An aerosol generator comprising a control circuit for a heating element

Abstract

There is provided an aerosol generating device configured to generate an aerosol by heating at least a portion of an aerosol-generating substrate, the aerosol generating device comprising or connectable to at least one heating element configured to heat at least a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate usable by the aerosol generating device to generate an aerosol, the aerosol generating device comprising a heating control circuit configured to receive at least one operating quantity associated with operation of the at least one heating element, to associate the at least one operating quantity with a plurality of classes, each class corresponding to a predetermined characteristic of the at least one operating quantity, to calculate a score for each class, and to determine a status indicator indicative of a heating status of the at least one heating element based on the plurality of classes and the calculated scores for the classes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of aerosol generators and systems for generating aerosols. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an aerosol generator having a heating control circuit, an aerosol generation system comprising such an aerosol generator, a method of operating such an aerosol generator or system, a corresponding computer program, and a computer-readable medium storing such a program.

Background Art

[0002] Typically, an aerosol generator is designed as a handheld device that can be used by a user to consume aerosols generated by an aerosol article, for example, in one or more use sessions. Usually, an aerosol article includes an aerosol generating substrate, for example, a substrate containing tobacco material and / or liquid. In order to generate an aerosol during use or consumption, heat can be applied or transferred from a heating element or heat source within the aerosol generator and / or the aerosol article to heat at least a portion of the aerosol article and / or the aerosol generating substrate.

[0003] An exemplary aerosol article for use with an aerosol generator may comprise an aerosol generating substrate that can often be assembled in the form of a rod, together with other elements or components. Such a rod-shaped aerosol article can be configured in a shape and size that is at least partially inserted into the aerosol generator. Other exemplary aerosol articles may include a cartridge containing a liquid that can be evaporated during aerosol consumption by the user. The cartridge can be configured in a shape and size that is at least partially inserted into the aerosol generator. Alternatively, the cartridge can be fixedly attached to the aerosol generator and replenished by inserting liquid into the cartridge.

[0004] In order to generate an aerosol during use or consumption, heat can be supplied by a heating element or heat source to heat at least a part of the aerosol-generating substrate or article. Among them, the heating element can be arranged in a handheld device or a handheld part of the heating element. As another method, or additionally, at least a part or the whole of the heating element can be associated with or arranged in the form of a rod or cartridge, for example, attached to the aerosol-generating device and / or powered by the aerosol-generating device, with the aerosol-generating article.

[0005] Various forms and designs of heating elements, as well as various heating techniques, are currently used in the field of aerosol-generating devices and systems. An exemplary aerosol-generating device can be configured to heat an aerosol-generating article or substrate based on resistive heating. Such a device typically comprises a resistive heating blade that functions as a heating element, and the aerosol-generating substrate or article can be brought into contact with, for example, by at least partially inserting the substrate or article into the blade, and the aerosol can be generated by resistively heating the heating blade. As another method, one or more heating coils, for example, arranged within the aerosol-generating article, or connected to the aerosol-generating article, or arranged within the aerosol-generating device, can be used for resistive heating.

[0006] Other exemplary aerosol generating devices may be configured to heat an aerosol generating article or substrate based on inductive heating. In one example, for instance, a susceptor or susceptor material may be arranged in the form of a planar metal band of ferromagnetic material at least partially surrounded by an aerosol generating article or substrate, such as an aerosol generating substrate. Other forms of susceptors may include particles or flakes disposed within the aerosol generating substrate or article. In another embodiment, the susceptor is part of the aerosol generating device. The aerosol generating article or substrate may be inserted into the aerosol generating device for aerosol consumption. Based on applying an alternating magnetic field to the susceptor, eddy currents (also called Foucault currents) can be generated in the susceptor using, for example, one or more coils or induction coils disposed within the aerosol generating device, thereby heating the susceptor and the aerosol generating substrate in its vicinity.

[0007] Still other exemplary aerosol generating devices may be configured to heat an aerosol generating article or substrate based on microwave heating, using, for example, a resonator such as a loop gap resonator, or other microwave sources such as a microwave generator that can be disposed within the aerosol generating device or aerosol generating article.

[0008] Generally, it may be preferable to heat the aerosol generating substrate or article to a temperature, temperature range, or temperature region suitable for generating an aerosol, which should be substantially constant or similar between various use sessions, for example, from the perspective of the amount of aerosol generated, flavor, and / or taste, to provide a consistent experience to the user. Also, overheating of the aerosol generating substrate or article (or a part thereof) should preferably be avoided, as this may lead to the release of undesirable substances from the substrate.

[0009] Therefore, in some cases, it may be desirable to provide an improved aerosol generating device, for example, to provide improved heating control.

[0010] This problem is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Optional features are provided by the dependent claims and the following description. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an aerosol generating device, an aerosol generating system comprising such an aerosol generating device, its use, a method of operating the aerosol generating device or system, a corresponding computer program, and a computer-readable medium storing such a program. Any disclosure presented above and below in this specification with reference to one aspect of the present disclosure applies equally to any other aspect of the present disclosure.

[0012] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol generating device configured to generate an aerosol by heating at least a part of an aerosol generating substrate and / or an aerosol generating article comprising the aerosol generating substrate, or based on heating. The aerosol generating device comprises, or is connectable and / or attachable to, at least one heating element configured to heat at least a part of an aerosol generating substrate usable with the aerosol generating device to generate an aerosol. The aerosol generating device includes a heating control circuit configured to receive and / or process at least one operation amount associated with the operation of the at least one heating element. The heating control circuit associates and / or attributes the at least one operation amount to a plurality of classes, each class corresponding to a predetermined characteristic of the at least one operation amount, and is further configured to calculate a score for each class. Further, the heating control circuit is configured to determine a state indicator indicative of the heating state of the at least one heating element based on the plurality of classes and the calculated scores for the classes.

[0013] By associating at least an operation amount with a heating control circuit and a plurality of classes, calculating corresponding scores for each class, and determining a state indicator, the heating state of at least one heating element can be surely, efficiently, and quickly determined. In particular, the heating state of the heating element that can be correlated with the temperature or its temperature range can be efficiently approximated and / or estimated based on associating the operation amount with the class and determining the score of the class. Thereby, while the variation or uncertainty of the operation amount can be smoothed, the information related to the heating state of the heating element can be advantageously retained, which can lead to a more accurate determination of the current heating state of the heating element. Then, the heating element can be accurately controlled or operated based on the determined state indicator when compared, for example, with controlling the heating element based on the operation amount itself. Also, overheating of the heating element or the aerosol generation substrate can be effectively avoided.

[0014] The present disclosure is generally applicable to all techniques of heating for generating an aerosol by heating an aerosol generation substrate or an article. This includes, for example, resistive heating, inductive heating, and microwave heating as described above in this specification. Accordingly, the aerosol generating device and / or its heating control circuit may be configured for one or more of resistive heating, inductive heating, and microwave heating.

[0015] The heating control circuit may include, for example, one or more processors, one or more controllers, or one or more microcontrollers for data processing. Optionally, at least a part of the heating control circuit may be implemented on a printed circuit board. As another method, or additionally, at least a part of the heating control circuit may be implemented as a smart chip or a smart device. As another method, or additionally, at least a part of the heating control circuit may be implemented as an application-specific integrated circuit, ASIC.

[0016] In one embodiment, at least one heating element may comprise one or more heating blades that are at least partially insertable into the aerosol-generating article or substrate to resistively heat the heating blade. For example, the heating control circuit may be configured to heat the heating blade or element based on supplying voltage and / or current to the heating blade.

