Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ARTICLE FOR AN AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an article for an aerosol provision system
and an
aerosol provision system comprising the article.
BACKGROUND
Electronic aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-
cigarettes)
generally contain an aerosol-generating material, such as a reservoir of a
source liquid
containing a formulation, typically including nicotine, or a solid material
such as 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 an
aerosol generator, e.g. a heating element, arranged to aerosolise a portion of
aerosol-
generating 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 aerosol generator, 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 aerosol generator and forms a condensation aerosol. The air
drawn through
the aerosol generation region continues along the air channel to a mouthpiece,
carrying
some of the aerosol with it, and out through the mouthpiece for inhalation by
the user.
It is common for aerosol provision systems to comprise a modular assembly,
often
having two main functional parts, namely an aerosol provision device and an
article.
Typically the article will comprise the consumable aerosol-generating material
and the
aerosol generator (heating element), while the aerosol provision device part
will comprise
longer-life items, such as a rechargeable battery, device control circuitry
and user interface
features. The aerosol provision device may also be referred to as a reusable
part or battery
section and the article may also be referred to as a consumable,
disposable/replaceable
part, cartridge or cartomiser.
The aerosol provision device and article are mechanically coupled together at
an
interface for use, for example using a screw thread, bayonet, latched or
friction fit fixing.
When the aerosol-generating material in an article has been exhausted, or the
user wishes
to switch to a different article having a different aerosol-generating
material, the article may
be removed from the aerosol provision device and a replacement article may be
attached to
the device in its place_ Alternatively, some articles are configured such
that, after the
aerosol-generating material in the article has been exhausted, the article can
be refilled with
more aerosol-generating material, thereby allowing the article to be reused.
In this example,
the user is able to refill the article using a separate reservoir of aerosol-
generating material.
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The aerosol-generating material used to refill the article may be the same or
different to the
previous aerosol-generating material in the article, thereby allowing the user
to change to a
different aerosol-generating material without purchasing a new article.
Refilling the article with aerosol-generating material extends the life of the
article as
its use is no longer limited by the volume or amount of aerosol-generating
material that the
article can hold. As a result, the use of the article may be limited by other
factors, such as
the life of individual components within the article. Continuous use of the
article may
therefore result in degradation or fault developing in components within the
article. The
article may therefore become less reliable, the operation of the article less
predictable or the
article may stop working entirely, each of which has a negative impact on the
user
experience.
Various approaches are described herein which seek to help address or mitigate
some of the issues discussed above.
SUMMARY
The disclosure is defined in the appended claims.
In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided an
article
for an aerosol provision system comprising an aerosol generator, article
control circuitry and
one or more connectors electrically coupled to the aerosol generator and the
article control
circuitry. In use, the article control circuitry and the aerosol generator
receive electrical
power via the one or more connectors.
The aerosol generator and article control circuitry can be electrically
connected in
parallel.
A pull down resistor may be provided to modify the voltage of the electrical
power
supplied to the article control circuitry.
In use, data can be transferred, using the connectors, between the article
control
circuitry and a device coupled to the article.
There may also be one or more data connectors electrically coupled to the
article
control circuitry. In use, data is transferred, using the connectors, between
the article control
circuitry and a device coupled to the connectors and the data connectors.
A switch may be provided, and the article control circuitry can be configured
to control
electrical power supplied to the aerosol generator by actuating the switch.
The article control
circuitry can be configured to actuate the switch based on a value of a
counter stored in
memory of the article control circuitry. The switch can be in series with the
aerosol
generator, and the switch can be integrated into the article control
circuitry.
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In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided an
aerosol provision system comprising the article described herein. The aerosol
provision
system can comprise an aerosol provision device.
In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided a
method
of controlling an article for an aerosol provision system comprising receiving
electrical power
from a device coupled to the article via one or more connectors, and
controlling electrical
power supplied to the aerosol generator via the one or more connectors and
controlling data
transfer between the article and device in response to an inhalation on the
aerosol provision
system by a user of the aerosol provision system.
There is also provided a computer readable storage medium comprising
instructions
which, when executed by a processor, performs the above method.
These aspects and other aspects will be apparent from the following detailed
description. In this regard, particular sections of the description are not to
be read in
isolation from other sections.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only,
with
reference to accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol provision system;
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an example article for use in the aerosol
provision
system illustrated in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a further schematic diagram of an example article for use in the
aerosol
provision system illustrated in Figure 1;
Figures 4A and 4B are further schematic diagrams of example articles 30 for
use in
the aerosol provision system 10 illustrated in Figure 1;
Figures 5A and 5B are further schematic diagrams of example articles 30 for
use in
the aerosol provision system 10 illustrated in Figure 1;
Figures 6A to 6F are further schematic diagrams of example articles 30 for use
in the
aerosol provision system 10 illustrated in Figure 1;
Figure 7 is a flow chart of a method of controlling an article for an aerosol
provision
system.
