Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM
Field
The present disclosure relates to aerosol provision systems such as nicotine
delivery
systems (e.g. electronic cigarettes and the like).
Background
Electronic aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-
cigarettes) generally
contain an aerosol precursor material, such as a reservoir of a source liquid
containing a
formulation, typically including nicotine, or a solid material such a tobacco-
based product,
from which an aerosol is generated for inhalation by a user, for example
through heat
vaporisation. Thus, an aerosol provision system will typically comprise a
vaporiser, e.g. a
heating element, arranged to vaporise a portion of precursor material to
generate an aerosol
in an aerosol generation region of an air channel through the aerosol
provision system. As a
user inhales on the device and electrical power is supplied to the vaporiser,
air is drawn into
the device through one or more inlet holes and along the air channel to the
aerosol
generation region, where the air mixes with the vaporised precursor material
and forms a
condensation aerosol. The air drawn through the aerosol generation region
continues along
the air channel to a mouthpiece opening, carrying some of the aerosol with it,
and out
through the mouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user.
It is common for aerosol provision systems to comprise a modular assembly,
often having
two main functional parts, namely a control unit and disposable / replaceable
cartridge part.
Typically the cartridge part will comprise the consumable aerosol precursor
material and the
vaporiser (atomiser), while the control unit part will comprise longer-life
items, such as a
rechargeable battery, device control circuitry, activation sensors and user
interface features.
The control unit may also be referred to as a reusable part or battery section
and the
replaceable cartridge may also be referred to as a disposable part or
cartomiser.
The control unit and cartridge are mechanically coupled together at an
interface for use, for
example using a screw thread, bayonet, latched or friction fit fixing. When
the aerosol
precursor material in a cartridge has been exhausted, or the user wishes to
switch to a
different cartridge having a different aerosol precursor material, the
cartridge may be
removed from the control unit and a replacement cartridge may be attached to
the device in
its place.
A potential drawbacks for cartridges containing liquid aerosol precursor (e-
liquid) is the risk
of leakage. An e-cigarette cartridge will typically have a mechanism, e.g. a
capillary wick, for
drawing aerosolisable material from an aerosolisable material reservoir to a
vaporiser
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located in an air path / channel connecting from an air inlet to an aerosol
outlet for the
cartridge. Because there is a fluid transport path from the aerosolisable
material reservoir
into the open air channel through the cartridge, there is a corresponding risk
of aerosolisable
material leaking from the cartridge. Leakage is undesirable both from the
perspective of the
end user naturally not wanting to get the e-liquid on their hands or other
items, and also from
a reliability perspective, since leakage from an end of the cartridge
connected to the control
unit may damage the control unit, for example due to corrosion. Some
approaches to reduce
the risk of leakage may involve restricting the flow of aerosolisable material
to the vaporiser,
for example by tightly clamping a wick where it enters the air channel. In
normal use, the
aerosolisable material taken up by the wick is sufficient to keep the
vaporiser cool (Le., at an
ideal operating temperature), but when the aerosolisable material taken up is
insufficient
(e.g., when the aerosolisable material in the reservoir runs low) this can in
some scenarios
give rise to overheating and undesirable flavours.
Various approaches are therefore described herein which seek to help address
or mitigate
some of the issues discussed above.
Summary
According to a first aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an
aerosol provision
system comprising a reservoir for aerosolisable material; a wick configured to
receive the
aerosolisable material from the reservoir, a vaporiser configured to vaporise
the
aerosolisable material received in the wick, wherein the aerosol provision
system is
configured to measure at least one parameter of the wick to determine a status
of the wick.
According to a second aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a
cartridge for an
aerosol provision system comprising the cartridge and a control unit, wherein
the cartridge
cornprises:
a reservoir for aerosolisable material;
a wick configured to receive the aerosolisable material from the reservoir;
and
a vaporiser configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material received in the
wick,
wherein the cartridge is configured to measure at least one parameter of the
wick to
determine a status of the wick.
According to a third aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an
aerosolisable
material for use in an aerosol provision system, wherein the aerosolisable
material
comprises at least one doping agent comprising a thermochromic material,
wherein the
thermochromic material is configured to adopt a first colour at a first
predetermined
temperature, and is configured to adopt a second colour at a second
predetermined
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temperature, wherein the second predetermined temperature is higher than the
first
predetermined temperature.
According to a fourth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a
cartridge for an
aerosol provision system comprising the cartridge and a control unit, wherein
the cartridge
comprises:
an aerosolisable material transport element for receiving aerosolisable
material, and
a vaporiser configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material received in the
aerosolisable
material transport element, and
at least one doping agent which is configured to colour the aerosolisable
material
transport element a first colour at a first predetermined condition, and which
is configured to
colour the aerosolisable material transport element a second colour, which is
different from
the first colour, at a second predetermined condition which is different from
the first
predetermined condition.
According to a fifth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an
aerosol provision
system comprising an aerosolisable material transport element for receiving
aerosolisable
material, and a vaporiser configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material
received in the
aerosolisable material transport element;
wherein the aerosol provision system further comprises at least one doping
agent
which is configured to colour the aerosolisable material transport element a
first colour at a
first predetermined condition, and which is configured to colour the
aerosolisable material
transport element a second colour, which is different from the first colour,
at a second
predetermined condition which is different from the first predetermined
condition.
According to a sixth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an
aerosolisable
material transport element for receiving aerosolisable material, wherein the
aerosolisable
material transport element comprises at least one doping agent which is
configured to colour
the aerosolisable material transport element a first colour at a first
predetermined condition,
and which is configured to colour the aerosolisable material transport element
a second
colour, which is different from the first colour, at a second predetermined
condition which is
different from the first predetermined condition.
According to a seventh aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a
method of
indicating a change in condition of an aerosolisable material transport
element which is
configured to receive aerosolisable material from a reservoir of aerosolisable
material,
wherein the method comprises:
colouring the aerosolisable material transport element a first colour at a
first
predetermined condition using a doping agent; and
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colouring the aerosolisable material transport element a second colour at a
second
predetermined condition, using the doping agent, wherein the second
predetermined
condition is different from the first predetermined condition.
According to an eighth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an
aerosol provision
system comprising:
a reservoir for aerosolisable material; and
a vaporiser, comprising a heating element, for vaporising aerosolisable
material from
the reservoir,
wherein the aerosol provision system is configured to monitor at least one
parameter
of the vaporiser, which is not the electrical resistance of the heating
element, to determine a
failure state of the aerosol provision system.
According to a ninth aspect of certain embodiments there is provided a
cartridge for an
aerosol provision system comprising the cartridge and a control unit, wherein
the cartridge
comprises:
a reservoir for aerosolisable material; and
a vaporiser, comprising a heating element, for vaporising aerosolisable
material from
the reservoir,
wherein the cartridge is configured to monitor at least one parameter of the
vaporiser,
which is not the electrical resistance of the heating element, to determine a
failure state of
the cartridge.
It will be appreciated that features and aspects of the invention described
above in relation to
the various aspects of the invention are equally applicable to, and may be
combined with,
embodiments of the invention according to other aspects of the invention as
appropriate, and
not just in the specific combinations described herein.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only,
with reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 schematically represents in perspective view an aerosol provision
system
comprising a cartridge and control unit (shown separated) in accordance with
certain
embodiments of the disclosure;
Figure 2 schematically represents in exploded perspective view of components
of the
cartridge of the aerosol provision system of Figure 1;
Figures 3A to 3C schematically represent various cross-section views of a
housing part of
the cartridge of the aerosol provision system of Figure 1;
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Figures 4A and 4B schematically represent a perspective view and a plan view
of a dividing
wall element of the cartridge of the aerosol provision system of Figure 1;
Figures 5A to 5C schematically represent two perspective views and a plan view
of a
resilient plug of the cartridge of the aerosol provision system of Figure 1;
Figures 6A and 6B schematically represent a perspective view and a plan view
of a bottom
cap of the cartridge of the aerosol provision system of Figure 1;
Figure 7 represents a schematic view of an aerosol provision system in
accordance with
certain embodiments of the disclosure;
Figure 8 represents a schematic view of an aerosol provision system in
accordance with
certain embodiments of the disclosure;
Figure 9 represents a schematic view of an aerosol provision system in
accordance with
certain embodiments of the disclosure;
Figure 10 represents a schematic view of an aerosol provision system in
accordance with
certain embodiments of the disclosure;
Figures 11A-11C represents schematic views of a portion of an aerosol
provision system in
accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure;
Figure 12 represents a schematic view of an aerosol provision system in
accordance with
certain embodiments of the disclosure;
Figure 13 represents a schematic view of an aerosol provision system in
accordance with
certain embodiments of the disclosure; and
Figure 14 represents a schematic view of an aerosol provision system in
accordance with
certain embodiments of the disclosure.
Detailed Description
Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are discussed /
described
herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be
implemented conventionally and these are not discussed / described in detail
in the interests
of brevity. It will thus be appreciated that aspects and features of apparatus
and methods
discussed herein which are not described in detail may be implemented in
accordance with
any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.
The present disclosure relates to non-combustible aerosol provision systems,
which may
also be referred to as aerosol provision systems, such as e-cigarettes.
According to the
present disclosure, a "non-combustible" aerosol provision system is one where
a constituent
aerosolisable material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof)
is not
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combusted or burned in order to facilitate delivery to a user. Aerosolisable
material, which
also may be referred to herein as aerosol generating material or aerosol
precursor material,
is material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated,
irradiated or
energized in any other way.
Throughout the following description the term "e-cigarette" or "electronic
cigarette" may
sometimes be used, but it will be appreciated this term may be used
interchangeably with
aerosol provision system / device and electronic aerosol provision system /
device. An
electronic cigarette may also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine
delivery system
(END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosolisable
material is not a
1.0 requirement.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid
system to
generate aerosol using a combination of aerosolisable materials, one or a
plurality of which
may be heated. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or
gel
aerosolisable material and a solid aerosolisable material. The solid
aerosolisable material
may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.
Typically, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a non-
combustible
aerosol provision device and an article for use with the non-combustible
aerosol provision
device. However, it is envisaged that articles which themselves comprise a
means for
powering an aerosol generating component may themselves form the non-
combustible
aerosol provision system.
In some embodiments, the article for use with the non-combustible aerosol
provision device
may comprise an aerosolisable material (or aerosol precursor material), an
aerosol
generating component (or vaporiser), an aerosol generating area, a mouthpiece,
and/or an
area for receiving aerosolisable material.
In some embodiments, the aerosol generating component is a heater capable of
interacting
with the aerosolisable material so as to release one or more volatiles from
the aerosolisable
material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating
component is
capable of generating an aerosol from the aerosolisable material without
heating. For
example, the aerosol generating component may be capable of generating an
aerosol from
the aerosolisable material without applying heat thereto, for example via one
or more of
vibrational, mechanical, pressurisation or electrostatic means.
In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered may be an aerosolisable
material
which may comprise an active constituent, a carrier constituent and optionally
one or more
other functional constituents.
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The active constituent may comprise one or more physiologically and/or
olfactory active
constituents which are included in the aerosolisable material in order to
achieve a
physiological and/or olfactory response in the user. The active constituent
may for example
be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, and psychoactives. The active
constituent may
be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active constituent may
comprise for
example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, a vitamin such as B6 or B12 or C,
melatonin, a
cannabinoid, or a constituent, derivative, or combinations thereof. The active
constituent
may comprise a constituent, derivative or extract of tobacco or of another
botanical. In some
embodiments, the active constituent is a physiologically active constituent
and may be
selected from nicotine, nicotine salts (e.g. nicotine ditartrate/nicotine
bitartrate), nicotine-free
tobacco substitutes, other alkaloids such as caffeine, or mixtures thereof.
In some embodiments, the active constituent is an olfactory active constituent
and may be
selected from a "flavour" and/or "flavourant" which, where local regulations
permit, may be
used to create a desired taste, aroma or other somatosensorial sensation in a
product for
adult consumers. In some instances such constituents may be referred to as
flavours,
flavourants, cooling agents, heating agents, and/or sweetening agents. They
may include
naturally occurring flavour materials, botanicals, extracts of botanicals,
synthetically
obtained materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice
(liquorice),
hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek,
clove,
maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (anise), cinnamon, turmeric,
Indian spices,
Asian spices, herb, wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach,
apple, orange,
mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape,
durian, dragon fruit,
cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch,
whiskey, gin,
tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery,
cascarilla,
nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat, naswar, betel, shisha, pine,
honey
essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry
blossom, cassia,
caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, wasabi, piment, ginger,
coriander,
coffee, hemp, a mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha, eucalyptus,
star anise,
cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel,
mate, orange skin,
rose, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil,
bay leaves,
cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak plant,
curcuma,
cilantro, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive,
lemon balm,
lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene),
flavour
enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site
activators or stimulators,
sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium,
aspartame,
saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or
mannitol), and other
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additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath
freshening agents.
They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof.
They may be in any
suitable form, for example, liquid such as an oil, solid such as a powder, or
gasone or more
of extracts (e.g., licorice, hydrangea, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf,
chamomile,
fenugreek, clove, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed, cinnamon, herb,
wintergreen, cherry,
berry, peach, apple, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, spearmint,
peppermint, lavender,
cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey
essence,
rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine,
ylang-ylang, sage,
fennel, piment, ginger, anise, coriander, coffee, or a mint oil from any
species of the genus
Mentha), flavour enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial
receptor site
activators or stimulators, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose,
acesulfame
potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose,
fructose, sorbitol,
or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals,
botanicals, or
breath freshening agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural
ingredients or blends
thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, oil, liquid, or
powder.
In some embodiments, the flavour comprises menthol, spearmint and/or
peppermint. In
some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components of cucumber,
blueberry,
citrus fruits and/or redberry. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises
eugenol. In some
embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from tobacco.
In some
embodiments, the flavour may comprise a sensate, which is intended to achieve
a
somatosensorial sensation which are usually chemically induced and perceived
by the
stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), in addition to or
in place of aroma or
taste nerves, and these may include agents providing heating, cooling,
tingling, numbing
effect. A suitable heat effect agent may be, but is not limited to, vanillyl
ethyl ether and a
suitable cooling agent may be, but not limited to eucalyptol, WS-3.
