Patent Application
20250000141
The present invention relates to an aerosol provision system, and methods of controlling an aerosol provision system.
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 system and electrical power is supplied to the aerosol generator, air is drawn into the system 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.
The characteristics of the air inhaled by a user are dependent on construction of the aerosol provision system and its components. A user inhaling an aerosol produced from a same type of aerosol generating material or formulation may have different experiences (e.g. smoother or rougher) when using different aerosol provision systems, because the air inhaled is drawn through different configuration of air passages. A user may therefore have different devices dependent on the type of experience they want, and whether they want to switch. It will be appreciated that carrying multiple devices is cumbersome for a user.
Various approaches are described herein which seek to help address or mitigate some of the issues discussed above.
The disclosure is defined in the appended claims.
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol provision system for generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material in an aerosol-generating region comprising: the aerosol generation region; and an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall of the aerosol generation region to vary a volume of the aerosol generation region; wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall based on an interaction of a user with the aerosol provision system.
According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of controlling an aerosol provision system for generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material in an aerosol-generating region; the method comprising: providing an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall of the aerosol generation region to vary a volume of the aerosol generation region; and adjusting the position and/or shape of at least one wall based on an interaction of the user with the aerosol provision system.
According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, performs a method of the second aspect.
According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided aerosol provision means comprising: an aerosol generation region; and adjustment means configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall of the aerosol generation region to vary a volume of the aerosol generation region; wherein the adjustment means is configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall based on an interaction of the user with the aerosol provision means.
According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol provision device for use with an aerosol generating article comprising aerosol generating material, which together form an aerosol provision system, wherein the aerosol provision system comprises an aerosol generation region where aerosol is generated from aerosol generating material, an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall of the aerosol generation region to vary a volume of the aerosol generation region, wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall based on an interaction of a user with the aerosol provision system, wherein the aerosol provision device comprises: circuitry configured to control the adjustment mechanism to adjust the position and/or shape of the at least one wall.
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.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to accompanying drawings, in which:
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.
As will be explained below, the present disclosure relates to an aerosol provision system for generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material in an aerosol-generating region comprising: the aerosol generation region; and an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall of the aerosol generation region to vary a volume of the aerosol generation region; wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall based on an interaction of a user with the aerosol provision system. By providing a system in which the position and/or shape of at one wall of the aerosol generation region can be adjusted to vary a volume of the aerosol generation region, the system allows for a degree of control over the characteristics of the aerosol produced in the aerosol provision system. The characteristics of the air inhaled by a user, and in particular the average particle size of the aerosol in the air inhaled by the user, are dependent on the shape and size of the aerosol generation region (i.e. defined by the chamber walls of the area in which aerosol is produced). A user inhaling an aerosol produced from a same type of aerosol generating material (e.g. formulation) may have different experiences (e.g. smoother or rougher, or mouth/throat inhalation or direct-to-lung inhalation) dependent on the volume of the aerosol generation region (or chamber). Larger particles are thought to deposit in the mouth/throat to a greater extent than smaller particles. As an example, if particles are generated with a relatively larger size, then they are more likely to deposit in the mouth or throat in the vicinity of the taste receptors providing a rougher, more flavoursome, experience; whereas if particles are generated with a relatively smaller size, then they are more likely to deposit in the lungs away from flavour receptors thereby providing a smoother experience.
Therefore rather than having to carry around multiple devices, or being restricted to only one experience when the user has only a single device, a user having the present aerosol provision system is able to have multiple different sensory experiences whilst using a single aerosol provision system. For example, a user may be able to select a particular position or a particular shape of the at least one wall (thereby changing the volume/geometry of the aerosol generation chamber) prior to using the aerosol provision device. Alternatively a controller of the device may be configured to select a particular position or a shape of the at least one wall prior to a user using the aerosol provision device in order to provide a user with an enhanced experience (e.g. based on a produced particle size) for the particular aerosol generating material (in some examples, a user may be able to override the position or shape selected by the controller).
The present disclosure relates to non-combustible aerosol provision systems, which may also be referred to as aerosol provision systems. According to the present disclosure, a “non-combustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is not combusted or burned in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating material is not a requirement. 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.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an aerosol-generating material heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid system to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or a plurality of which may be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid or gel and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating 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 a consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device.
