded on a reduced surface area. The analog value may also be converted to another value using a linear, logarithmic, exponential or any other mathematical function.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the individual elements are arranged according to a grid. The grid is preferably a regular grid. For example, the grid can be a square grid, e.g., a 3x3 grid with four parallel horizontal grid lines and four parallel vertical grid lines. Other grid sizes, i.e., 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, can be appropriate. The grid can also be rectangular (e.g., 3x4, 6x3, etc.). The grid can also have any polygonal shape that is geometrically divided by internal intersections, such as triangles, pentagons, octagons, hexagons, rhombus, etc. Lines can be arranged between the intersections of the grid lines, and / or points can be arranged at the intersections of the grid lines. It should be noted that while the grid can be realized on the packaging material, the grid does not have to be explicitly printed or otherwise indicated on the article. Rather, the grid can be a structure according to which the elements are arranged on the packaging material. The grid may be formed from abscissa and ordinate lines intersecting at 90°, or may have any other shape, such as a grid formed from a number of concentrically arranged circles intersected by a number of radial lines. In a further embodiment, the predetermined positions of the individual elements are arranged along a band.

[0029] In an embodiment, the reference elements have a first color and the pattern has a second color, which is different from the first color, so that the reference elements can be more easily detected during readout. Furthermore, the pattern and the reference elements can overlap without interference, so that the code units can be more compact or contain more information.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the predetermined locations of the points and / or lines are arranged along the circumference of a circle or several concentrically arranged circles. The presence of an element at the intersection of one or more of the circles with the radial lines indicates a binary value ("0" or "1"). Alternatively or additionally, the one or more circles may form a polar coordinate system for positioning of the one or more elements together with the reference, such that the angular distance of the one or more elements on the circle from a reference, such as a radial line, point, or otherwise, provides an analog code that may represent a parameter value.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the code units are repeated along the circumference. The article may include at least one circumferential region that includes a plurality of code units that are repeated along a corresponding circumferential direction, and at least one code unit may be present for every angular segment that is less than 90 degrees, preferably less than 60 degrees, more preferably less than 45 degrees, and most preferably less than 40 degrees. Thereby, at least 4, 6, 8 or 9 code units may be arranged on the circumference. Preferably, the angular segment is less than or equal to 36 degrees, 22.5 degrees. This allows for 10, 16 or more code units on the circumference of the circle.

[0032] Having a smaller circumferential area allows for a reading device with a smaller detection area, which allows for a smaller reading device, for example a camera with dimensions on the order of a few millimeters can be used, this size allows for easy and reliable integration into the aerosol generating device.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, the packaging material containing the information code is placed on the outer surface of the article.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the article includes an outer wrapper that at least partially covers the wrapper carrying the information code, the outer wrapper being at least partially transparent or translucent so that the information code can be read, thereby protecting the information code from wear during handling of the article, for example during manufacture, transportation or storage.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the individual elements of the information code (ie the elements of the pattern or reference) have a size of less than 100 μm, in particular between 1 and 60 μm.In a preferred embodiment, the individual elements are formed by ink.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment, the article is rod-shaped and preferably comprises a first portion and a second portion along an axial direction. The first portion may not comprise tobacco material and the information code is located on the first portion. Alternatively, the information code is located on the second portion. The first portion may comprise a mouthpiece, filter or hollow tube for inhaling an aerosol generated upon heating of the tobacco material contained in the second portion.

[0037] Placing the information code on the first portion has the advantage that the information code is visible and may be readable by an optical reading device during use of an article inserted into the aerosol generation chamber of the device. Furthermore, the location of the code away from the heating zone protects the code unit from thermal perturbations during reading, improving the life of a dedicated optical reading device placed in the device. In addition, the code may not be damaged during insertion into the aerosol generation chamber.

[0038] Placing the information code on the second part may allow for a device with a more compact form, since the optical reading system may be in an internal part of the device.