The carrier constituent may comprise one or more constituents capable of
forming an
aerosol. In some embodiments, the carrier constituent may comprise one or more
of
glycerine, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, Methylene glycol,
tetraethylene
glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate,
ethyl laurate, a diethyl
suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate,
benzyl phenyl
acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene
carbonate.
The one or more other functional constituents may comprise one or more of pH
regulators,
colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or
antioxidants.
As noted above, aerosol provision systems (e-cigarettes) often comprise a
modular
assembly including both a reusable part (control unit) and a replaceable
(disposable)
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cartridge part. Devices conforming to this type of two-part modular
configuration may
generally be referred to as two-part devices. It is also common for electronic
cigarettes to
have a generally elongate shape. For the sake of providing a concrete example,
certain
embodiments of the disclosure described herein comprise this kind of generally
elongate
two-part device employing disposable cartridges. However, it will be
appreciated the
underlying principles described herein may equally be adopted for other
electronic cigarette
configurations, for example modular devices comprising more than two parts, as
devices
conforming to other overall shapes, for example based on so-called box-mod
high
performance devices that typically have a more boxy shape..
Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an example aerosol provision
system / device (e-
cigarette) 1 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure. Terms
concerning the
relative location of various aspects of the electronic cigarette (e.g. terms
such as upper,
lower, above, below, top, bottom etc.) are used herein with reference to the
orientation of the
electronic cigarette as shown in Figure 1 (unless the context indicates
otherwise). However,
it will be appreciated this is purely for ease of explanation and is not
intended to indicate
there is any required orientation for the electronic cigarette in use.
The e-cigarette 1 comprises two main components, namely a cartridge 2 and a
control unit
4. The control unit 4 and the cartridge 2 are shown separated in Figure 1, but
are coupled
together when in use.
The cartridge 2 and control unit 4 are coupled by establishing a mechanical
and electrical
connection between them. The specific manner in which the mechanical and
electrical
connection is established is not of primary significance to the principles
described herein and
may be established in accordance with conventional techniques, for example
based around
a screw thread, bayonet, latched or friction-fit mechanical fixing with
appropriately arranged
electrical contacts / electrodes for establishing the electrical connection
between the two
parts as appropriate. For example electronic cigarette 1 represented in Figure
1, the
cartridge comprises a mouthpiece end 52 and an interface end 54 and is coupled
to the
control unit by inserting an interface end portion 6 at the interface end of
the cartridge into a
corresponding receptacle 8 / cartridge receiving section of the control unit.
The interface end
portion 6 of the cartridge is a close fit to be receptacle 8 and includes
protrusions 56 which
engage with corresponding detents in the interior surface of a receptacle wall
12 defining the
receptacle 8 to provide a releasable mechanical engagement between the
cartridge and the
control unit. An electrical connection is established between the control unit
and the cartridge
via a pair of electrical contacts on the bottom of the cartridge (not shown in
Figure 1) and
corresponding sprung contact pins in the base of the receptacle 8 (not shown
in Figure 1).
As noted above, the specific manner in which the electrical connection is
established is not
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significant to the principles described herein, and indeed some
implementations might not
have an electrical connection between the cartridge and a control unit at all,
for example
because the transfer of electrical power from the reusable part to the
cartridge may be
wireless (e.g. based on electromagnetic induction techniques).
The electronic cigarette 1 has a generally elongate shape extending along a
longitudinal axis
L. When the cartridge is coupled to the control unit, the overall length of
the electronic
cigarette in this example (along the longitudinal axis) is around 12.5 cm. The
overall length
of the control unit is around 9 cm and the overall length of the cartridge is
around 5 cm (i.e.
there is around 1.5 cm of overlap between the interface end portion 6 of the
cartridge and
the receptacle 8 of the control unit when they are coupled together). The
electronic cigarette
has a cross-section which is generally oval and which is largest around the
middle of the
electronic cigarette and tapers in a curved manner towards the ends. The cross-
section
around the middle of the electronic cigarette has a width of around 2.5 cm and
a thickness of
around 1.7 cm. The end of the cartridge has a width of around 2 cm and a
thickness of
around 0.6 mm, whereas the other end of the electronic cigarette has a width
of around 2 cm
and a thickness of around 1.2 cm. The outer housing of the electronic
cigarette is in this
example is formed from plastic. It will be appreciated the specific size and
shape of the
electronic cigarette and the material from which it is made is not of primary
significance to
the principles described herein and may be different in different
implementations. That is to
say, the principles described herein may equally be adopted for electronic
cigarettes having
different sizes, shapes and / or materials.
The control unit 4 may in accordance with certain embodiments of the
disclosure be broadly
conventional in terms of its functionality and general construction
techniques. In the example
of Figure 1, the control unit 4 comprises a plastic outer housing 10 including
the receptacle
wall 12 that defines the receptacle 8 for receiving the end of the cartridge
as noted above.
The outer housing 10 of the control unit 4 in this example has a generally
oval cross section
conforming to the shape and size of the cartridge 2 at their interface to
provide a smooth
transition between the two parts. The receptacle 8 and the end portion 6 of
the cartridge 2
are symmetric when rotated through 180 so the cartridge can be inserted into
the control
unit in two different orientations. The receptacle wall 12 includes two
control unit air inlet
openings 14 (i.e. holes in the wall). These openings 14 are positioned to
align with an air
inlet 50 for the cartridge when the cartridge is coupled to the control unit.
A different one of
the openings 14 aligns with the air inlet 50 of the cartridge in the different
orientations. It will
be appreciated some implementations may not have any degree of rotational
symmetry such
that the cartridge is couplable to the control unit in only one orientation
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implementations may have a higher degree of rotational symmetry such that the
cartridge is
couplable to the control unit in more orientations.
The control unit further comprises a battery 16 for providing operating power
for the
electronic cigarette, control circuitry 18 for controlling and monitoring the
operation of the
electronic cigarette, a user input button 20, an indicator light 22, and a
charging port 24.
The battery 16 in this example is rechargeable and may be of a conventional
type, for
example of the kind normally used in electronic cigarettes and other
applications requiring
provision of relatively high currents over relatively short periods. The
battery 16 may be
recharged through the charging port 24, which may, for example, comprise a USB
connector.
The input button 20 in this example is a conventional mechanical button, for
example
comprising a sprung mounted component which may be pressed by a user to
establish an
electrical contact in underlying circuitry. In this regard, the input button
may be considered
an input device for detecting user input, e.g. to trigger aerosol generation,
and the specific
manner in which the button is implemented is not significant. For example,
other forms of
mechanical button or touch-sensitive button (e.g. based on capacitive or
optical sensing
techniques) may be used in other implementations, or there may be no button
and the
device may rely on a puff detector for triggering aerosol generation.
The indicator light 22 is provided to give a user with a visual indication of
various
characteristics associated with the electronic cigarette, for example, an
indication of an
operating state (e.g. on / off / standby), and other characteristics, such as
battery life or fault
conditions. Different characteristics may, for example, be indicated through
different colours
and / or different flash sequences in accordance with generally conventional
techniques.
The control circuitry 18 is suitably configured / programmed to control the
operation of the
electronic cigarette to provide conventional operating functions in line with
the established
techniques for controlling electronic cigarettes. The control circuitry
(processor circuitry) 18
may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units / circuitry elements
associated
with different aspects of the electronic cigarette's operation. For example,
depending on the
functionality provided in different implementations, the control circuitry 18
may comprises
power supply control circuitry for controlling the supply of power from the
battery/power
supply to the cartridge in response to user input, user programming circuitry
for establishing
configuration settings (e.g. user-defined power settings) in response to user
input, as well as
other functional units / circuitry associated functionality in accordance with
the principles
described herein and conventional operating aspects of electronic cigarettes,
such as
indicator light display driving circuitry and user input detection circuitry.
It will be appreciated
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the functionality of the control circuitry 18 can be provided in various
different ways, for
example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s) and /
or one or
more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(s) /
circuitry / chip(s) /
chipset(s) configured to provide the desired functionality.
Figure 2 is an exploded schematic perspective view of the cartridge 2
(exploded along the
longitudinal axis L). The cartridge 2 comprises a housing part 32, an air
channel seal 34, a
dividing wall element 36, an outlet tube 38, a vaporiser/heating element 40,
an aerosolisable
material transport element 42, a plug 44, and an end cap 48 with contact
electrodes 46.
Figures 3 to 6 schematically represents some of these components in more
detail.
Figure 3A is a schematic cut-away view of the housing part 32 through the
longitudinal axis L
where the housing part 32 is thinnest. Figure 3B is a schematic cut-away view
of the housing
part 32 through the longitudinal axis L where the housing part 32 is widest.
Figure 3C is a
schematic view of the housing part along the longitudinal axis L from the
interface end 54
(i.e. viewed from below in the orientation of Figures 3A and 3B).
Figures 4A is a schematic perspective view of the dividing wall element 36 as
seen from
below. Figure 4B is a schematic cross-section through an upper part of the
dividing wall
element 36 as viewed from below.
Figure 5A is a schematic perspective view of the plug 44 from above and Figure
5B is a
schematic perspective view of the plug 44 from below. Figure 50 is a schematic
view of the
plug 44 along the longitudinal axis L seen from the mouthpiece end 52 of the
cartridge (i.e.
viewed from above for the orientation in Figures 1 and 2).
Figure 6A is a schematic perspective view of the end cap 48 from above. Figure
6B is a
schematic view of the end cap 48 along the longitudinal axis L seen from the
mouthpiece
end 52 of the cartridge (i.e. from above).
The housing part 32 in this example comprises a housing outer wall 64 and a
housing inner
tube 62 which in this example are formed from a single moulding of
polypropylene. The
housing outer wall 64 defines the external appearance of the cartridge 2 and
the housing
inner tube 62 defines a part the air channel through the cartridge. The
housing part is open
at the interface end 54 of the cartridge and closed at the mouthpiece end 52
of the cartridge
except for a mouthpiece opening / aerosol outlet 60 in fluid communication
with the housing
inner tube 62. The housing part 32 includes an opening in a sidewall which
provides the air
inlet 50 for the cartridge. The air inlet 50 in this example has an area of
around 2 mm2. The
outer surface of the outer wall 64 of the housing part 32 includes the
protrusions 56
discussed above which engage with corresponding detents in the interior
surface of the
receptacle wall 12 defining the receptacle 8 to provide a releasable
mechanical engagement
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between the cartridge and the control unit. The inner surface of the outer
wall 64 of the
housing part includes further protrusions 66 which act to provide an abutment
stop for
locating the dividing wall element 36 along the longitudinal axis L when the
cartridge is
assembled. The outer wall 64 of the housing part 32 further comprises holes
which provide
latch recesses 68 arranged to receive corresponding latch projections 70 in
the end cap to
fix the end cap to be housing part when the cartridge is assembled.
The outer wall 64 of the housing part 32 includes a double-walled section 74
that defines a
gap 76 in fluid communication with the air inlet 50. The gap 76 provides a
portion of the air
channel through the cartridge. In this example the doubled-walled section 74
of the housing
part 32 is arranged so the gap defines an air channel running within the
housing outer wall
64 parallel to the longitudinal axis with a cross-section in a plane
perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis of around 3 mm2. The gap / portion of air channel 76 defined
by the double-
walled section of the housing part extends down to the open end of the housing
part 32.
The air channel seal 34 is a silicone moulding generally in the form of a tube
having a
through hole 80. The outer wall of the air channel seal 34 includes
circumferential ridges 84
and an upper collar 82. The inner wall of the air channel seal 34 also
includes circumferential
ridges, but these are not visible in Figure 2. When the cartridge is assembled
the air channel
seal 34 is mounted to the housing inner tube 62 with an end of the housing
inner tube 62
extending partly into the through hole 80 of the air channel seal 34. The
through hole 80 in
the air channel seal has a diameter of around 5.8 mm in its relaxed state
whereas the end of
the housing inner tube 62 has a diameter of around 6.2 mm so that a seal is
formed when
the air channel seal 34 is stretched to accommodate the housing inner tube 62.
This seal is
facilitated by the ridges on the inner surface of the air channel seal 34.
The outlet tube 38 comprises a tubular section of ANSI 304 stainless steel
with an internal
diameter of around 8.6 mm and a wall thickness of around 0.2 mm_ The bottom
end of the
outlet tube 38 includes a pair of diametrically opposing slots 88 with an end
of each slot
having a semi-circular recess 90. When the cartridge is assembled the outlet
tube 38 mounts
to the outer surface of the air channel seal 34. The outer diameter of the air
channel seal is
around 9.0 mm in its relaxed state so that a seal is formed when the air
channel seal 34 is
compressed to fit inside the outlet tube 38. This seal is facilitated by the
ridges 84 on the
outer surface of the air channel seal 34. The collar 80 on the air channel
seal 34 provides a
stop for the outlet tube 38.
The aerosolisable material transport element 42 comprises a capillary wick and
the vaporiser
comprises a resistance wire heater wound around the capillary wick. In
addition to the
35 portion of the resistance wire wound around the capillary wick, the
vaporiser comprises
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electrical leads 41 which pass through holes in the plug 44 to contact
electrodes 46 mounted
to the end cap 54 to allow power to be supplied to the vaporiser via the
electrical interface
the established when the cartridge is connected to a control unit. The
vaporiser leads 41
may comprise the same material as the resistance wire wound around the
capillary wick, or
may comprise a different material (e.g. lower-resistance material) connected
to the
resistance wire wound around the capillary wick. In this example the heater
coil 40
comprises a nickel iron alloy wire and the wick 42 comprises a glass fibre
bundle. The
vaporiser and aerosolisable material transport element may be provided in
accordance with
any conventional techniques and is may comprise different forms and / or
different materials.
For example, in some implementations the wick may comprise fibrous or solid a
ceramic
material and the heater may comprise a different alloy. In other examples the
heater and
wick may be combined, for example in the form of a porous and a resistive
material. More
generally, it will be appreciated the specific nature aerosolisable material
transport element
and vaporiser is not of primary significance to the principles described
herein.
When the cartridge is assembled, the wick 42 is received in the semi-circular
recesses 90 of
the outlet tube 38 so that a central portion of the wick about which the
heating coil is would is
inside the outlet tube while end portions of the wick are outside the outlet
tube 38.
The plug 44 in this example comprises a single moulding of silicone, may be
resilient. The
plug comprises a base part 100 with an outer wall 102 extending upwardly
therefrom (i.e.
towards the mouthpiece end of the cartridge). The plug further comprises an
inner wall 104
extending upwardly from the base part 100 and surrounding a through hole 106
through the
base part 100.