In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to consumables comprising aerosol-generating material and configured to be used with non-combustible aerosol provision devices. These consumables are sometimes referred to as articles throughout the disclosure.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a non-combustible aerosol provision device thereof, may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may, for example, be an electric power source or an exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon substrate which may be energised so as to distribute power in the form of heat to an aerosol-generating material or to a heat transfer material in proximity to the exothermic power source.
In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise an area for receiving the consumable, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent.
A consumable is an article comprising or consisting of aerosol-generating material, part or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. A consumable may comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent. A consumable may also comprise an aerosol generator, such as a heater, that emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material to generate aerosol in use. The heater may, for example, comprise combustible material, a material heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor.
An aerosol generator is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is a heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to heat energy, so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.
Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosol-generating material may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may comprise one or more active substances and/or flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional materials.
In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material 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 may for example comprise from about 50 wt %, 60 wt % or 70 wt % of amorphous solid, to about 90 wt %, 95 wt % or 1 wt % of amorphous solid.
The active substance as used herein may be a legally permissible 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, 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.
As used herein, the terms “flavour” and “flavourant” refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste, aroma or other somatosensorial sensation in a product for adult consumers. They may include naturally occurring flavour materials, botanicals, extracts of botanicals, synthetically obtained materials, or combinations thereof, flavour enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators, sugars and/or sugar substitutes, 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, liquid such as an oil, solid such as a powder, or gas.
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 comprises flavour components extracted from cannabis.
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 eucolyptol, WS-3.
The aerosol-former material may comprise one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene 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 materials may comprise one or more of pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and/or antioxidants.
The aerosol-former material may be present on or in a support, to form a substrate. The support may, for example, be or comprise paper, card, paperboard, cardboard, reconstituted material, a plastics material, a ceramic material, a composite material, glass, a metal, or a metal alloy. In some embodiments, the support comprises a susceptor. In some embodiments, the susceptor is embedded within the material. In some alternative embodiments, the susceptor is on one or either side of the material.
A susceptor is a material that is heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be an electrically-conductive material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes induction heating of the heating material. The heating material may be magnetic material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material. The susceptor may be both electrically-conductive and magnetic, so that the susceptor is heatable by both heating mechanisms. The device that is configured to generate the varying magnetic field is referred to as a magnetic field generator, herein.
An aerosol-modifying agent is a substance, typically located downstream of the aerosol generation area, that is configured to modify the aerosol generated, for example by changing the taste, flavour, acidity or another characteristic of the aerosol. The aerosol-modifying agent may be provided in an aerosol-modifying agent release component that is operable to selectively release the aerosol-modifying agent
The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be an additive or a sorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, comprise one or more of a flavourant, a colourant, water, and a carbon adsorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be a solid, a liquid, or a gel. The aerosol-modifying agent may be in powder, thread or granule form. The aerosol-modifying agent may be free from filtration material.
In
Within the cartridge housing 42 is a reservoir 44 that contains aerosol generating material. Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. In the example shown schematically in
It will be appreciated that in a two-part device such as shown in
In the example of
As noted above, the rate at which aerosol generating material is vaporised by the vaporiser (heater) 48 will depend on the amount (level) of power supplied to the heater 48. Thus electrical power can be applied to the heater to selectively generate aerosol from the aerosol generating material in the cartridge part 4, and furthermore, the rate of aerosol generation can be changed by changing the amount of power supplied to the heater 48, for example through pulse width and/or frequency modulation techniques.
The device part 2 comprises an outer housing 12 having with an opening that defines an air inlet 28 for the e-cigarette, a power source 26 (for example a battery) for providing operating power for the electronic cigarette, control circuitry 18 for controlling and monitoring the operation of the electronic cigarette, a first user input button 14, a second user input button 16, and a visual display 24. As discussed below, the airflow path 52 begins at the inlet 28 and is defined by one or more components, such as internal walls or tubes, of the device part 2, before entering the cartridge part 4.
The outer housing 12 may be formed, for example, from a plastics or metallic material and in this example has a circular cross section generally conforming to the shape and size of the cartridge part 4 so as to provide a smooth transition between the two parts at the interface 6. In this example the device part has a length of around 8 cm so the overall length of the e-cigarette when the cartridge part and device part are coupled together is around 12 cm. However, and as already noted, it will be appreciated that the overall shape and scale of an electronic cigarette implementing an embodiment of the disclosure is not significant to the principles described herein.
The power source 26 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 power source 26 may be recharged through a charging connector in the device part housing 12, for example a USB connector.
