Aerosol-generating device with gesture control

Abstract

An aerosol-generating device, an aerosol-generating system and a method of operating an aerosol-generating device or system are provided.SOLUTION: The aerosol-generating device comprises a motion detection circuit comprising at least one motion sensor and a motion sensor controller configured to process motion sensor data of the at least one motion sensor into gesture data indicative of a gesture performed on the aerosol-generating device by movement of the aerosol-generating device. The aerosol-generating device further comprises device control circuitry including one or more device processors configured to determine a gesture performed on the aerosol-generating device based on analyzing gesture data provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry, and control the aerosol-generating device to perform at least one device function in response to the determined gesture.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of aerosol generating devices and systems for using aerosol-generating articles. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an aerosol generating device with gesture control and an aerosol generating system including such an aerosol generating device. The present disclosure further relates to a method, a computer program, and a computer-readable medium for operating an aerosol generating device or system. [Background technology]

[0002] Typically, aerosol-generating devices are designed as handheld devices that can be used by a user to consume the aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating article, for example, in one or more use sessions. Typically, the aerosol-generating article includes an aerosol-generating substrate, e.g., a substrate containing tobacco material and / or liquid. To generate aerosol during use or consumption, at least a portion of the aerosol-generating article and / or aerosol-generating substrate can be heated, for example, by application of heat from or transfer of heat from a heating element or heat source within the aerosol-generating device and / or aerosol-generating article.

[0003] An exemplary aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device may include an aerosol-forming substrate, or an aerosol-generating substrate, which may be assembled into a rod shape, often with other elements or components. Such a rod-shaped aerosol-generating article may be configured in a shape and size to be at least partially inserted into the aerosol-generating device and may include, for example, a heating element for heating the aerosol-generating article and / or the aerosol-generating substrate. Another exemplary aerosol-generating article may include a cartridge containing a liquid that can be evaporated during aerosol consumption by a user. The cartridge may be configured in a shape and size to be at least partially inserted into the aerosol-generating device. Alternatively, the cartridge may be fixedly attached to the aerosol-generating device and refilled by inserting liquid into the cartridge. Optionally, at least a portion of the heating element may be disposed within the aerosol-generating article.

[0004] A typical aerosol generating device may further include one or more user interfaces that allow a user to control one or more functions of the aerosol generating device, such as, for example, turning the device on and off. Additionally, certain information regarding the status of the aerosol generating device, such as, for example, battery level, may be provided to the user via the device's user interface. Exemplary user interfaces for operating or controlling an aerosol generating device may include one or more buttons, one or more displays, one or more speakers, one or more control elements, one or more vibration elements, one or more tactile elements, one or more pressure-sensitive means, one or more touch-control means, one or more illumination means, and one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, depending on the type of user interface, operational control of one or more functions of the aerosol generating device may be limited.

[0005] It may therefore be desirable to provide improved aerosol generating devices, for example, that provide enhanced or improved operational control.

[0006] This is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims, with further embodiments being incorporated into the dependent claims and the following description.

[0007] Various aspects and embodiments and examples of aspects of the present disclosure are described below. Aspects of the present disclosure relate to one or more of an aerosol generating device, an aerosol generating system, a method for operating an aerosol generating device or system, a computer program, and a computer-readable medium. It should be noted that any feature, step, function, element, technical effect, and / or advantage described herein above and below with reference to one aspect of the present disclosure equally applies to other aspects of the present disclosure. Summary of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol generating device comprising a motion detection circuit, the motion detection circuit including at least one motion sensor and a motion sensor controller configured to process motion sensor data from the at least one motion sensor into gesture data, the gesture data being indicative of a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device by movement of the aerosol generating device. The aerosol generating device further comprises device control circuitry, including one or more device processors, configured to determine a gesture based on analyzing and / or processing gesture data provided by, generated by, and / or generated from the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit, the gesture being performed on the aerosol generating device, and to control the aerosol generating device to perform at least one device function in response to the determined gesture.

[0009] Providing an aerosol generating device with motion detection circuitry and device control circuitry for controlling one or more device functions based on detecting gestures performed on the aerosol generating device can generally enhance operational control of the aerosol generating device by adding gesture detection and / or gesture control to the device. For example, the aerosol generating device may be configured to detect or determine gestures performed on the aerosol generating device by a user. Such gesture control may advantageously provide a user with an intuitive way to operate or control the aerosol generating device (hereinafter also referred to as the "device"). Additionally, the overall functionality and operability of the aerosol generating device may be enhanced or improved.

[0010] However, as discussed further below, a "gesture" detectable by an aerosol-generating device is not limited to a movement of the aerosol-generating device directly caused by a user by mechanically moving the aerosol-generating device or by mechanically interacting with the aerosol-generating device. Rather, the aerosol-generating device may be configured to detect, for example, a movement or motion of the aerosol-generating device relative to the ground as a "gesture performed on the aerosol-generating device," which may be caused by a user of the aerosol-generating device or may have other causes, such as when the device is dropped from a table without the user's involvement. Device movements indirectly caused by a user and detectable as a gesture performed on the aerosol-generating device may include, for example, carrying the device in a pocket or bag, transporting the device in a vehicle such as a car, lifting the device, or dropping the device.

[0011] Means for gesture control according to the present disclosure, such as motion detection circuitry and / or device control circuitry, may be incorporated into the device without requiring any modification to the external design or appearance of the device, which may allow gesture control to be retrofitted to existing devices.

[0012] Furthermore, by using a motion sensor controller in the motion detection circuit to process the motion sensor data into gesture data and using the device control circuitry to analyze the gesture data to control the aerosol generating device, the processing load for controlling the operation of the aerosol generating device can be distributed or shared between the motion detection circuitry and the device control circuitry. In particular, the computing load or computing resources can be reduced in the device control circuitry. As a result, more or additional computing resources can be provided to the device control circuitry to perform other tasks, functions, or operations, such as, for example, monitoring one or more status parameters of the device or controlling the temperature of one or more heating elements during use of the device.

[0013] Additionally, the overall power or energy consumption of the aerosol generating device may be reduced because the motion sensor data may be processed in the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry with reduced energy consumption compared to processing the motion sensor data in the device control circuitry, which may have a higher energy consumption.

[0014] The motion detection circuitry having at least one motion sensor and a motion sensor controller may be integrated into a single component or part, such as a single chip, a smart sensor, and / or a microelectromechanical system (MEMS). Alternatively, or additionally, the motion detection circuitry may be incorporated into the aerosol generating device, for example, as an electronic circuit on a substrate such as a printed circuit board.

[0015] A motion sensor controller of a motion detection circuit may generally refer to or refer to a logical component for processing data. The motion sensor controller may refer to or include, for example, one or more processors, microprocessors, or microcontrollers.

[0016] The at least one motion sensor of the motion detection circuit may comprise one or more sensors for detecting the motion, displacement, change in position, velocity, rotation, change in rotation, orientation, change in orientation, and / or acceleration of the aerosol-generating device. For example, the motion detection circuit may include at least one tilt sensor for detecting tilt of the aerosol-generating device, at least one accelerometer (single-axis or multi-axis) for detecting acceleration of the aerosol-generating device parallel to and / or about one or more axes, at least one gyroscope for detecting change in rotation and / or motion of the aerosol-generating device about one or more axes, at least one pressure sensor or barometer for detecting fluctuations or changes in altitude, for example, when lifting the aerosol-generating device or climbing stairs, and / or at least one position sensor, such as a global positioning sensor (GPS), for detecting the geographic location and / or change in geographic location of the aerosol-generating device. It is emphasized that one or more of these sensors or sensor types may be combined within at least one motion sensor or motion detection circuit.

[0017] In particular, the motion sensor may include an accelerometer-gyroscope sensor combination that may enable detection of the movement, displacement, change in position, velocity, rotation, change in rotation, orientation, change in orientation, and / or acceleration of the aerosol-generating device in one or more spatial directions parallel to and / or around one or more axes of the aerosol-generating device. As used herein, an axis of the aerosol-generating device may refer to the longitudinal axis (hereinafter also referred to as the x-axis or roll axis), the lateral axis (hereinafter also referred to as the y-axis or pitch axis), or the vertical axis (hereinafter also referred to as the z-axis, vertical axis, or yaw axis) of the aerosol-generating device. Different axes of the aerosol-generating device may be orthogonal to each other.

[0018] The motion sensor may be configured to detect, measure, and / or sense movement, displacement, change in position, velocity, rotation, change in rotation, orientation, change in orientation, and / or acceleration of the aerosol-generating device in one or more spatial directions parallel to and / or around one or more axes of the aerosol-generating device. Alternatively or additionally, the motion sensor may be configured to determine motion sensor data indicative of movement, displacement, change in position, velocity, rotation, change in rotation, orientation, change in orientation, and / or acceleration of the aerosol-generating device in one or more spatial directions parallel to and / or around one or more axes of the aerosol-generating device.

[0019] As used herein, motion sensor data may refer to or indicate raw sensor data provided, determined, and / or generated by a motion sensor of a motion detection circuit in response to sensing and / or detecting movement, position change, rotation, orientation change, rotational change, and / or acceleration of the aerosol generating device. For example, the motion sensor data may include one or more of position data, acceleration data, angular velocity data, and orientation data, e.g., 1-6 axis orientation data. The motion sensor may optionally be configured to output or transmit the motion sensor data to a motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit for processing.

[0020] The motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit may be configured to process motion sensor data or raw sensor data of the motion sensors into gesture data. Alternatively, or additionally, the motion detection circuit may be configured to process motion sensor data generated by and / or resulting from at least one motion sensor. In this regard, the motion sensor controller may be configured to analyze the motion sensor data to determine, calculate, compute, and / or generate gesture data. For example, the motion sensor controller may be configured to calculate gesture data based on the motion sensor data, convert the motion sensor data into gesture data, extract gesture data from the motion sensor data, and / or convert the motion sensor data into gesture data.

