AEROSOL-GENERATING SYSTEM AND AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE FOR USE IN SUCH A SYSTEM

Abstract

The aerosol-generating system comprises two substance sources including a nicotine source and a second substance source and a susceptor (2) for heating any one of the two substance sources. The system further comprises a power source connected to a load network, the load network comprising an inductor for being inductively coupled to the susceptor. The two substance sources are thermally coupled such that the other one of the two substance sources not heated by the susceptor (2) is heatable by heat transfer from the one of the two substance sources that is heated by the susceptor (2). The invention also relates to an aerosol-generating article comprising a cartridge comprising a first compartment (11) and a second compartment (12) source, wherein a susceptor (2) is arranged in any one of the first compartment (11) or the second compartment (12).

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. Aerosol-generating system comprising: an aerosol-generating article comprising two substance sources including a nicotine source and a second substance source, a susceptor for heating any one of the two substance sources; and a power source connected to a load network, the load network comprising an inductor for being inductively coupled to the susceptor, wherein the two substance sources are thermally coupled such that the other one of the two substance sources not heated by the susceptor is heatable by heat transfer from the one of the two substance sources that is heated by the susceptor, wherein the aerosol-generating article comprises a cartridge comprising a first compartment comprising the nicotine source and a second compartment comprising the second substance source, and wherein the susceptor is arranged in any one of the first compartment or the second compartment.

17. Aerosol-generating system according to claim 16, wherein the susceptor is configured to heat the one of the two substance sources to a first temperature, and wherein a thermal coupling of the two substance sources is configured such that the other one of the two substance sources not heated by the susceptor may be heated by heat transfer to a second temperature, the second temperature being lower than the first temperature.

18. Aerosol-generating system according to claim 16, wherein the susceptor is in direct contact with the one of the two substance sources that is heated by the susceptor.

19. Aerosol-generating system according to claim 16, wherein the second substance source is a lactic acid source or pyruvic acid source and an aerosol generated in the aerosol-generating system comprises nicotine salt particles.

20. Aerosol-generating system according to claim 16, wherein the first compartment and the second compartment are arranged in parallel within the cartridge.

21. Aerosol-generating system according to claim 16, wherein the cartridge further comprises a third compartment comprising an aerosol-modifying agent source.

22. Aerosol-generating system according to claim 16, wherein the cartridge is substantially cylindrical and one or both of the opposed substantially planar end faces of the cartridge is sealed by one or more frangible or removable barriers.

23. Aerosol-generating article comprising a cartridge, the cartridge comprising: a first compartment comprising a nicotine source; a second compartment comprising a second substance source; a susceptor arranged in any one of the first compartment or the second compartment.

24. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 23, wherein the susceptor is arranged in a central portion of the first compartment or of the second compartment.

25. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 23, wherein the susceptor is an elongate susceptor, preferably in the shape of a susceptor rod.

26. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 23, the cartridge comprising a separation wall separating the first compartment from the second compartment, wherein the separation wall comprises thermally conductive material.

27. Aerosol-generating article according to claim 23, wherein an outer cartridge wall comprises thermally insulating material.

28. Method for controlling the reaction stoichiometry between nicotine vapour and a second substance vapour in an aerosol-generating system for the in situ generation of aerosol comprising nicotine, the method comprising the step of providing two substances including nicotine and a second substance, and arranging the two substances in two separate compartments; providing a susceptor, and arranging the susceptor in one of the two compartments; heating one of the two substances to a first temperature by the susceptor; generating a temperature gradient between the two substances; heating the other one of the two substances to a second temperature through heat transfer from the one substance heated by the susceptor, wherein the second temperature is lower than the first temperature, thereby controlling the ratio of a vaporized amount of nicotine and vaporized amount of second substance.

Description

[0096] The invention is further described with regard to embodiments, which are illustrated by means of the following drawings, wherein:

[0097] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a two-compartment cartridge with circumferentially arranged inductor coil winding;

[0098] FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal cross section through the cartridge of FIG. 1;

[0099] FIG. 3 shows a transverse cross section through the cartridge of FIG. 1;

[0100] FIG. 4 schematically shows an aerosol-generating device for use in the aerosol-generating system according to the invention.