The outer wall 102 of the plug 44 conforms to an inner surface of the housing
part 32 so that
when the cartridge is assembled the plug in 44 forms a seal with the housing
part 32. The
inner wall 104 of the plug 44 conforms to an inner surface of the outlet tube
38 so that when
the cartridge is assembled the plug 44 also forms a seal with the outlet tube
38. The inner
wall 104 includes a pair of diametrically opposing slots 108 with the end of
each slot having
a semi-circular recess 110. Extended outwardly (i.e. in a direction away from
the longitudinal
axis of the cartridge) from the bottom of each slot in the inner wall 104 is a
cradle section
112 shaped to receive a section of the aerosolisable material transport
element 42 when the
cartridge is assembled. The slots 108 and semi-circular recesses 110 provided
by the inner
wall of the plug 44 and the slots 88 and semi-circular recesses 90 of the
outlet tube 38 are
aligned so that the slots 88 in the outlet tube 38 accommodate respective ones
of the
cradles 112 with the respective semi-circular recesses in the outlet tube and
plug
cooperating to define holes through which the aerosolisable material transport
element
passes. The size of the holes provided by the semi-circular recesses through
which the
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aerosolisable material transport element passes correspond closely to the size
and shape of
the aerosolisable material transport element, but are slightly smaller so a
degree of
compression is provided by the resilience of the plug 44. This allows
aerosolisable material
to be transported along the aerosolisable material transport element by
capillary action while
restricting the extent to which aerosolisable material which is not
transported by capillary
action can pass through the openings. As noted above, the plug 44 includes
further
openings 114 in the base part 100 through which the contact leads 41 for the
vaporiser pass
when the cartridge is assembled. The bottom of the base part of the plug
includes spacers
116 which maintain an offset between the remaining surface of the bottom of
the base part
and the end cap 48. These spacers 116 include the openings 114 through which
the
electrical contact leads 41 for the vaporiser pass.
The end cap 48 comprises a polypropylene moulding with a pair of gold-plated
copper
electrode posts 46 mounted therein.
The ends of the electrode posts 44 on the bottom side of the end cap are close
to flush with
the interface end 54 of the cartridge provided by the end cap 48. These are
the parts of the
electrodes to which correspondingly aligned sprung contacts in the control
unit connect
when the cartridge is assembled and connected to the control unit. The ends of
the electrode
posts on the inside of the cartridge extend away from the end cap 48 and into
the holes 114
in the plug 44 through which the contact leads 41 pass. The electrode posts
are slightly
oversized relative to the holes 114 and include a chamfer at their upper ends
to facilitate
insertion into the holes 114 in the plug where they are maintained in pressed
contact with the
contact leads for the vaporiser by virtue of the plug.
The end cap has a base section 124 and an upstanding wall 120 which conforms
to the
inner surface of the housing part 32. The upstanding wall 120 of the end cap
48 is inserted
into the housing part 32 so the latch projections 70 engage with the latch
recesses 68 in the
housing part 32 to snap-fit the end cap 48 to the housing part when the
cartridge is
assembled. The top of the upstanding wall 120 of the end cap 48 abuts a
peripheral part of
the plug 44 and the lower face of the spacers 116 on the plug also abut the
base section 124
of the plug so that when the end cap 48 is attached to the housing part it
presses against the
resilient part 44 to maintain it in slight compression.
The base portion 124 of the end cap 48 includes a peripheral lip 126 beyond
the base of the
upstanding wall 112 with a thickness which corresponds with the thickness of
the outer wall
of the housing part at the interface end of the cartridge. The end cap also
includes an
upstanding locating pin 122 which aligns with a corresponding locating hole
128 in the plug
to help establish their relative location during assembly.
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The dividing wall element 36 comprises a single moulding of polypropylene and
includes a
dividing wall 130 and a collar 132 formed by projections from the dividing
wall 130 in the
direction towards the interface end of the cartridge. The dividing wall
element 36 has a
central opening 134 through which the outlet tube 38 passes (i.e. the dividing
wall is
arranged around the outlet tube 38). When the cartridge is assembled, the
upper surface of
the outer wall 102 of the plug 44 engages with the lower surface of the
dividing wall 130, and
the upper surface of the dividing wall 130 in turn engages with the
projections 66 on the
inner surface of the outer wall 64 of the housing part 32. Thus, the dividing
wall 130 prevents
the plug from being pushed too far into the housing part 32 - i.e. the
dividing wall 130 is
fixedly located along the longitudinal axis of the cartridge by the
protrusions 66 in the
housing part and so provides the plug with a fixed surface to push against.
The collar 132
formed by projections from the dividing wall includes a first pair of opposing
projections /
tongues 134 which engage with corresponding recesses on an inner surface of
the outer
wall 102 of the plug 44. The protrusions from the dividing wall 130 further
provide a pair of
cradle sections 136 configured to engage with corresponding ones of the cradle
sections
112 in the part 44 when the cartridge is assembled to further define the
opening through
which the aerosolisable material transport element passes.
When the cartridge is assembled an air channel extending from the air inlet 50
to the aerosol
outlet 60 through the cartridge is formed. Starting from the air inlet 50 in
the side wall of the
housing part 32, a first section of the air channel is provided by the gap 76
formed by the
double-walled section 74 in the outer wall 64 of the housing part 32 and
extends from the air
inlet 50 towards the interface end 54 of the cartridge and past the plug 44. A
second portion
of the air channel is provided by the gap between the base of the plug 44 and
the end cap
48. A third portion of the air channel is provided by the hole 106 through the
plug 44. A
fourth portion of the air channel is provided by the region within the inner
wall 104 of the plug
and the outlet tube around the vaporiser 40. This fourth portion of the air
channel may also
be referred to as an aerosol/aerosol generation region, it being the primary
region in which
aerosol is generated during use. The air channel from the air inlet 50 to the
aerosol
generation region may be referred to as an air inlet section of the air
channel. A fifth portion
of the air channel is provided by the remainder of the outlet tube 38. A sixth
portion of the air
channel is provided by the outer housing inner tube 62 which connects the air
channel to the
aerosol outlet 60. The air channel from the aerosol generation region to be
the aerosol outlet
may be referred to as an aerosol outlet section of the air channel.
Also, when the cartridge is assembled a reservoir 31 for aerosolisable
material is formed by
the space outside the air channel and inside the housing part 32. This may be
filled during
manufacture, for example through a filling hole which is then sealed, or by
other means. The
16
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specific nature of the aerosolisable material, for example in terms of its
composition, is not of
primary significance to the principles described herein, and in general any
conventional
aerosolisable material of the type normally used in electronic cigarettes may
be used. The
present disclosure may refer to a liquid as the aerosolisable material, which
as mentioned
above may be a conventional e-liquid. However, the principles of the present
disclosure
apply to any aerosolisable material which has the ability to flow, and may
include a liquid, a
gel, or a solid, where for a solid a plurality of solid particles may be
considered to have the
ability to flow when considered as a bulk.
The reservoir is closed at the interface end of the cartridge by the plug 44.
The reservoir
includes a first region above the dividing wall 130 and a second region below
the dividing
wall 130 within the space formed between the air channel and the outer wall of
the plug. The
aerosolisable material transport element (capillary wick) 42 passes through
openings in the
wall of the air channel provided by the semi-circular recesses 108, 90 in the
plug 44 and the
outlet tube 38 and the cradle sections 112, 136 in the plug 44 and the
dividing wall element
36 that engage with one another as discussed above. Thus, the ends of the
aerosolisable
material transport element extend into the second region of the reservoir from
which they
draw aerosolisable material through the openings in the air channel to the
vaporiser 40 for
subsequent vaporisation.
In normal use, the cartridge 2 is coupled to the control unit 4 and the
control unit activated to
supply power to the cartridge via the contact electrodes 46 in the end cap 48.
Power then
passes through the connection leads 41 to the vaporiser 40. The vaporiser is
thus electrically
heated and so vaporises a portion of the aerosolisable material from the
aerosolisable
material transport element in the vicinity of the vaporiser. This generates
aerosol in the
aerosol generation region of the air path. Aerosolisable material that is
vaporised from the
aerosolisable material transport element is replaced by more aerosolisable
material drawn
from the reservoir by capillary action. While the vaporiser is activated, a
user inhales on the
mouthpiece end 52 of the cartridge. This causes air to be drawn through
whichever control
unit air inlet 14 aligns with the air inlet 50 of the cartridge (which will
depend on the
orientation in which the cartridge was inserted into the control unit
receptacle 8). Air then
enters the cartridge through the air inlet 50, passes along the gap 76 in the
double-walled
section 74 of the housing part 32, passes between the plug 44 and the end cap
48 before
entering the aerosol generation region surrounding the vaporiser 40 through
the hole 106 in
the base part 100 of the plug 44. The incoming air mixes with aerosol
generated from the
vaporiser to form a condensation aerosol, which is then drawn along the outlet
tube 38 and
the housing part inner 62 before exiting through the mouthpiece outlet/aerosol
outlet 60 for
user inhalation.
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With reference to Figures 7-10 and 12, there is shown schematically a cross
section view of
a modified cartridge 2 for use with a control unit 4 to form an aerosol
provision system 1 in
accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure. The aerosol provision
system 1;
cartridge 2; and control unit 4 shown in Figures 7-10 and 12 are based on the
construction of
the corresponding aerosol provision system 1; cartridge 2; and control unit 4;
shown in
Figures 1-6B, and comprise similar components as set out by the reference
numerals that
are common to both sets of Figures. For instance, the cartridge 2 defines a
reservoir 31
which extends around an aerosol outlet tube 38. In accordance with such
embodiments, the
reservoir 31 may be annular, and is configured for containing aerosolisable
material for
lo aerosolising. Similarly, the control unit 4 may comprise the plastic
outer housing 10 including
the receptacle wall 12 that defines the receptacle 8 for receiving the end of
the cartridge 2.
The control unit 4 may also comprise the control circuitry 18 and the power
supply/battery
16.
Noting the above, and with initial reference to the aerosol provision system 1
shown in
Figure 7, a first modification over the aerosol provision system shown 1 in
Figures 1-6B is
the introduction of a configuration to measure at least one parameter of the
wick to
determine a status of the wick.. In essence therefore, and at a broad level,
Figure 7
illustrates an aerosol provision system 1 comprising a reservoir 31 for
aerosolisable material;
a wick 42 configured to receive the aerosolisable material from the reservoir
31, a vaporiser
40 configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material received in the wick 42,
wherein the
aerosol provision system 1 is configured to measure at least one parameter of
the wick 42 to
determine a status of the wick 42.
In principal, this status of the wick 42 (or aerosolisable material transport
element 42) could
relate to variety of different statuses for the aerosolisable material
transport element / wick
42. However, in accordance with some particular embodiments, the status may be
the wick
containing 42 less than a predetermined amount of aerosolisable material,
and/or the wick
exceeding a predetermined temperature. Both these may therefore correspond to
a dry-out
status of the wick 42, whereby the wick 42 is not saturated with aerosolisable
material.
During such dry-out conditions, as the vaporiser 40 is operated, this may
cause the wick 42
to become excessively hot, as a result of the heat generated by the vaporiser
40, and as
result of there not being sufficient aerosolisable material to help cool the
temperature of the
wick 42.
In such a dry-out status, in so far as the aerosol provision system 1 is
configured to measure
at least one parameter of the wick 42 to determine a status of the wick 42,
this may allow the
aerosol provision system 1 to react in such instances where a dry-out status
is detected, as
will be described.
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In that respect, and in accordance with some embodiments, the aerosol
provision system 1
may be provided with the control circuitry 18, and at least one sensor 200 for
detecting the at
least one parameter. In such embodiments, each sensor 200 is configured to
output a
sensor signal containing data related to the at least one parameter. In this
way, the control
circuitry 18 may be then configured to process the data from the sensor signal
of each
sensor 200 to determine the status of the wick 42.
It is envisaged herein that the type of sensor(s) 200 used will depend on the
parameter
which the sensor 200 is configured to detect.
In that respect therefore, in accordance with some embodiments, and with
reference to
Figure 7, the at least one parameter may comprise the moisture content of the
wick 42;
wherein the at least one sensor 200 comprises at least one load cell 202 on
which the wick
42 is supported. In this embodiment, each load cell 202 may be configured to
output a
sensor signal containing mass data related to the mass of the wick 42. The
control circuitry
18 may be then further configured to process the mass data from the sensor
signal of each
load cell 200 to determine a mass value for the wick 42, and then compare the
mass value
for the wick against a predetermined mass value. In this embodiment therefore,
as the wick
becomes wet/saturated in use with aerosolisable material, the mass of the wick
42 will vary
depending on the quantity of aerosolisable material therein. Noting each load
cell 200
supports the wick 42, each load cell 202 may be therefore configured to output
the sensor
signal containing mass data related to the mass of the wick 42. In respect of
the
predetermined mass value, this in accordance with some embodiments may be
selected to
correspond to the mass of the wick at the cusp of a dry-out status, whereby an
insufficient
amount of aerosolisable material is contained in the wick 42 and/or whereby
the wick 42 is
not saturated with aerosolisable material.
Accordingly, in the event the mass value is less than the predetermined mass
value, the
control circuitry 18 may be then configured to output a control signal, e.g.
to affect/control the
subsequent working of the aerosol provision system 1. In that respect, and in
accordance
with some embodiments, the control signal may comprise a command to disable
the
operation of the aerosol provision system 1 and/or a command to disable the
operation of
the vaporiser 40. In some particular embodiments thereof, the control circuity
18 may be
then configured to disable the operation of the aerosol provision system 1
and/or the
vaporiser 40 until the control circuitry 18 determines that a different
cartridge 2 has been
coupled to the control unit 4, or until the control circuitry 18 subsequently
determines a mass
value for the wick as being more than the predetermined mass value.
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In accordance with some embodiments, the control signal may comprise a command
to
provide a notification to a user. In accordance with some embodiments thereof,
the control
signal may comprise at least one of: an optical signal, an acoustic signal,
and a haptic
signal, which can be used to provide a notification to the user. Such a
notification, in
accordance with some particular embodiments, may include any of: a
notification to the user
that the aerosolisable material requires refilling; that the cartridge 2
requires replacing
(where a cartridge 2/control unit 4 arrangement is employed); and/or a
notification to the
user that at least a portion of the aerosol provision system 1 has overheated.
