Aerosol generation device with wireless communication interface

Abstract

An aerosol generating device (100) is disclosed that includes a heater (220) to heat an aerosol-forming substrate (108), a wireless communication interface (114) to communicate with a wirelessly enabled device, and a controller (112) to control operation of the device. The controller (112) is configured to allow aerosol generation when the wireless interface (114) determines that a link with a user electronic device (116) is available. The controller (112) is further configured to prohibit aerosol generation but allow preheating of the aerosol-forming substrate when the wireless communication interface (114) has not determined that a wireless link with the user electronic device (116) is available.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device. In particular, the present invention relates to an aerosol generating device having a wireless communication interface. BACKGROUND

[0002] There is a need for aerosol generating devices having safety features that help to deter use of the device by unauthorised users, such as children or thieves. However, these safety features can have a negative impact on ease of use. It is an object of the present invention to address these competing needs. SUMMARY

[0003] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aerosol generating device configured to generate aerosol for inhalation by a user, the aerosol generating device comprising: a heater configured to heat an aerosol-forming substrate to generate aerosol; a wireless communication interface configured to wirelessly communicate with a user electronic device; and a controller configured to allow generation of aerosol for inhalation by a user when the wireless communication interface has determined that a link with the user electronic device is available; wherein the controller is configured to allow pre-heating of the aerosol-forming substrate when the wireless communication interface has not determined that a link with the user electronic device is available; wherein the wireless communication interface is configured to search for a wireless link for a predetermined period of time; and wherein the controller is configured to prohibit pre-heating of the aerosol-forming substrate when the wireless communication interface has determined that a wireless link is not available for the predetermined period of time.

[0004] In this way, the device is able to carry out pre-heating of the aerosol-forming substrate and scanning for the user electronic device at the same time. This improves the usability of the device, as the user does not have to wait for a wireless link to be found with the user electronic device before pre-heating can begin.

[0005] Preferably, the controller is configured to prevent or inhibit generation of aerosol for inhalation by a user when the wireless communication interface has not determined that a wireless link with the user electronic device is available.

[0006] In this way, the security of the device is improved, as the device cannot produce the required aerosol until a security condition is met, which is that a wireless link with a user electronic device is available. However, this security advantage does not compromise the utility of the device, as pre-heating is allowed to take place before the wireless communication interface has determined that a wireless link is available. This means that the device can be used almost at any time, and is able to quickly produce an optimal aerosol after determining that a wireless link is available. The controller can inhibit the production of aerosol by only allowing the heater to operate at a threshold temperature which is below the optimal temperature for aerosol production. Likewise, the skilled person will appreciate that aerosol formation or inhalation can be prevented by any other means instead. For example, inhalation can be prevented by blocking the airflow passage.

[0007] Preferably, the controller is configured to allow the production of aerosol until the end of the vaping session after the wireless communication interface has determined that a wireless link with a user electronic device is available. In this way, the user does not have to wait for the device to determine whether a link with a user electronic device is available before each vaping instance or 'puff', increasing the usability. Further, this allows the user to establish a link at the start of a vaping session, such as at the user's desk, and then move to another location, such as outside, without having to maintain the availability of a wireless link. This improves the flexibility and convenience of use of the device.

[0008] Preferably, the aerosol generating device further comprises an indicator configured to indicate a status of the aerosol generating device to the user. In this way, any status of the device can be conveniently displayed to the user, improving satisfaction and the usability of the device.

[0009] Preferably, the indicator comprises a light source configured to indicate a relative completion of a scanning or vaping operation, or a relative amount of consumable resources remaining in the aerosol generating device. In this way, the status of the device can be better communicated to the user by lighting a portion of the light source in proportion or otherwise corresponding to the status of the device. Examples of further improved status indicators include: a relative completion of a pre-heat operation; a battery usage time remaining in the device; a time to completion of a scanning operation; or an amount of consumable resources remaining in the device. Providing such information to the user improves user satisfaction and usability. Further, providing indicators in this way results in a fashionable aerosol generating device with high functionality.

[0010] In one embodiment, the light source can be an elongate strip of LEDs adjacent to one another configured to illuminate portions of the strip corresponding to, for example, the progress of a task. In another embodiment, the light source can be a circular array of LEDs configured to illuminate an arc of LEDs corresponding to, for example, the amount of resources remaining in the device. Again, any light source and corresponding configuration capable of displaying the relative completion of a task or the amount of resources available can be used.