Figure 8 is a flow chart of a further method of controlling an article for an
aerosol
provision system.
Figure 9 is a flow chart of a further method of controlling an article for an
aerosol
provision system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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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 articles
and systems
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 aerosol provision systems, which may also be
referred to as aerosol provision systems, such as e-cigarettes. 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 and
electronic aerosol provision system.
As noted above, aerosol provision systems (e-cigarettes) often comprise a
modular
assembly including both a reusable part (aerosol provision device) and a
replaceable
(disposable) or refillable cartridge part, referred to as an article. Systems
conforming to this
type of two-part modular configuration may generally be referred to as two-
part systems or
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 system employing
refillable
cartridges. However, it will be appreciated the underlying principles
described herein may
equally be adopted for other electronic cigarette configurations, for example
modular
systems 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.
As described above, the present disclosure relates to (but it not limited to)
articles of
aerosol provision systems, such as e-cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.
Figure 1 is a highly schematic diagram (not to scale) of an example aerosol
provision
system 10, such as an e-cigarette, to which embodiments are applicable. The
aerosol
provision system 10 has a generally cylindrical shape, extending along a
longitudinal or y
axis as indicated by the axes (although aspects of the invention are
applicable to e-
cigarettes configured in other shapes and arrangements), and comprises two
main
components, namely an aerosol provision device 20 and an article 30.
The article 30 comprises or consists of aerosol-generating material 32, part
or all of
which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. An article 30 may
comprise one or
more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area 39,
an
aerosol-generating material transfer component 37, an aerosol generation area,
a housing, a
wrapper, a mouthpiece 35, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent.
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An article 30 may also comprise an aerosol generator 36, such as a heating
element,
that emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material 32 to generate
aerosol in use. The
aerosol generator 36 may, for example, comprise combustible material, a
material heatable
by electrical conduction, or a susceptor. It should be noted that it is
possible for the aerosol
generator 36 to be part of the aerosol provision device 20 and the article 30
then may
comprise the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 for the aerosol-
generating material
32 such that, when the article 30 is coupled with the aerosol provision device
20, the
aerosol-generating material 32 can be transferred to the aerosol generator 36
in the aerosol
provision device 20.
Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating
aerosol, for
example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. The aerosol-
generating
material 32 may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which
may or may not
contain an active substance and/or flavourants. In some embodiments, the
aerosol-
generating material 32 may comprise an "amorphous solid", which may
alternatively be
referred to as a "monolithic solid" (i.e. non-fibrous). In some embodiments,
the amorphous
solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may
retain some fluid,
such as liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating
material 32 may for
example comprise from about 50wt%, 60wt% or 70wt% of amorphous solid, to about
90wt%,
95wt% or 100wt% of amorphous solid.
The aerosol-generating material comprises one or more ingredients, such as one
or
more active substances and/or flavourants, one or more aerosol-former
materials, and
optionally one or more other functional materials such as pH regulators,
colouring agents,
preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.
The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material,
which
is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The
active
substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, and
psychoactives.
The active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The
active
substance may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine,
vitamins such as B6
or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or
combinations thereof.
The active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or
extracts of
tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.
In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine.
In some
embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin
B12.
The aerosol provision device 20 includes a power source 14, such as a battery,
configured to supply electrical power to the aerosol generator 36. The power
source 14 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
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high currents over relatively short periods. The battery 14 may be recharged
through the
charging port (not illustrated), which may, for example, comprise a USB
connector.
The aerosol provision device 20 includes device control circuitry 28
configured to
control the operation of the aerosol provision system 10 and provide
conventional operating
functions in line with the established techniques for controlling aerosol
provision systems
such as electronic cigarettes. The device control circuitry (processor
circuitry) 28 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 device control
circuitry 28 may
comprise power source control circuitry for controlling the supply of
electrical power from the
power source 14 to the aerosol generator 36, 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.
It will be
appreciated the functionality of the device control circuitry 28 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.
The aerosol provision device 20 includes one or more air inlets 21. In use, as
a user
inhales on the mouthpiece 35, air is drawn into the aerosol provision device
20 through the
air inlets 21 and along an air channel 23 to the aerosol generator 36, where
the air mixes
with the vaporised aerosol-generating material 32 and forms a condensation
aerosol. The
air drawn through the aerosol generator 36 continues along the air channel 23
to a
mouthpiece 35, carrying some of the aerosol with it, and out through the
mouthpiece 35 for
inhalation by the user. Alternatively, the one or more air inlets 21 may be
included on the
article 30, such that the air channel 23 is entirely contained within the
article 30.