To implement the above indications, as required, in accordance with some
embodiments,
the aerosol provision system 1 may further comprise any one or combination of
an optic
element (such as an LED), an acoustic element (such as a speaker) and a haptic
feedback
element (such as a vibrator). Appreciably, in some particular embodiments to
those set out
above, any such optical/acoustic/haptic feedback element(s) may be most
conveniently
located on the control unit 4 (where such a cartridge 2/control unit 4
arrangement is
employed).
Whatever the control signal that may be employed, in the embodiments where at
least one
cell 202 is provided, in accordance with some embodiments thereof, to better
support the
wick 42, and to allow for a more accurate mass value to be determined, in
accordance with
some embodiments (such as that shown in Figure 7), the at least one load cell
202 may
comprise a first load cell 202A which supports a first end 42A of the wick 42,
and a second
load cell 202B which supports a second end 42A of the wick 42.
Aside from the possible use of a load cell(s) 202 in the context of the
parameter being the
moisture content of the wick 42, in accordance with some embodiments, the at
least one
parameter may additionally/alternatively comprises at least one physical
dimension of the
wick, and wherein the at least one sensor 200 comprise a dimension sensor 204
for
detecting the at least one physical dimension of the wick 204. In such
embodiments, the
dimension sensor 204 (as shown in Figures 8 or 9, for instance) is configured
to output a
sensor signal containing dimension data related to the at least one physical
dimension of the
wick 42, such that the control circuitry 18 is configured to process the
dimension data from
the sensor signal of the dimension sensor 204 to determine a dimension value
for the wick
42, and then compare the dimension value for the wick 42 against a
predetermined
dimension value. In this embodiment therefore, as the wick becomes
wet/saturated in use
with aerosolisable material, the physical dimensions of the wick 42 will vary
depending on
the quantity of aerosolisable material therein (in other words, the physical
dimensions of the
wick 42 will slightly swell/contract depending on the quantity of
aerosolisable material
therein). That being the case, each dimension sensor(s) 204 may be therefore
configured to
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output the sensor signal containing dimension data related to the at least one
physical
dimension of the wick 42. In respect of the predetermined dimension value,
this in
accordance with some embodiments may be selected to correspond to a dimension
value of
the wick at the cusp of a dry-out status, whereby an insufficient amount of
aerosolisable
material is contained in the wick 42 and/or whereby the wick 42 is not
saturated with
aerosolisable material (i.e. in a state where the dimension value is
sufficiently reduced as a
result of there being an insufficient amount of aerosolisable material in the
wick 42).
Accordingly, in the event the dimension value is less than the predetermined
dimension
value, the control circuitry 18 may then be configured to output a control
signal, e.g. to
affect/control the subsequent working of the aerosol provision system 1. Such
a control
signal in accordance with some particular embodiments thereof, as explained
previously in
respect of Figure 7, could provide a notification to the user and/or comprise
a command to
disable the operation of all, or at least a part of, the aerosol provision
system 1.
With regard to what the physical dimension of the wick 42 might expressly be,
it will be
appreciated that this physical dimension could be any dimension whose quantity
will change
as the wick 42 starts to dry out. In that respect therefore, and in accordance
with some
embodiments, the at least one physical dimension may comprise the length L of
the wick,
wherein the length L extends from the first end 42A to the second end 42B of
the wick 42,
and wherein the dimension data is related to the length L of the wick. Such a
psychical
dimension may be detected in the arrangement shown in Figure 9, where the
dimension
sensor 204 in accordance with some embodiments may comprise at least one laser
measure sensor located at the first and second ends 42A;42B of the wick 42. In
that respect
however, it will be entirely appreciated that any other type of dimension
sensor(s) may be
used/positioned in the aerosol provision system 1 to measure the length L of
the wick 42,
and which may be a contact sensor and/or a non-contact sensor, as required..
In accordance with some embodiments, the at least one physical dimension may
comprise a
width of the wick 42, wherein the dimension data is related to the width of
the wick (as
shown in the arrangement Figure 8). Again, in accordance with some of these
embodiments,
the dimension sensor 204 may comprise at least one laser measure sensor
appropriately
located with respect to the wick 42 such to determine the width of the wick
42. And in that
respect again, it will be entirely appreciated that any other type of
dimension sensor(s) may
be used/positioned in the aerosol provision system 1 in such embodiments to
appropriately
measure the width of the wick 42.
Where the dimension data is related to the width of the wick 42, in accordance
with some
embodiments thereof, such as that shown in Figure 8, the width may corresponds
to a width
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of the wick 42 which is located between the first end 42A and the second end
42B of the
wick 42, wherein the wick is configured to receive the aerosolisable material
at the first end
42A and the second end of the wick 42B. In such embodiments, the width in some
particular
embodiments thereof may be conveniently located at the midpoint along the
length L of the
wick (such as in Figure 8). In such arrangements, by measuring the parameter
(in this case,
the width) at a position from the wick 42 which is between the locations where
the
aerosolisable material is configured to be received in the wick 42, or put
differently which is
in a position from the wick 42 which is most distal from one or all of the
locations where the
aerosolisable material is configured to be received in the wick 42, the
measured parameter
may correspond to a position of the wick 42 where a dry-out status is first
likely to occur. In
which case, such a position for the measured parameter may allow the aerosol
provision
system 1 to determine a (dry-out) status of the wick quicker.
Aside from the possible use of a dimension sensor 204 in the context of the
parameter being
at least one physical dimension of the wick, in accordance with some
embodiments, the at
least one parameter may additionally/alternatively comprise an optical
parameter,
wherein the at least one sensor comprises an optical sensor 206, as shown in
Figures 10 an
12. In accordance with such embodiments, the optical sensor 206 may be
configured to
output a sensor signal containing data related to the optical parameter. In
accordance with
such embodiments, the control circuitry 18 may be further configured to
process the data
from the sensor signal of each optical sensor 206 to determine an optical
value for the wick,
and from there compare the optical value for the wick against a predetermined
optical value.
With reference to the terms optical parameter and optical value, these are
intended to cover
any measureable optical property of the wick which is configured to change as
the wick
becomes hot/cool, and/or as the level of aerosolisable material in the wick
changes. In that
respect therefore, and in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments, the
optical
parameter may comprise the colour of at least a portion 208 of the wick 42,
and/or may
comprise the reflectivity a portion of at least a portion 208 of the wick 42.
In accordance with
some particular embodiments thereof, such a portion 208 may correspond to an
external
surface of the wick 42. In a very particular embodiment thereof, and for the
reasons
explained previously, the external surface of the wick may be located between
the first end
42A and the second end 42B of the wick 42 at which the wick 42 is configured
to receive the
aerosolisable material. And in such embodiments, to facilitate the aerosol
provision system 1
being able to determine a (dry-out) status of the wick quicker, the
portion/external surface of
the wick 42 may be conveniently located at any of: the midpoint along the
length L of the
wick 42; a position from the wick 42 which is between the locations where the
aerosolisable
material is configured to be received in the wick 42; and/or in a position
from the wick 42
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which is most distal from one or all of the locations where the aerosolisable
material is
configured to be received in the wick 42.
In accordance with the above embodiment therefore, as the wick 42
(aerosolisable material
transport element) 42 is cool and/or is wet/saturated in use with
aerosolisable material, the
optical value of the wick 42 will vary. In that respect, where the wick 42
starts to become
excessively hot and/or dry, the wick 42 may begin to discolour and/or exhibit
a change in
colour or reflectance caused by the excess heat or dryness, which can be
measured by the
optical sensor(s) 206 and output as part of the sensor signal to the control
circuitry 18. With
reference to Figures 11A-11C, such a change in colour (or reflectance) of the
wick is
visualised. In that respect, with reference to Figures 11A-11C, there is shown
a portion of an
aerosol provision system 1, including an optical sensor 206 configured to
output a sensor
signal containing data related to the optical parameter of the wick 42.
In the above respect, and considering first the operation of Figure 11A, in
this operation the
wick 42 may be configured to be operating in a sufficiently cool and/or wet
configuration,
wherein the wick is saturated with aerosolisable material that is supplied to
the wick 42
(shown in Figure 11A as aerosolisable material ingress points AMin, which are
located at the
first end 42A and the second end 42B of the wick 42).
In operations where the wick 42 starts to become excessively hot and/dry
through the wick
42 no longer being saturated with aerosolisable material (i.e. a dry-out
status) via the
aerosolisable material ingress points AMin, the optical parameter (such as the
colour of the
portion 208 of the wick 42, and/or the reflectivity of the portion 208 the
wick 42) of the wick
42 may begin to change. In that respect for instance, in Figure 11B, there is
shown only the
portion 208 of the wick 42 changing colour/reflectance as a result of it
becoming sufficiently
hot and dry.
As the dry-out status continues to further manifest itself, the result may be
that shown in
Figure 11C, which shows the entirety of the wick 42 changing
colour/reflectance as a result
of it becoming sufficiently hot and dry.
From the foregoing therefore, for a given wick (aerosolisable material
transport element) 42,
each optical sensor 208 may be configured to output a sensor signal containing
data related
to the optical parameter being sensed (such as the colour and/or reflectance
of the portion
208 of the wick 42 as shown in Figures 10 and 12, and Figures 11A-11C), and
such that the
control circuitry 18 may be configured to process the data from the sensor
signal of each
optical sensor 206 to determine an optical value for the wick 42. From there,
the control
circuitry 18 may be then configured to compare the optical value for the wick
against a
predetermined optical value; and finally output a control signal in the event
the optical value
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is greater than, and/or less than, a predetermined optical value. Put
differently, the control
signal might be configured to output the control signal in the event the
optical value is
indicative of a (dry-out) status of the wick.
In the above respect, the predetermined optical value may notionally
correspond to an
optical value where the wick is in a dry-out status, whereby an insufficient
amount of
aerosolisable material is contained in the wick 42 and/or whereby the wick 42
is not
saturated with aerosolisable material (as shown for instance, in either
Figures 11B or 11C).
In that respect as well, whether the optical value should be greater than,
and/or less than,
the predetermined optical value will notionally depend on the particular
optical parameter
being measured by the optical sensor(s) 206, and what the optical value is
(such as the
optical value comprising a set of Red, Green, and Blue values; the optical
value comprising
a light reflectance value; and/or the optical value comprising a lumen value;
and/or the
optical value comprising a lux value).
Whatever the optical value used, and whatever the optical parameter being
measured, in the
event the control circuitry 18 determines the optical value as being
indicative of the status of
the wick, the control circuitry 18 may then be configured to output a control
signal, e.g. to
affect/control the subsequent working of the aerosol provision system 1. Such
a control
signal in accordance with some particular embodiments thereof, as explained
previously in
respect of Figure 7, could for instance provide a notification to the user
and/or comprise a
command to disable the operation of all, or at least a part of, the aerosol
provision system 1.
From the foregoing therefore, it can be seen that there may be provided an
aerosol provision
system 1 comprising a reservoir 31 for aerosolisable material; a wick
(aerosolisable material
transport element) 42 configured to receive the aerosolisable material from
the reservoir 31,
a vaporiser 40 configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material received in
the wick 42,
wherein the aerosol provision system 1 is configured to measure at least one
parameter of
the wick to determine a status of the wick, such as (but not necessarily
limited to) a dry-out
status.
In respect of any such operation of the aerosol provision system 1 to
determine the status of
the wick, it is envisaged that this operation may be implemented in any of the
aerosol
provision systems 1 described herein, such as those disclosed in Figures 1-6B,
and which
comprise the cartridge 2 and a control unit 4. In accordance with such
embodiments, the
reservoir 31 may be located in the cartridge, and wherein the control unit 4
comprises the
cartridge receiving section 8 that includes an interface arranged to
cooperatively engage
with the cartridge 2 so as to releasably couple the cartridge 2 to the control
unit 4, wherein
the control unit further comprises the power supply 16 for delivering power to
the vaporiser
40.
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Where a cartridge 2 and control unit 4 is employed in the aerosol provision
system 1, in
accordance with such embodiments any provided control circuitry 18 may be
located in
either the control unit 4 and/or the cartridge 2.
In the above respect as well, it is envisaged that any determining of the
status of the wick
may in accordance with some embodiments be performed by the cartridge 2. In
which case,
in such embodiments, there may be effectively provided a cartridge 2 for an
aerosol
provision system 1 comprising the cartridge 2 and a control unit 4, wherein
the cartridge
comprises: the reservoir 31 for aerosolisable material; the wick 42 configured
to receive the
aerosolisable material from the reservoir 31; and the vaporiser 40 configured
to vaporise the
aerosolisable material received in the wick 42, wherein the cartridge 2 is
configured to
measure at least one parameter of the wick 42 to determine a status of the
wick 42.
Conscious of the above embodiments which employ a cartridge 2 and a control
unit 4, for
the avoidance of any doubt, the aerosol provision systems 1 described herein
may be
equally applicable in other embodiments which do not employ a cartridge 2
which is
configured to be received in a control unit 4.
In respect of the wick/aerosolisable material transport element arrangements
shown in
Figures 7-12, the vaporiser 40 is shown as extending around the
wick/aerosolisable material
transport element 40, though it will be appreciated that the teachings herein
described may
be applicable to other arrangements of wick 42 and/or vaporiser 40. In that
respect for
instance, it will be appreciated that the teachings herein may be applicable
to other types of
wick 42, such as where the wick 42 comprises a ceramic wick. In accordance
with such
embodiments, the vaporiser 40 may comprise a conductive material located on an
external
surface of the wick 42. Such conductive material may appreciably take any
required shape
on the surface of the wick 42, e.g. a spiral pattern; a raster pattern; or a
zig-zag pattern such
to allow the vaporiser 40 to efficiently vaporise the aerosolisable material
in the wick 42. As
will be appreciated, the conductive material may be connected to the
connection leads 41
which deliver power to the vaporiser 40, as is also the case for the
embodiments shown in
Figures 7-12 where the vaporiser 40 may be similarly connected to the
connection leads 41.
For the sake of completeness therefore, whilst the vaporiser 40 in accordance
with some
embodiments may be configured to extend around the wick 42, and/or be located
on an
external surface of the wick 42, which provides for a convenient arrangement
for efficiently
vaporising aerosolisable material form the wick 42, in accordance with other
embodiments
the vaporiser 40 may be configured to adopt other shapes and/or positions with
respect to
the wick 42 in the aerosol provision system 1.
