A smoking substitute device

Abstract

A smoking substitute device is described. The device includes an airflow inlet; an airflow outlet; and a flow path connecting the airflow inlet with the airflow outlet and for directing airflow from the airflow inlet to the airflow outlet. The device also includes a planar heater for aerosol generation, wherein the planar heater is located within the flow path. The airflow inlet includes a plurality of airflow sub-inlets, thereby reducing controlling airflow onto the heater.

1 . A smoking substitute device, the device including:
 an airflow inlet;   an airflow outlet;   a flow path connecting the airflow inlet with the airflow outlet and for directing airflow from the airflow inlet to the airflow outlet;   a planar heater for aerosol generation, wherein   the planar heater is located in, and spans across, a heater chamber within the flow path, such that the flow path passes through at least a portion of the material of the planar heater, and;   wherein the airflow inlet includes a plurality of airflow sub-inlets, each of which opens into the heater chamber, upstream of the heater.   
     
     
         2 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of airflow sub-inlets are arranged in an array. 
     
     
         3 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 2 , wherein the array is 2-dimensional, the periphery of the array being bounded by an array shape. 
     
     
         4 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 3 , wherein the array shape has an area of at least 6 square millimetres. 
     
     
         5 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 3 , wherein the array shape is a polygon. 
     
     
         6 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 5 , wherein the array shape is a rectangle. 
     
     
         7 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 3 , wherein the array shape is at least 5 millimetres across in at least one dimension. 
     
     
         8 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 3 , wherein the array shape is aligned with a heating portion of the planar heater. 
     
     
         9 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 3 , wherein openings of the sub-inlets comprise at least 20% of a total surface area of the array shape. 
     
     
         10 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 1 , wherein the airflow sub-inlets include at least one first sub-inlet and at least one second sub-inlet, wherein the at least one first sub-inlet has an opening of a first area, and the at least one second sub-inlet has an opening of a second area, wherein the first area is larger than the second area. 
     
     
         11 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 1 , wherein each airflow sub-inlet includes a sub-inlet passage, and wherein the sub-inlet passages are parallel. 
     
     
         12 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 1 , wherein an inlet plane including the sub-inlets is substantially parallel to a major plane of a heating portion of the planar heater. 
     
     
         13 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the sub-inlets has an opening width of between 0.1 and 1.0 millimetres, in particular, at least one of the sub-inlets has an opening width of between 0.3 and 0.5 millimetres. 
     
     
         14 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 1 , wherein the airflow sub-inlets are separated from a heating portion of the heater by between 1.0 and 10.0 millimetres. 
     
     
         15 . A smoking substitute device according to  claim 1 , wherein the heater is formed from an electrically conductive porous material.