[0017] Alternatively, or in addition, at least one heating element may comprise one or more coils or induction coils for generating an alternating magnetic field that interacts with a susceptor or susceptor material disposed with the aerosol-generating substrate or article. In that case, the heating control circuit may be configured to drive the one or more coils, for example, in a series of heating cycles.

[0018] Alternatively, or in addition, the heating element can include a microwave source or generator, such as a resonator like a loop-gap resonator, which can be driven by a heating control circuit to generate microwaves that can be used to heat the aerosol-generating substrate or article.

[0019] At least one heating element or a part thereof may be constituted by, and / or may be included in, the aerosol-generating device. Alternatively, or in addition, at least one heating element or a part thereof may be constituted by, and / or may be included in, an aerosol-generating article that is connectable and / or attachable to the aerosol-generating device. For example, at least a part of the heating coil or heating blade may be disposed within an aerosol-generating article, such as a cartridge-like or rod-shaped aerosol-generating article that can be coupled and / or inserted into the aerosol-generating device. Alternatively, or in addition, at least a part of the susceptor disposed within the aerosol-generating article may be regarded as, or may constitute, at least one heating element.

[0020] Alternatively, or additionally, at least a part of the heating element may be disposed within the aerosol-generating article, and at least one further part of the heating element may be disposed within the aerosol-generating device. For example, one or more receiving coils of at least one heating element may be disposed within the aerosol-generating article, and one or more exciting coils of at least one heating element may be disposed within the aerosol-generating device.

[0021] As used herein, at least one operating quantity can relate to or refer to an observable quantity or parameter associated with the operation or actuation of at least one heating element by a heating control circuit. Among them, the operation of at least one heating element may refer to or include heating at least one heating element and / or the aerosol-generating substrate or article. Thus, operating at least one heating element can include actuating the heating element to generate heat and / or heating the heating element, substrate, and / or article. For example, at least one operating quantity can indicate the electronic or electrical behavior or response of at least one heating element during the operation, actuation, and / or heating of the at least one heating element. Any reference herein to at least one operating quantity can include or refer to the value of the at least one operating quantity.

[0022] At least one operating quantity can be classifiable and / or categorizable in a plurality of categories, referred to herein as classes, for example, based on its value, in the context of the present disclosure. Each of the classes can describe, indicate, or represent a predetermined characteristic or state of at least one operating quantity, for example, within a predetermined range of values of the operating quantity associated with the corresponding class. Thus, each class can represent an operating quantity having or indicating the corresponding characteristic and / or an operating quantity having a value associated with the corresponding class.

[0023] In a non-limiting and merely exemplary embodiment, at least one amount of operation may refer to or indicate the voltage supplied to the heating element. The classes that may be considered for the amount of operation may include, for example, one or more of high voltage class, low voltage class, positive voltage class, negative voltage class, increasing voltage class, decreasing voltage class, etc.

[0024] A plurality of classes for the amount of operation may be determined or selected empirically, for example. For example, a predetermined characteristic of a class may be defined based on evaluating a curve or progression of the amount of operation over a certain range of values of the amount as a function of one or more additional amounts of operation that may be involved in the operation or heating of the heating element.

[0025] As used herein, the score of each class can indicate whether or can be associated with the amount of operation being associated with the respective class and / or the corresponding predetermined characteristic associated with the respective class. Generally, the score of each class can be a numerical value or a binary value.

[0026] The heating control circuit may be configured to calculate or determine the score of each class, for example, based on the processing and / or evaluation of the amount of operation with respect to its value. In other words, calculating the score for each class may include at least evaluating the amount of operation with respect to the class associated with the amount of operation. For example, the amount of operation or its corresponding value can be mapped by the heating control circuit to various classes to determine the corresponding score of each class.

[0027] Therefore, at least one amount of operation or its value can be represented and / or approximated by a plurality of classes and the score of each class. As described above, this can make it possible to compensate for fluctuations in the amount of operation or to smooth the amount of operation over time, for example, which can make it possible to determine the state indicator and thus the heating state quickly, reliably, and efficiently.

[0028] As used herein, a state indicator can indicate and / or describe the heating state of at least one heating element. Generally, the heating state of the heating element may indicate and / or be correlated with one or more of the temperatures, temperature regions, and / or temperature ranges of at least a portion of the heating element, the aerosol generating substrate, and the aerosol generating article heated by the heating element. Thus, the state indicator may refer to or indicate a measurement or quantity that enables temperature control, as discussed in more detail below.

[0029] In one embodiment, the heating control circuit is configured to perform one or more of controlling the heating temperature of at least one heating element based on the determined state indicator, activating at least one heating element to start or increase aerosol generation based on the determined state indicator, and deactivating at least one heating element to stop or reduce aerosol generation based on the determined state indicator. Optionally, the heating control circuit may be configured to control the heating temperature of at least one heating element based on comparing the determined state indicator to a predetermined threshold of the state indicator. Such a threshold of the state indicator can be stored, for example, in the memory or data storage of the aerosol generating device, or can be obtained from another data source, for example, via the communication interface of the aerosol generating device.

[0030] For example, the heating control circuit may be configured to control the heating temperature of at least one heating element, start at least one heating element, and / or stop at least one heating element based on controlling and / or adjusting one or more of the supply of energy to at least one heating element, the duty cycle of at least one heating element, and the drive frequency for driving at least one heating element. Controlling the supply of energy and / or the duty cycle can include controlling and / or adjusting one or both of the supply voltage and the supply current. However, it is emphasized that one or more other parameters or operating quantities can be controlled by the heating control circuit, for example, according to the type of heating element, or according to the technology applied to heating such as induction heating, resistance heating, or microwave heating.

[0031] Furthermore, the heating control circuit may optionally be configured to deterministically calculate a score for each class associated with at least one operating quantity. As used herein, such deterministic calculations may be contrasted with, for example, artificial intelligence-based calculations using neural networks. Thus, the classification or categorization of operating quantities into classes and the determination of corresponding scores may not be performed using artificial intelligence. Thus, the class scores can be determined with significantly reduced computational power compared to the use of artificial intelligence. Also, energy consumption and / or computation time can be reduced.

[0032] In one embodiment, the score for each class associated with at least one amount of operation may indicate the probability that the at least one amount of operation is classified into the respective class. In other words, the score for each class associated with at least one amount of operation may indicate the probability that the at least one amount of operation takes, has, presents, and / or adopts a value that is within or associable with each respective class and / or the corresponding predetermined characteristics associated with each respective class. As another way, or additionally, the score for each class may indicate a confidence level or confidence value for the amount of operation classified into the respective class. In this context, the score for each class can be regarded as a membership value indicating the degree or extent of the amount of operation that is a member of or associable with each respective class. The probability may be given, for example, as a value from zero to 1, a value from 0% to 100%, or any other appropriate absolute or relative value range.

[0033] As an example, the heating control circuit may be configured to associate at least one amount of operation with a plurality of classes and calculate the probability or score for each class based on a plurality of mathematical functions, where each mathematical function maps the score and / or the probability for one of the plurality of classes to at least one of a predetermined scale and a predetermined range of the at least one amount of operation. As another way, or additionally, each class associated with at least one amount of operation may be represented by, or given as, a mathematical function that maps the probability of the class to at least one of a predetermined scale and a predetermined range of the at least one amount of operation. One or more of such mathematical functions can be stored, for example, in a memory or data storage and used by the heating control circuit to evaluate the amount of operation in order to calculate the probability and / or score for each class.