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Turning to each sensor 200, in terms of how each sensor 200 may be configured
to output a
sensor signal to the control circuitry 18, it will be appreciated that each
such signal may be
sent using either a wired or wireless connection between the control circuitry
18 and the
respective sensor 200. In the particular non-limiting embodiments shown in
Figures 7-12, a
wired connection is provided between each sensor 200 and the control circuitry
18, and
which extends across the interface end 54 and corresponding receptacle 8
between the
control unit 4 and the cartridge 2 via the contact electrodes 46.
Similarly, in terms of how each sensor 200 may be powered, it will be
appreciated that this
may be achieved using either the power supply 16 (as shown in the embodiments
of Figures
7-10), or each sensor 200 comprising its own power source (not shown in the
Figures).
Finally, in respect of the exact type of each sensor 200, it will be
appreciated that the type of
sensor 200 will depend on the parameter which it is configured to measure. In
that respect
therefore, in accordance with some embodiments, each sensor 200 may be
configured to be
in contact with the wick 42 for detecting the at least one parameter of the
wick 42.
Alternatively, depending on the type of sensor 200 used, each sensor 200 may
be
configured to not be in contact with the wick 42 for detecting the at least
one parameter of
the wick 42. Put differently, in such embodiments, each sensor 200 may
comprise a non-
contact sensor. Such a non-contact sensor 200, purely as non-limiting example,
in
accordance with some embodiments might comprise a laser measure sensor (e.g.
for
detecting a physical dimension parameter of the wick 42), and/or comprise a
light emitter
and a light receiver (e.g. for detecting an optical parameter of the wick 42,
such as its colour
and/or reflectivity).
Returning to the disclosure of Figures 10 and 11A-11C, another aspect of the
present
disclosure relates to the aerosol provision system 1 herein described but
which further
comprises at least one doping agent which is configured to colour the
aerosolisable material
transport element / wick 42 a first colour at a first predetermined condition,
and which is
configured to colour the aerosolisable material transport element 42 a second
colour, which
is different from the first colour, at a second predetermined condition which
is different from
the first predetermined condition.
In essence, and with reference to the operations described with reference to
Figures 10 and
11A-11C, the above doping agent is configured to make it more easy to
identify, either
visually, or for the optical sensor to identify, any change in the colour of
the wick in instances
when a dry-out status of the aerosolisable material transport element 42 is
starting to occur.
In this way, the presence of the doping agent may be configured to speed up
the response
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time, and improve the accuracy, of the aerosol provision system 1 to detect a
dry-out status
of the wick.
In the above respect therefore, at a broad level, there may be herein provided
an aerosol
provision system 1 comprising an aerosolisable material transport element
(wick) 42 for
receiving aerosolisable material, and a vaporiser 42 configured to vaporise
the aerosolisable
material received in the aerosolisable material transport element 42. The
aerosol provision
system 1 may further comprise at least one doping agent which is configured to
colour the
aerosolisable material transport element 42 a first colour at a first
predetermined condition,
and which is configured to colour the aerosolisable material transport element
a second
colour, which is different from the first colour, at a second predetermined
condition which is
different from the first predetermined condition.
In terms of what the first and second predetermined condition might be, in
accordance with
some embodiments, the first predetermined condition may comprises a condition
when a
dry-out status of the aerosolisable material transport element has not
occurred, and wherein
the second predetermined condition comprises a condition when a dry-out status
of the
aerosolisable material transport element has occurred. In such embodiments
therefore, as
explained previously, the doping agent may be configured to speed up the
response time,
and improve the accuracy, of the aerosol provision system 1 to detect a dry-
out status of the
aerosolisable material transport element.
In accordance with a more specific embodiment, the first predetermined
condition may
comprise a first moisture content of the aerosolisable material transport
element, and the
second predetermined condition may comprise a second moisture content of the
aerosolisable material transport element which is less than the first moisture
content. In this
way therefore, in such embodiments the first moisture content may correspond
to a moisture
content for an aerosolisable material transport element which is saturated
with aerosolisable
material. Whereas the second moisture content may correspond to a moisture
content for
the aerosolisable material transport element which is not saturated with
aerosolisable
material, and/or which is subject to a dry-out status.
In respect of the above embodiments, it is envisaged that the doping agent
might comprise a
hydrochromic material, i.e. a material which is configured to change colour
when sufficiently
exposed to moisture. In this way, when the hydrochromic material is
sufficiently exposed to
the aerosolisable material, the hydrochromic material may contribute to the
formation of the
first colour, whereas when the hydrochromic material is insufficiently exposed
to the
aerosolisable material (e.g. in a dry-out status), the hydrochromic material
may contribute to
the formation of the second colour. Conveniently therefore, the implementation
of the
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hydrochromic material may significantly increase the effectiveness of the
aerosol provision
system 1, and/or any corresponding optical sensor 206, in so far as it may
create a much
greater contrast in colour between conditions when the aerosolisable material
transport
element 42 is saturated with aerosolisable material and conditions when the
aerosolisable
material transport element 42 is in a dry-out status with insufficient
aerosolisable material in
it. Put differently, and explained illustratively, the surprising introduction
of the hydrochromic
material has been found to increase the contrast in colour experienced between
the colour of
the aerosolisable material transport element shown in Figure 11A and the
colour of the
aerosolisable material transport element 42 shown in Figures 11B/11C.
With respect to the placement of the hydrochromic material in the above
embodiments, in
accordance with particular embodiments thereof, the aerosolisable material
transport
element may comprise the doping agent and/or the hydrochromic material.
In terms of the exact positioning of the hydrochromic material in the
aerosolisable material
transport element, in accordance with some particular embodiments, the
hydrochromic
material may be provided as a coating on at least a portion of the
aerosolisable material
transport element, and/or the hydrochromic material may be deposited or
located on an
external surface of the aerosolisable material transport element 42, such as
the portion 208.
Alongside, or in addition to, any potential use of a hydrochromic material in
the doping agent,
it is envisaged that the doping agent might comprise a thermochromic material,
i.e. a
material which is configured to change colour dependent on its temperature. In
this way,
when the thermochromic material is sufficiently cool (i.e. when the
aerosolisable material
transport element 42 is saturated with aerosolisable material), the
thermochromic material
may contribute to the formation of the first colour, whereas when the
thermochromic material
is sufficiently hot (e.g. in a dry-out status, as a result of the elevated
temperature in the
aerosolisable material transport element 42), the thermochromic material may
contribute to
the formation of the second colour. Put differently therefore, in embodiments
where a
thermochromic material is provided in the doping agent, in accordance with
such
embodiments at least, the first predetermined condition may comprise a first
predetermined
temperature of the aerosolisable material transport element, and the second
predetermined
condition may comprise a second predetermined temperature which is higher than
the first
predetermined temperature of the aerosolisable material transport element.
Conveniently, the implementation of the thermochromic material may
significantly increase
the effectiveness of the aerosol provision system 1, and/or any corresponding
optical sensor
206, in so far as it may create a much greater contrast in colour between
conditions when
the aerosolisable material transport element 42 is saturated with
aerosolisable material and
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conditions when the aerosolisable material transport element 42 is in a dry-
out status with an
elevated temperature. Put differently, and explained illustratively, the
presence of the
thermochromic material may assist in the creation of an increased contrast in
colour
experienced between the colour of the aerosolisable material transport element
shown in
Figure 11A and the colour of the wick shown in Figures 11B/11C where the
aerosolisable
material transport element is at an elevated temperature.
With respect to the placement of the thermochromic material in the above
embodiments, in
accordance with particular embodiments thereof, the aerosolisable material
transport
element may comprise the doping agent and/or the thermochromic material.
Where the thermochromic material is implemented in the aerosolisable material
transport
element, in accordance with some particular embodiments, the thermochromic
material may
be provided as a coating on at least a portion of the aerosolisable material
transport
element, and/or the thermochromic material may be deposited or located on an
external
surface of the aerosolisable material transport element 42, such as the
portion 208.
Alternatively, it may be that the aerosolisable material comprises the doping
agent and/or the
thermochromic material. In accordance with such embodiments, upon the delivery
of the
thermochromic material to the aerosolisable material transport element 42 as
part of the
aerosolisable material, depending on the temperature of the aerosolisable
material transport
element 42, the colour of the thermochromic material may change between the
first colour
and the second colour. Specifically, in instances where the aerosolisable
material transport
element 42 is starting to dry out, and thus increases to an elevated
temperature, at the point
where the aerosolisable material is introduced to the aerosolisable material
transport
element 42 (AM), this elevation in temperature may cause the thermochromic
material from
the aerosolisable material at this point to adopt the second colour.
Conversely, in a non dry-
out status, the reduced temperature of the aerosolisable material transport
element 42 may
cause the thermochromic material which is introduced to the aerosolisable
material transport
element 42 at the point AM in to adopt/retain the first colour.
Where the doping agent comprises a thermochromic material, in accordance with
some
embodiments, the thermochromic material may also provide more of a striking
colour to the
aerosolisable material, which can make it more easily identifiable by the
optical sensor 206
in the embodiments where the optical sensor 206 is positioned as shown in
Figures 10 and
11A-11C, i.e. in the position which measures a portion 208 which is most
distal from the
locations where the aerosolisable material is configured to be received in the
wick 42 (MA).
In that respect specifically, the presence of the thermochromic material in
such embodiments
may again conveniently increase the effectiveness of the aerosol provision
system 1, and/or
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any corresponding optical sensor 206, in so far as it may create a much
greater contrast in
colour between conditions when the aerosolisable material transport element 42
is saturated
with aerosolisable material and the coloured thermochromic material (as per
Figure 11A)
and conditions when the aerosolisable material transport element 42 is in a
dry-out status
(as in Figures 11B and 11C) with insufficient aerosolisable material in it.
In accordance with the foregoing therefore, the introduction of the
thermochromic material in
the doping agent may conveniently increase the contrast in colour experienced
between the
colour of the aerosolisable material transport element shown in Figure 11A and
the colour of
the aerosolisable material transport element 42 shown in Figures 11B/11C. And
where the
aerosolisable material comprises the thermochromic material, this may
effectively also allow
for an aerosolisable material for use in an aerosol provision system 1,
wherein the
aerosolisable material comprises at least one doping agent comprising a
thermochromic
material, wherein the thermochromic material is configured to adopt a first
colour at a first
predetermined temperature, and is configured to adopt a second colour at a
second
predetermined temperature, wherein the second predetermined temperature is
higher than
the first predetermined temperature.
In so far as any doping agent is provided, such as the above described
thermochromic
material and/or hydrochromic material, where any resultant vapour from the
aerosol
provision system 1 is configured to be inhaled by the user, in accordance with
such
embodiments the doping agent may be non-toxic. Also in so far as any doping
agent is
provided, such as the above described thermochromic material and/or
hydrochromic
material, it will be appreciated that the doping agent may be organic or
inorganic, and may
comprise any combination of a dye; paint; ink; or pigment, depending on how
and where the
doping agent is provided in the aerosol provision system 1 (such as in the
aerosolisable
material transport element 42 or in the aerosolisable material itself), as
explained previously.
For the sake of completeness, in accordance with these embodiments where the
doping
agent is provided, the aerosol provision system 1 in accordance with some
particular
embodiments therefor may nonetheless include the control circuitry 18 and the
at least one
sensor 200;206 for detecting the colour of the aerosolisable material
transport element 42. In
such embodiments, as mentioned previously, each sensor 200;206 may be then
configured
to output a sensor signal containing data related to the colour of the
aerosolisable material
transport element; wherein the control circuitry 18 is configured to process
the data from the
sensor signal of each sensor 200;206 to determine the colour of the
aerosolisable material
transport element.
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In response to the control circuitry 18 in such embodiments determining the
colour of the
aerosolisable material transport element as being the second colour, the
control circuitry 18
in some particular embodiments thereof may be then configured to output the
control signal,
as explained previously with respect to Figures 7-9 at least, and which might
for instance
comprise a command to disable the operation of the aerosol provision system 1
and/or a
command to disable the operation of the vaporiser 40; and/or which might
comprise a
command to provide a notification to a user.
In accordance with some embodiments provided herein, to potentially avoid the
need for the
control circuitry 18, a portion of the aerosolisable material transport
element may be made
visible to the user for detecting the colour of the aerosolisable material
transport element.
This might be achieved, for instance, by providing at least one window 212 or
at least one
transparent/translucent portion 212 in the aerosol provision system 1 through
which the user
may be configured to manually observe the colour of the aerosolisable material
transport
element 42, from a position outside the aerosol provision system 1. Such an
embodiment is
shown in Figure 12.
Thus, described herein are a number of configurations for the aerosol
provision system 1
which conveniently allow it to measure at least one parameter of the
aerosolisable material
transport element (wick) 42 to determine a status of thereof, such as a dry-
out status thereof.
Moving away from Figure 7-12, and turning now to the embodiments of Figure 13
(and also
Figure 14), there is shown schematically a cross section view of another
modified version of
the aerosol provision system 1, including the cartridge 2 and the control unit
4. The aerosol
provision system 1; cartridge 2; and control unit 4 shown in Figures 13 and 14
are based on
the construction of the corresponding aerosol provision system 1; cartridge 2;
and control
unit 4; shown in Figures 1-6B, and comprise similar components as set out by
the reference
numerals that are common to both sets of Figures. For instance, the cartridge
2 from Figures
13 and 14 comprise a vaporiser 40, which comprises a heating element, and
wherein the
cartridge 2 defines a reservoir 31 which extends around an aerosol outlet tube
38. In
accordance with such embodiments, the reservoir 31 may be annular, and is
configured for
containing aerosolisable material for aerosolising. Similarly, the control
unit 4 from Figures
13-14 may comprise the plastic outer housing 10 including the receptacle wall
12 that
defines the receptacle 8 for receiving the end of the cartridge 2. The control
unit 4 from
Figure 13-14 may also comprise the control circuitry 18 and the power
supply/battery 16. In
such embodiments, the cartridge 2 may comprise the contact electrodes 46 for
engaging
with the control unit 4 for transferring power between the control circuitry
18 in the control
unit 4 and the vaporiser 40 in the cartridge 2.