[0039] A second aspect of the invention relates to a method for reading a pattern contained in a code unit of an information code contained in an article as described above, the method comprising the steps of detecting a reference element of the code unit using an optical reading device, determining the presence of the pattern using the reference element and reading the pattern.

[0040] The method may comprise the steps of detecting two or more code units by an optical reading system and comparing the code units by a processing means. An advantage of comparing code units within a repeating pattern is that reading errors of partial detection of single code units may be avoided. Furthermore, the method may comprise the step of verifying the reading against the result of the comparison. For example, the comparison step may require image or signal processing including comparison of the captured image or received signal of the code units. The comparison may require that an AI algorithm is stored on the device. For example, the verification step may set a threshold for the similarity of the captured image or received signal.

[0041] A third aspect of the invention relates to an aerosol generating device comprising an optical reading device configured to carry out the method as described above.

[0042] The device may be configured to receive the article. The device may vaporize the tobacco material by heating the article in the heating chamber. The optical reading device may be a CCD camera or a photoemitter / detector. The reading device may be located at a fixed reference position relative to the heating chamber. The reading device may be located in the aerosol generating device at a sufficient distance from the code to form an image or allow reading of the code through optical means, possibly through mirror transmission. The reading device may have a two-dimensional photodiode that captures an area that may have a width and a height. The height may extend in a first direction of the article, for example, axially, and the width may extend along a second direction of the article, for example, circumferentially.

[0043] An example of a suitable reading device capable of reading the two-dimensional points of the code includes a Sonix optical identification system that includes an SN9S102 image sensor (CMOS) module and an image decoder such as the SN9p701. A camera module with driver operating system support captures the code and the decoder converts the signal into a corresponding digital code.

[0044] Preferably, the reading system is configured to capture the information code and is positioned such that at least one code unit is completely captured, regardless of the rotational and axial position of the article within the heating chamber of the device.

[0045] Preferably, the reading system comprises a camera, which is configured to capture at least an area having twice the width and twice the height of one code unit, preferably three times the width and three times the height, so as to ensure that the code unit can be read regardless of the rotational and / or axial position of the article.

[0046] The reading device may include a light emitting element or light source, preferably a broadband LED, and a photodetector for detecting the light reflected by the information code. In a simple system, a change in light intensity may be detected by the detector. The emitted light is reflected from the surface and returned to the detector. The reflected light from the exposed surface shows a different intensity (less scattering and therefore higher intensity) from the reflected light. The light emitter may be separate from the detector or receiver. The light emitter may be a very simple light source that reflects from the edge or bottom of the engraved surface of the code. It does not have to be a directional light. The light emitter may emit ambient light, UV, infrared light or directional light. For example, the light emitting element may be a light emitting diode or a laser diode that emits infrared light and more specifically light having a wavelength of, for example, 380 to 900 nm.

[0047] In one example, the photodiode may be adapted to convert the received light beam into a current or voltage signal. The reading arrangement may include a processing means including a printed circuit board with an embedded processor, a sensor signal amplifier, a signal filter and a circuit for coupling the processing means to the light emitter, the light receiver and the control unit of the aerosol generating device. The output signal may be calculated by measuring the intensity of the reflected beam over time. The output signal may be calculated or generated by determining the change in the intensity of the reflected light beam over time.

[0048] In one example, the reading device includes a camera or image sensor (eg, CMOS) and an image decoder.

[0049] A fourth aspect of the invention relates to an aerosol generation system comprising an aerosol product as described herein and an aerosol generation device as described herein.