[0034] One or more of these mathematical functions for one or more classes can be implemented in the aerosol generator, for example, in the form of a soft-coded equation or a functional relationship. At least one amount of operation can be used as an input to one or more mathematical functions to calculate a corresponding score or probability. Alternatively, or additionally, one or more of these mathematical functions can be implemented as a look-up table or the like.

[0035] For example, at least a part of at least some of the mathematical functions of at least the class associated with the amount of operation can include at least one constant section, at least one triangular section, at least one trapezoidal section, at least one straight section, at least one curved section, at least one bell curve section, and at least one sigmoid section. Also, any combination of these sections is possible. However, it should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to mathematical functions having one or more of the aforementioned sections. In principle, any non-periodic function or any function that can clearly determine the probability or score of a class can be used as a mathematical function in the context of the present disclosure.

[0036] At least one amount of operation can be based on, for example, the measurement of at least one amount of operation. Such measurements can be performed by a heating control circuit, for example, based on one or more sensors and / or based on determining or monitoring the supply voltage and / or current supplied by the heating control circuit or its power source.

[0037] Alternatively, or additionally, at least one amount of operation can be derived from or determined based on the measurement of one or more additional amounts of operation associated with the operation of at least one heating element. For example, at least one amount of operation can be calculated or computed using one or more additional amounts of operation at least a part of which can be measured.

[0038] In one embodiment, at least one operation amount can be averaged over a predetermined period. For example, the operation amount can be sampled at a specific sampling frequency, and one sample value of the operation amount can be related to or regarded as the average value of the operation amount over the sampling period.

[0039] As described above in this specification, at least one operation amount can indicate the operation of at least one heating element by a heating control circuit or the electrical behavior of at least one heating element during operation. For example, the electrical behavior or response of the heating element may depend on or be correlated with the operation amount, which can enable an accurate determination of the electrical behavior based on the operation amount.

[0040] As an example, at least one operation amount can indicate one or more of conductance, conductance derivative, conductance distance, pulse shape of conductance, gradient of conductance, resistance, resistance derivative, resistance distance, power supplied to at least one heating element, power derivative, duty cycle, current supplied to at least one heating element, and voltage supplied to at least one heating element. Such operation amounts can enable a rapid, reliable, and accurate determination of the heating state or state indicator, and thus may enable an accurate, rapid, and reliable control of the heating element or its heating state.

[0041] Depending on the type of heating element or heating technology utilized, one or more of the aforementioned operation amounts can be related to one or more components of the heating element such as the heating control circuit and / or the heating element or power supply.

[0042] For example, when the heating is based on induction heating, the heating control circuit and / or the heating element may include one or more coils or induction coils. In this example, operating quantities such as conductance, resistance, and / or the derivative of one or both of them may enable the state indicator to be accurately determined. Among them, the conductance or resistance may be related to the conductance or resistance of one or more coils. Such physical quantities or operating quantities can be determined, for example, based on measuring the voltage and / or current supplied to one or more coils (or heating elements) or absorbed by one or more coils. As an example, such measurements can be carried out based on measuring the direct current supplied by the heating control circuit or its power supply circuit. As another method, such measurements may be based on measuring the alternating current supplied to one or more coils or heating elements.

[0043] As used herein, the conductance distance, and similarly the resistance distance, may refer to the relative value of the conductance or resistance between predetermined reference points on the conductance or resistance curve. Among them, the conductance or resistance curve may show the course of the conductance or resistance as a function of the heating state, or another operating quantity related thereto or involved in the heating of the heating element.

[0044] Similarly, the pulse shape or gradient of the conductance may refer to the pulse shape or gradient of the conductance as a function of the heating state, as a function of time, and / or as a function of another operating quantity related to the heating state or involved in the heating of the heating element.

[0045] In an exemplary and non-limiting use case of inductive heating, the conductance may be a function of the changing heating state of the heating element, which may optionally indicate or correlate with the temperature, temperature region, and / or temperature range of the heating element. For example, the conductance may vary through a series of hills and valleys on a conductance-versus-heating state or temperature curve. Reference points on such a curve can be, for example, local maxima and local minima respectively associated with specific hills and valleys on the curve. However, it should be noted that any other reference points on the conductance or resistance curve can be used to define a conductance distance or resistance distance, such as the distance between two maxima or minima.

[0046] The heating control circuit may be configured to receive a plurality of operation quantities, each operation quantity being associated with the operation of at least one heating element. The heating control circuit associates each one of the plurality of operation quantities with a plurality of classes, each class corresponding to a predetermined characteristic of at least one operation quantity, calculates a score for each class, and may be further configured to determine a state indicator based on applying a set of one or more predetermined rules to the determined plurality of classes, as well as the corresponding scores and / or probabilities for the plurality of operation quantities. Among them, each rule may indicate the interrelationship between at least one class of one of the plurality of operation quantities and at least one class of at least one further operation quantity of the plurality of operation quantities. As another or additional way, each rule may associate or relate at least one class of one of the plurality of operation quantities with at least one class of at least one further operation quantity. In one embodiment, such an interrelationship between different classes of different operation quantities can be implemented as an AND operation, an OR operation, a combination thereof, or another operation.

[0047] Applying a set of predetermined rules can advantageously enable the combination of various different amounts of operation, or information related to the heating state included therein, as reflected by classes and corresponding scores or probabilities. In particular, applying a set of rules can enable the fast calculation of state indicators with low computing power. Also, the accuracy of the state indicator can be increased, and the overall heating control can be further improved.

[0048] In one embodiment, the heating control circuit may be configured to determine a state indicator based on combining different rules of a set of predetermined rules with partial state indicators determined by applying the corresponding scores and / or probabilities to a plurality of determined classes and a plurality of amounts of operation. Accordingly, the heating control circuit may be configured to determine a partial state indicator based on applying a single rule of the set of rules to at least a subset of the plurality of determined classes, as well as the corresponding scores and / or probabilities for the plurality of amounts of operation.

[0049] Optionally, one or more of the partial state indicators may be used to determine the state indicator. For example, one or more of the partial state indicators may be selected as the state indicator. As another method, or additionally, a plurality of partial state indicators can be combined or fused to determine the state indicator.

[0050] In one embodiment, the heating control circuit may be configured to weight the partial state indicators with rule - specific weighting amounts, weight coefficients, or weights. One or more weights, weighting coefficients, or weighting amounts can be defined in advance and stored, for example, in the memory of the device. Generally, the weights can reflect the importance or relevance of the corresponding rules for the determination of the state indicator. Accordingly, applying rule - specific weights can enable the consideration of the different importance or relevance of different rules for the determination of the state indicator and / or heating control.

[0051] As an example, a status indicator and / or one or more partial status indicators can be given as, include, and / or indicate a temperature range. As used herein, the temperature range may correspond to a region or range of temperatures within which the current temperature of the heating element is expected to be classified. Determining the temperature range, rather than the actual temperature, may allow for a quick and efficient approximation of the actual temperature of the heating element with reduced computational power while retaining all the information necessary to accurately control the heating element, in particular.

[0052] In an exemplary embodiment, the status indicator may be given as a temperature range and as the probability that the actual heating temperature of at least one heating element is within or enters the temperature range. For example, the temperature range "high temperature" may be associated with a specific temperature, and a probability of 0.8 may be determined for this temperature range. Thus, in this case, the heating element is in the "high temperature" range with an 80% probability, or is "80% high temperature" and 20% "non-high temperature" or in one or more other classes.

[0053] Optionally, the determined probability and / or temperature range can be converted to the actual temperature of the heating element using a mathematical function that maps the probability of one or more temperature ranges to a scale or range of temperatures.