First and second user input buttons 14, 16 may be provided, which in this example are conventional mechanical buttons, for example comprising a spring mounted component which may be pressed by a user to establish an electrical contact. In this regard, the input buttons may be considered input devices for detecting user input and the specific manner in which the buttons are implemented is not significant. The buttons may be assigned to functions such as switching the aerosol delivery system 1 on and off, and adjusting user settings such as a power to be supplied from the power source 26 to an aerosol generator 48. However, the inclusion of user input buttons is optional, and in some embodiments buttons may not be included.
A display 24 may be provided to give a user with a visual indication of various characteristics associated with the aerosol delivery system, for example current power setting information, remaining power source power, and so forth. The display may be implemented in various ways. In this example the display 24 comprises a conventional pixilated LCD screen that may be driven to display the desired information in accordance with conventional techniques. In other implementations the display may comprise one or more discrete indicators, for example LEDs, that are arranged to display the desired information, for example through particular colours and/or flash sequences. More generally, the manner in which the display is provided and information is displayed to a user using the display is not significant to the principles described herein. For example some embodiments may not include a visual display and may include other means for providing a user with information relating to operating characteristics of the aerosol delivery system, for example using audio signalling, or may not include any means for providing a user with information relating to operating characteristics of the aerosol delivery system.
A controller 22 is suitably configured/programmed to control the operation of the aerosol delivery system to provide functionality in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure as described further herein, as well as for providing conventional operating functions of the aerosol delivery system in line with the established techniques for controlling such devices. The controller (processor circuitry) 22 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units/circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the operation of the aerosol delivery system 1. In this example the controller 22 comprises power supply control circuitry for controlling the supply of power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 in response to user input, user programming circuitry 20 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 display driving circuitry and user input detection circuitry. It will be appreciated the functionality of the controller 22 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 functionality of the controller 22 is described further herein. For example, the controller 26 may comprise an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or microcontroller, for controlling the aerosol delivery device. The microcontroller or ASIC may include a CPU or micro-processor. The operations of a CPU and other electronic components are generally controlled at least in part by software programs running on the CPU (or other component). Such software programs may be stored in non-volatile memory, such as ROM, which can be integrated into the microcontroller itself, or provided as a separate component. The CPU may access the ROM to load and execute individual software programs as and when required.
Device part 2 comprises an airflow sensor 30 which is electrically connected to the controller 22. The airflow sensor 30 is positioned adjacent or within an airflow pathway such as the primary airflow pathway 52. In most embodiments, the airflow sensor 30 comprises a so-called “puff sensor”, in that the airflow sensor 30 is used to detect when a user is puffing on the device and/or to detect a strength of a user inhalation. In some embodiments, the airflow sensor 30 is connected to the controller 22, and the controller distributes electrical power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 in dependence of a signal received from the airflow sensor 30 by the controller 22. The specific manner in which the signal output from the airflow sensor 30 (which may comprise a measure of capacitance, resistance or other characteristic of the airflow sensor, made by the controller 22) is used by the controller 22 to control the supply of power from the power source 26 to the aerosol generator 48 can be carried out in accordance with any approach known to the skilled person.
The e-cigarette 10 is provided with one or more holes for use as an air inlet 28. These holes connect to air passages (e.g. airflow path 52) running through the e-cigarette 10 from the air inlet 28 to the mouthpiece which may have an additional one or more holes for use as an air outlet 50. Typically the air paths through such devices are relatively convoluted in that they have to pass various components and/or take multiple turns following entry into the e-cigarette.
As discussed above, there is an air passage 52 which passes through an aerosol generation chamber 60, containing or adjacent to the aerosol generator 48. The air passage 52 includes a section comprising an air channel connecting one or more holes of an air inlet 28 to the aerosol generation chamber 60, the aerosol generation chamber 60 and a section comprising an air channel connecting from the aerosol generation chamber 60 to the outlet 50 of the mouthpiece.