[0011] Preferably, the wireless communication interface is configured to cease searching for a wireless link if a wireless link with the user electronic device is found. In this way, the device is more efficient and battery life can be improved.

[0012] Preferably, the controller is configured to allow preheating to continue for a predetermined period of time when the wireless communication interface has not determined that a link with the user electronic device is available. In this way, safety and efficiency are improved by operating the heater for no more than necessary.

[0013] Preferably, the controller is configured to allow the heater to preheat to a predetermined temperature, which is lower than the temperature at which vapour is produced. In this way, the device prevents the formation of the required aerosol unless the user electronic device is wirelessly available. Of course, the skilled person will appreciate that some amount of low quality aerosol can be produced when the aerosol is heated to the predetermined temperature. This improves the safety of the device by preventing the heater from reaching the temperature at which the aerosol is produced unless the user electronic device is in the vicinity. Theft of the device is discouraged because the device cannot produce the required aerosol unless the user electronic device is wirelessly available. Further, this improves the efficiency of the device by preventing full heating of the aerosol-forming substrate if the user electronic device is not available, such as in the event of accidental activation of the preheat.

[0014] Preferably, the aerosol generating device comprises a temperature sensor for determining the temperature of the heater. In this way, the temperature of the heater can be tracked by the controller. This in turn enables the device to prevent overheating of components.

[0015] Preferably, the aerosol-forming substrate comprises tobacco. In this way, the aerosol generating device can be used as a heat-not-burn aerosol generating device.

[0016] Preferably, the wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth interface. In this way, compatibility with user electronic devices is improved since Bluetooth interfaces are ubiquitous in common wireless devices. The skilled person will appreciate that any wireless protocol can be used instead or in addition.

[0017] Preferably, the user electronic device is a smartphone. In this way, the device operation is made more convenient due to the widespread popularity of carrying smartphones on the person. The skilled person will appreciate that any wireless-enabled electronic device can alternatively or additionally be used, such as a headset, computer or smartwatch.

[0018] Preferably, the aerosol generating device further comprises a memory in which an identifier of the user electronic device is stored. More preferably, the controller is configured to allow aerosol for inhalation by a user to be generated when the identifier of the user electronic device in wireless communication with the aerosol generating device matches the identifier stored in the memory. In this way, multiple user electronic devices can be linked or paired with the aerosol generating device at the same time, providing greater convenience for users who can have paired devices in, for example, an office and at home.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a method of operation for an aerosol generating device, the method comprising the steps of: determining whether a wireless link between the aerosol generating device and a user electronic device is available for a predetermined period of time; allowing aerosol for inhalation by a user to be generated when the wireless communication interface has determined that a wireless link with the user electronic device is available; allowing a pre-heat aerosol-forming substrate to be pre-heated when the wireless communication interface has not determined whether a wireless link with the user electronic device is available; and inhibiting the pre-heat aerosol-forming substrate from being pre-heated when the wireless communication interface has determined that a wireless link is not available for the predetermined period of time.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform steps comprising: establishing a wireless link between an aerosol generating device and a user electronic device for a predetermined period of time; allowing aerosol for inhalation by a user to be generated when the aerosol generating device is in wireless communication with the user electronic device; allowing a pre-heat aerosol-forming substrate to be pre-heated when the wireless communication interface has not determined whether a wireless link with the user electronic device is available; and inhibiting the pre-heat aerosol-forming substrate from being pre-heated when the wireless communication interface has determined that a wireless link is not available for the predetermined period of time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] Embodiments of the present application will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system in an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a control system in an embodiment of the present application; and

[0024] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing a control sequence in the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a system in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. An aerosol generating device 100 is provided and includes a housing 102, a button 104 configured to detect an input signal from a user, an LED strip 106 configured to convey information about the status of the aerosol generating device 100, and a tobacco rod 108 that the user can place within a cavity 110 where heating can be provided by a heater (not shown). A temperature sensor (not shown) is also provided at the cavity 110. The aerosol generating device 100 includes a controller 112 configured to instruct a Bluetooth interface 114 to wirelessly search for a user smartphone 116 when an input signal from the user is received. The controller 112 is further configured to check the smartphone's identification credentials, such as a MAC address, against credentials of a paired user device stored in a memory 118. The aerosol generating device further includes a battery (not shown) for powering the device.