[0050] Non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0051] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an aerosol-generating article according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 shows a cross section of the article according to FIG. 1; [Figure 3A-3C] 1 shows a first embodiment of an information code including code units. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the article of FIG. 1 with the information code shown in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] A schematic diagram of an article in combination with an aerosol generating device is shown. [Figures 6A-6C] 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a code unit including a pattern and a criteria element. [Figure 7A-11C] 2 shows second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth embodiments of a code unit including pattern and reference elements; [Figure 12A-12B] Indicates a code unit that contains an analog pattern. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0052] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an aerosol product article 1 for use with an aerosol generating device. Article 1 may be an aerosol-forming stick having a cylindrical shape. Article 1 has an axial direction A and a circumferential direction C. Article 1 comprises three compartments.

[0053] Item 1 is - a first compartment 2 comprising a tobacco substrate such as a tobacco rod; - a second cooling section 3 for cooling the aerosol, comprising a paper tube and / or a filter element, e.g. a hollow cellulose acetate tube; - a third filter section 4, 5 comprising one or more filter segments, such as a polymeric filament filter may include.

[0054] The third filter section may be formed from two segments, such as, for example, a center hole filter segment or cavity segment 4 and an acetate filter segment 5 at the mouth end. The order of the filter or cavity segments starting from the mouth end may vary depending on the filter selection. The filter section may also be formed from a single filter segment, such as a cellulose monoacetate filter segment. The third filter section 4, 5 is optional. In an alternative embodiment, the article 1 may include the first section 2 and the second section 3 without the additional filter segment or segments.

[0055] Compartments 2-5 may be at least partially enclosed by an outer wrapper 50 (commonly referred to as "tipping paper") such that the components of the compartments are joined into a single piece.

[0056] FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of the article 1 shown in FIG. 1 with compartments 2-5. As can be seen from FIG. 2, each compartment includes a separate inner wrapper (also called "plug wrap" for the filter segment and "tobacco paper" for the tobacco segment). For example, the tobacco substrate may include tobacco cut filler and / or reconstituted tobacco sheets. The tobacco substrate may include an aerosol former, such as glycerin, and / or propylene glycol, and / or 1.3 propanediol. The aerosol former may have humectant-type properties that facilitate maintaining a desired level of moisture in the tobacco substrate when the substrate is comprised of a tobacco-based product that includes tobacco particles. In particular, some aerosol formers are hygroscopic materials that function as humectants, i.e., materials that facilitate maintaining the wetness of the substrate that contain a humectant.

[0057] The tobacco substrate portion is wrapped in a first inner wrapper 52 ("tobacco paper"), which may be made of or include a paper material and holds the tobacco material in a desired shape.

[0058] The second section 3 includes a cooling tube element 53. The cooling tube element may include paper. Alternatively, it may be a hollow filter element, typically including conventional filter materials such as cellulose acetate and / or natural fibers. The fibers are also bound by a second inner wrapper (not shown). The third section 4, when present in the article 1, may be a corrugated sheet material or a hollow filter, for example of natural polymer (e.g. cellulose fibers) or synthetic polymer (e.g. cellulose acetate) material, held within a third inner wrapper 54. Finally, the fourth section 5 at the mouth end may be made of cellulose acetate or natural filter material (e.g. cellulose fibers) or the like, and may include a filter segment as known from conventional cigarettes. The mouth end filter is wrapped in a fourth wrapper 55. All the inner wrappers 52-55 may be made of paper or cellulose acetate materials. The sections 3-5 are bound by an outer wrapper 50, preferably made of paper. The filter section may further comprise a flavoring ingredient. The flavoring ingredient may be formed by one or more flavor-on-demand (e.g., frangible) capsules containing small particles, granules, compacts or liquid flavoring ingredients. As is known, the capsules may consist of a protective shell and a flavoring core that releases flavor on demand, such as by applying an external force on the filter section to break the shell.