[0021] As an example, the motion sensor data provided by the motion sensor and the gesture data provided by or provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit may differ in one or more of data format, time scale, data size, and content. For example, the motion sensor may be configured to provide time-related motion sensor data at a first time scale, and the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit may be configured to provide time-related gesture data at a second time scale, where the second time scale may be greater than the first time scale. As a result, for example, the data size of gesture data describing gestures performed by a user on the aerosol generating device may be reduced relative to the motion sensor data.

[0022] Generally, converting the motion sensor data into gesture data may enable reducing the information content of the gesture data, for example, based on focusing on gestures performed by a user on the aerosol generating device and / or based on removing information content or information that is irrelevant (or only indirectly related) to the gestures.

[0023] As an example, a user may perform a particular gesture with the aerosol generating device by moving the aerosol generating device to a particular position or orientation, by performing one or more taps on the device housing, and / or by rotating the device around one or more axes. Such gestures may be detected by a motion sensor and other movements or accelerations of the aerosol, such as vibrations caused by the user's hand. Thus, motion sensor data may include information related to or directly related to gestures performed on the aerosol generating device, as well as information unrelated to gestures or related to other movements of the aerosol generating device, which may only indirectly relate to the actual gestures performed on the aerosol generating device.

[0024] In one example, the motion detection circuitry may be configured to generate gesture data based on determining information in the motion sensor data that describes gestures performed on the aerosol generating device, for example, by a user or without the user. Alternatively, or additionally, the motion detection circuitry may be configured to filter and / or remove information that is not related to gestures or that is related to other movements of the aerosol generating device. Thus, the data size of the gesture data may be reduced relative to the motion sensor data, while maintaining or preserving information that describes gestures performed on the aerosol generating device.

[0025] As used herein, a gesture performed on an aerosol-generating device can include a gesture performed on the aerosol-generating device by a user, which can also be referred to as a gesture performed directly on the aerosol-generating device by a user, for example, through the user's mechanical interaction with the aerosol-generating device. Alternatively, or additionally, as used herein, a "gesture performed on an aerosol-generating device" can include a movement or action of the aerosol-generating device that is indirectly caused by or unrelated to a user of the aerosol-generating device. Exemplary gestures performed on an aerosol-generating device are not necessarily caused by or related to a user, but can include a drop or free fall of the aerosol-generating device, as well as vibration, position change, acceleration, or rotation of the aerosol-generating device during transportation. Movements of the device that are indirectly caused by a user and that can be detected as a gesture performed on the aerosol-generating device can include, for example, carrying the device in a pocket or bag, transporting the device in a vehicle such as a car, train, or airplane, lifting the device, or dropping the device. Thus, the aerosol generating device may be configured to determine gestures performed on the aerosol generating device by the user, directly by the user, indirectly by the user, or by other means independent of the user.

[0026] Generally, a gesture performed by a user with or using an aerosol-generating device can refer to or include any movement of the aerosol-generating device that involves the user's mechanical, physical, and / or tactile interaction with the aerosol-generating device. In particular, a gesture may refer to or include one or more gestural interactions between the user and the aerosol-generating device. Non-limiting examples of such gestural interactions or movements include moving the aerosol-generating device to a particular attitude or position, moving the aerosol-generating device a particular distance or at a particular speed in one or more spatial directions, tilting the aerosol-generating device about one or more axes of the aerosol-generating device, rotating the aerosol-generating device about one or more axes of the aerosol-generating device, single or multiple taps on the aerosol-generating device, single or multiple taps on the housing of the aerosol-generating device, or other mechanical or physical interaction of the user with the aerosol-generating device. One or more of these gestural interactions or movements may form or comprise a single gesture performed by the user. Thus, a gesture may refer to or include a single gesture interaction or a sequence of gesture interactions performed by a user. Thus, basic gestures as well as complex gestures can be detected by the aerosol generating device to trigger one or more device functions. Similarly, gestures performed on the aerosol generating device by other means, e.g., gestures indirectly related to the user or unrelated to the user, can include one or more gesture interactions or movements of the aerosol generating device.

[0027] The device control circuitry of the aerosol generating device may be configured to process gesture data provided or output by the motion detection circuitry to detect gestures and / or at least one gesture interaction performed on the aerosol generating device, e.g., by a user. The device control circuitry may further be configured to determine one or more device functions associated with the gestures and / or at least one gesture interaction. To this end, for example, a particular gesture or gesture interaction may reference or be associated with a particular device function of the aerosol generating device, e.g., based on storing corresponding reference data in a memory or data storage of the aerosol generating device.

[0028] Generally, the one or more device processors of the device control circuitry may refer to one or more logic components for data processing, such as one or more processors, microprocessors, or microcontrollers. The device control circuitry may be configured as a single component, part, or chip. Alternatively, the device control circuitry may be integrated into the aerosol generating device as electronic circuitry on a substrate such as a printed circuit board.

[0029] The device control circuitry may be further configured to operatively control the aerosol generating device, for example, by performing, executing, and / or triggering one or more device functions in response to determining the gesture. For example, the device control circuitry may be configured to determine a gesture to be performed on the aerosol generating device and trigger one or more device functions associated with the determined gesture based on analyzing the gesture data received from the motion detection circuitry. Triggering or performing at least one device function by the device control circuitry may include controlling or operating one or more components of the aerosol generating device, such as a user interface, a heating element, a power source, or a communication interface of the aerosol generating device.

[0030] As used herein, device functions controlled, implemented, and / or performed by device control circuitry may include one or more of the example functions described below. Generally, as used herein, device functions may refer to functions other than or in addition to processing gesture data provided by motion detection circuitry.

[0031] For example, the device control circuitry may be configured to change, modify, set, change, and / or configure the operating mode of the device, such as an on mode, an off mode, a standby mode, or an idle mode. For example, the device control circuitry may be configured to switch the device between modes and / or configure the device into a particular mode upon detecting a gesture.

[0032] Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to change the power state of the aerosol generation device, for example, to switch the device or its power source to an on or off state. Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to change the configuration of the aerosol generation device, for example, based on specifying or setting one or more device parameters.

[0033] Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to change, configure, and / or switch the device to a locked or unlocked state of the aerosol generation device. For example, the device control circuitry may be configured to configure the device from a locked state, in which aerosol generation by the aerosol generation device may be prohibited, to an unlocked state, in which aerosol generation may be permitted. Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to configure the device from an unlocked state to a locked state.

[0034] Alternatively, or in addition, the device control circuitry may be configured to operate a user interface of the aerosol generating device. For example, the device control circuitry may be configured to send one or more control signals to at least one user interface to operate or activate the at least one user interface. Alternatively, or in addition, the device control circuitry may be configured to control the user interface of the aerosol generating device to provide or output information to the user about the aerosol generating device, such as the battery level of the aerosol generating device's battery or energy storage unit, and / or information related to an aerosol-generating article coupled to the aerosol generating device, such as information about the fill level or number of usage sessions of the aerosol-generating article. In response to detecting the gesture, other information may also be provided on the user interface, such as the number of usage sessions the aerosol generating device has been used in total or with one or more aerosol-generating articles, the duration of usage, the number of usage sessions since the device was last recharged, the number of usage sessions remaining in the aerosol generating device, the number of usage sessions remaining at the current battery level, the number of usage sessions remaining with an aerosol-generating article coupled to it, the number of charging cycles performed, or other information.

[0035] Exemplary user interfaces of the aerosol generating device may include one or more buttons, one or more displays, one or more speakers, one or more control elements, one or more vibration elements, one or more tactile elements, one or more pressure-sensitive means, one or more touch control means, one or more lighting means, and / or one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

[0036] Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to control one or more settings of the aerosol generating device. For example, one or more settings or device parameters, such as the heating temperature during aerosol consumption, may be defined or set by the device control circuitry. Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to reset the aerosol generating device, e.g., reset the device to factory settings, or reset one or more device parameters, such as the number of usage sessions the aerosol generating device has previously been used.

[0037] Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to control a heating element of the aerosol-generating device in response to detecting the gesture. Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to control a heating element of an aerosol-generating article connectable to or connected to the aerosol-generating device to generate the aerosol. Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to control the heating temperature of the aerosol-generating device during aerosol generation.

[0038] Alternatively or additionally, the device functionality may include and / or the device control circuitry may be configured to store log data indicative of one or more gestures and / or one or more gesture events detected by the motion detection circuitry. In one embodiment, the log data for one or more predetermined gestures and / or predetermined gesture events may be stored or recorded by the device control circuitry. Optionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to discard or refrain from storing log data for one or more further predetermined gestures and / or one or more further predetermined gesture events.

[0039] Generally, the motion detection circuitry having its motion sensor may be configured to detect gestures performed on the aerosol generating device, including movement of the aerosol generating device relative to the ground, device movement caused (directly or indirectly) by a user, and / or device movement not caused or associated with a user. The motion detection circuitry may further be configured to output or generate corresponding motion sensor data or raw sensor data. A motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry may process the motion sensor data to generate gesture data that includes or describes information about gestures performed on the aerosol generating device. For example, the motion sensor controller may be configured to filter, reduce, or remove non-gesture-related information from the motion sensor data so that the gesture data may primarily or exclusively include information describing the gesture. The gesture data may then be processed by device control circuitry, for example, to determine gestures performed on the aerosol generating device by a user and determine, trigger, and / or perform one or more device functions associated with the gestures. This multi-stage approach to gesture control allows for the computational load for the overall control of the aerosol generating device to be distributed between the motion detection circuitry and the device control circuitry, potentially freeing up computational resources in the device control circuitry that can be used to perform other tasks. Also, complex gestures, including, for example, multiple gesture interactions, can be reliably detected quickly, efficiently, and with reduced energy consumption.

[0040] The gesture data provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit may include one or more gesture data elements indicative of a predetermined gesture event, for example, in a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device by a user. Alternatively, or additionally, the gesture data provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit may include one or more gesture data elements indicative of and / or signaling detection of one or more gesture events by the motion detection circuit. Thus, the gesture data elements may be configured to signal the determination of one or more gesture events by the motion detection circuit to the device control circuitry.