[0026] The housing 102 may comprise any suitable material, such as plastic, metal, wood, or a composite thereof. In this example, the button 104 is an activation unit that is configured to detect input from a user and respond by becoming activated (or 'waking up'). Alternative activation units may include a vibration sensor, a touch screen, a fingerprint sensor, a voice recognition unit, or any other means of recognizing input from a user. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the aerosol-generating device 100 may include more than one activation unit, each of which may be mapped to a different function.

[0027] In this embodiment, the LED bar 106 is a thin, elongated strip of adjacent LEDs. Similarly, any indicator or feedback method may be used, such as other light sources, mechanical indicators, LCD displays, sound emitters, vibration units, or any other LED configuration, for example, a circular LED array. The LED bar 106 may include multiple strips of LEDs, each of which may optionally be a different colored LED. The LED bar 106 can indicate any status of the device, such as an ongoing scan for a smartphone 116, a low battery, an error, or an inability to find a wireless link. Additionally, it can indicate the progress of successive operations, such as warm-up progress, scanning progress, or charging progress. This can be achieved by turning one or more LEDs on or off, turning specific colored LEDs on or off, or any other conveniently selected LED that conveniently informs the user of the device's status. Using the LED bar 106, by proportionally or otherwise correspondingly turning on or off multiple consecutive LEDs in the strip, it is possible to communicate to the user the remaining available resources of the device, such as the remaining battery charge or remaining aerosol-forming substrate. The progress of any of the operations described above can also be indicated in this manner. Alternatively or additionally, information may be conveyed to the user by varying the brightness of one or more LEDs or flashing an LED at a predetermined frequency.

[0028] The tobacco rod 108 may also be any aerosol-forming substrate. Figure 1 In addition to the rod and cavity system disclosed in

[0045] , any method of using a substrate with the aerosol-generating device 100 may be used. Similarly, any method of heating the substrate may be used, such as resistive heating or laser heating. The temperature sensor may directly monitor the temperature of the heater or aerosol-generating substrate. The temperature sensor may indirectly measure the temperature of the heater or aerosol-generating substrate by monitoring the temperature of other components. The temperature sensor may be any temperature sensing component known in the art, such as a thermocouple.

[0029] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the Bluetooth interface 114 can also be any wireless protocol interface. The smartphone 116 can be any wireless-enabled device equipped with a wireless interface, such as a wireless headset, a smartwatch, or a laptop.

[0030] Figure 2is a schematic diagram of a control system in embodiments of the present application. The diagram shows an example flow of information or commands into or out of the controller 212. In an example use, the button 204 is pressed to initiate a vaping session comprising one or more instances of aerosol production or 'puffs'. The button 204 transmits the user's initiation of the vaping session to the controller 212. The controller 212 then communicates with the Bluetooth interface 214 to instruct a wireless search for the user's smartphone 216. At the same time, the controller 212 instructs the heater 220 to begin pre-heating the tobacco rod 108 to a first threshold temperature, while the Bluetooth interface 214 searches wirelessly for the smartphone 216. The Bluetooth interface 214 provides the controller 212 with identity credentials of available wireless devices. The controller 212 then checks these against identity credentials previously stored in the memory 218 (for example, from a Bluetooth pairing operation). The controller 212 can instruct the progress of any of these operations to be displayed at the LED strip 206. If the controller 212 determines that the device found by the Bluetooth interface 214 matches the device stored in the memory 218, the controller 212 allows and instructs the heater 220 to operate at a second threshold temperature higher than the first threshold temperature. This can also be indicated to the user at the LED strip 206. Once the tobacco rod 108 is heated to the second threshold temperature, the user inhales air through the exposed end of the tobacco rod 108. The airflow passes through the fully heated aerosol-generating substrate to produce an aerosol for the user to enjoy.

[0031] Figure 3 is a flow diagram showing a control sequence in embodiments of the present application. Reference is made to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The detailed operation of the device in embodiments of the present application will now be described.