[0059] In addition, the article 1 includes a tipping paper 51. The tipping paper 51 is located throughout the filter sections 3-5 and partially over the tobacco section 2, connecting the tobacco section 2 with the filter sections 3-5. In use, the first section 2 is heated. The user inhales from the mouth end 56, and the user's lips are in contact with the tipping paper 51. The tipping paper 51 is pierced with ventilation holes and may be colored. The ventilation holes may further extend through the cooling tube element 53. In use, the user inhales on the end of the fourth section 5 (acetate filter), which creates an airflow F through the article 1 along the axial direction. Typically, the tobacco substrate in the first section 2 is heated, which causes the components of the tobacco substrate, in particular the volatile compounds of the tobacco material and the aerosol former, to volatilize. The volatilized components are entrained in the airflow F, and an aerosol is formed. Further attenuation of the volatilized components with additional air may occur from ventilation holes, if present. The aerosol is then transported through the article 1 to a user who inhales through the oral end 56 .

[0060] Any of the inner wrappers 52-55, the outer wrapper 50 or the tipping paper 51 may be referred to herein as a "wrapper". According to the present invention, any one of the wrappers may include an information code comprising one or more code units as described with respect to Figures 3A-12B. In a further alternative, the article 1 may include additional strips on or between the upper surfaces of the aforementioned wrappers 50-55. If the information code is disposed on one of the inner wrappers 2-5 or the portion of the outer wrapper 50 covered by the tipping paper 51, it may be preferable to provide the outer wrapper, i.e., the tipping paper 51 and / or the outer wrapper 50, that is at least partially transparent at the code reading illumination wavelength.

[0061] 3A-12B disclose an embodiment of an information code 20 that may be arranged on the aforementioned article 1. FIGS. 3A-3C disclose an information code 20 having three code units 25. The code unit 25 shown in FIG. 3A comprises a pattern 30 having points 33 arranged along a grid 31. The pattern may represent a particular type of consumable, for example a particular tobacco blend and / or tobacco flavor. The grid 31 is formed by a 3×3 matrix of parallel lines (any other n×n size may be suitable, i.e. 4×4, 5×5, etc.). The grid may be formed by a first set of lines that may be arranged parallel to each other and may be equidistant to adjacent parallel grid lines 39. Furthermore, as shown for example in FIGS. 3A-3C, the grid may comprise a second set of parallel grid lines 40 that may be arranged parallel to each other and may be equidistant to the next parallel grid line 41. The first and second sets of lines may be orthogonal to each other.

[0062] A point 33 may be placed at each intersection 39 of the grid. Thus, there are 16 potential locations for a point. In this embodiment, information is stored through a pattern 30 of points 33 on the intersections 39 of the grid lines. Each intersection 39 may contain a point 33 (a "1" or alternatively a "0") or no points (a "0" or alternatively a "1"). Thus, the top vertical grid line pattern shown in FIG. 3A contains the code "1000". The second line contains the code "0100", the third line contains the code 0001, and the fourth line contains the code "0100". Such a pattern can be used to store a number of different code patterns, such as: 16 (65,536) combinations. Note that the grid (shown as dashed lines in Figures 3A and 3B) may or may not be placed on the packaging material. Preferably, the grid 36 is not placed on the packaging material as shown in Figure 3C. This provides a binary code that is simple, yet easy and quick to read.

[0063] The dots (and optionally the grid) may be printed, for example with ink, on one of the wrappers 50-55. It should be noted that the information code 25 may be optically recognizable, i.e. so that a user may read information about the article 1 before inserting it into the device. For example, the code in the first line ("1000") may indicate that the tobacco is an American blend.

[0064] When the article 1 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 100, the information code 20 is read. However, if the article is not inserted in the mounting rotation position, the code 20, which only includes a single code unit 25, may not be aligned with the reading device. The code unit 25 may therefore be repeated one or more times around the circumferential direction C of the article 1. In this way, the article may include, for example, three code units 25 next to each other, as shown in Figures 3A-3C. In particular, there are at least four code units 25 (i.e. three repetitions) around the circumference. In further embodiments, there may be more than four repetitions. It is noted that the repetitions may be identical.