[0041] In one embodiment, the gesture data may include an interrupt signal. Alternatively, or additionally, the motion detection circuit may be configured to output or provide an interrupt signal to the device control circuit, for example, in response to or upon detection of one or more gesture events by the motion detection circuit. The motion detection circuit may be configured to notify and / or alert the device control circuit that one or more gesture events have been detected by the motion detection circuit based on providing the interrupt signal and / or gesture data to the device control circuit. Optionally, the motion detection circuit may be configured to notify and / or alert the device control circuit that one or more gesture data elements corresponding to the one or more gesture events may be transmitted to the device control circuit.

[0042] In general, an interrupt signal may correspond to one or more bits carrying information that an input is to be communicated to a device control circuit or device processor. This may be quickly processed by the device control circuit or device processor if it is in a low power or sleep mode, for example, and / or may wake up the device control circuit or device processor. In one embodiment, the device control circuit or processor may enter a low power or sleep mode and rely on the motion detection circuitry to be woken up whenever a predetermined gesture event is detected by the motion detection circuitry. Thus, in one embodiment, the interrupt signal sent to the device control circuit may refer to a wake-up signal if the device control circuit or device processor is in a sleep mode, and / or may refer to an input signal indicating that a predetermined gesture event has been detected if the device control circuit or device processor is activated.

[0043] For example, each gesture data element or multiple gesture data elements may indicate a predetermined gesture event detected by a motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit. For example, the predetermined gesture event may describe, represent, indicate, or be associated with one or more (predetermined) gesture interactions performed by a user while performing a gesture. Alternatively, or additionally, the predetermined gesture event may describe, represent, indicate, or be associated with one or more (predetermined) gesture interactions that may not be related to a user.

[0044] In one embodiment, the aerosol generating device may be configured to detect a free fall of the device, which may include a change in position or acceleration of the device when the device impacts a surface, followed by one or more shocks or vibrations. Accordingly, a particular change in position or acceleration may be detected as a gesture event by the motion detection circuit, and one or more shocks or vibrations may be detected by the motion detection circuit as a gesture event. Corresponding gesture data elements may be provided by the motion detection circuit to a device control circuit, which may be configured to detect a "free fall" gesture based on gesture data elements, e.g., two gesture data elements, provided by the motion detection circuit. Alternatively, however, the motion detection circuit may detect the free fall and signal detection entirely to the device control circuitry via a single gesture data element.

[0045] Alternatively, or additionally, the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry may be configured to determine or detect at least one predefined gesture event within a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device based on processing or analyzing the motion sensor data, and the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry may be configured to signal detection of the at least one predefined gesture event to the device control circuitry based on providing one or more gesture data elements indicative of the at least one predefined gesture event.

[0046] For example, the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry may be configured to detect one or more gesture interactions of a user with the aerosol generation device, determine whether a predetermined gesture event has occurred or been detected, and provide one or more gesture data elements indicating or describing the detected gesture event to the device control circuitry for further processing. Based on analysis of the one or more gesture data elements, a gesture or overall gesture performed by the user or on the aerosol generation device may be detected by the device control circuitry.

[0047] The motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit may be configured to determine at least one predetermined gesture event in a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device based on determining and / or identifying at least one motion pattern associated with at least one gesture event in the motion sensor data, and the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit may be configured to provide at least one gesture data element indicative of the determined at least one gesture event to the device control circuit, for example, to signal detection of the gesture event in the motion detection circuit.

[0048] For example, one or more gesture interactions between a user and an aerosol generating device, or interactions unrelated to a user, that may correspond to at least one predetermined gesture event may result in motion sensor data that includes a particular motion pattern that reflects the gesture event. Thus, by identifying the motion pattern associated with the predetermined gesture event in the motion sensor data, the predetermined gesture event can be reliably detected. Thus, as used herein, a motion pattern may refer to a predetermined motion pattern.

[0049] Alternatively or additionally, the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit may be further configured to detect at least one motion pattern based on comparing at least a portion of the motion sensor data with reference motion data. For example, the reference motion data may be stored in a data storage. Alternatively or additionally, the reference motion data may be obtained from an external data source, for example, via a communication interface of the aerosol generating device. Generally, the reference motion data may indicate one or more reference (or predetermined) motion patterns associated with one or more predetermined gesture events. For example, the reference motion data may include reference motion sensor data or values ​​expected, observed, or determined by a motion sensor when a particular gesture or gesture interaction is performed on the aerosol generating device.

[0050] To identify different types of gesture events, for example, multiple reference motion patterns can be defined or stored in the aerosol generating device's data storage and / or obtained from an external source, and each reference motion pattern can be associated with and / or referenced to at least one gesture event. Optionally, multiple reference motion patterns, such as, for example, a tapping reference motion pattern and a rotation reference pattern, can be used or combined to define a single gesture event, which can then be detected by or by the motion detection circuitry.

[0051] Alternatively or additionally, the motion detection circuitry may be configured to detect motion patterns in the motion sensor data based on machine state detection. In other words, the motion detection circuitry may include machine state detection means, which may also be referred to as a state machine, for machine state detection to detect one or more motion patterns associated with one or more predetermined gesture events.

[0052] Generally, a machine state may refer to a finite state of a motion detection circuit that can be mathematically described and / or used to perform or trigger a logical operation. For example, a behavioral model consisting of multiple finite machine states and one or more transitions between these states may be implemented in the motion detection circuit to detect one or more motion patterns in motion sensor data. When a particular motion or gesture is performed, the machine state detection means of the motion detection circuit may begin in a particular starting state, transition between one or more states depending on the motion sensor data provided while the gesture is performed, and reach a final state upon completion of the gesture or gesture event. A motion, motion pattern, gesture, or gesture event can be detected based on one or more transitions, starting states, and / or final states.

[0053] For example, the predetermined gesture event may refer to or include one or more of the following items, which may also be referred to as exemplary types of gesture events: a predetermined tilt of the aerosol generating device relative to one or more spatial directions, a predetermined velocity of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions, a predetermined acceleration of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions, a predetermined translational movement of the aerosol generating device along one or more spatial directions, a predetermined acceleration about one or more of the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical axes of the aerosol generating device, a predetermined angular velocity about one or more of the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical axes of the aerosol generating device, a predetermined rotational movement about one or more of the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical axes of the aerosol generating device, a tap, a double tap, multiple taps, a shake, a double shake, multiple shakes, and a predetermined period of inactivity. Thus, the motion detection circuitry may be configured to detect the predetermined gesture event based on detecting one or more of the aforementioned items or exemplary types of gesture events. It is emphasized that a gesture event may also include multiple (same or different) combinations of the aforementioned items. For example, a gesture event may be defined as a predetermined rotation followed by a tap, etc. Alternatively, or additionally, a gesture data element may indicate or include information about one or more of the aforementioned gesture event items or types.

[0054] Alternatively or additionally, reference motion data, such as one or more reference motion patterns and / or one or more reference values ​​for one or more of the aforementioned categories or types of gesture events, may be stored in the aerosol generating device's data storage (and / or obtained from an external source) to define one or more gesture events. Thus, one or more gesture events may be predefined or preprogrammed into the aerosol generating device based on defining corresponding reference motion data for the one or more gesture events. Some or all of the gesture events may be hard-coded or soft-coded into the aerosol generating device, for example, by the device manufacturer. Alternatively or additionally, at least some of the gesture events may be configurable, for example, by a user of the aerosol generating device.

[0055] In one example, the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry may be configured to determine a sequence or series of multiple gesture events within a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device and provide the sequence or series of gesture data elements to the device control circuitry, in which the multiple gesture data elements may be transmitted simultaneously or sequentially. Detecting multiple gesture events and transmitting corresponding gesture data elements to the device control circuitry to signal their detection may enable the device control circuitry to detect complex user gestures using reduced computational resources, for example, because the device control circuitry may only need to analyze or process the gesture data elements and not the motion sensor data.

[0056] However, it should be noted that the motion detection circuitry may optionally be configured to provide motion sensor data to the device control circuitry, which may be configured to process or analyze some or all of the motion sensor data in addition to the gesture data. Such a configuration may enable validity checking of any gestures or gesture events determined by the aerosol generation device.

[0057] Optionally, the device control circuitry may be further configured to determine a period between detection of two consecutive gesture events based on determining the period between receipt of two consecutive gesture data elements. Alternatively, or additionally, the period between consecutive gesture data elements transmitted by the motion detection circuitry to the device control circuitry may correspond to or correlate with the period between detection of two consecutive gesture events in the motion detection circuitry. Optionally, the determined period between consecutive gesture events may then be further used by the device control circuitry to determine the gesture and trigger at least one device function associated therewith.

[0058] Thus, the device control circuitry may be further configured to determine the gesture based on one or more gesture data elements and based on (or determined by) the duration between at least two consecutive gesture data elements and / or the duration between at least two consecutive gesture events.

[0059] In one embodiment, a user's single tap on the aerosol generating device or its housing may be detected by the motion detection circuitry, and a corresponding gesture data element indicating the single tap may be provided to the device control circuitry upon detection by the motion detection circuitry. The device control circuitry may receive the gesture data elements and determine the duration between these two gesture data elements to detect whether the gesture performed by the user corresponds to a double tap. For example, a double tap may be detected by the device control circuitry if the determined duration between the single taps is within a predetermined range and / or has a predetermined value that may be stored as reference data or reference motion data. The aerosol generating device may then determine at least one device function associated with the detected double tap and trigger the at least one device function.

[0060] Optionally, the one or more gesture data elements indicating a gesture event may include one or more of time information associated with the gesture event, a start time of the gesture event, a stop time of the gesture event, and a duration of the gesture event. Alternatively, or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to determine the gesture based on one or more of the time information associated with the gesture event, the start time of the gesture event, the stop time of the gesture event, and the duration of the gesture event. Thus, time information associated with the gesture event, the start time of the gesture event, the stop time of the gesture event, and the duration of the gesture event may be determined by the motion detection circuitry and / or the device control circuitry. Generally, taking into account the time information of one or more gesture events to determine a gesture can increase the number of detectable gestures, such as a series of rotations, displacements, and taps, and thus enable complex gestures to be reliably detected.