[0032] At step 302, the user presses the button 204 to 'wake up' the device and bring it into an active state. Again, this step can be implemented by shaking the sensor and the user shaking the device, or any other input and input detection means.

[0033] At step 304, the controller 212 checks the temperature of the heater 220 or any other component (such as the aerosol-forming substrate) against a first predetermined threshold temperature value using the temperature sensor 222. The first predetermined threshold temperature corresponds to a safe pre-heat temperature that is below the optimum temperature for producing aerosol. The first threshold pre-heat temperature can be any temperature below the optimum aerosol production temperature, such as 150 or 170 degrees Celsius. The skilled person will appreciate that the optimum temperature will be selected according to the particular embodiment of the application and will take into account, for example, the type of aerosol-forming substrate used. If the measured temperature is below the first threshold temperature, a pre-heat operation is initiated at step 308. If the measured temperature is found to be greater than the first threshold temperature, the initial pre-heat of the tobacco rod 108 (e.g. since the last session) has already been completed. The controller 212 then instructs the heater 220 to maintain its temperature at the first threshold pre-heat temperature at step 306.

[0034] During the pre-heat operation at step 308, heat is applied to the tobacco rod 108 by the heater 220. This causes the temperature of the tobacco rod 108 to rise from the temperature of the local environment to the first threshold temperature. It can take a few seconds, for example 20 seconds, for the aerosol-forming substrate to reach the first threshold pre-heat temperature. During the temperature maintenance at step 306, the temperature can be continuously monitored by the temperature sensor 222. In response, the controller 212 can adjust the power supply to the heater 220 to keep the temperature at the first threshold pre-heat temperature. Alternatively, the controller 212 can be configured to allow the heater 220 to pre-heat or temperature maintain or both for only a predetermined period of time.

[0035] At step 310, the controller 212 instructs the Bluetooth interface 214 to search for available wireless links. The controller 212 can be configured to instruct the Bluetooth interface 214 to scan for user electronic devices for only a predetermined period of time. At step 312, a search timer can be initiated to keep track of the time for which the system continues to search for user electronic devices. This helps to improve efficiency by ensuring that devices are not searched for indefinitely. The pre-heat operation can continue while the Bluetooth interface 214 is searching at step 310, provided that the temperature of the aerosol-forming substrate is found to be below the threshold temperature at step 304.

[0036] At step 314, the controller 212 checks whether a wireless link with a user device is available. This step can comprise the controller 212 checking the identity credentials (e.g. MAC address) of the wireless device found by the Bluetooth interface 214 against the identity credentials stored in the memory 218, and determining a positive outcome if there is a match. The Bluetooth interface 214 can determine the availability of a wireless device via a direct wireless link with the smartphone 216, or can determine the availability of an indirect link with the smartphone 216 via communication with an intermediate wireless-enabled device. Prior to the puffing session, the user can pair a device such as the smartphone 216 with the aerosol generating device 200, so that the aerosol generating device recognises the device as a known user device. This pairing can be performed, for example, by a standard Bluetooth pairing procedure. In embodiments, the pairing can be initiated by a long press of the button 204. However, the skilled person will appreciate that the pairing can be made in any other way, such as by online registration or by a physical connection via an interface such as a micro-USB interface.

[0037] If at step 314 no wireless link with the smartphone 216 is immediately found to be available, the temperature of the heater 220 can be checked again at step 316 as described above at step 304. Then, at step 320, the controller 212 instructs the heater 220 to maintain its temperature at the first threshold temperature, just as in step 306. In addition to this, if the temperature of the heater 220 does not exceed the first threshold temperature, step 320 is skipped. At step 322, the controller 212 can check the time for which the Bluetooth interface 214 has been continuously performing a search operation. If the threshold time has not been exceeded, the controller 212 can return to step 314 and perform a loop comprising steps 314, 316 and 322 until a user device is found or the threshold time is exceeded.