By way of a concrete example, the article 30 comprises a housing (formed,
e.g., from
a plastics material), an aerosol-generating material storage area 39 formed
within the
housing for containing the aerosol-generating material 32 (which in this
example may be a
liquid which may or may not contain nicotine), an aerosol-generating material
transfer
component 37 (which in this example is a wick formed of e.g., glass or cotton
fibres, or a
ceramic material configured to transport the liquid from the reservoir using
capillary action),
an aerosol-generating area containing the aerosol generator 36, and a
mouthpiece 35.
Although not shown, a filter and/or aerosol modifying agent (such as a flavour
imparting
material) may be located in, or in proximity to, the mouthpiece 35. The
aerosol generator 36
of this example comprises a heater element formed from an electrically
resistive material
(such as NiCr8020) spirally wrapped around the aerosol-generating material
transfer
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component 37, and located in the air channel 23. The area around the heating
element and
wick combination is the aerosol-generating area of the article 30.
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an example article 30 for use in the
aerosol
provision system 10 illustrated in Figure 1, where the same reference signs
have been used
for like elements between the article 30 illustrated in Figure 1 and the
article 30 illustrated in
Figure 2. As per the article 30 illustrated in Figure 1, the article 30
illustrated in Figure 2
includes an aerosol-generating material storage area 39 for storing an aerosol-
generating
material 32, an aerosol-generating material transfer component 37, an aerosol
generation
area containing an aerosol generator 36, and a mouthpiece 35.
The article 30 illustrated in Figure 2 is configured to be refilled and
reused. In other
words, the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 of the article 30
illustrated in Figure 2
can be refilled with aerosol-generating material 32 once some or all of the
aerosol-
generating material 32 contained in the aerosol-generating material storage
area 39 has
been exhausted or depleted. To facilitate the refilling or replenishment of
aerosol-generating
material 32, the article 30 has a refilling tube 33 extending between the
aerosol-generating
material storage area 39 and the exterior or an outer surface of the housing
of the article 30,
thereby creating a refilling orifice 34. Aerosol-generating material 32 can
then be inserted
into the aerosol-generating material storage area 39 via the refilling orifice
34 and refilling
tube 33. It will be appreciated, however, that such a configuration of a
refilling tube 33 and a
refilling orifice 34 is not essential, and the article 30 may comprise any
other suitable means
of facilitating the refilling of the aerosol-generating material storage area
39 with aerosol
generating material 32.
The refilling orifice 34 and/or the refilling tube 33 may be sealable, for
example with a
cap or one-way valve, in order to ensure that aerosol-generating material 32
does not leak
out of the refilling orifice 34. Although the refilling orifice 34 is
illustrated in Figure 2 as being
on the same end or surface of the article 30 as the air channel 23 and
interface with the
aerosol provision device 20, this is not essential. The refilling orifice 34
may be located at
the end of the article 30 comprising the mouthpiece 35, for example proximate
to the outlet
of the air channel 23 on the mouthpiece 35, such that the refilling tube 33
extends between
the end of the article 30 comprising the mouthpiece 35 and the aerosol-
generating material
storage area 39. In this case, the article 30 does not necessarily need to be
separated from
the aerosol provision device 20 in order to refill the article 30 with aerosol-
generating
material 32, as the refilling orifice 34 is not obstructed by the aerosol
provision device 20
when the article 30 is coupled with the aerosol provision device 20.
The article 30 illustrated in Figure 2 also comprises article control
circuitry 38
configured to control the operation of the article 30 and store parameters
and/or data
associated with the article 30. The parameters associated with the article 30
may include,
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for example, a serial number and/or stock keeping unit (SKU) for the article
30 or other
means of identifying the article 30 and/or the type of the article 30, a date
of manufacture
and/or expiry of the article 30, an indication of the number of times the
article 30 has been
refilled, the capacity of the aerosol-generating material storage area 39
and/or the amount of
aerosol-generating material remaining in the aerosol-generating material
storage area 39.
As described above in relation to the device control circuitry 28, the article
control circuitry 38
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. For example, the article control circuitry 38 may comprise a
microcontroller unit
(MCU) or a system on chip (SoC).
The article 30 illustrated in Figure 2 also comprises one or more connectors
31, such
as contact electrodes, connected via electrical wiring to the aerosol
generator 36 and the
article control circuitry 38. In use, the article 30 is coupled to the aerosol
provision device 20
and the connectors 31 mate with connectors on the aerosol provision device,
thereby
allowing electrical power and electrical current to be supplied from the
battery 14 of the
aerosol provision device 20 to the aerosol generator 36 and the article
control circuitry 38.