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Conscious of the above, and starting with Figure 13, a first modification to
the aerosol
provision system is it being configured to monitor at least one parameter of
the vaporiser 40,
which is not the electrical resistance of the heating element, to determine a
failure state of
the aerosol provision system 1. At its broadest level, it is envisaged that
such a failure state
could correspond to any adverse state in the aerosol provision system. Though
in
accordance with some particular embodiments, the failure state could
correspond to the
vaporiser exceeding a predetermined temperature, and/or the vaporiser
experiencing a dry-
out state. In such a dry-out state, this may correspond to a state where the
vaporiser 40 is
not saturated with aerosolisable material. During such a dry-out state
therefore, as the
vaporiser 40 is operated, this may cause the vaporiser 40 to become
excessively hot, as a
result of there being an insufficient amount of aerosolisable material in the
proximity of the
vaporiser 40 to help cool the vaporiser 40 down.
In such a dry-out state, in so far as the aerosol provision system 1 is
configured to monitor at
least one parameter of the vaporiser 40 to determine a failure state of the
aerosol provision
system 1 (which in some particular embodiments could correspond to a failure
state of the
vaporiser 40), this may allow the aerosol provision system 1 to react in such
instances where
a dry-out state is detected, as will be described.
From the foregoing therefore, there may be effectively provided an aerosol
provision system
comprising 1 a reservoir 31 for aerosolisable material; and a vaporiser 40,
comprising a
heating element, for vaporising aerosolisable material from the reservoir,
wherein the
aerosol provision system 1 is configured to monitor at least one parameter of
the vaporiser
40, which is not the electrical resistance of the heating element, to
determine a failure state
of the aerosol provision system 1.
In accordance with some embodiments, the aerosol provision system 1 may
further
comprise the control circuitry 18, such that the control circuitry 18 is
configured to determine
the failure state of the aerosol provision system 1. In accordance with such
embodiments,
the aerosol provision system may be further provided with at least one sensor
300 for
monitoring the at least one parameter, wherein each sensor 300 is configured
to output a
sensor signal containing data related to the at least one parameter to the
control circuitry 18.
With such data, the control circuitry 18 may be configured to process the data
from the
sensor signal of each sensor 300 to determine the failure state of the aerosol
provision
system 1.
In terms of what the above described at least one parameter may be, it is
envisaged that this
at least one parameter could comprise a number of different parameters
relating to the
vaporiser 40 as will be described.
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In the above respect, and with reference to Figure 13, in accordance with some
embodiments, the at least one parameter may comprise a magnetic parameter of
the
vaporiser 40. In accordance with some particular embodiments thereof, the at
least one
sensor 300 may then comprise a first sensor 302 for detecting the magnetic
parameter, and
for outputting a first sensor signal containing first data related to the
magnetic parameter. In
terms of what such a first sensor 302 might be, it is envisioned that this
sensor may be any
sensor which is able to monitor the magnetic parameter. In that respect, and
in a very
particular embodiment, the first sensor may comprise a Hall effect sensor.
In accordance with a particular embodiment where the parameter is a magnetic
parameter,
the magnetic parameter may comprise the magnetic field strength generated by
the
vaporiser 40. In accordance with such embodiments, the control circuitry 18
may be then
configured to determine a magnetic field strength value from the first data of
the first sensor
signal; compare the magnetic field strength value against a predetermined
magnetic field
strength value; and then determine the failure state of the aerosol provision
system 1 in the
event that the magnetic field strength value is less than the predetermined
magnetic field
strength value. In the above respect, and particularly where the failure state
corresponds to
a dry-out state of the vaporiser 40, as the temperature of the vaporiser 40
increases, the
magnetic field strength from the vaporiser 40 may be begin to decrease.
Accordingly, by
setting the predetermined magnetic field strength value to a temperature of
the vaporiser 40
which corresponds to the failure/dry-out state of the vaporiser 40, the above
embodiments
may provide for a convenient arrangement for detecting the failure state of
the aerosol
provision system 1.
In accordance with some embodiments where the at least one parameter comprises
a
magnetic parameter, to further facilitate the aerosol provision system 1 being
able to
determine the failure state, the vaporiser 40 may comprise a ferromagnetic
material, which in
accordance with some particular embodiments may comprise a Curie temperature
which is
greater than a first predetermined temperature, and which is less than a
second
predetermined temperature, wherein the second predetermined temperature is
higher than
the first predetermined temperature. In accordance with such particular
embodiments, the
first predetermined temperature may correspond to an operating temperature of
the
vaporiser where the vaporiser is saturated with aerosolisable material.
Conversely, the
higher second predetermined temperature may correspond to a temperature of the
vaporiser
when the vaporiser 40 is no longer saturated with aerosolisable material, i.e.
when the
vaporiser is subject to a dry-out state.
35 Where such a Curie temperature is employed, in accordance with some
embodiments
thereof, the predetermined magnetic field strength value may correspond to the
magnetic
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field strength of the vaporiser 40 at the Curie temperature, i.e. at a
temperature when the
failure state of the aerosol provision system 1 is indicative. As to the exact
material for the
vaporiser 40 which may provide such a required Curie temperature, it will be
appreciated
that this material may be selected depending on the particular relative
geometry and
materials used in the aerosol provision system 1. In accordance with some very
particular
non-limiting embodiments, however, it has been found that a ferromagnetic
material
comprising an alloy comprising nickel and chromium may provide a particularly
suitable
Curie temperature in accordance with the aerosol provision systems 1
comprising the
geometry and features described herein, and as shown in the Figures.
Aside from the monitoring of any magnetic parameter, yet staying with Figure
13, in
accordance with some embodiments, the at least one parameter may
alternatively/additionally comprise an emissivity parameter of the vaporiser
40. In
accordance with such embodiments, the at least one sensor 300 may then
comprise a
second sensor 304 (as shown in Figure 13), such as (but not limited to) an
infrared sensor,
for detecting the emissivity parameter, and for outputting a second sensor
signal containing
second data related to the emissivity parameter. With respect to such an
emissivity
parameter, as the temperature of vaporiser 40 changes (e.g. between a first
operating
temperature of the vaporiser where the vaporiser is saturated with
aerosolisable material,
and a higher second temperature when the vaporiser is no longer saturated with
aerosolisable material), the emissivity of the vaporiser will change in
accordance with this
temperature change. From the foregoing therefore, and in accordance with some
embodiments, the second data may be related to the emissivity parameter from
any relevant
portion of the vaporiser 40, such as an external surface thereof.
With any such second data, the control circuitry 18 may be configured to
determine an
emissivity value from the second data of the second sensor signal, and then
compare the
emissivity value against at least one predetermined emissivity value to
determine the failure
state of the aerosol provision system 1. Such an emissivity value in
accordance with some
particular embodiments may vary between 0 and 1. In terms of the predetermined
emissivity
value, this will appreciably depend on the composition of the vaporiser 40,
and its notional
emissivity at the point where the failure/dry-out state occurs. In that
respect therefore, where
the control circuitry 18 determines that the emissivity value sufficiently
deviates from the
predetermined emissivity value, i.e. is greater than and/or less than the
predetermined
emissivity value by a predetermined amount, the control circuitry 18 may be
then configured
to determine the failure state of the aerosol provision system 1.
In accordance with some embodiments, the at least one parameter may comprise a
resonant frequency of the vaporiser 40, such that the control circuitry 18 may
be further
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configured to determine the resonant frequency of the vaporiser; and compare
the resonant
frequency against at least one predetermined frequency value to determine the
failure state
of the aerosol provision system.
In accordance with such embodiments, it will be appreciated that as the
temperature of the
vaporiser 40 changes, the corresponding resonant frequency of the vaporiser
will also
change. Any such changes in the resonant frequency will be particularly
noticeable where
the vaporiser comprises a heating element such as a heating coil, such as in
the
arrangement shown in Figures 13 and 14. More specifically in the above
respects, as the
temperature of the vaporiser 40 changes, any perceived reactance (capacitive
and/or
inductance) properties of the vaporiser 40 will change based on the
temperature of the
vaporiser 40. Commensurately therefore, any temperature of the vaporiser 40
will cause the
vaporiser to exhibit a particular resonant frequency for that temperature,
which can be
determined by the control circuitry 18, and then compared with the
predetermined frequency
value.
With respect to how the resonant frequency may be determined by the control
circuitry 18, it
will be appreciated that this may be achieved in a number of different ways.
In accordance
with a particular (non-limiting) embodiment, the resonant frequency could be
determined by
the control circuitry 18 applying a predetermined voltage to the vaporiser 40,
at a plurality of
different frequencies. The control circuitry 18 may then compare the voltage
response
across the vaporiser 40 for each frequency to determine the resonant
frequency. In
accordance with some particular embodiments thereof, the predetermined voltage
may be
provided by the power supply 16.
Similarly, in respect of the predetermined frequency value, it is envisaged
that the
predetermined frequency value may correspond to the resonant frequency of the
vaporiser
at the cusp of a failure (dry-out) state, whereat the vaporiser is no longer
saturated with
aerosolisable material.
In accordance with the above embodiments, and other embodiment alike, the
aerosol
provision system 1 may comprise a power supply 16 configured to provide
alternating
current, AC, power to the vaporiser 40, for facilitating the determination of
the resonant
frequency.
Staying with a frequency response of the vaporiser 40, and turning to Figure
14, in
accordance with some embodiments, the at least one parameter may comprise a
frequency
of vibration of the vaporiser, wherein the aerosol provision system 1 further
comprises a third
sensor 306 for detecting the frequency of vibration of the vaporiser 40. In
accordance with
such embodiments, during the operation of the vaporiser 40, a vibrational
effect may be
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created therein as a result of the power provided by the power supply 16 to
the vaporiser 40.
Such a vibrational effect may therefore result in a vibration frequency
creating an audible
and/or visible response, which can be detected by the third sensor 306.
Although not limited
thereto, such vibrations may be particularly prevalent for a vaporiser 40
taking the form of a
heating coil 40, shown in the Figure 14, where the reactance properties of the
coil shape
may create more prevalent vibrations.
As to the type of third sensor 306 employed in the above embodiments, in
accordance with
some particular embodiments thereof, the third sensor 306 may comprise a
vibration sensor;
a microphone; and/or a piezoelectric sensor for detecting the vibration
frequency of the
vaporiser 40. Any such third sensor 306, as required, may also be a contact
sensor which is
in contact with the vaporiser 40 (as shown in Figure 14), or a non-contact
sensor (e.g. in the
case of the third sensor being a microphone).
Whatever the type of third sensor 306 which is employed, in accordance with
some
embodiments, the third sensor 306 may be configured to output a third sensor
signal, to the
control circuitry 18, containing data related to the frequency of vibration of
the vaporiser 40.
In such embodiments, the control circuitry 18 may be then configured to
process the data
from the third sensor signal to determine the vibration frequency of the
vaporiser 40, and
then compare the vibration frequency against at least one predetermined
vibration frequency
value to determine the failure state of the aerosol provision system.
In the above respect, and concerning the predetermined vibration frequency
value, it is
envisaged that this may correspond to the exhibited vibration frequency of the
vaporiser at
the cusp of a failure (dry-out) state, whereby the vaporiser 40 is no longer
saturated with
aerosolisable material.
From the foregoing therefore, it will be seen that a variety of different
parameters of the
vaporiser 40 have been described, and which can be monitored by the aerosol
provision
system 1 to determine a failure state of the aerosol provision system 1, such
as a dry-out
state.
Whatever the parameter(s) of the vaporiser 40 which is monitored, in response
to detecting
the failure state, the control circuitry 18 in accordance with some
embodiments may be
configured to control an operation of the aerosol provision system, such as
disabling the
operation of the aerosol provision system 1 and/or disabling the operation of
the vaporiser
40. In accordance with some embodiments, the control circuitry 18 may be
further configured
to generate an output signal for providing a notification to a user. In
accordance with some
embodiments thereof, the output signal may comprise at least one of: an
optical signal, an
acoustic signal, and a haptic signal, which can be used to provide a
notification to the user.
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Such a notification, in accordance with some particular embodiments, may
include any of: a
notification to the user that the aerosolisable material requires refilling;
that the cartridge 2
requires replacing (where a cartridge 2/control unit 4 arrangement is
employed); and/or a
notification to the user that at least a portion of the aerosol provision
system 1 has
overheated.
To implement the above notifications, as required, in accordance with some
embodiments,
the aerosol provision system 1 may further comprise any one or combination of
an optic
element (such as an LED), an acoustic element (such as a speaker) and a haptic
feedback
element (such as a vibrator). Appreciably, in some particular embodiments to
those set out
above, any such optical/acoustic/haptic feedback element(s) may be most
conveniently
located on the control unit 4 (where such a cartridge 2/control unit 4
arrangement is
employed).
With regards to the mechanisms described herein for determining the failure
state of the
aerosol provision system 1, it will be appreciated these mechanisms may be
applicable to
any aerosol provision system 1 whereby the vaporiser 40 is configured for
vaporising
aerosolisable material from a reservoir 31 of such aerosolisable material. In
that respect, any
delivery mechanism may be provided for transferring the aerosolisable material
from the
reservoir 31 to the vaporiser 40. In accordance with some embodiments, this
delivery
mechanism may comprise the wick 42. In such embodiments, the wick 42 may be
configured
to receive the aerosolisable material from the reservoir 31, wherein the
vaporiser 40 is
configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material received in the wick 42.
Where the wick 42 is present, it will be appreciated that the wick 42 may take
several forms.
In accordance with some embodiments, such as the aerosol provision systems 1
shown in
the Figures, the wick 42 may be a capillary wick comprising a first end 42A
and a second
end 42B which is opposite the first end 42A. Equally, the wick 42 may comprise
a fibrous
material, and/or in some embodiments may comprise a ceramic material.
Where the wick 42 comprises a ceramic material, in some particular embodiments
thereof,
the vaporiser 40 may comprise a conductive material located on an external
surface of the
wick 42. Such conductive material may appreciably take any required shape on
the surface
of the wick 42, e.g. a spiral pattern; a raster pattern; or a zig-zag pattern
such to allow the
vaporiser 40 to efficiently vaporise the aerosolisable material in the wick
42. As will be
appreciated, the conductive material may be connected to the connection leads
41 which
deliver power to the vaporiser 40.
With regard to the construction of the vaporiser 40 which might be used with
the aerosol
provision systems 1 described herein, it will be appreciated that the
vaporiser 40 may take a
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variety of different forms. In that respect, and in accordance with some
particular
embodiments, the vaporiser 40 may comprise a heating element such as a heating
coil. In
accordance with some particular embodiments where the wick 42 is present, in
such
embodiments the heating coil may be coiled, and/or extend around, the wick 42
(e.g. as
shown in the Figures). Equally, as noted above, in accordance with some other
embodiments, the vaporiser 40 might be located on a wick 42 comprising a
ceramic material.
