CN116133542A

CN116133542A - Heating device for aerosol generating device

Info

Publication number: CN116133542A
Application number: CN202180058885.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: A·R·J·罗根; A·赖特
Original assignee: JT International SA
Current assignee: JT International SA
Priority date: 2020-07-17
Filing date: 2021-07-06
Publication date: 2023-05-16
Also published as: KR20230027253A; JP2023533666A; WO2022013021A1; EP4181706A1; US20230263225A1

Abstract

There is provided an aerosol-generating device (2) comprising a heating chamber (10) comprising: an opening (12) for receiving an aerosol-generating medium (14); and a substrate (20) movable along the length of the heating chamber (10) to adjust a distance between the opening (12) and the substrate (20), wherein the substrate is biased towards the opening and configured to move in contact with the aerosol generating medium (14) when the aerosol generating medium is received in the heating chamber (10). The device (2) further comprises a heating element (16) arranged to heat the aerosol-generating medium (14) when the aerosol-generating medium is received in the heating chamber (10).

Description

Heating device for aerosol generating device

The present invention relates to a heating device for an aerosol generating device.

Background

Known aerosol-generating devices (e.g., electronic cigarettes and tobacco vapor products) often use a heating apparatus to heat an aerosol-generating medium in order to generate an aerosol or vapor for inhalation by a user. The aerosol generating medium is typically inserted into the heating chamber of the device in the form of a plug or cartridge of a consumable. Different types of consumables are available, the size of which may vary; however, many existing aerosol generating devices are limited to receiving a particular consumable due to the different sizes of the consumable, the heating chamber, and the heating apparatus.

Typically, aerosol generating devices are configured to accept a single type of consumable of a single size. In some known devices, a spring or elastic mechanism is used as a support member when the device is assembled. Such mechanisms typically have a spring or coil that is compressed to a single fixed locking position for operation and then further acts as a release or ejection mechanism for the device.

In other known devices, the heating element may include pairs of heating tracks for the transfer of electrical energy up and down the heating element. The pairs of heating tracks are arranged at different lengths along the heating element to provide different effective heating lengths for the device.

Because of these specific configurations, there are problems: these devices are not receptive to different types of consumables and are not capable of efficiently heating these consumables. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a heating device for an aerosol generating device, which heating device is capable of efficiently heating consumables of different shapes and sizes.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aerosol-generating device comprising: a heating chamber, the heating chamber comprising: an opening disposed at a first end of the heating chamber to receive an aerosol-generating medium; and a substrate movable along a length of the heating chamber to adjust a distance between the opening and the substrate, wherein the substrate is biased toward the opening and configured to move in contact with the aerosol-generating medium when the aerosol-generating medium is received in the heating chamber; a heating element arranged to heat the aerosol-generating medium when received in the heating chamber; and a control circuit configured to detect a distance of the substrate from the opening and to control the heating element in response to the detected distance.

In this way, the heating chamber may be automatically adjusted to provide a cavity sized for the received aerosol-generating medium. It will be appreciated that when an aerosol generating medium (typically in the form of a plug, cartridge or capsule of consumable) is inserted through the opening of the heating chamber, the substrate or cavity bottom is pushed away from the opening. Thus, because the substrate is biased to move towards the opening of the heating chamber, the dimensions of the cavity will typically provide substantially the most intimate fit of the aerosol-generating medium in the heating chamber. This also advantageously provides a minimum size cavity for the aerosol-generating medium so that the cavity and the received aerosol-generating medium can be heated more effectively. It will be appreciated that the movable substrate allows the aerosol-generating device to operate at different depths of the substrate along the length of the heating chamber (or different depths of insertion of the aerosol-generating medium/consumable), and the offset configuration of the substrate ensures that the optimal cavity/effective heating chamber dimensions are achieved automatically.

The aerosol-generating device further comprises a control circuit configured to detect a distance of the substrate from the opening and to control the heating element in response to the detected distance. In this way, the control circuit can automatically detect the length of the cavity and determine the length of the heating element or the number of heating zones required to heat the received aerosol-generating medium. It will be appreciated that this determination is based on the final position of the substrate after the aerosol-generating medium has been inserted and received into the heating chamber. Preferably, the control circuit is configured to select the heating profile in response to the detected distance.