[0061] The device control circuitry may be further configured to determine a gesture based on and / or processing one or more gesture data elements provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry. For example, the device control circuitry may be configured to determine a gesture based on one or more of the following: The device control circuitry may be configured to determine the type of one or more gesture data elements (or gesture events) and / or determine a gesture based thereon. Alternatively, or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to determine a sequence of multiple gesture data elements (or gesture events) and / or determine a gesture based thereon. Alternatively, or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to determine a duration of one or more predetermined gesture events associated with one or more gesture data elements and / or determine a gesture based thereon. Alternatively, or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to determine the occurrence of one or more gesture data elements (or gesture events) within a predetermined period and / or determine a gesture based thereon. Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to determine the number of occurrences of gesture data elements (or gesture events) within a predetermined time period and / or determine a gesture based thereon. Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to determine the frequency of gesture data elements (or gesture events) and / or determine a gesture based thereon. Alternatively or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to determine the period between two consecutive gesture data elements (or gesture events) and / or determine a gesture based thereon.

[0062] The device control circuitry may be further configured to determine the gesture based on comparing at least a portion of the gesture data with reference gesture data. The reference gesture data may be stored, for example, in data storage within the aerosol generating device and / or obtained from an external source. Alternatively, or additionally, the device control circuitry may be configured to determine the gesture based on one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data and based on one or more reference gesture data elements indicating one or more gesture events. Thus, the reference gesture data may include one or more reference gesture data elements. Generally, the reference gesture data may indicate a predetermined gesture, which may include one or more predetermined gesture events. For example, the reference gesture data may define a gesture based on defining a particular gesture event or based on defining a plurality, sequence, or series of gesture events that the gesture comprises.

[0063] For example, the reference gesture data may define a gesture based on defining one or more types of gesture events, a sequence of multiple events, a duration of one or more predetermined gesture events, an occurrence of one or more gesture events within a predetermined period of time, a number of occurrences of gesture events within a predetermined period of time, a frequency of gesture events, and a period of time between two or more consecutive gesture events.

[0064] The reference gesture data may be configured, defined, and / or programmed by the manufacturer of the aerosol generating device. Alternatively, or additionally, the reference gesture data may be defined or configured by a user, for example, based on recording a particular gesture and storing the reference gesture data for that gesture.

[0065] Thus, the device control circuitry may be configured to determine at least one device function based on the determined gesture and / or based on one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data received from the motion detection circuitry in response to detecting one or more gesture events at the motion detection circuitry.

[0066] A further aspect of the present disclosure relates to an aerosol generation system comprising at least one aerosol-generating device as described hereinabove and below, the aerosol-generating system further comprising one or both of an aerosol-generating article connectable to the aerosol-generating device and a receiving device configured to at least partially receive the aerosol-generating device.

[0067] The aerosol-generating article may, for example, be wand-shaped and may contain or be configured to receive an aerosol-generating substrate. Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol-generating article may include a cartridge that can be filled with an aerosol-generating liquid or substrate.

[0068] The aerosol-generating device and / or aerosol-generating article may further include at least one heating element for heating at least a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate of the aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol. Activation of the heating element may be triggered, for example, by performing a particular gesture with the aerosol-generating device, detecting the gesture with device control circuitry based on processing the gesture data in the motion detection circuitry, and triggering a device function in response to detecting the gesture in the device control circuitry.

[0069] The receiving device may be configured to store, for example, the aerosol-generating device. Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol-generating device may be charged or energy may be supplied by the receiving device. To provide electrical energy, the aerosol-generating device may comprise one or more energy stores, such as, for example, a battery, an accumulator, or a capacitor.

[0070] A further aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method of operating an aerosol generating device and / or an aerosol generating system including the aerosol generating device, which may relate at least in part or entirely to a computer-implemented method. The aerosol generating device includes a motion detection circuit having at least one motion sensor and a motion sensor controller. The aerosol generating device further includes device control circuitry communicatively coupled to the motion detection circuit. The method includes: - processing, using a motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry, motion sensor data of the at least one motion sensor into gesture data indicative of a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device by movement of the aerosol generating device; - determining a gesture to be performed on the aerosol generating device based on analyzing the gesture data using device control circuitry; - using the device control circuitry to control the aerosol generating device to perform at least one device function in response to the determined gesture.

[0071] It is emphasized that any disclosure provided hereinabove and below relating directly or indirectly to an aerosol generating device or system applies equally to the method of operation of an aerosol generating device or system, and vice versa.

[0072] The method may further include using a motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit to determine at least one predetermined gesture event occurring, for example, in a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device by a user or in a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device, and providing at least one gesture data element indicative of the at least one predetermined gesture event to the device control circuit.

[0073] The method may further include signaling detection of the at least one predefined gesture event in the motion detection circuit to the device control circuit based on providing, using the motion detection circuit, one or more gesture data elements indicative of the at least one predefined gesture event to the device control circuit.

[0074] In one embodiment, determining the at least one predefined gesture event may include detecting at least one motion pattern associated with the at least one gesture event in the motion sensor data. Optionally, detecting the at least one motion pattern may include comparing at least a portion of the motion sensor data to reference motion data.

[0075] In one embodiment, the method may further include determining a sequence of multiple gesture events in a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device using a motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry, and providing a sequence of a series of gesture data elements to the device control circuitry.

[0076] Determining at least one gesture event with the motion detection circuit may include using the motion detection circuit to determine one or more of the following: a predetermined tilt of the aerosol generating device with respect to one or more spatial directions; a predetermined velocity of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions; a predetermined acceleration of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions; a predetermined translational movement of the aerosol generating device along one or more spatial directions; a predetermined acceleration about one or more of the longitudinal, lateral and vertical axes of the aerosol generating device; a predetermined angular velocity about one or more of the longitudinal, lateral and vertical axes of the aerosol generating device; a predetermined rotational movement about one or more of the longitudinal, lateral and vertical axes of the aerosol generating device; a tap on the aerosol generating device or its housing; a double tap on the aerosol generating device or its housing; multiple taps on the aerosol generating device or its housing; a shake performed on the aerosol generating device; a double shake performed on the aerosol generating device; multiple shakes performed on the aerosol generating device; and a predetermined inactive period during which the aerosol generating device may be substantially stationary. Any one or more of the above predetermined gesture events may be determined by the motion detection circuitry, for example, based on detecting one or more corresponding motion patterns in the motion sensor data. Further, one or more corresponding gesture data elements may be generated and provided to the device control circuitry to signal the motion detection circuitry or the detection of one or more gesture events by the motion detection circuitry.

[0077] The method may further include determining one or more of time information associated with the gesture event, including a start time of the gesture event, a stop time of the gesture event, and a duration of the gesture event, which may be determined by the motion detection circuitry, included in, or coded in, the respective one or more gesture data elements. Alternatively, or additionally, such information may be determined by device control circuitry based on processing the respective one or more gesture elements provided by the motion detection circuitry.

[0078] The method may further include determining, with the device control circuitry, a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device based on analyzing one or more gesture data elements provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry. For example, the gesture may be determined by the device control circuitry based on determining one or more of the following: a type of one or more gesture data elements (or gesture events), a sequence of multiple gesture data elements (or gesture events), a duration of one or more predetermined gesture events associated with one or more gesture data elements, an occurrence of one or more gesture data elements (or gesture events) within a predetermined period of time, a number of occurrences of gesture data elements (or gesture events) within a predetermined period of time, a frequency of the gesture data elements (or gesture events), or a period between two consecutive gesture data elements (or gesture events).

[0079] For example, the gesture may be determined by the device control circuitry based on comparing at least a portion of the gesture data to reference gesture data. Alternatively, or additionally, the gesture may be determined by the device control circuitry based on comparing one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data to one or more reference gesture data elements indicative of one or more predetermined gesture events.

[0080] The method may further include determining, using the device control circuitry, at least one device function based on the determined gesture and / or based on one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data. The method may further include performing and / or executing the determined at least one device function. This may include, for example, activating one or more components of the aerosol generating device in response to the determined at least one device function.

[0081] Performing a device function may also include inhibiting or suppressing one or more functions of the aerosol generating device, for example, when free fall of the device is detected, activation of a heating element may be inhibited.

[0082] As described above, exemplary device functions may include one or more of: changing the operating mode of the aerosol generating device; changing the power state of the aerosol generating device; changing the configuration of the aerosol generating device; changing the lock state of the aerosol generating device; activating a user interface of the aerosol generating device; controlling a user interface of the aerosol generating device to provide information to a user; controlling one or more settings of the aerosol generating device; resetting the aerosol generating device; controlling a heating element of the aerosol generating device; controlling a heating element of an aerosol-generating article that can be connected to the aerosol generating device to generate an aerosol; and controlling the heating temperature of the aerosol generating device.

[0083] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program which, when executed by an aerosol generating device or an aerosol generating system, instructs the aerosol generating device or system to perform the steps of the methods as described herein above and below.

[0084] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program which, when executed by an aerosol generating device or an aerosol generating system, instructs the aerosol generating device or system to perform the steps of the methods as described herein above and below.

[0085] Further aspects of the present disclosure may relate to the use of the aerosol generating devices or systems described herein above and below.

