Abstract: A mesh element for an atomiser assembly is provided, including: a first layer defining at least one channel including a minimum cross-sectional area; and a second layer overlying the first layer and defining at least one nozzle including a maximum cross-sectional area, the second layer including an inner surface facing the first layer and an outer surface facing away from the first layer, the at least one nozzle overlying the at least one channel, and the maximum cross-sectional area of the at least one nozzle being smaller than the minimum cross-sectional area of the at least one channel, and the outer surface of the second layer defining an annular portion extending around the at least one nozzle, the annular portion having a semi-circular cross-sectional shape, and a thickness of the second layer at each annular portion being larger than a thickness of the second layer between adjacent annular portions.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating article is provided, including: a plurality of elements assembled in the form of a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, the plurality of elements including an aerosol-forming substrate and a plug element disposed upstream of the aerosol-forming substrate, the plug element being cylindrical and formed from a non-inductively-heatable material; a susceptor material arranged in thermal communication with the aerosol-forming substrate; and a layer of inductively-heatable material arranged in contact with the non-inductively-heatable-material. An aerosol-generating system and a method of generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating article are also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including a housing having a chamber configured to receive at least a portion of an aerosol-forming article; a first coil disposed at least partially around, or adjacent to, the chamber; and a second coil disposed at least partially around, or adjacent to, the chamber, with an inductance of the first coil being between 1.1 and 2 times greater than an inductance of the second coil.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating system includes a liquid-storage portion configured to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a control system. The second electrode is spaced from the first electrode. At least a portion of the liquid storage portion is arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode. The control system is configured to measure an electrical quantity between the first electrode and the second electrode, and detect a draw on the aerosol-generating system based on the measured electrical quantity information.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating system is provided, including: an aerosol-generating device, including a housing, a heating chamber defining a heating zone and being sized to receive at least a portion of an aerosol-forming substrate within the heating zone, an induction element disposed around, or adjacent to, the heating zone, a power supply, and a controller connected to the induction element and configured to provide an alternating electric current to the induction element to generate an alternating magnetic field within the heating zone, the induction element being configured to be controlled to sequentially provide a first alternating magnetic field having a first frequency for a first period of time followed by a second alternating magnetic field having a second frequency for a second period of time.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including an electrical power source; an electrical heater; and a power control circuit connected between the power source and the heater, the circuit including a power measuring unit configured to determine a power supplied to the heater from the power source and to output a power measurement voltage proportional to power supplied to the heater, a voltage comparator connected to the power measuring unit and configured to output a voltage difference signal based on a difference between the power measurement voltage and a reference voltage, and a power regulator connected between the power source and the heater and responsive to the voltage difference signal, the power regulator being configured to adjust a current or a voltage supplied to the heater in order to return the voltage difference signal to within a predetermined range or in order to minimize the voltage difference signal.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating system includes a liquid-storage portion configured to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a control system. The second electrode is spaced from the first electrode. At least a portion of the liquid storage portion is arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode. The control system is configured to measure an electrical quantity between the first electrode and the second electrode, and detect a draw on the aerosol-generating system based on the measured electrical quantity information.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including a housing having a chamber sized to receive at least a portion of an aerosol-forming substrate, the chamber defining a heating zone; a first coil disposed at least partially around, or adjacent to, the heating zone; and a second coil disposed at least partially around, or adjacent to, the heating zone, the first coil being a drive coil couplable to a source of alternating current, and the second coil being a resonant coil of a resonant circuit, the second coil being inductively couplable to the first coil.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including a housing having a chamber configured to receive at least a portion of an aerosol-forming article; a first coil disposed at least partially around, or adjacent to, the chamber; and a second coil disposed at least partially around, or adjacent to, the chamber, with an inductance of the first coil being between 1.1 and 2 times greater than an inductance of the second coil.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a housing having a chamber configured to receive at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article; an inductor coil disposed around at least a portion of the chamber; a plurality of elongate susceptor elements projecting into the chamber and spaced apart from each other, the susceptor elements each extending substantially parallel to a magnetic axis of the inductor coil; and a power supply and a controller connected to the inductor coil and configured to provide an alternating electric current to the inductor coil such that the inductor coil generates an alternating magnetic field to heat the susceptor elements and thereby heat at least a portion of the article received in the chamber, the inductor coil being helical and having a non-circular cross-sectional shape. An aerosol-generating system including the device, the article, and the susceptor elements, is also provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrical heating assembly of an aerosol-generating device for resistively heating an aerosol-forming substrate. The heating assembly comprises a control circuit configured to provide an AC driving current. The heating assembly further comprises an electrically resistive heating element for heating the aerosol-forming substrate. The heating element is operatively coupled with the control circuit and configured to heat up due to Joule heating when passing an AC driving element provided by the control circuit current through the heating element. The present invention further relates to an aerosol-generating device for use with an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the aerosol-generating device comprises a heating assembly according to the invention. The invention also provides a method for resistively heating an aerosol-forming substrate by passing an AC driving current through a resistive heating element.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including a housing defining a chamber configured to receive at least a portion of an aerosol-generating article; an inductor coil disposed around at least a portion of the chamber; an elongate susceptor element configured for removable attachment to the housing within the chamber and projecting into the chamber when the element is removably attached to the housing; an aperture positioned on a side of the housing, the aperture and the element being configured for insertion of the element into the chamber through the aperture and configured for removal of the element from the chamber through the aperture; and a power supply and a controller connected to the coil and to provide an alternating electric current to the coil such that the coil generates an alternating magnetic field to heat the element and thereby heat at least a portion of the article received within the chamber.