Thus, it will be appreciated that the aerosol generating device comprises control circuitry or control circuitry for controlling the operation of the heating chamber. The control circuitry is configured to detect a position of the substrate and may operate the heating element according to the selected heating profile based on the detected position of the substrate. In other words, the control circuit acts as a link between the substrate position and the operation of the heating element. In an example, the control circuit may be configured to activate/cause the heating element to start heating only when the substrate has moved past a predetermined position along the length of the heating chamber (when there is no aerosol-generating medium in the chamber). In another example, the control circuit may be configured to control the heating element to change the effective length and/or the amount of heat generated from the heating element based on the position of the substrate. The heating element may have a continuously variable heater length or be divided into discrete heating sections/portions so that the device may be used with consumables of different sizes or lengths. Thus, it will be appreciated that the substrate being biased to move towards the opening ensures that the optimal heating length/profile is selected by the control circuit in order to heat the received aerosol generating medium. This means that the control circuit detects the position of the substrate and determines the distance of the substrate from the heating chamber opening in order to control the effective length of the heating element. The movable substrate allows for multiple depths of insertion within the heating chamber.

The aerosol-generating device may also be referred to as a "heated tobacco device", "heated non-burning tobacco device", "device for vaporising tobacco product", etc., but this is to be interpreted as a device suitable for achieving these effects. The features disclosed herein are equally applicable to devices designed to vaporize any aerosol-generating medium.

The term "consumable" refers to an aerosol-generating medium, a cartridge or other container comprising an aerosol-generating medium, or any other component suitable for delivering an aerosol-generating medium into a device such that an aerosol may be generated. In some preferred examples of the invention, the consumable comprises a rod-shaped aerosol-generating medium (e.g., a tobacco rod) configured to be heated to release the vapor without burning the aerosol-generating medium. By having the heating chamber with an adjustable cavity length determined by the position of the biasing substrate, the length of the cavity can be automatically adjusted for the length of the rod-shaped consumable when inserted into the chamber.

Preferably, the heating element comprises a plurality of separate heating zones for heating the received aerosol-generating medium. In this way, an appropriate length of a heating element (which may be defined as a heating zone) may be determined to heat the aerosol-generating medium. Preferably, the individual heating zones are arranged along the length of the heating chamber. Dividing the heating element into a large number of heating sections or zones that can be heated independently improves the level of control over the heating of the consumable. Furthermore, when the heating element is divided into a greater number of heating sections, the length of a given consumable will more precisely match the area occupied by an integer number of heating zones.

Preferably, the aerosol generating device comprises control circuitry for selectively heating one or more of the plurality of heating zones. For example, the control circuitry may be configured to heat a heating zone positioned between the substrate and the opening. In this way, after the aerosol-generating medium is inserted, the heating zones are determined based on the position of the substrate, such that only those heating zones that are adjacent to the aerosol-generating medium are heated, thus improving the efficiency of the device.

The heating element has a plurality of heating zones or sections that can be independently heated, thus allowing the apparatus to heat only those sections that are arranged or configured to effectively heat the consumable. For heating consumables received in the heating chamber, the heating zone that is not selected to be directly heated (i.e., activated) is referred to herein as an unused heating zone (or unused zone/section). Typically, this is because unused areas are not able to effectively heat the consumable. For example, an unused heating section may not be in contact with the consumable, or only a small portion of the consumable is in contact with the unused heating section. The required heating section (or required section) refers to a heating section that has been selected to heat directly to heat the consumable contained in the heating chamber, and is any heating section that is not an unused section.

In other words, if a shorter plug is received in the heating chamber, a single or fewer number of heating zones/sections of the heating element may be used to provide heat to the plug. Similarly, if a longer plug is inserted into the heating chamber, a greater number of heating zones of the heating element are used to heat the plug.

This advantageously provides a heating element having different zones or sections which may be individually activated to provide heat to the consumable for generating the aerosol, thus improving the efficiency of the device. It will be appreciated that the length of the one or more heating zones for heating the received aerosol-generating medium should substantially correspond to the length of the aerosol-generating medium in the cavity.

Dividing the heating element into a large number of heating zones/sections which can be heated independently improves the level of control over the heating of the consumable. In addition, when the heating element is divided into a greater number of heating zones, the length of a given consumable will more precisely match the area occupied by an integer number of heating zones.

The heating element may also be configured such that the length of the heating zone or the effective heating portion/section is determined by the position of the substrate (or the bottom of the cavity). For example, the heat generating portion of the heating element may be determined by the distance between the substrate and the end of the heating element facing the opening of the heating chamber. In this way, the heating element has no discrete heating zones, but rather a continuous length of the heating element is segmented by the substrate. For example, the control circuitry may determine a desired length of the heating element for receiving electrical power by providing electrical contacts between the substrate and the heating element along the length of the heating element. In this manner, the heating portion (i.e., the effective heating length) may be any particular length of heating element without the need for a particular discrete region. It should be understood that aspects of the present disclosure that relate to the individual heating zones described are equally applicable to continuously variable length heating zones.