Figures 3 to 6 are further schematic diagrams of example articles 30 for use
in the
aerosol provision system 10 illustrated in Figure 1, where the same reference
signs have
been used for like elements between the articles 30 illustrated in Figures 1
to 6. For ease of
illustration, certain features of the article 30 have been omitted from
Figures 3 to 6, such as
the aerosol-generating material storage area 39, aerosol-generating material
32 and
mouthpiece 35, but it will be appreciated that the article 30 described with
reference to
Figures 3 to 6 may also contain some or all of these additional features
illustrated in Figure 2
but omitted from Figures 3 to 6.
As illustrated in Figure 3, the one or more connectors 31a, 31b are
electrically
coupled to the aerosol generator 36 and the article control circuitry 38 such
that, in use, the
article control circuitry 38 and aerosol generator 36 receive electrical power
via the same
one or more connectors. In other words, electrical power (voltage) is supplied
to the article
control circuitry 38 and aerosol generator 36 from the same input (positive
voltage) and
output (negative voltage or ground) wires. As illustrated in Figure 3, the
article control
circuitry 38 and aerosol generator 36 can be electrically connected to the
connectors 31a,
31b in parallel, but it will be appreciated that the article control circuitry
38 and aerosol
generator 36 can be electrically connected to the connectors 31a, 31b in
series. Supplying
electrical power to both the article control circuitry 38 and aerosol
generator 36 via the same
connector reduces the number of connectors and wiring required for the article
30, thereby
reducing the complexity of the article 30.
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As illustrated in Figure 3, there can be two connectors 31; an input (positive
voltage)
connector 31a and an output (negative voltage or ground) connector 31b. In
use, when the
article 30 is coupled to another device, such as the aerosol provision device
20, electrical
current is provided to the article 30 via the connectors 31a, 31b such that
current is able to
flow from the input connector 31a to both the article control circuitry 38 and
aerosol
generator 36 and then to the output connector 31b. Although there are two
connectors 31a,
31b illustrated in Figure 3, there may only be a single connector, such as a
pin, jack, plug or
socket connector that allows an input (positive voltage) wire and an output
(negative voltage
or ground) wire to be connected through the same connector 31.
As illustrated in Figures 4A and 4B, the article 30 can also comprise a switch
310. In
Figure 4A the switch 310 is in series with and upstream (in other words on the
input
connector 31a side) of the aerosol generator 36, whilst in Figure 4B the
switch 310 is in
series with and downstream (in other words on the output connector 31b side)
of the aerosol
generator 36. The article control circuitry 38 is configured to control the
electrical power
supplied to the aerosol generator 36 by actuating the switch 310. In other
words, the article
control circuitry 38 is configured to actuate the switch to selectively allow
or prevent electrical
power from being supplied to the aerosol generator 36. As illustrated in
Figures 4A and 4B,
the article control circuitry 38 is on a separate circuit to (in other words,
wired in parallel with)
the switch 310 and the aerosol generator 36 so that electrical power can be
supplied via the
connectors 31 to the article control circuitry 38 regardless of whether the
switch is open or
closed. This means that, when the article 30 is coupled to another device,
such as the
aerosol provision device 20, the article control circuitry 38 can receive
electrical power via
the connectors 31a, 31b without having to activate the aerosol generator 36.
The article
control circuitry 38 can therefore receive electrical power independently of
the aerosol
generator 36.
The article control circuitry 38 can be configured to keep the switch 310 open
by
default, such that electrical power is only transferred to the aerosol
generator 36 in response
to the article control circuitry 38 actuating (closing) the switch 310. In
this case, when the
article 30 is connected to a device, such as the aerosol provision device 20
or a refilling
device, only the article control circuitry 38 initially receives electrical
power; the aerosol
generator 36 will only receive electrical power when the article control
circuitry 38 actuates
the switch 310. This ensures that the aerosol generator 36 is not
inadvertently actuated as
soon as electrical power is received at the connectors 31a, 31b.
The article control circuitry 38 can be configured to actuate the switch 310
based on
a value of a counter stored in the memory of the article control circuitry 38.
