Aerosol-generating system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189632-B2
Application number	US-201715700309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2017
Priority date	Sep 12, 2016
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

A handheld aerosol-generating device may include an emitter configured to emit light, a sensor configured to receive light, and an aerosol chamber configured to hold an aerosol. The emitter may emit light into the aerosol chamber. The sensor may receive light from the aerosol chamber and measure at least one wavelength of the spectrum of the received light. Direct measurement of parameters, and/or the presence, of the aerosol in the aerosol chamber may be enabled, where the direct measurement of parameters of the aerosol in the aerosol chamber may enable optimal operation of an aerosol-generating system that may be the handheld aerosol-generating device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A handheld aerosol-generating device, comprising:
an aerosol chamber configured to hold an aerosol, the aerosol chamber having a cylindrical configuration with a circular cross-section;
at least two emitters configured to emit light into the aerosol chamber and arranged in a first semicircular matrix on a first semicircular portion of the circular cross-section; and
at least two sensors configured to receive light from the aerosol chamber and measure at least one wavelength of a spectrum of the received light, the at least two sensors being arranged in a second semicircular matrix on a second semicircular portion of the circular cross-section,
wherein each of the at least two emitters is disposed opposite one of the at least two sensors.

2. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two emitters is configured to emit light having wavelengths between 200 nanometers and 30 micrometers, and wherein each of the at least two sensors is configured to receive light having wavelengths between 200 nanometers and 30 micrometers.

3. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least two emitters include a first emitter configured to emit light having a first wavelength and a second emitter configured to emit light having a second wavelength, the first wavelength different from the second wavelength.

4. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 3 , wherein the first emitter is configured to emit light having a wavelength of about 3.0 micrometers.

5. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 3 , wherein the second emitter is configured to emit light having a wavelength of about 6.3 micrometers.

6. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 3 , wherein the at least two sensors includes a first sensor that is configured to receive light having the first wavelength and a second sensor configured to receive light having the second wavelength.

7. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the at least two emitters and the at least two sensors is configured to be isolated from the aerosol in the aerosol chamber.

8. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the aerosol chamber includes an at least partially transparent housing.

9. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the at least two emitters and the at least two sensors is one of a microelectromechanical system, an opto-semiconductor, a compound semiconductor, and a hybrid electronic device.

10. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein
the at least two emitters include more than two emitters; and
the at least two sensors include more than two sensors.

11. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein
the first semicircular matrix includes rows of emitters,
the second semicircular matrix includes rows of sensors,
each row of the first semicircular matrix of emitters includes the at least two emitters, and different rows of emitters of the first semicircular matrix of emitters are configured to emit light having different wavelengths, and
each row of the second semicircular matrix of sensors includes the at least two sensors configured to receive light of a wavelength corresponding to the wavelength emitted by a corresponding row of emitters of the first semicircular matrix of emitters.

12. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two emitters is configured to emit light having a wavelength between 2.8 micrometers and 3.2 micrometers.

13. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two emitters is configured to emit light having a wavelength between 6.0 micrometers and 6.6 micrometers.

14. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein
each of the at least two emitters is a multiple narrow-band emitter, and/or
each of the at least two sensors is a multiple narrow-band sensor.

15. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two sensors is configured to detect at least one of CO 2 , Water, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde, nicotine and carboxylic acid.

16. The handheld aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the at least two sensors are configured to measure the at least one wavelength of the spectrum of the received light to detect an amount of a light-absorbing element in the aerosol in the aerosol chamber.

17. A method for manufacturing a handheld aerosol-generating device, the method comprising:
providing a housing, the housing enclosing a power supply and electric circuitry configured to control the power supply;
providing at least two emitters, each of the at least two emitters being configured to emit light, each of the at least two emitters being connected to the electric circuitry;
providing at least two sensors, each of the at least two sensors configured to receive light, each of the at least two sensors connected to the electric circuitry; and
providing an aerosol chamber, the aerosol chamber defining an interior space configured to hold an aerosol and the aerosol chamber having a cylindrical configuration with a circular cross-section,
wherein each of the at least two emitters is further configured to emit light into the aerosol chamber, and wherein each of the at least two sensors is further configured to receive light from the aerosol chamber and measure at least one wavelength of a spectrum of the received light,
the at least two emitters are arranged in a first semicircular matrix on a first semicircular portion of the circular cross-section, and
the at least two sensors are arranged in a second semicircular matrix on a second semicircular portion of the circular cross-section, each of the at least two sensors being disposed opposite one of the at least two emitters.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein each of the at least two emitters is configured to emit light having wavelengths between 200 nanometers and 30 micrometers, and wherein each of the at least two sensors is configured to receive light having wavelengths between 200 nanometers and 30 micrometers.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the at least two emitters include a first emitter configured to emit light having a first wavelength and a second emitter configured to emit light having a second wavelength, the first wavelength different from the second wavelength.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein one or both of the at least two emitters and the at least two sensors is configured to be isolated from the aerosol in the aerosol chamber.

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• BESSANT Michel

Classifications

• G01N21/31

  Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry {(G01N21/72 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H05B1/0247

  For chemical processes · CPC title

• B65D83/685 Primary

  with at least one of the contents stored in a chamber associated with the dispensing head, e.g. for mixing during dispensing · CPC title

• A61M15/00

  Inhalators {(drug delivery in endotracheal tubes A61M16/04)} · CPC title

• B65D83/384

  the container body being an aerosol container located in an outer shell or in an external container · CPC title