Aerosol supply device

Abstract

An aerosol supply device (100) comprising: an aerosol generator (116); a processor (202) for controlling the aerosol generator to generate an aerosol; a power supply module (204) connectable to a power supply; and a reset circuit (206) configured to reset the processor in response to the power supply module being connected to a power supply.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol supply device and method.

Background Art

[0002] Smoking articles such as cigarettes and cigars generate tobacco smoke by burning tobacco during use. In order to provide alternatives to these articles that burn tobacco, attempts have been made to create products that release compounds without burning. An example of such a product is a heating device that releases compounds by heating rather than burning a material. The material may be, for example, tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to a first aspect, there is provided an aerosol supply device comprising an aerosol generator, a processor for controlling the aerosol generator to generate an aerosol, a power module connectable to a power source, and a reset circuit configured to reset the processor in response to the power module being connected to the power source.

[0004] The reset circuit may comprise a capacitor, which is configured to charge when the power module is connected to the power source and reset the processor.

[0005] The reset circuit may comprise a transistor, wherein a current flowing from the capacitor during charging of the capacitor changes the state of the transistor to reset the processor.

[0006] The current flowing from the capacitor during charging of the capacitor may change the transistor to a saturated state to reset the processor.

[0007] The reset circuit may be configured to provide a reset signal to the reset pin of the processor in order to reset the processor.

[0008] The reset signal may also be a low signal.

[0009] The reset circuit may be further configured to reset the processor in response to further user input.

[0010] The aerosol supply device may include a device communicator configured to receive the further user input from an external device.

[0011] The aerosol supply device may include a user input element configured to receive the further user input.

[0012] The reset circuit may be configured to receive a reset input from the processor in response to the further user input.

[0013] The reset input may reset the processor by changing the state of the transistor.

[0014] The aerosol supply device may include a tactile motor, in which case the processor is configured to control the tactile motor.

[0015] The aerosol supply device may include a temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of the heater of the aerosol generator, wherein the processor is configured to control the aerosol generator based on the temperature of the heater sensed by the temperature sensor.

[0016] The reset circuit does not necessarily need to include an integrated circuit.

[0017] According to a second embodiment, an aerosol supply system is provided, comprising the aerosol supply device and an article comprising an aerosol generating material.

[0018] According to the third aspect, Connecting the power module of the aerosol supply device to a power source, In response to the power supply module being connected to the power supply, the processor is reset using a reset circuit, A method including this is provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] Here, an embodiment will be described with reference to the attached drawings, for illustrative purposes only. [Figure 1] A front view of the aerosol supply system is shown. [Figure 2] A schematic diagram of the aerosol supply device circuit is shown. [Figure 3] This document describes how to reset the processor of an aerosol supply device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] As used herein, the term “aerosol-generating material” refers to a material that can generate an aerosol when energy is applied, for example, by heating, irradiation, or any other method. The aerosol-generating material may be in the form of a solid, liquid, or gel, which may or may not contain active substances and / or flavorings. The aerosol-generating material may also contain any plant-based material, such as tobacco-containing material, and may include one or more of the following: tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, re-tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. The aerosol-generating material may also contain other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine, depending on the product. The aerosol-generating material may be in the form of, for example, a solid, liquid, gel, or wax. The aerosol-generating material may also be, for example, a combination or blend of materials. The aerosol-generating material may also be known as “smoked material.”

[0021] The aerosol-generating material may comprise a binder and an aerosol former. Optionally, an active substance and / or filler may be present. Optionally, a solvent such as water may also be present, and one or more other components of the aerosol-generating material may or may not be soluble in the solvent. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is substantially free of plant material. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is substantially free of tobacco.

[0022] The aerosol-generating material comprises or may comprise an "amorphous solid." The amorphous solid may be a "monolithic solid." In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dry gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that can hold some fluid, such as a liquid, within itself. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, about 50% by weight, 60% by weight, or 70% by weight, or about 90% by weight, 95% by weight, or 100% by weight of an amorphous solid.

[0023] The aerosol generating material may comprise an aerosol generating film. The aerosol generating film may comprise a sheet or be a sheet and optionally may be scored to form a scored sheet. The aerosol generating sheet or scored sheet may be substantially tobacco-free.

[0024] According to the present disclosure, a “non-combustible” aerosol supply system is one in which the aerosol generating material, which is a component of the aerosol supply system (or its components), is not combusted in order to facilitate the delivery of at least one substance to a user.

[0025] In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-combustible aerosol supply system, such as an electrically-powered non-combustible aerosol supply system.

[0026] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), although the presence of nicotine in the aerosol generating material is not a requirement.

[0027] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is an aerosol generating material heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.