[0054] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol generation system comprising an aerosol generation device as described above and below in this specification, and an aerosol generation article comprising an aerosol generation substrate.

[0055] Any features, functions, and / or elements of the aerosol generation device described above and below in this specification are similarly applicable to the aerosol generation system, and vice versa. Generally, any disclosure presented above and below with reference to any aspect of the present disclosure is equally applicable to any other aspect of the present disclosure.

[0056] A further aspect of the present disclosure may relate to the use of an aerosol generating device or system as described above and below herein for generating an aerosol.

[0057] A further aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method of operating an aerosol generating device or system, such as the device or system described above and below herein. The method comprises: - Receiving and / or processing at least one operation amount associated with the operation of at least one heating element of the aerosol generating device using a heating control circuit of the aerosol generating device, wherein the at least one heating element is configured to heat at least a part of the aerosol generating substrate to generate an aerosol and / or to be connectable to the aerosol generating device; - Attributing and / or associating the at least one operation amount to a plurality of classes using the heating control circuit, each class corresponding to a predetermined characteristic of the at least one operation amount; - Calculating a score for each class using the heating control circuit; - Determining a state indicator indicating the heating state of the at least one heating element based on the plurality of classes and the calculated scores for the classes using the heating control circuit.

[0058] The method may further comprise one or more of: controlling the heating temperature of the at least one heating element based on the determined state indicator using the heating control circuit; activating the at least one heating element to start or increase aerosol generation based on the determined state indicator; and stopping the at least one heating element to stop or reduce aerosol generation based on the determined state indicator.

[0059] Alternatively, or in addition, the method may further include controlling the heating temperature of at least one heating element using a heating control circuit based on comparing a determined state indicator with a predetermined threshold of the state indicator.

[0060] Optionally, controlling the heating temperature of at least one heating element, activating the heating element, and / or stopping the heating element may include controlling one or more of the energy supply to at least one heating element, the load cycle of at least one heating element, and the drive frequency for driving at least one heating element.

[0061] As described above herein, the score for each class may indicate the probability that at least one amount of operation is classified into each respective class. Alternatively, or in addition, determining the score for each class may include determining the probability that at least one amount of operation is included in each respective class.

[0062] In one embodiment, attributing and / or associating at least one amount of operation to a plurality of classes and calculating the probability for each class may include evaluating at least one amount of operation based on a plurality of mathematical functions, each mathematical function mapping the probability for one of the plurality of classes to at least one of a predetermined scale and a predetermined range of at least one amount of operation.

[0063] Optionally, the method may include one or more of measuring at least one amount of operation using an aerosol generator, deriving at least one amount of operation from the measurement of one or more additional amounts of operation associated with the operation of at least one heating element, and averaging at least one amount of operation over a predetermined period. Deriving at least one amount of operation from the measurement may include, for example, calculating the amount of operation based on one or more measured amounts of operation that may be different from the at least one amount of operation. Further, averaging may include, for example, calculating the average of at least one amount of operation over a predetermined period.

[0064] In a further embodiment, the method comprises - receiving a plurality of amounts of operation, each amount of operation being associated with the operation of at least one heating element, - associating each one of the plurality of amounts of operation with a plurality of classes, each class corresponding to a predetermined characteristic of at least one amount of operation, - calculating a score for each class, - applying a set of one or more predetermined rules to the determined plurality of classes and the corresponding scores and / or probabilities for the plurality of amounts of operation, thereby generating a set of partial state indicators.

[0065] Among them, each rule may indicate the interrelationship between at least one class of one of the plurality of amounts of operation and at least one class of at least one further amount of operation of the plurality of amounts of operation. For example, at least a subset of the partial state indicators may be determined by applying different rules of the set of predetermined rules. As used herein, receiving at least one amount of operation, or receiving a plurality of amounts of operation, may include processing each respective amount of operation in a heating control circuit.

[0066] Optionally, the method may further comprise weighting one or more partial state indicators having rule-specific weighting amounts, weights, or weight coefficients using a heating control circuit.

[0067] A further aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer program that, when executed by an aerosol generating device or aerosol generating system, instructs the aerosol generating device or system to perform the steps of the method as described above and below herein.

[0068] A further aspect of the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program that, when executed by an aerosol generating device or aerosol generating system, instructs the aerosol generating device or system to perform the steps of the method as described above and below herein.

[0069] The following provides a non-exhaustive list of non-limiting examples. Any one or more of the features of these examples may be combined with any one or more of the features of another example, embodiment, or aspect described herein.