In other words,
the switch is actuated by article control circuitry 38 such that whether or
not electrical power
is supplied to the aerosol generator 36 is dependent on the value of the
counter. For
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example, value of the counter can indicate the number of inhalations (or
puffs) performed on
the article 30 forming part of the aerosol provision system 10 by the user of
the aerosol
provision system 10. This may also correspond to the number of activations of
the aerosol
generator 36; in other words, the number of times power was supplied to the
aerosol
generator 36, since the aerosol generator 36 is activated each time a user
performs an
inhalation on the aerosol provision system 10 in order to generate an aerosol
for delivery to
the user. The article control circuitry 38 can then be configured to update
the value of the
counter in response to an inhalation on the aerosol provision system 10 by a
user of the
aerosol provision system 10. The value of the counter may be updated by
incrementing or
decrementing the value of the counter depending on the exact implementation of
the
counter, for example by a value of one for each inhalation performed by the
user. A user
may perform multiple inhalations within a short period of time, and the
article control circuitry
38 may be configured to update the value of the counter periodically (for
example every 10
seconds, every minute, 5 minutes or 10 minutes) to reflect the number of
inhalations
performed in that time period, rather than updating the counter in response to
each
inhalation.
The article control circuitry 38 can be configured to actuate (open) the
switch 310 to
prevent electrical power from being supplied to the aerosol generator 36 based
on a
comparison between the value of the counter and an inhalation limit, where in
the inhalation
limit represents the point at which the article 30 needs to be refilled. The
article control
circuitry 38 can then prevent electrical power from being supplied to the
aerosol generator
36 by keeping the switch 310 open until the article 30 (more specifically the
aerosol-
generating material storage area 39) has been refilled with aerosol-generating
material 32.
This prevents electrical power from being supplied to the aerosol generator 36
when there is
little or no aerosol-generating material 32 in the aerosol-generating material
storage area 39,
which could cause the aerosol generator 36 to dry out (as there is no aerosol-
generating
material 32 present to aerosolise) and/or cause the aerosol generator 36 to
overheat, which
could in turn cause damage to the aerosol generator 36 or other components of
the article
and aerosol generation system 10.
30
In response to the article 30 being refilled with aerosol-generating material
32, the
article control circuitry 38 can be configured to reset or update the value of
the counter (for
example to zero) to indicate that the article 30 has been refilled with
aerosol-generating
material 32. Accordingly, the next time the article control circuitry 38
compares the value of
the counter to the inhalation limit (for example in response to an inhalation
on the aerosol
provision system 10 by a user of the aerosol provision system 10), the article
control circuitry
38 can enable the supply of electrical power to the aerosol generator 36 by
actuating
(closing) the switch 310.
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Although in Figures 4A and 4B the switch 310 is illustrated as a separate
component
to the article control circuitry 38, the switch 310 may also be integrated
into the article control
circuitry 38 such that the switch 310 and the article control circuitry 38
form a single
component, such as a nnicrocontroller unit (MCU) or a system on chip (SoC) as
described
above.
The articles 30 illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B have an additional data wire
320 that
facilitates the transfer of data between the article control circuitry 38 and
a device coupled to
the article, such as the aerosol provision device 20 or a refilling device. In
use, when a
device (such as the aerosol provision device 20) is coupled to the article,
the article control
circuitry 38 is configured to send data to and receive data from the device.
As illustrated in
Figures 5A and 5B, the data wire 320 can be connected between the article
control circuitry
38 and one or more of the connectors 31, such as the input connector 31a, such
that data is
transferred between the article control circuitry 38 and the device using the
connectors 31.
In other words, the same connectors 31a, 31b on the article 30 are used for
transferring
electrical power to the aerosol generator 36, for transferring electrical
power to the article
control circuitry 38 and for transferring data to and from the article control
circuitry 38. For
example, fluctuations in the input voltage received via the input connector
31a and the data
wire 320 can be read by the article control circuitry 38 in order to receive
data from the
device. To send data to the device, the article control circuitry 38 can then
fluctuate the
input voltage on the data line 320 such that the fluctuations are transmitted
via the input
connector 31a to the device. This arrangement reduces the number of connectors
required
between the article 30 and the device coupled to the article 30, as the same
connectors can
be used for powering the components of the article 30 as for data transfer.
As illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B, there is a pull down resistor 325 on the
data wire
320 between the input connector 31a and the article control circuitry 38 in
order to modify
the voltage of the electrical power supplied to the article control circuitry
38 via the data line
320. For example, the voltage at the input connector 31a may be between 3.3
and 4.4V,
whilst the voltage received at the article control circuitry 38 via the data
wire 320 may be
around 2.8V because of the drop down resistor 325.
The article control circuity 38 illustrated in Figure 5A is directly connected
to the input
connector 31a, and therefore the article control circuity 38 receives the same
input voltage
as the aerosol generator 36 (for example, 3.3 to 4.4V). In contrast, the
article 30 illustrated
in Figure 5B has diodes 330 between the connectors 31a, 31b and the article
control
circuitry 38 to control the direction of current through the article control
circuitry 38 whilst still
allowing data to be transferred between the article control circuitry 38 and a
device coupled
to the article 30 using the connectors 31a, 31b. The diodes also act to limit
the voltage from
the input connector 31a to avoid damaging the article control circuitry 38
whilst electrical
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power is transferred to the aerosol generator 36. For example, an input
voltage of 3.3 to
4.4V at the input connector 31a can be transferred to the aerosol generator
36, whilst the
diodes 330 ensure a lower voltage (for example 2.8V) is supplied to the
article control
circuitry 38 as both the electrical power supply and for transferring data.
