# US 2021/0274854 A1 · A method of manufacturing an aerosol provision apparatus and an aerosol provision apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0274854 A1 - Document ID: US20210274854A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/334,579 - Filed: 2017-09-15 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-20 - Assignees: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited - Applicants: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited - Inventors: Mitchel THORSEN - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210274854A1 ## CPC - A24F 40/46: Shape or structure of electric heating means - A24F 40/51: Arrangement of sensors - A24F 40/70: Manufacture - F16L 59/065: using vacuum (F16L59/075 takes precedence) - G05D 23/193: {sensing the temperaure in different places in thermal relationship with one or more spaces} - H05B 3/0014: {Devices wherein the heating current flows through particular resistances} - A24F 40/20: Devices using solid inhalable precursors - H05B 2203/005: using multiple resistive elements or resistive zones isolated from each other - H05B 2203/037: Heaters with zones of different power density - A24F: SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES (inhaling appliances for medical purposes, shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes A61M15/06) - F16L: PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A method of manufacturing an aerosol provision apparatus for heating smokable material to volatilise at least one component of the smokable material, and said aerosol provision apparatus is described. The method comprises providing a heater arrangement (23) for heating smokable material contained in use within the apparatus (1), the heater arrangement comprising at least a first heating zone (220) and a second heating zone (230) for heating different portions of the smokable material, providing a temperature sensor (320, 330) for each of the first and second heating zones, each temperature sensor for providing temperature measurements to be used as input temperature measurements for a temperature control loop, the control loop for controlling the heater arrangement to heat its associated respective heating zone to a target temperature based on the input temperature measurements acquired by the associated temperature sensor, and positioning each temperature sensor in its associated heating zone at a respective position selected so that if the heating arrangement were to heat the first and second heating zones so that the temperature sensors measure the same pre-selected target temperature, a temperature gradient across the length of the heating zones between the temperature sensors would be optimised as being substantially flat. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of manufacturing an aerosol provision apparatus for heating smokable material to volatilize at least one component of the smokable material, the method comprising: providing a heater arrangement for heating smokable material contained in use within the aerosol provision apparatus, the heater arrangement comprising at least a first heating zone and a second heating zone for heating different portions of the smokable material; providing a temperature sensor for each of the first heating zone and the second heating zone, each temperature sensor for providing temperature measurements to be used as input temperature measurements for a respective temperature control loop, each temperature control loop for controlling the heater arrangement to heat the associated respective first heating zone or second heating zone to a target temperature based on the input temperature measurements acquired by the associated temperature sensor; and positioning each temperature sensor in the associated heating zone at a respective position selected so that if the heater arrangement were to heat the first heating zone and the second heating zone so that the temperature sensors measure the same pre-selected target temperature, a temperature gradient across a length of the first heating zone and the second heating zone between the temperature sensors would be optimized as being substantially flat. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the heater arrangement is arranged so that at least one of the first heating zone or the second heating zone comprises at least a first sub-heating zone and a second sub-heating zone and wherein the first sub-heating zone has a higher watt heating density than does the second sub-heating zone. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the heater arrangement is arranged so that each of the first heating zone and the second heating zone comprises at least a first sub-heating zone and a second sub-heating zone and wherein for each of the first heating zone and the second heating zone, the first sub-heating zone has a higher watt heating density than does the second sub-heating zone. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the heater arrangement is arranged so that the first heating zone and the second heating zone are arranged on either side of a center of the heater arrangement and wherein the first sub-heating zone of the first heating zone is located closer towards a first end of the heater arrangement than is the second sub-heating zone of the first heating zone, and the first sub-heating zone of the second heating zone is located closer towards a second end of the heater arrangement than is the second sub-heating zone of the second heating zone, and the second sub-heating zone of the first heating zone and the second sub-heating zone of the second sub-heating zone are located towards the center of the heater arrangement. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the temperature sensor for the first heating zone is positioned in the second sub-heating zone of the first heating zone and the temperature sensor for the second heating zone is positioned in the second sub-heating zone of the second heating zone. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing an insulator for the heater arrangement to prevent heat escaping from the heater arrangement. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the insulator comprises a vacuum tube. ### Claim 8 An aerosol provision apparatus for heating smokable material to volatilize at least one component of the smokable material, the aerosol provision apparatus comprising: a heater arrangement for heating smokable material contained in use within the aerosol provision apparatus, the heater arrangement comprising at least a first heating zone and a second heating zone for heating different portions of the smokable material; and a temperature sensor for each of the first heating zone and the second heating zone, each temperature sensor for providing temperature measurements to be used as input temperature measurements for a respective temperature control loop, each temperature control loop for controlling the heater arrangement to heat the associated respective first heating zone or second heating zone to a target temperature based on the input temperature measurements acquired by the associated temperature sensor; wherein each temperature sensor is positioned in an associated heating zone at a selected position so that, if the heater arrangement were to heat the first heating zone and the second heating zone so that the temperature sensors measure the same pre-selected target temperature, a temperature gradient across length of the first heating zone and the second heating zone between the temperature sensors would be optimized as being substantially flat. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the heater arrangement is arranged so that at least one of the first heating zone or the second heating zone comprises at least a first sub-heating zone and a second sub-heating zone and wherein the first sub-heating zone has a higher watt heating density than does the second sub-heating zone. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the heater arrangement is arranged so that each of the first heating zone and the second heating zone comprises at least a first sub-heating zone and a second sub-heating zone and wherein for each of the first heating zone and the second heating zone, the first sub-heating zone has a higher watt heating density than does the second sub-heating zone. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the heater arrangement is arranged so that the first heating zone and the second heating zone are arranged on either side of a center of the heater arrangement and wherein the first sub-heating zone of the first heating zone is located closer towards a first end of the heater arrangement than is the second sub-heating zone of the first heating zone, the first sub-heating zone of the second heating zone is located closer towards a second end of the heater arrangement than is the second sub-heating zone of the second heating zone and the second sub-heating zone of the first heating zone and the second sub-heating zone of the second sub-heating zone are located towards the center of the heater arrangement. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the temperature sensor for the first heating zone is positioned in the second sub-heating zone of the first heating zone and the temperature sensor for the second heating zone is positioned in the second sub-heating zone of the second heating zone. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising: an insulator for the heating arrangement to prevent heat escaping from the heater arrangement. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the insulator comprises a vacuum tube. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a housing containing the heater arrangement and a mouthpiece through which a user can inhale volatized smokable material. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is hand-holdable. ### Claim 17 A method of manufacturing an aerosol provision apparatus for heating smokable material to volatilize at least one component of the smokable material, the method comprising: providing a heater arrangement for heating smokable material contained in use within the aerosol provision apparatus, the heater arrangement comprising at least a first heating zone and a second heating zone for heating different portions of the smokable material; providing a temperature sensor for each of the first heating zone and the second heating zone, each temperature sensor for providing temperature measurements to be used as input temperature measurements for a temperature control loop, the temperature control loop for controlling the heater arrangement to heat an associated respective heating zone to a target temperature based on the input temperature measurements acquired by the associated temperature sensor; and positioning each temperature sensor in the associated heating zone at a respective position selected so that the temperature sensor for the first heating zone is positioned to measure the temperature at a part of the first heating zone with which that temperature sensor is associated, the part of the first heating zone being halfway between a first end of the heater arrangement and a center of the heater arrangement or is closer to the first end of the heater arrangement than to the center of the heater arrangement, and the temperature sensor for the second heating zone is positioned to measure a temperature at a part of the second heating zone, the part of the second heating zone being halfway between a second end of the heater arrangement and a center of the heater arrangement or is closer to the second end of the heater arrangement than to the center of the heater arrangement. ### Claim 18 An aerosol provision apparatus for heating smokable material to volatilize at least one component of the smokable material, the apparatus comprising: a heater arrangement for heating smokable material contained in use within the aerosol provision apparatus, the heater arrangement comprising at least a first heating zone and a second heating zone for heating different portions of the smokable material; a temperature sensor for each of the first heating zone and the second heating zone, each temperature sensor for providing temperature measurements to be used as input temperature measurements for a temperature control loop, the temperature control loop for controlling the heater arrangement to heat an associated respective heating zone to a target temperature based on the input temperature measurements acquired by the associated temperature sensor, and wherein each temperature sensor is positioned in an associated heating zone at a respective position selected so that the temperature sensor for the first heating zone is positioned to measure the temperature at a part of the first heating zone with which that temperature sensor is associated, the part of the first heating zone being halfway between a first end of the heater arrangement and a center of the heater arrangement or is closer to the first end of the heater arrangement than to the center of the heating arrangement, and the temperature sensor for the second heating zone is positioned to measure a temperature at a part of the second heating zone, the part of the second heating zone being halfway between a second end of the heater arrangement and a center of the heater arrangement or is closer to the second end of the heater arrangement than to the center of the heating arrangement.