Example

[0070] Example 1: An aerosol generating device comprising, or connectable to, at least one heating element configured to heat at least a portion of an aerosol generating substrate usable in the aerosol generating device to generate an aerosol, wherein the aerosol generating device receives at least one operation amount associated with the operation of at least one heating element, associates the at least one operation amount with a plurality of classes, each class corresponding to a predetermined characteristic of the at least one operation amount, calculates a score for each class, and is configured to determine a state indicator indicating the heating state of the at least one heating element based on the plurality of classes and the calculated scores for the classes, and includes a heating control circuit. Example 2: The aerosol generating device according to Example 1, wherein the heating control circuit is further configured to perform one or more of: controlling the heating temperature of the at least one heating element based on the determined state indicator; activating the at least one heating element to start or increase aerosol generation based on the determined state indicator; and stopping the at least one heating element to stop or reduce aerosol generation based on the determined state indicator. Example 3: The aerosol generating device according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 2, wherein the heating control circuit is further configured to control the heating temperature of at least one heating element based on comparing the determined state indicator with a predetermined threshold value of the state indicator. Embodiment 4: The aerosol generating device according to any one of Embodiments 2 and 3, wherein the heating control circuit is configured to control, start, and / or stop at least one heating element based on controlling one or more of the supply of energy to at least one heating element, the duty cycle of at least one heating element, and the driving frequency for driving at least one heating element. Embodiment 5: The aerosol generating device according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 4, wherein at least one heating element is based on at least one of induction heating, resistance heating, and microwave heating. Embodiment 6: The aerosol generating device according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the heating control circuit is configured to deterministically calculate the score for each class associated with at least one operation amount. Embodiment 7: The aerosol generating device according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 6, wherein the score for each class associated with at least one operation amount indicates the probability that at least one operation amount is classified into each class. Embodiment 8: The aerosol generating device according to Embodiment 7, wherein the heating control circuit associates at least one operation amount with a plurality of classes and is configured to calculate the probability for each class based on a plurality of mathematical functions, and each mathematical function maps the probability for one of the plurality of classes to at least one of a predetermined scale and a predetermined range of at least one operation amount. Embodiment 9: An aerosol generator according to Example 8, wherein at least a part of at least a part of the mathematical functions of at least the classes associated with the operation amount includes at least one constant section, at least one triangular section, at least one trapezoidal section, at least one straight section, at least one curved section, at least one bell curve section, and at least one sigmoid section. Example 10: An aerosol generator according to any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein at least one operation amount is based on the measurement of at least one operation amount. Example 11: An aerosol generator according to any one of Examples 1 to 10, wherein at least one operation amount is derived from the measurement of one or more additional operation amounts associated with the operation of at least one heating element. Example 12: An aerosol generator according to any one of Examples 1 to 11, wherein at least one operation amount is averaged over a predetermined period. Example 13: An aerosol generator according to any one of Examples 1 to 12, wherein at least one operation amount indicates the electrical behavior of at least one heating element during the operation of at least one heating element. Example 14: An aerosol generator according to any one of Examples 1 to 13, wherein at least one operation amount indicates one or more of conductance, conductance derivative, conductance distance, pulse shape of conductance, gradient of conductance, resistance, resistance derivative, resistance distance, power supplied to at least one heating element, power derivative, duty cycle, current supplied to at least one heating element, and voltage supplied to at least one heating element. Example 15: The heating control circuit receives a plurality of operation amounts, each operation amount is associated with the operation of at least one heating element, associates each one of the plurality of operation amounts with a plurality of classes, each class corresponds to a predetermined characteristic of at least one operation amount, calculates a score for each class, and determines a state indicator based on applying a set of one or more predetermined rules to the determined plurality of classes and the corresponding scores and / or probabilities for the plurality of operation amounts, where each rule is configured to indicate an interrelationship between at least one class of one of the plurality of operation amounts and at least one class of at least one further operation amount of the plurality of operation amounts. The aerosol generating device according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 14. Embodiment 16: The heating control circuit is further configured to determine a state indicator based on combining a partial state indicator determined by applying different rules of a set of predetermined rules to the determined plurality of classes with the corresponding scores and / or probabilities for the plurality of operation amounts. The aerosol generating device according to Embodiment 15. Embodiment 17: The heating control circuit is configured to weight the partial state indicator with a rule-specific weighting amount. The aerosol generating device according to Embodiment 16. Embodiment 18: The state indicator is given as a temperature range, includes the temperature range, and / or is indicated as a temperature range. The aerosol generating device according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 17. Embodiment 19: The state indicator is given as a temperature range and the probability that the actual heating temperature of at least one heating element falls within the temperature range. The aerosol generating device according to Embodiment 18. Embodiment 20: The aerosol generating device according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 19, and An aerosol generating article including an aerosol generating substrate. An aerosol generating system comprising the same. Embodiment 21: A method of operating an aerosol generating device, the method comprising Receiving at least one operation amount associated with the operation of at least one heating element of an aerosol generating device configured to generate an aerosol by heating at least a part of an aerosol generating substrate using a heating control circuit of the aerosol generating device; Using the heating control circuit to assign at least one operation amount to a plurality of classes, each class corresponding to a predetermined characteristic of at least one operation amount; Using the heating control circuit to calculate a score for each class; Using the heating control circuit to determine a state indicator indicating the heating state of at least one heating element based on the plurality of classes and the calculated scores for the classes, the method comprising: Example 22: Using the heating control circuit to control the heating temperature of at least one heating element based on the determined state indicator; Activating at least one heating element to start or increase aerosol generation based on the determined state indicator; The method according to Example 21, further comprising one or more of: stopping at least one heating element to stop or reduce aerosol generation based on the determined state indicator. Example 23: The method according to any one of Examples 21 to 22, further comprising using the heating control circuit to control the heating temperature of at least one heating element based on comparing the determined state indicator with a predetermined threshold of the state indicator. Example 24: The method according to any one of Examples 22 and 23, wherein controlling, activating, and / or stopping at least one heating element includes controlling one or more of the supply of energy to at least one heating element, the duty cycle of at least one heating element, and the drive frequency for driving at least one heating element. Example 25: A method according to any one of Examples 21 to 24, wherein the score of each class associated with at least one amount of operation is deterministically calculated. Example 26: A method according to any one of Examples 21 to 25, wherein the score of each class indicates the probability that at least one amount of operation is classified into each class, and / or determining the score of each class includes determining the probability that at least one amount of operation is classified into each class. Example 27: A method according to Example 26, including attributing at least one amount of operation to a plurality of classes, and calculating the probability and / or score for each class includes evaluating at least one amount of operation based on a plurality of mathematical functions, and each mathematical function maps the probability for one of the plurality of classes to at least one of a predetermined scale and a predetermined range of at least one amount of operation. Example 28: measuring at least one amount of operation with an aerosol generator, deriving at least one amount of operation from measurements of one or more additional amounts of operation associated with the operation of at least one heating element, A method according to any one of Examples 21 to 27, further including one or more of averaging at least one amount of operation over a predetermined period. Example 29: receiving a plurality of amounts of operation, each amount of operation being associated with the operation of at least one heating element, associating each one of the plurality of amounts of operation with a plurality of classes, each class corresponding to a predetermined characteristic of at least one amount of operation, calculating a score for each class, Applying one or more sets of predetermined rules to a plurality of determined classes and corresponding scores and / or probabilities for a plurality of amounts of operation, thereby generating partial state indicators, each rule indicating an interrelationship between at least one class of one of the plurality of amounts of operation and at least one class of at least one further amount of operation of the plurality of amounts of operation, further comprising applying, the method according to any one of Examples 21 to 28. Example 30: The method according to Example 29, further comprising combining partial state indicators determined by applying different rules of a set of predetermined rules. Example 31: The method according to any one of Examples 29 and 30, further comprising weighting one or more partial state indicators having rule-specific weighting amounts, weighting coefficients, and / or weights using a heating control circuit. Example 32: A computer program for instructing an aerosol generator or system to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 21 to 31 when executed by the aerosol generator or aerosol generation system. 33: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the computer program according to Example 32.

[0071] Here, the examples will be further described with reference to the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0072]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

[0073] Figure 1 shows an aerosol generating system 500 having an aerosol generating device 100.

[0074] The system 500 of Figure 1 further includes an aerosol generating article 200 having an aerosol generating substrate 210. The aerosol can be generated by the aerosol generating device 100 based on heating at least a part of the substrate 210 or the article 200.

[0075] The exemplary aerosol generating article 200 shown in Figure 1 is rod-shaped and can be configured in a shape and size such that it is at least partially inserted into the aerosol generating device 100 through an opening of the aerosol generating device 100. Other exemplary aerosol generating articles 200 can include a cartridge containing a liquid that can be evaporated during aerosol consumption by a user. The cartridge can be configured in a shape and size such that it is at least partially inserted into the aerosol generating device 100. Alternatively, the cartridge can be fixedly attached to the aerosol generating device and replenished by inserting the liquid into the cartridge.

[0076] To heat the aerosol generating article 200 or the substrate 210, the aerosol generating device 100 includes a heating control circuit 110 and one or more heating elements 120. The heating control circuit 112 is operably coupled to the heating element 120 to control its operation such that, for example, the heating element 120 can be heated to a predetermined temperature for generating an aerosol.

[0077] The heating control circuit 110 includes one or more processors 112 and optionally a memory 114 or data storage 114. For example, software instructions may be stored in the memory 114, and when executed by the one or more processors 112, they instruct the apparatus 100 to perform one or more functions as described above and below in this specification. Alternatively, or additionally, the heating control circuit 110 may include, or be, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0078] The heating control circuit 114 further includes a power source 116 that provides power to operate the apparatus 100 and / or to heat at least one heating element 120. The power source 116 may include, for example, one or more batteries, accumulators, and / or capacitors for supplying power to the heating element 210 in the form of, for example, DC or AC current. Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol generating apparatus 100 or the power source 116 may be powered via a supply grid or other power source.

[0079] For example, the aerosol generating system 500 may include a receiving device (not shown) to which the aerosol generating apparatus 100 can be connected to recharge the power source 116.

[0080] The aerosol generating apparatus 100 and / or the heating control circuit 110 may be configured for one or more of resistive heating, inductive heating, and microwave heating. Accordingly, various forms and designs of the heating element 120 and the heating control circuit 110 are contemplated herein.