[0028] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is a hybrid system that uses a combination of aerosol generating materials, one or more of which may be heated. Each aerosol generating material may be in the form of, for example, a solid, liquid, or gel and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol generating material and a solid aerosol generating material. The solid aerosol generating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.

[0029] Typically, a non-combustible aerosol supply system may comprise a non-combustible aerosol supply device and consumables for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply device.

[0030] In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to consumables comprising aerosol-generating materials and configured for use with non-combustible aerosol supply devices. These consumables may be referred to as articles throughout the disclosure.

[0031] In some embodiments, a non-combustible aerosol supply system, such as the non-combustible aerosol supply device, may include a power source and a controller. The power source may be, for example, a power source or a heat source. In some embodiments, the heat source includes a carbon substrate to which energy is supplied and which power is distributed in the form of heat to an aerosol-generating material or a heat transfer material near the heat source.

[0032] In some embodiments, a non-combustion aerosol supply system may comprise a region for receiving consumables, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generating region, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter, and / or an aerosol modifier.

[0033] In some embodiments, consumables for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device may include aerosol generating material, an aerosol generating material storage area, an aerosol generating material transfer component, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generating area, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a mouthpiece, and / or an aerosol modifier.

[0034] An aerosol generating device can accept an article comprising an aerosol generating material for heating. In this context, “article” refers to a component that, when used, includes or contains an aerosol generating material that is heated to volatilize the aerosol generating material, and optionally other components. A user may insert the article into the aerosol generating device before it is heated to generate an aerosol, and then inhale the aerosol. The article may be of a predetermined or specific size, for example, configured to be placed within a heating chamber of a device sized to accept the article.

[0035] Referring to Figure 1, the aerosol supply system 10 comprises an aerosol supply device 100 for generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material. The aerosol supply system 10 further comprises a replaceable article 110 containing the aerosol-generating material. Roughly speaking, the aerosol supply device 100 may be used to heat the article 110 to generate an aerosol or other inhalable medium, which is inhaled by the user of the device 100.

[0036] The aerosol supply device 100 comprises a main body 102. The housing configuration encloses and accommodates the various components of the main body 102. An article opening 104 is formed at one end of the main body 102 through which an article 110 can be inserted for heating by the aerosol generator 116.

[0037] Device 100 may also include a user-operable control element 150, such as a button or switch, which operates Device 100 when pressed. For example, a user may turn on Device 100 by operating the switch 150.

[0038] The aerosol generator 116 defines a longitudinal axis that aligns with the axis of the article 110.

[0039] During use, article 110 may be fully or partially inserted into aerosol generator 116, where it may be heated by one or more components of the aerosol generator 116.

[0040] Device 100 includes a device for heating an aerosol-generating material. The device includes an aerosol-generating assembly, a controller (control circuit), and a power supply. The device forms part of the main body 102. The aerosol-generating assembly is configured to heat the aerosol-generating material of an article 110 inserted through an article opening 104, thereby generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material. The power supply provides power to the aerosol-generating assembly, which converts the supplied electrical energy into thermal energy for heating the aerosol-generating material. The power supply may be a battery, such as a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery. Examples of suitable batteries include lithium batteries (such as lithium-ion batteries), nickel batteries (such as nickel-cadmium batteries), and alkaline batteries.

[0041] A power supply may be electrically coupled to the aerosol generation assembly and, when needed, supply power under the control of a controller to heat the aerosol generation material. The control circuit may be configured to start and stop the aerosol generation assembly based on user input. User input may be made by pressing a button or by opening a device door (e.g., a door covering a consumable receiving receptacle). The control circuit may be configured to start and stop automatically, for example, when an article is inserted.

[0042] An aerosol generation assembly may comprise various components for heating an aerosol-generating material via an induction heating process. Induction heating is a process of heating a conductive heating element (such as a susceptor) by electromagnetic induction. An induction heating assembly may comprise an inductive element, for example, one or more inductor coils, and a device for passing a fluctuating current, such as an alternating current, through the inductive element. The fluctuating current within the inductive element generates a fluctuating magnetic field. The fluctuating magnetic field penetrates a susceptor (heating element) suitably positioned relative to the inductive element, generating eddy currents within the susceptor. The susceptor has electrical resistance to eddy currents, and therefore, the flow of eddy currents against this resistance heats the susceptor by Joule heating. If the susceptor comprises a ferromagnetic material such as iron, nickel, or cobalt, heat may also be generated by magnetic hysteresis losses in the susceptor, i.e., by the fluctuating orientation of magnetic dipoles in the magnetic material as a result of alignment with the fluctuating magnetic field. In induction heating, compared to, for example, conduction heating, heat is generated inside the susceptor, enabling rapid heating. Furthermore, physical contact between the inductive element and the susceptor is not required, increasing flexibility in structure and application.