[0038] If at step 322 it is found that the threshold time is exceeded, then at step 324 the controller 212 disables the heater 220, thereby suspending any ongoing pre-heat or temperature maintenance. To further improve the device's efficiency, at step 326 the controller 212 instructs the Bluetooth interface 214 to stop searching for available wireless links. The controller 212 can reset the search timer at step 328 and instruct the LED strip 206 to indicate to the user that a wireless link with the smartphone 216 is not available. The controller 212 then enters an inactive mode, waiting at step 332 for the button to be pressed again, after which the control sequence can be performed again. Alternatively, the controller 212 can be configured to allow a predetermined number of pre-heat operations to take place before a wireless link is found to be available, after which pre-heat operations can be disabled until a link is available. This advantageously improves the safety of the device by preventing, for example, children from repeatedly pre-heating the device. This can be implemented by incrementing a counter each time a pre-heat operation is stopped, resetting the counter when a wireless link with a user's electronic device is available, and checking the value of the counter before each pre-heat operation.

[0039] At step 314, if a wireless link with the user's smartphone is available, the controller 212 instructs the Bluetooth interface 214 to stop searching for user electronic devices at step 334. Alternatively, the controller 212 can also instruct the LED strip 206 to indicate to the user that a wireless link is found to be available at step 336. In addition to this, the controller 212 will proceed to step 337.

[0040] At step 337, the controller 212 allows and instructs the heater 220 to operate at or warm up to a second threshold temperature, which corresponds to an optimal temperature for producing an aerosol. For example, the second threshold temperature can be 230 or 235 degrees Celsius. The tobacco rod 108 is then brought to the optimal aerosol production temperature by the heater 220.

[0041] In this way, the safety of the device is improved because the device can only be used to produce optimal vapour when it is determined at step 314 that a wireless link with the user's smartphone is available. This generally means that the device is within a predetermined physical distance of the user's smartphone, which means that the owner of the smartphone can be assumed to be the person operating the device. The device can quickly produce optimal aerosol at step 337 because the temperature has been pre-heated to the first threshold temperature, which means that the temperature of the aerosol-forming substrate has been raised from ambient temperature to just below the temperature at which optimal aerosol is produced. This improves the usability of the device because the user does not have to wait for the aerosol-forming substrate to pre-heat from local ambient temperature after the safety condition is met (i.e. a wireless signal with the user's smartphone is found to be available).

[0042] At step 338, the controller 212 again checks the temperature of the heater 220. If the heater 220 has not reached the second threshold pre-heat temperature, then at step 340, the heating timer can be started, or allowed to continue if it is already running. At step 342, the value of the heating timer is checked against a threshold which can correspond to a predetermined 'timeout' time. If the heating timer exceeds this timeout time, then this indicates that the heater 220 has not reached the desired temperature within a usual amount of time. This can indicate an error in the system, for example that the heater 220 is faulty, or that the tobacco rod 108 has not been correctly inserted into the cavity 110. If the timeout time is exceeded, then at step 344 an error message is indicated at the LED strip 206. For safety, the heater 220 is then disabled at step 346. Again, the sequence of steps 338-346 to detect an error occurring in the pre-heat process can be carried out at any other suitable point in the control sequence, such as at the point of checking the first threshold temperature.

[0043] During normal operation of the aerosol generation device 200, the second threshold pre-heat temperature is reached before the timeout condition is met, and this is indicated at step 348. At step 350, the controller 212 instructs the heater 220 to maintain its temperature at the second threshold temperature during the puff period. This in turn also maintains or 'floats' the temperature of the tobacco rod 108 at the second threshold temperature during the puff period. By floating the temperature of the tobacco rod 108, aerosol can be generated at any time during the puff period by inhaling on the exposed end of the tobacco rod.

[0044] Further checks can be carried out by the controller 212 before allowing aerosol to be generated. For example, in embodiments of the application, an LED and photodiode can be provided at the cavity 110 to detect whether a tobacco rod 108 has been correctly inserted. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 212 can be configured to check the amount of battery power remaining in the device, and instruct the LED indicator 214 to display a warning if the amount of power remaining in the battery is insufficient to complete a standard puff period. Again, these checks can be applied at any other convenient point in the control sequence. Figure 1

[0045] ​A puff session can be defined as a series of aerosol generating instances in a relatively short period of time. For example, a puff session can be defined as including a plurality of aerosol generating instances or puffs following a single pre-heat operation. At step 337, the controller 212 can be configured to allow aerosol generation throughout the puff session once the Bluetooth interface 214 has determined that a link with the user electronic device is available. This advantageously improves the usability of the device by avoiding the need for the wireless link with the user electronic device 212 to remain continuously available. This enables the user to move around during the course of a puff session to areas where the wireless link can not, for example, be available.