Preferably, the aerosol-generating device is configured to select the heating zone to be heated based on the position of the substrate. Preferably, the aerosol generating device is configured to heat a heating zone positioned between the substrate and the opening of the heating chamber.

Preferably, the aerosol-generating device comprises electrical connections arranged to heat portions of the heating element corresponding to portions between the electrical contacts and ends of the heating element, wherein the electrical contacts are provided between the substrate and the heating element. In this way, the aerosol-generating device may be configured to heat a portion of the heating element between the substrate and an end of the heating element. Preferably, the heating chamber comprises an opening at one end and the electrical connection is arranged to heat a portion of the heating element between the electrical connection of the substrate and an end of the heating element closest to the opening. In this way, when the aerosol-generating medium is inserted into the cavity through the opening, the substrate and the contacts are moved so as to heat a portion of the heating element corresponding to the length of the aerosol-generating medium received within the cavity.

Preferably, the distance between the opening and the substrate determines a heating profile of the heating element, the heating profile being defined by a heating zone for heating the received aerosol-generating medium. The term "heating profile" is intended to refer to the mode of operation of the heating element, i.e., one or more of the following: the choice of heating zones to be heated, the heating duration of one or more heating zones, the heating temperature of one or more individual heating zones or the heating temperature of the heating chamber as a whole. Preferably, the heating profile is selected based on the detected position of the substrate.

In this way, different combinations and/or arrangements of one or more heating zones for heating the aerosol-generating medium in the heating chamber may be defined as heating profiles of the heating elements, wherein the length of the received aerosol-generating medium (and thus the distance between the opening and the substrate) determines or selects an appropriate heating profile for use. In this way, an efficient heating profile selection method is provided without the need for user intervention, such as manual input into the device by a user to determine the heating profile.

Preferably, the heating chamber is configured to feed back information to the control circuit. Preferably, the heating chamber comprises a feedback component in communication with the control circuit. In this way, the feedback component effectively provides the control circuit with positional information of the substrate/cavity bottom to better allow the control circuit to select the heating profile.

Preferably, the feedback member is arranged along a wall of the heating chamber. In this way, the feedback member may be positioned along the inner surface of the wall or integrated with the wall of the heating chamber.

Preferably, the substrate is configured to be bonded along the length of the feedback member. The substrate may be configured to slide along the length of the feedback member. In this way, the substrate may be in continuous contact with the feedback member to provide effective positional information of the substrate along the length of the heating chamber.

Preferably, the feedback component comprises a hall effect sensor and at least one resistor. In this way, the position information may be determined by resistance or voltage measurements from the feedback component. Other electrical components that may also be used as feedback components will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Preferably, the feedback member comprises a guide. Preferably, the base plate comprises a protrusion configured to engage with the guide. In this way, a more secure connection between the substrate and the feedback member may be provided when the substrate is moved along the wall of the heating chamber while receiving the aerosol generating medium.

Preferably, the heating chamber further comprises a biasing member arranged to provide a resistive or restoring force to the substrate towards the opening. In this way, when there is no aerosol-generating medium in the chamber, the restoring force returns the substrate to the rest position towards the opening of the heating chamber. The rest or neutral position may be substantially at the opening of the heating chamber, or at a predetermined distance therefrom. Preferably, the biasing member is a spring. The biasing mechanism may be coupled with a release mechanism to eject the spent consumable or, alternatively, to return the substrate to a rest/neutral position when no aerosol generating medium is in the chamber. The biasing member cooperates with the base plate and the control circuit to allow the device to operate with consumables of different shapes and sizes.

Preferably, the inner surface of the heating chamber is configured to provide a friction force that resists the resistance/restoring force of the biasing member. For example, the inner surface may have grooves or be textured in a manner to provide friction against the outer surface of the received aerosol-generating medium in contact with the inner surface of the heating chamber. In this way, the aerosol-generating medium may be more easily retained in the heating chamber after insertion.