[0081] For example, the aerosol generating device 100 may be configured to heat the aerosol generating article 200 or the substrate 210 based on resistive heating, and the heating element 120 may include one or more resistive blades that can be at least partially inserted into the substrate 210. As another method, the heating element 120 may include one or more heating coils that can be resistively heated by providing power through the heating control circuit 110 and / or the power supply 116. Such coils may be connected to the aerosol generating article 200, or may be a part thereof, for example, may be incorporated. Therefore, at least a part of the heating element 120 and / or the heating control circuit 110 may be incorporated into the aerosol generating article 200. This may apply, for example, to the case of a cartridge-shaped aerosol generating article 200.

[0082] When the aerosol generating device 100 is configured to heat the aerosol generating article 200 or the substrate 210 based on inductive heating, the susceptor or susceptor material may be arranged in the aerosol generating article 200 or the substrate 210, for example, in the form of a flat metal strip of a ferromagnetic material at least partially surrounded by the aerosol generating substrate, or in the form of particles or flakes arranged within the substrate 210. In such a configuration, the heating element 210 may include one or more induction coils that induce eddy currents in the susceptor to heat the aerosol generating substrate 210 based on an alternating magnetic field.

[0083] For microwave heating, the heating element 120 may include one or more resonators or microwave generators for heating the aerosol generating article 200 or the substrate 210.

[0084] Depending on the type of heating used, one or more operating quantities may be involved in or indicate the operation of the heating element 120. For example, one or more operating quantities may indicate the heating temperature or heating state of the heating element 120 and / or the substrate 210.

[0085] To actually control the operation of the heating element 210 and, for example, to adjust the temperature of the heating element 120 or to prevent the heating element 120 or the base body 210 from overheating, the heating control circuit 110 is configured to receive and / or process one or more operation amounts.

[0086] Exemplary operation amounts may include, but are not limited to, the conductance or resistance of other components of the heating control circuit 110 such as the heating element 210 or the power supply 116. As another method, or additionally, for example, the derivative of the conductance or resistance with respect to time or another operation amount can be used as the operation amount. As another method, or additionally, the conductance or resistance distance, for example, the relative distance of the conductance or resistance between two reference points on a curve to the heating state or temperature curve can be used. As another method, or additionally, the pulse shape or resistance of the conductance can be used as the operation amount, for example, over time or as a function of another operation amount. As another method, or additionally, for example, the gradient or resistance of the conductance with respect to time or another operation amount can be used as the operation amount. As another method, or additionally, power, current, the voltage supplied to at least one heating element, the derivative from one or more of these, and / or the duty cycle can be used as the operation amount.

[0087] One or more of the operation amounts can be measured or determined by the heating control circuit based on, for example, determining and / or monitoring the power supplied to the heating element 120 via the power supply 116. As another method, or additionally, the aerosol generator 100 may include one or more sensors for determining one or more operation amounts. As another method, or additionally, one or more operation amounts may be determined based on, derived from, or calculated based on one or more other operation amounts.

[0088] One or more operation amounts used for heating control or operation of the heating element 120 may be averaged or sampled over a predetermined period. Thereby, short-term variations in the determined amount can be smoothed. Optionally, one or more previously sampled operation amounts can be used or considered for the heating control of the current heating cycle.

[0089] Furthermore, to control the operation of the heating element 210 and, for example, to adjust the temperature of the heating element 120 or to prevent the heating element 120 or the substrate 210 from overheating, the heating control circuit 110 is configured to associate each of the one or more operation amounts with a plurality of classes, and each class corresponds to or indicates a predetermined characteristic of the respective operation amount.

[0090] Furthermore, the heating control circuit 110 is configured to calculate a score for each class associated with each operation amount and to determine a state indicator indicating the heating state of at least one heating element 120 based on the plurality of classes and the calculated scores of the classes of the one or more operation amounts considered.

[0091] Among them, the state indicator and / or the heating state of the heating element 120 may be correlated with or indicate the temperature, temperature region, and / or temperature range of the heating element 210.

[0092] Therefore, based on attributing or associating at least one operation amount to a plurality of classes and determining the scores of each class, the heating state can be estimated or approximated, thereby making it possible to estimate or approximate the temperature, temperature region, and / or temperature range of the heating element 210. Preferably, one or more of the scores of the at least one operation amount considered may not be zero.

[0093] Based on the determined state indicator, the heating control circuit 110 may control the heating temperature of at least one heating element 120. For example, the heating temperature of at least one heating element 120 may be controlled based on comparing the determined state indicator with a predetermined threshold of the state indicator that can be stored in the memory 114. As another method, or additionally, the heating temperature of at least one heating element 210 may be controlled based on controlling the supply of energy to at least one heating element 120, controlling the power supply 116, the duty cycle of at least one heating element 120, and controlling one or more of the drive frequencies for driving one or more components of the heating control circuit 110 such as at least one heating element 120 or the power supply 116.

[0094] In one embodiment, the score for each class associated with at least one amount of operation may indicate the probability that at least one amount of operation is classified into the respective class. Thus, the state indicator or the heating state may be estimated or approximated based on determining a plurality of classes for each amount of operation considered and determining the confidence level, degree, or probability for each class that indicates the degree to which the amount of operation (or its corresponding current value) is within the class.

[0095] In a basic embodiment, the voltage supplied to the heating element 120 may be regarded as an amount of operation. The voltage may be classified, for example, as "high voltage", "low voltage", and "medium voltage", and the corresponding scores or values of 0.2, 0.2, and 0.6 may be determined for the classes based on the supplied current voltage. This may be interpreted as 20% of the supplied voltage being a member of the "high voltage and low voltage" classes and 60% being a member of the "medium voltage" class. Then, this may indicate that the state indicator based on these classes and scores indicates an appropriate heating state for generating an aerosol without overheating the heating element 120 in particular. It is emphasized that the foregoing classification is merely illustrative. Other classifications may include, for example, the class "negative voltage and positive voltage", or any other classification having a plurality of classes representing predetermined characteristics of the respective amount of operation.

[0096] In an exemplary embodiment, the heating control circuit 110 may be configured to associate one or more operation amounts with a plurality of classes and calculate the probability or score of each class based on a plurality of mathematical functions, where each mathematical function maps the probability or score for one of the plurality of classes to at least one of a predetermined scale and a predetermined range of at least one operation amount.

[0097] FIGS. 2-6 each show a manner of determining a state indicator (or partial state indicator) using the aerosol generator 100. In particular, each of FIGS. 2-6 shows a classification of exemplary operation amounts called operation amounts 1-5 in FIGS. 2-6 based on a plurality of mathematical functions that map the probability or score of each class to a predetermined scale and / or a predetermined range of at least one operation amount. The classes are illustratively shown as classes 1.1-class 5.2 in FIGS. 2-6, where the first integer indicates each operation amount and the second integer enumerates the classes associated with each operation amount.

[0098] In FIGS. 2-6, the score is shown in any unit for operation amounts (operation amounts 1-5) in any unit over the range considered. The range considered for each operation amount may be defined by the maximum and minimum values of the operation amount on each scale. Depending on the operation amount, for example, the scale on which the operation amount is considered may be a linear scale, a logarithmic scale, or any other suitable scale.

[0099] As described above, the score of each class may indicate the probability that the operation amount has a value corresponding to or associated with one or more of the classes. Such probabilities may be values from zero to 1, 0% to 100%, or another suitable range of values.

[0100] The sum of the scores of all classes for a single operation amount, for example, the scores of classes 1.1 and 1.2 for operation amount 1, may be equal to a predetermined maximum value. In the case of scores related to probability, the sum of the scores for a single operation amount may be equal to, for example, 1 or 100%.