[0086] The following provides a non-exhaustive list of non-limiting examples, any one or more of the features of these examples may be combined with any one or more features of any other example, embodiment, or aspect described herein. [Example]

[0087] Example 1: a motion detection circuit including at least one motion sensor and a motion sensor controller configured to process motion sensor data of the at least one motion sensor into gesture data indicative of a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device by movement of the aerosol generating device, e.g., a gesture performed by a user of the aerosol generating device by mechanical interaction with the aerosol generating device; an aerosol generating device comprising: a device control circuit including one or more device processors configured to determine a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device, e.g., a gesture performed by a user, based on analyzing gesture data provided by a motion sensor controller of the action detection circuit, and to control the aerosol generating device to perform at least one device function in response to the determined gesture. Example 2: the gesture data provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry includes one or more gesture data elements indicative of a predetermined gesture event, e.g., a gesture performed by a user on the aerosol generating device; and / or An aerosol generating device as described in Example 1, wherein the gesture data includes one or more gesture data elements for signaling the device control circuitry to detect one or more predetermined gesture events in the motion detection circuitry. Example 3: An aerosol generating device described in any one of Examples 1 and 2, wherein the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit is configured to determine at least one predetermined gesture event in a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device, for example, based on processing motion sensor data, and to signal the detection of the at least one predetermined gesture event to the device control circuit based on providing one or more gesture data elements indicating the at least one predetermined gesture event. Example 4: a motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit configured to determine at least one predefined gesture event in a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device, e.g., performed by a user, based on detecting at least one motion pattern associated with the at least one gesture event in the motion sensor data; An aerosol generating device described in any one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit is configured to provide at least one gesture data element to the device control circuit, the gesture data element indicating at least one determined gesture event. Example 5: An aerosol generating device as described in Example 4, wherein the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit is configured to detect at least one motion pattern based on comparing at least a portion of the motion sensor data with reference motion data. Example 6: An aerosol generating device described in any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the motion sensor controller of the action detection circuit is configured to determine a sequence of multiple gesture events in a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device, for example, by a user, and provide a sequence of a series of gesture data elements to the device control circuit. Example 7: A given gesture event is a predetermined inclination of the aerosol generating device with respect to one or more spatial directions; a predetermined velocity of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions; a predetermined acceleration of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions; and a predetermined translational movement of the aerosol generating device along one or more spatial directions; a predetermined acceleration about one or more of a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, and a vertical axis of the aerosol generating device; a predetermined angular velocity about one or more of a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, and a vertical axis of the aerosol generating device; a predetermined rotational movement of the aerosol generating device about one or more of a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, and a vertical axis; Tap and Double tap and Multitap Shake and Double shake and Multi-shake and 7. The aerosol generating device according to any one of Examples 2 to 6, wherein the predetermined inactive period is one or more. Example 8: 8. The aerosol generating device according to any one of Examples 2 to 7, wherein the predetermined gesture event is configurable. Example 9: An aerosol generating device described in any one of Examples 2 to 8, wherein the one or more gesture data elements include one or more of time information associated with the gesture event, a start time of the gesture event, a stop time of the gesture event, and a duration of the gesture event. Example 10: An aerosol generating device described in any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the device control circuitry is further configured to determine the gesture based on one or more gesture data elements provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry. Example 11: The device control circuit one or more gesture data element types; a sequence of a plurality of gesture data elements; durations of one or more predefined gesture events associated with one or more gesture data elements; the occurrence of one or more gesture data elements within a predetermined time period; the number of occurrences of gesture data elements within a predetermined time period; and the frequency of the gesture data elements; and 11. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of Examples 1 to 10, further configured to determine the gesture based on one or more of: a period between two consecutive gesture data elements; Example 12: the device control circuitry is configured to determine a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device, e.g., performed by a user, based on comparing at least a portion of the gesture data with reference gesture data; and / or An aerosol generating device described in any one of Examples 1 to 11, wherein the device control circuit is configured to determine a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device, e.g., performed by a user, based on comparing one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data with one or more reference gesture data elements indicating one or more predetermined gesture events. Example 13: An aerosol generating device as described in Example 12, wherein the reference gesture data is stored in data storage of the device control circuit and / or obtained from an external data source. Example 14: An aerosol generating device described in any one of Examples 12 and 13, wherein the reference gesture data is configurable. Example 15: An aerosol generating device described in any one of Examples 1 to 14, wherein the device control circuitry is further configured to determine at least one device function based on the determined gesture and / or based on one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data. Example 16: At least one device function is changing the operating mode of the aerosol generating device; changing the power state of the aerosol generating device; Modifying a component of the aerosol generating device; Changing the lock state of the aerosol generating device; activating a user interface of the aerosol generating device; Controlling a user interface of the aerosol generating device to provide information to a user; controlling one or more settings of the aerosol generating device; resetting the aerosol generator; controlling a heating element of the aerosol generating device; generating an aerosol by controlling a heating element of an aerosol-generating article connectable to the aerosol-generating device; and controlling the heating temperature of the aerosol-generating device. Example 17: An aerosol generating device described in any one of Examples 1 to 16, wherein the motion detection circuit and / or at least one motion sensor of the motion detection circuit includes one or more of a tilt sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a pressure sensor, a barometer, and a position sensor. Example 18: An aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 17, an aerosol-generating article connectable to an aerosol-generating device and / or a receiving device configured to at least partially receive the aerosol-generating device; Example 19: 1. A method of operating an aerosol generating device, the method comprising: a motion detection circuit having at least one motion sensor and a motion sensor controller; and a device control circuit communicatively coupled to the motion detection circuit, the method comprising: processing, using a motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry, motion sensor data of the at least one motion sensor into gesture data indicative of a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device by movement of the aerosol generating device, e.g., as performed by a user of the aerosol generating device by mechanical interaction with the aerosol generating device; determining a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device, e.g., performed by a user, based on analyzing the gesture data using device control circuitry; The method includes controlling, with a device control circuitry, the aerosol generating device to perform at least one device function in response to the determined gesture. Example 20: determining, using the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry, at least one predetermined gesture event occurring in, for example, a gesture performed by a user on the aerosol generating device; and / or 20. The method of example 19, further comprising providing at least one gesture data element to the device control circuitry indicative of at least one predetermined gesture event. Example 21: 21. A method as described in any of Examples 19 and 20, further comprising signaling detection of at least one predetermined gesture event in the motion detection circuit to the device control circuit based on providing, using the motion detection circuit, one or more gesture data elements indicating the at least one predetermined gesture event to the device control circuit. Example 22: 22. The method of any one of Examples 20 and 21, wherein determining the at least one predetermined gesture event includes detecting at least one motion pattern associated with the at least one gesture event in the motion sensor data. Example 23: 23. The method of example 22, wherein detecting at least one motion pattern includes comparing at least a portion of the motion sensor data to reference motion data. Example 24: determining a sequence of a plurality of gesture events within a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device, for example, performed by a user, using a motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit; 24. The method of any one of examples 19-23, further comprising providing the sequence of gesture data elements to the device control circuitry. Example 25: Using the operation detection circuit, a predetermined inclination of the aerosol generating device with respect to one or more spatial directions; a predetermined velocity of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions; a predetermined acceleration of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions; and a predetermined translational movement of the aerosol generating device along one or more spatial directions; a predetermined acceleration about one or more of a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, and a vertical axis of the aerosol generating device; a predetermined angular velocity about one or more of a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, and a vertical axis of the aerosol generating device; a predetermined rotational movement of the aerosol generating device about one or more of a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, and a vertical axis; Tap and Double tap and Multitap Shake and Double shake and Multi-shake and 25. The method of any one of Examples 19-24, further comprising determining one or more predetermined periods of inactivity. Example 26: 26. The method of any one of examples 20 to 25, further comprising determining one or more of time information associated with the gesture event: a start time of the gesture event, a stop time of the gesture event, and a duration of the gesture event. Example 27: 27. The method of any one of examples 19-26, wherein the gesture is determined by the device control circuitry based on analyzing one or more gesture data elements provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry. Example 28: Determining the gesture includes, using the device control circuitry, one or more gesture data element types; a sequence of a plurality of gesture data elements; durations of one or more predefined gesture events associated with one or more gesture data elements; the occurrence of one or more gesture data elements within a predetermined time period; the number of occurrences of gesture data elements within a predetermined time period; and the frequency of the gesture data elements; and 28. The method according to any one of examples 19 to 27, further comprising determining one or more of: a duration between two consecutive gesture data elements; Example 29: the gesture is determined by the device control circuitry based on comparing at least a portion of the gesture data to reference gesture data; and / or 29. The method of any one of examples 19 to 28, wherein the gesture is determined by the device control circuitry based on comparing one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data with one or more reference gesture data elements indicative of one or more predetermined gesture events. Example 30: determining, with the device control circuitry, at least one device function based on the determined gesture and / or based on one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data; 30. The method of any one of examples 19-29, further comprising triggering at least one device function using device control circuitry. Example 31: At least one device function is changing the operating mode of the aerosol generating device; changing the power state of the aerosol generating device; Modifying a component of the aerosol generating device; Changing the lock state of the aerosol generating device; activating a user interface of the aerosol generating device; Controlling a user interface of the aerosol generating device to provide information to a user; controlling one or more settings of the aerosol generating device; resetting the aerosol generator; controlling a heating element of the aerosol generating device; generating an aerosol by controlling a heating element of an aerosol-generating article connectable to the aerosol-generating device; and controlling the heating temperature of the aerosol-generating device. Example 32: A computer program which, when executed by an aerosol generating device or an aerosol generating system, instructs the aerosol generating device or system to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 19 to 31. Example 33: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the computer program of Example 32. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0088] The embodiments will now be further described with reference to the figures.

[0089] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows an aerosol generation system. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 shows an aerosol generating device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a flow chart illustrating a method of operating an aerosol generating device or system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0090] The figures are schematic and not to scale. As a rule, identical or similar parts, elements and / or steps are provided with identical or similar reference numbers in the figures.

[0091] Figure 1 shows an aerosol generation system 500 for generating an aerosol. The aerosol generation system 500 includes an aerosol generation device 100 for generating an aerosol. The aerosol generation device 100 shown in Figure 1 is shown in more detail in Figure 2 and will be described below with reference to either or both of Figures 1 and 2.

[0092] The aerosol-generating system 500 further comprises an aerosol-generating article 300, which may be, for example, wand-shaped and may contain an aerosol-generating substrate. Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol-generating article 300 may comprise a cartridge that can be filled with an aerosol-generating liquid or substrate.