Alternatively, the heating chamber may include a ratchet mechanism that allows the substrate to be lowered freely (i.e., in an unrestricted manner) into the chamber while preventing the biasing force from returning the substrate toward the heating chamber opening to its neutral position. In this example, the heating chamber may require another release mechanism to move the substrate back toward the opening of the heating chamber (and also eject, for example, the used consumables). It will be appreciated that the ratchet mechanism will provide discrete depths of insertion based on the size and number of teeth in the ratchet. However, it should be appreciated that the fine tooth ratchet mechanism may be effective to provide a continuously varying depth to the aerosol generating medium/consumable (i.e., the discrete depth caused by the ratchet teeth is not substantially noticeable to the user).

Preferably, when the aerosol-generating medium is received in the heating chamber, the frictional force acting on the aerosol-generating medium is greater than the resistance/restoring force. In this way, the aerosol-generating medium will remain in the heating chamber after being received into the chamber. The heating chamber may further comprise an extraction mechanism for ejecting a used plug.

Preferably, the heating element extends through a plate opening in the base plate. The plate opening may be a slit or other shaped narrow opening in the substrate for passing the heating element through the body or central portion of the substrate. The size of the opening may provide a tight fit around the periphery of the heating element when viewed in a direction along the length of the heating element (i.e., the direction in which the heating element may penetrate the inserted consumable). In this way, the heating element may act as a guide for the substrate as it moves along the heating chamber and heating element, thereby providing further support for the substrate. Preferably, the heating blade extends through an opening in the base plate, wherein the base plate is movable along the length of the heating blade. The close fit between the heating element and the substrate may ensure that reliable electrical contacts are provided between the heating element and the substrate.

Preferably, the heating element comprises a heating blade configured to penetrate the aerosol-generating medium when the aerosol-generating medium is received in the heating chamber. In this way, the heating blade can heat the consumable from inside when the consumable is in the heating chamber. In addition, the heating blade may secure or assist in securing the consumable within the heating chamber. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that after the heating blade pierces the inserted consumable, a portion of the heating blade between the base plate and the end of the heating blade that pierces the consumable may receive electrical energy from the battery to generate heat. This effective heating blade portion may comprise one or more of the individual heating zones in the heating element/blade, and this may therefore be determined by the contact point between the base plate and the heating blade end. Preferably, the heating blade comprises a plurality of heating zones arranged along the length of the heating blade.

Preferably, the heating blade comprises a penetrating end directed towards the opening of the heating chamber. The penetrating end of the heating blade is directed towards the opening of the heating chamber and narrows towards the opening. The piercing end facilitates insertion of the consumable into the heating chamber. It may be perforated in the consumable to allow (at least part of) the heating blade to penetrate or to allow easy insertion of the heating blade into an already existing slot in the consumable. Preferably, the heating zone is arranged along the length of the heating blade.

Drawings

Examples of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of an aerosol-generating device according to an example of the invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic view of a heating apparatus for an aerosol-generating device according to an example of the invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic view of a heating apparatus for an aerosol-generating device according to an example of the invention; and

fig. 4 is a schematic view of a heating apparatus for an aerosol-generating device according to an example of the invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows an aerosol-generating device 2 comprising a heating system 4 and a battery 6 arranged within a housing 8 of the aerosol-generating device 2. The heating system 4 includes: a heating chamber 10 having an opening 12 for receiving an aerosol-generating consumable 14 (e.g., a plug); and a heating element 16 (e.g., a heating blade), wherein the heating element 16 receives electrical energy from the battery 6 to generate heat. It will be appreciated that the inserted consumable 14 forms an aerosol for inhalation as it is heated by the heating element 16. As will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, a suction nozzle and/or other aerosol guiding means (not shown) may be connected to the aerosol generating device 2. In other examples, the consumable may include a mouthpiece, and the consumable and the chamber are arranged such that the mouthpiece of the consumable extends from the opening of the chamber to allow inhalation during use. The consumable may comprise a tobacco rod with a filter element providing a mouthpiece.

The heating element 16 includes a piercing end 18 configured to pierce and/or pass through the consumable 14 as it is introduced into the heating chamber 10 such that, in use, the consumable 14 is heated from its interior. The penetrating end 18 of the heating element 16 is directed towards the opening 12 of the heating chamber 10.

The heating chamber 10 further comprises a base plate 20 or cavity bottom arranged to receive the consumable 14 such that the consumable 14 is in contact with the base plate 20 after insertion. The substrate 20 is configured to move relative to the heating element 16 along the length of the chamber 10 so as to define a length 21 of the heating chamber 10, or a heating cavity for the aerosol-generating consumable 14. In other words, the user may push the bung 14 of the consumable into the chamber 10 such that it is in contact with the substrate 20 and such that the substrate 20 is configured to move further away from the opening 12 until the bung 14 is fully inserted into the chamber 10.