Appreciating the foregoing, it is envisaged that the mechanisms described
herein for
determining the failure state of the aerosol provision system 1 may be located
in a number of
different aerosol provision system 1, and in a number of different
configurations with respect
to the remaining components of each such aerosol provision system 1. In
accordance with
some embodiments, such as that shown in Figures 13 and 14, the mechanism may
be
located in an aerosol provision system 1 comprising the cartridge and the
control unit 4. In
such embodiments, the reservoir 31 and the vaporiser 40, along with any
provided sensor(s)
300 may be located in the cartridge 2. In such embodiments, the control unit 4
may then
comprise the cartridge receiving section 8 that includes the interface
arranged to
cooperatively engage with the cartridge 2 so as to releasably couple the
cartridge 2 to the
control unit 4.
Equally, in some embodiments, the entirety of the detecting mechanism may be
located in
the cartridge 2. In such embodiments, there may be provided, at least, a
cartridge 2 for an
aerosol provision system 1 comprising the cartridge 2 and a control unit 4,
wherein the
cartridge 2 comprises: the reservoir 31 for aerosolisable material; and the
vaporiser 40,
comprising the heating element, for vaporising aerosolisable material from the
reservoir 31.
In accordance with such embodiments, the cartridge 2 may be configured to
monitor at least
one parameter of the vaporiser 40, which is not the electrical resistance of
the heating
element 40, to determine a failure state of the cartridge 2, such as (but not
limited to) a dry-
out state of the cartridge 2.
In embodiments where the control unit 4 comprises a portion of the detecting
mechanism,
such as the control circuitry 18 and the power supply 16, there may be
provided a
corresponding mechanism for transferring power and/or any signals between the
portion of
the detecting mechanism in the control unit 4, and the remaining portion (such
as the
vaporiser 40 and any sensor(s) 300) present in the cartridge 2. In that
respect therefore, and
in accordance with some embodiments such as those shown in Figures 13 and 14,
a wired
connection may be provided between the cartridge 2 and the control unit 4, and
which
extends across the interface end 54 and corresponding receptacle 8 between the
control unit
4 and the cartridge 2 via the contact electrodes 46, for transferring
power/signals between
the cartridge and the control unit 4. It will be appreciated that in such
embodiments however,
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a wireless connection could equally be used to bridge any required
power/signals between
the cartridge 2 and the control unit 4, such to obviate the need for the
contact electrodes 46.
In accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure, a cartridge for an
aerosol
provision system may generally comprise a housing part having a mouthpiece end
and an
interface end, wherein the mouthpiece end includes an aerosol outlet for the
cartridge and
the interface end includes an interface for coupling the cartridge to a
control unit. An air
channel wall (which may be formed by various components of the cartridge)
extends from an
air inlet for the cartridge to the aerosol outlet via an aerosol generation
region in the vicinity
of a vaporiser. The cartridge has a reservoir within the housing part
containing aerosolisable
material for aerosolisation. The reservoir is defined by a region within the
housing part which
is outside the air channel and an end of the reservoir at the interface end of
the housing part
is sealed by a resilient plug comprising a base part and an outer wall,
wherein the outer wall
of the resilient plug forms a seal with an inner surface of the housing part.
Respective ends
of a aerosolisable material transport element pass through opening in the air
channel or into
the reservoir so as to convey aerosolisable material from the reservoir to the
vaporiser.
One aspect of some particular cartridge configurations in accordance with
certain
embodiments of the disclosure is the manner in which the resilient plug 44
provides a seal to
the housing part 32. In particular, in accordance with some example
implementations the
outer wall 102 of the resilient plug 44 which seals to the inner surface of
the housing part 32
to form the end of the aerosolisable material reservoir extends in direction
parallel to the
longitudinal axis of the cartridge to a position which is further from the
interface end of the
cartridge than the aerosolisable material transport element / vaporiser. That
is to say, the
ends of the aerosolisable material transport element extends into the
aerosolisable material
reservoir in a region which is surrounded by the outer sealing wall of the
resilient plug. Not
only does this help seal the reservoir against leakage, it allows the geometry
of the reservoir
in the region which supplies the aerosolisable material transport element with
aerosolisable
material to be governed by the geometry of the resilient plug. For example,
the radial
thickness of the reservoir in this region can readily be made smaller than the
radial thickness
in other longitudinal positions along the air channel, which can help trap
aerosolisable
material in the vicinity of the aerosolisable material transport element,
thereby helping to
reduce the risk of dry out for different orientations of the cartridge during
use.
The outer wall of the resilient plug may, for example, contact the inner
surface of the housing
part at locations over a distance of at least 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm and
10 mm in a
direction extending from the interface end to the mouthpiece end (i.e.
parallel to the
longitudinal axis). The outer wall of the resilient plug may be in contact
with the inner surface
of the housing over the majority of this distance, or the outer wall of the
resilient plug may
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include a number of (e.g. four) circumferential ridges 140 to help improve
sealing. The
resilient plug may be slightly oversized relative to the opening in the
housing part so that it is
biased into slight compression. For example, for the implementation shown in
Figure 3B, the
interior width of the housing part into which the resilient plug is inserted
in the plane of this
figure is around 17.5 mm, whereas the corresponding width of the resilient
plug is around 18
mm, thereby placing the resilient plug into compression when inserted into the
housing part.
As can be most readily seen in Figures 5A to 5C, whereas the outer cross
section of the
cartridge housing part is symmetric under a 1800 rotation, the resilient plug
44 does not have
the same symmetry because it includes a flat 142 on one side to accommodate
the air
channel gap 76 provided by the double-walled section 74 of the housing part
(i.e. the
resilient plug is asymmetric in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis
of the cartridge to
accommodate the double-walled section of the housing part).
In terms of the radial size / width of the reservoir in the annular region
where the
aerosolisable material transport element extends into the reservoir, a
distance between the
air channel wall and the outer wall of the resilient plug in this region may,
for example, be in
the range 3 mm to 8 mm. In the example cartridge discussed above which has a
generally
oval housing part and a generally circular air channel, it will be appreciated
the thickness of
the reservoir is different at different locations around the air channel. In
this example the
aerosolisable material transport element is arranged to extend into the
reservoir in the region
where it is widest in the axial direction, i.e. into the "lobes" of the oval
reservoir around the
air channel. The portions of the aerosolisable material transport element that
extend into the
reservoir may, for example, have a length, as measured from the interior of
the air channel
wall, in the range 2 mm to 8 mm, e.g. in the range 3 mm to 7 mm or in the
range 4 mm to 6
mm. The specific geometry in this regard (and for other aspects of the
configuration) may be
chosen having regard to a desired rate of aerosolisable material transport,
for example
having regard to the capillary strength of the aerosolisable material
transport element and
the viscosity of the aerosolisable material, and may be established for a
given cartridge
design through modelling or empirical testing.
Another aspect of some particular cartridge configurations in accordance with
certain
embodiments of the disclosure is the manner in which the air channel is routed
through the
cartridge, and in particular from the air inlet to the vicinity of the
vaporiser (the aerosol
generation region). In particular, whereas in a conventional cartridges an air
inlet is typically
provided at the interface end of the cartridge, in accordance with certain
embodiments of the
disclosure, an air inlet for the cartridge is located in a side wall of the
housing part at a
position which is further from the interface end than at least a part of the
resilient plug that
seals an end of the reservoir. Thus, the air channel in the cartridge is
initially routed from the
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air inlet towards the interface end and bypasses the resilient plug before
changing direction
and entering the aerosol generation chamber through the resilient plug. This
can allow the
outer surface of the cartridge at the interface end, where it is closest to
the vaporiser, to be
closed, thereby helping to reduce the risk of leakage from the cartridge, both
in terms of
aerosolisable material coming through the openings in the air channel which is
not retained
by the aerosolisable material transport element in the air channel (e.g. due
to saturation /
agitation) or aerosolisable material that has being vaporised but condensed
back to
aerosolisable material in the air channel during use. In some implementations,
a distance
from air inlet to the interface end of the housing part may be at least 5 mm,
6 mm, 7 mm, 8
mm, 9 mm or 10 mm.
In some example implementations an absorbent element, for example a portion of
sponge
material or a series of channels forming a capillary trap, may be provided
between the air
inlet and the aerosol generation chamber, for example in the region air
channel formed
between the base of the resilient plug and the end cap, to further help reduce
the risk of
leakage by absorbing aerosolisable material that forms in the air channel and
so helping
prevent the aerosolisable material travelling around the air channel through
the air inlet or
towards the aerosol outlet.
In some example implementations the air channel from the air inlet to the
aerosol outlet may
have its smallest cross-sectional area where it passes through the hole 106 in
the resilient
plug. That is to say, the hole in the resilient plug may be primarily
responsible for governing
the overall resistance to draw for the electronic cigarette.
Another aspect of some particular cartridge configurations in accordance with
certain
embodiments of the disclosure is the manner in which the dividing wall element
divides the
air reservoir into two regions, namely a main region above the dividing wall
(i.e. towards a
Mouthpiece end of the cartridge) and a aerosolisable-material-supply region
below the
dividing wall (i.e. on the same side of the dividing wall as where the
aerosolisable material
transport element extends from the vaporiser into the reservoir). The dividing
wall includes
openings to govern the flow of aerosolisable material on the main region to
the aerosolisable
material supply region. The dividing wall can help retain aerosolisable
material in the
aerosolisable material supply region of the reservoir, example when the
electronic cigarette
is tilted through various orientations, which can help avoid dry out. The
dividing wall can also
conveniently provide a mechanical stop for the resilient plug to abut / press
against so as to
help correctly locate the resilient plug during assembly and maintain the
resilient plug in
slight compression between the dividing wall and the end cap when the
cartridge is
assembled.
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In the example discussed above, the dividing wall is formed as a separate
element form the
housing part, wherein an inner surface of the housing part includes one or
more protrusions
arranged to contact the side of the dividing wall facing the mouthpiece end of
the cartridge to
locate the dividing wall along a longitudinal axis of the cartridge, but in
other examples the
dividing wall may be integrally formed with the housing part.
In the example discussed above the dividing wall is in the form of an annular
band around
the air channel and comprises four fluid communication openings 150 located in
respective
quadrants of the band. However, more or fewer openings through the dividing
wall may be
provided in different implementations. Individual openings may, for example,
have an area of
between 4 mm2 and 15 mm2.
A combined area for the at least one openings as a fraction of the total area
of the dividing
wall exposed to aerosolisable material supply region of the reservoir region
may be, for
example, from 20% to 80%; 30% to 70% or 40% to 60%.
It will be appreciated that while the above description has focused on some
specific cartridge
configurations comprising a number of different features, cartridges in
accordance with other
embodiments of the disclosure may not include all these features. For example,
in some
implementations an air path generally of the kind discussed above, i.e. with
an air inlet which
is in a sidewall of the cartridge and closer to the mouthpiece end of the
cartridge than the
vaporiser, may be provided in a cartridge which does not include a resilient
plug with an
outer sealing wall which extends around the vaporiser and / or does not
include a dividing
wall element of the kind discussed above. Similarly, a cartridge which does
include a
resilient plug with an outer sealing wall which extends around the vaporiser
may have an air
inlet into the cartridge which is at the interface end of the cartridge, and
not in a sidewall, and
which may also not have a dividing wall element of the kind discussed above.
Furthermore,
a cartridge which does include a dividing wall element, might not include an
air inlet located
further from the interface end of the cartridge than the vaporiser and / or an
extended outer
sealing wall for a resilient plug as discussed above.
Thus, there has been described an aerosol provision system comprising a
reservoir for
aerosolisable material; a wick configured to receive the aerosolisable
material from the
reservoir, a vaporiser configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material
received in the wick,
wherein the aerosol provision system is configured to measure at least one
parameter of the
wick to determine a status of the wick.
There has also been described a cartridge for an aerosol provision system
comprising the
cartridge and a control unit, wherein the cartridge comprises:
a reservoir for aerosolisable material;
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a wick configured to receive the aerosolisable material from the reservoir;
and
a vaporiser configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material received in the
wick,
wherein the cartridge is configured to measure at least one parameter of the
wick to
determine a status of the wick.
There has also been described an aerosolisable material for use in an aerosol
provision
system, wherein the aerosolisable material comprises at least one doping agent
comprising
a thermochromic material, wherein the thermochromic material is configured to
adopt a first
colour at a first predetermined temperature, and is configured to adopt a
second colour at a
second predetermined temperature, wherein the second predetermined temperature
is
higher than the first predetermined temperature.
There has also been described a cartridge for an aerosol provision system
comprising the
cartridge and a control unit, wherein the cartridge comprises:
an aerosolisable material transport element for receiving aerosolisable
material, and
a vaporiser configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material received in the
aerosolisable
material transport element, and
at least one doping agent which is configured to colour the aerosolisable
material
transport element a first colour at a first predetermined condition, and which
is configured to
colour the aerosolisable material transport element a second colour, which is
different from
the first colour, at a second predetermined condition which is different from
the first
predetermined condition.
There has also been described an aerosol provision system comprising an
aerosolisable
material transport element for receiving aerosolisable material, and a
vaporiser configured to
vaporise the aerosolisable material received in the aerosolisable material
transport element;
wherein the aerosol provision system further comprises at least one doping
agent
which is configured to colour the aerosolisable material transport element a
first colour at a
first predetermined condition, and which is configured to colour the
aerosolisable material
transport element a second colour, which is different from the first colour,
at a second
predetermined condition which is different from the first predetermined
condition.
There has also been described an aerosolisable material transport element for
receiving
aerosolisable material, wherein the aerosolisable material transport element
comprises at
least one doping agent which is configured to colour the aerosolisable
material transport
element a first colour at a first predetermined condition, and which is
configured to colour the
aerosolisable material transport element a second colour, which is different
from the first
colour, at a second predetermined condition which is different from the first
predetermined
condition.
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There has also been described an aerosol provision system comprising:
a reservoir for aerosolisable material; and
a vaporiser, comprising a heating element, for vaporising aerosolisable
material from
the reservoir,
wherein the aerosol provision system is configured to monitor at least one
parameter
of the vaporiser, which is not the electrical resistance of the heating
element, to determine a
failure state of the aerosol provision system.