When a user inhales through the mouthpiece outlet 50, air is drawn into the air passage 52 through the one or more air inlet holes 28, which are suitably located on the outside of the e-cigarette (in this example of
As stated above, the present disclosure is directed towards an aerosol provision system for generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material in an aerosol-generating chamber (or region), which includes an adjustment mechanism 70a, 70b capable of (e.g. configured to) adjusting the position and/or shape of at least one wall 72a, 72b of the aerosol generation chamber to vary a volume of the aerosol generation chamber. For example, as shown in
The outlet wall is a section of wall comprising an outlet of the aerosol generation chamber. The peripheral wall is a wall defining at least a portion of the boundary of the aerosol generation chamber 60 that does not include an inlet or an outlet into the aerosol generation chamber. For example, the peripheral wall is a wall that bounds the airflow pathway (substantially) perpendicular to the direction of airflow travel.
An adjustment mechanism 70a, 70b is configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall based on an interaction of a user with the aerosol provision system. As detailed below the adjustment mechanism 70a, 70b may be controlled manually or electronically. The adjustment mechanism 70a, 70b allows the environment in which the aerosol is produced to be changed. Without being bound by theory, the aerosol generator 48 is activated to create a vapour in the aerosol generation chamber 60 from the aerosol-generating material. The vapour condenses to form particles suspended within air (i.e., an aerosol). The particles may further cool (leading to further condensation) or coagulate (e.g. join with other particles) whilst moving through the aerosol generation chamber 60 towards the outlet of the mouthpiece 50 (hence the aerosol generation chamber 60 may be termed a condensation chamber). The extent of condensation and coagulation can affect the average size of the particles suspended within air (and in particular, when exiting the outlet of the mouthpiece 50). By changing the environment in which the vapour/aerosol is generated (i.e. by increasing or decreasing the size of the aerosol generation chamber 60), the (average) particle size of the aerosol (e.g. the condensate size) entrained in the airflow can be changed by affecting the extent of condensation and/or coagulation. By way of an example only, if the volume of the aerosol generation chamber is increased then the particles may take longer to leave the aerosol generation chamber (e.g. because of a lower resistance to draw from the chamber and a longer average pathway in the chamber) and/or the temperature within the aerosol generation chamber may be cooler, and therefore larger condensates are produced in comparison to when the volume of the aerosol generation chamber is decreased.
The particle size of the aerosol (e.g. the condensate size) may affect the sensorial experience of a user inhaling the aerosol. Hence, the ability to change the particle size allows a user to have different experiences even when using the same aerosol generation material. For example, aerosol can be deposited in the lungs or in the mouth of an inhaling user. Different particle sizes may be more likely to be deposited in the lungs rather than the mouth of the user (more specifically, larger particles are thought to deposit in the mouth/throat to a greater extent than smaller particles). When more aerosol is deposited in the lungs, particularly for an aerosol containing an active component such as nicotine, the user can experience a bigger hit from the inhalation (e.g. a stronger, more direct effect caused by the inhalation) owing to the fact that nicotine uptake is faster within the lungs than in the mouth. Conversely, users may experience a greater satisfaction when using flavoured aerosols with a larger particle size such that the flavour is deposited in the mouth and thus in the vicinity of the taste receptors. A balance may be stuck between the two scenarios described above and equally there may be different reasons for changing the particle sizes. Hence, in some examples, a user can change the size of the aerosol generation chamber 60 to vary their experience.
In some examples, an adjustment mechanism 70a,70b is configured to adjust the position and/or shape of the at least one wall between at least two states based on the interaction of a user with the aerosol provision system, each state corresponding to a position and/or shape of the at least one wall. For example the user may be able to control the adjustment mechanism 70a, 70b to select a first state corresponding to a “smooth” hit (i.e. a smaller particle size) and a second state corresponding to a “harsher” hit (i.e. a larger particle size). Each position and/or shape provides a configuration of the at least one wall 72a,72b and aerosol generation chamber 60 that causes the aerosol generation chamber 60 to have a particular volume. The position and/or shape is distinct from the position and/or shape of other states (i.e. discontinuous) such that different position and/or shapes configure the aerosol generation chamber 60 to provide a substantially different average particle size. Therefore in examples where there are only two states, one state corresponds to a minimum volume and the other state corresponds to a maximum volume of the aerosol generation chamber 60. In some examples, the position of the at least one wall 72a,72b for each state may be determined by mechanical features which lock the wall into the respective position for the state, with the mechanical feature (e.g. some form of locking hole, or clip) preventing movement of the at least one wall 72a,72b until the adjustment mechanism 70a,70b readjusts the position of the at least one wall 72a,72b. Similarly, in some examples, the shape of the at least one wall for each state may be determined by mechanical features which lock the wall into a respective position for the state; for example, engaging a mechanism to apply tension to the wall (which is elastically deformable) to cause the wall to bend or curve, and disengaging the mechanism to release the wall to a unbiased (rest) position.