The article control circuitry 38 can be configured to actuate the switch 310
such that
data is only transferred to and from the article control circuitry 38 when the
switch is open
(and electrical power being transferred to the aerosol generator 36 is
prevented). This
means that the operation of the aerosol generator 36 is not adversely affected
by
fluctuations in the input voltage as a result of data being transferred to and
from the article
control circuitry 38.
For example, when the article 30 is coupled to the aerosol provision device
20, the
article control circuitry 38 can actuate the switch to ensure that data is
only transferred
between the article control circuitry 38 and the device control circuitry 28
when activation of
the aerosol generator 36 is not required (in other words, when a user is not
inhaling on the
aerosol provision system 10). The device control circuitry 28 and/or the
article control
circuitry 38 may be configured to detect an inhalation on the aerosol
provision system 10.
The device control circuitry 28 and/or the article control circuitry 38 can
then send an
indication to the other control circuitry to stop the transfer of data. In
response to stopping
the transfer of data, the article control circuitry 38 can then be configured
to actuate (close)
the switch 310 to allow electrical power to be provided to the aerosol
generator 36.
Similarly, in response to detecting the end of an inhalation (by the device
control circuitry 28
and/or the article control circuitry 38), the article control circuitry 38 can
be configured to
actuate (open) the switch 310 to prevent electrical power being provided to
the aerosol
generator 36, then provide an indication to the device control circuitry 28 to
indicate that data
transfer between the article control circuitry 38 and the device control
circuitry 28 can
commence again. Alternatively, there may be a switch on the data line 320 that
the article
control circuitry 38 is configured to actuated in order to enable or prevent
data transfer (by
closing or opening the switch, respectively).
Equally, when the article 30 is coupled to a refilling device (used to
fill/refill the
aerosol-generating material storage area 39 with aerosol-generating material
32), inhalations
are not performed on the mouthpiece 35 of the article 30 by the user, and
therefore aerosol
generation is not required. Accordingly, electrical power does not need to be
transferred to
the aerosol generator 36 when the article 30 is coupled to a refilling device.
The article
control circuitry 38 can therefore be configured to keep the switch 310 open
when the article
30 is coupled to the refilling device, thereby preventing electrical power
from being
transferred to the aerosol generator 36. For example, in response to receiving
electrical
power from the refilling device via the connectors 31a, 31b, the article
control circuitry 38 can
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be configured to determine that the article 30 has been coupled to the
refilling device, for
example by transferring data to and from the refilling device using the data
wire 320. In
response to determining that the article 30 has been coupled to the refilling
device, the
article control circuitry 38 can then be configured to keep the switch open,
such the aerosol
generator 36 does not received electrical power when the article 30 has been
coupled to the
refilling device.
Figures 6A to 6F illustrate a further arrangement for transferring data to and
from the
article control circuitry 38. In the same way as for the articles 30
illustrated in Figure 3, 4
and 5, the connectors 31a, 31b are electrically coupled to both the aerosol
generator 36 and
the article control circuitry 38 such that, in use, the article control
circuitry 38 and the aerosol
generate receive electrical power via the same connectors 31a, 31b. In
contrast to the
articles 30 illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B, the articles in Figure 6A to 6F
have one or more
data connectors 31c, 31d electrically coupled to the article control circuitry
38. The article 30
illustrated in Figures 6A and 6C to 6F have a single data connector 31c,
whilst the article 30
illustrated in Figure 6B has two data connectors 31c, 31d. The data connectors
31c, 31d
facilitate the transfer of data between the article control circuitry 38 and a
device, such as the
aerosol provision device 20, when the device is coupled to the connectors 31a,
31b and the
data connectors, 31c, 31d. In other words, when a device (such as the aerosol
provision
device 20) is coupled to the article 30, the connectors 31a, 31b mate with
power connectors
on the aerosol provision device 20, thereby allowing electrical power and
electrical current to
be supplied from the battery 14 of the aerosol provision device 20 to the
aerosol generator
36 and the article control circuitry 38 via the connectors 31a, 31b, whilst
the data connectors
31c, 31d mate with data connectors of the aerosol provision device 20, thereby
allowing the
transfer of data between the article control circuitry 38 and the device
control circuitry 28 via
the data connectors 31c, 31d. Accordingly, in the article 30 illustrated in
Figures 6A to 6F,
data can be transferred to and from the article control circuitry 38 via
different connectors to
the connectors via which electrical power is supplied to the aerosol generator
36 and the
article control circuitry 38. Alternatively, or in addition, data can be
transferred using the
connectors 31a, 31b as described above in relation to Figures 5A and 5B.