Abstract: An electronic aerosol-generating device includes a housing extending between first and second ends along a longitudinal axis. The second end of the housing defines a cavity for receiving a consumable containing an aerosol generating substrate. The device further includes a heating component comprising a heating element extending along the longitudinal axis within the cavity and configured to penetrate into the aerosol generating substrate when the consumable is inserted into the cavity. The heating element comprises a material having a Curie temperature of less than 500° C. The device also includes an inductor comprising an inductor coil positioned to transfer magnetic energy to the heating element. The inductor is configured to induce eddy currents and/or hysteresis losses in the heating element. The device further includes a power supply operably connected to the inductor and control electronics operably connected to the power supply and configured to control heating of the heating element.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including one or more DC power sources; a load network including an inductor and a capacitor connected in series; first drive circuitry connected to the DC power source(s) and across the network and being configured to provide a first voltage drop across the network; second drive circuitry connected to the DC power source(s) and across the network and being configured to provide a second voltage drop across the network, the second voltage drop being in an opposite direction to the first voltage drop; and a controller connected to the first and the second drive circuitry and being configured to control the first and the second drive circuitry so that both the first and the second voltage drops are provided across the network periodically and so that the second voltage drop is not provided across the network simultaneously with the first voltage drop.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrical heating assembly of an aerosol-generating device for resistively heating an aerosol-forming substrate. The heating assembly comprises a control circuit configured to provide an AC driving current. The heating assembly further comprises an electrically resistive heating element comprising an electrically conductive ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic material for heating the aerosol-forming substrate. The heating element is operatively coupled with the control circuit and configured to heat up due to Joule heating when passing an AC driving element provided by the control circuit current through the heating element. The present invention further relates to an aerosol-generating device for use with an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the aerosol-generating device comprises a heating assembly according to the invention.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an aerosol-generating device (100) for use with a plurality of aerosol-forming substrates. The device comprises a receiving sleeve (102) which in turn comprises an inner receiving zone (110) within the receiving sleeve for receiving at least a first aerosol-forming substrate, and an outer receiving zone (120) extending across at least a portion of an outer circumferential periphery of the receiving sleeve for receiving at least a second aerosol-forming substrate. The device further comprises an electrical heater for heating at least the first aerosol-forming substrate or the second aerosol-forming substrate when being received in the first or second receiving zone, respectively. The invention further relates to an aerosol-generating article (200), in particular for use with such a device.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device for generation of an inhalable aerosol is provided, the aerosol-generating device including a resistive heater; a battery, configured to generate a battery voltage (Vbat); and a control unit including a DC/DC converter configured to receive as an input the battery voltage (Vbat) from the battery and to output an output voltage (Vheater) to the resistive heater, and a microcontroller configured to control the DC/DC converter to adjust the output voltage based on a predetermined temperature profile for the resistive heater that varies with time. A method of controlling an aerosol-generating device is also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating system is provided, including an aerosol-generating article including at least one component incorporating an aerosol-forming substrate; a luminescent material having a temperature-dependent phosphorescence characteristic; a heater configured to heat the luminescent material and the at least one component; and an aerosol-generating device including a support configured to at least partially receive the aerosol-generating article, a light source configured to illuminate and to excite the luminescent material, a detector configured to detect a temperature-dependent phosphorescence characteristic of the excited luminescent material, and electrical hardware configured to control heating by the heater based on the detected characteristic. A method for controlling the aerosol-generating system is also provided.

Abstract: The aerosol-generating device includes a housing, and a power supply configured to supply electrical power to a heating element by way of a transformer assembly within the housing. The transformer assembly includes a magnetic flux guide, a primary circuit including a primary winding extending around a first portion of the magnetic flux guide and electrically connected to the power supply, and a secondary circuit including a secondary winding inductively coupled to the primary winding and extending around a second portion of the magnetic flux guide. The number of turns in the primary winding is greater than the number of turns in the secondary winding. The secondary circuit includes at least two electrical contacts configured to form an electrical connection with the heating element.

Abstract: A smoking device for aerosol-generation may comprise a device housing, a surface acoustic wave-atomizer (SAW-atomizer), a supply element, and a control system. The device housing may include a storage portion for an aerosol-forming substrate. The SAW-atomizer may include an atomization region, a first transducer, and/or a second transducer. The first transducer is configured to generate first surface acoustic waves that propagate along a surface of the SAW-atomizer. The supply element is arranged to supply the aerosol-forming substrate from the storage portion to the atomization region of the SAW-atomizer. The control system is configured to operate the SAW-atomizer to atomize the aerosol-forming substrate in the atomization region to generate an aerosol. A cartridge for such a smoking device and a method for generating an aerosol in a smoking system are also provided.