[0101] In the embodiments of FIGS. 2 to 6, for each class of each operation amount, a mathematical function indicated by reference numerals 130 to 138 is shown. For reasons of simplification, the classes shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 are referred to as "classes 1.1 to 5.2". However, depending on the operation amount considered, the classes can correspond to specific characteristics of the operation amount, as described above for the examples of voltage and classes "high voltage, low voltage, and medium voltage".

[0102] Furthermore, depending on the operation amount, two or more classes can be used for, or associated with, each operation amount. In the embodiments of FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, two classes (classes 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 5.1, 5.2) are associated with operation amounts (operation amounts 1, 2, 5), while in the embodiment of FIG. 4 regarding operation amount 3, there are three classes (classes 3.1, 3.2, 3.3), and in the embodiment of FIG. 5 regarding operation amount 4, there are five classes (classes 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5). However, other numbers of classes are also possible.

[0103] As shown by reference numeral 140 in FIGS. 2 to 6, at least two of the mathematical functions 130 to 138 associated with at least two different classes preferably overlap in a specific range or region.

[0104] Furthermore, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 to 6, for each value of the operation amount, at least one score of at least one class is not zero. In the overlapping region 140, a plurality of non-zero scores can be determined for a plurality of classes.

[0105] Using mathematical functions of various shapes and forms, the corresponding amount of operation can be described based on classifying it into respective classes and determining a score for each class. For example, each mathematical function may have one or more constant sections 141, at least one triangular section 142, at least one trapezoidal section 143, at least one straight section 144, and at least one curved section 145. Also, other shapes or sections such as one bell curve section and sigmoid section are possible.

[0106] As described above, based on the class and score of each class of one or more amounts of operation, the heating control circuit 110 can calculate a state indicator (or one or more partial state indicators) indicating the heating state of the heating element 120. For example, the state indicator or partial state indicator may be a numerical value. To control the heating element 120, the determined state indicator may be compared with a threshold value. For example, if the state indicator reaches or exceeds the threshold value, overheating may be detected by the heating control circuit 110, the heating element 120 may be turned off, and / or a warning signal may be generated by the heating control circuit 110.

[0107] However, instead of the state indicator or partial state indicator being a numerical value, the state indicator and / or partial state indicator may also be determined based on associating the heating state with classes related to different temperature regions or states of the heating element 120, such as "very cold, cold, warm, high temperature, very high temperature", etc., in a plurality of classes. Thus, the state indicator and / or partial state indicator may be given as, may include, and / or may indicate a score or probability corresponding to a class that can estimate or approximate the actual temperature region of the heating element 120 similar to the aforementioned classification of one or more amounts of operation in a plurality of classes.

[0108] The heating control circuit 110 may be further configured to determine values of one or more operation amounts, temperatures, temperature ranges, and / or temperature regions of the heating element 120 based on the determined state indicator and / or based on a plurality of partial state indicators.

[0109] For example, the actual temperature, temperature region, and / or temperature range of at least one heating element 120 can be determined by defining a plurality of classes for the partial state indicator and / or the state indicator, and each class is associated with an actual temperature, temperature region, and / or temperature range. For example, the classes "very cold, cold, warm, hot, very hot" can be defined for the partial state indicator and / or the state indicator by associating a range of temperatures in degrees (or another scale) with each of these classes. Thus, the actual temperature of the heating element 120 can be determined based on the state indicator.

[0110] FIG. 7 shows another exemplary manner of determining a state indicator and / or a partial state indicator using the aerosol generating device 100. In particular, FIG. 7 shows the application of a series of predetermined rules 1, 2,... X to a plurality of determined classes for a plurality of operation amounts. Each row of the table shown in FIG. 7 corresponds to one rule.

[0111] In the example of FIG. 7, the operation amount 1 of FIG. 2 having its classes 1.1 and 1.2, the operation amount 2 of FIG. 3 having its classes 2.1 and 2.2, and the operation amount 3 having its classes 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3 are considered for illustrative purposes (columns 2-4 of the table in FIG. 7). However, it should be noted that additional, other, or fewer operation amounts can be considered or can be considered.

[0112] Furthermore, the table in FIG. 7 includes, for each of the operation amounts 1 to 3, the corresponding class names (Class 1.1 to Class 3.3), and the corresponding scores or probabilities shown within the parentheses in columns 2 to 4 of FIG. 7, and the scores or probabilities are determined as described above based on determining the respective operation amounts.

[0113] Depending on the rules, different classes and corresponding scores or probabilities may be considered or taken into account. For example, Rule 1 may take into account the score (Score a1) of Class 1.2 for operation amount 1, the score (Score a2) of Class 2.1 for operation amount 2, and the score (Score a3) of Class 3.3 for operation amount 3, and for Rule x, the score (Score x1) of Class 1.2 for operation amount 1, the score (Score x2) of Class 2.1 for operation amount 2, and the score (Score x3) of Class 3.2 for operation amount 3 may be considered. Among them, each rule reflects the interrelationship between multiple classes of operation amounts to be considered. The selection of classes can be predefined for each rule, or it can be predefined which one or more criteria, such as which classes and scores to consider for which rule.

[0114] However, it should be noted that different measurement criteria or schemes can also be applied to select which classes and scores to consider for which rule. For example, the class with the highest score, the lowest score, or a medium score may be selected for each operation amount, or the corresponding rule may be applied to determine a partial state indicator for that rule. Also, for example, other indicators such as one or more mathematical functions can be applied to select the classes and scores to be considered for each rule.

[0115] By applying rules to multiple classes and / or scores of multiple operation amounts, it may be possible to combine or merge information from the multiple operation amounts into a partial state indicator and / or a state indicator with a low computational load. Subsequently, the heating state of the aerosol generator 100 and / or the heating element 120 can be accurately monitored and controlled based on the partial state indicator and / or the state indicator.

[0116] Therefore, each of the state indicator or the partial state indicator can provide, for example, an overview or indication regarding the overall heating state of the heating element 120, including information about multiple operation amounts. Therefore, the heating state can be accurately reflected by the state indicator and / or the partial state indicator, which enables accurate and rapid control of the heating element 120.

[0117] In a non-limiting and merely illustrative example, the aerosol generator 100 and / or the heating control circuit 110 may include a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller for controlling the temperature of the heating element 120. By determining the state indicator and / or the partial state indicator, the heating control circuit 110 can monitor the heating state and control or guide the PID controller, for example, towards an appropriate temperature or heating state of the heating element 120. Also, for example, important states such as overheating can be reliably and rapidly detected, enabling appropriate countermeasures or actions to be taken based on the control of the PID controller and / or the heating element 120.

[0118] Continuing to refer to FIG. 7, the selected or determined classes, and the corresponding scores or probabilities for each class (shown within the square brackets in FIG. 7) can be evaluated based on a set of predetermined rules 1,..., X. As described above, each row in the table of FIG. 7 corresponds to the application of a single rule, which results in corresponding partial state indicators called Results 1 to Results X in FIG. 7. Further, each rule may indicate or reflect the interrelationship between the classes of operation amounts considered for each rule.

[0119] For example, the rules can be implemented as AND conditions, OR conditions, combinations thereof, or another condition. In the example shown in FIG. 7, using an AND operation can mean that each score a1 of class 1.2 with an operation amount of 1 (column 2), each score a2 of class 2.1 with an operation amount of 2 (column 3), and each score a3 of class 3.3 with an operation amount of 3 are considered or combined to provide the partial state indicator "result 1".