[0093] The aerosol-generating device 100 further includes at least one heating element 140 for heating at least a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate of the aerosol-generating article 300 to generate an aerosol. As explained in more detail below, activation of the heating element 140 may be triggered, for example, by performing a particular gesture with the aerosol-generating device 100. Alternatively, or in addition to disposing the heating element 140 within the aerosol-generating device 100, the heating element 140, or a portion thereof, may be disposed within the aerosol-generating article 300. The aerosol-generating article 300 may be coupled to the aerosol-generating device 100, and activation of the heating element 140 may heat at least a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol.

[0094] The aerosol generation system 500 further includes a receiving device 200 that may be configured to store the aerosol generation device 100. Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol generation device 100 may be charged or energy may be supplied by the receiving device 200. To store electrical energy, the aerosol generation device 100 may include one or more energy storage units 160, such as, for example, a battery, an accumulator, or a capacitor.

[0095] As shown in more detail in FIG. 2, the aerosol generating device 100 comprises a motion detection circuit 102 having at least one motion sensor 104 for determining and / or acquiring motion sensor data indicative of the operation of the aerosol generating device 100, including the operation caused by a user performing a gesture on the aerosol generating device 100 based on mechanical interaction with the device 100.

[0096] The motion sensor 104 may include at least one tilt sensor for detecting tilt of the aerosol-generating device 100, at least one accelerometer (single-axis or multi-axis) for detecting acceleration of the aerosol-generating device 100 parallel to and / or about one or more axes 176, 178, 180, at least one gyroscope for detecting rotational changes, at least one position sensor, such as a global positioning sensor (GPS), for detecting rotational rate (e.g., degrees / second) and / or movement of the aerosol-generating device 100 about one or more axes 176, 178, 180, and / or the geographic location and / or change in geographic location of the aerosol-generating device 100. Alternatively, or additionally, one or more pressure sensors and / or barometers may be utilized to detect the altitude, altitude above sea level, and / or vertical position change of the aerosol-generating device. For example, such a change in altitude may be caused by a user lifting or picking up the aerosol-generating device or by moving the aerosol-generating device parallel to and perpendicular to the z-axis 180 in FIG. 2 . The one or more pressure sensors may be configured to detect, for example, a change in vertical direction 174 of about 1 cm, e.g., about 10 cm or more. It is emphasized that one or more of these sensors or sensor types may be combined within at least one motion sensor 104 or motion detection circuit 102, such as, for example, an accelerometer-gyroscope sensor combination.

[0097] The motion detection circuit 102 and / or the motion sensor 104 are configured to detect movement, displacement, velocity, change in position, orientation, change in orientation, rotation, change in rotation, and / or acceleration of the aerosol generation device 100 in one or more spatial directions 170, 172, 174 parallel to and / or about one or more axes 176, 178, 180 of the aerosol generation device 100. The axes 176, 178, 180 may also be referred to as the longitudinal axis 176 (or x-axis 176 or roll axis 176), the lateral axis 178 (or y-axis or lateral axis or pitch axis 178), and the vertical axis 180 (or yaw axis 180 or vertical axis) of the aerosol generation device 100. Alternatively or additionally, the motion sensor 104 may be configured to determine motion sensor data indicative of movement, displacement, velocity, position change, orientation, orientation change, rotation, rotation change, and / or acceleration of the aerosol generating device 100 in one or more spatial directions 170, 172, 174 parallel to and / or around one or more axes 176, 178, 180 of the aerosol generating device 100.

[0098] Motion sensor data may refer to or denote raw sensor data provided, determined, and / or generated by the motion sensors 104 of the motion detection circuit 102 in response to sensing and / or detecting movement, displacement, velocity, position change, orientation, orientation change, rotation, rotation change, and / or acceleration of the aerosol generating device 100. For example, the motion sensor data may include one or more of position data, acceleration data, angular velocity data, and orientation data, e.g., 1-6 axis orientation data.

[0099] The motion sensor data acquired by the at least one motion sensor 104 is output to the motion sensor controller 106 of the motion detection circuit 102 and processed by the motion sensor controller 106 into gesture data indicative of gestures performed on the aerosol generating device, for example, performed by a user using the aerosol generating device 100. In particular, the motion sensor controller 106 may include one or more processors, microprocessors, or microcontrollers. For example, the motion sensor controller 106 may be configured to analyze the motion sensor data to determine, calculate, and / or generate gesture data.

[0100] The motion detection circuit 102 may be designed or configured as a smart sensor and / or MEMS, for example, in the form of a single component or member. Alternatively, the motion detection circuit 102 may be implemented as an electronic circuit having multiple components disposed on a substrate or circuit board, for example.

[0101] The aerosol generating device 100 further includes device control circuitry 110 having one or more processors, device processors, microprocessors, or microcontrollers 112 configured to receive and / or process gesture data provided by the motion detection circuitry 102 to determine gestures performed on the aerosol generating device, e.g., performed by a user using the aerosol generating device 100. Below, exemplary functionality of the aerosol generating device 100, the motion detection circuitry 102, and the device control circuitry 110 is described, which may be utilized separately or in combination to provide gesture control for the aerosol generating device 100.

[0102] For example, the gesture data provided by the motion sensor controller 106 of the motion detection circuit 102 may include one or more gesture data elements indicative of a predetermined gesture event in a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device. Accordingly, the motion sensor controller 106 of the motion detection circuit 102 may be configured to determine the at least one predetermined gesture event based on processing the motion sensor data, and signal detection of the at least one predetermined gesture event to the device control circuitry 110 based on providing one or more gesture data elements indicative of the at least one predetermined gesture event. To detect the at least one gesture event, the motion detection circuit 102 and / or its motion sensor controller 104 may be configured to detect at least one motion pattern or predetermined motion patterns associated with the at least one predetermined gesture event in the motion sensor data and provide at least one gesture data element indicative of the determined at least one gesture event to the device control circuitry 110.

[0103] At least one motion pattern associated with at least one gesture event may be detected, for example, based on state machine detection and / or based on reference motion data, which may be stored, for example, in data storage 120 of aerosol generating device 100 and / or obtained from an external source, for example, via communication interface 150 of aerosol generating device 100.

[0104] The motion detection circuit 102 may be configured to monitor any motion of the aerosol generation device 100 and, upon detection of one or more gesture events, provide one or more gesture data elements to the device control circuitry 110. For example, the motion sensor controller 106 of the motion detection circuitry 102 may be configured to determine a sequence of gesture events, e.g., in a gesture performed on the aerosol generation device by a user, and provide the sequence of gesture data elements to the device control circuitry 110. Based on one or more of the gesture data elements, the device control circuitry 110 may detect a gesture performed on the aerosol generation device and control one or more device functions of the aerosol generation device 100, the one or more device functions being associated with the detected gesture.

[0105] Examples of gesture events detected by the motion detection circuit 102 include a predetermined tilt of the aerosol generating device 100 with respect to one or more spatial directions 170, 172, 174, a predetermined velocity of the aerosol generating device 100 in one or more spatial directions 170, 172, 174, a predetermined acceleration of the aerosol generating device 100 in one or more spatial directions 170, 172, 174, a predetermined translation or displacement of the aerosol generating device 100 along one or more spatial directions 170, 172, 174, and a predetermined acceleration of the aerosol generating device 100 about one or more axes 176, 178, 180. The factors may include speed, a predetermined angular velocity around one or more axes 176, 178, 180 of the aerosol generating device 100, a predetermined rotational movement around one or more axes 176, 178, 180 of the aerosol generating device 100, a tap performed by the user on the aerosol generating device 100, a double tap performed by the user on the aerosol generating device 100, multiple taps performed by the user on the aerosol generating device 100, a shake performed on the aerosol generating device 100, a double shake, multiple shakes, and a predetermined period of inactivity.

[0106] The device control circuitry 110 may be configured to determine a gesture based on one or more gesture data elements provided by the motion sensor controller 106 of the motion detection circuitry 102. For example, the device control circuitry 110 may be configured to determine a gesture based on one or more of the following: the type of one or more gesture data elements or events; the sequence of multiple gesture data elements or events; the duration of one or more predetermined gesture events associated with one or more gesture data elements; the occurrence of one or more gesture data elements or events within a predetermined period of time; the number of occurrences of gesture data elements or events within a predetermined period of time; the frequency of gesture data elements or events; and the duration between two consecutive gesture data elements or events. Any one or more of these characteristics may be determined by the device control circuitry 110 to detect a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device, for example, based on reference gesture data that may be stored in the data storage 120 of the aerosol generating device 100.

[0107] Note that common data storage 120 for the motion detection circuit 102 and the device control circuit 110 is illustratively shown in Figure 2. Alternatively, separate data storage for the motion detection circuit 102 and the device control circuit 110 may be utilized.

[0108] The device control circuitry 110 may be further configured to determine at least one device function based on the determined gesture and / or based on one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data. Implementing or executing the at least one device may include activating one or more components of the aerosol generating device 100, such as the heating element 140, the energy storage unit 160, the communication interface 150, one or more user interfaces 130 of the aerosol generating device 100, or any other component of the aerosol generating device 100. The aerosol generating device 100 shown in FIG. 2 includes an exemplary user interface 130 for outputting information to a user and / or receiving one or more user inputs.

[0109] When a gesture is detected, the device control circuitry 110 may be configured to change the operating mode of the aerosol generating device 100, change the power state of the aerosol generating device 100, change the configuration of the aerosol generating device 100, change the lock state of the aerosol generating device 100, activate the user interface 130 of the aerosol generating device 100, control the user interface 120 of the aerosol generating device 100 to provide information to a user, control one or more settings of the aerosol generating device 100, reset the aerosol generating device 100, control the heating element 140 of the aerosol generating device 100, control a heating element of an aerosol-generating article 300 connectable to the aerosol generating device 100 to generate aerosol, and / or control the heating temperature of the aerosol generating device 100 or at least one heating element 140. Displaying information on the user interface 130 may include obtaining information about the charge level from the energy storage unit 160 and / or obtaining information from the aerosol-generating article 300, for example, about the fill level or status of the aerosol-generating substrate.