It will be appreciated that in some cases the adjustment mechanism 70a, 70b may be configured to adjust the position and/or shape of the at least one wall 72a,72b between more than two states; for example three states, four states or 5 states. In some examples, selection of each particular intermediate state (i.e. additionally state above two) may cause the aerosol generation chamber 60 to have a particular volume between the minimum state and the maximum state. In some examples, the position of the at least one wall 72a,72b for the intermediate states may be equally spaced between the wall position for the minimum state and the maximum state. In other examples, the states may be unequally spaced between the minimum and maximum state (for example the states may be configured to provide a weighting towards the minimum state, with the positions of the at least one wall 72a,72b for each state between the position of the wall for the minimum and maximum state corresponding to a logarithmic scale). Similarly, where the adjustment mechanism 70a, 70b is configured to adjust a shape of the at least one wall, the shape may be adjusted between throughout a continuous or discontinuous (i.e. fixed intermediate states) intermediate range. In these examples, the shape of each state may correspond to a transition state between a first and second state which correspond to the maximums of the range (e.g. a flat state and a maximally curved state for the system).
In some other examples, an adjustment mechanism 70a,70b is configured to adjust the position of the at least one wall to any position within a range of positions based on the interaction of a user with the aerosol provision system. In these examples, the range is substantially continuous such that any position for the at least one wall within the range can be selected. The range is bound by maximum and minimum wall positions which may be dependent on the physical constraints of the system (e.g. housing position, and limits of the adjustment mechanism 70a,70b to move the at least one wall 72a, 72b).
As discussed above, in some examples, the at least one wall 72b comprises an outlet wall 72b comprising an outlet of the aerosol generation region (chamber) 60, wherein the aerosol provision system 1 comprises an adjustment mechanism 70b is configured to adjust the position of the outlet wall 72b along an axis parallel to the direction of airflow during a user inhalation (as shown by an arrow connected within the adjustment mechanism 70b in
In some examples, the at least one wall 72a comprises a peripheral wall 72a, wherein the aerosol provision system 1 comprises an adjustment mechanism 70a configured to adjust the position of the peripheral wall 72a along an axis perpendicular to the direction of airflow during a user inhalation (as shown by an arrow connected within the adjustment mechanism 70a in
It will be appreciated that alternative adjustment mechanisms may be used instead of, or in addition to, one or both of the adjustment mechanisms 70a,70b shown. Furthermore, in some examples, a single adjustment mechanism may be able to alter the position and/or shape of both the peripheral wall 72a and outlet wall 72a (e.g. by electronically controlling both), or alternatively a single wall may define both the periphery and an outlet of the aerosol generation chamber and an appropriate adjustment mechanism 70 may be configured to change the position and/or shape of the single wall (It will be appreciated that in these examples, any change is to a part of the single wall will change its shape if a different part is also not changed in a corresponding way). Furthermore, in some examples (not shown), an adjustment mechanism may be configured to vary the position and/or shape of an inlet wall of the aerosol generation chamber 60. The inlet wall comprising an inlet 28 into the aerosol generation chamber 60.
It will be appreciated that while
In some examples the adjustment mechanism 70 is configured to adjust the position and/or shape of the at least one wall in response to a user connecting a cartridge part 4 to a device part 2. In other words the interaction of the user with the aerosol provision system that causes the adjustment mechanism to adjust the position of at least one wall comprises the user connecting the device part to the cartridge part. In some examples the connection interface configured to releasably connect the device part to the cartridge part, comprises features which act to select an appropriate position for the at least one wall. For example, in aerosol provision systems where the heater is provided in the device part 2 and the aerosol generating material and aerosol generation chamber are provided in the consumable part 4, the connection interface may be configured to cause the adjustment mechanism to move the position and/or shape of the at least one wall to an appropriate position for the type of heater contained in the device part 2. Advantageously, this may be appropriate where a consumable may be used with multiple devices.
In examples in accordance with
In the example shown in
In some examples where the first manual actuation mechanism 74a is in the form of a rotating dial, the user may rotate the dial to move the wall 70a between a minimum volume position and a maximum volume position with the adjustment mechanism 70a configured to turn the rotational motion into translation motion of the wall 72a. In other words, in some examples where the manual actuation mechanism 74a is in the form of a dial, the adjustment mechanism 70a is configured to adjust the position of the at least one wall in a continuous range based on the interaction of a user with the manual actuation mechanism 74a of the aerosol provision system. It will be appreciated that in some other examples, the dial may be configured to allow stepped motion between a number of positions of the at least one wall (e.g. states).