[0120] Based on the partial state indicator and / or the state indicator, the actual temperature, temperature region, and / or temperature range of the heating element 120 may be determined. For example, each partial state indicator and / or state indicator may be associated with a plurality of classes, and each class is associated with or represents an actual temperature, temperature region, and / or temperature range. For example, the classes "very cold, cold, warm, high temperature, very high temperature" can be defined by associating a range of temperatures with each of these classes in degrees or another scale.

[0121] Furthermore, each partial state indicator determined based on applying one of the rules (result 1,..., result X), and / or the state indicator determined based thereon, may indicate one or more of a plurality of classes associated with the actual temperature, temperature region, and / or temperature range of the heating element 120, and the corresponding one or more scores for the classes.

[0122] In one example, the partial state indicator "Result 1" may represent the class "Warm" with a score of 0.5, which means that the first partial state indicator is 50% warm. Further, the application of a second rule leading to the partial state indicator "Result 2" may represent the class "Cold" with a score of 0.2, which means that the heating element 120 is in a cold state up to about 20%. Further, the partial state indicator "Result X" can represent the class "High Temperature" with a 15% probability. Based on these partial state indicators, the heating control circuit 110 may determine the state indicator as, for example, the class "Warm" with a score of 45%.

[0123] It should be noted that each partial state indicator and / or state indicator may also include a plurality of classes and corresponding scores for each of the classes. Alternatively or additionally, each of the partial state indicators and / or state indicators may be converted to the actual temperature of the heating element 120 based on one or more classes and corresponding one or more scores.

[0124] Optionally, the state indicator can be calculated by combining partial state indicators calculated based on the application of a predefined set of rules. For example, different partial state indicators may be used in a sum, averaged, multiplied, or other way to calculate the state indicator.

[0125] To reflect different levels of relevance for each rule, the partial state indicators can be weighted with rule-specific weighting amounts, weights, or weighting factors.

[0126] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart showing a method of operating the aerosol generator 100 or the system 500, for example, according to one or more of FIGS. 1-7.

[0127] In step S1, the heating control circuit 110 of the aerosol generator 100 receives and / or processes at least one operation amount associated with the operation of at least one heating element 120 of the aerosol generator 100 configured to generate an aerosol by heating at least a part of the aerosol generation substrate 210.

[0128] In step S2, the heating control circuit 110 associates or attributes at least one operation amount to a plurality of classes, and each class corresponds to a predetermined characteristic of at least one operation amount.

[0129] In step S3, the heating control circuit 110 calculates or computes a score for each class, for example, the probability described above. Therefore, determining the score for each class may include determining the probability that at least one operation amount is classified into each class.

[0130] One or more of steps S2 and S3 may optionally include evaluating at least one operation amount based on a plurality of mathematical functions, and each mathematical function maps, for example, as described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6, a probability or score of one of the plurality of classes to at least one of a predetermined scale and a predetermined range of at least one operation amount.

[0131] In step S4, the heating control circuit 110 determines a state indicator indicating the heating state of at least one heating element 120 based on the plurality of classes and the calculated scores for the classes. Optionally, a set of predetermined rules can be applied in step S4 to the determined plurality of classes and corresponding scores to determine a partial state indicator, and the state indicator can be determined based on the partial state indicator, for example, as described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0132] In any step S5, the heating control circuit 110 may control the heating temperature of at least one heating element based on the determined state indicator. This may include comparing the determined state indicator with a predetermined threshold value of the state indicator. As another method, or additionally, step S5 may include controlling one or more of the supply of energy to at least one heating element 120, controlling the power supply 116, controlling the duty cycle of at least one heating element 120, and controlling the drive frequency for driving at least one heating element. 120. Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the above description, such illustration and description are exemplary or representative and not restrictive, and the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other modifications to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art from the study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, and can be practiced within the scope of the claims.

[0133] In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not imply that a combination of these measures cannot be used advantageously. No reference signs in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device comprising at least one heating element configured to heat at least a part of an aerosol generating substrate that can be used in an aerosol generating device to generate an aerosol, or connectable thereto, wherein the aerosol generating device, receives at least one operation amount associated with the operation of the at least one heating element, associates the at least one operation amount with a plurality of classes, each class corresponding to a predetermined characteristic of the at least one operation amount, calculates a score for each class, and comprises a heating control circuit configured to determine a state indicator indicating the heating state of the at least one heating element based on the plurality of classes and the calculated scores for the classes.

2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the heating control circuit is further configured to perform one or more of: controlling the heating temperature of the at least one heating element based on the determined state indicator; activating the at least one heating element to start or increase aerosol generation based on the determined state indicator; and stopping the at least one heating element to stop or reduce aerosol generation based on the determined state indicator.

3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating control circuit is configured to perform one or more of controlling, activating, and stopping the at least one heating element based on controlling one or more of the supply of energy to the at least one heating element, the duty cycle of the at least one heating element, and the drive frequency for driving the at least one heating element.

4. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one heating element is based on at least one of induction heating, resistance heating, and microwave heating.

5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the score for each class associated with the at least one operation amount indicates the probability that the at least one operation amount is classified into the respective class.

6. The heating control circuit is configured to associate the at least one operation amount with the plurality of classes and calculate the probability of each class based on a plurality of mathematical functions, and each mathematical function maps the probability for one of the plurality of classes to at least one of a predetermined scale and a predetermined range of the at least one operation amount. The aerosol generator according to claim 5.

7. At least a part of the mathematical functions for at least a part of the classes associated with the at least one operation amount includes at least one constant section, at least one triangular section, at least one trapezoidal section, at least one straight line section, at least one curved section, at least one bell curve section, and at least one sigmoid section. The aerosol generator according to claim 6.

8. The at least one operation amount is based on a measured value of the at least one operation amount. The aerosol generator according to claim 1.

9. The at least one operation amount is derived from measurement of one or more further operation amounts associated with the operation of the at least one heating element. The aerosol generator according to claim 1.

10. The at least one operation amount indicates the electrical behavior of the at least one heating element during operation of the at least one heating element. The aerosol generator according to claim 1.

11. The at least one operation amount indicates one or more of conductance, conductance derivative, conductance distance, pulse shape of the conductance, gradient of the conductance, resistance, resistance derivative, resistance distance, power supplied to the at least one heating element, power derivative, duty cycle, current supplied to the at least one heating element, and voltage supplied to the at least one heating element. The aerosol generator according to claim 1.

12. The heating control circuit receives a plurality of operation amounts, each operation amount being associated with the operation of the at least one heating element, associates each one of the plurality of operation amounts with a plurality of classes, each class corresponding to a predetermined characteristic of the at least one operation amount, calculates a score for each class, Determining the status indicator based on applying a set of one or more predetermined rules to the calculated scores for the associated plurality of classes and the plurality of amounts of operation, each rule being configured to indicate an interrelationship between at least one class of one of the plurality of amounts of operation and at least one class of at least one further amount of operation of the plurality of amounts of operation, the aerosol generating device according to claim 1.

13. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the status indicator is given as a temperature range.

14. An aerosol generating device according to claim 1, and An aerosol generating article including an aerosol generating substrate, an aerosol generating system comprising the same.

15. A method of operating an aerosol generating device, the method comprising Receiving, using the heating control circuit of the aerosol generating device, at least one amount of operation associated with the operation of at least one heating element of the aerosol generating device configured to generate an aerosol by heating at least a part of the aerosol generating substrate; Attributing, using the heating control circuit, the at least one amount of operation to a plurality of classes, each class corresponding to a predetermined characteristic of the at least one amount of operation; Calculating, using the heating control circuit, a score for each class; Determining, using the heating control circuit, a status indicator indicating a heating state of the at least one heating element based on the plurality of classes and the calculated scores for the classes, the method comprising.

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