[0046] Alternatively or additionally, the controller 212 can be configured to allow aerosol generation at step 337 for a predetermined period of time. This can be implemented by starting a timer between step 337 and step 338, and making additional checks after step 348 to determine whether the timer has exceeded a 'timeout' time value. Similar methods can be used to implement a timeout feature to prohibit aerosol generation if a threshold time interval between successive inhalations is exceeded. Such checks can also be made periodically after step 348. This detects the end of a puff session without the need for the user to perform a specific action to turn off the device or initiate an inactive mode, thus improving efficiency and convenience. Any other method of defining and detecting the end of a puff session can be used equally.

[0047] Once the user presses the button 204 to wake up the device at step 302, the controller 212 can instruct the LED strip 206 to indicate the relative progress of the scanning operation or the pre-heat operation. This can occur at, for example, steps 308 and 310. The controller 212 can instruct the LED strip 206 to indicate the progress of the scanning operation until a wireless link is found, after which the pre-heat progress can be indicated until the pre-heat is complete. If multiple adjacent LED strips are provided in another embodiment, the progress of multiple actions can be displayed simultaneously.

[0048] To indicate the progress of the pre-heat operation, the controller 212 can instruct the LED strip 206 to light up more and more adjacent LEDs as the temperature of the tobacco rod 108 increases to the first threshold temperature or the second threshold temperature. All LEDs can be lit up when the respective first threshold temperature or second threshold temperature is reached. Similarly, the progress of the wireless link search can be indicated by incrementing the LEDs in the lit-up strip every so often until a link is found or a search timer exceeds a threshold time.

[0049] The controller 212 can instruct the LED strip 206 to flash or change colour to indicate whether a wireless link with a user electronic device has been found to be available. Advantageously, the aerosol generation device 200 can comprise multiple indicators for indicating different states or information to the user. For example, the end of a pre-heat operation can be indicated by a vibrator unit in addition to or instead of the LED strip 206. The use of multiple indicator types improves the usability of the device by making the indicators more clear to the user. Additionally, accessibility is improved by providing more than one sensory method of providing feedback, such as vibration feedback for visually impaired users.

[0050] The pre-heat operation and temperature maintenance or 'float' operation as described above will now be described in more detail.

[0051] In embodiments of the application, the controller 212 controls the temperature of the heater 220 by adjusting the duty cycle (or power cycle) of a power signal (e.g. a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal) supplied to the heater 220, or in other words, by adjusting the duty cycle of the heater 220. In general terms, the duty cycle is the fraction of a period in which a signal, system or device is in an active state. The duty cycle of a device such as the heater 220 can be described as a percentage or ratio. For example, for a period of one second, a maximum duty cycle of 100% corresponds to continuous operation of the heater 220, whereas a lower duty cycle of 50% corresponds to the heater 220 being in an active state for 0.5 seconds of each one second period. In one example embodiment, the duty cycle period of the heater 220 can be of the order of 1-2 milliseconds, or can be much shorter or much longer than 1-2 milliseconds.

[0052] When the heater 220 is active, a constant predetermined heating voltage can be supplied to the heater 220 from the battery. When the heater 220 is not active, no voltage can be supplied to the battery. Thus, when the heater 220 is operated using a high duty cycle, the amount of heat or energy generated by the heater 220 is higher, and the power consumption of the battery is also high. Conversely, when operated using a lower duty cycle, the amount of heat or energy generated by the heater 220 is relatively lower, and thus the amount of power drawn from the battery is also less. It has been found that operating the heater 220 using a high duty cycle places the highest demands on the battery compared to any other components or modes of operation of the aerosol generation device 100. Therefore, in order to maximise the battery usage time of the device, it is desirable to minimise the unnecessary time consumption in this mode of operation, as achieved by, for example, step 324 as described above.