Having separate data connectors 31c, 31d for transferring data between the
article
control circuitry 38 and a device coupled to the article 30 means that the
input voltage at the
input connector 31a for supplying electrical power to the aerosol generator 36
and the article
control circuitry 38 is not altered or fluctuated when data is transferred to
and from the article
control circuitry 38. This allows a constant voltage to be supplied to the
aerosol generator
36 and the article control circuitry 38 at the same time as transferring data
between the
article control circuitry 38. For example, when the article 30 is coupled to
the aerosol
provision device 20, data can be transferred between the article control
circuitry 38 and the
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device control circuitry 28 via the data connectors 31c, 31d at the same time
as the aerosol
generator 36 is activated via the connectors 31a, 31b, such as during an
inhalation on the
mouthpiece 35 by a user of the aerosol provision system 10.
As described above, when the article 30 is connected to a refilling device,
electrical
power does not need to be supplied to the aerosol generator 36. For the
articles 30
illustrated in Figures 6A to 6F, the article control circuitry 38 can exchange
data with the
refilling device whilst preventing electrical power from being supplied to the
aerosol
generator 36 as described above in relation to Figures 5A and 5B, but in this
case the data
can be transmitted via the data connectors 31c, 31b whilst the article control
circuitry 38
receives electrical power via connectors 31a, 31b. As described above, the
switch 310 is
kept open, however, to prevent the supply of electrical power to the aerosol
generator 36.
As described above, the article control circuitry 38 may comprise integrated
circuit(s)/circuitry/chip(s)/chipset(s) configured to provide the
functionality described herein.
The article control circuitry 38 illustrated in Figures 6C to 6F is an
integrated circuit with four
connectors 381-384. As described above, the first connector 381 is the
positive supply
voltage (VCC), whilst the second connector 382 is the ground connector. The
third
connector 383 and fourth connector 394 are input/output connectors, with the
third connector
383 connected to the data connector 31c to enable data transfer whilst the
fourth connector
384 is connected to the switch 310 to enable the article control circuitry 38
to actuate the
switch 310 as described above. In particular, the fourth connector 384 is
located inside the
article 30 and is not directly connected to any of the connectors 31a-d. This
means the
fourth connector 384 cannot be easily accessed by the user of the aerosol-
provision device
10, thereby making it harder for the user to tamper with the article 30, for
example the user is
not able to supply electrical power to the aerosol generator 36 whilst
bypassing the article
control circuitry 38. This results in a more robust, tamper resistant article
30.
The article 30 illustrated in Figures 6D and 6F has a diode 330 between the
connector 31a and the article control circuitry 38 (i.e. the first connector
381) to control the
direction of current through the article control circuitry 38. The article
illustrated in Figures
6D and 6F also comprises one or more capacitors 340 between the first
connector 381 and
the second connector 382 to act as a power rectifier such that voltage can be
supplied to the
article control circuitry 38 when the connectors 31a, 31b are not electrically
connected to
either the aerosol provision device 20 or a refilling device. This also
prevents the value of
the counter stored in the memory of the article control circuitry 38 from
being erroneously
changed due to the input voltage to the article control circuitry 38 falling
to zero. This
ensures that the counter and the article control circuitry 38 continue to
function in their
intended fashion, and in particular that the article 30 cannot be used once
the value of the
counter has reached or exceeded the inhalation limit.
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The article 30 illustrated in Figures 3E and 3F has a Sziklai pair 350 between
the
fourth connector 384 and the switch 310. A Sziklai pair 350 comprises a pair
of bipolar
transistors 351, 352; the first transistor 351 is a PNP transistor and the
second transistor 352
is a NPN transistor. There is also a resistor 325 on each of the lines between
the voltage
line to the heater and the transistors 351, 352 of the Sziklai pair 350. The
Sziklai pair 350 is
used to control the supply of electrical power to the aerosol generator 36, in
particular to
pickup the output from the fourth connector 384 since the fourth connector 384
may have a
low power output. As illustrated in Figure 3F, when the Sziklai pair 350 used
in combination
with the power rectifier (diode 330 and capacitor 340), the voltage line into
the heater 36 is
entirely separate from the line between the fourth connector 384 and the
switch 310.