The heating element 16 is arranged such that the heating element extends through a plate opening in the substrate 20, which allows the heating element to act as a guide for the substrate 20 when the substrate is moved relative to the heating element 16. The position or location of the substrate 20 relative to the heating element 16 is used to determine the effective length of the heating element 16 required to heat the inserted consumable 14. As more clearly seen in fig. 2 and 3, the heating element 16 may be divided into sections or zones, and the effective length may be provided as a discrete number of effective sections in the heating element 16.

The heating element 16 and the substrate 20 are electrically connected via one or more electrical connections (not shown). The aerosol-generating device 2 further comprises control circuitry 22 configured to detect the position of the substrate 20 in the heating chamber 10 and/or the length 21 of the heating chamber 10 between the opening 12 and the substrate 20 based on the position of the electrical contact between the heating element 16 and the substrate 20. Thus, it should be appreciated that when electrical energy is delivered from the battery 6 to the heating element 16, the electrical energy may be transferred back from the heating element 16 or otherwise derived from the heating element via the electrical contacts provided by the substrate 20. Alternative configurations of electrical connections between the heating element 16 and the substrate 20 will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The substrate 20 is also biased to move toward the opening 12 of the chamber 10 such that when the chamber 10 is empty, the substrate 20 is positioned at or near the opening 10. Thus, it will be appreciated that when the aerosol-generating medium 14 is inserted into the chamber 10, the substrate is pushed along the length of the chamber 10 towards the opposite end of the chamber 10 facing away from the opening 12. When the aerosol generating medium 14 is not (partially or fully) present in the chamber 10, the substrate 20 is in a neutral position. Biasing members (not shown), such as springs, may be used to provide the biasing movement. Other biasing mechanisms will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The aerosol-generating device 2 further comprises control circuitry 22 configured to detect the length of the heating chamber 10 between the opening 12 and the substrate 20, or indeed between the penetrating end 18 and the electrical contacts between the substrate 20 and the heating element 16. In an example, the control circuitry 22 may be automatically activated to detect/determine the length of the active heating element 16 when the substrate 20 is displaced from its neutral position. The control circuitry 22 also controls the effective length of the heating element 16, which, as described above, may be the number of sections or heating zones that receive electrical energy. The control circuitry 22 may also control the amount of electrical energy delivered from the battery 6 to the heating element 16. Thus, it will be appreciated that by controlling the heating zones and/or controlling battery consumption by the control circuitry 22 alone, a more efficient aerosol generating device is provided. The heating element 16 may have heating tracks that penetrate into a heating zone that may be controlled by the control circuitry 22.

Fig. 2 and 3 show schematic views of the heating system 4, wherein the substrate 20 is arranged at different positions along the length of the heating element 16. The aerosol generating medium is not shown in fig. 2 and 3, but it will be appreciated that the substrate 20 is biased to move towards the opening 12 of the heating chamber 10 when there is no aerosol generating medium or consumable within the chamber. Fig. 2 shows the heating system 4 with the base plate 20 exposing the penetrating end 18 of the heating element 16 and one heating section 26, and fig. 3 shows the spring 24 in a more compressed state so that the other heating element section is exposed to the inserted consumable.

The heating system 4 further comprises a spring 24 configured to urge the substrate 20 towards the opening 12 of the chamber 10. The springs are attached to the underside of the base plate 20.

Fig. 2 and 3 illustrate a heating element 16 having a penetrating end 18 and five additional sections or zones that may be individually controlled by control circuitry 22 to generate heat when power from battery 6 is delivered to one or more of the zones. However, it should be understood that the heating element 16 may include any number of individual heating sections.

The inner surface 28 of the heating chamber 10 is textured (not shown) to provide a gripping surface for the inserted consumable. For example, the inner surface 28 may have small slats disposed along its length, with each slat being angled with respect to the plane of the inner surface 28 and the direction of movement of the consumable such that the slat provides friction to the sides of the consumable that resists the biasing force of the spring 24. The textured surface or slat may be made of a flexible material to allow easy cleaning of the heating chamber 10 when or after the consumable is withdrawn. For example, as the substrate 20 moves toward the opening 12 of the chamber 10 toward the extraction position, the substrate 20 may be configured to remove any aerosol-generating medium that may be trapped around the textured surface/ribbon.

The extraction or ejection mechanism for removing the plug of the used consumable will be apparent to the skilled person. For example, a manual pushing mechanism with a lever or sliding button on the outer surface of the aerosol-generating device 2 may be provided for the user to withdraw the used stopper from the chamber 10.