There has also been described a cartridge for an aerosol provision system
comprising the
cartridge and a control unit, wherein the cartridge comprises:
a reservoir for aerosolisable material; and
a vaporiser, comprising a heating element, for vaporising aerosolisable
material from
the reservoir,
wherein the cartridge is configured to monitor at least one parameter of the
vaporiser,
which is not the electrical resistance of the heating element, to determine a
failure state of
the cartridge.
There has also been described an aerosol provision system 1 comprising a
reservoir 31 for
aerosolisable material; a wick 42 configured to receive the aerosolisable
material from the
reservoir 31, a vaporiser 40 configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material
received in the
wick 42, wherein the aerosol provision system 1 is configured to measure at
least one
parameter of the wick 42 to determine a status of the wick 42. The parameter
may be the
moisture content of the wick 42, at least one physical dimension of the wick
42, and/or an
optical parameter, such as the colour of an external surface of the wick 42,
or the reflectivity
of an external surface of the wick 42.
While the above described embodiments have in some respects focussed on some
specific
example aerosol provision systems, it will be appreciated the same principles
can be applied
for aerosol provision systems using other technologies. That is to say, the
specific manner in
which various aspects of the aerosol provision system function, for example in
terms of the
underlying form of the vaporiser or vaporiser technology used are not directly
relevant to the
principles underlying the examples described herein.
In that respect, it will also be appreciated that various modifications may be
made to the
embodiments of aerosol provision system described herein. For instance,
although the
vaporiser 40 has been described in a number of the above embodiments as being
located in
the cartridge, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments the vaporiser
may be located
in the control unit of the aerosol provision system.
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In order to address various issues and advance the art, this disclosure shows
by way of
illustration various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be
practiced. The
advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of
embodiments
only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented only to
assist in
understanding and to teach the claimed invention(s). It is to be understood
that advantages,
embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects
of the
disclosure are not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined
by the claims or
limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments may be
utilised and
modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims.
Various
embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of,
various
combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps,
means, etc.
other than those specifically described herein, and it will thus be
appreciated that features of
the dependent claims or clauses may be combined with features of the
independent claims or
independent clauses in combinations other than those explicitly set out in the
claims and clauses.
The disclosure may include other inventions not presently claimed, but which
may be claimed
in future. In effect, any combination of feature(s) from one set of claims
many be combined
with any other individual feature(s) from any of the remaining set of claims
or clauses.
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First Set of Clauses
1. An aerosolisable material for use in an aerosol provision system,
wherein the
aerosolisable material comprises at least one doping agent comprising a
thermochromic
material, wherein the thermochromic material is configured to adopt a first
colour at a first
predetermined temperature, and is configured to adopt a second colour at a
second
predetermined temperature, wherein the second predetermined temperature is
higher than
the first predetermined temperature.
2. An aerosolisable material according to clause 1, wherein the
aerosolisable material is
liquid.
3. An aerosolisable material according to any preceding clause, wherein the
aerosolisable material is a gel.
4. A cartridge for an aerosol provision system, wherein the cartridge
contains a
reservoir containing the aerosolisable material according to any preceding
clause, and an
aerosol forming substrate for receiving the aerosolisable material from the
reservoir.
5. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 1-3, wherein the
aerosol
provision system contains a reservoir for containing the aerosolisable
material according to
clause 1, and an aerosol forming substrate for receiving the aerosolisable
material from the
reservoir.
6. A cartridge for an aerosol provision system comprising the cartridge and
a control
unit, wherein the cartridge comprises:
an aerosolisable material transport element for receiving aerosolisable
material, and
a vaporiser configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material received in the
aerosolisable
material transport element, and
at least one doping agent which is configured to colour the aerosolisable
material
transport element a first colour at a first predetermined condition, and which
is configured to
colour the aerosolisable material transport element a second colour, which is
different from
the first colour, at a second predetermined condition which is different from
the first
predetermined condition.
7. A cartridge for an aerosol provision system according to clause 6,
wherein the
cartridge further comprises a reservoir for containing aerosolisable material,
and wherein the
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aerosolisable material transport element is configured to receive the
aerosolisable material
from the reservoir.
8. An aerosol provision system comprising an aerosolisable material
transport element
for receiving aerosolisable material, and a vaporiser configured to vaporise
the aerosolisable
material received in the aerosolisable material transport element;
wherein the aerosol provision system further comprises at least one doping
agent
which is configured to colour the aerosolisable material transport element a
first colour at a
first predetermined condition, and which is configured to colour the
aerosolisable material
transport element a second colour, which is different from the first colour,
at a second
predetermined condition which is different from the first predetermined
condition.
9. An aerosol provision system according to clause 8, wherein the aerosol
provision
system further comprises a reservoir for containing aerosolisable material,
and wherein the
aerosolisable material transport element is configured to receive the
aerosolisable material
from the reservoir.
10. An aerosol provision system according to clause 8 or 9, wherein the
aerosolisable
material transport element comprises the doping agent.
11. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 8 to 10,
further comprising
the aerosolisable material.
12. An aerosol provision system according to clause 11, wherein the
aerosolisable
material comprises the doping agent.
13. An aerosol provision system according to clause 11 or 12, wherein the
aerosolisable
material comprises a liquid.
14. An aerosol provision system according to clause 11 or 12, wherein the
aerosolisable
material comprises a gel.
15. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 8 to 14,
wherein the doping
agent comprises a hydrochromic material.
16. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 8 to 15,
wherein the first
predetermined condition comprises a first moisture content of the
aerosolisable material
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transport element, and the second predetermined condition comprises a second
moisture
content of the aerosolisable material transport element which is less than the
first moisture
content.
17. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 8-16, wherein
the doping
agent comprises a thermochromic material.
18. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 8-17, wherein
the first
predetermined condition comprises a first predetermined temperature of the
aerosolisable
material transport element, and the second predetermined condition comprises a
second
predetermined temperature which is higher than the first predetermined
temperature of the
aerosolisable material transport element.
19. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 8-18, wherein
the doping
agent comprises a dye or pigment.
20. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 8-19, wherein
the aerosol
provision system comprises control circuitry and at least one sensor for
detecting the colour
of the aerosolisable material transport element, wherein each sensor is
configured to output
a sensor signal containing data related to the colour of the aerosolisable
material transport
element; and
wherein the control circuitry is configured to process the data from the
sensor signal
of each sensor to determine the colour of the aerosolisable material transport
element.
21. An aerosol provision system according to clause 20, wherein response to
the control
circuitry determining the colour of the aerosolisable material transport
element as being the
second colour, the control circuitry is configured to output a control signal.
22. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 8-21, wherein a
portion of
the aerosolisable material transport element is visible to the user for
detecting the colour of
the aerosolisable material transport element.
23. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 8-22, further
comprising a
cartridge and a control unit,
wherein the aerosolisable material transport element and the vaporiser is
located in
the cartridge,
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wherein the control unit comprises a cartridge receiving section that includes
an
interface arranged to cooperatively engage with the cartridge so as to
releasably couple the
cartridge to the control unit, wherein the control unit further comprises a
power supply for
delivering power to the vaporiser.
24. An aerosolisable material transport element for receiving aerosolisable
material,
wherein the aerosolisable material transport element comprises at least one
doping agent
which is configured to colour the aerosolisable material transport element a
first colour at a
first predetermined condition, and which is configured to colour the
aerosolisable material
transport element a second colour, which is different from the first colour,
at a second
predetermined condition which is different from the first predetermined
condition.
25. A method of indicating a change in condition of an aerosolisable
material transport
element which is configured to receive aerosolisable material from a reservoir
of
aerosolisable material, wherein the method comprises:
colouring the aerosolisable material transport element a first colour at a
first
predetermined condition using a doping agent; and
colouring the aerosolisable material transport element a second colour at a
second
predetermined condition, using the doping agent, wherein the second
predetermined
condition is different from the first predetermined condition.
26. A method according to clause 25, wherein the first predetermined
condition
comprises a first predetermined temperature of the aerosolisable material
transport element,
and the second predetermined condition comprises a second predetermined
temperature
which is higher than the first predetermined temperature of the aerosolisable
material
transport element.
27. A method according to clause 25 or 26, wherein the aerosolisable
material transport
and the reservoir are located in an aerosol provision system further
comprising a vaporiser
configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material received in the
aerosolisable material
transport element.
28. A method according to clause 25 or 26, wherein the aerosolisable
material transport
and the reservoir are located in a cartridge for an aerosol provision system,
the cartridge
further comprising a vaporiser configured to vaporise the aerosolisable
material received in
the aerosolisable material transport element.
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Second Set of Clauses
1. An aerosol provision system comprising:
a reservoir for aerosolisable material; and
a vaporiser, comprising a heating element, for vaporising aerosolisable
material from
the reservoir,
wherein the aerosol provision system is configured to monitor at least one
parameter
of the vaporiser, which is not the electrical resistance of the heating
element, to determine a
failure state of the aerosol provision system.
2. The aerosol provision system according to clause 1, wherein the aerosol
provision
system further comprises control circuitry which is configured to determine
the failure state of
the aerosol provision system.
3. The aerosol provision system according to clause 2, further comprising
at least one
sensor for monitoring the at least one parameter, wherein each sensor is
configured to
output a sensor signal containing data related to the at least one parameter
to the control
circuitry;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to process the data from the
sensor signal
of each sensor to determine the failure state of the aerosol provision system.
4. The aerosol provision system of clause 3, wherein the at least one
parameter
comprises a magnetic parameter of the vaporiser; and
wherein the at least one sensor comprises a first sensor for detecting the
magnetic
parameter, and for outputting a first sensor signal containing first data
related to the
magnetic parameter.
5. The aerosol provision system of clause 4, wherein the magnetic parameter
is the
magnetic field strength generated by the vaporiser, and wherein the control
circuitry is
further configured to:
determine a magnetic field strength value from the first data of the first
sensor signal;
compare the magnetic field strength value against a predetermined magnetic
field
strength value; and
determine the failure state of the aerosol provision system in the event that
the
magnetic field strength value is less than the predetermined magnetic field
strength value.
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6. The aerosol provision system of clause 5, wherein the vaporiser
comprises a
ferromagnetic material which comprises a Curie temperature which is greater
than a first
predetermined temperature, and which is less than a second predetermined
temperature,
wherein the second predetermined temperature is higher than the first
predetermined
temperature;
wherein the predetermined magnetic field strength value corresponds to the
magnetic field strength of the vaporiser at the Curie temperature.
7. The aerosol provision system of clause 6, wherein the ferromagnetic
material
comprises an alloy comprising nickel and chromium.
8. The aerosol provision system of any of clauses 4-7, wherein the first
sensor
comprises a Hall effect sensor.
9. The aerosol provision system of any of clauses 3-8, wherein the at least
one
parameter comprises an emissivity parameter of the vaporiser; and
wherein the at least one sensor comprises a second sensor for detecting the
emissivity parameter, and for outputting a second sensor signal containing
second data
related to the emissivity parameter.
10. The aerosol provision system of clause 9, wherein the second sensor
comprises an
infrared sensor.
11. The aerosol provision system of clause 9 or 10, wherein the control
circuitry is
configured to:
determine an emissivity value from the second data of the second sensor
signal; and
compare the emissivity value against a predetermined emissivity value to
determine
the failure state of the aerosol provision system.
12. The aerosol provision system of any of clauses 3-11, wherein the at
least one
parameter comprises a frequency of vibration of the vaporiser, wherein the
aerosol provision
system further comprises a third sensor for detecting the frequency of
vibration of the
vaporiser, wherein the third sensor is configured to output a third sensor
signal, to the control
circuitry, containing data related to the frequency of vibration of the
vaporiser;
wherein the control circuitry is further configured to process the data from
the third
sensor signal to determine the vibration frequency of the vaporiser; and
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compare the vibration frequency against at least one predetermined vibration
frequency value to determine the failure state of the aerosol provision
system.
13. The aerosol provision system of any of clauses 2-12, wherein the at
least one
parameter comprises a resonant frequency of the vaporiser, wherein the control
circuitry is
further configured to:
determine the resonant frequency of the vaporiser; and
compare the resonant frequency against at least one predetermined frequency
value
to determine the failure state of the aerosol provision system.
14. The aerosol provision system of any of preceding clause, further
comprising a power
supply configured to provide alternating current, AC, power to the vaporiser.
15. The aerosol provision system of clause 14, when further dependent on
clause 13,
wherein the control circuitry is configured to vary the frequency of the AC
power provided to
the vaporiser to determine the resonant frequency of the vaporiser.
16. An aerosol provision system according to any preceding clause, wherein
the failure
state of the aerosol provision system comprises the vaporiser exceeding a
predetermined
temperature.
17. An aerosol provision system according to any preceding clause, wherein
the failure
state of the aerosol provision system comprises the vaporiser experiencing a
dry-out state.
18. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 2-17, wherein
response to
detecting the failure state, the control circuitry is further configured to:
disable the operation of the aerosol provision system.
19. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 2-18, wherein
response to
detecting the failure state, the control circuitry is further configured to:
disable the operation of the vaporiser.
20. An aerosol provision system according to any of clauses 2-19, wherein
response to
detecting the failure state, the control circuitry is further configured to:
generate an output signal for providing a notification to a user.
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21. An aerosol provision system according to clause 20, wherein the output
signal is at
least one of: an optical signal, an acoustic signal, and a haptic signal.
22. An aerosol provision system according to any preceding clause, further
comprising a
cartridge and a control unit,
wherein the reservoir and the vaporiser are located in the cartridge,
wherein the control unit comprises a cartridge receiving section that includes
an
interface arranged to cooperatively engage with the cartridge so as to
releasably couple the
cartridge to the control unit.
23. The aerosol provision system of clause 22 when further dependent on
clause 3,
wherein the cartridge comprises the at least one sensor.
24. The aerosol provision system of clause 22 or 23 when further dependent
on clause
14, wherein the control unit comprises the power supply.
25. An aerosol provision system according to any preceding clause, further
comprising a
wick for receiving aerosolisable material from the reservoir, wherein the
vaporiser is
configured to vaporise the aerosolisable material received in the wick.
26. An aerosol provision system according to any preceding clause, wherein
the heating
element comprises a heating coil.
27. A cartridge for an aerosol provision system comprising the cartridge
and a control
unit, wherein the cartridge comprises:
a reservoir for aerosolisable material; and
a vaporiser, comprising a heating element, for vaporising aerosolisable
material from
the reservoir,
wherein the cartridge is configured to monitor at least one parameter of the
vaporiser,
which is not the electrical resistance of the heating element, to determine a
failure state of
the cartridge.
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