[0065] An example with 5 repetitions (6 code units) is shown in Figures 4A and 4B. Figure 4A shows (for illustration purposes) the grid 31 and the dots 33. In Figure 4B only the dots 33 are shown. If the reading device is capable of reading a sector that includes at least 120° (i.e. twice the width of a single code unit), the code is readable regardless of the rotational position of the article 1 when it is inserted into the heating chamber 102 of the aerosol generating device 100 (see Figure 5). In some embodiments, the reading device 103 (see Figure 5) of the aerosol generating device 100 may be capable of reading a sector that includes three times the circumferential width of the code unit 25. In this case, the readable sector includes two code units. Furthermore, the reading device 103 (see Figure 5) may be capable of reading a height that includes at least two times, preferably three times, the axial height of the code unit 25.

[0066] However, errors may occur, especially in the case of rotational positions where the code units are located on the border of the readable sector of the reading device. The article 1 may have a high curvature, which results in misreading of the provided code. It is therefore preferred that the code 20 comprises at least 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 or more code units 25 along the circumferential direction. Thereby, the readable sector can be reduced to 90° (8 code units) or less, which results in a simpler reading unit and reduced image reconstruction errors.

[0067] An example of an aerosol generating device 100 is shown in FIG. 5. The aerosol generating device 100 includes a heating chamber 102 in which an article 1 can be inserted and heated to generate an aerosol. In addition, the device 100 includes a reading device 103 arranged to read the code 20 on the article 1. In the illustrated embodiment, the reading device 103 is arranged at the open end of the heating chamber 102. The aerosol generating device 100 has a case, which includes an opening for the reading device so that the information code 20 can be optically recognized. In FIG. 5, the article 1 is fully inserted. In the fully inserted position, the code 20 is outside the heating chamber 102 and can be read by the reading device 103.

[0068] Note that pattern 30 is enlarged in Figures 4A-5 for illustrative purposes. Code units 25 may have a height (i.e., extension along the axial direction A of the article) of 10 mm, 8 mm, 5 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.3 mm or less. Code unit widths (i.e., extension along the circumferential direction C) may be 10 mm, 8 mm, 5 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.3 mm or less.

[0069] In addition to the pattern 30 of dots 33 shown in Figures 3A-3C, the information code 25 may include a reference element 35. The reference element 35 may include a series of dots 36 arranged at the intersections of the grid 31. An example of such a reference element is shown in Figures 6A-6C. The dots of the reference element 35 are shown as empty circles and the dots 33 of the pattern 30 are shown as filled circles. The dots of the pattern 30 and the reference element 35 may be distinguishable, for example, by being printed as filled and empty circles. However, preferably, the pattern and the reference element may have different colors. For example, the pattern 30 may be printed in black and the reference element 35 in blue, or green, or red.

[0070] The aerosol generating device 100 does not have prior knowledge of the information that it contains in the pattern 30. Therefore, it may be difficult to identify the presence / location of the pattern 30 and to distinguish between patterns placed directly next to each other. The reference elements 35 assist the reading device to identify the location of the pattern 30. Each code unit may include its own reference element. The reference elements 35 are printed in the same position for both patterns.

[0071] This is shown, for example, in Figures 6A and 6B. In Figure 6A, the pattern comprises a code ("001, 110, 010, 100") and a reference element in each line of the grid. In Figure 6B, a different code ("100, 010, 001, 010") is shown, but the reference elements 35 are identical. The reference elements thus provide the reading device with the exact position of the pattern, enabling the reading device to read the pattern in relation to the position of the reference elements.