As described above, the present disclosure relates to (but it not limited to)
an article
30 for an aerosol provision system 10 comprising an aerosol generator 36,
article control
circuitry 38 and one or more connectors 31a, 31b electrically coupled to the
aerosol
generator 36 and the article control circuitry 38. In use, the article control
circuitry 38 and
the aerosol generator 36 receive electrical power via the one or more
connectors 31a, 31b.
Figure 7 is a flow chart of a method 700 of controlling an article 30 for an
aerosol
provision system 10, for example performed by the article control circuitry
38. The method
begins at step 710, where electrical power is received from a device via one
or more
connectors 31a, 31b. At step 720 the supply of electrical power to the aerosol
generator 36
via the one or more connectors 31a, 31b is controlled and data transfer
between the article
and device 20 is controlled in response to an inhalation on the aerosol
provision system
10 by a user of the aerosol provision system 10. The method then ends.
Figure 8 is a flow chart of a method 800 of controlling an article 30 for an
aerosol
provision system 10, for example performed by the article control circuitry 38
of the article 30
25 illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B. The method begins at step 810, where
electrical power is
received from a device via connectors 31a, 31b. At step 820, it is determined
whether an
inhalation has been detected. If an inhalation has been detected, the method
proceeds to
step 850, where data transfer via the connectors 31a, 31b is prevented, for
example by
sending a notification to the device via the connectors 31a, 31b or by opening
a switch on
30 the data line 320. The method then continues to step 860, where the
supply of electrical
power to the aerosol generator 36 via the connectors 31a, 31b is enabled, for
example by
closing the switch 310. The method then ends. If at step 820 it is determined
that an
inhalation has not been detected, the method proceeds to step 830, where the
supply of
electrical power to the aerosol generator 36 via the connectors 31a, 31b is
prevented, for
example by opening the switch 310 or keeping the switch 310 in the open
position. The
method then continues to step 840, where data transfer via the connectors 31a,
31b is
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enabled, for example by sending a notification to the device via the
connectors 31a, 31b or
by closing a switch on the data line 320. The method then ends.
Figure 9 is a flow chart of a further method 900 of controlling an article 30
for an
aerosol provision system 10, for example performed by the article control
circuitry 38 of the
article 30 illustrated in Figures 6A and 6B. The method begins at step 910,
where electrical
power is received from a device via connectors 31a, 31b. At step 920, it is
determined
whether an inhalation has been detected. If an inhalation has been detected,
the method
proceeds to step 930, where the supply of electrical power to the aerosol
generator 36 via
the connectors 31a, 31b is enabled, for example by closing the switch 310. The
method
then continues to step 950. If at step 920 it is determined that an inhalation
has not been
detected, the method proceeds to step 940, where the supply of electrical
power to the
aerosol generator 36 via the connectors 31a, 31b is prevented, for example by
opening the
switch 310 or keeping the switch 310 in the open position. The method then
continues to
step 950, where it is determined whether data transfer has been requested, for
example by a
signal or notification received from the device. If it is determined that data
transfer has been
requested, the method continues to step 960, where data transfer via the data
connector(s)
31c, 31d is enabled, for example by sending a notification to the device via
the data
connector(s) 31c, 31d or by closing a switch on the data line 320. The method
then ends. If
at step 950 it is determined that data transfer has not been request, the
method continues to
step 970, wherein data transfer via the data connector(s) 31c, 31d is
prevented, for example
by sending a notification to the device via the data connector(s) 31c, 31d or
by opening a
switch on the data line 320. Alternatively, no action may be necessary in
response to
determining that data transfer has not been requested. The method then ends.
As the
article 30 illustrated in Figures 6A and 6B allows for the transfer of data to
and from the
article 30 concurrently with supplying the aerosol generator with electrical
power, it will be
appreciated that the steps in method 900 may be performed in a different
order. In
particular, steps 920 to 940 may be performed concurrently, or independently
of steps 950 to
970.
The methods 700, 800, 900 illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9 may be stored as
instructions on a computer readable storage medium, such that when the
instructions are
executed by a processor, the methods 700, 800, 900 described above are
performed. The
computer readable storage medium may be non-transitory.
Thus, there has been described an article 30 for an aerosol provision system
10, a
method of controlling an article for an aerosol provision system and an
aerosol provision
system 10 comprising the article 30.
The various embodiments described herein are presented only to assist in
understanding and teaching the claimed features. These embodiments are
provided as a
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representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or
exclusive. It is to
be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features,
structures,
and/or other aspects described herein are not to be considered limitations on
the scope of
the invention 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 claimed invention. Various embodiments of the invention may
suitably
comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, appropriate combinations of
the disclosed
elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc., other than those
specifically
described herein. In addition, this disclosure may include other inventions
not presently
claimed, but which may be claimed in future.
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