[0053] During temperature ramp-up operations of the aerosol generation device 100 (which generally involve heating of the tobacco rod from ambient temperature in embodiments that are heating but not combustion devices), such as during ramping up the temperature of the heater 220 to the first threshold temperature or the second threshold temperature, the heater 220 requires a higher energy demand to increase the temperature of the tobacco rod. Accordingly, the controller 212 operates the heater 220 using a high duty cycle to provide the required energy. In one example embodiment, the duty cycle during the temperature ramp-up operations can be greater than or equal to 50%, which can correspond to the heater 220 consuming 16W of power.

[0054] During temperature maintenance operations, the heater 220 does not require much energy (i.e., the demand is lower), and thus the heater 220 can be operated using a lower duty cycle. In one embodiment, the heater 220 can be operated using a duty cycle that is less than 50% or even much less than 50%. In one example embodiment, the lower duty cycle corresponding to the temperature maintenance operations can consume 3W of power. Accordingly, the pre-heat operation can place a significantly higher demand on the battery than during the temperature float operations, such as when the temperature float is at the second threshold for vaporization.

[0055] The duty cycle D1 during the temperature ramp-up operations and the duty cycle D2 during the temperature maintenance operations can be related by D1 = k*D2, where k is a dimensionless factor that is much greater than 1 selected according to design parameters of the particular embodiment.

[0056] At the end of the puff period, the duty cycle can be set to 0%, where no power is supplied to the heater 220.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device configured to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user, the aerosol generating device comprising: a heater configured to heat the aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol; a wireless communication interface configured to communicate wirelessly with a user electronic device; as well as a controller configured to enable generation of an aerosol for inhalation by a user when the wireless communication interface has determined that a wireless link with the user electronic device is available; wherein the controller is configured to allow preheating of the aerosol-forming substrate while the wireless communication interface is determining whether a wireless link with the user electronic device is available; wherein the wireless communication interface is configured to search for a wireless link within a predetermined time period; and Wherein, the controller is configured to prohibit preheating of the aerosol-forming substrate when the wireless communication interface has determined that the wireless link is unavailable within the predetermined time period.

2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is configured to allow aerosol generation until the end of the inhalation period after the wireless communication interface has determined that a wireless link with the user electronic device is available.

3. An aerosol-generating device according to any preceding claim, further comprising an indicator configured to indicate a status of the aerosol-generating device to the user.

4. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3, wherein: The indicator comprises an elongate light source configured to indicate the relative completion of a scanning or puffing operation, or the relative amount of consumable resources remaining in the aerosol-generating device.

5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The wireless communication interface is configured to stop searching for a wireless link if a wireless link with the user electronic device is found.

6. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The controller is configured to allow preheating to continue for a predetermined period of time when the wireless communication interface has not determined that a wireless link with the user electronic device is available.

7. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The controller is configured to allow the aerosol-forming substrate to be preheated to a predetermined temperature that is lower than the temperature at which the aerosol is generated.

8. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 7, further comprising a temperature sensor for determining the temperature of the aerosol-forming substrate.

9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The aerosol-forming substrate comprises tobacco.

10. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth interface.

11. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The user electronic device is a smartphone.

12. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a memory having an identifier of the user electronic device stored therein.

13. The aerosol generating device according to claim 12, wherein: The controller is configured to allow generation of an aerosol for inhalation by a user when an identifier of a user electronic device in wireless communication with the aerosol-generating device matches an identifier stored in the memory.

14. A method for operating an aerosol-generating device, the method comprising the steps of: determining whether a wireless link between the aerosol-generating device and the user electronic device is available within a predetermined time period; When the wireless communication interface has determined that a wireless link with the user electronic device is available, allowing generation of an aerosol for inhalation by the user; allowing preheating of the aerosol-forming substrate while the wireless communication interface is determining whether a wireless link with the user electronic device is available; as well as When the wireless communication interface has determined that the wireless link is unavailable within the predetermined time period, preheating of the aerosol-forming substrate is disabled.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform steps comprising: determining whether a wireless link between the aerosol-generating device and the user electronic device is available within a predetermined time period; When the wireless communication interface has determined that a wireless link with the user electronic device is available, allowing generation of an aerosol for inhalation by the user; allowing preheating of the aerosol-forming substrate while the wireless communication interface is determining whether a wireless link with the user electronic device is available; as well as When the wireless communication interface has determined that the wireless link is unavailable within the predetermined time period, preheating of the aerosol-forming substrate is disabled.

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