In another example, the heating element 16 may also be designed to provide friction to an inserted plug, such as a serrated heating blade. It will be appreciated that the frictional force provided by the chamber walls and/or heating element to the aerosol-generating consumable must be higher than the spring force or other biasing force so that the consumable is not forced out of the heating chamber 10.

Fig. 4 shows another schematic diagram of the heating system 4, wherein the heating chamber 10 is configured to provide feedback information to the control circuitry 22. In particular, feedback circuitry 30 is incorporated with heating chamber 10 and control circuitry 22 to detect the position of substrate 20 and the type/length of consumable inserted and to select the correct heating profile (e.g., the appropriate heating zone) for that consumable.

The heating chamber 10 includes a feedback member 32 along one of the walls of the chamber 10. In this example, the feedback component 32 is a variable resistor, and the feedback circuit 30 is formed by the spring 24, the substrate 20, and the feedback resistor component 32. This means that the resistance will change as the substrate 20 moves along the length of the heating chamber 10 (or feedback member 32 incorporated into the wall). This resistance is measured at an ohmmeter 34 in the control circuitry 22. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other electrical components, such as hall effect sensors, may be used to provide feedback information to the control circuitry.

It will be appreciated that in the feedback circuit 30 of fig. 4, the feedback resistor 32 is a variable resistor and thus provides feedback information to the control circuitry 22 to determine the position of the substrate 20. Thus, in this example, the substrate 20 is bonded to the feedback resistor 32 in a continuous manner. An example of providing continuous contact between the feedback resistor 32 and the substrate 20 may be that the resistor 32 is provided in a guide (not shown) and the substrate 20 comprises a portion, such as a protrusion, arranged to move or slide in the guide as the substrate 20 moves along the length of the chamber 10. It will be appreciated that the guides and protrusions may advantageously provide structural support for moving components in the heating system 4.

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating device comprising:

a heating chamber, the heating chamber comprising:

an opening disposed at a first end of the heating chamber to receive an aerosol-generating medium; and

a substrate movable along a length of the heating chamber to adjust a distance between the opening and the substrate, wherein the substrate is biased toward the opening and configured to move in contact with the aerosol-generating medium when the aerosol-generating medium is received in the heating chamber; a heating element arranged to heat the aerosol-generating medium when received in the heating chamber; and

a control circuit configured to detect a distance of the substrate from the opening and to control the heating element in response to the detected distance.

2. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the heating element comprises a plurality of separate heating zones for heating the received aerosol-generating medium.

3. The aerosol-generating device of claim 2, wherein a distance between the opening and the substrate determines a heating profile of the heating element, the heating profile being defined by the heating zones for heating the received aerosol-generating medium.

4. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the control circuit is configured to select the heating profile in response to the detected distance.

5. The aerosol-generating device of any preceding claim, wherein the heating chamber is configured to feed back information to the control circuit.

6. The aerosol-generating device of claim 5, wherein the heating chamber comprises a feedback component in communication with the control circuit.

7. The aerosol-generating system of claim 6, wherein the feedback component is disposed along a wall of the heating chamber.

8. The aerosol-generating system of claim 6 or 7, wherein the substrate is configured to be joined along a length of the feedback component.

9. The aerosol-generating system of any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the feedback component comprises at least one of a resistor and a hall effect sensor.

10. The aerosol-generating system of any of claims 6 to 9, wherein the feedback component comprises a guide.

11. The aerosol-generating system of claim 10, wherein the substrate comprises a protrusion configured to engage with the guide.

12. The aerosol-generating device of any preceding claim, wherein the heating chamber further comprises a biasing member arranged to provide resistance to the substrate towards the opening.

13. The aerosol-generating device of claim 12, wherein the biasing member is a spring.

14. The aerosol-generating device of any of claims 12 or 13, wherein an inner surface of the heating chamber is configured to provide a friction force that resists the resistance of the biasing member.

15. The aerosol-generating device of claim 14, wherein a frictional force acting on the aerosol-generating medium is greater than the resistance force when the aerosol-generating medium is received in the heating chamber.

16. The aerosol-generating device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the heating element extends through a plate opening in the substrate.

17. The aerosol-generating device of any preceding claim, wherein the heating element comprises a heating blade configured to penetrate the aerosol-generating medium when the aerosol-generating medium is received in the heating chamber.

18. The aerosol-generating device of claim 17, wherein the heating blade comprises a piercing end directed toward an opening of the heating chamber.