Apparatus for an aerosol generating device
AssigneeNicoventures Trading Limited
InventorsPatrick Moloney, Anton Korus, Justin Han Yang Chan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for an aerosol generating device includes a heating circuit including an inductive element for inductively heating a susceptor arrangement to heat an aerosol generating material to thereby generate an aerosol, a temperature determiner for determining a temperature of the susceptor arrangement based on one or more electrical properties of the heating circuit influenced by the temperature of the susceptor arrangement, and a control arrangement. Aerosol generating systems and methods of operating an aerosol generating system are also provided.
Claims20
Apparatus for an aerosol generating device, the apparatus comprising:
- a heating circuit comprising an inductive element for inductively heating a susceptor arrangement to heat an aerosol generating material to thereby generate an aerosol;
- a temperature determiner for determining a temperature of the susceptor arrangement based on one or more electrical properties of the heating circuit influenced by the temperature of the susceptor arrangement;
- and
- a control arrangement configured to cause the heating circuit to operate in:
- an operational mode in which the heating circuit is supplied with a first voltage to inductively heat the susceptor arrangement to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user;
- and
- a temperature determination mode in which the heating circuit is supplied with a continuous second voltage which is different to the first voltage, wherein in the temperature determination mode the heating circuit is configured to impart energy via induction to the heating circuit without significantly heating the susceptor arrangement and the temperature determiner is configured to determine the temperature of the susceptor arrangement based on the one or more electrical properties of the heating circuit
- wherein the temperature determiner is configured to, in the temperature determination mode, determine a temperature of the susceptor arrangement based on a frequency that the heating circuit is being operated at and a DC current drawn by the heating circuit.
A method of operating an aerosol generating system comprising an aerosol generating device and a susceptor arrangement arranged to be heated by the aerosol generating device to heat aerosol generating material to generate a flow of aerosol, wherein the aerosol generating device comprises:
- a heating circuit comprising an inductive element for inductively heating the susceptor arrangement to heat the aerosol generating material to thereby generate an aerosol;
- a temperature determiner for determining a temperature of the susceptor arrangement based on one or more electrical properties of the heating circuit influenced by the temperature of the susceptor arrangement;
- and
- a control arrangement;
- and wherein the method comprises:
- controlling, by the control arrangement, the apparatus to selectively operate in:
- an operational mode in which the heating circuit is supplied with a first voltage to inductively heat the susceptor arrangement to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user;
- and
- a temperature determination mode in which the heating circuit is supplied with a continuous second voltage which is different to the first voltage, wherein in the temperature determination mode the heating circuit is configured to impart energy via induction to the heating circuit without significantly heating the susceptor arrangement and the temperature determiner is configured to determine the temperature of the susceptor arrangement based on the one or more electrical properties of the heating circuit,
- wherein in the temperature determination mode, the temperature determiner is configured to determine a temperature of the susceptor arrangement based on a frequency that the heating circuit is being operated at and a DC current drawn by the heating circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.