In the example shown in
It will be appreciated that while
While
Communications to and/or from the electronic aerosol provision system 10 may be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as to collect and report (upload) operational data from the system 10, e.g. regarding usage levels, settings, any error conditions, and/or to download updated control programs, configuration data, and so on. Such communications may also be used to support interaction between the electronic aerosol provision system 10 and an external system such as a smartphone belonging to the user of the electronic aerosol provision system 10. This interaction may support a wide variety of applications (apps), including collaborative or social media based apps.
The system of
The system of
The microcontroller 22 may be located on a PCB, which may also be used for mounting other components as appropriate, e.g. the communications interface 230. Some components may be separately mounted, such as the airflow sensor 30, which may be located adjacent the airflow path through the system 10, and a user input facility (e.g. buttons) which may be located on the external housing of the system 10. The microcontroller 22 generally includes a processor (or other processing facility) and memory (ROM and/or RAM). The operations of the microcontroller 22 (and some other electronic components), are typically controlled at least in part by software programs running on the processor in the controller (or other electronic components as appropriate). Such software programs may be stored in a non-volatile memory which can be integrated into the microcontroller 22 itself, or provided as a separate component (e.g. on a PCB). The processor may access ROM or any other appropriate store to load individual software programs for execution as and when required. The microcontroller 22 also contains suitable interfaces (and control software) for interacting with the other components of system 10 (such as shown in
In some examples, the adjustment mechanism(s) 70 is electronically controlled by the (micro) controller 22. In other words, the aerosol provision device comprises a controller 22 configured to control an adjustment mechanism 70. For example the adjustment mechanism comprises an electrically controlled motor (such as a rotational motor, or a piezo electric motor). In some examples, the controller 22 is configured to send one or more signals (e.g. pulses of power) to the adjustment mechanism 70 via the connection 6, which provides a wired or electrical connection between the controller 22 and adjustment mechanism 70. It will be appreciated that in other examples, the one or more signals may be sent wirelessly between the controller 22 and adjustment mechanism 70 via a suitable wireless communication mechanism. It will be appreciated that, as shown in
In some examples, the controller 22 may receive an input via user I/O functionality 250, (e.g. a user input mechanism such as user input button 14, 16 that a user of the aerosol provision system interacts with) and may send one or more signals to the adjustment mechanism 70 for controlling the adjustment mechanism 70 based on the interaction of the user with the user input button. In some examples, an electronic actuation mechanism other than a button may be used in place of the user input button 14,16 (e.g. a rotating dial or a slider configured to change a resistance or voltage value across a circuit dependent on the position of the dial or slider). The one or more signals can cause the adjustment mechanism 70 to vary the position and/or shape of at least one wall to change a size of the aerosol generation chamber 60. In some examples, the controller receives the user input and sends one or more control signals to the adjustment mechanism 70 which is configured to adjust the position and/or shape of the at least one wall between at least two states based on the interaction of a user with the aerosol provision system. The at least two states may be pre-defined during manufacture or during a software update, or by a user who is able to define the at least two states using the user I/O functionality 250, or a similar mechanism (.g provided in a separate device such as a smartphone that is in communication with the controller 22 via the communications interface 230).
In some examples controller 22 controls the adjustment mechanism 70 in response to a user connecting a cartridge part 4 to a device part 2. In other words the interaction of the user with the aerosol provision system that causes the adjustment mechanism to adjust the position of at least one wall comprises the user connecting the device part to the cartridge part. In some examples where the adjustment mechanism is in the cartridge part 4, the controller 22 controls the adjustment mechanism 70 to move the at least one wall to a default or pre-selected position, after connection (e.g. insertion) of the cartridge part 4 with the device part 2. For example the controller may identified the consumable part 4 and may select a different default position for the specific type of consumable part 4 (e.g., based on the flavour or aerosol generating material) to adjust the aerosol generation chamber to facilitate the generation of particles of a particular size (or range of sizes) for providing the user with a enhanced or optimal experience with the specific consumable part 4.
