Aerosol generating material characteristic determination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12274302-B2
Application number	US-201917271514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2019
Priority date	Aug 31, 2018
Publication date	Apr 15, 2025
Grant date	Apr 15, 2025

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for determining a characteristic of an aerosol generating material of an aerosol generating device are disclosed. The aerosol generating device comprises a heater for heating of the aerosol generating material in use. The apparatus is arranged to monitor a first property of the heating of the aerosol generating material, thereby to determine a heating profile of the aerosol generating material; analyse the heating profile to identify a feature of the heating profile corresponding to a heating of one or more constituents of the aerosol generating material; and determine, based on the identified one or more features, the characteristic of the aerosol generating material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for determining a characteristic of an aerosol generating material of an aerosol generating device, the aerosol generating device comprising:
a heater for heating of the aerosol generating material in use, the apparatus being arranged to:
monitor a first property of the heating of the aerosol generating material, thereby to determine a heating profile of the aerosol generating material;
analyse the heating profile to identify a feature of the heating profile corresponding to a heating of one or more constituents of the aerosol generating material; and
determine, based on the identified one or more features, the characteristic of the aerosol generating material, wherein the characteristic comprises a temperature of the aerosol generating material or an end point of vaporization of one or more of the constituents of the aerosol generating material.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is arranged to analyse the heating profile to identify a feature of the heating profile corresponding to a vaporisation of one or more constituents of the aerosol generating material.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first property is relatable to a temperature of the aerosol generating material.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claim 1 , wherein the heater is an induction heater for inductive heating of the aerosol generating material in use, and the apparatus is arranged to monitor a first property of the inductive heating of the aerosol generating material, thereby to determine the heating profile of the aerosol generating material.

5. The apparatus according to 4 , wherein the first property comprises a property of the induction heater.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the first property comprises a temperature of a susceptor of the induction heater.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the first property comprises an electrical property of the induction heater.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the electrical property comprises a property indicative of a current supplied to an inductor of the induction heater.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the first property comprises a frequency characteristic of a resonance drive circuit of the induction heater.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the frequency characteristic comprises a resonant frequency of the resonance drive circuit.

11. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the inductive heating has a substantially constant inductive heating power.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is arranged to:
determine a rate of change of the first property; and
identify the one or more features of the heating profile on the basis of the determined rate of change of the first property.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more features comprise a portion of the heating profile in which the first property remains substantially constant.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more features comprise a second portion of the heating profile in which the first property changes immediately following a or the first portion of the heating profile in which the first property remains substantially constant.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is arranged to:
control the heater based on the one or more determined characteristics.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the apparatus is arranged to:
determine, based on the determined characteristic, that an end point of vaporisation of one or more constituents of the aerosol generating material has been reached; and
responsive to the determination that an end point of vaporisation of one or more constituents of the aerosol generating material has been reached, control the heater.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the apparatus is arranged to:
control the heater to further heat the aerosol generating material a predefined amount.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the apparatus is arranged to:
control the supply of a predetermined amount of energy to the aerosol generating material.

19. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is arranged to:
present information to a user based on the determined characteristic.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the apparatus is arranged to:
present information to a user relating to one or more constituents of the aerosol generating material based on the determined characteristic.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the apparatus is arranged to:
present information to a user relating to an environment in which the device is being operated based on the determined characteristic.

22. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein one of the one or more constituents of the aerosol generating material is a liquid.

23. An aerosol generating device comprising:
the apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
a heater.

24. The aerosol generating device according to claim 23 , wherein the heater is an induction heater, and the induction heater comprises:
an inductor; and
a susceptor arranged for inductive energy transfer with the inductor, the susceptor being arranged for heating of the aerosol generating material received in the aerosol generating device in use.

25. The aerosol generating device according to claim 23 , wherein the aerosol generating device comprises:
an aerosol generating material.

26. The aerosol generating device according to claim 25 , wherein a mass of the heater is lower than a mass of the aerosol generating material.

27. A method for determining a characteristic of an aerosol generating material of an aerosol generating device, the aerosol generating device comprising a heater for heating of the aerosol generating material in use, the method comprising:
monitoring a first property of the heating of the aerosol generating material, thereby to determine a heating profile of the aerosol generating material;
analysing the heating profile to identify a feature of the heating profile corresponding to a heating of one or more constituents of the aerosol generating material; and
determining, based on the identified one or more features, the characteristic of the aerosol generating material, wherein the characteristic comprises one of a temperature of the aerosol generating material or an end point of vaporization of one or more of the constituents of the aerosol generating material.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the method is executed on a processor causes the processor to perform the method according to claim 27 .

Assignees

• Nicoventures Trading Ltd

Inventors

• Korus Anton
• Chan Justin
• Moloney Patrick

Classifications

• A24F40/10

  Devices using liquid inhalable precursors · CPC title

• A24F40/53

  Monitoring, e.g. fault detection · CPC title

• H05B6/06

  Control, e.g. of temperature, of power · CPC title

• H05B6/02

  Induction heating · CPC title

• A24F40/60

  Devices with integrated user interfaces · CPC title