[0043] Referring to Figure 2, the circuitry 200 provided in the aerosol supply device 100 is shown. It will be understood that the aerosol supply device 100 also includes additional circuitry not shown in Figure 2. The circuitry 200 includes a processor 202 (also called a control module or main control module), a power supply module 204, and a reset circuit 206 (also called a reset control module).

[0044] The processor 202 is configured to control various components of the aerosol supply device 100, such as the aerosol generator 116, a tactile motor (not shown), and indicators such as LEDs (not shown). The processor 202 is configured to receive data from various components of the aerosol supply device 100, such as a temperature sensor (for sensing the temperature of the aerosol generator 116 to enable its control) and memory (not shown).

[0045] In this example, processor 202 comprises a microcontroller. Processor 202 includes a reset pin 208 and an additional reset pin 209 (among other pins of processor 202 not shown). As described below, processor 202 is configured to reset when it receives a reset signal on reset pin 208. Processor 202 is configured to reset when it receives an additional reset signal on additional reset pin 209. To reset, processor 202 is configured to shut down and restart. During reset, processor 202 may be configured to clear its memory, for example, clear error conditions. During reset, processor 202 may provide a visual indicator (e.g., haptic or luminous) to the user upon restart.

[0046] The power module 204 can be connected to a power source (not shown) via a power connector (not shown). The power connector may have a charging port (e.g., a USB port) for connecting to the power source. The power source may be a direct current (DC) power source. By connecting the power source to the power module 204 in this way, the energy storage unit (e.g., a battery, not shown) of the aerosol supply device 100 can be charged.

[0047] The reset circuit 206 includes a capacitor 210. The capacitor 210 is electrically connected to the power supply module 204.

[0048] The reset circuit 206 includes a switch 214. The switch 214 is configured to selectively connect an additional reset pin 209 to ground. The switch 214 may include a user-controllable element 150.

[0049] The reset circuit 206 includes a transistor 212. A capacitor 210 is electrically connected to the transistor 212. The capacitor 210 is electrically connected to the base of the transistor 212. The capacitor 210 is connected between the power supply module 204 and the transistor 212. The transistor 212 is connected to the reset pin 208. The collector of the transistor 212 is connected to the reset pin 208. The transistor 212 is connected between the capacitor 210 and the processor 202. Several components may be connected between the power supply module 204, the capacitor 210, and the processor 202, and direct connections between them are not required.

[0050] The reset circuit 206 includes various other components such as resistors and capacitors, some of which are shown in Figure 2. A description of these components is omitted. The reset circuit 206 does not include an integrated circuit.

[0051] Referring to Figure 3, a method 300 for operating the aerosol supply device 100 is shown. Method 300 includes a device execution step 302, a power module connection step 304, a command reception step 306, a power module reset step 308, and a command reset step 310.

[0052] In device execution step 302, the processor 202 controls the components of the aerosol supply device 100 according to normal operation. For example, the processor 202 controls the aerosol generator 116 to generate aerosols.

[0053] The power supply is not connected to the power supply module 204. This means that capacitor 210 is not charged, and the voltage Vbe between the base and emitter of transistor 212 is 0. As a result, reset pin 208 is floating because no input is provided. Furthermore, no input is provided via switch 214, which causes the additional reset pin 209 to be floating. Therefore, no signal is sent to reset pin 208 or the additional reset pin 209, and the processor 202 is not reset.

[0054] The connection of the power module 204 to the power supply may occur in the power module connection step 304. The capacitor 210 begins charging and may be considered a closed circuit in a short time. Current flows through the capacitor 210 to the base of the transistor 212. This causes the transistor to enter a saturated state and provide a low voltage signal (called the reset signal) to the reset pin 208. This causes the processor 202 to be reset in the reset step 308 as described above.

[0055] When capacitor 210 is fully charged and the voltage across it equals the power supply voltage, no current flows through capacitor 210. This means that no current flows to the base of transistor 212, and the transistor enters the cutoff state. The voltage across reset pin 208 changes from low to high, and processor 202 restarts. In this example, this is a hard reset. After processor 202 restarts, the aerosol supply device 100 returns to device execution step 302.

[0056] Therefore, the charging time of capacitor 210 determines the reset time of processor 202 (i.e., the time between shutdown and restart of processor 202), and the reset circuit 206 may be configured to provide the desired reset time.

[0057] When the aerosol supply device 100 is in the device execution step 302, user input via switch 214 causes the aerosol supply device 100 to enter the command reception step 306. In the command reception step 306, switch 214 is closed, which provides a low-voltage signal (i.e., an additional reset signal) to the additional reset pin 209. This causes the processor 202 to execute the command reset step 310.