In some examples, the controller 22 or a different component of the system (e.g. an optical sensor or RFID sensor) is configured to identify consumable part (e.g. by its type) and/or the aerosol generating material (e.g. by its type) and control the adjustment mechanism 70 to adjust the at least one wall based on the identified cartridge part 4. For example, the controller 22 is configured to identify the cartridge part 4 and/or the aerosol generating material 44 upon (detection of the) connection of the cartridge part 4 with the device part 2. For example, the cartridge part 4 may comprise a form of identification that is detectable by the controller 22 or a sensor component connected to the controller 22, such as an RFID tag, an electronic memory (e.g. an EEPROM), or a visual marker (e.g. a barcode), which indicates a particular type of aerosol generating material. In other examples, the controller 22 or a different component of the system (e.g. an optical sensor or chemical sensor) may be configured to identify the aerosol generating material (e.g. by its type). Different cartridge parts 4, or types of cartridge parts, may comprise different aerosol generation material.
In examples in accordance with the above where the controlled identifies or is provided with the identity of the cartridge part or aerosol generating material; the controller 22 may send one or more control signals in response to the identification of a cartridge part 4 (e.g. a consumable type) or an aerosol generating material 44 contained in the cartridge part 4. In response the adjustment mechanism 70 is configured to adjust the at least one wall to provide an optimally sized (e.g. most appropriate of the available states/range) aerosol generation chamber 60 for the particular type of aerosol generating material. For example different cartridge parts 4 may contain a different flavour or a different type of aerosol generating material 44 (e.g. solid, gel, or liquid) and an appropriate position and/or shape for the at least one wall can be selected based on the aerosol generating material 44 contained in the cartridge part 4. Additionally, different cartridge parts 4 may comprise different configurations for adjustment mechanisms 70, aerosol generation chambers 60, and the air passage 52, and therefore the controller 22 may control the adjustment mechanism 70 differently, as appropriate for the particular configuration. Alternatively, the adjustment mechanism 70 may be configured to adjust the at least one wall in accordance with a pre-defined user selection for the identified cartridge part.
In some examples, the controller 22 may store a number of preferential position and/or shapes for adjustment mechanism 60 to position and/or shape the at least one wall for each of a plurality of types of cartridge parts, and/or aerosol generating materials. The user may be able to select one stored preferential position and/or shapes for the particular cartridge part and/or aerosol generating material in order to have a particular experience. For example the optimal position and/or shapes of the at least one wall for a “smooth” hit and an “intense” hit may differ for different aerosol generating materials. In some examples, the stored position and/or shapes may be preinstalled on a memory of the controller 22, or accessible by the controller 22, during initial installation or a software update, whilst in other examples the user may define the stored position and/or shapes themselves. For example the user may input the stored position and/or shapes using the user I/O functionality 250 or using a separate device (e.g. smartphone) via the communications interface 230.
The second step 420 continues with adjusting the position and/or shape of at least one wall based on an interaction of the user with the aerosol provision system. As discussed above, in some examples, the interaction of the user with the aerosol provision system may be the user interacting with a manual actuation mechanism (e.g. as discussed in relation to
The method continues at step 422 with identifying the aerosol generating material. As discussed above in relation to
The method continues at step 423 with adjusting the position and/or shape of at least one wall based on the identification of the aerosol-generating material. As discussed above in relation to
The methods 400 and 500 illustrated in
Thus it has been described that examples of the present disclosure comprise an aerosol provision system for generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material in an aerosol-generating region comprising: the aerosol generation region; and an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall of the aerosol generation region to vary a volume of the aerosol generation region; wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall based on an interaction of a user with the aerosol provision system.
Furthermore, it has also been described that examples of the present disclosure may comprise an aerosol provision device for use with an aerosol generating article comprising aerosol generating material, which together form an aerosol provision system, wherein the aerosol provision system comprises an aerosol generation region where aerosol is generated from aerosol generating material, an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall of the aerosol generation region to vary a volume of the aerosol generation region, wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the position and/or shape of at least one wall based on an interaction of a user with the aerosol provision system, wherein the aerosol provision device comprises: circuitry configured to control the adjustment mechanism to adjust the position and/or shape of the at least one wall. In some of these examples, the aerosol provision device comprises the adjustment mechanism.
The various embodiments described herein are presented only to assist in understanding and teaching the claimed features. These embodiments are provided as a 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.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2116148.4 | Nov 2021 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB2022/052786 | 11/4/2022 | WO |