[0110] The following summarizes various exemplary features, functions, or functionality of the aerosol generating device 100 or system 500. The motion detection circuit 100 can, for example, include coding means and / or be configured to perform an analysis of whether movements determined by the motion sensor 102 can be associated with or mapped to a predetermined gesture event. The motion detection circuit 102 can then forward the information as gesture data and / or as one or more gesture data elements to the device control circuitry 110. To this end, the motion detection circuit 102 can implement hard-coded and / or soft-coded detection blocks, which can be configurable.

[0111] First-level processing or pre-processing of motion sensor data acquired by the motion sensor 104 to detect gestures performed on the aerosol generating device, e.g., by a user, can be performed by the motion detection circuit 102 or its motion sensor controller 104. For example, one or more gesture events may be detected by the motion detection circuit 102, and one or more gesture data elements indicative thereof may be transmitted to the device control circuitry 110. In second-level processing, the device control circuitry 110 or its at least one device processor 112 can determine what gesture was performed and / or the functional response to the gesture. Thus, the motion detection circuitry 102 can detect what gesture event (e.g., shake, slow pick-up, tap, rotation, displacement, etc.) occurred, and the device control circuitry 110 can then perform an analysis of the corresponding gesture data or gesture data elements to determine the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device. Device control circuitry 110 can also determine what type of device function to perform in response to a gesture and / or can perform one or more device functions in response to detecting a particular gesture.

[0112] The motion detection circuit 102 may include one or more detection blocks for detecting one or more gesture events. For example, the motion detection circuit 102 may include one or more of a hard-coded detection block, a soft-coded detection block, and a state machine detection block. Alternatively, or additionally, a detection block using machine learning may be implemented in the motion detection circuit 102 to detect one or more gesture events based on or using an artificial intelligence module that can be trained to detect specific gesture events in motion sensor data. The hard-coded detection block may be pre-programmed and / or configurable, for example, in terms of thresholds, durations, number of taps, etc. The soft-coded detection block may be programmed for specific motion patterns, including, for example, one or more of acceleration, rotation, and angular velocity.

[0113] Upon detecting one or more motion patterns in the motion sensor data, motion detection circuitry 102 may output a signal, such as a signal including gesture data and / or one or more gesture data elements, to device control circuitry 110, thereby notifying device control circuitry 110 that one or more particular gesture events have been detected.

[0114] Such signals may include, for example, an interrupt signal, whose input may correspond to a bit carrying information to be communicated to the device control circuitry 110 or device processor 112. This may be processed very quickly by the device control circuitry 110 or device processor 112 and / or may wake the device control circuitry 110 or device processor 112. Thus, the device control circuitry 110 or processor 112, also referred to as the main application processor or device processor 112 and which may have a somewhat higher energy consumption, may enter a low-power or sleep mode and rely on the motion detection circuitry 102 being woken up whenever a predetermined gesture event is detected by the motion detection circuitry 102. Thus, the interrupt signal sent to the device control circuitry 110 may refer to a wake-up signal if the device control circuitry 110 or device processor 112 is in a sleep mode, or to an input signal indicating that a predetermined gesture event has been detected if the device control circuitry 110 or device processor 112 is awake. In either case, such information may be followed by a signal or data associated with the detected gesture event, such as at least one gesture data element.

[0115] Thus, motion detection circuit 102 or motion sensor controller 106 and device control circuitry 110 or device processor 112 can operate independently of one another, and motion sensor controller 106 of motion detection circuit 102 can be configured to detect one or more gesture events in the motion sensor data and signal one or more gesture events to device processor 112 based on providing or calculating one or more gesture data elements. Device processor 112 of device control circuitry 110 can further detect gestures based on the one or more gesture events signaled by motion detection circuit 102.

[0116] In general, the motion detection circuitry 102 and the device control circuitry 110 may refer to physically and functionally separate or independent components, e.g., may be disposed in different locations within the device 100 and / or may have dedicated tasks.

[0117] The following describes an embodiment for detecting a double tap performed by a user on the aerosol generating device 100. A double tap gesture may include two separate gesture interactions of single taps separated by a specific duration or time interval. Both gesture interactions may correspond to a single gesture event, a "double tap," and may be detected as a double tap by the motion sensor controller 106 of the motion detection circuit 102. Upon detecting a double tap, the motion detection circuit 102 may provide a corresponding gesture data element to the device control circuitry 110, which may execute at least one device function associated with the double tap or gesture. To actually detect a double tap as a gesture event, for example, the amplitude of the single tap and the time interval between taps may be customized or predefined within the motion detection circuit 102, for example, based on a definition of the corresponding reference motion data.

[0118] Alternatively, a double tap may be detected by motion detection circuitry 102 as two consecutive single taps or gesture events separated by a particular duration. Motion detection circuitry 102 may be configured to signal the single taps to device control circuitry 110 by providing a corresponding gesture element to device control circuitry 110 for each detected "single tap" gesture event, and device control circuitry 110 may be configured to determine the duration between the two gesture events. For example, if the detected duration is within a particular range or has a particular value, device control circuitry 110 can detect the "double tap" gesture and trigger an associated device function.

[0119] To detect various gesture events or gestures, several dedicated state machines can be used in the motion detection circuit 102, each of which can be programmed to detect a particular or predetermined motion pattern or gesture event.

[0120] As an example, the motion detection circuit 102 may be configured to detect a particular motion pattern in which acceleration increases by x%, then decreases by y%, then ceases to accelerate, then accelerates again within a 30 millisecond time frame. It will be appreciated that, in general, multiple motion patterns that may correspond to a particular signature gesture may be programmed and detected by the motion detection circuit 102 based on storing corresponding reference motion data.

[0121] By distributing the computational load for overall gesture control between the motion sensor controller 106 of the motion detection circuitry 102 and the device processor 112 of the device control circuitry, the processing load can be reduced on the part of the device processor 112. This may leave more capacity for processing unique functions, such as calculating heating control regulations. Optionally, a dedicated microprocessor for controlling the heating element 140 may be utilized.

[0122] As described above, information received by the device control circuitry 110 from the motion detection circuitry 102, particularly gesture data and / or gesture data elements, can be used by the device control circuitry 110 to recognize gestures performed on the aerosol generation device. As an example, a double tap followed by a rotation or a shake within a specific time interval can be defined as a gesture and detected by the device control circuitry 110, for example, based on the definition of corresponding reference gesture data. This can provide new ways of interacting with the aerosol generation device 100. Accordingly, the device control circuitry 110 can assign specific device functions to gestures, including one or more gesture events, detected by the motion detection circuitry 102.

[0123] As described above, in an embodiment of single / double tap gesture recognition, a single tap can be detected by motion detection circuit 102. When a double tap is performed, a corresponding gesture data element can be transmitted from motion detection circuit 102 to device control circuitry 110, which can evaluate whether the input is a single or double tap by analyzing the time interval between the taps or gesture events and operating a function associated with the single or double tap based on the time interval, which may be defined in the reference gesture data, for example, depending on whether the time interval is above or below a predetermined time threshold. Thus, a double tap can be detected as two single taps, and a calculation of the time between the two taps can then be determined by device control circuitry 110. However, alternatively, a double tap can be detected as a gesture event by motion detection circuit 102.

[0124] Optionally, "free fall detection" can be implemented in the motion detection circuit 102 to filter events resulting from dropping the aerosol generating device 100 rather than tapping or double tapping by the user.

[0125] Generally, merging pre-processed information from the motion detection circuitry 102 within the device control circuitry 110 can deliver better and more accurate gesture detection.

[0126] Thus, device control circuitry 110 may be configured to receive a sequence of inputs x, y, e.g., gesture data or gesture data elements, and to associate one or more device functions z based on the sequence of inputs x, y and possibly one or more further preset conditions.

[0127] FIG. 3 shows a flow chart illustrating a method of operating the aerosol generating device 100 or the aerosol generating system 500 described, for example, with reference to one or both of FIGS.

[0128] Step S1 of the method includes using the motion sensor controller 106 of the motion detection circuit 102 to process motion sensor data from at least one motion sensor 104 into gesture data indicative of a gesture performed by a user of the aerosol generating device 100 through mechanical interaction with the aerosol generating device 100.

[0129] Step S2 involves determining a gesture to be performed on the aerosol generating device based on analyzing the gesture data using the device control circuitry 110.

[0130] Step S3 involves controlling the aerosol generating device 100 using the device control circuitry 110 to perform at least one device function in response to the determined gesture.

[0131] The method according to Figure 3 may include one or more optional steps. In particular, any of the functions of the aerosol generating device 100 described above may be implemented as any of the optional steps.

[0132] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description is exemplary or representative and not restrictive, and the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, and can be practiced within the scope of the claims.

[0133] In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting their scope.