[0101] In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 a cartridge with a tubular housing 1 is illustrated. The housing 1 is divided by a separation wall 10 into two chambers of semi-circular transverse cross-section 11,12 disposed on either side of the separation wall 10. The chambers 11,12 extend longitudinally between the opposed substantially planar end faces of the cartridge. One of the two chambers forms the first compartment 11 comprising the nicotine source. The other of the two chambers forms the second compartment 12 comprising the second source, for example lactic acid source.

[0102] The separation wall 10 extends along the major axis 15 of the cartridge. The nicotine source may comprise a sorption element (not shown), such as a porous plastic sorption element, with nicotine adsorbed thereon, which is arranged in the chamber forming the first compartment 11. The second substance source may comprise a sorption element (not shown), such as a porous plastic sorption element, with lactic acid adsorbed thereon, which is arranged in the chamber forming the second compartment 12.

[0103] A susceptor 2 is arranged longitudinally within and along the first compartment 11. The susceptor 2 is shaped as susceptor strip, for example, as metal strip. The strip is arranged in a central portion of the first compartment 11. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the susceptor 2 has a length, which corresponds to the length of the cartridge, as may best be seen in FIG. 2.

[0104] The separation wall 10 is made of thermally conductive material, while the tubular housing 1 may be made of thermally conducting or thermally insulating material. The thermally conductive material of the separation wall 10 supports heat transfer from the first compartment 11, where the susceptor 2 acts as heating element to the second compartment not comprising a separate heating element.

[0105] Preferably, the separation wall 10 is made of a metal or thermally conductive metal alloy.

[0106] The housing 1 may be made of thermally insulating polymer materials. Preferably, the tubular housing 1 is made of thermally insulating polymer material.

[0107] The cartridge is surrounded by an inductor in the form of a single induction coil 3 for inducing heat in the susceptor 2 arranged in the first compartment 11.

[0108] Preferably, the induction coil 3 is part of an aerosol-generating device. The cartridge or the susceptor 2 of the cartridge, respectively, are brought into proximity with the coil 3 by insertion of the cartridge into a cavity of the device provided for receiving the cartridge.

[0109] The susceptor 2 may also be arranged in the second compartment 12, instead of the first compartment 11, such that a second substance is heated by the susceptor 2 and a nicotine source is heated by heat conduction from the first compartment 11 through the separation wall 10.

[0110] A schematic longitudinal cross-sectional illustration of an electrically-operated aerosol-generating device 6 is shown in FIG. 4. The aerosol-generating device 6 comprises an inductor 61, for example an induction coil 3. The inductor 61 is located adjacent a distal portion 630 of cartridge receiving chamber 63 of the aerosol-generating device 6. In use, the user inserts an aerosol-generating article comprising a cartridge, for example as described in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, into the cartridge receiving chamber 630 of the aerosol-generating device 6 such that the susceptor 2 in the cartridge of the aerosol-generating article is located adjacent to the inductor 61.

[0111] The aerosol-generating device 6 comprises a battery 64 and electronics 65 that allow the inductor 61 to be actuated. Such actuation may be manually operated or may occur automatically in response to a user drawing on an aerosol-generating article inserted into the cartridge receiving chamber 63 of the aerosol-generating device 6.

[0112] When actuated, a high-frequency alternating current is passed through coils of wire that form part of the inductor 61. This causes the inductor 61 to generate a fluctuating electromagnetic field within the distal portion 630 of the cartridge receiving chamber 63 of the device. When an aerosol-generating article is correctly located in the cartridge receiving chamber 63, the susceptor of the article is located within this fluctuating electromagnetic field. The fluctuating field generates at least one of eddy currents and hysteresis losses within the susceptor 2, which is heated as a result. The heated susceptor heats the nicotine source (or second substance source, whichever compartment the susceptor 2 is arranged in). Subsequently, through heat conduction also the second substance source (or nicotine source) of the aerosol-generating article is heated to a sufficient temperature to form an aerosol. Different temperatures may be achieved in the first and the second compartment 11,12 according to an extent of heat conduction and heat loss in the cartridge.

[0113] The aerosol generated by heating the two sources is drawn downstream through the aerosol-generating article, for example versus the direction of and trough a mouthpiece and may be inhaled by a user.