[0072] An alternative reference element is shown in Figures 7A-7C. Instead of a point 36, the reference element 35 is represented by a line 37. The line 37 may define the pattern 30, i.e. the point 33. However, since the reference element 35 does not change for all patterns, the reference element may be in a relatively arbitrary position relative to the pattern 30. Although Figures 7A-7C show lines arranged along a grid 31, the reference element 35 may have any position, as long as the position of the reference element 35 relative to the pattern 33 coincides for each code unit. It is particularly preferred that the reference element 35 and the pattern 30 partially overlap, or that the pattern has at least the same size as the reference element. Thereby, more information can be stored in a single code unit 25. Furthermore, the reference element 35 and the pattern 30 are preferably made of different geometric elements and / or colors, as shown in Figures 7A-7C, for example, compared to Figures 6A-6C. Thereby, the amount of information that can be stored in the pattern is not reduced by the reference element. Instead of the line 33, the reference can also be formed from points, such as three points including a central point and, for example, two points on different radial lines oriented at 90° from each other. Instead of the central point, all points can be on different radial lines.

[0073] In the embodiment shown in Figures 7A-7C, the reference element 35 is formed by three lines that define the boundaries of the grid 31. The three lines are arranged along three of the four boundaries of the grid 31. In addition, the fourth boundary can be determined from the end point of the line in the lower left corner of the grid. Thus, the user can identify the pattern without any difficulty, especially if the pattern is repeated along the circumferential direction. Thereby, the coded pattern can be identified even without a reading device. In another example, the lines 37 of the reference element 35 can completely surround the pattern 30 (i.e. form a closed rectangle). However, the reference element 35 can be placed in the center of the pattern in an alternative embodiment.

[0074] Further reference elements are shown in Figures 8A-8C. The reference element 35 is formed by an image 38, here an image of a flower. The image is located in the centre of each code unit 25, i.e. in the centre of the grid 31. In this example, the reference element or image may be a watermark on the packaging material. The pattern or dots may be ink printed on the (e.g. outer) surface of the packaging material.

[0075] 9A to 9C disclose a further variant of the information code 20. In the embodiment of Fig. 9A to 9C, the reference elements 35 are formed by points 36 and the coded pattern 30 is formed by lines 33.

[0076] 10A-10C disclose another variant of the information code. In this embodiment, both the reference elements and the pattern 30 are formed by lines. The reference elements 35 are formed by dashed lines 37 and the pattern 30 is formed by solid lines 34.

[0077] 11A-11C show further embodiments of an information code 20 with different code units 25. Here, a pattern 30 including a series of dots 33 is arranged along the circumference of a circle 42. The circle is preferably divided into sectors of equal length, each sector may or may not include dots. Thereby, information can be encoded. For example, the code of FIG. 11A reads (starting at 12 o'clock and in a clockwise direction) "11101000". The pattern 30 can be arranged along several circles. An example is shown in FIG. 11B and FIG. 11C. In addition to the outer circle, FIG. 11B shows a second inner circle 43 along which further dots 33 can be arranged. Here, the inner circle reads "00000010".

[0078] Furthermore, the embodiment shown in Figures 11A-11C also includes a reference element 35. The reference element 35 includes two lines 37. The lines are located at the center of the circle of the pattern 30, so that a reading device can identify the center position of the circle. Furthermore, the orientation of the lines 37 can indicate the starting position of the code. As seen in Figures 11A-11C, the horizontal line of the reference element 35 indicates the 12 o'clock position, from which the code can start. For example, a dot can be aligned with one of the lines 37 to form a starting point, and the code can be read in a clockwise (or counterclockwise) direction.

[0079] 12A and 12B further disclose coding techniques for analog information. The analog information may relate to continuous variables, such as temperature and / or time, among others. For example, the temperature may be a heating temperature and the time may be for controlling a particular event of a heating profile optimized for an identified article. As with the embodiment of FIGS. 11A-11C, the pattern 30 is arranged along the circumference of a circle. However, the points 33 of the pattern 30 are not arranged at a predetermined location. Rather, the points 33 may be arranged at any point along the circumference. Their exact angular position 27 relative to a reference point (e.g., 12 o'clock) indicates the analog value. The reference point may be indicated by a reference element, in particular by an indicator such as an arrow shown in FIG. 12A. For example, an angle of 60° indicated by the point 33 may indicate a temperature of 310°.