[0134] The present specification describes at least the following items. (1) a motion detection circuit including at least one motion sensor and a motion sensor controller configured to process motion sensor data from the at least one motion sensor into gesture data indicative of a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device by moving the aerosol generating device; An aerosol generating device comprising: a device control circuit including one or more device processors configured to determine the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device based on analyzing the gesture data provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit, and to control the aerosol generating device to perform at least one device function in response to the determined gesture. (2) the gesture data provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry includes one or more gesture data elements indicative of predefined gesture events in the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device; and / or An aerosol generating device as described in (1), wherein the gesture data includes one or more gesture data elements for signaling the device control circuit to detect one or more predetermined gesture events in the motion detection circuit. (3) the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit is configured to determine at least one predefined gesture event in the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device based on processing the motion sensor data; An aerosol generating device described in any one of (1) to (2), wherein the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit is configured to signal the detection of the at least one predetermined gesture event to the device control circuit based on providing one or more gesture data elements indicating the at least one predetermined gesture event. (4) An aerosol generating device described in any one of (1) to (3), wherein the motion sensor data includes raw sensor data generated by the motion sensor of the motion detection circuit in response to sensing one or more of the motion, position change, rotation, orientation change, rotational change, and acceleration of the aerosol generating device. (5) An aerosol generating device described in any one of (1) to (4), wherein the motion detection circuit is configured to generate the gesture data based on determining information in the motion sensor data that describes the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device. (6) The aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the motion sensor controller is configured to calculate the gesture data based on the motion sensor data. (7) An aerosol generating device described in any one of (1) to (6), wherein the motion sensor is configured to provide time-related motion sensor data on a first time scale, and the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit is configured to provide time-related gesture data on a second time scale greater than the first time scale. (8) the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit is configured to determine at least one predefined gesture event in the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device based on detecting at least one motion pattern associated with the at least one gesture event in the motion sensor data; An aerosol generating device described in any one of (1) to (7), wherein the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit is configured to provide at least one gesture data element indicating the determined at least one gesture event to the device control circuit. (9) An aerosol generating device described in any one of (1) to (8), wherein the motion sensor controller of the operation detection circuit is configured to determine a sequence of multiple gesture events within the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device and provide a sequence of gesture data elements to the device control circuit. (10) The predetermined gesture event is - a predetermined inclination of the aerosol generating device with respect to one or more spatial directions; - a predetermined velocity of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions; and - a predetermined acceleration of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions; and - a predetermined translational movement of the aerosol generating device along one or more spatial directions; - a predetermined acceleration of the aerosol generating device about one or more axes; and - a predetermined angular velocity about one or more axes of the aerosol generating device; - a predetermined rotational movement of the aerosol generating device about one or more axes; - Tap and - Double tap and - Multi-tap - Shake and - Double shake and - Multi-shake and - An aerosol generating device described in any one of (2) to (9), wherein the period is one or more of the predetermined inactive periods. (11) An aerosol generating device described in any one of (2) to (10), wherein the one or more gesture data elements include one or more of time information related to the gesture event, a start time of the gesture event, a stop time of the gesture event, and a duration of the gesture event. (12) An aerosol generating device described in any one of (1) to (11), wherein the device control circuit is further configured to determine the gesture based on one or more gesture data elements provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit. (13) An aerosol generating device described in any one of (1) to (12), wherein the device control circuit is configured to determine the gesture based on one or more gesture data elements and based on the duration between at least two consecutive gesture data elements. (14) The aerosol generating device of (13), wherein the device control circuit is configured to determine the gesture based on determining the period between the at least two consecutive gesture data elements. (15) The device control circuitry further comprises: - one or more gesture data element types; - a sequence of multiple gesture data elements; - durations of one or more predefined gesture events associated with one or more gesture data elements; - the occurrence of one or more gesture data elements within a predetermined period of time; - the number of occurrences of a gesture data element within a given time period; and - the frequency of gesture data elements; and - the duration between two consecutive gesture data elements. (16) the device control circuitry is configured to determine the gesture to be performed on the aerosol generating device based on comparing at least a portion of the gesture data with reference gesture data; and / or An aerosol generating device as described in any one of (1) to (15), wherein the device control circuit is configured to determine the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device based on comparing one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data with one or more reference gesture data elements indicating one or more predetermined gesture events. (17) An aerosol generating device described in any one of (1) to (16), wherein the device control circuit is further configured to determine at least one device function based on the determined gesture and / or based on one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data. (18) The at least one device function is - changing the operating mode of the aerosol generating device; - changing the power state of the aerosol generating device; - modifying a component of the aerosol generating device; - changing the lock state of the aerosol generating device; - activating a user interface of the aerosol generating device; - controlling a user interface of the aerosol generating device to provide information to the user; - controlling one or more settings of the aerosol generating device; - resetting the aerosol generating device; - controlling a heating element of the aerosol generating device; - controlling a heating element of an aerosol-generating article connectable to the aerosol-generating device to generate an aerosol; - controlling the heating temperature of the aerosol generating device. (19) The aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (18), an aerosol-generating article connectable to the aerosol-generating device and / or a receiving device configured to at least partially receive the aerosol-generating device; (20) 1. A method of operating an aerosol generating device, the method comprising: a motion detection circuit having at least one motion sensor and a motion sensor controller; and a device control circuit communicatively coupled to the motion detection circuit, the method comprising: processing, using the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit, motion sensor data of the at least one motion sensor into gesture data indicative of a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device by moving the aerosol generating device; determining the gesture to be performed on the aerosol generating device based on analyzing the gesture data using the device control circuitry; and using the device control circuitry to control the aerosol generating device to perform at least one device function in response to the determined gesture. (twenty one) A computer program that, when executed by an aerosol generating device or an aerosol generating system, instructs the aerosol generating device or system to perform the steps of the method described in (20).

Claims

1. a motion detection circuit including at least one motion sensor and a motion sensor controller configured to process motion sensor data from the at least one motion sensor into gesture data indicative of a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device by moving the aerosol generating device; An aerosol generating device comprising: a device control circuit including one or more device processors configured to determine the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device based on analyzing the gesture data provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit, and to control the aerosol generating device to perform at least one device function in response to the determined gesture.

2. the gesture data provided by the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuitry includes one or more gesture data elements indicative of predefined gesture events in the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device; and / or 2. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein the gesture data includes one or more gesture data elements for signaling the device control circuitry to detect one or more predetermined gesture events in the motion detection circuitry.

3. the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit is configured to determine at least one predefined gesture event in the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device based on processing the motion sensor data; An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the motion sensor controller of the movement detection circuit is configured to signal the detection of the at least one predetermined gesture event to the device control circuit based on providing one or more gesture data elements indicative of the at least one predetermined gesture event.

4. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the motion sensor data includes raw sensor data generated by the motion sensor of the motion detection circuit in response to sensing one or more of movement, position change, rotation, orientation change, rotation change, and acceleration of the aerosol generating device.

5. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the motion detection circuit is configured to generate the gesture data based on determining information in the motion sensor data that describes the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device.

6. 6. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the motion sensor controller is configured to calculate the gesture data based on the motion sensor data.

7. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the motion sensor is configured to provide time-related motion sensor data on a first time scale, and the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit is configured to provide time-related gesture data on a second time scale greater than the first time scale.

8. the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit is configured to determine at least one predefined gesture event in the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device based on detecting at least one motion pattern associated with the at least one gesture event in the motion sensor data; An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the motion sensor controller of the movement detection circuit is configured to provide at least one gesture data element indicative of the determined at least one gesture event to the device control circuit.

9. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the motion sensor controller of the action detection circuit is configured to determine a sequence of multiple gesture events within the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device and provide a sequence of gesture data elements to the device control circuit.

10. The predetermined gesture event is a predetermined inclination of the aerosol generating device with respect to one or more spatial directions; a predetermined velocity of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions; a predetermined acceleration of the aerosol generating device in one or more spatial directions; - a predetermined translational movement of the aerosol generating device along one or more spatial directions; a predetermined acceleration about one or more axes of the aerosol generating device; a predetermined angular velocity about one or more axes of the aerosol generating device; - a predetermined rotational movement of the aerosol generating device around one or more axes; - Tap and - Double tap and - Multi-tap - Shake and - Double shake and - Multi-shake and - one or more predetermined periods of inactivity.

11. 11. The aerosol generating device of claim 2, wherein the one or more gesture data elements include one or more of time information associated with the gesture event, a start time of the gesture event, a stop time of the gesture event, and a duration of the gesture event.

12. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the device control circuitry is further configured to determine the gesture based on one or more gesture data elements provided by the motion sensor controller of the movement detection circuitry.

13. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the device control circuitry is configured to determine the gesture based on one or more gesture data elements and based on the duration between at least two consecutive gesture data elements.

14. 14. The aerosol generating device of claim 13, wherein the device control circuitry is configured to determine the gesture based on determining the period between the at least two consecutive gesture data elements.

15. The device control circuitry further comprises: one or more gesture data element types; a sequence of a plurality of gesture data elements; - durations of one or more predefined gesture events associated with one or more gesture data elements; the occurrence of one or more gesture data elements within a predetermined period of time; - the number of occurrences of gesture data elements within a given period of time; - the frequency of gesture data elements; - the duration between two successive gesture data elements.

16. the device control circuitry is configured to determine the gesture to be performed on the aerosol generating device based on comparing at least a portion of the gesture data with reference gesture data; and / or An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the device control circuit is configured to determine the gesture performed on the aerosol generating device based on comparing one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data with one or more reference gesture data elements indicating one or more predetermined gesture events.

17. An aerosol generating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the device control circuitry is further configured to determine the at least one device function based on the determined gesture and / or based on one or more gesture data elements of the gesture data.

18. The at least one device function is - changing the operating mode of the aerosol generating device; - changing the power state of the aerosol generating device; - modifying a component of the aerosol generating device; - changing the locking state of the aerosol generating device; - activating a user interface of the aerosol generating device; - controlling a user interface of the aerosol generating device to provide information to the user; - controlling one or more settings of the aerosol generating device; - resetting the aerosol generating device; - controlling the heating element of the aerosol generating device; - controlling a heating element of an aerosol-generating article connectable to said aerosol-generating device to generate an aerosol; - controlling the heating temperature of the aerosol generating device.

19. An aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 18; an aerosol-generating article connectable to the aerosol-generating device and / or a receiving device configured to at least partially receive the aerosol-generating device.

20. 1. A method of operating an aerosol generating device, the method comprising: a motion detection circuit having at least one motion sensor and a motion sensor controller; and a device control circuit communicatively coupled to the motion detection circuit, the method comprising: processing, using the motion sensor controller of the motion detection circuit, motion sensor data of the at least one motion sensor into gesture data indicative of a gesture performed on the aerosol generating device by moving the aerosol generating device; determining the gesture to be performed on the aerosol generating device based on analyzing the gesture data using the device control circuitry; and using the device control circuitry to control the aerosol generating device to perform at least one device function in response to the determined gesture.

21. 21. A computer program which, when executed by an aerosol generating device or aerosol generating system, instructs the aerosol generating device or system to carry out the steps of the method of claim 20.

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