[0058] In the command reset step 310, the processor 202 restarts in response to receiving an additional reset signal on the additional reset pin 209. In this example, in the command reset step 310, the processor 202 performs a software reset. In a software reset (also called a soft reset), the memory may not be cleared as thoroughly as in a hard reset, for example, error conditions may not be cleared. After the command reset step 310, the aerosol supply device 100 returns to the device execution step 302.

[0059] In other examples, switch 214 may be omitted, and the command reception step 306 may instead be triggered by an internal request of the processor 202 (for example, by a reset command being wirelessly provided to the aerosol supply device 100).

[0060] In another example, during the command reset step 310, the processor 202 may perform a hard reset. To cause this, the processor 202 may output a high-voltage signal from output pin 214. This causes transistor 212 to enter a saturation state, and a low-voltage signal is sent to the reset pin 208, which may trigger a reset as described above with respect to the power module reset step 308.

[0061] In the embodiments described above, the aerosol supply device comprises a heating configuration which is an induction heating configuration. Other types of heating configurations, such as resistance heating, are used in embodiments. The configuration of the device is generally as described above, so a detailed description is omitted. In such configurations, the aerosol generation assembly comprises a resistance heating generator which includes components for heating a heating element via a resistance heating process. In this case, an electric current is applied directly to the resistance heating component, and the resulting flow of current within the heating component heats the heating component by Joule heating. The resistance heating component comprises a resistance material configured to generate heat when a suitable current passes through it, and the heating assembly comprises electrical contacts for supplying current to the resistance material.

[0062] In some embodiments, the heating element forms the resistive heating component itself. In some embodiments, the resistive heating component transfers heat to the heating element, for example, by conduction.

[0063] The various embodiments described herein are presented solely to aid in understanding and teaching the claimed features. These embodiments are provided only as representative examples and are not exhaustive and / or exclusive. The advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and / or other aspects described herein should not be considered as limitations to the scope of the invention as defined by the claims or to equivalents thereof, and it should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and modified without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. Various embodiments of the invention may preferably comprise, consist of, or essentially consist of, disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc., other than those specifically described herein. Furthermore, this disclosure may include other inventions that are not currently claimed but may be claimed in the future.

Claims

1. Aerosol supply device, Aerosol generator and A processor for controlling the aerosol generator to generate aerosols, A power module that can be connected to a power source, A reset circuit configured to reset the processor in response to the power supply module being connected to the power supply, An aerosol supply device comprising the above features.

2. An aerosol supply device according to claim 1, The reset circuit includes a capacitor, which is configured to charge when the power supply module is connected to the power supply and to reset the processor. Aerosol supply device.

3. The aerosol supply device according to claim 2, The reset circuit comprises a transistor, and the current flowing from the capacitor during its charging changes the state of the transistor, thereby resetting the processor. Aerosol supply device.

4. The aerosol supply device according to claim 3, During the charging of the capacitor, the current flowing from the capacitor causes the transistor to saturate, thereby resetting the processor. Aerosol supply device.

5. An aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The reset circuit is configured to provide a reset signal to the reset pin of the processor in order to reset the processor. Aerosol supply device.

6. The aerosol supply device according to claim 5, The reset signal is a low signal. Aerosol supply device.

7. An aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The reset circuit is further configured to reset the processor in response to further user input. Aerosol supply device.

8. The aerosol supply device according to claim 7, A device communicator configured to receive the further user input from an external device is included. Aerosol supply device.

9. An aerosol supply device according to claim 7 or 8, The system includes a user input element configured to receive the aforementioned further user input, Aerosol supply device.

10. An aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, The reset circuit is configured to receive a reset input from the processor in response to the further user input. Aerosol supply device.

11. An aerosol supply device according to claim 10, which is dependent on claim 3, The reset input resets the processor by changing the state of the transistor. Aerosol supply device.

12. An aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, The device is equipped with a tactile motor, and the processor is configured to control the tactile motor. Aerosol supply device.

13. An aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, The processor is configured to control the aerosol generator based on the temperature of the heater, which is provided with a temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of the heater of the aerosol generator. Aerosol supply device.

14. An aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, The aforementioned reset circuit does not include an integrated circuit. Aerosol supply device.

15. an aerosol supply system, an aerosol supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, An article comprising an aerosol generating material, an aerosol supply system equipped with the following features.

16. It is a method, Connecting the power module of the aerosol supply device to a power source, In response to the power supply module being connected to the power supply, the processor is reset using a reset circuit, Methods that include...

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