[0080] Additionally, pattern 30 represents multiple variables in a single circle, where the circle includes a second point 33' (empty circle), which may represent, for example, the time (e.g., 1 minute) during which the heating stick heats up to a set temperature.

[0081] An alternative representation of analog information is shown in Fig. 12B, where the points 33 are arranged, for example, along horizontal (or vertical) lines of the grid 31 shown in Figs. 3A-3C. A distance 28 to a reference element, for example a reference element 35 or a predetermined position relative to the reference element, determines the analog value. Several concentrically arranged circles with a common reference 33 may be provided to receive points for encoding different parameters. For example, the outermost circle may encode a heater temperature and the inner circle may encode a time value.

Claims

1. An article (1) for an aerosol generating device, comprising: a tobacco material (10) configured to generate an aerosol; and a wrapping material (50) comprising an optically recognizable information code (20) for storing information about the article, said information code comprising a code unit (25) having a pattern (30) encoding said information, said code unit being repeated on the article, said code unit comprising reference elements (35) for indicating the presence and position of said pattern (30) to an optical reading device of said pattern, The reference element (35) comprises: (a) a plurality of lines (37) including at least two lines forming part of the boundary (32) of the code unit and a line extending from a position on the boundary (32); or (b) a plurality of points (36) including at least two points located on the boundary (32) and a point located within the boundary (32).

2. The article of claim 1 , wherein the reference element (35) is at least partially overlapped by the pattern (30).

3. 3. The article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the code units of the information code are arranged in a tessellated shape.

4. 4. The article of any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being free of said tobacco material (10), and said information code being located on said first portion.

5. The article of any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising at least one circumferential region, the code units being repeated along the circumference.

6. 6. The article of claim 5, wherein the pattern represents a binary code, the pattern comprising individual elements, in particular dots (33) and / or lines (34), arranged at predetermined positions of the pattern, the presence or absence of the individual elements at the predetermined positions representing binary information.

7. 7. An article according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined locations of the individual elements are arranged according to a grid (36), in particular a regular grid.

8. The article of claim 7 , wherein the discrete elements comprise lines located between and / or points located at the intersections of grid lines.

9. 9. An article according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the grid is formed from abscissa and ordinate lines intersecting at 90 degrees, or from circles intersected by a number of radial lines.

10. 10. The article of claim 9, wherein the predetermined locations of the discrete elements are arranged along a circle or several concentrically arranged circles.

11. 8. The article of claim 6 or 7, wherein the predetermined locations of the discrete elements are arranged along a band.

12. The article of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the pattern (30) comprises an analog code (26).

13. 13. An article according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the pattern comprises one or more individual elements, in particular dots and / or lines, and wherein the one or more individual elements are arranged along a given extent (27), in particular a distance or within a given area, and wherein the position of the individual elements along the extent or within the area represents information.

14. 14. An article according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined areas or regions of the individual elements are arranged according to a grid (36), in particular a regular grid.

15. The article of claim 14 , wherein the discrete elements comprise lines located between and / or points located at the intersections of grid lines.

16. 16. An article according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the grid is formed from abscissa and ordinate lines intersecting at 90 degrees, or from circles intersected by a number of radial lines.

17. 17. The article of claim 16, wherein the predetermined ranges or regions of the discrete elements are arranged along at least one circle or a number of concentrically arranged circles.

18. The article of claim 13 , wherein the predetermined areas or regions of the discrete elements are arranged along a band.

19. The article of any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the reference element has a first color and the pattern has a second color, the second color being different from the first color.

20. 20. The article of any one of claims 1 to 19, comprising an outer wrapper covering the wrapper at least partially carrying the information code (20), the outer wrapper being at least partially transparent or translucent such that the information code can be detected with visible light.

21. The article of any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the pattern and / or the reference elements comprise individual elements, some of the individual elements having a length and / or width of less than 100 μm.

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